A Mixed-Effect Kernel Machine Regression Model for Integrative Analysis of Alpha Diversity in Microbiome Studies.

Increasing evidence suggests that human microbiota plays a crucial role in many diseases. Alpha diversity, a commonly used summary statistic that captures the richness and/or evenness of the microbial community, has been associated with many clinical conditions. However, individual studies that assess the association between alpha diversity and clinical conditions often provide inconsistent results due to insufficient sample size, heterogeneous study populations and technical variability. In practice, meta-analysis tools have been applied to integrate data from multiple studies. However, these methods do not consider the heterogeneity caused by sequencing protocols, and the contribution of each study to the final model depends mainly on its sample size (or variance estimate). To combine studies with distinct sequencing protocols, a robust statistical framework for integrative analysis of microbiome datasets is needed. Here, we propose a mixed-effect kernel machine regression model to assess the association of alpha diversity with a phenotype of interest. Our approach readily incorporates the study-specific characteristics (including sequencing protocols) to allow for flexible modeling of microbiome effect via a kernel similarity matrix. Within the proposed framework, we provide three hypothesis testing approaches to answer different questions that are of interest to researchers. We evaluate the model performance through extensive simulations based on two distinct data generation mechanisms. We also apply our framework to data from HIV reanalysis consortium to investigate gut dysbiosis in HIV infection.

The association between the amount and timing of coffee consumption with chronic kidney disease in diabetic patients.

Previous studies have suggested that diabetic patients should align their food and nutrient intake with their biological metabolic rhythm. However, the optimal timing of coffee consumption to prevent the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in diabetic patients remains unknown. This study aims to examine the association between the amount and timing of coffee consumption and CKD prevalence in diabetic patients. We recruited a nationally representative sample of 8564 diabetes patients from NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) from 2003 to 2018. Coffee intake was assessed using a 24 hour dietary recall and categorized into different time periods throughout the day: dawn-to-forenoon (5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.), forenoon-to-noon (8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.), noon-to-evening (12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.), and evening-to-dawn (6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.). Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between the amount and timing of coffee consumption and the prevalence of CKD in diabetic patients. After adjusting for potential confounders, diabetic patients who had the status of coffee consumption throughout the day had a lower prevalence of CKD compared to those who did not (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.80-0.99). In terms of the timing of coffee consumption, diabetic patients who consumed coffee or had higher levels of coffee consumption from dawn-to-forenoon had a lower incidence risk of CKD (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77-0.98; OR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.70-0.98). Conversely, diabetic patients who consumed higher levels of coffee during the noon-to-evening and evening-to-dawn periods had an increased incidence risk of CKD (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.07-1.71 and OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.01-1.64, respectively). These observations remained robust across different participant subtypes. Our results indicated that diabetic patients who consumed coffee from dawn-to-forenoon had a lower risk of developing CKD, while those who consumed coffee from noon-to-evening or evening-to-dawn had an increased risk.

Identifying unmeasured heterogeneity in microbiome data via quantile thresholding (QuanT).

Microbiome data exhibit technical and biomedical heterogeneity due to varied processing and experimental designs, which may lead to spurious results if uncorrected. Here, we introduce the Quantile Thresholding (QuanT) method, a comprehensive non-parametric hidden variable inference method that accommodates the complex distributions of microbial read counts and relative abundances. We apply QuanT to synthetic and real data sets and demonstrate its ability to identify unmeasured heterogeneity and improve downstream analysis.

The complete chloroplast genome of Pilea notata C. H. Wright, 1899 (Urticaceae).

Pilea notata (Pilea notata C. H. Wright_C. H. Wright, 1899) is Pilea Lindl. of Urticaceae, which is a commonly used Miao medicine in Guizhou province. The P. notata chloroplast genome is 150,979 bp, contains a pair of inverted repeats (IRs 25,743bp), and is separated by a large single-copy region (81,446bp) and a small single-copy region (18,047bp). A total of 131 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. notata, P. verrucosa and P. monilifera united as a single branch, while Pilea cadierei was defined as a sister group of this branch.

X-ray ghost imaging with a specially developed beam splitter.

X-ray ghost imaging with a crystal beam splitter has advantages in highly efficient imaging due to the simultaneous acquisition of signals from both the object beam and reference beam. However, beam splitting with a large field of view, uniform distribution and high correlation has been a great challenge up to now. Therefore, a dedicated beam splitter has been developed by optimizing the optical layout of a synchrotron radiation beamline and the fabrication process of a Laue crystal. A large field of view, consistent size, uniform intensity distribution and high correlation were obtained simultaneously for the two split beams. Modulated by a piece of copper foam upstream of the splitter, a correlation of 92% between the speckle fields of the object and reference beam and a Glauber function of 1.25 were achieved. Taking advantage of synthetic aperture X-ray ghost imaging (SAXGI), a circuit board of size 880 × 330 pixels was successfully imaged with high fidelity. In addition, even though 16 measurements corresponding to a sampling rate of 1% in SAXGI were used for image reconstruction, the skeleton structure of the circuit board can still be determined. In conclusion, the specially developed beam splitter is applicable for the efficient implementation of X-ray ghost imaging.

Mechanistic Insights into Suanzaoren Decoction's Improvement of Cardiac Contractile Function in Anxiety-Induced Cardiac Insufficiency.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: According to traditional Chinese medicine, Anxiety-induced cardiac blood insufficiency leads to palpitations and restlessness. Suanzaoren Decoction (SD) is effective in replenishing blood and promoting blood circulation. Clinical practice has shown that it has a better therapeutic effect on cardiac insufficiency. However, its mechanism of action is still unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: The study aims to determine the mechanism by which SD treats chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced anxiety-induced cardiac insufficiency (ACI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: SD was orally administered to mice with CRS-induced ACI. Firstly, we constructed an anxiety model in mice by CRS. Subsequently, SD was investigated to assess cardiac function and pathological changes through echocardiography, H&E staining, and Masson staining. Thirdly, the function of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves was evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and enzyme activity assays. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were employed to predict potential targets for SD treatment of cardiac insufficiency. CaMKII expression was scrutinized utilizing publicly accessible databases. CaMKII was identified as a target through immunohistochemistry and Western Blot analysis in mouse hearts. Finally, the therapeutic mechanism of SD was confirmed in injured cardiomyocytes via Western Blot and quantitative PCR. RESULTS: SD exerted anxiolytic effects by increasing the frequency of entries into and the duration spent in open arms while reducing the time spent in the light chamber and increasing the number of transitions between light and dark chambers. Additionally, it mitigated cardiac insufficiency, as evidenced by the enhancement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and attenuation of cardiomyocyte damage and inflammatory infiltration. However, SD did not alleviate the elevated norepinephrine (NE) and decreased Acetylcholine (Ach) in anxiety states. To investigate the mechanism of action of SD, we constructed a Drug-Component-Target-Disease network, identifying 13 potential active compounds. Additionally, leveraging bioinformatics analysis and molecular docking targeting heart diseases characterized by clinical left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), we focused on the CaMKII target. The ability of SD to modulate CaMKII expression and phosphorylation in the mouse heart was investigated using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. SD was found to alleviate NE-injured cardiomyocytes by modulating the Ca2+/CaMKII/MEF2 and GATA4 pathways. CONCLUSION: SD is a potential formula for the treatment of chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced ACI that ameliorates cardiomyocyte injury and improves cardiac function. Its efficacy is associated with the inhibition of the Ca2+/ CaMKII /MEF2 and GATA4 signaling pathways.

MIDASim: a fast and simple simulator for realistic microbiome data.

BACKGROUND: Advances in sequencing technology has led to the discovery of associations between the human microbiota and many diseases, conditions, and traits. With the increasing availability of microbiome data, many statistical methods have been developed for studying these associations. The growing number of newly developed methods highlights the need for simple, rapid, and reliable methods to simulate realistic microbiome data, which is essential for validating and evaluating the performance of these methods. However, generating realistic microbiome data is challenging due to the complex nature of microbiome data, which feature correlation between taxa, sparsity, overdispersion, and compositionality. Current methods for simulating microbiome data are deficient in their ability to capture these important features of microbiome data, or can require exorbitant computational time. METHODS: We develop MIDASim (MIcrobiome DAta Simulator), a fast and simple approach for simulating realistic microbiome data that reproduces the distributional and correlation structure of a template microbiome dataset. MIDASim is a two-step approach. The first step generates correlated binary indicators that represent the presence-absence status of all taxa, and the second step generates relative abundances and counts for the taxa that are considered to be present in step 1, utilizing a Gaussian copula to account for the taxon-taxon correlations. In the second step, MIDASim can operate in both a nonparametric and parametric mode. In the nonparametric mode, the Gaussian copula uses the empirical distribution of relative abundances for the marginal distributions. In the parametric mode, a generalized gamma distribution is used in place of the empirical distribution. RESULTS: We demonstrate improved performance of MIDASim relative to other existing methods using gut and vaginal data. MIDASim showed superior performance by PERMANOVA and in terms of alpha diversity and beta dispersion in either parametric or nonparametric mode. We also show how MIDASim in parametric mode can be used to assess the performance of methods for finding differentially abundant taxa in a compositional model. CONCLUSIONS: MIDASim is easy to implement, flexible and suitable for most microbiome data simulation situations. MIDASim has three major advantages. First, MIDASim performs better in reproducing the distributional features of real data compared to other methods, at both the presence-absence level and the relative-abundance level. MIDASim-simulated data are more similar to the template data than competing methods, as quantified using a variety of measures. Second, MIDASim makes few distributional assumptions for the relative abundances, and thus can easily accommodate complex distributional features in real data. Third, MIDASim is computationally efficient and can be used to simulate large microbiome datasets. Video Abstract.

A multi-bin rarefying method for evaluating alpha diversities in TCR sequencing data.

MOTIVATION: T cell receptors (TCRs) constitute a major component of our adaptive immune system, governing the recognition and response to internal and external antigens. Studying the TCR diversity via sequencing technology is critical for a deeper understanding of immune dynamics. However, library sizes differ substantially across samples, hindering the accurate estimation/comparisons of alpha diversities. To address this, researchers frequently use an overall rarefying approach in which all samples are sub-sampled to an even depth. Despite its pervasive application, its efficacy has never been rigorously assessed. RESULTS: In this paper, we develop an innovative "multi-bin" rarefying approach that partitions samples into multiple bins according to their library sizes, conducts rarefying within each bin for alpha diversity calculations, and performs meta-analysis across bins. Extensive simulations using real-world data highlight the inadequacy of the overall rarefying approach in controlling the confounding effect of library size. Our method proves robust in addressing library size confounding, outperforming competing normalization strategies by achieving better-controlled type-I error rates and enhanced statistical power in association tests. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The code is available at https://github.com/mli171/MultibinAlpha. The datasets are freely available at https://doi.org/10.21417/B7001Z and https://doi.org/10.21417/AR2019NC.

Influence of Epoxy Resin Interlayer Interfaces on Electrical Tree Growth and Breakdown Characteristics.

The solid-solid insulation interface structure is a typical interface in extra-high-voltage power equipment, in which the multilayer epoxy resin material is a key component in the insulation structure of the power equipment, and the study of its interface characteristics is the most important. In this paper, epoxy-epoxy cross-linking interface specimens were prepared through experiments, and the degree of cross-linking between the interfaces was analyzed by changing the ratio of the curing agent and adding hydroxyl-terminated liquid nitrile rubber (HTBN) particles; it can be concluded that there exists a weak cross-linking reaction between the interfaces. The electrical tree measurement and alternating current (AC) breakdown test platform were set up, and three different cases of no interface, the electric field direction parallel to the interface, and the electric field direction perpendicular to the interface were tested, through which it was concluded that the existence of the interface inhibited the development of the electrical tree. For the three different cases of AC breakdown tested, it was concluded that the presence of an interface enhances the AC breakdown strength when the electric field direction is parallel to the interface and decreases the AC breakdown strength when the electric field direction is perpendicular to the interface through the interface, affecting the charge transport.

A Multilayer Photothermal Superhydrophobic Anti-Icing Coating Applied to Asphalt Pavement with Remarkable Wear Resistance.

Superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit considerable potential in road anti-icing applications due to their unique water-repellent properties. However, the nanorough structure of superhydrophobic coatings is highly susceptible to degradation under wheel rolling in practical applications. To maintain effective hydrophobicity under prolonged exposure to wheel rolling, a multilayer superhydrophobic anti-icing coating was developed. This coating utilizes antifreeze protein (AFP)-modified emulsified asphalt as the substrate with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and silicon carbide (SiC) as surface coatings. Experimental results indicate that the inclusion of AFP enhances the viscosity of the emulsified asphalt, thereby stabilizing the nanorough structure of the coating. Even after 100 cycles of sandpaper grinding and 500 wheel rolls, the coating maintains robust hydrophobic properties. Moreover, when the coating is worn away by long-term high-strength loads, the exposed AFP-modified emulsified asphalt layer continues to exhibit effective anti-icing capabilities, significantly prolonging the complete freezing time of water droplets on its surface. Additionally, the incorporation of CNTs and SiC enhances the photothermal conversion performance, further improving the anti-icing efficiency of the coating under light irradiation. Overall, this coating shows promise for application in road anti-icing strategies.

Lightweight and drift-free magnetically actuated millirobots via asymmetric laser-induced graphene.

Millirobots must have low cost, efficient locomotion, and the ability to track target trajectories precisely if they are to be widely deployed. With current materials and fabrication methods, achieving all of these features in one millirobot remains difficult. We develop a series of graphene-based helical millirobots by introducing asymmetric light pattern distortion to a laser-induced polymer-to-graphene conversion process; this distortion resulted in the spontaneous twisting and peeling off of graphene sheets from the polymer substrate. The lightweight nature of graphene in combine with the laser-induced porous microstructure provides a millirobot scaffold with a low density and high surface hydrophobicity. Magnetically driven nickel-coated graphene-based helical millirobots with rapid locomotion, excellent trajectory tracking, and precise drug delivery ability were fabricated from the scaffold. Importantly, such high-performance millirobots are fabricated at a speed of 77 scaffolds per second, demonstrating their potential in high-throughput and large-scale production. By using drug delivery for gastric cancer treatment as an example, we demonstrate the advantages of the graphene-based helical millirobots in terms of their long-distance locomotion and drug transport in a physiological environment. This study demonstrates the potential of the graphene-based helical millirobots to meet performance, versatility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness requirements simultaneously.

Study on the antidepressive effects and mechanism of raw and fried Ziziphi Spinosae Semen via metabolomics and gut microbiota analysis.

Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS) and fried ZSS (FZSS) have been used for treating insomnia and depression in China. However, the potential influence of chemical variations on their efficacy remains unclear. This study demonstrated that compared with ZSS, FZSS exhibited an increase in the content of seven compounds, while the fatty oil content decreased. Both ZSS and FZSS exhibited antidepressive effects in a chronic unpredictable mild stress rat model, indicating a synergistic regulation of deficiencies in 5-hydroxytryptamine in the brain and the hyperactivation of severe peripheral inflammation. ZSS demonstrated a superior modulatory effect compared with FZSS, as indicated by integrated pharmacodynamic index, metabolic profile, and relative distance value. The potential mechanism underlying their antidepressive effects involved the modulation of gut microbiota structure to alleviate excessive inflammatory responses and imbalanced tryptophan metabolism. Correlation analysis indicated that the higher fatty oil contents should be comprehensively considered as the main reason for ZSS's superior antidepressive effects, achieved through the regulation of pyroglutamic acid levels.

A Mixed Effect Similarity Matrix Regression Model (SMRmix) for Integrating Multiple Microbiome Datasets at Community Level and its Application in HIV.

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of human microbiota in our health and diseases. However, in many areas of research, individual microbiome studies often offer inconsistent results due to the limited sample sizes and the heterogeneity in study populations and experimental procedures. Integrative analysis of multiple microbiome datasets is necessary. However, statistical methods that incorporate multiple microbiome datasets and account for the study heterogeneity are not available in the literature. In this paper, we develop a mixed effect similarity matrix regression (SMRmix) approach for identifying community level microbiome shifts between outcomes. SMRmix has a close connection with the microbiome kernel association test, one of the most popular approaches for such a task but is only applicable when we have a single study. Via extensive simulations, we show that SMRmix has well-controlled type I error and higher power than some potential competitors. We also applied SMRmix to data from the HIV-reanalysis consortium, a collective effort that obtained all publicly available data on gut microbiome and HIV at December 2017, and obtained consistent associations of gut microbiome with HIV infection, and with MSM status (i.e. men who have sex with men).

iso-BAI Guided Surface Recrystallization for Over 14% Tin Halide Perovskite Solar Cells.

Tin-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are promising environmentally friendly alternatives to their lead-based counterparts, yet they currently suffer from much lower device performance. Due to variations in the chemical properties of lead (II) and tin (II) ions, similar treatments may yield distinct effects resulting from differences in underlying mechanisms. In this work, a surface treatment on tin-based perovskite is conducted with a commonly employed ligand, iso-butylammonium iodide (iso-BAI). Unlike the passivation effects previously observed in lead-based perovskites, such treatment leads to the recrystallization of the surface, driven by the higher solubility of tin-based perovskite in common solvents. By carefully designing the solvent composition, the perovskite surface is effectively modified while preserving the integrity of the bulk. The treatment led to enhanced surface crystallinity, reduced surface strain and defects, and improved charge transport. Consequently, the best-performing power conversion efficiency of FASnI3 PSCs increases from 11.8% to 14.2%. This work not only distinguishes the mechanism of surface treatments in tin-based perovskites from that of lead-based counterparts, but also underscores the critical role in designing tailor-made strategies for fabricating efficient tin-based PSCs.

Endothelium-targeted Ddx24 conditional knockout exacerbates ConA-induced hepatitis in mice due to vascular hyper-permeability.

BACKGROUND: Acute hepatitis is a progressive inflammatory disorder that can lead to liver failure. Endothelial permeability is the vital pathophysiological change involved in infiltrating inflammatory factors. DDX24 has been implicated in immune signaling. However, the precise role of DDX24 in immune-mediated hepatitis remains unclear. Here, we investigate the phenotype of endothelium-targeted Ddx24 conditional knockout mice with Concanavalin A (ConA)-induced hepatitis. METHODS: Mice with homozygous endothelium-targeted Ddx24 conditional knockout (Ddx24flox/flox; Cdh5-Cre+) were established using the CRISPR/Cas9 mediated Cre-loxP system. We investigated the biological functions of endothelial cells derived from transgenic mice and explored the effects of Ddx24 in mice with ConA-induced hepatitis in vivo. The mass spectrometry was performed to identify the differentially expressed proteins in liver tissues of transgenic mice. RESULT: We successfully established mice with endothelium-targeted Ddx24 conditional knockout. The results showed migration and tube formation potentials of murine aortic endothelial cells with DDX24 silencing were significantly promoted. No differences were observed between Ddx24flox/flox; Cdh5-Cre+ and control regarding body weight and length, pathological tissue change and embryogenesis. We demonstrated Ddx24flox/flox; Cdh5-Cre+ exhibited exacerbation of ConA-induced hepatitis by up-regulating TNF-α and IFN-γ. Furthermore, endothelium-targeted Ddx24 conditional knockout caused vascular hyper-permeability in ConA-injected mice by down-regulating vascular integrity-associated proteins. Mechanistically, we identified Ddx24 might regulate immune-mediated hepatitis by inflammation-related permeable barrier pathways. CONCLUSION: These findings prove that endothelium-targeted Ddx24 conditional knockout exacerbates ConA-induced hepatitis in mice because of vascular hyper-permeability. The findings indicate a crucial role of DDX24 in regulating immune-mediated hepatitis, suggesting DDX24 as a potential therapeutic target in the disorder.

Association of Oral Microbiome With Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection: A Population Study of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2012.

BACKGROUND: Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the oral microbiome are associated with oropharyngeal cancer. However, population-based data on the association of oral microbiome with oral HPV infection are limited. METHOD: A cross-sectional analysis of 5496 20-59-year-old participants in the 2009-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was performed. Associations with oral HPV infection were assessed using multivariable logistic regression for oral microbiome α-diversity (within-sample diversity), and using principal coordinate analysis and permutational multivariate analysis of variance for ß-diversity (between-sample heterogeneity). RESULTS: Overall, for α-diversity, a lower number of observed amplicon sequence variants (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.996; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .992-.999) and reduced Faith's phylogenetic diversity (aOR = 0.95; 95% CI = .90-.99) were associated with high-risk oral HPV infection. ß-diversity showed differentiation of oral microbiome community by high-risk oral HPV infection as measured by Bray-Curtis dissimilarity (R2 = 0.054%; P = .029) and unweighted UniFrac distance (R2 = 0.046%; P = .045). There were differential associations when stratified by sex. CONCLUSIONS: Both oral microbiome α-diversity and ß-diversity were marginally associated with oral HPV infection. Longitudinal studies are needed to characterize the role of the microbiome in the natural history of oral HPV infection.

Fine particulate matter contributes to COPD-like pathophysiology: experimental evidence from rats exposed to diesel exhaust particles.

BACKGROUND: Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is considered a plausible contributor to the onset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Mechanistic studies are needed to augment the causality of epidemiologic findings. In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that repeated exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP), a model PM2.5, causes COPD-like pathophysiologic alterations, consequently leading to the development of specific disease phenotypes. Sprague Dawley rats, representing healthy lungs, were randomly assigned to inhale filtered clean air or DEP at a steady-state concentration of 1.03 mg/m3 (mass concentration), 4 h per day, consecutively for 2, 4, and 8 weeks, respectively. Pulmonary inflammation, morphologies and function were examined. RESULTS: Black carbon (a component of DEP) loading in bronchoalveolar lavage macrophages demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in rats following DEP exposures of different durations, indicating that DEP deposited and accumulated in the peripheral lung. Total wall areas (WAt) of small airways, but not of large airways, were significantly increased following DEP exposures, compared to those following filtered air exposures. Consistently, the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in peripheral lung was elevated following DEP exposures. Fibrosis areas surrounding the small airways and content of hydroxyproline in lung tissue increased significantly following 4-week and 8-week DEP exposure as compared to the filtered air controls. In addition, goblet cell hyperplasia and mucus hypersecretions were evident in small airways following 4-week and 8-week DEP exposures. Lung resistance and total lung capacity were significantly increased following DEP exposures. Serum levels of two oxidative stress biomarkers (MDA and 8-OHdG) were significantly increased. A dramatical recruitment of eosinophils (14.0-fold increase over the control) and macrophages (3.2-fold increase) to the submucosa area of small airways was observed following DEP exposures. CONCLUSIONS: DEP exposures over the courses of 2 to 8 weeks induced COPD-like pathophysiology in rats, with characteristic small airway remodeling, mucus hypersecretion, and eosinophilic inflammation. The results provide insights on the pathophysiologic mechanisms by which PM2.5 exposures cause COPD especially the eosinophilic phenotype.

Comparison of endovenous microwave ablation versus radiofrequency ablation for lower limb varicose veins.

OBJECTIVE: Endovenous microwave ablation (EMA) is a recently developed thermal ablation technique used in the treatment of lower limb varicose veins. However, its efficacy and safety have been largely understudied. In the present study, we sought to explore the clinical results of EMA and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in treating lower limb varicose veins. METHODS: Patients who underwent EMA (n = 65) or RFA (n = 46) at our institute from September 2018 to September 2020 were included in this retrospective investigation. The clinical results and complications were evaluated at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure. The effects on disease severity and quality of life were evaluated using the venous clinical severity score and chronic venous insufficiency questionnaire (CIVIQ). RESULTS: The technical success rate was 100% for both experimental groups. Although the operative time between the two groups was comparable, the EMA technique was associated with lower direct costs (P < .001), although also with prolonged hospitalization (P < .001). We found that the use of EMA correlated with more pain at 48 hours postoperatively. Except for the visual analog scale scores, no statistically significant variations were observed in the occurrence of postoperative complications within the first 48 hours postoperatively between the EMA and RFA groups, including paresthesia, ecchymosis, induration, and phlebitis (P > .05). At 4 weeks postoperatively, significantly less pigmentation was observed in the RFA group than in the EMA group (13.04% vs 32.31%; P = .020). However, the pigmentation had resolved in all patients by 12 months postoperatively. The two groups had a reduction in the venous clinical severity scores and an increase in the CIVIQ scores after the procedure. However, the CIVIQ scores within the RFA group had increased more than had those within the EMA group (P < .05). No significant differences were found in recurrence between the two groups (EMA group, 1.54%; RFA group, 2.17%; P = .804). CONCLUSIONS: Both ablation techniques are safe and effective. RFA is associated with relatively higher treatment costs but shorter hospitalization and better quality of life improvement.

Postdeposition Halide Exchange for Achieving Deep-Blue Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes: The Role of the Organic Cations in the Chloride Source.

Postdeposition halide exchange has been a popular strategy for tuning the emission wavelength of metal halide perovskites and is particularly attractive in achieving deep-blue perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs), where the quality of the emissive layer is largely limited by the low solubility of chlorides in perovskite precursor solution. In this work, the halide exchange strategy is examined for deep-blue PeLEDs, with a focus on understanding the role of the organic cations of the halide salt (i.e., the chloride source for ion exchange) in modifying the properties of the perovskite films and consequently the PeLED performances. By comparatively investigating the treatment effects of two model systems, namely phenethylammonium chloride and 2,2-diphenylethylammonium chloride (DPEACl), it is found that although the two chlorides produce highly similar photoluminescence properties of the perovskite films, they create different landscapes for current flow in the PeLEDs. In particular, the bulky branch-structured DPEA cations exhibit minimal disturbance to the perovskite grains while providing highly effective inter-grain void filling and thus leakage current blocking, leading to 3D perovskite-based PeLEDs with a record high peak external quantum efficiency of 6.4% at 462 nm. The study highlights the importance of organic cation selection in the halide exchange processes for PeLEDs.

How Photogenerated I2 Induces I-Rich Phase Formation in Lead Mixed Halide Perovskites.

Bandgap tunability of lead mixed halide perovskites (LMHPs) is a crucial characteristic for versatile optoelectronic applications. Nevertheless, LMHPs show the formation of iodide-rich (I-rich) phase under illumination, which destabilizes the semiconductor bandgap and impedes their exploitation. Here, it is shown that how I2 , photogenerated upon charge carrier trapping at iodine interstitials in LMHPs, can promote the formation of I-rich phase. I2 can react with bromide (Br- ) in the perovskite to form a trihalide ion I2 Br- (Iδ- -Iδ+ -Brδ- ), whose negatively charged iodide (Iδ- ) can further exchange with another lattice Br- to form the I-rich phase. Importantly, it is observed that the effectiveness of the process is dependent on the overall stability of the crystalline perovskite structure. Therefore, the bandgap instability in LMHPs is governed by two factors, i.e., the density of native defects leading to I2 production and the Br- binding strength within the crystalline unit. Eventually, this study provides rules for the design of chemical composition in LMHPs to reach their full potential for optoelectronic devices.