Quantum plasmonic two-dimensional WS2-MoS2 heterojunction.

Two-dimensional heterostructures have recently gained broad interest due to potential applications in optoelectronic devices. Their reduced dimensionality leads to novel physical effects beyond conventional bulk electronics. However, the optical properties of the 2D lateral heterojunctions have not been completely characterized due to the limited spatial resolution, requiring nano-optical techniques beyond the diffraction limit. Here, we investigate lateral monolayer WS2-MoS2 heterostructures in a plasmonic Au-Au tip-substrate picocavity using subdiffraction limited tip-enhanced photoluminescence (TEPL) spectroscopy with sub-nanometer tip-sample distance control. We observed more than 3 orders of magnitude PL enhancement by placing a plasmonic Au-coated tip at the resonantly excited heterojunction. We developed a theoretical model of the quantum plasmonic 2D heterojunction, where tunneling of hot electrons between the Au tip and MoS2 leads to the quenching of the MoS2 PL, while simultaneously increasing the WS2 PL, in contrast to the non-resonant reverse transfer. Our simulations show good agreement with the experiments, revealing a range of parameters and enhancement factors corresponding to the switching between the classical and quantum regimes. The controllable photoresponse of the 2D heterojunction can be used in novel nanodevices.

Differences in the oral health status in hospitalised stroke patients according to swallowing function: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Dysphagia is one of the common complications caused by stroke, leading to poor oral health. Oral health is often neglected after stroke by clinical care providers and the patients. Identifying the status of oral health in hospitalised stroke patients with swallowing disorders will facilitate the attention of clinical care providers. AIM: To investigate the differences in the oral health status between hospitalised post-stroke patients with dysphagia and non-dysphagia. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: A purposive sampling method was used to recruit participants. Participants included hospitalised post-stroke patients with dysphagia and without dysphagia. Stroke patients were recruited from the Department of Neurology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital in China. A total of 120 stroke patients completed the survey. The data collected included their demographics, the scores on the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT), Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI), and the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10). The study was compliant with the STROBE checklist. RESULTS: The average age of the dysphagia group was 67 (64~76) vs the participants without dysphagia group 67 (65~76), (p = .610). The mean standard deviation (SD) OHAT score of participants with dysphagia was 5.28 (2.33) compared to participants without dysphagia 8.89 (3.07), (p < .05). This result indicates post-stroke dysphagia (PSD) patients had worse oral health than stroke patients without dysphagia. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that oral health status was the independent influencing factor of swallowing function (p < .01). CONCLUSION: The participants with dysphagia had worse oral health status compared to those without dysphagia, illustrating the critical importance of improving attention to oral health management in patients with post-stroke swallowing disorders. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Oral health was often omitted when comparing to other functional impairments resulting from stroke. Health caregivers of post-stroke patients with dysphagia should be aware of the importance of evaluating patient's oral condition and implementing oral care.

Establishment of qRT-PCR for absolute quantitative detection of Chikungunya virus / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To develop a real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) method for qualitative and quantitative Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) analysis. Methods Based on the systematic analysis of the genomic sequences of Chikungunya and its related arboviruses, the specific nucleic acid sequences for Chikungunya virus were screened and identified, and then the primers and TaqMan probe were designed. Meanwhile, the human GAPDH gene was used as an internal reference. The reaction system for qRT-PCR was systematically optimized by L9(34) orthogonal design, and a rapid detection method for Chikungunya by qRT-PCR based on TaqMan probe methods was established. The sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, and coverage of the established method were analyzed in detail. The standard curve was made, and the absolute quantitative method was established using the cloned nucleic acid fragments as positive samples. Results　A real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR assay was developed for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of Chikungunya virus. The reaction system included Chikungunya virus and reference internal gene specific primers and probe, RT/Taq enzyme mixture, reaction buffer, and negative and positive reference. The established method obtained positive results with the ROSS strain of ECSA subtype, LR2006 strain of IOL branch, 181/25 strain of Asian type and Dongguan 2010 epidemic strains of Chikungunya virus, but there was no cross-reaction with other 18 arboviruses belonging to Flaviviruses, Alphaviruses and Bunyavirus. The minimum detection limit of the established method was 5.80 copies/mL, and a linear relationship was observed between the amount of input plasmid DNA and fluorescence signal value over a range of 5.80×102 copies/mL to 5.80×1010 copies/mL, and the correlation coefficient was 0.999 5. The qRT-PCR amplification efficiency was 91%, and the intra-assay variations and inter-assay variations were 0.01-0.07 and 0.03-0.11, respectively. Conclusions　The TaqMan qRT-PCR method developed in this study can qualitatively and quantitatively detect Chikungunya virus rapidly with specificity and sensitivity, providing a technical method for the prevention and control of this viral disease.

Investigation for the transcultural self-efficacy of nurses in Guizhou, China.

AIM: As conflict caused by cultural diversity among patients in China continues to rise, hospitals are in urgent need for improvement of transcultural efficacy among nurses. This study aims to evaluate the transcultural self-efficacy of nurses working in the tertiary general hospital in Guizhou Province, an ethnic minority region in western China, and to identify whether nurses' demographic characteristics affect their transcultural self-efficacy. METHOD: We used the Chinese version of the Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool (TSET-CV) to survey 1,190 in-service nurses. RESULTS: Results showed that the level of transcultural self-efficacy of the nurses was generally moderate; few of the nurses had high or low transcultural self-efficacy. The nurses' transcultural self-efficacy was affected by demographic variables, including age, marital status, employment type, income, work experience, and whether or not they were head nurses. Having a stable work environment, a stable marriage, a good educational background, and a high-ranked professional title were associated with increased transcultural self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: Nursing administrators in hospitals should offer continuing education on transcultural nursing according to nurses' demographic characteristics and the SEST scores.

Identification of Metabonomics Changes in Longissimus Dorsi Muscle of Finishing Pigs Following Heat Stress through LC-MS/MS-Based Metabonomics Method.

Heat stress (HS) negatively affects meat quality by affecting material and energy metabolism, and exploring the mechanism underlying the muscle response to chronic HS in finishing pigs is important for the global pork industry. This study investigated changes in the metabolic profiles of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle of finishing pigs under high temperature using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS) and multivariate data analysis (MDA). Castrated male DLY pigs (Duroc × Landrance × Yorkshire pigs, n = 24) from 8 litters were divided into three treatment groups: constant optimal ambient temperature at 22 °C and ad libitum feeding (CR, n = 8); constant high ambient temperature at 30 °C and ad libitum feeding (HS, n = 8); and constant optimal ambient temperature 22 °C and pair-feeding to the control pigs (PF, n = 8). The metabolic profile data from LD muscle samples were analyzed by MDA and external search engines. Nine differential metabolites (L-carnosine, acetylcholine, inosinic acid, L-carnitine, L-anserine, L-α-glycerylphosphorylcholine, acetylcarnitine, thiamine triphosphate, and adenosine thiamine diphosphate) were involved in antioxidant function, lipid metabolism, and cell signal transduction, which may decrease post mortem meat quality and play important roles in anti-HS. Four metabolites (L-carnosine, acetylcholine, inosinic acid, and L-carnitine) were verified, and it was indicated that the muscle L-carnitine content was significantly lower in HS than in CR (p < 0.01). The results show that constant HS affects the metabolites in the LD muscle and leads to coordinated changes in the endogenous antioxidant defense and meat quality of finishing pigs. These metabonomics results provide a basis for researching nutritional strategies to reduce the negative effects of heat stress on livestock and present new insights for further research.

Transcriptome analysis reveals that constant heat stress modifies the metabolism and structure of the porcine longissimus dorsi skeletal muscle.

Exposure to high ambient temperatures is detrimental to pig rearing and porcine meat quality. Deep molecular sequencing allows for genomic characterization of porcine skeletal muscles and helps understand how the genomic landscape may impact meat quality. To this end, we performed mRNA-seq to molecularly dissect the impact of heat stress on porcine skeletal muscles, longissimus dorsi. Sixteen castrated, male DLY pigs [which are crossbreeds between Duroc (D) boars and Landrace (L) × Yorkshire (Y) sows, 79.0 ± 1.5 kg BW] were evenly split into two groups that were subjected to either control (CON) (22 °C; 55 % humidity) or constant heat stress (H30; 30 °C; 55 % humidity) conditions for 21 days. Seventy-eight genes were found to be differentially expressed, of which 37 were up-regulated and 41 were down-regulated owing to constant heat stress. We predicted 5247 unknown genes and 6108 novel transcribed units attributed to alternative splicing (AS) events in the skeletal muscle. Furthermore, 30,761 and 31,360 AS events were observed in the CON and H30 RNA-seq libraries, respectively. The differentially expressed genes in the porcine skeletal muscles were involved in glycolysis, lactate metabolism, lipid metabolism, cellular defense, and stress responses. Additionally, the expression levels of these genes were associated with variations in meat quality between the CON and H30 groups, indicating that heat stress modulated genes crucial to skeletal muscle development and metabolism. Our transcriptomic analysis provides valuable information for understanding the molecular mechanisms governing porcine skeletal muscle development. Such insights may lead to innovative strategies to improve meat quality of pigs under heat stress.