Complementary therapy with Chinese aromatic herbs to promote awakening in a comatose patient: A case report.

RATIONALE: Traumatic brain injury frequently leads to prolonged coma, posing significant medical management challenges. Complementary therapies, including traditional Chinese herbal medicine, have been investigated as potential interventions in comatose patients. Chinese aromatic herbs, such as Borneolum (Bingpian), Moschus (Shexiang), and Acori tatarinowii rhizoma (Shichangpu), have long been believed to be "resuscitation with aromatics" based on traditional Chinese medicines theory. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 16-year-old male was admitted to the intensive rehabilitation unit for further treatment due to prolonged coma and frequent seizures following traumatic brain injury. DIAGNOSES: Western medicine diagnosed the patient as coma, diffuse axonal injury, and epilepsy. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, the syndrome differentiation indicates a Yin-closed disease. INTERVENTIONS: According to the patient's condition, we use the Chinese aromatic herbs as a complementary therapy. OUTCOMES: Following a month-long administration, the patient's consciousness and electroencephalogram (EEG) background progressively improved. A 6-month follow-up demonstrated full arousal, though with ambulatory EEG revealing mild to moderate abnormality in the background. LESSONS: The addition of Chinese aromatic herbs appears to have a beneficial effect on the patient's consciousness and EEG background. This could be attributed to the herbs' inherent pharmacological properties, as well as their potential to enhance the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to other drugs. This makes them a promising option for complementary therapy.

Amino-Functionalized Metal-Organic Frameworks Featuring Ultra-Strong Ethane Nano-Traps for Efficient C2H6/C2H4 Separation.

Developing high-performance porous materials to separate ethane from ethylene is an important but challenging task in the chemical industry, given their similar sizes and physicochemical properties. Herein, a new type of ultra-strong C2H6 nano-trap, CuIn(3-ain)4 is presented, which utilizes multiple guest-host interactions to efficiently capture C2H6 molecules and separate mixtures of C2H6 and C2H4. The ultra-strong C2H6 nano-trap exhibits the high C2H6 (2.38 mmol g-1) uptake at 6.25 kPa and 298 K and demonstrates a remarkable selectivity of 3.42 for C2H6/C2H4 (10:90). Additionally, equimolar C2H6/C2H4 exhibited a superior high separation potential ∆Q (2286 mmol L-1) at 298 K. Kinetic adsorption tests demonstrated that CuIn(3-ain)4 has a high adsorption rate for C2H6, establishing it as a new benchmark material for the capture of C2H6 and the separation of C2H6/C2H4. Notably, this exceptional performance is maintained even at a higher temperature of 333 K, a phenomenon not observed before. Theoretical simulations and single-crystal X-ray diffraction provide critical insights into how selective adsorption properties can be tuned by manipulating pore dimensions and geometry. The excellent separation performance of CuIn(3-ain)4 has been confirmed through breakthrough experiments for C2H6/C2H4 gas mixtures.

Unveiling the critical role of TiO2-supported atomically dispersed Cu species for enhanced photofixation of N2 to nitrate.

Nitrate products are widely used in manufacturing as crucial raw materials and fertilizers. The traditional nitrate synthesis process involves high energy consumption and emission, thereby opposing the goals of zero-carbon emission and green chemistry. Thus, a sustainable roadmap for nitrate synthesis that uses green energy input, clean N sources, and direct catalytic processes is urgently required (e.g., developing a novel photosynthesis system). Here, we synthesized TiO2-supported atomically dispersed Cu species for N2 photofixation to nitrate in a flow reactor. The optimized photocatalyst yielded a high nitrate photosynthesis rate of 0.93 µmol h-1 and selectivity of ∼90%, which is superior to most of the values reported thus far. Further, experimental results and in-situ investigations revealed that the atomically dispersed Cu sites in the as-designed sample significantly enhanced the separation and transfer efficiency of photogenerated carriers, adsorption and activation of reactants, and the formation of chemisorbed NOx intermediates, thereby realizing the excellent photofixation of N2 to nitrate.

Properties, evaluation and application of naringin magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer based on synergistic imprinting strategy.

A novel and facile surface molecularly imprinted polymer coated on magnetic chitosan (Fe3O4@CS@MIP) was fabricated for the selective recognition and enrichment of naringin (NRG). The Fe3O4@CS@MIP was prepared based on covalent-noncovalent synergistic imprinting strategies, utilizing 4-vinyl phenyl boric acid as covalent functional monomer, deep eutectic solvent (choline chloride/methacrylic acid [ChCl/MAA]) as non-covalent functional monomer and Fe3O4@CS nanoparticles as the magnetic support. The obtained Fe3O4@CS@MIP exhibited a uniform morphology, excellent crystallinity, outstanding magnetic properties, and high surface area. Owing to the double recognition abilities, the resultant polymer showed exceptional binding performance and rapid mass transfer in phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The maximum binding amount of Fe3O4@CS@MIP was found to be 15.08 mg g-1, and the equilibrium adsorption could be achieved within 180 min. Moreover, they also exhibited stronger selectivity for NRG and satisfactory reusability, with only 11.0% loss after five adsorption-desorption cycles. Additionally, the Fe3O4@CS@MIP, serving as an adsorbent, presented practical application potential in the separation and enrichment of NRG from pummelo peel, with extraction efficiency in the range of 79.53% to 84.63%. This work provided a new strategy for improving the performance of MIP and contributed an attractive option for the extraction of NRG in complex samples.

[Effects of Biochar Application on the Structure and Function of Fungal Community in Continuous Cropping Watermelon Soil].

This study was conducted to clarify the long-term effects of biochar application on the structure and function of the fungal community in continuous cropping watermelon soil. Taking watermelon root soil as the research object, Illumina NovaSeq high-throughput sequencing and FUNGuild platform were used to analyze the differences in soil fungal community composition, diversity, and function after 3-year biochar additions of 7.5, 15.0, and 30.0 t·hm-2 and to explore the correlation between soil environmental factors and fungal community structure under the control of biochar. The results showed that compared to that in the absence of biochar (control), the soil pH, available phosphorus, available potassium, total nitrogen, organic matter, and cation exchange capacity increased, but available nitrogen decreased with biochar addition. High-throughput sequencing results showed that biochar amendment improved the fungal community structure in continuous cropping watermelon soil and increased the richness and diversity of soil fungi. A total of 922 OTU were obtained from all soil samples, and the species annotation results indicated that the dominant fungal groups were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mortierellomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Glomeromycota, with these phyla accounting for 85.70 %-92.45 % of the total sequences.The relative abundance of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota decreased, whereas the abundance of Mortierellomycota and Glomeromycota increased with biochar addition.At the genus level, the application of biochar increased the relative abundance of Mortierella and Rhizophlyctis but decreased the abundance of Fusarium. The Mantel test showed that soil available potassium, available nitrogen, organic matter, and pH were the main environmental factors leading to the shift in the soil fungal community composition.The functional prediction with FUNGuild showed that the many nutrient types among the different treatments were saprotrophic, pathotrophic, and symbiotrophic. The relative abundance of pathotrophs significantly decreased, but the abundance of symbiotrophs significantly increased with the medium and high doses of biochar treatment. In conclusion, the application of biochar changed the soil physicochemical properties, promoted the development of soil fungal community structure and functional groups in a healthy and beneficial direction, and improved the quality of continuous cropping watermelon soil.

Metabolome and Genome Analysis of a Novel Endophytic Fungus Aureobasidium pullulans KB3: Discovery of Polyketones and Polyketone Biosynthesis Pathway.

Endophytic fungi associated with plants may contain undiscovered bioactive compounds. Under standard laboratory conditions, most undiscovered compounds are inactive, whereas their production could be stimulated under different cultivation conditions. In this study, six endophytic fungi were isolated from the bark of Koelreuteria paniculata in Quancheng Park, Jinan City, Shandong Province, one of which was identified as a new subspecies of Aureobasidium pullulans, named A. pullulans KB3. Additionally, metabolomic tools were used to screen suitable media for A. pullulans KB3 fermentation, and the results showed that peptone dextrose medium (PDM) was more beneficial to culture A. pullulans KB3 for isolation of novel compounds. Sphaerolone, a polyketone compound, was initially isolated from A. pullulans KB3 via scaled up fermentation utilizing PDM. Additionally, the whole-genome DNA of A. pullulans KB3 was sequenced to facilitate compound isolation and identify the biosynthesis gene clusters (BGCs). This study reports the multi-omics (metabolome and genome) analysis of A. pullulans KB3, laying the foundation for discovering novel compounds of silent BGCs and identifying their biosynthesis pathway.

Silver(I) Complexes with Mefenamic Acid and Nitrogen Heterocyclic Ligands: Synthesis, Characterization, and Biological Evaluation.

Four Ag(I) complexes with mefenamato and nitrogen heterocyclic ligands, [Ag(2-apy)(mef)]2 (1), [Ag(3-apy)(mef)] (2), [Ag2(tmpyz)(mef)2] (3), and {[Ag(4,4'-bipy)(mef)]2(CH3CN)1.5(H2O)2}n (4), (mef = mefenamato, 2-apy = 2-aminopyridine, 3-apy = 3-aminopyridine, tmpyz = 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, 4,4'-bipy = 4,4'-bipyridine), were synthesized and characterized. The interactions of these complexes with BSA were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, which indicated that these complexes quench the fluorescence of BSA by a static mechanism. The fluorescence data also indicated that the complexes showed good affinity for BSA, and one binding site on BSA was suitable for the complexes. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the four complexes against human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HepG-2, A549, and MDA-MB-468) and one normal cell line (HTR-8) was evaluated by the MTT assay. Complex 1 displayed high cytotoxic activity against A549 cells. Further studies revealed that complex 1 could enhance the intracellular levels of ROS (reactive oxygen species) in A549 cells, cause cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase, and induce apoptosis in A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner.

Facile Fabrication of Highly Efficient Chitosan-Based Multifunctional Coating for Cotton Fabrics with Excellent Flame-Retardant and Antibacterial Properties.

Interest in the development of eco-friendly, sustainable, and convenient bio-based coatings to enhance flame retardancy and antibacterial properties in cotton fabrics is growing. In this work, chitosan was protonated at its amino groups using a method with a high atom economy using an equimolar amount of amino trimethylene phosphonic acid (ATMP), resulting in the fabrication of a single-component chitosan-based multifunctional coating (ATMP-CS), thereby avoiding any additional neutralization or purification steps. Cotton fabrics coated with various loads of ATMP-CS were prepared through a padding-drying-curing process. The morphology, thermal stability, mechanical properties, antibacterial properties, flame-retardant behavior, and flame-retardant mechanism of these fabrics were investigated. The coating exhibited excellent film-forming properties, and it imparted a uniform protective layer onto the surfaces of the cotton fabrics. When the load capacity reached 11.5%, the coated fabrics achieved a limiting oxygen index of 29.7% and successfully passed the VFT test. Moreover, the ATMP-CS coating demonstrated antibacterial rates against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus reaching 95.1% and 99.9%, respectively. This work presents a straightforward and gentle approach to fabricating colorless, environmentally friendly, and highly efficient fabric coatings that have potential applications in promoting the use of bio-based materials.

Genetic Landscape and Its Prognostic Impact in Children With Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis.

CONTEXT.­: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare myeloid neoplasm that predominantly affects young children. OBJECTIVE.­: To investigate genetic alterations and their correlation with clinical characteristics and prognosis in pediatric LCH. DESIGN.­: We performed targeted sequencing to detect mutations in LCH lesions from pediatric patients. RESULTS.­: A total of 30 genomic alterations in 5 genes of the MAPK pathway were identified in 187 of 223 patients (83.9%). BRAF V600E (B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase) was the most common mutation (51.6%), followed by MAP2K1 (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1) alterations (17.0%) and other BRAF mutations (13.0%). ARAF (A-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase) and KRAS (KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase) mutations were relatively rare (2.2% and 0.9%, respectively). Additionally, FNBP1 (formin-binding protein 1)::BRAF fusion and MAP3K10 (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 10) mutations A17T and R823C were identified in 1 case each, with possible constitutive activation of ERK1/2 phosphorylation. BRAF V600E was more frequent in patients with risk organ involvement, while MAP2K1 mutation was more prevalent in patients with single-system LCH (P = .001). BRAF V600E was associated with craniofacial bone, skin, liver, spleen, and ear involvement (all P < .05). Patients with other BRAF mutations had a higher proportion of spinal column involvement (P = .006). Univariate analysis showed a significant difference in progression-free survival among the 4 molecular subgroups for patients treated with first-line therapy (P = .02). According to multivariate analysis, risk organ involvement was the strongest independent adverse prognostic factor (hazard ratio, 8.854; P < .001); BRAF or MAP2K1 mutation was not an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS.­: Most pediatric patients with LCH carry somatic mutations involving the MAPK pathway, correlating with clinical characteristics and outcomes for first-line chemotherapy.

Double synergic chitosan-coated poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid nanospheres loaded with nucleic acids as an intranasally administered vaccine delivery system to control the infection of foot-and-mouth disease virus.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The spread of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) through aerosol droplets among cloven-hoofed ungulates in close contact is a major obstacle for successful animal husbandry. Therefore, the development of suitable mucosal vaccines, especially nasal vaccines, to block the virus at the initial site of infection is crucial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Here, we constructed eukaryotic expression plasmids containing the T and B-cell epitopes (pTB) of FMDV in tandem with the molecular mucosal adjuvant Fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor 3 ligand (Flt3 ligand, FL) (pTB-FL). Then, the constructed plasmid was electrostatically attached to mannose-modified chitosan-coated poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanospheres (MCS-PLGA-NPs) to obtain an active nasal vaccine targeting the mannose-receptor on the surface of antigen-presenting cells (APCs). RESULTS: The MCS-PLGA-NPs loaded with pTB-FL not only induced a local mucosal immune response, but also induced a systemic immune response in mice. More importantly, the nasal vaccine afforded an 80% protection rate against a highly virulent FMDV strain (AF72) when it was subcutaneously injected into the soles of the feet of guinea pigs. CONCLUSIONS: The nasal vaccine prepared in this study can effectively induce a cross-protective immune response against the challenge with FMDV of same serotype in animals and is promising as a potential FMDV vaccine.

High Engraftment and Metastatic Rates in Orthotopic Xenograft Models of Gastric Cancer via Direct Implantation of Tumor Cell Suspensions.

Although the implantation of intact tumor fragments is a common practice to generate orthotopic xenografts to study tumor invasion and metastasis, the direct implantation of tumor cell suspensions is necessary when prior manipulations of tumor cells are required. However, the establishment of orthotopic xenografts using tumor cell suspensions is not mature, and a comparative study directly comparing their engraftment and metastatic capabilities is lacking. It is unclear whether tumor fragments are superior to cell suspensions for successful engraftment and metastasis. In this study, we employed three GC cell lines with varying metastatic capacities to stably express firefly luciferase for monitoring tumor progression in real time. We successfully minimized the risk of cell leakage during the orthotopic injection of tumor cell suspensions without Corning Matrigel by systematically optimizing the surgical procedure, injection volume, and needle size options. Comparable high engraftment and metastatic rates between these two methods were demonstrated using MKN-45 cells with a strong metastatic ability. Importantly, our approach can adjust the rate of tumor progression flexibly and cuts the experimental timeline from 10-12 weeks (for tumor fragments) to 4-5 weeks. Collectively, we provided a highly reproducible procedure with a shortened experimental timeline and low cost for establishing orthotopic GC xenografts via the direct implantation of tumor cell suspensions.

Transformation to small cell lung cancer is irrespective of EGFR and accelerated by SMAD4-mediated ASCL1 transcription independently of RB1 in non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Histological transformation to small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has been identified as a mechanism of TKIs resistance in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aim to explore the prevalence of transformation in EGFR-wildtype NSCLC and the mechanism of SCLC transformation, which are rarely understood. METHODS: We reviewed 1474 NSCLC patients to investigate the NSCLC-to-SCLC transformed cases and the basic clinical characteristics, driver gene status and disease course of them. To explore the potential functional genes in SCLC transformation, we obtained pre- and post-transformation specimens and subjected them to a multigene NGS panel involving 416 cancer-related genes. To validate the putative gene function, we established knocked-out models by CRISPR-Cas 9 in HCC827 and A549-TP53-/- cells and investigated the effects on tumor growth, drug sensitivity and neuroendocrine phenotype in vitro and in vivo. We also detected the expression level of protein and mRNA to explore the molecular mechanism involved. RESULTS: We firstly reported an incidence rate of 9.73% (11/113) of SCLC transformation in EGFR-wildtype NSCLC and demonstrated that SCLC transformation is irrespective of EGFR mutation status (P = 0.16). We sequenced 8 paired tumors and identified a series of mutant genes specially in transformed SCLC such as SMAD4, RICTOR and RET. We firstly demonstrated that SMAD4 deficiency can accelerate SCLC transition by inducing neuroendocrine phenotype regardless of RB1 status in TP53-deficient NSCLC cells. Further mechanical experiments identified the SMAD4 can regulate ASCL1 transcription competitively with Myc in NSCLC cells and Myc inhibitor acts as a potential subsequent treatment agent. CONCLUSIONS: Transformation to SCLC is irrespective of EFGR status and can be accelerated by SMAD4 in non-small cell lung cancer. Myc inhibitor acts as a potential therapeutic drug for SMAD4-mediated resistant lung cancer. Video Abstract.

Technology-assisted cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease patients with central obesity: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Limited empirical evidence is available regarding the effect of technology-assisted cardiac rehabilitation (TACR) among coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with central obesity. AIM: To determine the effects of 12-week TACR on health outcomes of patients with CHD. DESIGN: Two-arm randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Cardiovascular department of a regional hospital. POPULATION: Coronary heart disease patients with central obesity. METHODS: The study randomized 78 hospitalized CHD patients to receive either the 12-week TACR intervention or usual care. Guided by social cognitive theory, the intervention began with an in-person assessment and orientation session to assess and identify individual risks and familiarize with the e-platform/device before discharge. After discharge, patients were encouraged to visit the interactive CR website for knowledge and skills acquisition, data uploading, use the pedometer for daily step tracking, and interact with peers and professionals via social media for problem-solving and mutual support. Data were collected at baseline (T0), six-week (T1), and 12-week (T2). RESULTS: Participants in the intervention group showed significant improvement in daily steps at six weeks but not 12 weeks (T1: ß=2713.48, P=0.03; T2:ß=2450.70, P=0.08), weekly sitting minutes (T1: ß=-665.17, P=0.002; T2: ß=-722.29, P=0.02), and total (vigorous, moderate, and walking) exercise at 12-week (ß=-2445.99, P=0.008). Improvement in health-promoting lifestyle profile (T1: ß=24.9, P<0.001; T2: ß=15.50, P<0.001), smoking cessation (T2: ß=-2.28, P<0.04), self-efficacy (T2: ß=0.63, P=0.02), body mass index (T1:ß =-0.97, P=0.03; T2: ß=-0.73, P=0.04) and waist circumferences (T1: ß =-1.97, P=0.003; T2: ß =-3.14, P=0.002) were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated the effectiveness of the TACR intervention in improving healthy behaviors and anthropometric parameters for CHD patients with central obesity. Individual assessment, collaborative action planning, and ongoing obesity management support should be highlighted in TACR programs for CHD patients. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: Central obesity should be assessed and highlighted in TACR intervention as an independent risk factor that requires corresponding behavior change and body fat management.

The Clinical Significance and Prognostic Value of ALDH1 Expression in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The results of the association between aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) expression and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are contradictory. We conducted this meta-analysis to investigate the clinical significance and prognostic value of ALDH1 in NSCLC. METHODS: The databases PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang, and CNKI were systematically queried to identify eligible studies. The retrieval time was from database establishment to August 2023. We evaluated the correlation between ALDH1 expression and clinical features of NSCLC by employing odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). In addition, we used hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs to evaluate the role of ALDH1 expression in the prognosis of NSCLC. RESULTS: Our study included 21 literatures involving 2721 patients. The expression of ALDH1 in NSCLC was higher than that in normal tissues (OR = 6.04, 95% CI: 1.25-29.27, P = 0.026). The expression of ALDH1 was related to TNM stage (OR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.06-3.09, P = 0.029), tumor grade (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.17-0.48, P < 0.0001), lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.60, 95% CI: 1.52-4.45, P = 0001) and histological subtype (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.52-0.86, P = 0.002). In patients with NSCLC, we found that the over-expression of ALDH1 was significantly associated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.15-1.81, P = 0.002) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.45-2.10, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The expression of ALDH1 is closely associated with the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of NSCLC. ALDH1 may serve as a valuable clinical assessment tool and prognostic predictor in NSCLC.

Continuous renal replacement therapy with oXiris® in patients with hematologically malignant septic shock: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The mortality rate from septic shock in patients with hematological malignancies (HMs) remains significantly higher than that in patients without HMs. A longer resuscitation time would definitely be harmful because of the irreversibly immunocompromised status of the patients. Shortening the resuscitation time through continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) with oXiris® would be an attractive strategy in managing such patients. AIM: To explore the effects of CRRT and oXiris® in shortening the resuscitation time and modifying the host response by reducing inflammation mediator levels. METHODS: Forty-five patients with HM were diagnosed with septic shock and underwent CRRT between 2018 and 2022. Patients were divided into two groups based on the hemofilter used for CRRT (oXiris® group, n = 26; M150 group, n = 19). We compared the number of days of negative and total fluid balance after 7 d of CRRT between the groups. The heart rate, norepinephrine dose, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, and blood lactic acid levels at different time points in the two groups were also compared. Blood levels of inflammatory mediators in the 26 patients in the oXiris® group were measured to further infer the possible mechanism. RESULTS: The average total fluid balance after 7 d of CRRT in the oXiris® group was significantly lower than that of patients in the M150 hemofilter group. The SOFA scores of patients after CRRT with oXiris® therapy were significantly lower than those before treatment on day 1 (d1), d3 and d7 after CRRT; these parameters were also significantly lower than those of the control group on d7. The lac level after oXiris® therapy was significantly lower than that before treatment on d3 and d7 after CRRT. There were no significant differences in the above parameters between the two groups at the other time points. In the oXiris® group, procalcitonin levels decreased on d7, whereas interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor levels decreased significantly on d3 and d7 after treatment. CONCLUSION: CRRT with oXiris® hemofilter may improve hemodynamics by reducing inflammatory mediators and playing a role in shortening the resuscitation period and decreasing total fluid balance in the resuscitation phases.

Characteristics and risk assessment of chilling injury on Morchella esculenta in Western Sichuan Plateau, China.

The development of precise climate risk zoning for chilling injury of Morchella esculenta can provide scientific basis for agricultural cultivation planning, dynamic assessment of chilling injury, and disaster prevention strategies. Based on meteorological data from 17 counties (cities) that located below the altitude of 3000 m in the Western Sichuan Plateau from 2011 to 2020, we analyzed the critical meteorological conditions for M. esculenta disasters in typical years. With the average yearly cold accumulation and cold injury frequency during the first day when the temperature remained stable between 5 ℃ and 10 ℃ during mushroom emergence as zoning indicators, we established a geographical spatial distribution model of the cold injury index, and then divided the risk level of M. esculenta cold injury in the Western Sichuan Plateau, evaluated the risk of cold injury. The results showed that the temperature index for chilling injury risk of M. esculenta in the study area was the daily minimum temperature ≤2.0 ℃. The daily average temperature <6.0 ℃ would cause slow growth or the cessation of growth, which was set as a warning indicator for chilling injury risk. Along the Dadu River and Minjiang River basins, the frequency of chilling injury on M. esculenta increased from south to north. Wenchuan, Maoxian, and Lixian had the fewest overall chilling injuries during the study period, whereas Jiulong, Yajiang, and Batang had the most. The duration for cold injury was mainly 1-3 d, followed by 4-5 d, and rarely for >5 d. The frequency of chilling injury lasting for more than 5 d in Xiangcheng, Batang, Jiulong, Yajiang, and Xiaojin was more than that lasting for 4-5 d. The annual average days of chilling injury of was 3.0-27.4 d, the daily average minimum temperature was -0.84-1.36 ℃, the extreme lowest temperature was -5.8-0.1 ℃, and the average accumulated cold was 0.16-9.64 ℃·d during the period of chilling injury. With the increases of elevation and latitude, the average days of chilling injury and the average accumulated cold increased. The largest duration of chilling injury was 3-20 d, the maximum accumulated cold was 0.44-13.34 ℃·d. The risk of chilling injury to M. esculenta increased from south to north and from low elevation to high elevation. The suitable planting areas were distributed in strips and branches along the direction of mountains and rivers, mainly in the flat areas of low mountains and valleys below the altitude of 2200 m, including Kangding, Luding, Danba, Wenchuan, Lixian, Maoxian, Jiuzhaigou, and Songpan.

Robust, Flame-Retardant, and Anti-Corrosive Waterborne Polyurethane Enabled by a PN Synergistic Flame-Retardant Containing Benzimidazole and Phosphinate Groups.

Waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) have attracted great interest owing to their environmentally friendly properties, and are wildly applied in production and daily life. However, waterborne polyurethanes are flammable. Up to now, the challenge remains to prepare WPUs with excellent flame resistance, high emulsion stability, and outstanding mechanical properties. Herein, a novel flame-retardant additive, 2-hydroxyethan-1-aminium (2-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)ethyl)(phenyl)phosphinate (BIEP-ETA) has been synthesized and applied to improve the flame resistance of WPUs, which has both phosphorus nitrogen synergistic effect and the ability to form hydrogen bonds with WPUs. The WPU blends (WPU/FRs) exhibited a positive fire-retardant effect in both the vapor and condensed phases, with significantly improved self-extinguishing performance and reduced heat release value. Interestingly, thanks to the good compatibility between BIEP-ETA and WPUs, WPU/FRs not only have higher emulsion stability, but also have better mechanical properties with synchronously improved tensile strength and toughness. Moreover, WPU/FRs also exhibit excellent potential as a corrosion-resistant coating.

Pyroptotic MAITs link microbial translocation with severity of alcohol-associated liver disease.

BACKGROUND: Mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAITs) are markedly reduced in patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD); however, the potential mechanism underlying MAITs' loss remains elusive. Hence, we aimed to explore what induced MAITs' loss and its clinical significance. METHODS: The characteristics of pyroptotic MAITs were evaluated in a cohort of patients with ALD, including 41 patients with alcohol-associated liver cirrhosis (ALC) and 21 patients with ALC complicated with severe alcoholic hepatitis (ALC + SAH). RESULTS: In patients with ALD, blood MAITs were significantly decreased, hyperactivated, and displayed enhanced cell death through pyroptosis. The frequencies of pyroptotic MAITs increased with disease severity in patients with ALC and patients with ALC + SAH. These frequencies were negatively associated with the frequencies of MAITs and positively correlated with the levels of MAITs' activation, plasma levels of intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (a marker of intestinal enterocyte damage), soluble CD14, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, and peptidoglycan recognition proteins (surrogate markers of microbial translocation). Pyroptotic MAITs were also found in the liver of patients with ALD. Interestingly, MAITs underwent further activation and pyroptosis in vitro under stimulation by Escherichia coli or direct bilirubin. Notably, blocking IL-18 signaling reduced the activation and frequencies of pyroptotic MAITs. CONCLUSIONS: The loss of MAITs in patients with ALD is, at least in part, due to cell death from pyroptosis and is associated with the severity of ALD. Such increased pyroptosis may be affected by dysregulated inflammatory responses to intestinal microbial translocation or direct bilirubin.