kcnj13 regulates pigment cell shapes in zebrafish and has diverged by cis-regulatory evolution between Danio species.

Teleost fish of the genus Danio are excellent models to study the genetic and cellular bases of pigment pattern variation in vertebrates. The two sister species Danio rerio and Danio aesculapii show divergent patterns of horizontal stripes and vertical bars that are partly caused by the divergence of the potassium channel gene kcnj13. Here, we show that kcnj13 is required only in melanophores for interactions with xanthophores and iridophores, which cause location-specific pigment cell shapes and thereby influence colour pattern and contrast in D. rerio. Cis-regulatory rather than protein coding changes underlie kcnj13 divergence between the two Danio species. Our results suggest that homotypic and heterotypic interactions between the pigment cells and their shapes diverged between species by quantitative changes in kcnj13 expression during pigment pattern diversification.

HiBrowser: an interactive and dynamic browser for synchronous Hi-C data visualization.

With the development of chromosome conformation capture technology, the genome-wide investigation of higher-order chromatin structure by using high-throughput chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C) technology is emerging as an important component for understanding the mechanism of gene regulation. Considering genetic and epigenetic differences are typically used to explore the pathological reasons on the chromosome and gene level, visualizing multi-omics data and performing an intuitive analysis by using an interactive browser become a powerful and welcomed way. In this paper, we develop an effective sequence and chromatin interaction data display browser called HiBrowser for visualizing and analyzing Hi-C data and their associated genetic and epigenetic annotations. The advantages of HiBrowser are flexible multi-omics navigation, novel multidimensional synchronization comparisons and dynamic interaction system. In particular, HiBrowser first provides an out of the box web service and allows flexible and dynamic reconstruction of custom annotation tracks on demand during running. In order to conveniently and intuitively analyze the similarities and differences among multiple samples, such as visual comparisons of normal and tumor tissue samples, and pan genomes of multiple (consanguineous) species, HiBrowser develops a clone mode to synchronously display the genome coordinate positions or the same regions of multiple samples on the same page of visualization. HiBrowser also supports a pluralistic and precise search on correlation data of distal cis-regulatory elements and navigation to any region on Hi-C heatmap of interest according to the searching results. HiBrowser is a no-build tool, and could be easily deployed in local server. The source code is available at https://github.com/lyotvincent/HiBrowser.

DupScan: predicting and visualizing vertebrate genome duplication database.

Duplicated genes prevail in vertebrates and are important in the acquisition of new genes and novelties. Whole genome duplication (WGD) is one of the sources of duplicated genes. It can provide raw materials for natural selection by increasing the flexibility and complexity of the genome. WGDs are the driving force for the evolution of vertebrates and contribute greatly to their species diversity, especially in fish species with complicated WGD patterns. Here, we constructed the DupScan database (https://dupscan.sysumeg.com/) by integrating 106 chromosomal-level genomes, which can analyze and visualize synteny at both the gene and genome scales, visualize the Ka, Ks, and 4DTV values, and browse genomes. DupScan was used to perform functional adaptation for the intricate WGD investigation based on synteny matching. DupScan supports the analysis of five WGD rounds (R): VGD2 (vertebrate genome duplication 2), Ars3R (Acipenser-ruthenus-specific 3R), Pss3R (Polyodon-spathula-specific 3R), Ts3R (teleost-specific duplication 3R), Ss4R (salmonid-specific 4R), and Cs4R (carp-specific 4R). DupScan serves as one-stop analysis platform for synteny and WGD research in which users can analyze and predict synteny and WGD patterns across 106 species of whole genome sequences. This further aided us in elucidating genome evolutionary patterns across over 60,000 vertebrate species with synteny and WGD events.

Can large language models understand molecules?

PURPOSE: Large Language Models (LLMs) like Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) from OpenAI and LLaMA (Large Language Model Meta AI) from Meta AI are increasingly recognized for their potential in the field of cheminformatics, particularly in understanding Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System (SMILES), a standard method for representing chemical structures. These LLMs also have the ability to decode SMILES strings into vector representations. METHOD: We investigate the performance of GPT and LLaMA compared to pre-trained models on SMILES in embedding SMILES strings on downstream tasks, focusing on two key applications: molecular property prediction and drug-drug interaction prediction. RESULTS: We find that SMILES embeddings generated using LLaMA outperform those from GPT in both molecular property and DDI prediction tasks. Notably, LLaMA-based SMILES embeddings show results comparable to pre-trained models on SMILES in molecular prediction tasks and outperform the pre-trained models for the DDI prediction tasks. CONCLUSION: The performance of LLMs in generating SMILES embeddings shows great potential for further investigation of these models for molecular embedding. We hope our study bridges the gap between LLMs and molecular embedding, motivating additional research into the potential of LLMs in the molecular representation field. GitHub: https://github.com/sshaghayeghs/LLaMA-VS-GPT .

Pulsed laser deposition of a Ga2O3 thin film for an optoelectronic synaptic device.

With the rapid development of information era, the traditional von Neumann architecture faces the computing bottleneck, and integration of memory and perception is regarded as a potential solution. Herein, a Ga2O3/Si heterojunction based multi-modulated optoelectronic synaptic device is fabricated and demonstrated. As stimulated by ultraviolet (UV) optical spikes, the heterojunction device reveals typical synaptic functions of excitatory-postsynaptic current (EPSC), paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), and switch between short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). In addition, stronger stimulations like higher reading voltage, stronger optical stimulated intensity, and longer pulse duration time can significantly prolong the attenuation of EPSC, which contributes to the improvement of the forgetting process. Our work provides a potential strategy for future neuromorphic computation through a UV light driven stimulation.

Structural Engineering of Hierarchical Aerogels Hybrid Networks for Efficient Thermal Comfort Management and Versatile Protection.

In recent years, growing concerns regarding energy efficiency and heat mitigation, along with the critical goal of carbon neutrality, have drawn human attention to the zero-energy-consumption cooling technique. Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) can be an invaluable tool for combating climate change by dispersing ambient heat directly into outer space instead of just transferring it across the surface. Although significant progress has been made in cooling mechanisms, materials design, and application exploration, PDRC faces challenges regarding functionality, durability, and commercialization. Herein, a silica nanofiber aerogels (SNAs) functionalized poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene) (P(VDF-HFP)) membrane (SFP membrane), inspired by constructional engineering is constructed. As-prepared membranes with flexible network structure combined hierarchical structure design and practicability principal. As the host material for thermal comfort management (TCM) and versatile protection, the SFP membrane features a large surface area, porous structure, and a robust skeleton that can render excellent mechanical properties. Importantly, the SFP membrane can keep exceptional solar reflectivity (0.95) and strong mid-infrared emittance (0.98) drop the temperature to 12.5 °C below ambient and 96 W m-2 cooling power under typical solar intensities over 910 W m-2 . This work provides a promising avenue for high performance aerogel membranes that can be created for use in a wide variety of applications.

A network-based drug repurposing method via non-negative matrix factorization.

MOTIVATION: Drug repurposing is a potential alternative to the traditional drug discovery process. Drug repurposing can be formulated as a recommender system that recommends novel indications for available drugs based on known drug-disease associations. This article presents a method based on non-negative matrix factorization (NMF-DR) to predict the drug-related candidate disease indications. This work proposes a recommender system-based method for drug repurposing to predict novel drug indications by integrating drug and diseases related data sources. For this purpose, this framework first integrates two types of disease similarities, the associations between drugs and diseases, and the various similarities between drugs from different views to make a heterogeneous drug-disease interaction network. Then, an improved non-negative matrix factorization-based method is proposed to complete the drug-disease adjacency matrix with predicted scores for unknown drug-disease pairs. RESULTS: The comprehensive experimental results show that NMF-DR achieves superior prediction performance when compared with several existing methods for drug-disease association prediction. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The program is available at https://github.com/sshaghayeghs/NMF-DR. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Geographic Scale Influences the Interactivities Between Determinism and Stochasticity in the Assembly of Sedimentary Microbial Communities on the South China Sea Shelf.

Determinism and stochasticity in microbial community composition decisions have attracted wide attention. However, there is no consensus on their interrelationships and relative importance, and the mechanism controlling the interaction between the two ecological processes remains to be revealed. The interaction of the two ecological processes on the continental shelf of the South China Sea was studied by performing 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing on 90 sediments at multiple depths in five sites. Three nearshore sites have higher microbial diversity than those two close to the shelf margin. Different microbial composition was observed between sites and microbial composition of nearshore sites was positively correlated with total nitrogen, total sulfur, total organic carbon, and dissolved oxygen, while that of offshore was positively correlated with total carbon, salinity, and photosynthetically active radiation. The null model test showed that the community composition among layers of the same site and between nearby sites was mainly dominated by the homogeneous selection, while that between distant sites was mainly affected by dispersal limitation, which indicates that geographic scale influences the interactivities of determinism and stochasticity. Our research indicates that the balance of these two ecological processes along the geographic scale is mainly determined by the dispersal ability of microbes and environmental heterogeneity between areas. The study provides new insights into how deterministic and stochastic processes shape microbial community composition on the continental shelf.

Downregulation of miR-20b-5p Contributes to the Progression of Liver Fibrosis via the STAT3 Signaling Pathway In Vivo and In Vitro.

BACKGROUND: Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are primarily involved in liver fibrosis and portal hypertension (PHT). We aimed to investigate the effect of miR-20b-5p on HSCs, liver fibrosis, and PHT. METHODS: MiR-20b-5p expression in HSCs and in mouse liver fibrosis was determined by qPCR. Further, the effects of miR-20b-5p mimic on HSCs migration, proliferation, and apoptosis were investigated in vitro. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the direct interaction between miR-20b-5p and STAT3. In vivo, mouse liver fibrosis was established by common bile duct ligation and intervened by agomiR-20b-5p. Sirius red staining and hydroxyproline content were used to evaluate collagen deposition. The α-SMA expression in the liver was detected by IHC and Western blotting. The STAT3 signaling pathway and its downregulated cytokines as well as portal pressure and angiogenesis were explored. RESULTS: MiR-20b-5p was significantly downregulated during HSCs activation and in mouse liver fibrosis. The functional analyses demonstrated that miR-20b-5p inhibited cell proliferation, activation, and promoted apoptosis in HSCs in vitro. Moreover, miR-20b-5p regulated STAT3 expression by binding to the 3'UTR of its miRNA directly. Overexpression of miR-20b-5p facilitated HSC activation and proliferation by inhibiting the STAT3 signaling pathway. MiR-20b-5p overexpression suppressed the STAT3 and its downstream cytokines and ameliorated liver fibrosis in mice. The intra- and inter-hepatic angiogenesis were also effectively inhibited. The inhibition of liver fibrosis and neoangiogenesis contributed to the decrease of portal pressure. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-20b-5p plays an important role in the fibrosis and angiogenesis of liver fibrosis by targeting the STAT3 signaling pathway.

A time-course transcriptome analysis of gonads from yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) reveals genes associated with gonad development.

BACKGROUND: The yellow catfish, Pelteobagrus fulvidraco, is a commercially important fish species. It is widely distributed in the fresh water areas of China, including rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Like many other aquaculture fish species, people have observed significant size dimorphism between male and female yellow catfish and it shows a growth advantage in males. RESULTS: Here, at the first time, the time-course transcriptome was used to explore the various expression profiles of genes in different gonad developmental stages and genders. A total of 2696 different expression genes (DEGs) were identified from different stages. Based on these DEGs, 13 gonad development related genes were identified which showed time-specific or sex biased expression patterns. CONCLUSION: This study will provide the crucial information on the molecular mechanism of gonad development of female and male yellow catfish. Especially, during the different gonad development stages, these 13 gonad development related genes exhibit various expression patterns in female and male individual respectively. These results could inspire and facilitate us to understanding the various roles of these genes play in different gonad development stages and genders.

Gene expression profiles provide insights into the survival strategies in deep-sea mussel (Bathymodiolus platifrons) of different developmental stages.

BACKGROUND: Deep-sea mussels living in the cold seeps with enormous biomass act as the primary consumers. They are well adapted to the extreme environment where light is absent, and hydrogen sulfide, methane, and other hydrocarbon-rich fluid seepage occur. Despite previous studies on diversity, role, evolution, and symbiosis, the changing adaptation patterns during different developmental stages of the deep-sea mussels remain largely unknown. RESULTS: The deep-sea mussels (Bathymodiolus platifrons) of two developmental stages were collected from the cold seep during the ocean voyage. The gills, mantles, and adductor muscles of these mussels were used for the Illumina sequencing. A total of 135 Gb data were obtained, and subsequently, 46,376 unigenes were generated using de-novo assembly strategy. According to the gene expression analysis, amounts of genes were most actively expressed in the gills, especially genes involved in environmental information processing. Genes encoding Toll-like receptors and sulfate transporters were up-regulated in gills, indicating that the gill acts as both intermedium and protective screen in the deep-sea mussel. Lysosomal enzymes and solute carrier responsible for nutrients absorption were up-regulated in the older mussel, while genes related to toxin resistance and autophagy were up-regulated in the younger one, suggesting that the older mussel might be in a vigorous stage while the younger mussel was still paying efforts in survival and adaptation. CONCLUSIONS: In general, our study suggested that the adaptation capacity might be formed gradually during the development of deep-sea mussels, in which the gill and the symbionts play essential roles.

CRISPR/dCas9 for hepatic fibrosis therapy: implications and challenges.

Hepatic fibrosis is a pathological reaction of tissue damage and repair caused by various pathogenic factors acting on liver. At present, there is no effective anti-fibrotic specific therapy. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (dCas9) system is a new generation of gene editing technology. The CRISPR/dCas9 system provides a platform for studying site-specific transcriptional regulation, which has high efficiency in gene transcriptional activation for achieving robust. This system holds promise for hepatic fibrosis therapy via acting on liver fibrosis effector cells. However, there are some challenges associated with this novel technology, such as large structural variants at on-target, off-target sites, and targeted delivery efficiency. In this review, we present the potential implications and describe the challenges of CRISPR/dCas9 system that might be encountered in hepatic fibrosis therapy.

Bacterial, archaeal, and fungal community structure and interrelationships of deep-sea shrimp intestine and the surrounding sediment.

Invertebrate shrimp are one of the dominant benthic macrofaunae in the deep-sea environment. The microbiota of shrimp intestine can contribute to the adaptation of their host. The impact of surrounding sediment on intestinal microbiota has been observed in cultured shrimp species, but needs to be further investigated in deep-sea shrimp. The characterization of bacterial, archaeal, and fungal community structure and their interrelationships is also limited. In this study, wild-type deep-sea shrimp and the surrounding sediment were sampled. Shrimp individuals incubated in a sediment-absent environment were also used in this study. Microbial community structure of the shrimp intestine and sediment was investigated through amplicon sequencing targeting bacterial 16S rRNA genes, archaeal 16S rRNA genes, and fungal ITS genes. The results demonstrate distinct differences in community structure between shrimp intestine and the surrounding sediment and between surface and deep (5 mbsf) sediment. The composition of the intestinal microbiota in shrimp living without sediment was different from that of wild-type shrimp, indicating that the presence or absence of sediment could influence the shrimp intestinal microbiota. Carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism (carbon fixation, methane metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and sulfur metabolism), amino acid metabolism, and xenobiotic biodegradation were the most commonly predicted microbial functionalities and they interacted closely with one another. Overall, this study provided comprehensive insights into bacterial, archaeal, and fungal community structure of deep-sea shrimp intestine as well as potential ecological interactions with the surrounding sediment. This study could update our understanding of the microbiota characteristics in shrimp and sediment in deep-sea ecosystems.

GDF11 knockdown downregulates SMURF1 to inhibit breast cancer progression by activation of p53 and inactivation of ERα signaling.

Breast cancer (BC) is a prevalent neoplasm that occurs in women all over the world. Growth and differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) plays an essential role in cancer progression. This study focused on investigating the biological role and underlying mechanisms of GDF11 in BC. We detected the expression of GDF11 in 27 patients with BC and BC cell lines. Kaplan-Meier plotter was employed to analyze the relationship between GDF11 expression and overall survival (OS) of BC patients. The proliferative, migratory, invasive, and apoptotic abilities of T47D cells were examined. Correlation analysis of GDF11 with Smad ubiquitination regulatory factor 1 (SMURF1) was conducted. The association between GDF11 and the p53 pathway was analyzed by western blot and PFT-α (a p53 inhibitor)-mediated rescue assays. A brief analysis of the role of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) signaling in BC progression was performed. The results showed that GDF11 was increased in BC tissues and cell lines, and the high expression of GDF11 was associated with the poor OS of BC patients. GDF11 knockdown inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of T47D cells, but promoted cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, the GDF11 knockdown reduced the SMURF1 expression and invoked the p53 pathway activation. SMURF1 overexpression and PFT-α partially blocked the effects of GDF11 knockdown. In addition, GDF11 knockdown and SMURF1 silencing inhibited the activation of the ERα signaling pathway. In summary, GDF11 was involved in the progression of BC by regulating SMURF1-mediated p53 and ERα pathways, opening up a new way for BC treatment.

Comparison of the clinical manifestations and chest CT findings of pulmonary cryptococcosis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to perform a meta-analysis and systematic review to compare differences in clinical manifestations and chest computed tomography (CT) findings between immunocompetent and immunocompromised pulmonary cryptococcosis (PC) patients. METHODS: An extensive search for relevant studies was performed using the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Sciences databases from inception to September 30, 2021. We included studies that compared the clinical manifestations and chest CT findings between immunocompetent and immunocompromised PC patients. Study bias and quality assessment were performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). RESULTS: Nine studies involving 248 immunocompromised and 276 immunocompetent PC patients were included in our analysis. The NOS score of each eligible study was above 5, indicating moderate bias. The proportion of elderly patients (> = 60 years old) in the immunosuppressed group was significantly higher than that in the immunocompetent group (OR = 2.90, 95% CI (1.31-6.43), Z = 2.63, p = 0.01). Fever (OR = 7.10, 95% CI (3.84-13.12), Z = 6.25, p < 0.000) and headache (OR = 6.92, 95% CI (2.95-16.26), Z = 4.44, p < 0.000) were more common in immunosuppressed patients. According to thin-section CT findings, lesions were more frequently distributed in the upper lobe (OR = 1.90, 95% CI (1.07-3.37), Z = 2.2, p = 0.028) in immunocompromised individuals. The proportions of patients with cavity sign (OR = 5.11, 95% CI (2.96-8.83), Z = 5.86, p = 0.00), ground-glass attenuation (OR = 5.27, 95% CI (1.60-17.35), Z = 2.73, p = 0.01), and mediastinal lymph node enlargement (OR = 2.41, 95% CI (1.12-5.20), Z = 2.24, p = 0.03) were significantly higher in immunocompromised patients. CONCLUSION: No significant differences in nonspecific respiratory symptoms were found between immunocompromised and immunocompetent PC patients. Nevertheless, fever and headache were more common in immunocompromised patients. Among the CT findings, cavity, ground-glass attenuation, and mediastinal lymph node enlargement were more common in immunocompromised individuals.

Designing flexible, smart and self-sustainable supercapacitors for portable/wearable electronics: from conductive polymers.

The rapid development of portable/wearable electronics proposes new demands for energy storage devices, which are flexibility, smart functions and long-time outdoor operation. Supercapacitors (SCs) show great potential in portable/wearable applications, and the recently developed flexible, smart and self-sustainable supercapacitors greatly meet the above demands. In these supercapacitors, conductive polymers (CPs) are widely applied due to their high flexibility, conductivity, pseudo-capacitance, smart characteristics and moderate preparation conditions. Herein, we'd like to introduce the CP-based flexible, smart and self-sustainable supercapacitors for portable/wearable electronics. This review first summarizes the flexible SCs based on CPs and their composites with carbon materials and metal compounds. The smart supercapacitors, i.e., electrochromic, electrochemical actuated, stretchable, self-healing and stimuli-sensitive ones, are then presented. The self-sustainable SCs which integrate SC units with energy-harvesting units in one compact configuration are also introduced. The last section highlights some current challenges and future perspectives of this thriving field.

Randomized and dose-escalation trials of recombinant human serum albumin /granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in patients with breast cancer receiving anthracycline-containing chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human serum albumin /granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rHSA/G-CSF) in breast cancer following receipt of cytotoxic agents. METHODS: The phase 1b trial assessed the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety of dose-escalation, ranging from rHSA/G-CSF 1800 µg, 2100 µg, and 2400 µg. Randomized controlled phase 2b trial was further conducted to ensure the comparative efficacy and safety of rHSA/G-CSF 2400 µg and rhG-CSF 5 µg/kg. In multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel, phase 2 study, participants treated with anthracycline-containing chemotherapy were assigned in a ratio 1:1:1 to receive double delivery of rHSA/G-CSF 1200 µg, 1500 µg, and continuous rhG-CSF 5 µg/kg. RESULTS: Between December 16, 2014, to July 23, 2018, a total of 320 patients were enrolled, including 25 individuals in phase 1b trial, 80 patients in phase 2b trial, and 215 participants in phase 2 study. The mean duration of agranulocytosis during the first chemotherapeutic intermission was observed as 1.14 ± 1.35 days in rHSA/G-CSF 1500 µg, which was comparable with that of 1.07 ± 0.97 days obtained in rhG-CSF control (P = 0.71). Safety profiles were assessed to be acceptable ranging from rHSA/G-CSF 1800 µg to 2400 µg, while the double delivery of HSA/G-CSF 2400 µg failed to meet the noninferiority in comparison with rhG-CSF. CONCLUSION: The prospective randomized controlled trials demonstrated that rHSA/G-CSF was efficacious and well-tolerated with an approachable frequency and expense of application for prophylactic management of agranulocytosis. The double delivery of rHSA/G-CSF 1500 µg in comparisons with paralleling G-CSF preparations is warranted in the phase 3 trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT02465801 (11/17/2014), NCT03246009 (08/08/2017), NCT03251768 (08/07/2017).

Design of highly sensitive and selective ethanol sensor based on α-Fe2O3/Nb2O5 heterostructure.

The introduction of heterostructures is a new approach in gas sensing due to their easy and quick transport of charges. Herein, facile hydrothermal and solid-state techniques are employed to synthesize an α-Fe2O3/Nb2O5 heterostructure. The morphology, microstructure, crystallinity and surface composition of the synthesized heterostructures are investigated by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses. The successful fabrication of the heterostructures was achieved via the mutual incorporation of α-Fe2O3 nanorods with Nb2O5 interconnected nanoparticles (INPs). A sensor based on the α-Fe2O3(0.09)/Nb2O5 heterostructure with a high surface area exhibited enhanced gas-sensing features, maintaining high selectivity and sensitivity, and a considerable recovery percentage towards ethanol gas. The sensing response of the α-Fe2O3(0.09)/Nb2O5 heterostructure at lower operating temperature (160 °C) is around nine times higher than a pure Nb2O5 (INP) sensor at 180 °C with the flow of 100 ppm ethanol gas. The sensors also show excellent selectivity, good long-term stability and a rapid response/recovery time (8s/2s, respectively) to ethanol. The superior electronic conductivity and upgraded sensitivity performance of gas sensors based on the α-Fe2O3(0.09)/Nb2O5 heterostructure are attributed due to its unique structural features, high specific surface area and the synergic effect of the n-n heterojunction. The promising results demonstrate the potential application of the α-Fe2O3(0.09)/Nb2O5 heterostructure as a good sensing material for the fabrication of ethanol sensors.

The role of chest CT in management of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections: A longitudinal multi-center study in Chongqing, China.

Background: Multiple societies including the Fleischner Society do not recommend that CT is routinely used in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections; however, this advice is based on the limited evidence. In this study, we aim to confirm whether it is necessary to do CT scans in SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic infections by summarizing the longitudinal chest CT and clinical features of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. Methods: A total of 33 individuals (14 men and 19 women) with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical data of CT positive and negative groups were compared. Longitudinal chest CT scans were reviewed for CT features and analyzed for temporal change. Results: Thirty-two (97%) individuals had positive results for first RT-PCR testing. For clinical data, only monocyte count showed a significant difference between CT positive and negative groups. For first chest CT, only eighteen (54.5%) individuals had abnormal manifestations, common CT features were GGO (88.9%) and consolidation (33.3%), the median number of segments involved was 3.0 (1.0-7.5). No case in CT negative group was abnormal on the follow-up CT. Three patterns of evolution throughout series of CT were observed in CT positive group, including gradual improvement (12, 66.7%), mismatch to improvement (3, 16.7%) and mild progression to improvement (3, 16.7%). On last CT scans, most cases had radiographic improvement but residual abnormalities. Significant differences were exhibited in density, long diameter, number of lung segments involved, and percentage of consolidation between the first and last CT scans. All cases had stable conditions and finally confirmed negative for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR tests without developing into severe pneumonia. Conclusion: Considering poor performance of CT in screening, stable conditions during followup, and good outcomes in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections, we confirm that it is unnecessary to do CT scans in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Hypoosmotic stress induced functional alternations of intestinal barrier integrity, inflammatory reactions, and neurotransmission along gut-brain axis in the yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus).

The gut-brain axis plays a major role in multiple metabolic regulation processes, but studies regarding its responses to environmental stress in fish are still limited. In this study, we performed transcriptome sequencing analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus) exposed to environments with different water salinity (freshwater: 0 ppt; low-saline water: 3 ppt; brackish water: 6 ppt). According to transcriptome analysis, 707 and 1477 genes were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between freshwater and brackish water treatments in the brain and gut, respectively. Brain DEGs were significantly enriched into a set of Gene Ontology terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways associated with signal transduction, most of which were downregulated. Gut DEGs were enriched into a neurotransmission-relevant KEGG pathway tryptophan metabolism, and the downregulated DEGs were enriched into the KEGG pathway focal adhesion. ELISA demonstrated significant physiological responses of the brain and gut across treatments, as determined by the concentrations of tight junction protein ZO-2, interleukin 1ß, and serotonin. Under hypoosmotic stress, the functions of the gut-brain axis are altered via impairment of intestinal barrier integrity, by disturbance of gut-brain neurotransmission, and through tissue-damaging inflammatory reactions. Our work identified candidate genes which showed significantly differential expression in the gut-brain axis when yellowfin seabream encountered hypoosmotic stress, which could shed lights on the understanding of the potential osmotic regulation mechanisms of the gut-brain axis in teleost.