Simultaneous immobilization of multiple heavy metal(loid)s in contaminated water and alkaline soil inoculated Fe/Mn oxidizing bacterium.

Two strains of Fe/Mn oxidizing bacteria tolerant to high concentrations of multiple heavy metal(loid)s and efficient decontamination for them were screened. The surface of the bio-Fe/Mn oxides produced by the oxidation of Fe(II) and Mn(II) by Pseudomonas taiwanensis (marked as P4) and Pseudomonas plecoglossicida (marked as G1) contains rich reactive oxygen functional groups, which play critical roles in the removal efficiency and immobilization of heavy metal(loid)s in co-contamination system. The isolated strains P4 and G1 can grow well in the following environments: pH 5-9, NaCl 0-4%, and temperature 20-30°C. The removal efficiencies of Fe, Pb, As, Zn, Cd, Cu, and Mn are effective after inoculation of the strains P4 and G1 in the simulated water system (the initial concentrations of heavy metal(loid) were 1 mg/L), approximately reaching 96%, 92%, 85%, 67%, 70%, 54% and 15%, respectively. The exchangeable and carbonate bound As, Cd, Pb and Cu are more inclined to convert to the Fe-Mn oxide bound fractions in P4 and G1 treated soil, thereby reducing the phytoavailability and bioaccessible of heavy metal(loid)s. This research provides alternatives method to treat water and soil containing high concentrations of multi-heavy metal(loid)s.

Nanomaterial-mediated host directed therapy of tuberculosis by manipulating macrophage autophagy.

Tuberculosis (TB), induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, remains a major public health issue worldwide. Mtb has developed complicated strategies to inhibit the immunological clearance of host cells, which significantly promote TB epidemic and weaken the anti-TB treatments. Host-directed therapy (HDT) is a novel approach in the field of anti-infection for overcoming antimicrobial resistance by enhancing the antimicrobial activities of phagocytes through phagosomal maturation, autophagy and antimicrobial peptides. Autophagy, a highly conserved cellular event within eukaryotic cells that is effective against a variety of bacterial infections, has been shown to play a protective role in host defense against Mtb. In recent decades, the introduction of nanomaterials into medical fields open up a new scene for novel therapeutics with enhanced efficiency and safety against different diseases. The active modification of nanomaterials not only allows their attractive targeting effects against the host cells, but also introduce the potential to regulate the host anti-TB immunological mechanisms, such as apoptosis, autophagy or macrophage polarization. In this review, we introduced the mechanisms of host cell autophagy for intracellular Mtb clearance, and how functional nanomaterials regulate autophagy for disease treatment. Moreover, we summarized the recent advances of nanomaterials for autophagy regulations as novel HDT strategies for anti-TB treatment, which may benefit the development of more effective anti-TB treatments.

Unveiling the Brønsted acid mechanism for Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction in methanol conversion over ZSM-5.

The conversion of methanol over zeolites offers a sustainable alternative for fuels and chemicals production. However, a complete understanding of the competing reaction pathways, particularly those leading to C-C bond formation, remains elusive. This work presents a novel mechanism for selective methanol conversion in ZSM-5 zeolites, involving a Brønsted acid site (BAS)-mediated Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reduction pathway. Employing a multidimensional solid-state NMR spectroscopy combined with isotopic labeling and theoretical calculations, we identify this pathway for acetaldehyde reduction with methanol, directly contributing to ethene formation. This mechanism, involving carbenium ion intermediates like 1-hydroxyethane or 1-methoxyethane ions, contrasts with the well-established Lewis acid-catalyzed MPV process. Based on reactant adsorption modes, we propose two distinct reaction routes for BAS-MPV reduction, bridging the gap between direct and hydrocarbon pool mechanisms in methanol conversion. We further demonstrate the applicability of this pathway to acetone, highlighting its broader role in the early stages of the reaction.

Deubiquitination of RIPK2 by OTUB2 augments NOD2 signalling and protective effects in intestinal inflammation.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, but the molecular mechanisms underlying IBD are incompletely understood. In this study, we explored the role and regulating mechanism of otubain 2 (OTUB2), a deubiquitinating enzyme, in IBD. METHODS: To study the function of OTUB2 in IBD, we generated Otub2-/- mice and treated them with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to induce experimental colitis. Bone marrow transplantation was performed to identify the cell populations that were affected by OTUB2 in colitis. The molecular mechanism of OTUB2 in signal transduction was studied by various biochemical methods. RESULTS: OTUB2 was highly expressed in colon-infiltrating macrophages in both humans with IBD and mice with DSS-induced experimental colitis. Colitis was significantly aggravated in Otub2-/- mice and bone marrow chimeric mice receiving Otub2-/- bone marrow. OTUB2-deficiency impaired the production of cytokines and chemokines in macrophages in response to the NOD2 agonist muramyl dipeptide (MDP). Upon MDP stimulation, OTUB2 promoted NOD2 signaling by stabilizing RIPK2. Mechanistically, OTUB2 inhibited the proteasomal degradation of RIPK2 by removing K48-linked polyubiquitination on RIPK2, which was mediated by the active C51 residue in OTUB2. In mice, OTUB2 ablation abolished the protective effects of MDP administration in colitis. CONCLUSION: This study identified OTUB2 as a novel regulator of intestinal inflammation.

The relationships between perceived parental rearing, social support, PTSD, and depression in people living with HIV in China: a cross-sectional study.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are two major psychological disorders that affect the mental health of people living with HIV (PLWH). The occurrence of PTSD and depression may be linked to perceptions of parental rearing styles in childhood. However, little is known about the relationship between perceived parental rearing styles, and PTSD and depression in the PLWH population. This study investigated 300 PLWH and explored the relationship between perceived parental rearing style, social support, PTSD, and depression. The results indicated that perceived paternal and maternal warmth were negatively associated with PTSD. Perceived maternal warmth and overprotection were negatively associated with depression. Social support acted as a mediator between perceived parental warmth, PTSD, and depression. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on patients who feel they experienced a lack of parental warmth during childhood and provide psychological care and support, which may help reduce the risk of developing PTSD and depression.

Rapid detection of mouse spermatogenic defects by testicular cellular composition analysis via enhanced deep learning model.

BACKGROUND: Histological analysis of the testicular sections is paramount in infertility research but tedious and often requires months of training and practice. OBJECTIVES: Establish an expeditious histopathological analysis of mutant mice testicular sections stained with commonly available hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) via enhanced deep learning model MATERIALS AND METHODS: Automated segmentation and cellular composition analysis on the testes of six mouse reproductive mutants of key reproductive gene family, DAZ and PUMILIO gene family via H&E-stained mouse testicular sections. RESULTS: We improved the deep learning model with human interaction to achieve better pixel accuracy and reduced annotation time for histologists; revealed distinctive cell composition features consistent with previously published phenotypes for four mutants and novel spermatogenic defects in two newly generated mutants; established a fast spermatogenic defect detection protocol for quantitative and qualitative assessment of testicular defects within 2.5-3 h, requiring as few as 8 H&E-stained testis sections; uncovered novel defects in AcDKO and a meiotic arrest defect in HDBKO, supporting the synergistic interaction of Sertoli Pum1 and Pum2 as well as redundant meiotic function of Dazl and Boule. DISCUSSION: Our testicular compositional analysis not only could reveal spermatogenic defects from staged seminiferous tubules but also from unstaged seminiferous tubule sections. CONCLUSION: Our SCSD-Net model offers a rapid protocol for detecting reproductive defects from H&E-stained testicular sections in as few as 3 h, providing both quantitative and qualitative assessments of spermatogenic defects. Our analysis uncovered evidence supporting the synergistic interaction of Sertoli PUM1 and PUM2 in maintaining average testis size, and redundant roles of DAZ family proteins DAZL and BOULE in meiosis.

Toward Strong UV-Vis-NIR Second-Harmonic Generation by Dimensionality Engineering of Zinc Thiocyanates.

The precise modulation of the spatial orientations and connection modes of primitives is vital for certain critically important optical functions for nonlinear optical (NLO) materials (specifically, second-harmonic generation (SHG) and optical bandgap); however, we are yet to achieve a sufficient level of control for the designed construction of efficient broadband NLO materials. Exploiting the changes in microscopic polarization that may result from dimensional increase, we propose herein a zero-dimensional (0D)-to-three-dimensional (3D) dimensionality-increase strategy to realize strong broadband SHG responses for the first time. The novel 3D pseudo diamond-like Zn(SCN)2 has been synthesized by removing SHG-inactive [NH4]+ counter cations and H2O molecules that are located between the adjacent discrete [Zn(SCN)4] building blocks within the 0D (NH4)2Zn(SCN)4·3H2O. The 0D-to-3D dimensionality engineering, proceeding from (NH4)2Zn(SCN)4·3H2O to Zn(SCN)2, results in significantly enhanced SHG responses and efficient broadband activity (8 × KH2PO4 @ 1064 nm, 4.18 eV bandgap for the former c.f. 2 × ß-BaB2O4 @ 380 nm, 30 × KH2PO4 @ 1064 nm, 2 × KTiOPO4 @ 2100 nm, 4.78 eV bandgap for the latter) from the UV to the NIR regions (SHG@300-1050 nm). Theoretical calculations and crystal structure analyses reveal that the coordination-bond-connected [Zn(SCN)4] building blocks within the diamond-like structure of Zn(SCN)2 are responsible for its giant broadband SHG responses.

Synergistically Constructing High-Dielectric Poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide)/Silica/Cellulose Nanofiber Composite Insulation Paper through Dynamic Covalent Chemistry and Hydrogen Bonding.

The rapid advancement of modern power equipment and high-power devices has imposed increasingly stringent demands upon the mechanical and dielectric properties of electrical insulation materials. Herein, we report a poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) composite insulating paper with excellent dielectric breakdown strength, reliable mechanical properties, and high thermal stability. Enhanced surface activity of PMIA is achieved through surface modification, facilitating the synergistic integration of modified PMIA (MPMIA), bovine serum albumin (BSA)/silica (SiO2), and cellulose nanofiber (CNF) into composite paper using dynamic covalent bonds and hydrogen bonding. The prepared MPMIA-BSA/SiO2-CNF composite paper exhibits a laminated stacked structure with high tensile strength (32.68 MPa) and strain at break (9.57%). Meanwhile, MPMIA-BSA/SiO2-CNF composites have excellent dielectric breakdown strength (24.75 kV/mm) and good temperature resistance. Therefore, the MPMIA-BSA/SiO2-CNF composite paper has a broad application prospect in the field of high-voltage and high-power electrical equipment insulation.

Research progress on prognostic factors of gallbladder carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of the biliary system, and has a poor overall prognosis. Poor prognosis in patients with gallbladder carcinoma is associated with the aggressive nature of the tumor, subtle clinical symptoms, ineffective adjuvant treatment, and lack of reliable biomarkers. PURPOSE: Therefore, evaluating the prognostic factors of patients with gallbladder carcinoma can help improve diagnostic and treatment methods, allowing for tailored therapies that could benefit patient survival. METHODS: This article systematically reviews the factors affecting the prognosis of gallbladder carcinoma, with the aim of evaluating prognostic risk in patients. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive and in-depth understanding of prognostic indicators affecting patient survival is helpful for assessing patient survival risk and formulating personalized treatment plans.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) rather than warming and eutrophication directly affects partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in mesocosm systems.

Environmental warming and eutrophication pose significant challenges to shallow lake systems, where dissolved organic matter (DOM) serves as a diverse and intricate mixture of organic macromolecules, playing a pivotal role in aquatic ecosystems. Despite its complexity, comprehending the interplay between environmental changes and DOM composition alterations and their subsequent impacts on aqueous CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) is essential for a better understanding of carbon cycling. Yet, our current understanding in this realm remains limited. To address this gap, mesocosm systems were established to investigate how elevated water temperature and eutrophication, alongside changes in DOM composition, influence pCO2 dynamics. Results indicate that while temperature and nutrient levels do not directly influence pCO2 fluctuations, they indirectly affect aqueous pCO2 through their modulation of DOM composition. Elevated temperature and nutrient concentrations notably enhance both the production and degradation of indigenous protein-like organic matter and increase the accumulation of humic-like organic compounds, with phosphorus released from sediment playing a particularly significant role. Furthermore, the degradation rate of protein-like organic matter significantly exceeds its accumulation rate. On the other hand, the impact of water eutrophication on DOM composition surpasses that of temporal temperature variations, with a 2∼4 °C temperature rise showing minimal effects on DOM composition. Notably, the degradation of protein-like organic matter markedly increases aqueous pCO2, while the rise in humic-like organic matter in water exerts minimal influence on pCO2 concentrations. A comprehensive understanding of carbon cycling processes under environmental changes will facilitate effective management of lake ecosystems and the advancement of carbon mitigation technologies.

Structural variation discovery in wheat using PacBio high-fidelity sequencing.

Structural variations (SVs) pervade plant genomes and contribute substantially to the phenotypic diversity. However, most SVs were ineffectively assayed due to their complex nature and the limitations of early genomic technologies. By applying the PacBio high-fidelity (HiFi) sequencing for wheat genomes, we performed a comprehensive evaluation of mainstream long-read aligners and SV callers in SV detection. The results indicated that the accuracy of deletion discovery is markedly influenced by callers, accounting for 87.73% of the variance, whereas both aligners (38.25%) and callers (49.32%) contributed substantially to the accuracy variance for insertions. Among the aligners, Winnowmap2 and NGMLR excelled in detecting deletions and insertions, respectively. For SV callers, SVIM achieved the best performance. We demonstrated that combining the aligners and callers mentioned above is optimal for SV detection. Furthermore, we evaluated the effect of sequencing depth on the accuracy of SV detection, revealing that low-coverage HiFi sequencing is sufficiently robust for high-quality SV discovery. This study thoroughly evaluated SV discovery approaches and established optimal workflows for investigating structural variations using low-coverage HiFi sequencing in the wheat genome, which will advance SV discovery and decipher the biological functions of SVs in wheat and many other plants.

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells: A novel approach to intervention of ovarian ageing.

Ovarian aging leads to endocrine disorders and systemic degeneration of tissue and organ structure and function, seriously affecting women's physical and mental health. Safe and effective treatments for this condition are lacking. Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs), which have multidirectional differentiation potential, show strong self-renewal, secrete bioactive factors and release exosomes, can undergo homing, colonization, integration and differentiation into supporting and functional cells in tissues and organs through direct manipulation and can also improve the tissue microenvironment through paracrine action, promoting cell division, proliferation and microangiogenesis, inhibiting inflammation and apoptosis, reducing oxidative stress, and mediating two-way immune regulation. These processes activate dormant cells, repaired damaged cells, replace necrotic cells, and regenerate fresh cells, restoring the structure and function of the ageing ovary. Furthermore, with the increasing development of UCMSC research and technology, the therapeutic use of UCMSCs is expected to become an effective means for the treatment of ovarian ageing caused by tissue cell ageing, degeneration, and necrosis.

The presence of spontaneous echo contrast didn't increase the risk for left atrial appendage closure: A propensity score matching analysis based on the CLACBAC study.

Background: Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) was effective in preventing thromboembolic events and stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, whether left atrial spontaneous echo contrast (LA-SEC) poses a higher risk for thromboembolism is contradictory. We aimed to investigate whether LA-SEC is a risk factor for thromboembolic events in patients who underwent LAAC. Methods: 258 consecutive patients who underwent successful LAAC were enrolled and divided according to the presence or absence of LA-SEC detected by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to eliminate covariate imbalances. Baseline characteristics, periprocedural details, and clinical outcomes were compared between LA-SEC and non-LA-SEC groups and PSM-matched groups. Results: Of the 258 patients enrolled, mean age was 71.8 ± 8.3 years and 59.3 % were male. LA-SEC group had a higher percentage of persistent AF and worse cardiac function. No significant difference in peri-procedure parameters was found. Through follow-up of 38.1 ± 10.7 months, the total incidence of thromboembolic events and stroke was 7.8 % and 6.6 %, respectively. Though the event-free survival rate of thromboembolic events (Log-Rank P = 0.042) and stroke (Log-Rank P = 0.010) was significantly lower in the LA-SEC group, multivariable COX regression analysis showed LA-SEC was not an independent predictor of thromboembolic events (Hazard ratio 2.073, 95 % Confidence interval 0.845-5.082, P = 0.111). Further survival analysis between PSM-matched groups with comparable baseline characteristics presented no significant difference in survival free from thromboembolic events (Log-Rank P = 0.616) and stroke (Log-Rank P = 0.312). Conclusion: Patients with LA-SEC had worse condition, while LA-SEC per se did not increase the incidence of thromboembolic events and stroke for patients who underwent LAAC.

Exclusive catalytic hydrogenation of nitrobenzene toward p-aminophenol over atomically precise Au36(SR)24 clusters.

Despite the advances in devising green methodologies for selective hydrogenation of nitrobenzene toward p-aminophenol, it is still difficult to realize p-aminophenol as the exclusive product in heterogeneous metal catalysis, as the excessive hydrogenation of nitrobenzene usually results in the aniline byproduct. Herein we report that a metal cluster containing 36 gold atoms capped by 24 thiolate ligands provides a unique pathway for nitrobenzene hydrogenation to achieve a p-aminophenol selectivity of ∼100%. The gold cluster can efficiently suppress the over-hydrogenation of amino groups via hydroxyl rearrangement with the aid of water and sequentially the proton transfer promoted by acid toward p-aminophenol. More notably, remarkable catalytic performances can be extended to clusters with similar structures such as Au28(SR)20 and Au44(SR)28, where only an atomic layer change of 2.1 Šthickness in the Au36(SR)24 cluster can tailor the proton affinity for the amino group of the key intermediate phenylhydroxylamine, thereby altering the activity while the p-aminophenol selectivity remained.

Clinical outcomes and risk factors of Acinetobacter baumannii meningitis in pediatric patients at a tertiary hospital in China.

Objectives: To summarize the clinical characteristics, outcomes and identify risk factors of Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) meningitis in children. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study. Children hospitalized between January 2016 and December 2021 who were diagnosed with AB meningitis were included. The clinical characteristics and outcomes were reviewed. Risk factors were determined using univariate analyses (chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests). Results: Seventeen patients were included; 15 cases were secondary to neurosurgery, and two were neonates with primary bacterial meningitis. Common symptoms included fever, convulsions and nervous system abnormalities. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests typically showed increased white blood cell counts dominated by neutrophils, reduced glucose levels and elevated protein levels. Ten patients were successfully treated (successful treatment [ST] group); seven had failed treatment (failed treatment [FT] group). Univariate analyses revealed that mechanical ventilation, routine white cell counts in the peripheral blood, procalcitonin, protein in the CSF, septic shock and carbapenem-resistant AB (CRAB) differed significantly between the groups. Conclusion: AB meningitis in children has a high mortality rate. FT was associated with mechanical ventilation, septic shock, CRAB, lower peripheral leukocyte counts, higher protein levels in the CSF and procalcitonin. Larger studies are needed to identify independent risk factors for adverse outcomes.

Pressure-centric regulation for efficient anaerobic digestion: State-of-the-art, challenges and prospects.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an environmentally friendly technology that simultaneously stabilizes biowaste and produces biogas. Conventional AD faces challenges such as inadequate substrate degradation and low methane purity. Pressure-centric regulation serves as an AD optimization strategy that can enhance the digestion efficiency and generate higher-energy-value biogas. However, limited reviews have been undertaken to focus on this technology. This review is designed to discuss innovations in ex-situ high-pressure pretreatment and in-situ high-pressure anaerobic digestion (HPAD) processes. Moreover, comprehensive understandings on the intrinsic mechanisms of HPAD are critically examined, including physicochemical reaction principles and microbial responses. The constraints currently curtailing these technologies and potential mitigation strategies are also scrutinized. Additionally, current knowledge gaps and future research directions on mechanisms, model fitting, and engineering practices are presented. Overall, this work highlights the feasibility of pressure-centric regulated AD and provides novel insights to overcome existing technical barriers in its application.

Defluorinative Haloalkylation of Unactivated Alkenes Enabled by Dual Photoredox and Copper Catalysis.

A three-component defluorinative haloalkylation of alkenes with trifluoromethyl compounds and TBAX (X = Cl, Br) via dual photoredox/copper catalysis is reported. The mild conditions are compatible with a wide array of activated trifluoromethyl aromatics bearing diverse substituents, and various nonactivated terminal and internal alkenes, enabling straightforward access to synthetically valuable γ-gem-difluoroalkyl halides with high efficiency. Mechanistic studies indicate that the [Cu] complexes not only serve as XAT catalysts but also facilitate the SET reduction of trifluoromethyl groups by photocatalysts. Additionally, the resulting alkyl halide products can serve as versatile conversion intermediates for the synthesis of a diverse range of γ-gem-difluoroalkyl compounds.