Maintaining moderate levels of hypochlorous acid promotes neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the recovery phase of stroke.

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202503000-00029/figure1/v/2024-06-17T092413Z/r/image-tiff It has been shown clinically that continuous removal of ischemia/reperfusion-induced reactive oxygen species is not conducive to the recovery of late stroke. Indeed, previous studies have shown that excessive increases in hypochlorous acid after stroke can cause severe damage to brain tissue. Our previous studies have found that a small amount of hypochlorous acid still exists in the later stage of stroke, but its specific role and mechanism are currently unclear. To simulate stroke in vivo, a middle cerebral artery occlusion rat model was established, with an oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation model established in vitro to mimic stroke. We found that in the early stage (within 24 hours) of ischemic stroke, neutrophils produced a large amount of hypochlorous acid, while in the recovery phase (10 days after stroke), microglia were activated and produced a small amount of hypochlorous acid. Further, in acute stroke in rats, hypochlorous acid production was prevented using a hypochlorous acid scavenger, taurine, or myeloperoxidase inhibitor, 4-aminobenzoic acid hydrazide. Our results showed that high levels of hypochlorous acid (200 µM) induced neuronal apoptosis after oxygen/glucose deprivation/reoxygenation. However, in the recovery phase of the middle cerebral artery occlusion model, a moderate level of hypochlorous acid promoted the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons and astrocytes. This suggests that hypochlorous acid plays different roles at different phases of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Lower levels of hypochlorous acid (5 and 100 µM) promoted nuclear translocation of ß-catenin. By transfection of single-site mutation plasmids, we found that hypochlorous acid induced chlorination of the ß-catenin tyrosine 30 residue, which promoted nuclear translocation. Altogether, our study indicates that maintaining low levels of hypochlorous acid plays a key role in the recovery of neurological function.

The comparative experimental study of rehabilitation program decision for spinal cord injury based on electronic medical records.

Objective: Electronic medical records (EMRs) contain patients' medical and health information. The Utilization of EMRs for assisted diagnosis is of significant importance for the rehabilitation of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. Therefore, this study proposes a decision-making model for rehabilitation programs of SCI patients based on EMRs. Methods: First, an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) dataset comprising 1252 Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) patients was constructed, and data preprocessing was completed. Second, the Random Forest (RF) feature extraction algorithm was utilized to select case features with high contribution levels. Then, to address the imbalance issue in EMRs, a multi-label learning framework based on the improved MLSMOTE was adopted. Finally, seven multi-label classification models were employed to predict patients' physical therapy (PT) prescriptions. Results: The proposed improved MLSMOTE multi-label learning framework can solve the problem of class imbalance. Compared with the other six models, the CC model has improved significantly in many metrics. Its hamming loss and ranking loss were 0.1388 and 0.2467, and precision, recall, and F1-score were 83.33 %, 81.20 %, and 79.82 % respectively. Conclusions: The improved MLSMOTE multi-label learning framework proposed in this study can make full use of the information in EMRs and effectively improve the decision-making accuracy of rehabilitation treatment programs.

Improving management in gastroesophageal reflux disease through leveraging WeChat platform for mobile health care: A randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) refers to a clinical condition characterized by gastric content reflux into the esophagus, causing symptoms like acid regurgitation and heartburn. While patient education is essential for GERD treatment, traditional educational models often struggle to effectively improve treatment outcomes. METHODS: Between January 2021 and April 2022, we enrolled 257 patients and assessed their GERD knowledge. The patients were randomly assigned to either the WeChat group (60 participants) for health education via WeChat platform or the control group (60 participants) for conventional education only. GERD-Q scores were collected at 1, 3, and 6 months post-intervention, with compliance and satisfaction assessed at the study's conclusion. RESULTS: The overall awareness rate of GERD among patients was approximately 22.3 %. The WeChat group showed better compliance than the control group in terms of adhering to a proper diet, taking medication on time, and engaging in moderate exercise (P < 0.05 for all). Furthermore, the WeChat group demonstrated significantly higher treatment effectiveness and satisfaction than the control group (P < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: Patients have a relatively low level of knowledge regarding GERD. WeChat has the potential to facilitate lifestyle changes and improve compliance, treatment effectiveness, and treatment satisfaction among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

SIRT5 safeguards against T-2 toxin induced liver injury by repressing iron accumulation, oxidative stress, and the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome.

T-2 toxin, a highly toxic trichothecene mycotoxin widely found in food and feed, poses a significant threat to human health as well as livestock and poultry industry. Liver, being a crucial metabolic organ, is particularly susceptible to T-2 toxin induced damage characterized by inflammation and oxidative stress. Despite the role of Sirtuin 5 (SIRT5) in mitigating liver injury has been confirmed, its specific impact on T-2 toxin induced liver injury remains to be elucidated. The objective of this study was to investigate the protective role of SIRT5 against T-2 toxin induced liver injury in mice. Following the oral administration of 1 mg/kg.bw of T-2 toxin for 21 consecutive days to SIRT5 knockout (SIRT5-/-) and wild-type (WT) male mice, liver assessments were conducted. Our findings demonstrated that aggravated hepatic pathological injury was observed in SIRT5-/- mice, accompanied by elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) and Fe levels, as well as enhanced expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), caspase-1, Gasdermin-D (GSDMD), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß). These results indicated that SIRT5 alleviated hepatic structural damage and dysfunction, while inhibiting oxidative stress, iron accumulation, and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Analysis revealed a positive correlation among NLRP3 inflammasome activation, iron accumulation, and oxidative stress. Overall, our study demonstrated that SIRT5 mitigated liver injury induced by T-2 toxin through inhibiting iron accumulation, oxidative stress, and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, providing novel insights into the management and prevention of T-2 toxin poisoning.

Synthesis, structural modification, and biological activity of a novel bisindole alkaloid iheyamine A.

Diseases caused by plant viruses and pathogens pose a serious threat to crop yield and quality. Traditional pesticides have gradually developed drug resistance and brought certain environmental safety issues during long-term overuse. There is an urgent need to discover new candidate compounds to address these issues. In this study, we achieved the efficient synthesis of iheyamine A and its derivatives, and discovered their excellent antiviral activities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Most compounds displayed higher antiviral activities against TMV than commercial ribavirin at 500 µg/mL, with compounds 3a (Inactive effect IC50: 162 µg/mL), 3d (Inactive effect IC50: 249 µg/mL), 6p (Inactive effect IC50: 254 µg/mL), and 7a (Inactive effect IC50: 234 µg/mL) exhibiting better antiviral activities than ningnanmycin at 500 µg/mL (Inactive effect IC50: 269 µg/mL). Meanwhile, the structure-activity relationships of this type of compounds were systematically studied. We chose 3a for further antiviral mechanism research and found that it can directly act on viral coat protein (CP). The interaction of 3a and CP was further verified via molecular docking. These compounds also showed broad-spectrum fungicidal activities against 8 plant pathogenic fungi, especially for P. piricola. This study provides a reference for the role of iheyamine alkaloids in combating plant pathogenic diseases.

Physical and chemical characterization of chitin and chitosan extracted under different treatments from black soldier fly.

The shell of Hermetia illucens L. contains considerable amounts of chitin, which has various biological activities. So far, few studies have focused on chitin of Hermetia illucens L. as a source of chitosan and oligosaccharides. There is great potential for utilizing Hermetia illucens L. chitin to produce chitosan films in biomaterials. We studied different extraction conditions for chitin and extracted it from black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens L.). Three processing steps were adopted: (1) demineralization, (2) deproteinization, and (3) decolorization. The chemical components (moisture, ash, protein, fat, residual protein, and residual mineral contents) and physicochemical characteristics of the chitin and chitosan extracted under these three conditions were determined. In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the extracted chitin and commercial samples, and the results showed that demineralization-deproteinization-decolorization treatments could achieve the highest chitin yield (7.18 ±â€¯0.11 %), chitosan yield (64.22 ±â€¯0.79 %), and the best purity (residual protein 0.56 ±â€¯0.01 % and residual ash 0.58 ±â€¯0.04 %), making it the best treatment method. Using this method, the residues produced from farmed BSF can be recycled and used as a new source of chitin.

PRRSV infection inhibits CSFV C-strain replication via GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and porcine productive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) both are significant infectious pathogens in pigs and pose great threats to the healthy development of the pig industry. PRRSV infection often reduces the antibody level of the CSFV attenuated vaccine and even leads to immune failure. In order to elucidate the potential mechanism of CSFV proliferation inhibition by PRRSV and screen out drugs that enhance the vaccine immune effect, we conducted experiments in the PAM39 cell line that can simultaneously support both PRRSV and CSFV infection. The results showed that PRRSV infection could induce gasdermin D (GSDMD) cleavage, promote cell pyroptosis, increase IL-1ß secretion, and then inhibit CSFV replication. However, Astragalus polysaccharide treatment could reverse this phenomenon. The results elucidate the molecular mechanism of CSFV vaccine immune failure caused by PRRSV co-infection from the perspective of pyroptosis and provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of clinical co-infection diseases.

Carbon dots-loaded cellulose nanofibrils hydrogel incorporating Bi2O3/BiOCOOH for effective adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of lignin.

A novel photocatalytic adsorbent, a cellulose nanofibrils based hydrogel incorporating carbon dots and Bi2O3/BiOCOOH (designated as CCHBi), was developed to address lignin pollution. CCHBi exhibited an adsorption capacity of 435.0 mg/g, 8.9 times greater than that of commercial activated carbon. This enhanced adsorption performance was attributed to the 3D porous structure constructed using cellulose nanofibrils (CNs), which increased the specific surface area and provided additional sorption sites. Adsorption and photocatalytic experiments showed that CCHBi had a photocatalytic degradation rate constant of 0.0140 min-1, 3.1 times higher than that of Bi2O3/BiOCOOH. The superior photocatalytic performance of CCHBi was due to the Z-scheme photocatalytic system constructed by carbon dots-loaded cellulose nanofibrils and Bi2O3/BiOCOOH, which facilitated the separation of photoinduced charge carriers. Additionally, the stability of CCHBi was confirmed through consecutive cycles of adsorption and photocatalysis, maintaining a removal efficiency of 85 % after ten cycles. The enhanced stability was due to the 3D porous structure constructed by CNs, which safeguarded the Bi2O3/BiOCOOH. This study validates the potential of CCHBi for high-performance lignin removal and promotes the application of CNs in developing new photocatalytic adsorbents.

Association of serum cystatin C level and major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Recurrent acute myocardial infarction requiring unplanned percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is one of the major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after PCI. There is a continuing controversy about the association between serum cystatin C, a biomarker for the evaluation of renal function, and the prognosis of ACS patients following PCI. The retrospective study evaluated the association between serum cystatin C level and MACE in ACS patients after PCI. Methods: Data were retrieved for 330 patients with ACS for primary PCI in a single center. Serum cystatin C levels were measured before PCI. All patients underwent regular follow-ups after PCI, and the studied endpoint was MACE, defined as the need for a repeat revascularization in the heart. The predictive value of serum cystatin C for MACE was analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis was applied to evaluate the dose-response relationship between serum cystatin C level and MACE in ACS patients following PCI. Results: After a median follow-up of 63 months (range, 1-148 months), 121 of the 330 patients experienced MACE. Compared to patients who did not have MACE, patients who had MACE showed a significant decrease in serum cystatin C levels (0.99±0.32 vs. 1.15±0.78 mg/L, P=0.03). In multivariate regression analysis, serum cystatin C level was an independent risk factor for MACE. According to the serum cystatin C level, patients were divided into 4 categories, Cox regression analysis illustrated that the second quartile of serum cystatin C level indicated an increased risk of MACE in patients with PCI for primary ACS compared to the highest quartile [Q2: adjusted hazard ratio (HR) =2.109; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.193-3.727; P=0.01]. RCS analysis showed a significant U-shaped dose-response relationship between cystatin C level and MACE in patients with PCI for ACS (P for non-linearity =0.004). Conclusions: These results indicated an association between serum cystatin C level and post-PCI MACE in ACS patients.

QTL Mapping of Fiber- and Seed-Related Traits in Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines Derived from Gossypium hirsutum × Gossypium darwinii.

A narrow genetic basis limits further the improvement of modern Gossypium hirsutum cultivar. The abundant genetic diversity of wild species provides available resources to solve this dilemma. In the present study, a chromosome segment substitution line (CSSL) population including 553 individuals was established using G. darwinii accession 5-7 as the donor parent and G. hirsutum cultivar CCRI35 as the recipient parent. After constructing a high-density genetic map with the BC1 population, the genotype and phenotype of the CSSL population were investigated. A total of 235 QTLs, including 104 QTLs for fiber-related traits and 132 QTLs for seed-related traits, were identified from four environments. Among these QTLs, twenty-seven QTLs were identified in two or more environments, and twenty-five QTL clusters consisted of 114 QTLs. Moreover, we identified three candidate genes for three stable QTLs, including GH_A01G1096 (ARF5) and GH_A10G0141 (PDF2) for lint percentage, and GH_D01G0047 (KCS4) for seed index or oil content. These results pave way for understanding the molecular regulatory mechanism of fiber and seed development and would provide valuable information for marker-assisted genetic improvement in cotton.

Development, characterization and underling mechanism of 3D printable quinoa protein emulsion gels by incorporating of different polysaccharides for curcumin delivery.

Emulsion gels stabilized by food-grade polymers such as proteins and polysaccharides are edible 3D food printing inks with various applications in food industry. In this study, 3D printable quinoa protein emulsion gels with four polysaccharides incorporated were fabricated to delivery curcumin. The effect of inulin (INU), fucoidan (FU), dextran sulfate (DS), and sodium alginate (SA) on the microstructure, rheological properties, and 3D printing performance of quinoa protein emulsion gels were all investigated. The results showed that the incorporation of four polysaccharides promoted formation of tightly packed oil droplets within gel networks, along with enhanced hardness, water holding capacity, freeze-thaw stability and decreased swelling ratio of the QP emulsion gel. All samples exhibited shear thinning behavior and polysaccharides increased viscoelasticity of QP emulsion gel. The hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bond are the main chemical molecular force of emulsion gels, INU significantly increased the hydrogen bonds interactions, and anionic polysaccharide (FU, DS, and SA) significantly increased the electrostatic interactions. QP-INU exerted best printing performance as identified by preferable self-supporting capability and high line printing accuracy. The addition of polysaccharides improved the encapsulation efficiency of curcumin in QP emulsion gel. In vitro release property showed that FU increased the bioavailability of curcumin, DS and SA decreased bioavailability of curcumin with delayed digestion rate. This study demonstrated the potential of utilizing polysaccharides to improve the flexibility of QP emulsion gel for 3D printing functional food.

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Zinc Oxide Quantum Dots on Growth Performance and Gut Health in Broilers.

This study aims to investigate the effect of different levels of zinc oxide quantum dots (ZnO-QDs) on the growth performance and gut health in broilers. A total of 1125 1-day-old Ross 308 broilers were randomly divided into five groups with 15 replicates of 15 chicks each. The broilers were fed basal diets supplemented with 0, 40, 80, 120, or 160 mg Zn/kg as ZnO-QDs for 6 weeks. The results showed that dietary 80 and 120 mg Zn/kg ZnO-QD supplementation increased (P < 0.05) average daily gain (1.4-1.7%) and reduced feed conversion ratio (1.3%) compared to the basal diet group during various experimental periods. Meanwhile, 80 mg Zn/kg ZnO-QD supplementation increased (P < 0.05) trypsin activity (25.4%), villus height, and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum. Moreover, 80 mg Zn/kg ZnO-QD supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the activities of glutathione reductase (47.7%) and superoxide dismutase (30.9%), while 120 mg Zn/kg ZnO-QD supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) glutathione peroxidase activity (27.1%) in the jejunum. Furthermore, 40 mg Zn/kg ZnO-QD supplementation down-regulated (P < 0.05) the expression of genes; interleukin-2, transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß), Cathelicidin-1, Cathelicidin-2, Cathelicidin-3, and Occludin, while 80-160 mg Zn/kg ZnO-QD supplementation up-regulated (P < 0.05) Claudin-2 expression in the jejunum. In conclusion, dietary ZnO-QD supplementation improved growth performance of broilers potentially by enhancing their intestinal health status. Based on nonlinear regression analysis, the appropriate level of ZnO-QD supplementation would be from 98.2 to 102.5 mg Zn/kg.

The effect of comprehensive psychological interventions on the mental health of the community elderly.

Objective: To observe the intervention effect of comprehensive psychological interventions on the mental health of the elderly population. Methods: 133 elderly aged 60 and above in two urban districts of Tianshui City from January 2020 to December 2020 were selected and divided into the intervention group (n=67) and the control group (n=66). The intervention group received comprehensive psychological interventions, with no intervention given to the control group. The anxiety rate, depression rate, loneliness rate and happiness rate of the two groups were collected and compared pre- and post-intervention. Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA) and Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH) were used to compare the psychological status of the elderly pre- and post-intervention. Results: Differences in the inter-group main effects and time-point main effects for SAS, SDS, UCLA, and MUNSH scores of the intervention group were significant (all p<0.05). The SAS, SDS, and UCLA scores of the intervention group were higher than those of the control group after intervention. Meanwhile, the SAS and SDS scores of the intervention group were lower than those of the control group after intervention (all p<0.05). Moreover, the MUNSH score of the intervention group was higher than that of the control group at 1-year follow-up post-intervention (p<0.05). Compared with pre-intervention values, the proportions of anxiety, depression loneliness, and happiness in the intervention group were improved at 1-year follow-up post-intervention (all P<0.05). Conclusion: This study provides basis and important support for further investigations and the monitoring of health indicators in a population as fragile as the elderly. Targeted comprehensive psychological interventions can improve the negative emotions of community-dwelling elderly and maintain their physical and mental health. The "community-hospital linkage" mental health service model can improve the mental health status of community-dwelling elderly.

Unraveling the Role of Electron-Withdrawing Molecules for Highly Efficient and Stable Perovskite Photovoltaic.

Electron-withdrawing molecules (EWMs) have exhibited remarkable efficacy in boosting the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the underneath mechanisms governing their positive attributes remain inadequately understood. Herein, we conducted a comprehensive study on EWMs by comparing 2,2'-(2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-diylidene) bismalononitrile (TCNQ) and (2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-diylidene) dimalononitrile (F4TCNQ) employed at the perovskite/hole transport layer (HTL) interfaces. Our findings reveal that EWMs simultaneously enhance chemical passivation, interface dipole effect, and chemically binding of the perovskite to the HTL. Notably, F4TCNQ, with its superior electron-withdrawing properties, demonstrates a more pronounced impact. Consequently, PCSs modified with F4TCNQ achieved an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.21%, while demonstrating excellent long-term stability. Moreover, the PCE of a larger-area perovskite module (14.0 cm2) based on F4TCNQ reached 21.41%. This work illuminates the multifaceted mechanisms of EWMs at the interfaces in PSCs, delivering pivotal insights that pave the way for the sophisticated design and strategic application of EWMs, thereby propelling the advancement of perovskite photovoltaic technology.

The Topological Transformation of 41 Knot to 412 Link through Supramolecular Fusion.

Realizing topological transformation through supramolecular fusion is particularly challenging, as the self-assembly of disparate components often results in the orthogonal assembly of building blocks into distinct structures rather than the formation of a heteroleptic architecture. This study introduces a topological transformation, transitioning from a figure-eight knot (41 knot) to a Solomon link (412 link) through a supramolecular fusion process. By employing two structurally similar amino acid ligands (L1 and L3) of varying lengths as bridge ligands, we obtained figure-eight knot 1 and a molecular tweezer-like compound 3 when individually complexed with binuclear Cp*Rh acceptor B1. Our results revealed that subtle modifications to bridge ligands can lead to dramatic changes in their structures and recognition properties. Moreover, we successfully achieved the targeted formation of a heteroleptic Solomon link 4 by blending figure-eight knot 1 and compound 3 in a 1:1 ratio without the need for templates. This procedure effortlessly converted the 41 knot into a 412 link, thus marking a significant advancement in the topological transformation. This work not only marks the construction of the first heteroleptic Solomon link comprising two distinct metallamacrocycles but also demonstrates a process of supramolecular fusion-based topological transformation involving three distinct topological structures.

Antisense oligonucleotides enhance SLC20A2 expression and suppress brain calcification in a humanized mouse model.

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is a genetic neurological disease, yet no effective treatment is currently available. Here, we identified five novel intronic variants in SLC20A2 gene from six PFBC families. Three of these variants increased aberrant SLC20A2 pre-mRNA splicing by altering the binding affinity of splicing machineries to newly characterized cryptic exons, ultimately causing premature termination of SLC20A2 translation. Inhibiting the cryptic-exon incorporation with splice-switching ASOs increased the expression levels of functional SLC20A2 in cells carrying SLC20A2 mutations. Moreover, by knocking in a humanized SLC20A2 intron 2 sequence carrying a PFBC-associated intronic variant, the SLC20A2-KI mice exhibited increased inorganic phosphate (Pi) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and progressive brain calcification. Intracerebroventricular administration of ASOs to these SLC20A2-KI mice reduced CSF Pi levels and suppressed brain calcification. Together, our findings expand the genetic etiology of PFBC and demonstrate ASO-mediated splice modulation as a potential therapy for PFBC patients with SLC20A2 haploinsufficiency.

The Design and Optimality of Survey Counts: A Unified Framework Via the Fisher Information Maximizer.

Grouped and right-censored (GRC) counts have been used in a wide range of attitudinal and behavioural surveys yet they cannot be readily analyzed or assessed by conventional statistical models. This study develops a unified regression framework for the design and optimality of GRC counts in surveys. To process infinitely many grouping schemes for the optimum design, we propose a new two-stage algorithm, the Fisher Information Maximizer (FIM), which utilizes estimates from generalized linear models to find a global optimal grouping scheme among all possible N -group schemes. After we define, decompose, and calculate different types of regressor-specific design errors, our analyses from both simulation and empirical examples suggest that: 1) the optimum design of GRC counts is able to reduce the grouping error to zero, 2) the performance of modified Poisson estimators using GRC counts can be comparable to that of Poisson regression, and 3) the optimum design is usually able to achieve the same estimation efficiency with a smaller sample size.

Transcranial direct current stimulation over the right parietal cortex improves the depressive disorder: A preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: The right posterior parietal cortex is the core brain region of emotional processing and executive control network in the human brain, and the function of the right posterior parietal cortex is decreased in patients with major depressive disorder. This study aims to preliminarily investigate whether the excitation of the right posterior parietal cortex by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could improve their clinical symptoms. METHODS: In this study, 12 patients with major depressive disorder were given tDCS treatment at Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University and the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University. The stimulating electrode (anode) was placed on the patients' right parietal cortex, whereas the reference electrode (cathode) was placed on the patients' left mastoid. The stimulation intensity was set as 2.0 mA. The patients with depressive disorder were treated for 20 min at a time twice a day for 14 consecutive days. The severity of the clinical symptoms was evaluated using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS-17) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) at before and right after treatment. RESULTS: The HDRS-17 scores of patients with depressive disorder decreased significantly following the tDCS treatment compared with those before treatment (p < .001). Further analysis revealed that the patients' anxiety/somatization, cognitive deficit, retardation, and sleep disorder scores all decreased significantly after the tDCS treatment (p < .05), although there was no significant change in their weight. Moreover, the patients' HARS scores decreased significantly after the tDCS treatment when compared with those before treatment (p < .01). CONCLUSION: The right parietal cortex may be another key stimulation targets to improving the efficacy of tDCS treatment to the patients with major depressive disorder.

Bio-inspired Mechanically Responsive Smart Windows for Visible and Near-Infrared Multiwavelength Spectral Modulation.

Mechanochromic light control technology that can dynamically regulate solar irradiation is recognized as one of the leading candidates for energy-saving windows. However, the lack of spectrally selective modulation ability still hinders its application for different scenarios or individual needs. Here, inspired by the generation of structure color and color change of living organisms, a simple layer-by-layer assembly approach toward large-area fabricating mechanically responsive film for visible and near-infrared multiwavelength spectral modulation smart windows is reported here. The assembled SiO2 nanoparticles and W18O49 nanowires enable the film with an optical modulation rate of up to 42.4% at the wavelength of 550 nm and 18.4% for the near-infrared region, separately, and the typical composite film under 50% stretching shows ≈41.6% modulation rate at the wavelength of 550 nm with NIR modulation rate less than 2.7%. More importantly, the introduction of the multilayer assembly structure not only optimizes the film's optical modulation but also enables the film with high stability during 100 000 stretching cycles. A cooling effect of 21.3 and 6.9 °C for the blackbody and air inside a model house in the real environmental application is achieved. This approach provides theoretical and technical support for the new mechanochromic energy-saving windows.

Detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus RNA using a closed loop-mediated isothermal amplification system.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals responsible for economic losses that amount to >$20 billion annually. Rapid recognition of FMD cases provides vital information to guide control programmes. A range of point-of-need amplification technologies have been developed which allow sensitive detection of the causative virus (FMDV) in the field at locations remote from laboratories. Here we describe a novel system to detect FMDV RNA using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). This test was evaluated using a panel of FMDV isolates (n = 79) and RNA standards demonstrating capability to amplify viral genome directly from clinical material in the absence of nucleic acid extraction. This extraction-free RT-LAMP assay was transferred to a bespoke closed-system lateral flow test (LFT) that was used in combination with a low-cost hand-held heater. Our results show that the RT-LAMP-LFT assay retains a high level of diagnostic and analytical sensitivity when using direct clinical material, with a limit of detection under 80 copies per reaction. Together, our data support the potential for the use of this assay at the point-of-need to facilitate rapid feedback on the status of suspect cases.