Thermally induced atomic reconstruction into fully commensurate structures of transition metal dichalcogenide layers.

Twist angle between two-dimensional layers is a critical parameter that determines their interfacial properties, such as moiré excitons and interfacial ferro-electricity. To achieve better control over these properties for fundamental studies and various applications, considerable efforts have been made to manipulate twist angle. However, due to mechanical limitations and the inevitable formation of incommensurate regions, there remains a challenge in attaining perfect alignment of crystalline orientation. Here we report a thermally induced atomic reconstruction of randomly stacked transition metal dichalcogenide multilayers into fully commensurate heterostructures with zero twist angle by encapsulation annealing, regardless of twist angles of as-stacked samples and lattice mismatches. We also demonstrate the selective formation of R- and H-type fully commensurate phases with a seamless lateral junction using chemical vapour-deposited transition metal dichalcogenides. The resulting fully commensurate phases exhibit strong photoluminescence enhancement of the interlayer excitons, even at room temperature, due to their commensurate structure with aligned momentum coordinates. Our work not only demonstrates a way to fabricate zero-twisted, two-dimensional bilayers with R- and H-type configurations, but also provides a platform for studying their unexplored properties.

Establishment of multicenter COVID-19 therapeutics preclinical test system in Republic of Korea.

Throughout the recent COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea led national efforts to develop vaccines and therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2. The project proceeded as follows: 1) evaluation system setup (including Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL3) facility alliance, standardized nonclinical evaluation protocol, and laboratory information management system), 2) application (including committee review and selection), and 3) evaluation (including expert judgment and reporting). After receiving 101 applications, the selection committee reviewed pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and efficacy data and selected 32 final candidates. In the nonclinical efficacy test, we used golden Syrian hamsters and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 transgenic mice under a cytokeratin 18 promoter to evaluate mortality, clinical signs, body weight, viral titer, neutralizing antibody presence, and histopathology. These data indicated eight new drugs and one repositioned drug having significant efficacy for COVID-19. Three vaccine and four antiviral drugs exerted significant protective activities against SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Additionally, two anti-inflammatory drugs showed therapeutic effects on lung lesions and weight loss through their mechanism of action but did not affect viral replication. Along with systematic verification of COVID-19 animal models through large-scale studies, our findings suggest that ABSL3 multicenter alliance and nonclinical evaluation protocol standardization can promote reliable efficacy testing against COVID-19, thus expediting medical product development.

Ultrafast Carrier-Lattice Interactions and Interlayer Modulations of Bi2Se3 by X-ray Free-Electron Laser Diffraction.

As a 3D topological insulator, bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3) has potential applications for electrically and optically controllable magnetic and optoelectronic devices. Understanding the coupling with its topological phase requires studying the interactions of carriers with the lattice on time scales down to the subpicosecond regime. Here, we investigate the ultrafast carrier-induced lattice contractions and interlayer modulations in Bi2Se3 thin films by time-resolved diffraction using an X-ray free-electron laser. The lattice contraction depends on the carrier concentration and is followed by an interlayer expansion accompanied by oscillations. Using density functional theory and the Lifshitz model, the initial contraction can be explained by van der Waals force modulation of the confined free carrier layers. Our theoretical calculations suggest that the band inversion, related to a topological phase transition, is modulated by the expansion of the interlayer distance. These results provide insights into the topological phase control by light-induced structural change on ultrafast time scales.

Role of intermediate phase for stable cycling of Na7V4(P2O7)4PO4 in sodium ion battery.

Sodium ion batteries offer promising opportunities in emerging utility grid applications because of the low cost of raw materials, yet low energy density and limited cycle life remain critical drawbacks in their electrochemical operations. Herein, we report a vanadium-based ortho-diphosphate, Na7V4(P2O7)4PO4, or VODP, that significantly reduces all these drawbacks. Indeed, VODP exhibits single-valued voltage plateaus at 3.88 V vs. Na/Na(+) while retaining substantial capacity (>78%) over 1,000 cycles. Electronic structure calculations reveal that the remarkable single plateau and cycle life originate from an intermediate phase (a very shallow voltage step) that is similar both in the energy level and lattice parameters to those of fully intercalated and deintercalated states. We propose a theoretical scheme in which the reaction barrier that arises from lattice mismatches can be evaluated by using a simple energetic consideration, suggesting that the presence of intermediate phases is beneficial for cell kinetics by buffering the differences in lattice parameters between initial and final phases. We expect these insights into the role of intermediate phases found for VODP hold in general and thus provide a helpful guideline in the further understanding and design of battery materials.

Combined CO2-philicity and Ordered Mesoporosity for Highly Selective CO2 Capture at High Temperatures.

Various dry sorbents have been lately introduced as promising media to capture carbon dioxide (CO2). However, it is still desirable to further improve their performance in diverse aspects, and high temperature selectivity of CO2 over other gases is clearly one of them. Here, we report a co-assembly approach to turn nonporous melamine resin to a highly ordered mesoporous polymeric network (space group: Im3̅m) containing high nitrogen content (∼18 at%). This mesoporous network shows anomalously increasing CO2/N2 selectivity with temperature rise, with the selectivity at 323 K reaching 117 (Henry method). This selectivity behavior is attributed to a combined effect of the high nitrogen content allowing for high binding affinity with CO2 and well-defined mesopores (2.5-2.9 nm) accelerating release of N2 with temperature rise. The given orthogonal approach suggests a new direction in designing dry sorbents with excellent selectivities at high temperatures.

Tunable heptamethine-azo dye conjugate as an NIR fluorescent probe for the selective detection of mitochondrial glutathione over cysteine and homocysteine.

Although a lot of mitochondria-targeting biothiol probes have been developed and applied to cellular imaging through thiol-induced disulfide cleavage or Michael addition reactions, relatively few probes assess mitochondrial GSH with high selectivity over Cys and Hcy and with NIR fluorescence capable of noninvasive imaging in biological samples. In order to monitor mitochondrial GSH with low background autofluorescence, we designed a heptamethine-azo conjugate as an NIR fluorescent probe by introducing a tunable lipophilic cation unit as the biomarker for mitochondria and a nitroazo group as the GSH-selective reaction site as well as the fluorescence quencher. The probe exhibited a dramatic off-on NIR fluorescence response toward GSH with high selectivity over other amino acids including Cys and Hcy. Further application to cellular imaging indicated that the probe was highly responsive to the changes of mitochondrial GSH in cells.

Immediate secondary rhinoplasty using a folded dermofat graft for resolving complications related to silicone implants: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Various surgical techniques have been developed to enhance the nose shapes of Asian patients. Silicone implant augmentation rhinoplasty is widely used because it is relatively easy to perform and often yields satisfactory outcomes. However, this technique may lead to complications, including ischemia, necrosis, and over-augmentation. The most appropriate management of these complications, including infection, is immediate implant removal and revision surgery once the accompanying inflammation has healed. Occasionally, the patient may experience distress from nasal deformities during the intervention period. CASE SUMMARY: Herein, we describe the case of a patient who underwent a secondary dorsal augmentation, with a folded dermofat graft harvested from the inguinal area and simultaneous implant removal, successfully preventing dimpling of the nasal deformity. CONCLUSION: This surgical method can effectively manage implant-related complications following augmentation rhinoplasty using a silicone implant and provide satisfactory patient outcomes.

Porocarcinoma in a palm reconstructed with a full thickness skin graft: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Porocarcinoma is a rare type of skin cancer that originates from sweat gland tumors. It is an aggressive malignant skin cancer that is difficult to diagnose clinically owing to its rarity and similarity to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). CASE SUMMARY: This case involved a 92-year-old woman, a farmer by profession, presented with an exophytic and verrucous mass on her left palm that had formed 2 years prior and caused chronic pain and frequent bleeding. Initially, the patient was diagnosed with SCC using a punch biopsy; however, a repeat biopsy with additional immunohistochemical tests was performed for porocarcinoma. Ultimately, the patient was diagnosed with porocarcinoma and reconstruction was planned using a full-thickness skin graft. After treatment, the range of motion of the palm was preserved, and the aesthetic outcome was favorable. At 6 mo of follow-up, the patient was satisfied with the outcome. CONCLUSION: Porocarcinoma is commonly misdiagnosed as SCC; therefore, clinicians should consider porocarcinomas when evaluating mass-like lesions on the hands.

Delayed treatment of traumatic eyeball dislocation into the maxillary sinus and treatment algorithm: a case report and literature review.

Orbital floor fractures are commonly encountered, but the dislocation of the eyeball into the maxillary sinus is relatively rare. When it does occur, globe dislocation can have serious consequences, including vision loss, enucleation, and orbito-ocular deformity. Immediate surgical intervention is typically attempted when possible. However, severe comorbidities and poor general health can delay necessary surgery. In this report, we present the surgical outcomes of a 70-year-old woman who received delayed treatment for traumatic eyeball dislocation into the maxillary sinus due to a subarachnoid hemorrhage and hemopneumothorax. Additionally, we propose a treatment algorithm based on our clinical experience and a review of the literature.

Anomalous manganese activation of a pyrophosphate cathode in sodium ion batteries: a combined experimental and theoretical study.

Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have many advantages such as the low price and abundance of sodium raw materials that are suitable for large-scale energy storage applications. Herein, we report an Mn-based pyrophosphate, Na(2)MnP(2)O(7), as a new SIB cathode material. Unlike most Mn-based cathode materials, which suffer severely from sluggish kinetics, Na(2)MnP(2)O(7) exhibits good electrochemical activity at ~3.8 V vs Na/Na(+) with a reversible capacity of 90 mAh g(-1) at room temperature. It also shows an excellent cycling and rate performance: 96% capacity retention after 30 cycles and 70% capacity retention at a c-rate increase from 0.05C to 1C. These electrochemical activities of the Mn-containing cathode material even at room temperature with relatively large particle sizes are remarkable considering an almost complete inactivity of the Li counterpart, Li(2)MnP(2)O(7). Using first-principles calculations, we find that the significantly enhanced kinetics of Na(2)MnP(2)O(7) is mainly due to the locally flexible accommodation of Jahn-Teller distortions aided by the corner-sharing crystal structure in triclinic Na(2)MnP(2)O(7). By contrast, in monoclinic Li(2)MnP(2)O(7), the edge-sharing geometry causes multiple bonds to be broken and formed during charging reaction with a large degree of atomic rearrangements. We expect that the similar computational strategy to analyze the atomic rearrangements can be used to predict the kinetics behavior when exploring new cathode candidates.

Targeted Mutagenesis in Mice Using a Base Editor.

Base editors, such as cytosine and adenine base editors, are composed of nickase Cas9 (nCas9) and deaminase and serve as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)-based enzymatic tools for specific nucleotide substitutions. They are mainly the most effective genome editing tools for introducing point mutations, such as C-to-T and A-to-G conversions. The enhanced base editor, a C-to-G base editor (CGBE), can perform other nucleotide substitutions, such as C-to-G conversions. Here, we introduce a method for generating mouse models with point mutations using a base editing system.

Buerger's Disease as a Cause of Post-Operative Skin Necrosis: A Case Report.

Postoperative skin necrosis occurs due to various causes, including infections, lack of oxygenation, underlying diseases, and lack of nutrition. Therefore, a thorough evaluation of the cause of skin necrosis should be conducted. In the present case, the patient underwent disarticulation of the interphalangeal joint of the right first toe by an orthopedic surgeon and developed postoperative skin necrosis. Through physical examination, imaging studies, and detailed medical history evaluation, the patient was diagnosed with thromboangiitis obliterans, also known as Buerger's disease. After 4 months of medication for Buerger's disease and smoking cessation, the wound healed without complications or recurrence. Therefore, in cases of untreatable chronic wounds in young and heavy smoking patients, Buerger's disease should be suspected as a potential cause.

Preserving finger length in a patient with symmetric digital gangrene under local anesthesia: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Case reports of symmetric digital gangrene resulting from high-dose vasopressors use in patients with alcoholic ketoacidosis, leading to cardiac arrest, are rare. To date, no specific treatment method for autolysis or surgical amputation or guidelines for determining the level of amputation have been established. CASE SUMMARY: In this case report, we describe a treatment method that effectively preserved the function of fingers by surgical treatment under local anesthesia with a minimum operative time, while also preserving finger length to the maximum possible extent. CONCLUSION: Our approach may contribute to improved postoperative quality of life by preserving finger length.

Periantral fungal abscess after zygoma reduction: a case report.

This case report describes our treatment of a persistent periantral abscess in a 35-year-old woman. The abscess developed following a zygoma-reduction surgery, during which a preexisting fungal ball had not been addressed. Our comprehensive treatment approach included functional endoscopic sinus surgery, fungal ball removal, abscess drainage, and debridement. Two weeks postoperatively, the patient's symptoms had resolved. A 6-month postoperative follow-up revealed no signs of recurrence or complications, and the patient reported satisfactory functional and aesthetic results. This case underscores the importance of thorough preoperative evaluations and raises awareness about the potential risks of untreated asymptomatic pathologies, which can potentially progress and lead to further complications.

Modulation of Phonons and Excitons Due to Moiré Potentials in Twisted Bilayer of WSe2/MoSe2.

The application of two-dimensional materials has been expanded by introducing the twisted bilayer (TBL) system. However, the landscape of the interlayer interaction in hetero-TBLs has not yet been fully understood, while that in homo-TBLs has been extensively studied, with the dependence on the twist angle between the constituent layers. Here, we present detailed analyses on the interlayer interaction that depends on the twist angle in WSe2/MoSe2 hetero-TBL via Raman and photoluminescence studies combined with first-principles calculation. We observe interlayer vibrational modes, moiré phonons, and the interlayer excitonic states that evolve with the twist angle and identify different regimes with distinct characteristics of such features. Moreover, the interlayer excitons that appear strong in the hetero-TBLs with twist angles near 0° or 60° have different energies and photoluminescence excitation spectra for the two cases, which results from different electronic structures and carrier relaxation dynamics. These results would enable a better understanding of the interlayer interaction in hetero-TBLs.

Neonatal and developmental outcomes of very preterm twins according to the chorionicity and weight discordance.

Perinatal outcomes of twin pregnancies are determined by several factors, such as gestational age (GA), chorionicity, and discordance at birth. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the association of chorionicity and discordance with neonatal and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm twin infants from uncomplicated pregnancy. Data of very preterm twin infants who were both live-born between 2014 and 2019 on the chorionicity of the twin, diagnosis of the twin-to-twin syndrome (TTTS), weight discordance at birth, and neonatal and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 24 months of corrected age (CA) were collected. Of the 204 twin infants analyzed, 136 were dichorionic (DC) and 68 were monochorionic (MC), including 15 pairs with TTTS. After adjusting for GA, brain injury, including severe intraventricular hemorrhage and periventricular leukomalacia, was mostly found in the MC with TTTS group, with a higher incidence of cerebral palsy and motor delay at CA 24 months. After excluding TTTS, multivariable analysis showed no association between chorionicity and neonatal and developmental outcomes, whereas small infants among co-twins (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.33, 95% confidence interval 1.03-10.74) and greater discordance (%) of weight at birth (aOR 1.04, 1.00-1.07) were associated with neurodevelopmental impairment. Monochorionicity might not determine adverse outcomes among very preterm twins from uncomplicated pregnancy.

Precise base editing without unintended indels in human cells and mouse primary myoblasts.

Base editors are powerful tools for making precise single-nucleotide changes in the genome. However, they can lead to unintended insertions and deletions at the target sites, which is a significant limitation for clinical applications. In this study, we aimed to eliminate unwanted indels at the target sites caused by various evolved base editors. Accordingly, we applied dead Cas9 instead of nickase Cas9 in the base editors to induce accurate substitutions without indels. Additionally, we tested the use of chromatin-modulating peptides in the base editors to improve nucleotide conversion efficiency. We found that using both dead Cas9 and chromatin-modulating peptides in base editing improved the nucleotide substitution efficiency without unintended indel mutations at the desired target sites in human cell lines and mouse primary myoblasts. Furthermore, the proposed scheme had fewer off-target effects than conventional base editors at the DNA level. These results indicate that the suggested approach is promising for the development of more accurate and safer base editing techniques for use in clinical applications.

ANGPTL4 stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques and modulates the phenotypic transition of vascular smooth muscle cells through KLF4 downregulation.

Atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death, is a vascular disease of chronic inflammation. We recently showed that angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) promotes cardiac repair by suppressing pathological inflammation. Given the fundamental contribution of inflammation to atherosclerosis, we assessed the role of ANGPTL4 in the development of atherosclerosis and determined whether ANGPTL4 regulates atherosclerotic plaque stability. We injected ANGPTL4 protein twice a week into atherosclerotic Apoe-/- mice and analyzed the atherosclerotic lesion size, inflammation, and plaque stability. In atherosclerotic mice, ANGPTL4 reduced atherosclerotic plaque size and vascular inflammation. In the atherosclerotic lesions and fibrous caps, the number of α-SMA(+), SM22α(+), and SM-MHC(+) cells was higher, while the number of CD68(+) and Mac2(+) cells was lower in the ANGPTL4 group. Most importantly, the fibrous cap was significantly thicker in the ANGPTL4 group than in the control group. Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) isolated from atherosclerotic aortas showed significantly increased expression of CD68 and Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4), a modulator of the vascular SMC phenotype, along with downregulation of α-SMA, and these changes were attenuated by ANGPTL4 treatment. Furthermore, ANGPTL4 reduced TNFα-induced NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1), a major source of reactive oxygen species, resulting in the attenuation of KLF4-mediated SMC phenotypic changes. We showed that acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with higher levels of ANGPTL4 had fewer vascular events than AMI patients with lower levels of ANGPTL4 (p < 0.05). Our results reveal that ANGPTL4 treatment inhibits atherogenesis and suggest that targeting vascular stability and inflammation may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy to prevent and treat atherosclerosis. Even more importantly, ANGPTL4 treatment inhibited the phenotypic changes of SMCs into macrophage-like cells by downregulating NOX1 activation of KLF4, leading to the formation of more stable plaques.

Site-specific transition metal occupation in multicomponent pyrophosphate for improved electrochemical and thermal properties in lithium battery cathodes: a combined experimental and theoretical study.

As an attempt to develop lithium ion batteries with excellent performance, which is desirable for a variety of applications including mobile electronics, electrical vehicles, and utility grids, the battery community has continuously pursued cathode materials that function at higher potentials with efficient kinetics for lithium insertion and extraction. By employing both experimental and theoretical tools, herein we report multicomponent pyrophosphate (Li(2)MP(2)O(7), M = Fe(1/3)Mn(1/3)Co(1/3)) cathode materials with novel and advantageous properties as compared to the single-component analogues and other multicomponent polyanions. Li(2)Fe(1/3)Mn(1/3)Co(1/3)P(2)O(7) is formed on the basis of a solid solution among the three individual transition-metal-based pyrophosphates. The unique crystal structure of pyrophosphate and the first principles calculations show that different transition metals have a tendency to preferentially occupy either octahedral or pyramidal sites, and this site-specific transition metal occupation leads to significant improvements in various battery properties: a single-phase mode for Li insertion/extraction, improved cell potentials for Fe(2+)/Fe(3+) (raised by 0.18 eV) and Co(2+)/Co(3+) (lowered by 0.26 eV), and increased activity for Mn(2+)/Mn(3+) with significantly reduced overpotential. We reveal that the favorable energy of transition metal mixing and the sequential redox reaction for each TM element with a sufficient redox gap is the underlying physical reason for the preferential single-phase mode of Li intercalation/deintercalation reaction in pyrophosphate, a general concept that can be applied to other multicomponent systems. Furthermore, an extremely small volume change of ~0.7% between the fully charged and discharged states and the significantly enhanced thermal stability are observed for the present material, the effects unseen in previous multicomponent battery materials.

Ruptured pseudoaneurysm of the internal maxillary artery in zygomaticomaxillary fracture: a case report.

Post-traumatic pseudoaneurysms of internal maxillary artery are rare, but may be life-threatening. When arterial damage leads to pseudoaneurysm formation, delayed intractable epistaxis can occur. We report our experience with the diagnosis and management of a ruptured internal maxillary arterial pseudoaneurysm that was discovered preoperatively in a patient with a zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fracture. He presented to the emergency room with epistaxis, which ceased shortly, and sinus hemorrhage was observed with a fracture of the posterior maxillary wall. The patient was scheduled for open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of the ZMC fracture. However, immediately before surgery, uncontrolled epistaxis of unknown origin was observed. Angiography indicated a pseudoaneurysm of the posterior superior alveolar artery. Selective endovascular embolization was performed, and hemostasis was achieved. After radiologic intervention, ORIF was successfully implemented without complications. Our case shows that in patients with a posterior maxillary wall fracture, there is a risk of uncontrolled bleeding in the perioperative period that could be caused by pseudoaneurysms, which should be considered even in the absence of typical symptoms.