Thermochromic Energy Efficient Windows: Fundamentals, Recent Advances, and Perspectives.

Thermochromic energy efficient windows represent an important protocol technology for advanced architectural windows with energy-saving capabilities through the intelligent regulation of indoor solar irradiation and the modulation of window optical properties in response to real-time temperature stimuli. In this review, recent progress in some promising thermochromic systems is summarized from the aspects of structures, the micro-/mesoscale regulation of thermochromic properties, and integration with other emerging energy techniques. Furthermore, the challenges and opportunities in thermochromic energy-efficient windows are outlined to promote future scientific investigations and practical applications in building energy conservation.

Immune Regulation of the Liver Through the PCSK9/CD36 Pathway During Heart Transplant Rejection.

BACKGROUND: PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9), which is mainly secreted by the liver, is not only a therapeutic target for hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease, but also has been implicated in the immune regulation of infections and tumors. However, the role of PCSK9 and the liver in heart transplant rejection (HTR) and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. METHODS: We assessed serum PCSK9 expression in both murine and human recipients during HTR and investigated the effect of PCSK9 ablation on HTR by using global knockout mice and a neutralizing antibody. Moreover, we performed multiorgan histological and transcriptome analyses, and multiomics and single-cell RNA-sequencing studies of the liver during HTR, as well. We further used hepatocyte-specific Pcsk9 knockout mice to investigate whether the liver regulated HTR through PCSK9. Last, we explored the regulatory effect of the PCSK9/CD36 pathway on the phenotype and function of macrophages in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: Here, we report that murine and human recipients have high serum PCSK9 levels during HTR. PCSK9 ablation prolonged cardiac allograft survival and attenuated the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the graft and the expansion of alloreactive T cells in the spleen. Next, we demonstrated that PCSK9 was mainly produced and significantly upregulated in the recipient liver, which also showed a series of signaling changes, including changes in the TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor α) and IFN-γ (interferon γ) signaling pathways and the bile acid and fatty acid metabolism pathways. We found mechanistically that TNF-α and IFN-γ synergistically promoted PCSK9 expression in hepatocytes through the transcription factor SREBP2 (sterol regulatory element binding protein 2). Moreover, in vitro and in vivo studies indicated that PCSK9 inhibited CD36 expression and fatty acid uptake by macrophages and strengthened the proinflammatory phenotype, which facilitated their ability to promote proliferation and IFN-γ production by donor-reactive T cells. Last, we found that the protective effect of PCSK9 ablation against HTR is dependent on the CD36 pathway in the recipient. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a novel mechanism for immune regulation by the liver through the PCSK9/CD36 pathway during HTR, which influences the phenotype and function of macrophages and suggests that the modulation of this pathway may be a potential therapeutic target to prevent HTR.

Microglia mediate memory dysfunction via excitatory synaptic elimination in a fracture surgery mouse model.

Cognitive impairment is a common issue among human patients undergoing surgery, yet the neural mechanism causing this impairment remains unidentified. Surgical procedures often lead to glial cell activation and neuronal hypoexcitability, both of which are known to contribute to postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). However, the role of neuron-glia crosstalk in the pathology of POCD is still unclear. Through integrated transcriptomics and proteomics analyses, we found that the complement cascades and microglial phagocytotic signaling pathways are activated in a mouse model of POCD. Following surgery, there is a significant increase in the presence of complement C3, but not C1q, in conjunction with presynaptic elements. This triggers a reduction in excitatory synapses, a decline in excitatory synaptic transmission, and subsequent memory deficits in the mouse model. By genetically knockout out C3ar1 or inhibiting p-STAT3 signaling, we successfully prevented neuronal hypoexcitability and alleviated cognitive impairment in the mouse model. Therefore, targeting the C3aR and downstream p-STAT3 signaling pathways could serve as potential therapeutic approaches for mitigating POCD.

The Progress of Reductive Coupling Reaction by Iron Catalysis.

The transition metal catalyzed coupling reaction has revolutionized the strategies for forging the carbon-carbon bonds. In contrast to traditional cross-coupling methods using pre-prepared nucleophilic organometallic reagents, reductive coupling reactions for the C-C bonds formation provide some advantages. Because both coupling partners are reduced in the final products using a stoichiometric amount of a reductant, this approach not only avoids the need to use sensitive organometallic species, but also provides an orthogonal and complementary access to classical coupling reaction. Notably, the reductive coupling reactions feature readily available fragments, promote good step economy, exhibit high functional group tolerance and unique chemoselectivity, which have propelled their increasingly popular in the organic synthesis. In recent years, due to the low price, minimal toxicity, and environmentally benign character, iron-catalyzed carbon-carbon coupling reactions have garnered significant attention from the organic synthetic chemists and pharmacologists, especially the iron-catalyzed reductive coupling. This review aims to provide an insightful overview of recent advances in iron-catalyzed reductive coupling reactions, and to illustrate their possible reaction mechanisms.

Anti-inflammatory Activities and Mechanisms of New Compounds Isolated from the Fruits of Foeniculum vulgare Mill.

Forty-nine compounds, including six previously unknown together with forty-three known ones, were isolated from the fruits of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Their structures were elucidated using high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) methods. All isolates were evaluated their anti-inflammatory activity. The results indicated that compounds 1, 6, 35 and 45 inhibit lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophages with IC50 values of 17.13 ± 0.74, 14.40 ± 0.54, 112.13 ± 2.08 and 77.02 ± 3.62 µg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the potential targets of the four active ingredients were explored through network pharmacology, revealing that SRC, TP53, AKT1, and PIK3CA may serve as key anti-inflammatory targets. To confirm the potential binding mode, molecular docking was employed, which demonstrated that all active targets except SRC exhibited favorable binding energy with compound 35. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory activities of compounds 1-6 were first observed in this experiment.

Am I Winning or Losing? Probing the Appraisal of Partial Wins via Response Vigor.

Attempts to obtain rewards are not always successful. Despite investing much time, effort, or money, sometimes individuals may not obtain any reward. Other times they may obtain some reward, but the obtained reward may be smaller than their initial investment, such as partial wins in gambling. It remains unclear how such ambiguous outcomes are appraised. To address this question, we systematically varied the payoffs for different outcomes in a computerized scratch card task across three experiments. To test outcome appraisal, we used response vigor as a novel proxy. In the scratch card task, participants turned three cards one by one. Depending on the turned cards, they either received an amount that was higher than the wager (win), an amount lower than the wager (partial win), or nothing (loss). Overall, participants responded to partial wins more slowly than losses, but more quickly than wins. Partial wins were therefore appraised to be better than losses, but worse than wins. Importantly, further analyses showed that outcome appraisal was not based on the net win or loss amount. Instead, participants primarily used the configuration of turned cards as a cue for the relative rank of an outcome within a specific game. Outcome appraisals thus utilize simple heuristic rules, rely on salient information (such as outcome-related cues in gambling), and are specific to a local context. Together, these factors may contribute to the misperception of partial wins as real wins in gambling. Future work may examine how outcome appraisal may be modulated by the salience of certain information, and investigate the appraisal process in contexts beyond gambling.

Immunoassay System Based on the Technology of Time-Resolved Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer.

To enhance the specificity and sensitivity, cut the cost, and realize joint detection of multiple indicators, an immunoassay system based on the technology of time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) was studied. Due to the FRET of the reagent, the donor probe and acceptor probe emitted specific fluorescence to enhance specificity. Long-lifetime specific fluorescence from the acceptor probe was combined with time-resolved technology to enhance sensitivity. A xenon flash lamp and a photomultiplier tube (PMT) were selected as the light source and detector, respectively. A filter-switching mechanism was placed in the light path, so the fluorescence signal from the donor and acceptor was measured alternately. The instrument's design is given, and some specificI parts are described in detail. Key technical specifications of the instrument and procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6(IL-6) were tested, and the test results were presented subsequently. The CV value of the self-designed counting module is better than 0.01%, and the instrument noises for 620 nm and 665 nm are 41.44 and 10.59, respectively. When set at 37 °C, the temperature bias (B) is 0.06 °C, and the temperature fluctuation is 0.10 °C. The CV and bias are between ±3% and 5%, respectively, when pipetting volumes are between 10 µL and 100 µL. Within the concentration range of 0.01 nM to 10 nM, the luminescence values exhibit linear regression correlation coefficients greater than 0.999. For PCT detection, when the concentration ranges from 0.02 ng/mL to 50 ng/mL, the correlation coefficient of linear fitting exceeds 0.999, and the limit of quantification is 0.096 ng/mL. For CRP and IL-6, the detection concentration ranges from 0 ng/mL to 500 ng/mL and 0 ng/mL to 20 ng/mL, respectively, with limits of quantification of 2.70 ng/mL and 2.82 ng/mL, respectively. The experimental results confirm the feasibility of the technical and instrumental solutions.

Interplays between plants and environmental factors determine pullout resistance on different revegetated slopes in mining areas.

Plant roots play a crucial role in enhancing soil stability and protecting slopes during ecological restoration, particularly in mining areas where external-soil spray seeding is employed. However, the relationship between plant root pullout resistance and environmental factors on different types of slopes remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the interactions between the pullout resistance of a dominant species, Artemisia gmelinii, and environmental factors on three slope types (rocky, geotechnical, and soil) using multi-group structural equation modeling. Our findings reveal that the pullout resistance of plant roots was strongly influenced by various factors, including but not limited to biological factors such as plant height and biomass. It showed a positive correlation between soil silt content and soil nutrient levels. Notably, the pullout resistance on soil slopes was significantly higher than on rocky slopes. Furthermore, the impact of soil nutrients and texture on pullout resistance was more pronounced on geotechnical and soil slopes compared to rocky slopes. Multi-group structural equation modeling highlighted that among all environmental factors, slope gradient and underground biomass had the most significant influence on pullout resistance across all slope types. Specifically, slope gradient had a greater effect on soil slopes, whereas underground biomass played a more prominent role on rocky and geotechnical slopes. Overall, our study suggests that when implementing external-soil spray seeding in mining areas, it is crucial to consider the interplay between plant roots and environmental factors, including slope properties. This holistic approach is crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of plants in slope protection during eco-engineering projects.

The dynamic response mechanism of crops to manganese uptake and transfer mediated by different intercropping crop attributes.

BACKGROUND: An issue of pressing concern is the manganese contamination in farmland soils adjacent to industrial areas. To address this, intercropping hyperaccumulator plants with crops emerges as a sustainable approach to ensuring food security. This study aims to investigate the influence of intercropping Sedum alfredii with maize or soybean on their growth and the dynamics of manganese accumulation through field experiments. RESULTS: The results showed that compared with monoculture, the Sedum alfredii-maize intercropping system exhibited a land equivalent ratio (LER) of 1.89, signifying a 71.13% augmentation in bioaccumulation amount (BCA). Additionally, it led to a significant reduction in manganese content in various organs, ranging from 17.05% to 25.50%. However, the Sedum alfredii-soybean intercropping system demonstrated a LER of 1.94, accompanied by a 66.11% increase in BCA, but did not significantly reduce the manganese content in the roots, stems, and pods of soybeans. Furthermore, manganese accumulation in maize and soybean grains was primarily attributed to the aboveground translocation of manganese. The intercropping effect on blocking manganese absorption of maize during growth and maturity is primarily attributed to the earlier manganese accumulation in intercropped maize by 2.63 to 4.35 days, and a reduction of 21.95% in the maximum manganese accumulation rate. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that manganese accumulation dynamics vary significantly depending on the crop family. Intercropping Sedum alfredii with maize enhances land-use efficiency and reduces manganese uptake by crops, making it a promising strategy for remediating manganese-contaminated farmland near industrial areas. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

A Mixed-Reality-Based Unknown Space Navigation Method of a Flexible Manipulator.

A hyper-redundant flexible manipulator is characterized by high degree(s) of freedom (DoF), flexibility, and environmental adaptability. It has been used for missions in complex and unknown spaces, such as debris rescue and pipeline inspection, where the manipulator is not intelligent enough to face complex situations. Therefore, human intervention is required to assist in decision-making and control. In this paper, we designed an interactive navigation method based on mixed reality (MR) of a hyper-redundant flexible manipulator in an unknown space. A novel teleoperation system frame is put forward. An MR-based interface was developed to provide a virtual model of the remote workspace and virtual interactive interface, allowing the operator to observe the real-time situation from a third perspective and issue commands to the manipulator. As for environmental modeling, a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm based on an RGB-D camera is applied. Additionally, a path-finding and obstacle avoidance method based on artificial potential field (APF) is introduced to ensure that the manipulator can move automatically under the artificial command in the remote space without collision. The results of the simulations and experiments validate that the system exhibits good real-time performance, accuracy, security, and user-friendliness.

A Multi-market Comparison of the Intraday Lead-Lag Relations Among Stock Index-Based Spot, Futures and Options.

Using 1-min data, we explore the dynamic variation of the intraday lead-lag relations between stock indices and their derivatives through a comprehensive study with broader coverage of research objectives and methodologies. This paper provides explicit evidence that the futures and options exhibit price leadership over the spot market, and the options is ahead of the futures on most trading days in all three markets. This paper also reports a new finding that the relation between the derivative and its underlying index reverses when the index return has a significantly larger mean value, and the reversal phenomenon is also observed in the relations between the futures and the options, which enriches the empirical results of intraday lead-lag relations. Moreover, these conclusions still hold under the impact of extreme events, e.g., the outbreak of the Covid-19. Finally, we construct a pair trading strategy based on the intraday lead-lag relationships, which can get better performance than the corresponding spot index. Our findings can potentially help regulators understand the price discovery process between the index and its derivatives, and also be of great value for timely adjustment of investors intraday trading strategies.

Identification of the Early Steps in Herbicidin Biosynthesis Reveals an Atypical Mechanism of C-Glycosylation.

Herbicidins are adenosine-derived nucleoside antibiotics with an unusual tricyclic core structure. Deletion of the genes responsible for formation of the tricyclic skeleton in Streptomyces sp. L-9-10 reveals the in vivo importance of Her4, Her5, and Her6 in the early stages of herbicidin biosynthesis. In vitro characterization of Her4 and Her5 demonstrates their involvement in an initial, two-stage C-C coupling reaction that results in net C5'-glycosylation of ADP/ATP by UDP/TDP-glucuronic acid. Biochemical analyses and intermediate trapping experiments imply a noncanonical mechanism of C-glycosylation reminiscent of NAD-dependent S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH)-hydrolase catalysis. Structural characterization of the isolated metabolites suggests possible reactions catalyzed by Her6 and Her7. An overall herbicidin biosynthetic pathway is proposed based on these observations.

Dioxane Bridge Formation during the Biosynthesis of Spectinomycin Involves a Twitch Radical S-Adenosyl Methionine Dehydrogenase That May Have Evolved from an Epimerase.

Spectinomycin is a dioxane-bridged, tricyclic aminoglycoside produced by Streptomyces spectabilis ATCC 27741. While the spe biosynthetic gene cluster for spectinomycin has been reported, the chemistry underlying construction of the dioxane ring is unknown. The twitch radical SAM enzyme SpeY from the spe cluster is shown here to catalyze dehydrogenation of the C2' alcohol of (2'R,3'S)-tetrahydrospectinomycin to yield (3'S)-dihydrospectinomycin as a likely biosynthetic intermediate. This reaction is radical-mediated and initiated via H atom abstraction from C2' of the substrate by the 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical equivalent generated upon reductive cleavage of SAM. Crystallographic analysis of the ternary Michaelis complex places serine-183 adjacent to C2' of the bound substrate opposite C5' of SAM. Mutation of this residue to cysteine converts SpeY to the corresponding C2' epimerase mirroring the opposite phenomenon observed in the homologous twitch radical SAM epimerase HygY from the hygromycin B biosynthetic pathway. Phylogenetic analysis suggests a relatively recent evolutionary branching of putative twitch radical SAM epimerases bearing homologous cysteine residues to generate the SpeY clade of enzymes.

Prognostic value of CSN5 in patients with digestive system cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite the understanding of the COP9 signalosome subunit 5 (CSN5) in tumor genesis, there is no conclusive evidence on its value to predict the survival and prognosis of digestive system tumor patients. Hence this study aimed to evaluate the impact of CSN5 levels on the survival and clinicopathological parameters of digestive system neoplasm patients. METHODS: First, a comprehensive search was conducted in four databases. We utilized the Hazard Ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) to evaluate the prognostic value of CSN5 for the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients. Then, we estimated the connection between CSN5 and the clinicopathological parameters based on the Odds Ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95% CI. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included 22 studies and 2193 patients diagnosed with digestive system tumors. High expression of CSN5 was correlated to poorer OS (HR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.71-3.03; p < 0.00001). Additionally, high CSN5 levels were correlated with worse invasion depth (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.25-0.96, p = 0.04), positive lymphatic metastasis (OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.16-0.47, p = 0.00001), positive distant metastasis (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.13-0.76, p = 0.01) and poorer differentiation degree (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.19-0.60, p = 0.0003). However, we did not detect a correlation between CSN5 expression and age, gender, tumor stage, tumor size or vascular invasion. Furthermore, no significant publication bias was detected. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis demonstrated that the overexpression of CSN5 level might foresee poorer OS in digestive system cancer patients. Additionally, CSN5 levels might be related to the prognosis of digestive system tumors.

Unenhanced Whole-Heart Coronary MRA: Prospective Intraindividual Comparison of 1.5-T SSFP and 3-T Dixon Water-Fat Separation GRE Methods Using Coronary Angiography as Reference.

BACKGROUND. Coronary MRA is commonly performed at 1.5 T using SSFP acquisitions. Coronary MRA performed at 3 T using SSFP is limited due to impaired fat suppression and has been typically investigated using contrast-enhanced techniques. A Dixon fat-water separation gradient-recalled echo (GRE) method may enable high-quality unenhanced 3-T coronary MRA. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to compare 1.5-T SSFP and 3-T Dixon water-fat separation GRE methods for unenhanced whole-heart coronary MRA in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS. This prospective study included 44 patients (27 men and 17 women; mean age, 59 ± 8 [SD] years) with an intermediate to high risk of CAD who underwent both 1.5-T SSFP and 3-T Dixon GRE coronary MRA examinations before undergoing coronary angiography (CAG). Two radiologists independently assessed coronary arteries in terms of subjective image quality (on a scale of 1-5, with 5 denoting the highest image quality), number of visible segments, apparent contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR; vs myocardium), and presence of significant stenoses. Methods were compared using the mean of the readers' values for apparent CNR and using consensus interpretations for other measures. CAG served as the reference standard for detecting the presence of stenoses. RESULTS. Expressed as a kappa coefficient, interobserver agreement was 0.85 for image quality, 0.85 for segment visibility, and 0.83 for stenosis, and expressed as an intraclass correlation coefficient, interobserver agreement was 0.92 for apparent CNR. The mean overall image quality score was 4.0 ± 1.1 for 3-T Dixon GRE versus 3.0 ± 1.2 for 1.5-T SSFP. The percentage of visible segments for 3-T Dixon GRE versus 1.5-T SSFP was 96.7% versus 88.9% for all segments, 96.9% versus 90.1% for distal segments, and 93.1% versus 77.2% for branch segments. The mean overall apparent CNR was 93.2 ± 29.2 for 3-T Dixon GRE versus 80.8 ± 27.9 for 1.5-T SSFP. The 3-T Dixon GRE method, compared with the 1.5-T SSFP method, showed higher sensitivity and specificity in per-vessel analysis (87.9% vs 77.3% and 83.3% vs 60.6%, respectively), per-segment analysis (84.6% vs 74.8% and 90.9% vs 79.6%, respectively), and per-segment analysis of distal and branch segments (89.7% vs 75.9% and 89.7% vs 73.7%, respectively). CONCLUSION. For unenhanced coronary MRA, 3-T unenhanced Dixon GRE had better image quality and diagnostic performance than 1.5-T SSFP, particularly for distal and branch segments. CLINICAL IMPACT. The 3-T Dixon GRE technique may be preferred to the current clinical standard of the 1.5-T SSFP technique for unenhanced coronary MRA.

Environmental compensation of laser interferometer based on particle swarm algorithm.

A dual-frequency laser interferometer is an important instrument that can provide a meter-level measurement range with nanometer-level measurement accuracy at several meters per second measurement speed. The measurement accuracy of the dual-frequency laser interferometer plays a vital role based on laser wavelength, which is easily affected by environmental factors, so the air refractive index needs to be corrected. In this paper, an improved Edlen empirical formula air refractive index compensation method is introduced, in which a particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to optimize the Edlen formula by adjusting the compensation model online according to the compensation effect to adapt to different environmental conditions. The experimental results show that the root mean square error of the interferometer compensated for by the unoptimized Edlen formula can be reduced by 79.3% and 72.1% under different optical path lengths, and by 90.7% and 91.9% after compensation by the optimized Edlen formula, which means that the average compensation effect is improved by about 20%.

Phytotoxicity of VO2 nanoparticles with different sizes to pea seedlings.

Vanadium dioxide nanoparticles (VO2 NPs) have been massively produced due to their excellent metal-insulator transition characteristics for various applications. Pilot studies indicated the toxicity of VO2 NPs to bacteria and mammalian cells, but the environmental hazards of VO2 NPs to plants have been unrevealed to date. In this study, we reported the inhibitive effects of VO2 NPs to the growth and photosynthesis of pea seedlings. Laboratory synthesized monoclinic VO2 NPs (N-VO2), commercial nanosized VO2 NPs (S-VO2), and commercial microsized VO2 particles (M-VO2) were carefully characterized for environmental toxicity evaluations. VO2 particles were supplemented to culture medium for seed germination and seedling growth. All three VO2 samples did not affect the germination rates of pee seeds, while serious growth inhibition of pea seedlings was observed at 10 mg/L for S-VO2 and N-VO2, and 100 mg/L for M-VO2. VO2 particles had no impact on the chlorophyll contents, but the photosynthesis of leaf was significantly decreased following the consequence of N-VO2 > S-VO2 > M-VO2. The inhibition of photosynthesis was attributed to the damage of acceptor side of photosystem II by VO2 particles at high concentrations. Abundant bioaccumulations of vanadium in roots aroused oxidative damage and changed the root structure. Our results collectively indicated that the phytotoxicity of VO2 NPs was related to the concentration, size and crystalline degree.

Incision-based Blepharoplasty with Preservation of Superficial and Deep Blood Vessels.

BACKGROUND: Single eyelids of many individuals seek incision-based blepharoplasty to construct double eyelids. However, excessive tissue damage is still a common problem after this surgery. Much of the tissue injury incurred during blepharoplasty results from damage to vertical blood vessels in the superficial and deep layers, so we designed a new modified incisional-based blepharoplasty method that preserves superficial and deep blood vessels. PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of this preservation of superficial and deep blood vessels approach to incisional-based blepharoplasty. METHODS: We retrospectively examined the outcomes of 462 consecutive patients receiving this new method from January 2015 to December 2019. The surgical methods were designed to preserve superficial and deep blood vessels to the greatest extent possible. All patients were followed up for 6 to 40 months. Postoperative evaluations were performed and patients graded results at final follow-up as excellent, good, fair, or poor. The combined proportion of excellent, good, and fair was deemed the satisfaction rate. RESULTS: The overall satisfaction rate was 94.16% (435/462). Postoperative swelling regressed significantly during the first week and disappeared by 4 weeks postsurgery for patients without ptosis or with mild ptosis, whereas swelling regressed in 2 to 5 weeks for patients with moderate ptosis. Fourteen patients (3.03%, 14/462) displayed obvious bruising after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This new blepharoplasty method yielded a high satisfaction rate, rapid dissipation of swelling, low bruising, and low complication rate. This effective and safe surgical method warrants wider use for single eyelid and mild/moderate ptosis.

Is Biportal Endoscopic Spine Surgery More Advantageous Than Uniportal for the Treatment of Lumbar Degenerative Disease? A Meta-Analysis.

Background and Objectives: To estimate the clinical outcomes of uniportal and biportal full-endoscopic spine surgery for the treatment of lumbar degenerative disease (LDD), and to provide the latest evidence for clinical selection. Materials and Methods: Relevant literatures published in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI, and WanFang Database before 21 November 2021 were searched systematically. Two researchers independently screened the studies, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias of the included studies. The systematic review and meta-analysis were performed using the Review Manager software (version 5.4; The Cochrane Collaboration). Results: A total of seven studies were included in this meta-analysis, including 198 patients in a uniportal endoscopy group and 185 patients in a biportal endoscopy group. The results of this meta-analysis demonstrated that the biportal endoscopy group experienced less intraoperative estimated blood loss (WMD = -2.54, 95%CI [-4.48, -0.60], p = 0.01), while the uniportal endoscopy group displayed significantly better recovery results in Visual Analog Scale (VAS) assessments of the back within 3 days of surgery (WMD = 0.69, 95%CI [0.02, 1.37], p = 0.04). However, no significant differences in operation time, length of hospital stay, complication rates, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) (within 3 months), ODI (last follow-up), VAS for back (within 3 months), VAS for back (last follow-up), and VAS for leg (within 3 days, within 3 months, last follow-up) were identified between the two groups. Conclusions: According to our meta-analysis, patients who underwent the uniportal endoscopic procedure had more significant early postoperative back pain relief than those who underwent the biportal endoscopic procedure. Nevertheless, both surgical techniques are safe and effective.

HygY Is a Twitch Radical SAM Epimerase with Latent Dehydrogenase Activity Revealed upon Mutation of a Single Cysteine Residue.

HygY is a SPASM/twitch radical SAM enzyme hypothesized to catalyze the C2'-epimerization of galacamine during the biosynthesis of hygromycin B. This activity is confirmed via biochemical and structural analysis of the derivatized reaction products using chemically synthesized deuterated substrate, high-resolution mass spectrometry and 1H NMR. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of the reduced enzyme is consistent with ligation of two [Fe4S4] clusters characteristic of the twitch radical SAM subgroup. HygY catalyzed epimerization proceeds with incorporation of a single solvent Hydron into the talamine product facilitated by the catalytic cysteine-183 residue. Mutation of this cysteine to alanine converts HygY from a C2'-epimerase to an C2'-dehydrogenase with comparable activity. The SPASM/twitch radical SAM enzymes often serve as anaerobic oxidases making the redox-neutral epimerases in this class rather interesting. The discovery of latent dehydrogenase activity in a twitch epimerase may therefore offer new insights into the mechanistic features that distinguish oxidative versus redox-neutral SPASM/twitch enzymes and lead to the evolution of new enzyme activities.