Accuracy of cell-free Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA testing in pleural effusion for diagnosing tuberculous pleurisy: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy (TP) presents a significant challenge due to the low bacterial load in pleural effusion (PE) samples. Cell-free Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA (cf-TB) in PE samples is considered an optimal biomarker for diagnosing TP. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of cf-TB testing across diverse research sites with a relatively large sample size. METHODS: Patients suspected of TP and presenting with clinical symptoms and radiological evidence of PE were consecutively enrolled by treating physicians from 11 research sites across 6 provinces in China between April 2020 and August 2022. Following centrifugation, sediments obtained from PE were used for Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) and mycobacterial culture, while the supernatants were subjected to cf-TB testing. This study employed a composite reference standard to definite TP, which was characterized by any positive result for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) through either PE culture, PE Xpert, or pleural biopsy. RESULTS: A total of 1412 participants underwent screening, and 1344 (95.2%) were subsequently enrolled in this study. Data from 1241 (92.3%) participants were included, comprising 284 with definite TP, 677 with clinically diagnosed TP, and 280 without TP. The sensitivity of cf-TB testing in definite TP was 73.6% (95% CI 68.2-78.4), significantly higher than both Xpert (40.8%, 95% CI 35.3-46.7, P < 0.001) and mycobacterial culture (54.2%, 95% CI 48.4-59.9, P < 0.001). When clinically diagnosed TP was incorporated into the composite reference standard for sensitivity analysis, cf-TB testing showed a sensitivity of 46.8% (450/961, 95% CI 43.7-50.0), significantly higher than both Xpert (116/961, 12.1%, 95% CI 10.2-14.3, P < 0.001) and mycobacterial culture (154/961, 16.0%, 95% CI 13.8-18.5, P < 0.001). The specificities of cf-TB testing, Xpert, and mycobacterial culture were all 100.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The performance of cf-TB testing is significantly superior to that of Xpert and mycobacterial culture methods, indicating that it can be considered as the primary diagnostic approach for improving TP detection. Trial registration The trial was registered on Chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR2000031680, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=49316 ).

Unlocking the Genetic Basis of Vitamin E Content in Sweet Corn Kernels: Expanding Breeding Targets Through Genome-Wide Association Studies.

Tocochromanols, collectively known as Vitamin E, serve as natural lipid-soluble antioxidants that are exclusively obtained through dietary intake in humans. Synthesized by all plants, tocochromanols play an important role in protecting polyunsaturated fatty acids in plant seeds from lipid peroxidation. While the genes involved in tocochromanol biosynthesis have been fully elucidated in Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa and Zea mays, the genetic basis of tocochromanol accumulation in sweet corn remains poorly understood. This gap is a consequence of limited natural genetic diversity and harvest at immature growth stages. In this study, we conducted comprehensive genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on a sweet corn panel of 295 individuals with a high-density molecular marker set. In total, thirteen quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for individual and derived tocochromanol traits were identified. Our analysis identified novel roles for three genes, ZmCS2, Zmshki1 and ZmB4FMV1, in the regulation of α-tocopherol accumulation in sweet corn kernels. We genetically validated the role of Zmshki1 through the generation of a knock-out line using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Further gene-based GWAS revealed the function of the canonical tyrosine metabolic enzymes ZmCS2 and Zmhppd1 in the regulation of total tocochromanol content. This comprehensive assessment of the genetic basis for variation in vitamin E content establishes a solid foundation for enhancing vitamin E content not only in sweet corn, but also in other cereal crops.

Delivery of SiRNA-PD-L1 by attenuated Salmonella in combination with oxaliplatin in a hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model.

Oxaliplatin is currently used for chemotherapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, but its increasing tolerance to tumours over time limits its clinical application. Studies have shown that high PD-L1 expression promotes the polarization of M2 macrophages. The increased infiltration of M2 macrophages, including those in HCC, is positively correlated with poor prognosis in various solid tumours. We found that oxaliplatin promoted the expression of PD-L1 in liver cancer cells, which might be attributed partly to the tolerance of tumours to oxaliplatin. Therefore, in this study, we explored the antitumour effect of attenuated Salmonella carrying siRNA-PD-L1 combined with oxaliplatin via Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry. The results revealed that attenuated Salmonella carrying siRNA-PD-L1 combined with oxaliplatin more significantly inhibited tumour growth in tumour-bearing mice, suppressed the expression of PD-L1 in tumour tissue, increased the apoptosis of tumour cells and the expression of the tumour-related protein cleaved-caspase3, and increased the infiltration of M1 macrophages and T lymphocytes in tumour tissues. Moreover, the combination therapy increased the activation of T cells and the number of T lymphocytes and NK cells in the spleens of the mice and improved the overall antitumour immune response in the mice. Our results confirmed that attenuated Salmonella harbouring siRNA-PD-L1 combined with oxaliplatin had a significant antitumour effect and did not increase the incidence of toxic side effects, providing a theoretical reference for addressing oxaliplatin tolerance in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Genome-wide identification of pan-cancer common and cancer-specific alternative splicing events in 9 types of cancer.

Alternative splicing (AS) has significant clinical relevance with cancers and is a potential source of neoepitopes. In this study, RNA-seq data of 94 solid tumor and matched adjacent normal tissues from 47 clinical patients covering nine cancer types were comprehensively analyzed using SUVA developed by ourselves. The results identified highly conserved pan-cancer differential alternative splicing (DAS) events and cancer-specific DAS events in a series of tumor samples, which in turn revealed the heterogeneity of AS post-transcriptional regulation across different cancers. The co-disturbed network between spliceosome factors (SFs) and common cancer-associated DAS was further constructed, suggesting the potential possibility of the regulation of differentially expressed SFs on DAS. Finally, the common cancer-associated DAS events were fully validated using the TCGA dataset, confirming the significant correlation between cancer-associated DAS and prognosis. Briefly, our study elucidates new insights into conservatived and specific DAS in cancer, providing valuable resources for cancer therapeutic targets.

Important yet Overlooked HONO Source from Aqueous-phase Photochemical Oxidation of Nitrophenols.

Nitrites (NO2-/HONO), as the primary source of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) in the atmosphere, play a key role in atmospheric chemistry. However, the current understanding of the source of NO2-/HONO is insufficient and therefore hinders the accurate quantification of atmospheric oxidation capacity. Herein, we highlighted an overlooked HONO source by the reaction between nitrophenols (NPs) and •OH in the aqueous phase and provided kinetic data to better evaluate the contribution of this process to atmospheric HONO. Three typical NPs, including 4-nitrophenol (4NP), 2-nitrophenol (2NP), and 4-nitrocatechol (4NC), underwent a denitration process to form aqueous NO2- and gaseous HONO through the •OH oxidation, with the yield of NO2-/HONO varied from 15.0 to 33.5%. According to chemical composition and structure analysis, the reaction pathway, where the ipso addition of •OH to the NO2 group on 4NP generated hydroquinone, can contribute to more than 61.9% of the NO2-/HONO formation. The aqueous photooxidation of NPs may account for HONO in the atmosphere, depending on the specific conditions. The results clearly suggest that the photooxidation of NPs should be considered in the field observation and calculation to better evaluate the HONO budget in the atmosphere.

[Efficiency of different large language models in China in response to consultations about PCa-related perioperative nursing and health education].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficiency of the four domestic language models, ERNIE Bot, ChatGLM2, Spark Desk and Qwen-14B-Chat, all with a massive user base and significant social attention, in response to consultations about PCa-related perioperative nursing and health education. METHODS: We designed a questionnaire that includes 15 questions commonly concerned by patients undergoing radical prostatectomy and 2 common nursing cases, and inputted the questions into each of the four language models for simulation consultation. Three nursing experts assessed the model responses based on a pre-designed Likert 5-point scale in terms of accuracy, comprehensiveness, understandability, humanistic care, and case analysis. We evaluated and compared the performance of the four models using visualization tools and statistical analyses. RESULTS: All the models generated high-quality texts with no misleading information and exhibited satisfactory performance. Qwen-14B-Chat scored the highest in all aspects and showed relatively stable outputs in multiple tests compared with ChatGLM2. Spark Desk performed well in terms of understandability but lacked comprehensiveness and humanistic care. Both Qwen-14B-Chat and ChatGLM2 demonstrated excellent performance in case analysis. The overall performance of ERNIE Bot was slightly inferior. All things considered, Qwen-14B-Chat was superior to the other three models in consultations about PCa-related perioperative nursing and health education. CONCLUSION: In PCa-related perioperative nursing, large language models represented by Qwen-14B-Chat are expected to become powerful auxiliary tools to provide patients with more medical expertise and information support, so as to improve the patient compliance and the quality of clinical treatment and nursing.

Digital anatomical features of morphological development in C2-C7 neurocentral synchondrosis in children aged 1-6 years: a retrospective study of CT images.

BACKGROUND: With the continuous improvement of diagnosis and treatment technology for cervical spine-related diseases in children at home and abroad, the demand for exploring the developmental anatomy and function of children's cervical spine of different ages is increasing. So the aim of this study was to investigate the changes of anatomical indicators in neurocentral synchondrosis (NCS) of C2-C7 with age and the developmental characteristics of different vertebrae in children aged 1-6 years old. METHOD: A retrospective collection of 160 cases of normal cervical spine CT images of children aged 1-6 years old in provincial tertiary hospitals, according to the age group of 1-year-old into 6 groups. The original data of continuously scanned cervical spine tomography images were imported into Mimics16.0 software, under the two-dimensional image window, selected the measurement tool under the Measurements toolbar to measure and statistically analyzed the anatomical indicators such as cross diameter, sagittal diameter, height, perimeter and area of NCS in the C2-C7 segment of the cervical spine on the coronal plane and cross-section. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the anatomical indexes of cervical spine NCS in children compared with the left and right sides of the same vertebrae (P > 0.05). The same cervical spine generally had differences between the age groups of 1-4 years old and 5-6 years old (P < 0.05).The transverse diameter and circumference gradually decreased with age; the sagittal diameter and height showed a slight increase trend; there was a maximum area at 2 years of age. In different cervical vertebrae of the same age group, the NCS values of C3, C4, and C5 varied greatly, which showed that the ossification process of cervical cartilage was faster than that at the upper and lower ends. There were obvious differences between C2 and the rest of the cervical vertebral segments' NCS ossification process. C7 was also very different from the rest of the cervical vertebrae segments, presumably more similar to the thoracic spine. CONCLUSIONS: The anatomical indexes of C2-C7 NCS in children have obvious developmental regularities at different ages, and there are also regularities between cervical segments.

Trajectories of Remnant Cholesterol are Associated with Diabetic Foot Ulcer in Adult Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the potential association between long-term variations in remnant cholesterol (RC) levels and the development of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) in participants with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Variation in RC was assessed by the following metrics: mean, standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV) and trajectories pattern of RC. To identify RC trajectories, we employed the latent class mixture model. The primary endpoint was the development of DFU, and the time-to-event data were analyzed using Cox regression. Results: A total of 1874 patients with T2D were included, with a median follow-up duration of 4.7 years. Among them, 129 individuals (6.9%) developed DFU. The proportion of DFU was significantly higher in the U-shaped group compared to the median group (P for trend < 0.001). Upon adjustment for confounding variables, the U-shaped trajectory correlated with a higher risk of DFU, demonstrating a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.57 (95% CI, 1.54-4.27). Subgroup analysis showed the U-shaped trajectory had a higher DFU risk regardless of gender (HR=2.40 and 2.81, respectively), glycemic control (HR=1.89 and 7.41, respectively), smoking (HR=2.36 and 2.93, respectively), or hypertension (HR=2.30 and 2.97, respectively). No association was found between mean, SD and CV of RC and DFU. Conclusion: A U-shape trajectory of RC was independently associated with an elevated risk of DFU among patients with T2D.

Robotic pyelolithotomy for treating large renal stone disease: a systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis.

Robotic pyelolithotomy continues to gain attention as an alternative to percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for managing complex renal stones. We performed a single-arm meta-analysis and systematically searched the English-language literature published in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases up to June 2024. The risk of non-randomized bias was assessed using ROBINS-I, and the quality of the literature was assessed using MINORS (Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies). Merger parameters were calculated using Stata16/SE under a random-effects model. Five non-comparative single-arm studies were included in the meta-analysis. Results showed that the operative time for robotic pyelolithotomy was 168.10 min (95% CI 133.63, 202.56). The hospital stay was 2.63 days (95% CI 0.96, 4.29), and blood loss was 44.13 ml (95% CI 19.76, 68.51). The stone clearance rate was 87% (95% CI 79-93%). The incidence of minor postoperative complications (Clavien grade I-II) was 23.7% (95% CI 13.4-35.8%), and the incidence of major complications (Clavien grade ≥ III) was 7% (95% CI 0.3-20.7%).The safety and efficacy of robotic pyelolithotomy in treating complex renal stones are acceptable, but future large prospective cohort studies are needed to validate the treatment.

Surface Au-H Species as Self-Generated Prosthetic Groups of a Formate Dehydrogenase-like Au Nanozyme to Engineer Multienzymatic Activities.

Although the past decade has witnessed a rapid development of oxidoreductase-mimicking nanozymes, the mimicry of cofactors that play key roles in mediating electron and proton transfer remains limited. This study explores how surface Au-H species conjugated to Au nanoparticles (NPs) that imitate formate dehydrogenase (FDH) can serve as cofactors, analogous to NADH in natural enzymes, offering diverse possibilities for FDH-mimicking Au nanozymes to mimic various enzymes. Once O2 is present, Au-H species assist Au NPs to complete the on-demand H2O2 generation for cascade reactions. Alternatively, when oxidizing organic molecules are introduced as substrates, Au-H species confer nitro reductase- and aldehyde reductase-like activities on Au NPs under anaerobic conditions. Furthermore, similar to the dehydrogenase-NADH complex, Au NPs possessing Au-H species are gifted with esterase-like activity for ester hydrolysis. By revealing that Au-H species are prosthetic groups for FDH-mimicking Au nanozymes, this work may inspire explorations into future self-generated cofactor mimics for nanozymes, thereby circumventing the need for exogenous cofactors.

Risk Factors and Electromyographic Characteristics of Acquired Weakness in Critically Ill Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: This retrospective study examines risk factors and electromyographic (EMG) characteristics associated with acquired weakness in critically ill patients and assesses their impact on patient prognosis. Methods: Ninety-seven critically ill patients, ventilated for over 48 hours, were included. Patient data, encompassing general condition, medical history, Medical Research Council (MRC) scores, serum markers (c-reactive protein, calcitonin gene, albumin, brain natriuretic peptide, urea nitrogen, creatinine), EMG characteristics, respiratory treatment modalities, and parameters, were recorded. Mechanical ventilation duration, ICU stay duration, hospitalization duration, and patient prognosis were documented. Based on MRC scores, patients were categorized into the ICU-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) group (MRC <48 points) and the non-ICU-AW group (MRC ≥48 points). Results: The study comprised 47 ICU-AW and 50 non-ICU-AW patients. Significant differences (p <0.05) were observed in age, MRC scores, albumin levels, c-reactive protein, calcitonin gene, brain natriuretic peptide, urea nitrogen, creatinine, mechanical ventilation duration, ICU stay duration, and hospitalization duration between groups. In the ICU-AW group, nerve conduction examinations revealed slow conduction velocity, reduced wave amplitude, and in severe cases, a complete loss of motor and sensory potentials. Multivariate logistic analysis identified low serum albumin levels and MRC scores as potential ICU-AW risk factors. Conclusion: This study suggests that low serum albumin levels and MRC scores may contribute to ICU-AW risk. The ICU-AW group exhibited varied peripheral nerve damage and slow conduction velocities on EMG. Additionally, severe systemic inflammatory responses, renal function, brain natriuretic peptide levels, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and peripheral nerve damage may be associated with ICU-AW. Follow-up studies are essential for further understanding these complex interactions.

Acute inhibitory effects of tire wear particles on the removal of biological phosphorus：The critical role of aging in improving environmentally persistent free radicals.

A comparative study explored how photoaging, ozonation aging, and Fenton aging affect tire wear particles (TWPs) and their phosphorus (P) removal in activated sludge. Aging altered TWPs' properties, increasing surface roughness, porosity, and generating more small particles, especially environmental persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in ozonation and Fenton aging. Post-aging TWPs (50 mg/L) inhibited sludge P removal significantly (p < 0.05), with rates of 44.3% and 59.6% for ozonation and Fenton aging, respectively. In addition, the metabolites involved in P cycling (poly-ß-hydroxyalkanoates: PHA and glycogen) and essential enzymes (Exopolyphosphatase: PPX and Polyphosphate kinase: PPK) were significantly inhibited (p < 0.05). Moreover, TWPs led to a decrease in microbial cells within the sludge and altered the community structure, a situation exacerbated by the aging of TWPs. P-removing bacteria decreased (e.g., Burkholderia, Candidatus), while extracellular polymeric substance-secreting bacteria increased (e.g., Pseudomonas, Novosphingobium). Pearson correlation analysis highlighted EPFRs' role in TWPs' acute toxicity to microbial cells, yet, emphasizing particle size's impact on the sludge system's purification and community structure.

Astrocyte-derived lipocalin 2 promotes inflammation and scarring after spinal cord injury by activating SMAD in mice.

BACKGROUND: The inflammatory response and scar formation after spinal cord injury (SCI) limit nerve regeneration and functional recovery. Our research group has previously shown that the expression of astrocyte-derived lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) is upregulated after SCI, which correlates with neuronal apoptosis and functional recovery. Therefore, we speculate that astrocyte-specific knockdown of Lcn2 after SCI may lead to a better prognosis. METHODS: Tissue RNA sequencing, Western blotting, PCR, and immunofluorescence assays were conducted to assess the expression of Lcn2 following SCI in mice. Adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9) transfection was employed to specifically reduce the expression of Lcn2 in astrocytes, and subsequent evaluations of scarring and inflammation were conducted. In vitro experiments involved treating primary astrocytes with TGF-ß or an A1-induced mixture (C1q, TNF-α and IL-1α) following Lcn2 knockdown. Finally, the intrathecal injection of recombinant Lcn2 (ReLcn2) protein was conducted post-injury to further confirm the role of Lcn2 and its underlying mechanism in SCI. RESULTS: Lcn2 expression was elevated in astrocytes after SCI at 7 dpi (days post injury). Lcn2 knockdown in astrocytes is beneficial for neuronal survival and functional recovery after SCI, and is accompanied by a reduced inflammatory response and inhibited scar formation. The inhibition of SMAD-associated signaling activation was identified as a possible mechanism, and in vitro experiments further confirmed this finding. ReLcn2 further activated SMAD-associated signaling and aggravated motor function after SCI. CONCLUSION: The upregulation of Lcn2 expression in astrocytes is involved in neuroinflammation and scar formation after SCI, and the activation of SMAD-associated signaling is one of the underlying mechanisms.

Digital anatomical features of morphological development in the atlantoaxial synchondroses in children aged 1 to 6 years old: a retrospective study of CT images.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anatomical indexes and anatomical positional indexes of the atlantoaxial synchondroses in normal Chinese Han children aged 1-6 years, and to analyze the changing law of the atlantoaxial cartilage union with the growth and development of age and its influence on the atlantoaxial ossification in children. METHODS: A retrospective collection of CT imaging of 160 cases of normal cervical spine in children aged 1 to 6 years old was conducted. The cases were divided into six age groups, with each group representing a one-year age range. Measure the morphological anatomical indicators and anatomical positional indicators of the atlantoaxial synchondroses. Record and statistically analyze the measurements of each indicator. RESULTS: Measurements were taken on various parameters of the atlantoaxial synchondroses. TD, SD, height, area, and perimeter all gradually decreased among the groups. Distance between bilateral atlantal anterolateral synchondroses increased gradually from Group A to Group F, while the angle formed along the long axis in the cross-section showed a decreasing trend. Distance between the axoid dentolateral synchondroses and between the neurocentral synchondroses increased gradually from Group A to Group F, with the angle value in the cross-section showing a gradual decrease, and distance from the odontoid apex increasing from Group A to Group F. CONCLUSIONS: The atlantoaxial synchondroses gradually decrease in size with age, and ossification levels increase with age, with faster ossification occurring during a 1-2 years-old period. The anterolateral synchondroses, dentolateral synchondroses, and neurocentral synchondroses all gradually ossify towards the lateral direction with increasing age.

Effect of abdominal adipose tissue glucose uptake on brain aging.

INTRODUCTION: Abdominal adipose tissue (AT) mass has adverse effects on the brain. This study aimed to investigate the effect of glucose uptake by abdominal AT on brain aging. METHODS: Three-hundred twenty-five participants underwent total-body positron emission tomography scan. Brain age was estimated in an independent test set (n = 98) using a support vector regression model that was built using a training set (n = 227). Effects of abdominal subcutaneous and visceral AT (SAT/VAT) glucose uptake on brain age delta were evaluated using linear regression. RESULTS: Higher VAT glucose uptake was linked to negative brain age delta across all subgroups. Higher SAT glucose uptake was associated with negative brain age delta in lean individuals. In contrast, increased SAT glucose uptake demonstrated positive trends with brain age delta in female and overweight/obese participants. DISCUSSION: Increased glucose uptake of the abdominal VAT has positive influences on the brain, while SAT may not have such influences, except for lean individuals. HIGHLIGHTS: Higher glucose uptake of the visceral adipose tissue was linked to decelerated brain aging. Higher glucose uptake of the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) was associated with negative brain age delta in lean individuals. Faster brain aging was associated with increased glucose uptake of the SAT in female and overweight and obese individuals.

Emerging therapeutic avenues against Cryptosporidium: A comprehensive review.

Cryptosporidium is among the top causes of life-threatening diarrheal infection in public health and livestock sectors. Despite its high prevalence and economic importance, currently, there is no vaccine. Control of this protozoan is difficult due to the excretion of many resistant oocysts in the feces of the infected host, which contaminate the environment. Paromomycin shows inconsistent results and isn't considered a reliable therapy for cryptosporidiosis. Nitazoxanide (NTZ), the only FDA-approved drug against this parasite, is less productive in impoverished children and PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS). The absence of mitochondria and apicoplast, its unique location inside enterocytes separated by parasitophorous vacuole, and, most importantly, challenges in its genetic manipulations are some hurdles to the drug-discovery process. A library of compounds has been tested against Cryptosporidium during in vitro and in vivo trials. However, there has still not been sufficient success in finding the drug of choice against this parasite. Recent genome editing technologies based on CRISPR/Cas-9 have explored the functions of the vital genes by producing transgenic parasites that help to screen a collection of compounds to find target-specific drugs, provided the sufficient availability of in vitro culturing platforms, efficient transfection methods, and analytic techniques. The use of herbal remedies against Cryptosporidium is also an emerging area of interest with sufficient clinical success due to enhanced concern regarding anthelmintic resistance. Here, we highlighted present treatment options with their associated limitations, the use of genetic tools and natural products against it to find safe, effective, and inexpensive drugs to control the ever-increasing global burden of this disease.

Clinical effects of basic nursing combined with psychological intervention on treatment compliance of patients with Influenza-A(H1N1).

Objective: To investigate the effects of basic nursing combined with psychological intervention on treatment compliance, self-care ability, clinical efficacy, lung function and nursing satisfaction of patients with Influenza-A(H1N1). Method: This was application research. Eighty patients with influenza-A (H1N1) admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2020 to December 2022 were included as subjects and randomly divided into the observation group(n=40) and the control group(n=40). Patients in the control group were given routine basic nursing intervention, while those in the observation group were treated with combined psychological intervention in addition to basic nursing. The differences in treatment compliance, self-care ability, clinical efficacy, lung function and nursing satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Results: After the intervention, the treatment compliance score and the total self-care ability score of the observation group were higher than those of the control group, with statistically significant differences(P<0.05). After treatment, the clinical efficacy of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group(P<0.05). Before treatment, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of various indexes of lung function, which were better in the observation group than in the control group after treatment(P<0.05). Conclusion: Basic nursing combined with psychological intervention results in a variety of benefits in the treatment of patients with Influenza-A(H1N1), such as improved treatment compliance and self-care ability, ameliorated lung function, as well as enhanced treatment outcomes and nursing satisfaction, which needs to be promoted in clinical practice.

In situ polymerization of 1,3-dioxolane and formation of fluorine/boron-rich interfaces enabled by film-forming additives for long-life lithium metal batteries.

In situ polymerized 1,3-dioxolane (PDOL) is widely utilized to construct solid polymer electrolytes because of its high room-temperature ionic conductivity and good compatibility with lithium metal. However, the current polymerization additives used in PDOL do not effectively contribute to the formation of a robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), leading to decreased cycle life. Herein, a film-forming Lewis acid, tris(hexafluoroisopropyl) borate (THB), is demonstrated not only to be a catalyst for the ring-opening polymerization of DOL, but also an additive for the formation of a stable fluorine- and boron-rich SEI to improve the interfacial stability and suppress the Li dendrite growth. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations and experimental results demonstrate that the introduction of THB can promote the dissociation of lithium salt and release more Li+ while the boron site can effectively restrict the free movement of TFSI- anion, thus increasing Li+ transference numbers (0.76) and ensuring the long-term cycling stability of cells. By using THB-PDOL, a stable cycling of Li‖Li symmetric cell for 600 h at a capacity of 0.5 mA h cm-2 can be achieved. Furthermore, employing THB-PDOL in Li‖LiFePO4 full cell enables a capacity retention of 98.64% after 300 cycles at 1C and a capacity retention of 95.39% after 200 cycles at a high temperature (60 °C). At the same time, this electrolyte is also suitable for the Li‖NCM523 full cell, which also achieves excellent stability of more than 180 cycles. This film-forming Lewis acid additive provides ideas for designing low-cost, high-performance PDOL-based lithium metal batteries.

Fluorine Domains Induced Ultrahigh Nitrogen Solubility in Ionic Liquids.

Fluorinated ionic liquids (ILs) are well-known as electrolytes in the nitrogen (N2) electroreduction reaction due to their exceptional gas solubility. However, the influence of fluorinated functional group on N2 solvation and solubility enhancement remains unclear. Massive molecular dynamics simulations and free energy perturbation methods are conducted to investigate the N2 solubility in 11 traditional and 9 fluorinated ILs. It shows that the fluorinated IL of 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tris(pentafluoroethyl) trifluorophosphate ([Emim]FAP) exhibits ultrahigh solubility, 4.844 × 10-3, approximately 118 times higher than that of traditional IL 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate ([Emim]NO3). Moreover, fluorinated ILs with more than 10 C-F bonds possess higher N2 solubility than others and show an exothermic nature during solvation. As the C-F bonds number in ILs decreases, the N2 solubility decreases significantly and displays the opposite endothermic behavior. To understand the ultrahigh N2 solubility in fluorinated ILs, we propose a concept of fluorine densification energy (FDE), referring to the average strength of interaction between atoms per unit volume in ILs with fluorine domains, demonstrating a linear relationship with C-F bonds. Physically, lower FDE results in lower N2-anion pair dissociation energy and higher free volume, finally enhancing the N2 solubility. Consequently, medium to long alkyl fluorine tails within a polar environment defines a distinct fluorine domain, emphasizing FDE's role in enhancing N2 solubility. Overall, these quantitative results will not only deepen the understanding of N2 solvation in ILs but may also shed light on the rational design of IL-based high-performance N2 capture and conversion technologies.

Transformer-based AI technology improves early ovarian cancer diagnosis using cfDNA methylation markers.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the deadliest women's cancer and has a poor prognosis. Early detection is the key for improving survival (a 5-year survival rate in stage I/II is over 70% compared to that of 25% in stage III/IV) and can be achieved through methylation markers from circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) using a liquid biopsy. In this study, we first identify top 500 EOC markers differentiating EOC from healthy female controls from 3.3 million methylome-wide CpG sites and validated them in 1,800 independent cfDNA samples. We then utilize a pretrained AI transformer system called MethylBERT to develop an EOC diagnostic model which achieves 80% sensitivity and 95% specificity in early-stage EOC diagnosis. We next develop a simple digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) assay which archives good performance, facilitating early EOC detection.