Broadband sensitized near-infrared emission in Eu2+-Nd3+ co-doped BaAl2O4 as a potential spectral modulator for silicon solar cells.

The near-infrared (NIR) down-conversion process for broadband sensitization has been studied in Eu2+-Nd3+ co-doped BaAl2O4. This material has a broad absorption band of 200-480 nm and can convert photons in the visible region into NIR photons. The NIR emission at 1064 nm, attributed to the Nd3+:4F3/2 → 4I11/2 transition, matches the bandgap of Si, allowing Si solar cells to utilize the solar spectrum better. The energy transfer (ET) process between Eu2+ and Nd3+ was demonstrated using photoluminescence spectra and luminescence decay curves, and Eu2+ may transfer energy to Nd3+ through the cooperative energy transfer (CET) to achieve the down-conversion process. The energy transfer efficiency (ETE) and theoretical quantum efficiency (QE) were 68.61% and 156.34%, respectively, when 4 mol% Nd3+ was introduced. The results indicate that BaAl2O4:Eu2+-Nd3+ can serve as a potential modulator of the solar spectrum and is expected to be applied to Si solar cells.

Totally-green cellulosic fiber with prominent sustained antibacterial and antiviral properties for potential use in spunlaced non-woven fabric production.

The worldwide spread of COVID-19 has put a higher requirement for personal medical protective clothing, developing protective clothing with sustained antibacterial and antiviral performance is the priority for safe and sustaining application. For this purpose, we develop a novel cellulose based material with sustained antibacterial and antiviral properties. In the proposed method, the chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) was subjected to a guanylation reaction with dicyandiamide in the presence of Scandium (III) triflate; because of the relatively lower molecular weight and water solubility of the COS, GCOS (guanylated chitosan oligosaccharide) with high substitution degree (DS) could be successfully synthetized without acid application. In this instance, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the GCOS were only 1/8 and 1/4 of that of COS. The introduction of GCOS onto the fiber endowed the fiber with extremely high antibacterial and antiviral performance, showing 100% bacteriostatic rate against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and 99.48% virus load reduction of bacteriophage MS2. More importantly, the GCOS modified cellulosic fibers (GCOS-CFs) exhibit excellent sustained antibacterial and antiviral properties; namely, 30 washing cycles had negligible effect on the bacteriostatic rate (100%) and inhibition rate of bacteriophage MS2 (99.0%). Moreover, the paper prepared from the GCOS-CFs still exhibited prominent antibacterial and antiviral activity; inferring that the sheeting forming, press, and drying process have almost no effect on the antibacterial and antiviral performances. The insensitive of antibacterial and antiviral activity to water washing (spunlace) and heat (drying) make the GCOS-CFs a potential material applicable in the spunlaced non-woven fabric production.

Effect of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery on the Prognosis of Patients With Hip Fractures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hip fractures, predominantly occurring in the elderly, are a significant public health concern due to associated morbidity, disability, and mortality. Prolonged bed rest following the fracture often leads to complications, further threatening patient health. Enhanced recovery after surgery, a modern approach to postoperative care, is being explored for its potential to improve outcomes and quality of life in hip fracture patients. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the impact of enhanced recovery after surgery on hip fracture patients. METHODS: In this systematic review, we addressed the PICO question: Does the enhanced recovery after surgery program reduce 1-year mortality, readmissions, and postoperative pain and improve Harris Hip Score compared with traditional care in elderly hip fracture patients? We searched key databases and gray literature and analyzed outcomes through a meta-analysis using RevMan, Stata, and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for quality assessment. RESULTS: Nine studies involving 10,359 patients were included. Compared with the control group, the enhanced recovery after surgery group showed significant reduction in length of stay (mean difference [MD] = -2.00; 95% confidence interval [CI] [-2.87, -1.14]; p < .0001) and overall complication rate (risk ratio [RR] = 0.76; 95% CI [0.67, 0.85]; p < .0001), with a lower delirium rate (RR = 0.42; 95% CI [0.26, 0.68]; p = .004). No significant differences were observed in Harris Hip Score, pain score, 1-year mortality, readmission rate, or incidences of urinary tract infection, respiratory tract infection, and deep vein thrombosis. CONCLUSION: Enhanced recovery after surgery is associated with reduced length of stay, complication rate, and delirium rate in hip fracture patients.

Synthesis of poly(phenylacetylene)s containing chiral phenylethyl carbamate residues as coated-type CSPs with high solvent tolerability.

Two novel helical poly(phenylacetylene) derivatives containing chiral phenylethyl carbamate residues in the end of each side chain (PPA-S and PPA-R) were synthesized by polymerization of the corresponding phenylacetylene monomers using Rh(nbd)BPh4 as a catalyst in DMF. The enantioseparation properties of the polymers were evaluated as coated-type chiral stationary phases (CSPs) for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Under the same chromatographic conditions, PPA-S and PPA-R showed different enantioseparation properties, indicating that the different interactions between the analytes and the polymers, which result from the different chiral phenylethyl carbamate groups in the end of each side chains. Racemates 1, 7, and 8 could be better resolved on PPA-S, while racemate 6 was separated on PPA-R more efficiently. In addition, the coated-type CSPs showed good solvent tolerability and could work without any damage by introducing the polar solvents, such as CHCl3 and THF, in eluent. Moreover, some racemates could be better resolved on these coated-type CSPs with the addition of THF to the eluent.

Gold nanoparticles decorated bimetallic CuNi-based hollow nanoarchitecture for the enhancement of electrochemical sensing performance of nitrite.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) decorated bimetallic CuNi-based hollow nanoarchitecture (CNHN) are reported for the first time as a nonenzymatic sensor for the quantification of nitrite in neutral solution . The CNHN was prepared via a convenient calcining routine using the bimetallic CuNi-MOFs as a coprecursor. The unique chemical structure of hollow CNHN with high specific surface area and abundant terminal amino groups effectively avoid the aggregation of AuNPs and facilitate the subsequent adsorption of nitrite. The Au/CNHN exhibited high electrocatalytic activity towards nitrite oxidation due to the synergetic catalytic effect of AuNPs and CNHN. Chronoamperometric detection of nitrite at the Au/CNHN/GCE achieved a lower linear calibration range of 0.05 to 1.15 mM, with an LOD of 0.017 µM compared with previous reports. The proposed method obtained satisfactory recoveries for nitrite determination in practical applications, which was verified by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The prepared sensor based on Au/CNHN featured favorable selectivity and stability, which provides a promising approach for real sample analysis. Graphical abstract.

A 4-microRNA signature for survival prognosis in pediatric and adolescent acute myeloid leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematologic malignancy with significant molecular heterogeneity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in AML diagnosis, pathogenesis, and prognosis of AML. Little has been done to identify a miRNA signature in pediatric and adolescent patients for predicting overall survival. This study aims to identify a panel of miRNA signature that could predict the prognosis of all younger AML patients with all subtypes of AML by analyzing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). A total of 229 patients under 23 years with miRNA data and corresponding clinical data from TCGA database were enrolled in this study. Through conducting multivariate analysis in the training test, it was identified that the high expression of hsa-miR-509 and hsa-miR-542 were independent poor prognostic factors, whereas that of hsa-miR-146a and hsa-miR-3667 had a trend to be favorable factors. A 4-miRNA signature was constructed by these miRNAs considering the weight of each. In testing group and all 229 patients' cohort as well as 59 cytogenetically normal AML (CN-AML) patients' cohort, higher risk score was associated with shorter overall survival (OS). All results were confidential by using powerful statistical analysis. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis were carried out to further develop leukemia-relevant mechanisms supporting the model. The results indicate that the 4-miRNA-based signature is a reliable prognostic biomarker for pediatric and adolescent AML patients.

Identification of long non-coding RNA competing interactions and biological pathways associated with prognosis in pediatric and adolescent cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: LncRNAs can regulate miRNAs and mRNAs by sequestering and binding them. Indeed, many researchers have reported lncRNA mediated-competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) could regulate the progression of solid tumors. However, the roles of ceRNA in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), especially in pediatric and adolescent AML, were not completely expounded. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 27 cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML) patients under 18 years old with corresponding clinical data were selected from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA), which was a large sample sequencing database of RNA sequencing. We constructed a survival specific ceRNA network, and investigated its associations with patients' clinical information by analyzing the data from TCGA. RESULTS: We identified survival specific lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs, and constructed a survival specific ceRNA network of CN-AML patients and a weighted correlation network. Furthermore, we identified 4 biological pathways associated with OS and selected the most enriched pathway 'Transcriptional misregulation in cancer' to verify that it could accurately predict younger CN-AML patients' prognosis to guide treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully constructed a survival specific ceRNA network which could provide a new approach to lncRNA research in younger CN-AML. Importantly, we constructed a weighted correlation network to overcome the difficulty in biological interpretation of individual genes.

Reduced cardiac function and risk of venous thromboembolism in Asian countries.

Patients with reduced cardiac function are thought to have a higher risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Additionally, they are vulnerable to complications of pulmonary embolism (PE) as well as right heart failure (HF), which in return is supposed to increase the rate of mortality. Studies focusing on VTE in heart failure patients were rare in Asian countries before the 21st century. Nowadays, more and more data are becoming available in this field in Asia. It is already known that heart failure can increase the risk of VTE, but so far a consensus on this issue has not been reached for many years, not only in Asian countries but all over the world. This condition may be due to the detailed pathological advancement in Virchow's triad and some other theories. In clinical practice, VTE, especially PE is difficult to diagnose in patients with heart failure because of overlapping symptoms (e.g. cough and chest pain) and the elevation of laboratory markers (e.g. probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and D-dimer in both heart failure and VTE patients). Management of VTE in heart failure patients is also controversial because heart failure patients always have complications, such as renal failure and hepatic failure, which increase the risk of bleeding. In this study, we analyzed data from China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and India mainly to get a better understanding of the research progress in VTE in patients with heart failure. The aim of this review is to discuss the risk, incidence, advancement of diagnosis, management and prevention of VTE in patients with heart failure in Asian countries.

Discovery and synthesis of atropisomerically chiral acyl-substituted stable vinyl sulfoxonium ylides.

Atropisomerism is a type of conformational chirality that plays a critical role in various fields of chemistry, including synthetic, medicinal and material chemistry, and its impact has been widely recognized. Although chiral atropisomerism in rotationally restricted aryl-aryl bonds has garnered substantial interest and led to important discoveries in chiral catalysts and drug development, the exploration of non-aryl atropisomers has fallen behind. Here we reveal a previously unexplored form of non-aryl atropisomerism by linking a sterically congested olefin to a sulfoxonium ylide. A streamlined synthetic approach to these novel molecules was developed through the hydrofunctionalization of alkynyl sulfoxonium ylides. Notably, an enantioselective organocatalytic strategy was developed to prepare these non-aryl atropisomers in high optical purity. This form of atropisomerism offers new routes for investigating the functional properties of axially chiral molecules.

Bis-substituted amino acid functionalized chitosan aerogels: High uranium adsorption capacity and antibacterial properties.

Based on the goal of "carbon neutralization and carbon peaking", it is still challenging to develop a high adsorption performance and environmentally friendly material for uranium extraction. We proposed a new idea of "Three-Dimensional Environmental-Friendly". A series of amino acid bis-substituted chitosan aerogels (C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4 and C-5) were prepared by ice template method and selective substitution reaction in water environment. Among them, C-3 adsorbent has the antibacterial properties of gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria and marine bacteria, which is more suitable for uranium adsorption in complex environments. Also, C-3 adsorbent solves the shortcomings of poor adsorption property and easy to cause secondary pollution during modification of traditional chitosan materials. The selectivity and adsorption capacity of uranium are further improved by the unique functional groups of serine residues. At pH = 7, the maximum adsorption capacity reaches 606.32 mg/g. In addition, C-3 adsorbent have excellent selectivity and stability. The synergistic effect of coordination, electrostatic interaction and intraparticle diffusion between C-3 adsorbent and uranium may be the key to its high adsorption performance. The high performance of chitosan adsorbent provides a new idea for the design and application of green and efficient uranium adsorption materials.

Construction of oxime-functionalized PCN-222 based on the directed molecular structure design for recovering uranium from wastewater.

The directed construction of productive adsorbents is essential to avoid damaging human health from the harmful radioactive and toxic U(VI)-containing wastewater. Herein, a sort of Zr-based metal organic framework (MOF) called PCN-222 was synthesized and oxime functionalized based on directed molecular structure design to synthesize an efficient adsorbent with antimicrobial activity, named PCN-222-OM, for recovering U(VI) from wastewater. PCN-222-OM unfolded splendid adsorption capacity (403.4 mg·g-1) at pH = 6.0 because of abundant holey structure and mighty chelation for oxime groups with U(VI) ions. PCN-222-OM also exhibited outstanding selectivity and reusability during the adsorption. The XPS spectra authenticated the -NH and oxime groups which revealed a momentous function. Concurrently, PCN-222-OM also possessed good antimicrobial activity, antibiofouling activity, and environmental safety; adequately decreased detrimental repercussions about bacteria and Halamphora on adsorption capacity; and met non-toxic and non-hazardous requirements for the application. The splendid antimicrobial activity and antibiofouling activity perhaps arose from the Zr6(µ3-O)4(µ3-OH)4(H2O)4(OH)4 clusters and rich functional groups within PCN-222-OM. Originally proposed PCN-222-OM was one potentially propitious material to recover U(VI) in wastewater on account of outstanding adsorption capacity, antimicrobial activity, antibiofouling activity, and environmental safety, meanwhile providing a newfangled conception on the construction of peculiar efficient adsorbent.

A convenient functionalization strategy of polyimide covalent organic frameworks for uranium-containing wastewater treatment and uranium recovery.

The purpose of this research was to design and synthesize an adsorbent based on polyimide covalent organic frameworks (PICOFs) for uranium-containing wastewater treatment and uranium recovery. A modified solvothermal method was innovatively proposed to synthesize PICOFs with high specific surface area (1998.5 m2 g-1) and regular pore structure. Additionally, a convenient functionalization strategy of PICOFs was designed through polydopamine (PDA) and a well-dispersed polymer (MPC-co-AO) containing multiple functional groups, forming stable composite (PMCA-TPPICOFs) in which the hydrogen bonding and cation-π interactions between PDA and MPC-co-AO played a key role. The obtained PMCA-TPPICOFs as an adsorbent exhibited strong selectivity for uranyl ions (maximum adsorption capacity was 538 mg g-1). In simulated wastewater with low uranium concentrations, the removal rate reached 98.3%, and the concentration of treated simulated wastewater met discharge standards. Moreover, PMCA-TPPICOFs was suitable for fixed-bed column adsorption because of its favorable structure. According to the research about adsorption mechanism, the adsorption primarily relied on electrostatic interaction and complexation. In summary, PMCA-TPPICOFs exhibited good potential for uranium-containing wastewater treatment, expanding the application of PICOFs. And the proposed functionalization strategy and modified solvothermal method may promote research in the fields of material functionalization and COFs synthesis. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: Uranium is a raw material for nuclear energy applications, which is toxic and radioactive. If uranium is discharged with wastewater, it would not only pose a threat to the environmental protection and life safety, but also cause the loss of precious nuclear raw materials. Although adsorption was considered to be an effective way to remove uranium, many of the developed adsorbents were difficult to apply due to the harsh wastewater environment and complex preparation processes. This study reported a novel adsorbent and a new functionalization strategy, which was expected to solve the problem of uranium recovery in wastewater.

Inhibition of NOTCH4 sensitizes FLT3/ITD acute myeloid leukemia cells to FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibition.

Internal tandem duplication mutations of FLT3 (FLT3/ITD) confer poor prognosis in AML. FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) alone have limited and transient clinical efficacy thus calling for new targets for more effective combination therapy. In a loss-of-function RNAi screen, we identified NOTCH4 as one such potential target whose inhibition proved cytotoxic to AML cells, and also sensitized them to FLT3 inhibition. Further investigation found increased NOTCH4 expression in FLT3/ITD AML cell lines and primary patient samples. Inhibition of NOTCH4 by shRNA knockdown, CRISPR-Cas9-based knockout or γ-secretase inhibitors synergized with FLT3 TKIs to kill FLT3/ITD AML cells in vitro. NOTCH4 inhibition sensitized TKI-resistant FLT3/ITD cells to FLT3 TKI inhibition. The combination reduced phospho-ERK and phospho-AKT, indicating inhibition of MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. It also led to changes in expression of genes involved in regulating cell cycling, DNA repair and transcription. A patient-derived xenograft model showed that the combination reduced both the level of leukemic involvement of primary human FLT3/ITD AML cells and their ability to engraft secondary recipients. In summary, these results demonstrate that NOTCH4 inhibition synergizes with FLT3 TKIs to eliminate FLT3/ITD AML cells, providing a new therapeutic target for AML with FLT3/ITD mutations.

Associations of blood pressure in the third trimester and risk of venous thromboembolism postpartum.

Studies on the associations of blood pressure (BP) and the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) had been performed neither among pregnant women nor in Chinese population. This study included participants of pregnant women from a retrospective multicenter cohort, between May 2020 and April 2023. Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) of the participants were measured in the third trimester. The incidences of VTE (including deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism) at 42 days postpartum were followed. With regards to SBP, pregnant women in the Q1 (≤114 mmHg), Q2 (115-122 mmHg), and Q4 group (≥131 mmHg) had increased risk of VTE than those in Q3 group (123-130 mmHg), with ORs 4.48 [1.69, 11.85], 3.52 [1.30, 9.59], and 3.17 [1.12, 8.99], respectively. Compared with pregnant women with the Q4 of DBP (≥85 mmHg), women of Q1 (≤71 mmHg) were found to have elevated risk of VTE (OR 2.73 [1.25, 5.96]). A one standard deviation decrease of DBP (9 mmHg) was related with 37% elevated risk of VTE (OR 1.37 [1.05, 1.79]). This study demonstrated a U-shaped association of SBP in the third trimester and VTE postpartum and inverse association of DBP in the third trimester and VTE postpartum.

Antibacterial and antiviral chitosan oligosaccharide modified cellulosic fibers with durability against washing and long-acting activity.

The worldwide outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has attracted extensive attention to antibacterial and antivirus materials. Cellulose is the most potential candidate for the preparation of green, environmentally friendly antibacterial and antiviral materials. Herein, modified cellulosic fibers with sustained antibacterial and antiviral performance was prepared by introducing chitosan oligosaccharide onto the fibers. The two-step method is proved to be more effective than the one-step method for enhanced chitosan oligosaccharide loadings and antibacterial and antiviral activity. In this instance, the modified fibers with 61.77 mg/g chitosan oligosaccharide loadings can inhibit Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by 100 % after contacting with bacteria for 12 h and reduce the bacteriophage MS2 by 99.19 % after 1 h of contact. More importantly, the modified fibers have washing durable antibacterial and antiviral activity; the modified fibers have 100 % antibacterial and 98.38 % antiviral activity after 20 washing cycles. Benefiting from the excellent performance of the individual fibers, the paper prepared from the modified fibers show great antibacterial (100 %) and antiviral performance (99.01 %) and comparable mechanical strength. The modified fibers have potential applications in the manufacture of protective clothing and protective hygiene products.

Return-to-work self-efficacy questionnaire: Cross-cultural adaptation and validation in China.

AIM: To develop a Chinese version of the return-to-work self-efficacy (RTW-SE-11) and verify its reliability and validity. DESIGN: A validation study. METHODS: The RTW-SE-11 was translated into Chinese according to the Brislin's model, and then the semantic adjustment of questionnaire was carried out through multi-field expert evaluation and preliminary investigation. RESULTS: All 11 items of the original questionnaire were retained. Content validity index (CVI) of the Chinese version of RTW-SE-11 indicated good validity, with Inter-rater Agreement (IR) of 0.97, item CVI of 0.90-1.00 and questionnaire CVI of 0.91. Cronbach's α coefficient of RTW-SE-11 (Chinese version) was 0.923, suggesting high internal consistency, with test-retest reliability of 0.799 and half-fold reliability of 0.926. Patient or public contribution: The Chinese version of the RTW-SE-11 questionnaire confirmed good reliability and validity for the assessment of return to work self-efficacy in Chinese breast cancer patients.

Hierarchical Self-Assembled Polyimide Microspheres Functionalized with Amidoxime Groups for Uranium-Containing Wastewater Remediation.

Through molecule self-assembly and subsequent surface functionalization, novel uranium adsorbent AO-OB hierarchical self-assembled polyimide microspheres (AO-OBHSPIMs) were obtained by introducing the amidoxime groups into hierarchical self-assembled polyimide microspheres for the efficient and selective recovery of uranium from wastewater. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm showed that AO-OBHSPIMs were a semicrystalline polymer material with self-supporting hierarchical structure and low pore volume, and they were equipped with abundant amidoxime groups. Given the recognized selectivity of amidoxime groups and their hierarchical structure, AO-OBHSPIMs exhibited excellent selectivity to uranyl ions. Moreover, AO-OBHSPIMs exhibited good stability and recyclability and remarkable removal percentage within low-concentration solution (99.4%) and simulated uranium-containing wastewater (97.3%). AO-OBHSPIMs could be applied to fixed-bed column adsorption due to their large particle size and self-supporting hierarchical structure that can facilitate water flow. The in-depth discussion of the adsorption mechanism showed that the adsorption mainly depended on the combined action of electrostatic interactions and complexation, and the adsorption process was a spontaneous endothermic monolayer adsorption. In summary, AO-OBHSPIMs exhibited good application prospects in uranium-containing wastewater remediation.

Association between serum alkaline phosphatase levels in late pregnancy and the incidence of venous thromboembolism postpartum: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Two previous studies found alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels were related with the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalised patients. VTE is a leading cause of death during pregnancy and postpartum. No prior study has investigated the associations of ALP levels and VTE postpartum, and the related mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the associations between ALP levels and VTE postpartum, and to reveal the potential mechanisms. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included pregnant women who planned to deliver at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the three designated hospitals in a multicentre cohort of pregnant women in Wuhan, China, during two recruitment periods of January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019, and May 14, 2020 to March 25, 2022. A total of 10,044 participants with serum ALP and whole blood hemoglobin measurements in late pregnancy (median, 37 (35, 39) weeks) were enrolled. The participants' incidences of VTE (deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism) postpartum were confirmed from the medical records. Pregnant women with new-onset VTE postpartum (within 6 weeks after delivery) were confirmed as VTE cases. Findings: Approximately 0.8% (79/10,044) of the pregnant women were diagnosed with VTE postpartum. In the unadjusted model, pregnant women with the lowest quintile of serum ALP levels (≤116 U/L) in late pregnancy had higher risk of VTE postpartum compared with those with the highest quintile (≥199 U/L) (OR, 2.83 [1.32, 6.05]). After adjusting for covariates of demographic, life style, birth outcomes, and other liver enzymes, pregnant women with the lowest quintile of serum ALP levels (≤116 U/L) in late pregnancy had increased risk of VTE postpartum compared with those with the highest quintile (≥199 U/L) (OR, 2.48 [1.14, 5.40]). A one standard deviation decrease of ln-transformed ALP levels were associated with elevated risk of VTE postpartum (OR, 1.29 [1.02, 1.62]). Significant negative associations of ALP with VTE were found in the unadjusted and adjusted models. The negative associations between ALP and VTE remained consistent in sensitivity analyses among participants with non-GDM, single pregnancy, non-preeclampsia, non-postpartum hemorrhage, non-extremely/very preterm and cesarean delivery. Decreased serum ALP levels significantly (P < 0.05) related to decreased hemoglobin, which was significantly (P < 0.05) related to increased risk of VTE postpartum. Decreased hemoglobin significantly (P < 0.05) mediated 7.59% of ALP-associated VTE postpartum. Interpretation: This study suggested that low serum ALP levels in late pregnancy were associated with increased risk of VTE postpartum, and the ALP-associated VTE risk may be partially mediated by hemoglobin, suggesting that serum ALP in late pregnancy could be a promising biomarker for the prediction of VTE postpartum. Funding: The National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Program for HUST Academic Frontier Youth Team.

Single-crystal ZrCo nanoparticle for advanced hydrogen and H-isotope storage.

Hydrogen-isotope storage materials are essential for the controlled nuclear fusion. However, the currently used smelting-ZrCo alloy suffers from rapid degradation of performance due to severe disproportionation. Here, we reveal a defect-derived disproportionation mechanism and report a nano-single-crystal strategy to solve ZrCo's problems. Single-crystal nano-ZrCo is synthesized by a wet-chemistry method and exhibits excellent comprehensive hydrogen-isotope storage performances, including ultrafast uptake/release kinetics, high anti-disproportionation ability, and stable cycling, far superior to conventional smelting-ZrCo. Especially, a further incorporation of Ti into nano-ZrCo can almost suppress the disproportionation reaction. Moreover, a mathematical relationship between dehydrogenation temperature and ZrCo particle size is established. Additionally, a microwave method capable of nondestructively detecting the hydrogen storage state of ZrCo is developed. The proposed disproportionation mechanism and anti-disproportionation strategy will be instructive for other materials with similar problems.

Season of delivery and risk of venous thromboembolism during hospitalization among pregnant women.

Background: Seasons were found to be related to the occurrences of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized patients. No previous study has explored whether seasons were associated with VTE risk in pregnant women. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the season of delivery and VTE risk during hospitalization among pregnant women. Methods: This is a multi-center retrospective cohort study of pregnant women. Participants were those who delivered at seven designated sites in Hubei Province, China, during the period from January 2017 to December 2022. They were categorized according to their season/month of delivery. Information on new-onset VTE during hospitalization was followed. Results: Approximately 0.28% (104/37,778) of the pregnant women developed new-onset VTE during hospitalization for delivery. After adjustment, compared with participants in the spring group, participants in the summer, autumn, and winter groups had an increased risk of VTE during hospitalization. The ORs were 2.59 [1.30, 5.15], 2.83 [1.43, 5.60], and 2.35 [1.17, 4.75] for the summer, autumn, and winter groups, respectively. Pregnant women in the combined group (summer + autumn + winter) had an increased risk of VTE during hospitalization than those in the spring group (OR, 2.59 [1.39, 4.85]). By restricting the analyses among pregnant women without in vitro fertilization, gestational diabetes mellitus, and preterm, the results still remained robust. Compared with participants who delivered in March, April, and May, participants who delivered in June, July, September, November, December, and February had a higher risk of VTE during hospitalization. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that pregnant women who delivered in summer, autumn, and winter had an increased VTE risk during hospitalization compared with those who delivered in spring.