Contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastic imaging for predicting the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in cervical cancer: a feasibility study.

Objective: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and elastography are of great value in the diagnosis of cervical cancer (CC). However, there is limited research on the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastography in predicting concurrent chemoradiotherapy and disease progression for cervical cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastography and tumor prognosis. Methods: MRI was performed on 98 patients with cervical cancer before and after treatment. Before, during, and 1 week after the treatment, contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography were conducted, and the alterations of ultrasound-related parameters at each time point of the treatment were compared. The correlation between contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastic imaging and oncological outcome was assessed. Results: There was no notable difference in overall clinical data between the complete remission (CR) group and the partial remission (PR) group (P>0.05). Before treatment, there were no statistically significant differences in elasticity score, time to peak (TTP), and peak intensity (PI) between the CR group and the PR group. However, there were no statistical differences in elastic strain ratio (SR) and area under the curve (AUC) before and after treatment between the CR group and the PR group, and there were also no statistical differences in the elastic strain ratio (SR) and area under the curve (AUC) of contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters between the CR group and the PR group before and during treatment. There was a statistically significant difference after treatment (P<0.05).At present, the follow-up of patients is about 1 year, 7 patients were excluded due to loss to follow-up, and 91 patients were included in the follow-up study. Through the review of the cases and combined with MRI (version RECIST1.1) and serology and other related examinations, if the patient has a new lesion or the lesion is larger than before, the tumor marker Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) is significantly increased twice in a row, and the patient is divided into progressive disease (PD). Those who did not see significant changes were divided into stable disease (SD) group. The relationship between clinical characteristics, ultrasound parameters and disease progression in 91 patients was compared. There was no significant difference in age and clinical stage between the two groups (P>0.05), but there was a significant difference in the elevation of tumor marker squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) between the two groups (P<0.05).With the growth of tumors, TTP decreased, elasticity score and PI increased, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The AUC of SCC-Ag was 0.655, the sensitivity was 85.3%, and the specificity was 45.6%.The AUC, sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound parameters combined with SCC-Ag predicted disease progression was 0.959, 91.2% and 94.8%. Conclusions: Using contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography to predict the efficacy and disease progression of concurrent chemoradiotherapy is feasible. In addition, the combination of SCC-Ag with contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography can further enhance the efficiency of predicting disease progression.

The clinical efficacy and safety of different biliary drainage in malignant obstructive jaundice: a meta-analysis.

Background: Currently, percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) are commonly employed in clinical practice to alleviate malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ). Nevertheless, there lacks a consensus regarding the superiority of either method in terms of efficacy and safety. Aim: To conduct a systematic evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of PTCD and ERCP in treating MOJ, and to compare the therapeutic outcomes and safety profiles of these two procedures. Methods: CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, CBM, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the use of PTCD or ERCP for MOJ. The search period was from the establishment of the databases to July 2023. After quality assessment and data extraction from the included studies, Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan5.3 software. Results: A total of 21 RCTs involving 1,693 patients were included. Meta-analysis revealed that there was no significant difference in the surgical success rate between the two groups for patients with low biliary obstruction (P=0.81). For patients with high biliary obstruction, the surgical success rate of the PTCD group was higher than that of the ERCP group (P < 0.0001), and the overall surgical success rate of the PTCD group was also higher than that of the ERCP group (P = 0.008). For patients with low biliary obstruction, the rate of jaundice relief (P < 0.00001) and the clinical efficacy (P = 0.0005) were better in the ERCP group, while for patients with high biliary obstruction, the rate of jaundice relief (P < 0.00001) and the clinical efficacy (P = 0.003) were better in the PTCD group. There was no significant difference in the overall jaundice remission rate and clinical efficacy between the two groups (P = 0.77, 0.53). There was no significant difference in the reduction of ALT, TBIL, and DBIL before and after surgery and the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Both PTCD and ERCP can efficiently alleviate biliary obstruction and enhance liver function. ERCP is effective in treating low biliary obstruction, while PTCD is more advantageous in treating high biliary obstruction.

Genomic and pangenomic analyses provide insights into the population history and genomic diversification of bottle gourd.

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Strandl.) is an economically important vegetable crop and one of the earliest domesticated crops. However, the population history and genomic diversification of bottle gourd have not been extensively studied. We generated a comprehensive bottle gourd genome variation map from genome sequences of 197 world-wide representative accessions, which enables a genome-wide association study for identifying genomic loci associated with resistance to zucchini yellow mosaic virus, and constructed a bottle gourd pangenome that harbors 1534 protein-coding genes absent in the reference genome. Demographic analyses uncover that domesticated bottle gourd originated in Southern Africa c. 12 000 yr ago, and subsequently radiated to the New World via the Atlantic drift and to Eurasia through the efforts of early farmers in the initial Holocene. The identified highly differentiated genomic regions among different bottle gourd populations harbor many genes contributing to their local adaptations such as those related to disease resistance and stress tolerance. Presence/absence variation analysis of genes in the pangenome reveals numerous genes including those involved in abiotic/biotic stress responses that have been under selection during the world-wide expansion of bottle gourds. The bottle gourd variation map and pangenome provide valuable resources for future functional studies and genomics-assisted breeding.

Reduced Graphene Oxide Modulated FeSe/C Anode Materials for High-Stable and Long-Life Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been demonstrated to effectively enhance the potassium storage performance of transition metal selenides due to its robust mechanical properties and high conductivity. However, the impact of rGO on the electrode-electrolyte interface, a crucial factor in the electrochemical performance of potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), requires further exploration. In this study, we synthesized a seamless architecture of rGO on FeSe/C nanocrystals (FeSe/C@rGO). Comparative analysis between FeSe/C and FeSe/C@rGO reveals that the rGO layer exhibits robust adsorption energies towards EC and DEC, inducing the formation of organic-rich solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) without damage to the structural integrity. Furthermore, incorporating rGO triggers K+ -ions into the double electrode layer (EDL), markedly improving the transport of K+ -ions. As a PIB anode, FeSe/C@rGO exhibits a reversible capacity of 332 mAh g-1 at 200 mA g-1 after 300 cycles, along with excellent long-term cycling stability, showcasing an ultralow decay rate of only 0.086 % per cycle after 1900 cycles at 1000 mA g-1 .

A high-resolution genotype-phenotype map identifies the TaSPL17 controlling grain number and size in wheat.

BACKGROUND: Large-scale genotype-phenotype association studies of crop germplasm are important for identifying alleles associated with favorable traits. The limited number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in most wheat genome-wide association studies (GWASs) restricts their power to detect marker-trait associations. Additionally, only a few genes regulating grain number per spikelet have been reported due to sensitivity of this trait to variable environments. RESULTS: We perform a large-scale GWAS using approximately 40 million filtered SNPs for 27 spike morphology traits. We detect 132,086 significant marker-trait associations and the associated SNP markers are located within 590 associated peaks. We detect additional and stronger peaks by dividing spike morphology into sub-traits relative to GWAS results of spike morphology traits. We propose that the genetic dissection of spike morphology is a powerful strategy to detect signals for grain yield traits in wheat. The GWAS results reveal that TaSPL17 positively controls grain size and number by regulating spikelet and floret meristem development, which in turn leads to enhanced grain yield per plant. The haplotypes at TaSPL17 indicate geographical differentiation, domestication effects, and breeding selection. CONCLUSION: Our study provides valuable resources for genetic improvement of spike morphology and a fast-forward genetic solution for candidate gene detection and cloning in wheat.

Genetic basis of geographical differentiation and breeding selection for wheat plant architecture traits.

BACKGROUND: Plant architecture associated with increased grain yield and adaptation to the local environments is selected during wheat (Triticum aestivum) breeding. The internode length of individual stems and tiller length of individual plants are important for the determination of plant architecture. However, few studies have explored the genetic basis of these traits. RESULTS: Here, we conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to dissect the genetic basis of geographical differentiation of these traits in 306 worldwide wheat accessions including both landraces and traditional varieties. We determine the changes of haplotypes for the associated genomic regions in frequency in 831 wheat accessions that are either introduced from other countries or developed in China from last two decades. We identify 83 loci that are associated with one trait, while the remaining 247 loci are pleiotropic. We also find 163 associated loci are under strong selective sweep. GWAS results demonstrate independent regulation of internode length of individual stems and consistent regulation of tiller length of individual plants. This makes it possible to obtain ideal haplotype combinations of the length of four internodes. We also find that the geographical distribution of the haplotypes explains the observed differences in internode length among the worldwide wheat accessions. CONCLUSION: This study provides insights into the genetic basis of plant architecture. It will facilitate gene functional analysis and molecular design of plant architecture for breeding.

Ultra-low threshold continuous-wave quantum dot mini-BIC lasers.

Highly compact lasers with ultra-low threshold and single-mode continuous wave (CW) operation have been a long sought-after component for photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Photonic bound states in the continuum (BICs), due to their excellent ability of trapping light and enhancing light-matter interaction, have been investigated in lasing configurations combining various BIC cavities and optical gain materials. However, the realization of BIC laser with a highly compact size and an ultra-low CW threshold has remained elusive. We demonstrate room temperature CW BIC lasers in the 1310 nm O-band wavelength range, by fabricating a miniaturized BIC cavity in an InAs/GaAs epitaxial quantum dot (QD) gain membrane. By enabling effective trapping of both light and carriers in all three dimensions, ultra-low threshold of 12 µW (0.052 kW cm-2) is achieved at room temperature. Single-mode lasing is also realized in cavities as small as only 5 × 5 unit cells (~2.5 × 2.5 µm2 cavity size) with a mode volume of 1.16(λ/n)3. The maximum operation temperature reaches 70 °C with a characteristic temperature of T0 ~93.9 K. With its advantages in terms of a small footprint, ultra-low power consumption, and adaptability for integration, the mini-BIC lasers offer a perspective light source for future PICs aimed at high-capacity optical communications, sensing and quantum information.

Stress-Dispersed Superstructure of Sn3 (PO4 )2 @PC Derived from Programmable Assembly of Metal-Organic Framework as Long-Life Potassium/Sodium-Ion Batteries Anodes.

The structures of anode materials significantly affect their properties in rechargeable batteries. Material nanosizing and electrode integrity are both beneficial for performance enhancement of batteries, but it is challenging to guarantee optimized nanosizing particles and high structural integrity simultaneously. Herein, a programmable assembly strategy of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is used to construct a Sn-based MOF superstructure precursor. After calcination under inert atmosphere, the as-fabricated Sn3 (PO4 )2 @phosphorus doped carbon (Sn3 (PO4 )2 @PC-48) well inherited the morphology of Sn-MOF superstructure precursor. The resultant new material exhibits appreciable reversible capacity and low capacity degradation for K+ storage (144.0 mAh g-1 at 5 A g-1 with 90.1% capacity retained after 10000 cycles) and Na+ storage (202.5 mAh g-1 at 5 A g-1 with 96.0% capacity retained after 8000 cycles). Detailed characterizations, density functional theory calculations, and finite element analysis simulations reveal that the optimized electronic structure and the stress-dispersed superstructure morphology of Sn3 (PO4 )2 @PC promote the electronic conductivity, enhance K+ / Na+ binding ability and improve the structure stabilization efficiently. This strategy to optimize the structure of anode materials by controlling the MOF growth process offer new dimension to regulate the materials precisely in the energy field.

The Adsorptive Separation of Ethylene from C2 Hydrocarbons by Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Separating ethylene (C2 H4 ) from the C2 hydrocarbons is of prime industrial importance for the process of high-purity C2 H4 as an essential raw material in the petrochemical industry. Due to their similar physicochemical properties, the separation of C2 H4 from the C2 hydrocarbons typically entails high-energy separation technologies such as cryogenic distillation and extraction. Alternatively, adsorption separation using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are low-energy separation technologies that manufacture high-purity gas under mild conditions. In this review, we summarized the recent advances in MOFs for the separation and purification of C2 H4 from the C2 hydrocarbons. The mechanisms underlying separating C2 H4 from the C2 hydrocarbons using MOFs are also highlighted. This review also discussed the major challenges and developments of MOFs to separate C2 H4 from the C2 hydrocarbons.

Controllable Exfoliation of MOF-Derived Van Der Waals Superstructure into Ultrathin 2D B/N Co-Doped Porous Carbon Nanosheets: A Superior Catalyst for Ambient Ammonia Electrosynthesis.

The electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) to synthesize NH3 under ambient conditions is a promising alternative route to the conventional Haber-Bosch process, but it is still a great challenge to develop electrocatalysts' high Faraday efficiency and ammonia yield. Herein, a facile and efficient exfoliation strategy to synthesize ultrathin 2D boron and nitrogen co-doped porous carbon nanosheets (B/NC NS) via a metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived van der Waals superstructure, is reported. The results of experiments and theoretical calculations show that the doping of boron and nitrogen can modulate the electronic structure of the adjacent carbon atoms; which thus, promotes the competitive adsorption of nitrogen and reduces the energy required for ammonia synthesis. The B/NC NS exhibits excellent catalytic performance and stability in electrocatalytic NRR, with a yield rate of 153.4 µg·h-1 ·mg-1 cat and a Faraday efficiency of 33.1%, which is better than most of the reported NRR electrocatalysts. The ammonia yield of B/NC NS can maintain 92.7% of the initial NRR activity after 48 h stability test. The authors' controllable exfoliation strategy using MOF-derived van der Waals superstructure can provide a new insight for the synthesis of other 2D materials.

Population genomics unravels the Holocene history of bread wheat and its relatives.

Deep knowledge of crop biodiversity is essential to improving global food security. Despite bread wheat serving as a keystone crop worldwide, the population history of bread wheat and its relatives, both cultivated and wild, remains elusive. By analysing whole-genome sequences of 795 wheat accessions, we found that bread wheat originated from the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea and underwent a slow speciation process, lasting ~3,300 yr owing to persistent gene flow from its relatives. Soon after, bread wheat spread across Eurasia and reached Europe, South Asia and East Asia ~7,000 to ~5,000 yr ago, shaping a diversified but occasionally convergent adaptive landscape in novel environments. By contrast, the cultivated relatives of bread wheat experienced a population decline by ~82% over the past ~2,000 yr due to the food choice shift of humans. Further biogeographical modelling predicted a continued population shrinking of many bread wheat relatives in the coming decades because of their vulnerability to the changing climate. These findings will guide future efforts in protecting and utilizing wheat biodiversity to enhance global wheat production.

Metal-Organic Framework Derived Ni2P/FeP@NPC Heterojunction as Stability Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Large Current Density Water Splitting.

The construction of heterojunction has been widely accepted as a prospective strategy for the exploration of non-precious metal-based catalysts that possess high-performance to achieve electrochemical water splitting. Herein, we design and prepare a metal-organic framework derived N, P-doped-carbon-encapsulated Ni2P/FeP nanorod with heterojunction (Ni2P/FeP@NPC) for accelerating the water splitting and working stably at industrially relevant high current densities. Electrochemical results confirmed that Ni2P/FeP@NPC could both accelerate the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions. It could substantially expedite the overall water splitting (1.94 V for 100 mA cm-2) which is close to the performance of RuO2 and the Pt/C couple (1.92 V for 100 mA cm-2). In particular, the durability test exhibited that Ni2P/FeP@NPC delivers 500 mA cm-2 without decay after 200 h, demonstrating the great potential for large-scale applications. Furthermore, the density functional theory simulations demonstrated that the heterojunction interface could give rise to the redistribution of electrons, which could not only optimize the adsorption energy of H-containing intermediates to achieve the optimal ΔGH* in a hydrogen evolution reaction, but also reduce the ΔG value in the rate-determining step of an oxygen evolution reaction, thus improving the HER/OER performance.

Self-Terminating Surface Reconstruction Induced by High-Index Facets of Delafossite for Accelerating Ammonia Oxidation Reaction Involving Lattice Oxygen.

Ammonia (NH3 ) is a promising hydrogen (H2 ) carrier for future carbon-free energy systems, due to its high hydrogen content and easiness to be liquefied. Inexpensive and efficient catalysts for ammonia electro-oxidation reaction (AOR) are desired in whole ammonia-based energy systems. In this work, ultrasmall delafossite (CuFeO2 ) polyhedrons with exposed high-index facets are prepared by a one-step NH3 -assisted hydrothermal method, serving as AOR pre-catalysts. The high-index CuFeO2 facet is revealed to facilitate surface reconstruction into active Cu-doped FeOOH nanolayers during AOR processes in ammonia alkaline solutions, which is driven by the favorable Cu leaching and terminates as the 2p levels of internal lattice oxygen change. The reconstructed heterostructures of CuFeO2 and Cu-doped FeOOH effectively activate the dehydrogenation steps of NH3 and exhibit a potential improvement of 260 mV for electrocatalytic AOR at 10 mA cm-2 compared to the pre-restructured phase. Further, density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that a lower energy barrier of the rate-determining step (*NH3 to *NH2 ) is presented on high-index CuFeO2 facets covered with Cu-doped FeOOH nanolayers. Innovatively, lattice oxygen atoms in Fe-based oxides and oxyhydroxide are involved in the dehydrogenation steps of AOR as a proton acceptor, broadening the horizons for rational designs of AOR catalysts.

Reticular Coordination Induced Interfacial Interstitial Carbon Atoms on Ni Nanocatalysts for Highly Selective Hydrogenation of Bio-Based Furfural under Facile Conditions.

A rational design of transition metal catalysts to achieve selective hydrogenation of furfural (FFR) to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA) under facile conditions is a promising option. In this work, a series of Ni catalysts were synthesized by controlled thermal treatment of Ni-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), with the purpose of modulating the interface of nickel nanoparticles by the reticular coordination in MOF precursors. The catalytic performance indicates that Ni/C catalyst obtained at 400 °C exhibits efficient conversion of FFR (>99%) and high selectivity to THFA (96.1%), under facile conditions (80 °C, 3 MPa H2, 4.0 h). The decomposition of MOF at low temperatures results in highly dispersed Ni0 particles and interfacial charge transfer from metal to interstitial carbon atoms induced by coordination in MOF. The electron-deficient Ni species on the Ni surface results in an electropositive surface of Ni nanoparticles in Ni/C-400, which ameliorates furfural adsorption and enhances the hydrogen heterolysis process, finally achieving facile hydrogenation of FFR to THFA.

Adsorption in Reversed Order of C2 Hydrocarbons on an Ultramicroporous Fluorinated Metal-Organic Framework.

Metal-organic frameworks have been widely studied in the separation of C2 hydrocarbons, which usually preferentially bind unsaturated hydrocarbons with the order of acetylene (C2 H2 )>ethylene (C2 H4 )>ethane (C2 H6 ). Herein, we report an ultramicroporous fluorinated metal-organic framework Zn-FBA (H2 FBA=4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)bis(benzoic acid)), shows a reversed adsorption order characteristic for C2 hydrocarbons, that the uptake for C2 hydrocarbons of the framework and the binding affinity between the guest molecule and the framework follows the order C2 H6 >C2 H4 >C2 H2 . Density-functional theory calculations confirm that the completely reversed adsorption order behavior is attributed to the close van der Waals interactions and multiple cooperative C-H⋅⋅⋅F hydrogen bonds between the framework and C2 H6 . Moreover, Zn-FBA exhibits a high selectivity of about 2.9 for C2 H6 over C2 H4 at 298 K and 1 bar. The experimental breakthrough studies show that the high-purity C2 H4 can be obtained from C2 H6 and C2 H4 mixtures in one step.

Effect of Cu Content on the Precipitation Behaviors, Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of As-Cast Ti-Cu Alloys.

Ti-Cu alloys have broad application prospects in the biomedical field due to their excellent properties. The properties of Ti-Cu alloys are strongly dependent on Cu content, microstructures, its Ti2Cu phase and its preparation process. The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of Cu content on the precipitation behaviors, mechanical and corrosion properties of the as-cast Ti-Cu alloys. The microstructures and phase evolution were characterized by SEM and TEM, and the properties were studied by tensile and electrochemical test. The results show that the volume fraction of Ti2Cu phase increases with the increase of Cu content. The Ti2Cu phase presents a variety of microscopic morphologies with different Cu content, such as rod, granular, lath and block shaped. The crystal orientation relationships between the Ti2Cu and α-Ti matrix in Ti-4Cu and Ti-10Cu alloys are (103)Ti2Cu//(0[11¯11)α-Ti, [3¯01]Ti2Cu//[21¯1¯0]α-Ti, and (103)Ti2Cu//(0002)α-Ti, [3¯31]Ti2Cu//[12¯10]α-Ti, respectively. The tensile strength, Vickers hardness and Young's modulus of the Ti-Cu alloys increase with the increase of Cu content, whereas the elongation decreases. The fracture morphologies of these alloys reveal ductile, ductile-brittle hybrid, and cleavage brittle mode, respectively. The corrosion resistance of the Ti-Cu alloys in SBF solution can be described as: Ti-4Cu alloy > Ti-10Cu alloy > Ti-7Cu alloy. The volume fraction of Ti2Cu phases and the "protective barrier" provided by the fine lath Ti2Cu phases strongly affected the electrochemical performances of the alloys.

Facile Fabrication of a Foamed Ag3CuS2 Film as an Efficient Self-Supporting Electrocatalyst for Ammonia Electrolysis Producing Hydrogen.

Ammonia (NH3) is one of the hydrogen carriers that has received extensive attention due to its high hydrogen content and carbon-free nature. The ammonia electro-oxidation reaction (AOR) and the liquid AOR (LAOR) are integral parts of an ammonia-based energy system. The exploration of low-cost and efficient electrocatalysts for the AOR and LAOR is very important but very difficult. In this work, a novel self-supporting AOR and LAOR bifunctional electrocatalyst of a Ag3CuS2 film is synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The Ag3CuS2 film without a substrate shows efficient catalytic activity and enhanced stability for NH3 electrolysis in both aqueous ammonia solution and liquid ammonia, including an onset potential of 0.7 V for the AOR and an onset potential of 0.4 V for the LAOR. The density functional theory calculations prove that compared to Cu atoms, Ag atoms with appropriate charge density on the surface of Ag3CuS2 are more electrocatalytically active for NH3 splitting, including the low energy barrier in the rate-determining *NH3 dehydrogenation step and the spontaneous tendency in the N2 desorption process. Overall, the foamed Ag3CuS2 film is one of prospective low-cost and stable electrocatalysts for the AOR and LAOR, and the self-supporting strategy without a substrate provides more perspectives to tailor more meaningful and powerful electrocatalysts.