Photochromic radical states in 3D covalent organic frameworks with zyg topology for enhanced photocatalysis.

Covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) with photoinduced donor-acceptor (D-A) radical pairs show enhanced photocatalytic activity in principle. However, achieving long-lived charge separation in COFs proves challenging due to the rapid charge recombination. Here, we develop a novel strategy by combining [6 + 4] nodes to construct zyg-type 3D COFs, first reported in COF chemistry. This structure type exhibits a fused Olympic-rings-like shape, which provides a platform for stabilizing the photoinduced D-A radical pairs. The zyg-type COFs containing catalytically active moieties such as triphenylamine and phenothiazine (PTZ) show superior photocatalytic production rates of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Significantly, the photochromic radical states of these COFs show up to 400% enhancement in photocatalytic activity compared to the parent states, achieving a remarkable H2O2 synthesis rate of 3324 µmol g-1 h-1, which makes the PTZ-COF one of the best crystalline porous photocatalysts in H2O2 production. This work will shed light on the synthesis of efficient 3D COF photocatalysts built on topologies that can facilitate photogenerating D-A radical pairs for enhanced photocatalysis.

First report of leaf blight on pumpkin caused by Nigrospora sphaerica in China.

Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata), which belongs to the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), is widely planted throughout the world. In June 2023, many pumpkin plants (cv. Miben) displayed leaf blight and chlorosis in fields located in Suizhou (31.99°N, 113.02°E), Hubei Province, China. The disease incidence ranged from 30 to 40% in nine fields, 6.3 ha in total. The symptoms were irregularly shaped lesions that expanded along the mid-vein until the leaf turned brown and wilted. Fungal isolations were performed as described previously (Liu et al. 2023). Twenty pumpkin leaf samples with typical symptoms were collected and cut into 1 cm×1 cm pieces. The diseased tissue was surface-sterilized in 75% ethanol for 30 sec, plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium and incubated at 25℃ for 3 days. Then, the emerging single fungal hyphal tip was transferred onto PDA plates to obtain purified isolates. A total of eighteen isolates on PDA plates were initially white and then developed to dark gray. The 5-day-old cultures growing on mung bean medium produced conidia that were black, single-celled, smooth, spherical or oblate, and ranged in size from 14.5 to 20.8 µm×13.3 to 20.5 µm (n=50). Therefore, the isolates were morphologically identified as Nigrospora sphaerica. Moreover, the genomic DNA of the isolates (HB-P1,HB-P2, and HB-P3) was extracted for amplification and sequencing of the regions of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) (White et al. 1990), nuclear large subunit rRNA (nLSU) (O'Donnell 1992; Rehner and Samuels 1994), and ß-tubulin (TUB2) (Glass and Donaldson 1995), with primers ITS1/ITS4, LROR/LR3, and Bt2a/Bt2b, respectively. Sequences were submitted to GenBank under accession numbers PP348112, PP348113, PP348114 (ITS), PP411414, PP411415, PP411416 (nLSU), and PP357438, PP357439, PP357440 (TUB2). BLASTn showed that the sequences ITS, nLSU, and TUB2 of HB-P1, HB-P2, and HB-P3 had >99% nucleotide identities ((ITS: 100%, 508/508 bp, MF996488.1; 99.8%, 506/507, ON326588.1; 100%, 500/500 ,MK748317.1), (nLSU: 99.83%, 573/574, KT462720.1; 99.83% , 574/575 bp, KT462720.1; 99.65%, 575/577, KT462720.1), and (TUB2: 100%, 388/388, MN719407.1; 99.74%, 387/388, MN719407.1; 100%, 387/387, MN719407.1)) with Nigrospora sphaerica, respectively. A multilocus (ITS, nLSU and TUB2) phylogenetic analysis indicated that the isolates were Nigrospora sphaerica. Pathogenicity of three isolates were tested on pumpkin plants (cv. Miben). Fifteen pumpkin plants were inoculated by spraying the leaves (1×106 spores/ml), respectively, and 10 pumpkin plants were treated with sterile water as a negative control. All plants were incubated in an artificial climate box (LongYue, ShangHai) at 25℃ for 12 days. The experiment was repeated three times. Twelve days later, the inoculated pumpkin plants developed symptoms of leaf blight, while the control plants remained healthy. Then, pathogens were re-isolated from the each leaf of inoculated pumpkin plants and not from the control plants. Nigrospora sphaerica has been previously reported to cause leaf spot on watermelon in Malaysia (Ismail and Abd Razak 2021). To our knowledge, this is the first report of N. sphaerica causing leaf blight on pumpkin in China. This new disease can cause leaf blight, which may affect pumpkin productivity.

Prediction of the bioaccessibility and accumulation of cadmium in the soil-rice-human system based on optimized DGT and BCR coupled models.

Cadmium, as a typical heavy metal, has the potential to induce soil pollution and threaten human health through the soil-plant-human pathway. The conventional evaluation method based on the total content in soil cannot accurately represent the content migrated from the food chain to plants and the human body. Previous studies focused on the process of plant enrichment of heavy metals in soil, and very few studies directly predicted human exposure or risk through the labile state of Cd in soil. Hence, a relatively accurate and convenient prediction model of Cd release and translocation in the soil-rice-human system was developed. This model utilizes available Cd and soil parameters to predict the bioavailability of Cd in soil, as well as the in vitro bioaccessibility of Cd in cooked rice. The bioavailability of Cd was determined by the Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films technology and BCR sequential extraction procedure, offering in-situ quantification, which presents a significant advantage over traditional monitoring methods and aligns closely with the actual uptake of heavy metals by plants. The experimental results show that the prediction model based on the concentration of heavy metal forms measured by BCR sequential extraction procedure and diffusive gradients in thin-films technique can accurately predict the Cd uptake in rice grains, gastric and gastrointestinal phase (R2=0.712, 0.600 and 0.629). This model accurately predicts Cd bioavailability and bioaccessibility across the soil-rice-human pathway, informing actual human Cd intake, offering scientific support for developing more effective risk assessment methods.

Engineering of molecularly imprinted cavity within 3D covalent organic frameworks: An innovation for enhanced extraction and removal of microcystins.

The scarcity of selective adsorbents for efficient extraction and removal of microcystins (MCs) from complex samples greatly limits the precise detection and effective control of MCs. Three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D COFs), characterized by their large specific surface areas and highly ordered rigid structure, are promising candidates, but suffer from lack of specific recognition. Herein, we design to engineer molecularly imprinted cavities within 3D COFs via molecularly imprinted technology, creating a novel adsorbent with exceptional selectivity, kinetics and capacity for the efficient extraction and removal of MCs. As proof-of-concept, a new CC bond-containing 3D COF, designated JNU-7, is designed and prepared for copolymerization with methacrylic acid, the pseudo template L-arginine and ethylene dimethacrylate to yield the JNU-7 based molecularly imprinted polymer (JNU-7-MIP). The JNU-7-MIP exhibits a great adsorption capacity (156 mg g-1) for L-arginine. Subsequently, the JNU-7-MIP based solid-phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry achieves low detection limit of 0.008 ng mL-1, wide linear range of 0.025-100 ng mL-1, high enrichment factor of 186, rapid extraction of 10 min, and good recoveries of 92.4%-106.5% for MC-LR. Moreover, the JNU-7-MIP can rapidly remove the MC-LR from 1 mg L-1 to levels (0.26-0.35 µg L-1) lower than the WHO recommended limit for drinking water (1 µg L-1). This work reveals the considerable potential of 3D COF based MIPs as promising adsorbents for the extraction and removal of contaminants in complex real samples.

II-Scheme Heterojunction Frameworks Based on Covalent Organic Frameworks and HKUST-1 for Boosting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are one type of promising polymer semiconductors in solar-driven hydrogen production, but majority of COFs-based photocatalytic systems show low photocatalytic efficiency owing to lack of metal active sites. Herein, we reported II-Scheme heterojunction frameworks based on COF (TpPa-1) and metal-organic framework (HKUST-1) for highly efficient hydrogen production. The coordination bonding directed self-assembly of HKUST-1 on the surface of TpPa-1 endows the heterojunction frameworks (HKUST-1/TpPa-1) with strong interface interaction, optimized electronic structures and abundant redox active sites, thus remarkably boosting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The hydrogen evolution rate for optimal HKUST-1/TpPa-1 is as high as 10.50 mmol g-1 h-1, which is significantly enhanced when compared with that of their physical mixture (4.13 mmol g-1 h-1), TpPa-1 (0.013 mmol g-1 h-1) and Pt-based counterpart (6.70 mmol g-1 h-1). This work offers a facile approach to the construction of noble-metal-free II-Scheme heterojunctions based on framework materials for efficient solar energy conversion.

BnaABF3 and BnaMYB44 regulate the transcription of zeaxanthin epoxidase genes in carotenoid and abscisic acid biosynthesis.

Zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP) is a key enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of zeaxanthin to violaxanthin in the carotenoid and abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis pathways. The rapeseed (Brassica napus) genome has 4 ZEP (BnaZEP) copies that are suspected to have undergone subfunctionalization, yet the 4 genes' underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we genetically confirmed the functional divergence of the gene pairs BnaA09.ZEP/BnaC09.ZEP and BnaA07.ZEP/BnaC07.ZEP, which encode enzymes with tissue-specific roles in carotenoid and ABA biosynthesis in flowers and leaves, respectively. Molecular and transgenic experiments demonstrated that each BnaZEP pair is transcriptionally regulated via ABA-responsive element-binding factor 3 s (BnaABF3s) and BnaMYB44s as common and specific regulators, respectively. BnaABF3s directly bound to the promoters of all 4 BnaZEPs and activated their transcription, with overexpression of individual BnaABF3s inducing BnaZEP expression and ABA accumulation under drought stress. Conversely, loss of BnaABF3s function resulted in lower expression of several genes functioning in carotenoid and ABA metabolism and compromised drought tolerance. BnaMYB44s specifically targeted and repressed the expression of BnaA09.ZEP/BnaC09.ZEP but not BnaA07.ZEP/BnaC07.ZEP. Overexpression of BnaA07.MYB44 resulted in increased carotenoid content and an altered carotenoid profile in petals. Additionally, RNA-seq analysis indicated that BnaMYB44s functions as a repressor in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis. These findings provide clear evidence for the subfunctionalization of duplicated genes and contribute to our understanding of the complex regulatory network involved in carotenoid and ABA biosynthesis in B. napus.

Research progress of human key DNA and RNA methylation-related enzymes assay.

Gene methylation-related enzymes (GMREs) are disfunction and aberrantly expressed in a variety of cancers, such as lung, gastric, and pancreatic cancers and have important implications for human health. Therefore，it is critical for early diagnosis and therapy of tumor to develop strategies that allow rapid and sensitive quantitative and qualitative detection of GMREs. With the development of modern analytical techniques and the application of various biosensors, there are numerous methods have been developed for analysis of GMREs. Therefore, this paper provides a systematic review of the strategies for level and activity assay of various GMREs including methyltransferases and demethylase. The detection methods mainly involve immunohistochemistry, colorimetry, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, electrochemistry, etc. Then, this review also addresses the coordinated role of various detection probes, novel nanomaterials, and signal amplification methods. The aim is to highlight potential challenges in the present field, to expand the analytical application of GMREs detection strategies, and to meet the urgent need for future disease diagnosis and intervention.

A Porphyrinic Metal-Organic Framework with Cooperative Adsorption Domains for PFAS Removal from Water.

The removal of toxic poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as persistent pollutants from wastewater is imperative but challenging for water remediation. Many adsorbents including activated carbon, biochar, and clay minerals have been investigated for PFAS removal, but most of these materials are faced with high cost or/and low efficiency. The use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as sorbents is attractive for efficient removal of PFAS due to their tailor-made structures and high surface areas. Herein, we synthesized, characterized a water stable Zr-based porphyrinic MOF (PCN-224) with cooperative adsorption domains, and demonstrated its excellent capture performance toward perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS). PCN-224 has maximum uptake capacities of 963, 517, and 395 mg g-1 for PFOS, PFHxS, and PFBS, respectively, which are much higher than that of granular activated carbon. Moreover, coexistent anions (Cl-, SO4 2-) and humic acid have negligible effects on PFOS adsorption. The excellent adsorption performance of PCN-224 toward PFOS is due to the orthogonal cationic channel pores with a diameter of 1.9 nm, the hydrophobic porphyrin units, and the Zr6 clusters with acidic sites. PCN-224 can be readily regenerated and reused. This work highlights the potential of MOFs with multiple adsorption domains for water remediation.

Comparison of immune effects of porcine circovirus type 2d (PCV2d) capsid protein expressed by Escherichia coli and baculovirus-insect cells.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is an important pathogen harmful to global pig production, which causes immunosuppression and serious economic losses. PCV2 capsid (Cap) protein expressed by E. coli or baculovirus-insect cells are often used in preparation of PCV2 subunit vaccines, but the latter is expensive to produce. It is therefore crucial to comparison of the immune effects of Cap protein expressed by the above two expression systems for reducing the production cost and guaranteeing PCV2 vaccine quality. In this study, the PCV2d-Cap protein lacking nuclear localization signal (NLS), designated as E. coli-Cap and Bac-Cap, was expressed by E. coli and baculovirus-Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 (Bac-Sf9) cells, respectively. The expressed Cap proteins could self-assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs), but the Bac-Cap-assembled VLPs were more regular. The two system-expressed Cap proteins induced similar specific IgG responses in mice, but the neutralizing antibody levels of Bac-Cap-immunized mice was higher than those of E. coli-Cap. After PCV2 challenge, IL-10 in Bac-Cap immunized mice decreased significantly than that in E. coli-Cap. The lesions and PCV2 antigen positive cells in tissues of mice immunized with E. coli-Cap and Bac-Cap were significantly reduced, and Bac-Cap appeared mild lesions and fewer PCV2 antigen-positive cells compared with E. coli-Cap immunized mice. The study indicated that Cap proteins expressed by E. coli and Bac-Sf9 cells could induce specific protective immunity, but the latter induced more effective immunity, which provides valuable information for the research and development of PCV2 vaccine.

The prognostic values of estimating intraperitoneal pressure in the occurrence of abdominal wall complications in peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Increased intraperitoneal pressure is associated with abdominal wall complications and technical failure of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Several equations have been developed to estimate intraperitoneal pressure. We aimed to assess the prognostic yield of the intraperitoneal pressure as estimated by current equations on the occurrence of abdominal wall complications in peritoneal dialysis patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of data from a prospective cohort which recruited 1207 incident PD patients. Estimated intraperitoneal pressure was calculated using four available equations (according to Sigogne, Castellanos, Scanziani and de Jesus Ventura). Abdominal wall complications were recorded during follow-up. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis with competing risk regression were used to assess the predictive power of the estimates of intraperitoneal pressure in the occurrence of abdominal wall complications. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 30 months, 66 (5.5%) patients (1.6/100 patient-years) developed abdominal wall complications. The median time to the occurrence of abdominal wall complications was 5.7 months. Only the estimated intraperitoneal pressure by the de Jesus Ventura equation significantly predicted abdominal wall complications by using univariate analyses. Associations between estimated intraperitoneal pressure by the de Jesus Ventura equation and the occurrence of abdominal wall complications disappeared after adjusting for significant clinical factors. CONCLUSIONS: We verified the prognostic value of estimation of intraperitoneal pressure by four available equations in predicting abdominal wall complications in our single-center PD cohort. Due to a low diagnostic yield, a novel equation for estimating the intraperitoneal pressure is urgently needed.

Enhancing Sun-Dried Kelp Detection: Introducing K-YOLO, a Lightweight Model with Improved Precision and Recall.

Kelp, often referred to as a "sea vegetable", holds substantial economic significance. Currently, the drying process for kelp in China primarily relies on outdoor sun-drying methods. Detecting kelp in the field presents challenges arising from issues such as overlapping and obstruction. To address these challenges, this study introduces a lightweight model, K-YOLOv5, specifically designed for the precise detection of sun-dried kelp. YOLOv5-n serves as the base model, with several enhancements implemented in this study: the addition of a detection head incorporating an upsampling layer and a convolution module to improve the recognition of small objects; the integration of an enhanced I-CBAM attention mechanism, focusing on key features to enhance the detection accuracy; the replacement of the CBS module in the neck network with GSConv to reduce the computational burden and accelerate the inference speed; and the optimization of the IoU algorithm to improve the identification of overlapping kelp. Utilizing drone-captured images of sun-dried kelp, a dataset comprising 2190 images is curated. Validation on this self-constructed dataset indicates that the improved K-YOLOv5 model significantly enhances the detection accuracy, achieving 88% precision and 78.4% recall. These values represent 6.8% and 8.6% improvements over the original model, respectively, meeting the requirements for the real-time recognition of sun-dried kelp.

Mea6/cTAGE5 cooperates with TRAPPC12 to regulate PTN secretion and white matter development.

Mutations of TRAPPC12 are associated with progressive childhood encephalopathy including abnormal white matter. However, the underlying pathogenesis is still unclear. Here, we found that Trappc12 deficiency in CG4 and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) affects their differentiation and maturation. In addition, TRAPPC12 interacts with Mea6/cTAGE5, and Mea6/cTAGE5 ablation in OPCs affects their proliferation and differentiation, leading to marked hypomyelination, compromised synaptic functionality, and aberrant behaviors in mice. We reveal that TRAPPC12 is associated with COPII components at ER exit site, and Mea6/cTAGE5 cKO disrupts the trafficking pathway by affecting the distribution and/or expression of TRAPPC12, SEC13, SEC31A, and SAR1. Moreover, we observed marked disturbances in the secretion of pleiotrophin (PTN) in Mea6-deficient OPCs. Notably, exogenous PTN supplementation ameliorated the differentiation deficits of these OPCs. Collectively, our findings indicate that the association between TRAPPC12 and MEA6 is important for cargo trafficking and white matter development.

The contribution of microbial necromass to soil organic carbon and influencing factors along a variation of habitats in alpine ecosystems.

A growing consensus is reached that microbes contributes to regulating the formation and accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC). Nevertheless, less is known about the role of soil microbes (necromass, biomass) in SOC accumulation in different habitat conditions in alpine ecosystems. To address this knowledge gap, the composition and distribution of amino sugars (ASs) and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) as biomarkers of microbial necromass and biomass were investigated in forest, meadow and wetland soil profile (0-40 cm) of Mount Segrila, Tibet, China, as well the contribution of bacterial and fungal necromass to SOC. The results revealed that microbial necromass carbon contributed 45.15 %, 72.51 % and 78.08 % on average to SOC in 0-40 cm forest, meadow and wetland soils, respectively, and decreased with microbial biomass. Fungal necromass contributed more to SOC in these habitats than bacterial necromass. Microbial necromass increased with microbial biomass and both of them decreased with soil depth in all habitats. The necromass accumulation coefficient was significantly correlated with microbial necromass and biomass, affected by habitat and soil moisture. Structural equation model indicated that soil abiotic factors indirectly mediated the accumulation of SOC through microbial necromass and biomass. This study revealed that different habitats and soil depths control considerably soil physicochemical properties and microbial community, finally influencing SOC accumulation in alpine ecosystems, which emphasized the influence of abiotic factors on microbial necromass and biomass for SOC accumulation in alpine ecosystems.

Construction of Heterojunction-Rich Metal Nitrides Porous Nanosheets Electrocatalyst for Alkaline Water/Seawater Splitting at Large Current Density.

The exploiting electrocatalysts for water/seawater electrolysis with remarkable activity and outstanding durability at industrial grade current density remains a huge challenge. Herein, CoMoNx and Fe-doped CoMoNx nanosheet arrays are in-situ grown on Ni foam, which possess plentiful holes, multilevel heterostructure, and lavish Co5.47 N/MoN@NF and Fe-Co5.47 N/MoN@NF interfaces. They require low overpotentials of 213 and 296 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under alkaline media to achieve current density of 800 mA cm-2 , respectively, and both possess low Tafel slopes (51.1 and 49.1 mV dec-1 ) and undiminished stability over 80 h. Moreover, the coupled Co5.47 N/MoN@NF and Fe-Co5.47 N/MoN@NF electrolyzer requires low voltages of 1.735 V to yield 500 mA cm-2 in alkaline water. Notably, they also exhibit exceptional electrocatalytic properties in alkaline seawater (1.833 V@500 mA cm-2 ). The experimental studies and theoretical calculations verify that Fe doping does reduce the energy barrier from OH* to O* intermediates during OER process after catalyst reconstruction, and the non-metallic N site from MoN exhibits the lowest theoretical overpotential. The splendid catalytic performance is attributed to the optimized local electron configuration and porous structure. This discovery provides a new design method toward low-cost and excellent catalysts for water/seawater splitting to produce hydrogen.

Identification of BMAL1-Regulated circadian genes in mouse liver and their potential association with hepatocellular carcinoma: Gys2 and Upp2 as promising candidates.

Identification and functional analysis of key genes regulated by the circadian clock system will provide a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms through which circadian clock disruption impairs the health of living organisms. The initial phase involved bioinformatics analysis, drawing insights from three RNA-seq datasets (GSE184303, GSE114400, and GSE199061) derived from wild-type mouse liver tissues, which encompassed six distinct time points across a day. As expected, 536 overlapping genes exhibiting rhythmic expression patterns were identified. By intersecting these genes with differentially expressed genes (DEGs) originating from liver RNA-seq data at two representative time points (circadian time, CT: CT2 and CT14) in global Bmal1 knockout mice (Bmal1-/-), hepatocyte-specific Bmal1 knockout mice (L-Bmal1-/-), and their corresponding control groups, 80 genes potentially regulated by BMAL1 (referred to as BMAL1-regulated genes, BRGs) were identified. These genes were significantly enriched in glycolipid metabolism, immune response, and tumorigenesis pathways. Eight BRGs (Nr1d1, Cry1, Gys2, Homer2, Serpina6, Slc2a2, Nmrk1, and Upp2) were selected to validate their expression patterns in both control and L-Bmal1-/- mice livers over 24 h. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction results demonstrated a comprehensive loss of rhythmic expression patterns in the eight selected BRGs in L-Bmal1-/- mice, in contrast to the discernible rhythmic patterns observed in the livers of control mice. Additionally, significant reductions in the expression levels of these selected BRGs, excluding Cry1, were also observed in L-Bmal1-/- mice livers. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-seq (GSE13505 and GSE39860) and JASPAR analyses validated the rhythmic binding of BMAL1 to the promoter and intron regions of these genes. Moreover, the progression of conditions, from basic steatosis to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and eventual malignancy, demonstrated a continuous gradual decline in Bmal1 transcripts in the human liver. Combining the aforementioned BRGs with DEGs derived from human liver cancer datasets identified Gys2 and Upp2 as potential node genes bridging the circadian clock system and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, CCK8 and wound healing assays demonstrated that the overexpression of human GYS2 and UPP2 proteins inhibited the proliferation and migration of HepG2 cells, accompanied by elevated expression of p53, a tumor suppressor protein. In summary, this study systematically identified rhythmic genes in the mouse liver, and a subset of circadian genes potentially regulated by BMAL1. Two circadian genes, Gys2 and Upp2, have been proposed and validated as potential candidates for advancing the prevention and treatment of HCC.

High-frequency ultrasound imaging to assess fetal pancreas: a promising application.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to establish a comprehensive reference range of quantitative characteristics of the fetal pancreas using a high-frequency transducer, and assess the growth and development of the fetal pancreas.Methods: Pregnant women referred to a tertiary center were recruited to undergo a detailed fetal scan from 16 to 37 weeks. We evaluated the visualization rate of the fetal pancreas with high-frequency and low-frequency transducers and measured the head, neck, body, tail, circumference, area, and abdominal circumference(AC) of the fetal pancreas at different gestational ages(GA) with the high-frequency transducer. Regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between biological parameters and GA and AC.Results: During the time periods of 16+1∼21+6 weeks and 22+1∼27+6 weeks, the visualization rate of high-frequency transducers was higher compared to low-frequency transducers (83.33% vs 45% and 95.65% vs 70%, respectively). However, in the third trimester of pregnancy, the performance of the two transducers was similar (70.37% vs 74.07% for 28+1∼33+6 weeks and 41.67% vs 53.85% for 34+1∼37+6 weeks). The head, neck, body, and tail as well as the circumference and area of the pancreas were significantly positively correlated with GA (R2＝0.87, 0.94, 0.92, 0.92,0.96, and 0.92) and AC (R2＝0.87, 0.93, 0.91, 0.93,0.96, and 0.92).Conclusions: The high-frequency transducer was utilized to establish the normal reference, which can be used to evaluate normal pancreatic development and may help in the accurate diagnosis of fetal pancreatic abnormalities.

GSH/pH dual response drug delivery system for photothermal enhanced gene-immunotherapy.

Breast cancer has emerged as a leading cause of mortality among women. Photothermal therapy represents a recent therapeutic modality for eradicating localized tumors, albeit hindered by its limited penetration into tumor tissues. Recognizing the potential of photothermal therapy to induce immunogenic cell death in tumor cells, we explored a gene delivery approach utilizing small interfering RNA targeting programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), abbreviated as siPD-L1, to bolster the anti-tumor immune response elicited by this therapy. Nonetheless, the suboptimal release efficiency and inherent instability of RNA molecules have posed challenges to their therapeutic efficacy. In this study, we designed a glutathione (GSH)/pH-responsive micelle system, employing biocompatible and low-toxicity polyethyleneimine in conjunction with structurally robust pluronic P123, to encapsulate both indocyanine green (ICG) and siPD-L1 for precise targeting in breast cancer treatment. The resulting PSP/ICG/siPD-L1 nanocarrier demonstrated admirable biocompatibility and stability. Upon internalization into tumor cells, this nanocarrier exhibited rapid release of both ICG and siPD-L1, responding to the acidic tumor microenvironment and GSH conditions. The inclusion of siPD-L1 effectively downregulated the expression of PD-L1 on the tumor cell surface, thereby impeding tumor growth. Additionally, ICG demonstrated a photothermal effect when exposed to near-infrared light. Both in vitro and in vivo investigations substantiated the nanocarrier's efficacy against tumor cells, culminating in the complete ablation of 4T1 tumors in situ. Consequently, PSP/ICG/siPD-L1 emerges as a promising nanocarrier candidate for augmenting anti-tumor immunity through the synergistic combination of photothermal therapy and gene-based intervention.

Dietary fatty acids intake and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The relationship between dietary fatty acids (FA) and clinical outcomes are relatively lacking in non-dialyzed and dialyzed chronic kidney disease (CKD) population, resulting in insufficient guide about the dietary FA intake in this population. In this study, we aimed to observe the association between the intake of total or different types of FA and all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study with data retrospectively analyzed in 881 patients undergoing PD. Dietary FA intake measured by 3-day dietary records. The outcomes were defined as all-cause and CV death. Baseline FA intake and time-averaged FA intake were categorized by tertiles based on the distribution among the study population. We used univariate and multivariate Cox proportional regression models to determine the association between amounts and types of FA and all-cause and CV mortality. RESULTS: During a median follow up of 45 months, 93 patients were still being maintained on PD, 467 had died, including 189 (40.5%) attributable to CV death. Compared to patients in the low tertile of total FA (TFA) intake at baseline group, the middle or/and high tertile groups were more likely to be male, younger, well-educated and better nutritional status (P < 0.05). At the baseline, no association was found between all-cause and CV death in either total or different types of FA after adjusting for nutritional variables. As for time-averaged analyses, the associations of TFA, saturated FA (SFA), monounsaturated FA (MUFA), ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) and all-cause mortality were weakened after adjustment for laboratory and nutrients variables. However, PUFA independently reduced 5% of mortality even after adjustment for laboratory and nutrients variables [HR 0.95 (0.91, 0.99), P = 0.023], and the ratio of MUFA/PUFA was positively associated with the risk for all-cause mortality [HR 1.05 (1.01, 1.09), P = 0.008]. Furthermore, each 10% increase of the ratio of ω-6/ω-3 was only weakly associated with the risk for all-cause mortality [HR 1.02 (1.00, 1.04), P = 0.034]. As for CVD mortality, the impacts of total and each type of FA disappeared after adjustment for laboratory or nutrients variables. CONCLUSIONS: Time-averaged PUFA intake was independently associated with a lower risk for all-cause mortality in our PD cohort, while the higher ratio of MUFA/PUFA and ω-6/ω-3 increased all-cause mortality. More observational and interventional researches are needed to determine these associations.

Dietary Potassium and Clinical Outcomes among Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis.

BACKGROUND: The association between dietary potassium and clinical prognosis is unclear in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here, we explored the association between dietary potassium intake and all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. METHODS: Here, we present a retrospective analysis of a prospective study. Patients that began incident PD in our center between 1 October 2002 and 31 August 2014 were screened. We recorded all demographic and clinical data at baseline. Repeated measurements were recorded at regular intervals to calculate time-averaged values. Spline regression analysis and Cox proportional regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between dietary potassium and mortality. RESULTS: We followed 881 PD patients for 45.0 (21.5, 80.0) months; 467 patients died, of which 189 (40.5%) died of CV death and 93 were still on PD treatment. Compared with those who had baseline dietary potassium ≥1200 mg/d, the majority of patients with lower dietary potassium were female, older, or poorly educated. They were prone to have poorer nutritional status, CV disease, and diabetes mellitus (p < 0.05). In the unadjusted analysis, both baseline and time-averaged dietary potassium <1200 mg/d predicted higher all-cause and CV mortality (p < 0.001~0.01). After adjusting for demographic and laboratory data, the association between potassium intake and all-cause and CV mortality weakened, which even disappeared after additional adjustment for dietary fiber, protein, and energy intake. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary potassium in PD patients was not independently associated with all-cause and CV mortality.