Induction of Peroxiredoxin 1 by Hypoxia Promotes Cellular Autophagy and Cell Proliferation in Oral Leukoplakia via HIF-1α/BNIP3 Pathway.

Hypoxia is a key trigger in the transformation of oral leukoplakia into oral cancer. However, it is still too early to determine the role of hypoxia in the development of oral leukoplakia. Prx1, an antioxidant protein, upregulated by hypoxia, regulates cellular autophagy in leukoplakia. This study aimed to understand the mechanisms by which hypoxia induces Prx1 expression during autophagy in oral leukoplakia. We used an experimental model of tongue epithelial hyperplasia induced by 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) and dysplastic oral keratinocytes. Prx1 knockdown DOK cells, Leuk-1 cells and control cells were harvested, and cell proliferation was assayed using the Cell Counting Kit-8. Several hypoxia and autophagy-related proteins were examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and western blotting in cells and mouse tongue tissues. In addition, the ultrastructure of the cells was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Hypoxia induces cell proliferation, autophagic vesicles and the expression of Prx1, BNIP3, LC3II/I and Beclin-1 in DOK and Leuk-1 cells. However, these effects were all attenuated by Prx1 knockdown. Histologically, 4NQO induced epithelial hyperplasia in the tongue mucosa. The expression of proliferation marker PCNA, autophagy-related proteins LC3B and Beclin-1, as well as HIF-1α/BNIP3 was significantly lower in the tongue tissues of Prx1flox/flox:Cre+ mice compared with Prx1flox/flox mice. In Prx1flox/flox:Cre+ mice, an increased expression of HIF-1α/BNIP3, LC3B and Beclin-1 was detected in epithelial hyperplasia tongue tissues compared to normal tissues. The current study suggests that Prx1 may promotes cell proliferation and autophagy in oral leukoplakia cells via the HIF-1α/BNIP3 pathway.

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the East Asian hemicultrine fishes (Teleostei: Cyprinidae: Xenocypridinae), with suggestions to their generic classification and redescription of the recently described species Hemiculter yungaoi Vasil'eva et al. 2022.

The hemicultrine fishes are a group of small-sized cyprinids, widely distributed but endemic to East Asian rivers and lakes. Till now, the taxonomic boundaries and relationships within this group remain poorly explored. In the present study, we study the phylogeny of this group, providing suggestions for classification of the hemicultrine group. Using two mitochondrial and three nuclear genes, and samples representing all genera, our results showed that the group consists of seven major lineages, of which four (Hemiculterella, Hainania, Pseudolaubuca, and Anabarilius) were monophyletic and three (Hemiculter, Toxabramis, and Pseudohemiculter) were not. Based on the phylogenetic tree, we redefined the genera. We revive the genus Siniichthys, which has three species, Siniichthys bleekeri, Siniichthys lucidus, and S. varpachovskii, that were previously treated as members of the genus Hemiculter but showed distant relationships to the genus Hemiculter in our phylogenetic tree. With the new results, a diagnostic key for clades of the hemicultrine group is provided. Furthermore, we provide more detailed information on diagnostic features of the recently described species Hemiculter yungaoi (Vasil'eva et al., 2022). This work will facilitate future systematic studies, pave the way for evolutionary studies, and provide valuable information for the urgent conservation of hemicultrine fishes.

Carotenoid biosynthesis genes LcLCYB, LcLCYE, and LcBCH from wolfberry confer increased carotenoid content and improved salt tolerance in tobacco.

Carotenoids play essential roles in plant growth and development and provide plants with a tolerance to a series of abiotic stresses. In this study, the function and biological significance of lycopene ß-cyclase, lycopene ε-cyclase, and ß-carotene hydroxylase, which are responsible for the modification of the tetraterpene skeleton procedure, were isolated from Lycium chinense and analyzed. The overexpression of lycopene ß-cyclase, lycopene ε-cyclase, and ß-carotene hydroxylase promoted the accumulation of total carotenoids and photosynthesis enhancement, reactive oxygen species scavenging activity, and proline content of tobacco seedlings after exposure to the salt stress. Furthermore, the expression of the carotenoid biosynthesis genes and stress-related genes (ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase) were detected and showed increased gene expression level, which were strongly associated with the carotenoid content and reactive oxygen species scavenging activity. After exposure to salt stress, the endogenous abscisic acid content was significantly increased and much higher than those in control plants. This research contributes to the development of new breeding aimed at obtaining stronger salt tolerance plants with increased total carotenoids and vitamin A content.

ABO and Rhesus blood groups and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews with meta-analyses of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the relationship between ABO and Rhesus (Rh) blood groups and various health outcomes. However, a comprehensive evaluation of the robustness of these associations is still lacking. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, and several regional databases from their inception until Feb 16, 2024, with the aim of identifying systematic reviews with meta-analyses of observational studies exploring associations between ABO and Rh blood groups and diverse health outcomes. For each association, we calculated the summary effect sizes, corresponding 95% confidence intervals, 95% prediction interval, heterogeneity, small-study effect, and evaluation of excess significance bias. The evidence was evaluated on a grading scale that ranged from convincing (Class I) to weak (Class IV). We assessed the certainty of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria (GRADE). We also evaluated the methodological quality of included studies using the A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). AMSTAR contains 11 items, which were scored as high (8-11), moderate (4-7), and low (0-3) quality. We have gotten the registration for protocol on the PROSPERO database (CRD42023409547). RESULTS: The current umbrella review included 51 systematic reviews with meta-analysis articles with 270 associations. We re-calculated each association and found only one convincing evidence (Class I) for an association between blood group B and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk compared with the non-B blood group. It had a summary odds ratio of 1.28 (95% confidence interval: 1.17, 1.40), was supported by 6870 cases with small heterogeneity (I2 = 13%) and 95% prediction intervals excluding the null value, and without hints of small-study effects (P for Egger's test > 0.10, but the largest study effect was not more conservative than the summary effect size) or excess of significance (P < 0.10, but the value of observed less than expected). And the article was demonstrated with high methodological quality using AMSTAR (score = 9). According to AMSTAR, 18, 32, and 11 studies were categorized as high, moderate, and low quality, respectively. Nine statistically significant associations reached moderate quality based on GRADE. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a potential relationship between ABO and Rh blood groups and adverse health outcomes. Particularly the association between blood group B and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk.

Effect of oral administration of microcin Y on growth performance, intestinal barrier function and gut microbiota of chicks challenged with Salmonella Pullorum.

The lasso peptide microcin Y (MccY) effectively inhibits various serotypes of Salmonella in vitro, but the antibacterial effect against S. Pullorum in poultry is still unclear. This study was the first to evaluate the safety and anti-S. Pullorum infection of MccY in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chicks. The safety test showed that the body weight, IgA and IgM levels of serum, and cecal microbiota structure of 3 groups of chicks orally administrated with different doses of MccY (5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg) for 14 days were not significantly different from those of the control group. Then, the chicks were randomized into 3 groups for the experiment of anti-S. Pullorum infection: (I) negative control group (NC), (II) S. Pullorum-challenged group (SP, 5 × 108 CFU/bird), (III) MccY-treated group (MccY, 20 mg/kg). The results indicated that compared to the SP group, treatment of MccY increased body weight and average daily gain (P < 0.05), reduced S. Pullorum burden in feces, liver, and cecum (P < 0.05), enhanced the thymus, and decreased the spleen and liver index (P < 0.05). Additionally, MccY increased the jejunal villus height, lowered the jejunal and ileal crypt depth (P < 0.05), and upregulated the expression of IL-4, IL-10, ZO-1 in the jejunum and ileum, as well as CLDN-1 in the jejunum (P < 0.05) compared to the SP group. Furthermore, MccY increased probiotic flora (Barnesiella, etc.), while decreasing (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of pathogenic flora (Escherichia and Salmonella, etc.) compared to the SP group.

Hydrogen gas inhalation ameliorates LPS-induced BPD by inhibiting inflammation via regulating the TLR4-NFκB-IL6/NLRP3 signaling pathway in the placenta.

INTRODUCTION: Hydrogen (H2) is regarded as a novel therapeutic agent against several diseases owing to its inherent biosafety. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) has been widely considered among adverse pregnancy outcomes, without effective treatment. Placenta plays a role in defense, synthesis, and immunity, which provides a new perspective for the treatment of BPD. This study aimed to investigate if H2 reduced the placental inflammation to protect the neonatal rat against BPD damage and potential mechanisms. METHODS: We induced neonatal BPD model by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 µg) into the amniotic fluid at embryonic day 16.5 as LPS group. LPS + H2 group inhaled 42% H2 gas (4 h/day) until the samples were collected. We primarily analyzed the neonatal outcomes and then compared inflammatory levels from the control group (CON), LPS group and LPS + H2 group. HE staining was performed to evaluate inflammatory levels. RNA sequencing revealed dominant differentially expressed genes. Bioinformatics analysis (GO and KEGG) of RNA-seq was applied to mine the signaling pathways involved in protective effect of H2 on the development of LPS-induced BPD. We further used qRT-PCR, Western blot and ELISA methods to verify differential expression of mRNA and proteins. Moreover, we verified the correlation between the upstream signaling pathways and the downstream targets in LPS-induced BPD model. RESULTS: Upon administration of H2, the inflammatory infiltration degree of the LPS-induced placenta was reduced, and infiltration significantly narrowed. Hydrogen normalized LPS-induced perturbed lung development and reduced the death ratio of the fetus and neonate. RNA-seq results revealed the importance of inflammatory response biological processes and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway in protective effect of hydrogen on BPD. The over-activated upstream signals [Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor kappa-B p65 (NF-κB p65), Caspase1 (Casp1) and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome] in LPS placenta were attenuated by H2 inhalation. The downstream targets, inflammatory cytokines/chemokines [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-18, IL-1ß, C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1)], were decreased both in mRNA and protein levels by H2 inhalation in LPS-induced placentas to rescue them from BPD. Correlation analysis displayed a positive association of TLR4-mediated signaling pathway both proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in placenta. CONCLUSION: H2 inhalation ameliorates LPS-induced BPD by inhibiting excessive inflammatory cytokines and chemokines via the TLR4-NFκB-IL6/NLRP3 signaling pathway in placenta and may be a potential therapeutic strategy for BPD.

Day-to-Night Street View Image Generation for 24-Hour Urban Scene Auditing Using Generative AI.

A smarter city should be a safer city. Nighttime safety in metropolitan areas has long been a global concern, particularly for large cities with diverse demographics and intricate urban forms, whose citizens are often threatened by higher street-level crime rates. However, due to the lack of night-time urban appearance data, prior studies based on street view imagery (SVI) rarely addressed the perceived night-time safety issue, which can generate important implications for crime prevention. This study hypothesizes that night-time SVI can be effectively generated from widely existing daytime SVIs using generative AI (GenAI). To test the hypothesis, this study first collects pairwise day-and-night SVIs across four cities diverged in urban landscapes to construct a comprehensive day-and-night SVI dataset. It then trains and validates a day-to-night (D2N) model with fine-tuned brightness adjustment, effectively transforming daytime SVIs to nighttime ones for distinct urban forms tailored for urban scene perception studies. Our findings indicate that: (1) the performance of D2N transformation varies significantly by urban-scape variations related to urban density; (2) the proportion of building and sky views are important determinants of transformation accuracy; (3) within prevailed models, CycleGAN maintains the consistency of D2N scene conversion, but requires abundant data. Pix2Pix achieves considerable accuracy when pairwise day-and-night-night SVIs are available and are sensitive to data quality. StableDiffusion yields high-quality images with expensive training costs. Therefore, CycleGAN is most effective in balancing the accuracy, data requirement, and cost. This study contributes to urban scene studies by constructing a first-of-its-kind D2N dataset consisting of pairwise day-and-night SVIs across various urban forms. The D2N generator will provide a cornerstone for future urban studies that heavily utilize SVIs to audit urban environments.

Rutin prevents EqHV-8 induced infection and oxidative stress via Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Introduction: The Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathway has been extensively studied for its role in regulating antioxidant and antiviral responses. The Equid herpesvirus type 8 (EqHV-8) poses a significant threat to the equine industry, primarily manifesting as respiratory disease, abortions, and neurological disorders in horses and donkeys. Oxidative stress is considered a key factor associated with pathogenesis of EqHV-8 infection. Unfortunately, there is currently a dearth of therapeutic interventions available for the effective control of EqHV-8. Rutin has been well documented for its antioxidant and antiviral potential. In current study we focused on the evaluation of Rutin as a potential therapeutic agent against EqHV-8 infection. Methods: For this purpose, we encompassed both in-vitro and in-vivo investigations to assess the effectiveness of Rutin in combatting EqHV-8 infection. Results and Discussion: The results obtained from in vitro experiments demonstrated that Rutin exerted a pronounced inhibitory effect on EqHV-8 at multiple stages of the viral life cycle. Through meticulous experimentation, we elucidated that Rutin's antiviral action against EqHV-8 is intricately linked to the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway-mediated antioxidant response. Activation of this pathway by Rutin was found to significantly impede EqHV-8 replication, thereby diminishing the viral load. This mechanistic insight not only enhances our understanding of the antiviral potential of Rutin but also highlights the significance of antioxidant stress responses in combating EqHV-8 infection. To complement our in vitro findings, we conducted in vivo studies employing a mouse model. These experiments revealed that Rutin administration resulted in a substantial reduction in EqHV-8 infection within the lungs of the mice, underscoring the compound's therapeutic promise in vivo. Conclusion: In summation, our finding showed that Rutin holds promise as a novel and effective therapeutic agent for the prevention and control of EqHV-8 infections.

A Fast Feedforward Small-World Neural Network for Nonlinear System Modeling.

It is well-documented that cross-layer connections in feedforward small-world neural networks (FSWNNs) enhance the efficient transmission for gradients, thus improving its generalization ability with a fast learning. However, the merits of long-distance cross-layer connections are not fully utilized due to the random rewiring. In this study, aiming to further improve the learning efficiency, a fast FSWNN (FFSWNN) is proposed by taking into account the positive effects of long-distance cross-layer connections, and applied to nonlinear system modeling. First, a novel rewiring rule by giving priority to long-distance cross-layer connections is proposed to increase the gradient transmission efficiency when constructing FFSWNN. Second, an improved ridge regression method is put forward to determine the initial weights with high activation for the sigmoidal neurons in FFSWNN. Finally, to further improve the learning efficiency, an asynchronous learning algorithm is designed to train FFSWNN, with the weights connected to the output layer updated by the ridge regression method and other weights by the gradient descent method. Several experiments are conducted on four benchmark datasets from the University of California Irvine (UCI) machine learning repository and two datasets from real-life problems to evaluate the performance of FFSWNN on nonlinear system modeling. The results show that FFSWNN has significantly faster convergence speed and higher modeling accuracy than the comparative models, and the positive effects of the novel rewiring rule, the improved weight initialization, and the asynchronous learning algorithm on learning efficiency are demonstrated.

Novel trifluoromethyl ketone derivatives as oral cPLA2/COX-2 dual inhibitors for resolution of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.

Thirty-five trifluoromethyl hydrazones and seventeen trifluoromethyl oxime esters were designed and synthesized via molecular hybridization. All the target compounds were initially screened for in vitro anti-inflammatory activity by assessing their inhibitory effect on NO release in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, and the optimal compound was finally identified as 2-(3-Methoxyphenyl)-N'-((6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)-1,1,1-trifluorohenicosa-6,9,12,15-tetraen-2-ylidene)acetohydrazide (F26, IC50 = 4.55 ± 0.92 µM) with no cytotoxicity. Moreover, F26 potently reduced the production of PGE2 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells compared to indomethacin. The interaction of F26 with COX-2 and cPLA2 was directly verified by the CETSA technique. F26 was found to modulate the phosphorylation levels of p38 MAPK and NF-κB p65, as well as the protein expression of IκB, cPLA2, COX-2, and iNOS in LPS-stimulated rat peritoneal macrophages. Additionally, F26 was observed to prevent the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in LPS-stimulated rat peritoneal macrophages by immunofluorescence localization. Therefore, the aforementioned in vitro experiments demonstrated that F26 blocked the p38 MAPK and NF-κB pathways by binding to COX-2 and cPLA2. In the adjuvant-induced arthritis model, F26 demonstrated a significant effect in preventing arthritis symptoms and inflammatory status in rats, exerting an immunomodulatory role by regulating the homeostasis between Th17 and Treg through inhibition of the p38 MAPK/cPLA2/COX-2/PGE2 and NF-κB pathways. Encouragingly, F26 caused less acute ulcerogenicity in rats at a dose of 50 mg/kg compared to indomethacin. Overall, F26 is a promising candidate worthy of further investigation for treating inflammation and associated pain with lesser gastrointestinal irritation, as well as other symptoms in which cPLA2 and COX-2 are implicated in the pathophysiology.

Advanced Multifunctional Hydrogels for Enhanced Wound Healing through Ultra-Fast Selenol-SNAr Chemistry.

Fabrication of versatile hydrogels in a facile and effective manner represents a pivotal challenge in the field of biomaterials. Herein, a novel strategy is presented for preparing on-demand degradable hydrogels with multilevel responsiveness. By employing selenol-dichlorotetrazine nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) to synthesize hydrogels under mild conditions in a buffer solution, the necessity of additives or posttreatments can be obviated. The nucleophilic and redox reactions between selenol and tetrazine culminate in the formation of three degradable chemical bonds-diselenide, aryl selenide, and dearomatized selenide-in a single, expeditious step. The resultant hydrogel manifests exceptional adaptability to intricate environments in conjunction with self-healing and on-demand degradation properties. Furthermore, the resulting material demonstrated light-triggered antibacterial activity. Animal studies further underscore the potential of integrating metformin into Se-Tz hydrogels under green light irradiation, as it effectively stimulates angiogenesis and collagen deposition, thereby fostering efficient wound healing. In comparison to previously documented hydrogels, Se-Tz hydrogels exhibit controlled degradation and drug release, outstanding antibacterial activity, mechanical robustness, and bioactivity, all without the need for costly and intricate preparation procedures. These findings underscore Se-Tz hydrogels as a safe and effective therapeutic option for diabetic wound dressings.

Influence of disease course and comprehensive management on blood glucose level in children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the status of glycemic control, and assess the effects of the disease course and comprehensive management measures on the blood glucose level in children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study collected the clinical data of type 2 diabetes patients in Beijing Children's Hospital from January 2015 to September 2020. Patients were grouped based on the disease course to compare their glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, islet ß-cell function, insulin resistance and comprehensive management measures. RESULTS: Of the 170 participants, the median disease course was 2.0 years (interquartile range [IQR] 1.0-4.0 years). The baseline HbA1c was 11.2% (IQR 9.2-12.4%). According to the grouping by the disease course, the median HbA1c was the lowest (5.7% [IQR 5.3-6.1%]) in the half-year course group and the highest in the 4-year course group (9.0 [IQR 6.8%-11.3%]). Compared with the group with a disease duration <2 years, patients in the >4 years group had a lower proportion of patients with HbA1c <7% (29.2% vs 66.2%), a lower homeostasis model assessment of ß-cell function, and a lower proportion with a controlled diet, moderate-intensity exercise, regular follow up and no drug treatment. We deemed HbA1c as the dependent variable, and found that disease duration, homeostasis model assessment of ß-cell function at follow up, continuous moderate-intensity exercise, regular review and treatment regimen were significant influencing factors for glycemic control. CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes and a prolonged disease course showed poor glycemic control and decreased islet ß-cell function. A good lifestyle, especially moderate-intensity exercise, can help such cases better control their blood glucose level.

Ischemic stroke pathophysiology: A bibliometric and visualization analysis from 1990 to 2022.

Background: Pathophysiology plays a significant role in the scientific study of ischemic stroke, and has attracted increasing interest from researchers in the field. However, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis is lacking in this field. The purpose of this study is to identify the current research status and hotspots of ischemic stroke pathophysiology from a bibliometric perspective. Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection database was searched for articles published from 1990 to 2022. CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R package "bibliometrix" software were used to analyze countries/regions, institutions, journals, authors, papers, and keywords to predict the latest trends in ischemic stroke pathophysiology research. Results: This analysis collected 7578 records of ischemic stroke pathophysiology. China and America emerged as the leading countries in this field, with Harvard University being the most active institution. Among journals and authors in this field, journal Stroke and author Gregory YH Lip published the most papers, while Nature Medicine was the journal with the highest citation per article. Keywords and co-citation clusters were closely related to "central nervous system", "mechanisms", "biochemistry & molecular biology" and "radiology, nuclear medicine & medical imaging", while other related fields, such as peripheral organs damage induced by the central nervous system and rehabilitation after ischemic stroke, require further research efforts. Conclusion: This is the first bibliometric study that comprehensively mapped out the knowledge structure and development trends of ischemic stroke pathophysiology in recent 32 years, which may provide a reference for scholars to explore ischemic stroke pathophysiology.

Analysis of dissolved oxygen influencing factors and concentration prediction using input variable selection technique: A hybrid machine learning approach.

Accurate quantification of dissolved oxygen (DO) is critically important for the protection and management of aquatic ecosystems. Successful applications have utilized mechanistic and data-driven models to simulate DO content in aquatic ecosystems. However, mechanistic models present challenges due to their complex and difficult-to-solve conditions, making them less portable. Additionally, data-driven model predictions are hindered by the challenge of numerous input variables, impacting both the running speed and prediction performance of the model. To address these challenges, water quality data and meteorological data of the Tanjiang River were obtained. The maximum information coefficient (MIC) input variable selection technique was employed to identify primary environmental factors influencing DO changes. Furthermore, coupled with support vector regression (SVR), two models (SVR and MIC-SVR) were employed to estimate the DO concentration of the Tanjiang River, and the optimal model was established. The results indicated a shift in the primary pollution factor from ammonia nitrogen to total phosphorus after recent treatment in the Tanjiang River. In comparison with the SVR model, the root mean square error (RMSE) of the MIC-SVR model was reduced by 4.46%, and the Nash-efficiency coefficient (NSE) was improved by 45.85%. In addition, study of kernel function selection revealed that considering as many kernel functions as possible is necessary for improving the performance of the SVR model. Conclusively, the proposed MIC-SVR model serves as an effective tool to analyze the relationship between DO and environmental factors, identifying the primary causes of low DO, and accurately predict the DO concentration in the Tanjiang River (especially in its middle and lower reaches), thus providing a reference for governmental decision-making on water environmental protection and water resource management.

Longitudinal changes in body mass index, height, and weight in children with acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: This study reported height prediction and longitudinal growth changes in Chinese pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) during and after treatment and their associations with outcomes. METHODS: Changes in 88 children with AML in percentages according to the growth percentile curve for Chinese boys/girls aged 2-18/0-2 years for body mass index (BMI), height, and weight from the time of diagnosis to 2 years off therapy were evaluated. The outcomes of AML were compared among patients with different BMI levels. RESULTS: The proportion of underweight children (weight < 5th percentile) increased significantly from the initial diagnosis to the end of consolidation treatment. The proportion of patients with low BMI (BMI < 5th percentile) was highest (23.08%) during the consolidation phase, and no children were underweight, but 20% were overweight (BMI > 75th percentile) after 2 years of drug withdrawal. Unhealthy BMI at the initial diagnosis and during intensive chemotherapy leads to poorer outcomes. For height, all patients were in the range of genetic height predicted based on their parents' height at final follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should pay more attention to the changes in height and weight of children with AML at these crucial treatment stages and intervene in time.

Metallic Re3O2 with mixed-valence states.

Rhenium (Re) shows the richest valence states from +2 to +7 in compounds, but its mixed-valence states are still missing thus far. In this work, we have explored the Re-O phase diagram with a wide range of stoichiometric compositions under high pressure through first-principles structural search calculations. Besides identifying two novel high-pressure phases of ReO2 and ReO3, we reveal two hitherto unknown Re-rich Re3O2 and O-rich ReO4 compounds. Re atoms in Re3O2 show mixed-valence states due to their inequivalent coordination environments, the first example in Re-based compounds. Electronic structure calculations demonstrate that the four discovered Re-O phases exhibit metallicity contributed by Re 5d electrons. Among them, ReO3 has a predicted critical temperature of up to 12 K at 50 GPa, derived from the interaction between Re 5d electrons and Re-derived low-frequency phonons. Our study points to new opportunities to disclose novel transition metal compounds with mixed-valence states.

Quaternary Ammonium Assisted Synthesis of Melanin-like Poly(l-DOPA) Nanoparticles with a Boosted Photothermal Effect.

Poly(levodopa) nanoparticles (P(l-DOPA) NPs) are another kind of melanin mimetic besides well-established polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs). Due to the presence of carboxyl groups, the oxidative polymerization of l-DOPA to obtain particles was not as efficient as that of dopamine. Several established methods toward P(l-DOPA) NP fabrication do not combine convenience, morphological regularity, size controllability, low cost, and adaptability to metal-free application scenarios. In this work, P(l-DOPA) NPs were successfully prepared in hot water with the assistant of organic quaternary ammonium, due to the extra physical cross-linking mediated by cations. The employed physical interactions could also be affected by quaternary ammonium structure (i.e., number of cation heads, length of alkyl chain) to achieve different polymerization acceleration effects. The obtained P(l-DOPA) NPs retained superior photothermal properties and outperformed PDA-based melanin materials. Furthermore, P(l-DOPA) NPs were used in photothermal tumor therapy and showed better efficacy. This study offers new insights into the synthesis of melanin-like materials, as well as new understanding of the interaction between quaternary ammonium and bioinspired polyphenolic materials.

[Tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis for end-stage ankle and hindfoot arthropathy: Short- and mid-term clinical outcomes].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical data of patients with end-stage ankle and hindfoot arthropathy who underwent tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis by the same surgeon, explore the short- and mid-term clinical results, complications and functional improvement, and discuss the clinical prognosis and precautions of TTC arthrodesis. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 40 patients who underwent TTC arthrodesis by the same surgeon from March 2011 to December 2020. In this study, 23 males and 17 females were included, with an average age of (49.1±16.0) years. All the patients underwent unilateral surgery. The clinical characteristics, imaging manifestations, main diagnosis and specific surgical techniques of the patients were recorded. The clinical outcomes were evaluated by comparison of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score and visual analogue scale (VAS) between pre-operation and at the last follow-up. The fusion healing time, symptom improvement (significant improvement, certain improvement, no improvement or deterioration) and postoperative complications were also recorded. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 38.0 (26.3, 58.8) months. The preoperative VAS score was 6.0 (4.0, 7.0), and the AOFAS score was 33.0 (25.3, 47.3). At the last follow-up, the median VAS score was 0 (0, 3.0), and the AOFAS score was 80.0 (59.0, 84.0). All the significantly improved compared with their preoperative corresponding values (P < 0.05). There was no wound necrosis or infection in the patients. One patient suffered from subtalar joint nonunion, which was syphilitic Charcot arthropathy. The median bony healing time of other patients was 15.0 (12.0, 20.0) weeks. Among the included patients, there were 25 cases with significant improvement in symptom compared with that preoperative, 8 cases with certain improvement, 4 cases with no improvement, and 3 cases with worse symptoms than that before operation. CONCLUSION: TTC arthrodesis is a reliable method for the treatment of the end-stage ankle and hindfoot arthropathy. The function of most patients was improved postoperatively, with little impact on daily life. The causes of poor prognosis included toe stiffness, stress concentration in adjacent knee joints, nonunion and pain of unknown causes.