Ionic aggregates induced room temperature autonomous self-healing elastic tape for reducing ankle sprain.

Traditional kinesiology tape (KT) is an elastic fabric tape that clinicians and sports trainers widely use for managing ankle sprains. However, inadequate mechanical properties, adhesive strength, water resistance, and micro-damage generation could affect the longevity of the tape on the skin during physical activity and sweating. Therefore, autonomous room-temperature self-healing elastomers with robust mechanical properties and adequate adhesion to the skin are highly desirable to replace traditional KT. Ionic aggregates were introduced into the polymer matrix via electrostatic attraction between polymer colloid and polyelectrolyte to achieve such elastic tape. These ionic aggregates act as physical crosslink points to enhance mechanical properties and dissociate at room temperature to provide self-healing functions. The obtained elastic tape possesses a tensile strength of 3.7 MPa, elongation of 940 %, toughness of 16.6 MJ∙m-3, and self-healing efficiency of 90 % for 2 h at room temperature. It also exhibits adequate reversible adhesion on the skin via van der Waals force and electrostatic interaction in both dry and wet conditions. The new elastic tapes have great potential in biomedical engineering for preventing and rehabilitating ankle sprain.

Exploring Causal Links Between Gut Microbiota and Geriatric Syndromes: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

Background: Both observational studies and clinical trials have demonstrated a link between the gut microbiota and the geriatric syndrome. Nevertheless, the exact nature of this relationship, particularly concerning causality, remains elusive. Mendelian randomization (MR) is a method of inference based on genetic variation to assess the causal relationship between an exposure and an outcome. In this study, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) study to fully reveal the potential genetic causal effects of gut microbiota on geriatric syndromes. Methods: This study used data from genome wide association studies (GWAS) to investigate causal relationships between the gut microbiota and geriatric syndromes, including frailty, Parkinson's disease (PD), delirium, insomnia, and depression. The primary causal relationships were evaluated using the inverse-variance weighted method, MR Egger, simple mode, weighted mode and weighted median. To assess the robustness of the results, horizontal pleiotropy was examined through MR-Egger intercept and MR-presso methods. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q test, and sensitivity was evaluated via the leave-one-out method. Results: We identified 41 probable causal relationships between gut microbiota and five geriatric syndrome-associated illnesses using the inverse-variance weighted method. Frailty showed five positive and two negative causal relationships, while PD revealed three positive and four negative causal connections. Delirium showed three positive and two negative causal relationships. Similarly, insomnia demonstrated nine positive and two negative causal connections, while depression presented nine positive and two negative causal relationships. Conclusions: Using the TSMR method and data from the public GWAS database and, we observed associations between specific microbiota groups and geriatric syndromes. These findings suggest a potential role of gut microbiota in the development of geriatric syndromes, providing valuable insights for further research into the causal relationship between gut microbiota and these syndromes.

Bioinformatics and systems biology approach to identify the pathogenetic link of neurological pain and major depressive disorder.

Neurological pain (NP) is always accompanied by symptoms of depression, which seriously affects physical and mental health. In this study, we identified the common hub genes (Co-hub genes) and related immune cells of NP and major depressive disorder (MDD) to determine whether they have common pathological and molecular mechanisms. NP and MDD expression data was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Common differentially expressed genes (Co-DEGs) for NP and MDD were extracted and the hub genes and hub nodes were mined. Co-DEGs, hub genes, and hub nodes were analyzed for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment. Finally, the hub nodes, and genes were analyzed to obtain Co-hub genes. We plotted Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to evaluate the diagnostic impact of the Co-hub genes on MDD and NP. We also identified the immune-infiltrating cell component by ssGSEA and analyzed the relationship. For the GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, 93 Co-DEGs were associated with biological processes (BP), such as fibrinolysis, cell composition (CC), such as tertiary granules, and pathways, such as complement, and coagulation cascades. A differential gene expression analysis revealed significant differences between the Co-hub genes ANGPT2, MMP9, PLAU, and TIMP2. There was some accuracy in the diagnosis of NP based on the expression of ANGPT2 and MMP9. Analysis of differences in the immune cell components indicated an abundance of activated dendritic cells, effector memory CD8+ T cells, memory B cells, and regulatory T cells in both groups, which were statistically significant. In summary, we identified 6 Co-hub genes and 4 immune cell types related to NP and MDD. Further studies are needed to determine the role of these genes and immune cells as potential diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets in NP and MDD.

Comparable cerebral cortex activity and gait performance in elderly hypertensive and healthy individuals during dual-task walking: A fNIRS study.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension increases the risk of cognitive impairment and related dementia, causing impaired executive function and unusual gait parameters. However, the mechanism of neural function illustrating this is unclear. Our research aimed to explore the differences of cerebral cortex activation, gait parameters, and working memory performance between healthy older adults (HA) and older hypertensive (HT) patients when performing cognitive and walking tasks. METHOD: A total of 36 subjects, including 12 healthy older adults and 24 older hypertensive patients were asked to perform series conditions including single cognitive task (SC), single walking task (SW), and dual-task (DT), wearing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) equipment and Intelligent Device for Energy Expenditure and Activity equipment to record cortical hemodynamic reactions and various gait parameters. RESULTS: The left somatosensory cortex (L-S1) and bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA) showed higher cortical activation (p < .05) than HA when HT performed DT. The intragroup comparison showed that HT had higher cortical activation (p < .05) when performing DT as SW. The cognitive performance of HT was significantly worse (p < .05) than HA when executing SC. The activation of the L-S1, L-M1, and bilateral SMA in HT were significantly higher during SW (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Hypertension can lead to cognitive impairment in the elderly, including executive function and walking function decline. As a result of these functional declines, elderly patients with hypertension are unable to efficiently allocate brain resources to support more difficult cognitive interference tasks and need to meet more complex task demands by activating more brain regions.

Analysis of lumbar spine loading during walking in patients with chronic low back pain and healthy controls: An OpenSim-Based study.

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most prevalent and disabling disease worldwide. However, the specific biomechanical changes due to LBP are still controversial. The purpose of this study was to estimate the lumbar and lower limb kinematics, lumbar moments and loads, muscle forces and activation during walking in healthy adults and LBP. A total of 18 healthy controls and 19 patients with chronic LBP were tested for walking at a comfortable speed. The kinematic and dynamic data of the subjects were collected by 3D motion capture system and force plates respectively, and then the motion simulation was performed by OpenSim. The OpenSim musculoskeletal model was used to calculate lumbar, hip, knee and ankle joint angle variations, lumbar moments and loads, muscle forces and activation of eight major lumbar muscles. In our results, significant lower lumbar axial rotation angle, lumbar flexion/extension and axial rotation moments, as well as the muscle forces of the four muscles and muscle activation of two muscles were found in patients with LBP than those of the healthy controls (p < 0.05). This study may help providing theoretical support for the evaluation and rehabilitation treatment intervention of patients with LBP.

Multiple reports on the causal relationship between various chronic pain and gut microbiota: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Previous evidence suggests a link between gut microbiota and chronic pain, but the causal relationship is not yet fully understood. Methods: We categorized gut microbiota based on phylum, class, order, family, and genus levels and gathered pain-related information from the UKB and FinnGen GWAS project. Then, we conducted MR analysis to explore the potential causal relationship between gut microbiota and chronic pain at 12 specific locations. Results: We have discovered a direct connection between genetic susceptibility in the gut microbiota (gut metabolites) and pain experienced at 12 specific locations. Notably, Serotonin (5-HT) and Glycine were found to be associated with a higher risk of pain in the extremities. On the other hand, certain microbial families and orders were found to have a protective effect against migraines. Specifically, the family Bifidobacteriaceae (IVW, FDR p = 0.013) was associated with a lower risk of migraines. Furthermore, the genus Oxalobacter (IVW, FDR p = 0.044) was found to be linked to an increased risk of low back pain. Importantly, these associations remained significant even after applying the Benjamini-Hochberg correction test. Our analysis did not find any heterogeneity in the data (p > 0.05), as confirmed by the Cochrane's Q-test. Additionally, both the MR-Egger and MR-PRESSO tests indicated no significant evidence of horizontal pleiotropy (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our MR analysis demonstrated a causal relationship between the gut microbiota and pain, highlighting its potential significance in advancing our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and clinical implications of microbiota-mediated pain.

Association between pain interference and motoric cognitive risk syndrome in older adults: a population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) is a pre-dementia condition characterized by subjective complaints in cognition and slow gait. Pain interference has previously been linked with cognitive deterioration; however, its specific relationship with MCR remains unclear. We aimed to examine how pain interference is associated with concurrent and incident MCR. METHODS: This study included older adults aged ≥ 65 years without dementia from the Health and Retirement Study. We combined participants with MCR information in 2006 and 2008 as baseline, and the participants were followed up 4 and 8 years later. The states of pain interference were divided into 3 categories: interfering pain, non-interfering pain, and no pain. Logistic regression analysis was done at baseline to examine the associations between pain interference and concurrent MCR. During the 8-year follow-up, Cox regression analysis was done to investigate the associations between pain interference and incident MCR. RESULTS: The study included 7120 older adults (74.6 ± 6.7 years; 56.8% females) at baseline. The baseline prevalence of MCR was 5.7%. Individuals with interfering pain had a significantly increased risk of MCR (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.17-1.95; p = 0.001). The longitudinal analysis included 4605 participants, and there were 284 (6.2%) MCR cases on follow-up. Participants with interfering pain at baseline had a higher risk for MCR at 8 years of follow-up (HR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.52-2.69; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Older adults with interfering pain had a higher risk for MCR versus those with non-interfering pain or without pain. Timely and adequate management of interfering pain may contribute to the prevention and treatment of MCR and its associated adverse outcomes.

Identifying changes in dynamic plantar pressure associated with radiological knee osteoarthritis based on machine learning and wearable devices.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is an irreversible degenerative disease that characterized by pain and abnormal gait. Radiography is typically used to detect KOA but has limitations. This study aimed to identify changes in plantar pressure that are associated with radiological knee osteoarthritis (ROA) and to validate them using machine learning algorithms. METHODS: This study included 92 participants with variable degrees of KOA. A modified Kellgren-Lawrence scale was used to classify participants into non-ROA and ROA groups. The total feature set included 210 dynamic plantar pressure features captured by a wearable in-shoe system as well as age, gender, height, weight, and body mass index. Filter and wrapper methods identified the optimal features, which were used to train five types of machine learning classification models for further validation: k-nearest neighbors (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), AdaBoost, and eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). RESULTS: Age, the standard deviation (SD) of the peak plantar pressure under the left lateral heel (f_L8PPP_std), the SD of the right second peak pressure (f_Rpeak2_std), and the SD of the variation in the anteroposterior displacement of center of pressure (COP) in the right foot (f_RYcopstd_std) were most associated with ROA. The RF model with an accuracy of 82.61% and F1 score of 0.8000 had the best generalization ability. CONCLUSION: Changes in dynamic plantar pressure are promising mechanical biomarkers that distinguish between non-ROA and ROA. Combining a wearable in-shoe system with machine learning enables dynamic monitoring of KOA, which could help guide treatment plans.

Cyclic Peptide Keap1-Nrf2 Protein-Protein Interaction Inhibitors: Design, Synthesis, and In Vivo Treatment of Acute Lung Injury.

Directly blocking the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway is a promising strategy for the mitigation of acute lung injury (ALI). Peptide Keap1-Nrf2 inhibitors have been reported to have a high Keap1 binding affinity. However, these inhibitors showed weak activity in cells and/or animals. In this study, we designed a series of linear peptides from an Nrf2-based 9-mer Ac-LDEETGEFL-NH2. To improve the cellular activity, we further designed cyclic peptides based on the crystal complex of Keap1 with a linear peptide. Among them, cyclic 9-mer ZC9 targeting Keap1 showed a better affinity (KD2 = 51 nM). Specifically, it exhibited an acceptable water solubility (>38 mg/mL), better cell permeability, cell activity, and metabolic stability (serum t1/2 > 24 h). In the in vitro LPS-induced oxidative damages and ALI model, ZC9 showed significant dose-response reversal activity without apparent toxicity. In conclusion, our results suggested ZC9 as a lead cyclic peptide targeting the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway for ALI clinical treatment.

BMSC-Exosomes attenuate ALP dysfunction by restoring lysosomal function via the mTOR/TFEB Axis to reduce cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: The complex pathophysiological changes following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) include the accumulation of defective proteins and damaged organelles, which cause massive neuron demise. To preserve cellular homeostasis, the autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP) is crucial for neurons to dispose of these substances. Many studies have shown that bone mesenchymal stem cell exosomes (BMSC-Exos) can reduce CIRI. However, the specific mechanisms have not been well elucidated, a fact that limits its widespread clinical use. This study aimed to clarify whether BMSC-Exos could attenuate ALP dysfunction by restoring lysosomal function after CIRI via inhibiting mTOR and then activating TFEB nucleus translocation. METHODS: In this study, Flow cytometry, Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Western blot were used to identify the BMSCs and BMSC-Exos used in this experiment as conforming to the requirements. In vivo experiments, SD rats were modeled with temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO), and BMSC-Exos was injected into the tail vein 2 h after modeling. Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, modified neurological severity scores (mNSS), corner turn test, and rotating rod test were used to detect neurological deficits in rats after BMSC-Exos intervention. Western blot and Immunofluorescence were used to detect ALP, transcription factor EB(TFEB) nucleus translocation, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) change at different time points after modeling and after BMSC-Exos intervention. In vitro experiments, pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) cells were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) modeling to mimic CIRI, and were respectively intervened with BMSC-Exos, BMSC-Exos + MHY 1485 (the mTOR agonist), Rapamycin (the mTOR inhibitor). CCK8, Western blot, and Immunofluorescence were used to detect PC12 cell survival, TFEB nucleus translocation, and cathepsin B(CTSB) Immunofluorescence intensity. RESULTS: We found that ALP dysfunction occurred 72 h after tMCAO, and BMSC-Exos can attenuate ALP dysfunction by restoring lysosomal function. Next, we examined TFEB nucleus translocation and the expression of mTOR, a key regulator of translocation. We found that BMSC-Exos could inhibit mTOR and activate TFEB nucleus translocation. Additional in vitro tests revealed that BMSC-Exos could increase PC12 cell survival after OGD/R, activating TFEB nucleus translocation and enhancing the fluorescence intensity of CTSB, which in turn could be reversed by the mTOR agonist, MHY1485. This effect was similar to another mTOR inhibitor, Rapamycin. CONCLUSION: BMSC-Exos could attenuate ALP dysfunction by restoring lysosomal function after CIRI by inhibiting mTOR and then promoting TFEB nucleus translocation.

Further structural optimization and SAR study of sungsanpin derivatives as cell-invasion inhibitors.

Metastasis is one of the major causes of death in patients with cancer, and cell invasion plays a fundamental part in this process. Because of the absence of efficacious treatments, caring for these patients is challenging. Recently, we optimized the structure of the naturally occurring lasso peptide sungsanpin. We identified two peptides, octapeptide S3 and cyclic peptide S4, which inhibited invasion into A549 cells effectively. We undertook an alanine scan of S3 to explore the structure-activity relationship. The linear octapeptide S3-4 and cyclic peptide S4-1 exhibited improved inhibition of invasion into A549 cells. We modified S3-4 to obtain S3-4K, which displayed much higher inhibitory activity against invasion into A549 cells than S3-4. Of all peptides tested, S4-1 upregulated significantly mRNA of tissue inhibitor matrix metalloproteinase TIMP-1 and TIMP-2.

Cerebral Cortex Activation and Gait Performance between Healthy and Prefrail Older Adults during Cognitive and Walking Tasks.

Pre-frailty is a transitional stage between health and frailty. Previous studies have demonstrated that individuals with pre-frailty experience declines in cognitive and gait performances compared with healthy individuals. However, the basic neural mechanism underlying this needs to be clarified. In this cross-sectional study, twenty-one healthy older adults and fifteen with pre-frailty underwent three conditions, including a single cognitive task (SC), single walking task (SW), and dual-task (DT), while cortical hemodynamic reactions were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The prefrail group (PG) showed a significantly lower activation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) than the healthy group (HG) when performing SC (p < 0.05). The PG showed a significantly lower Timed Up and Go test and step speed than the HG during SW (p < 0.05). The coefficient of variation (CV) of the step length of the PG was significantly higher than that of the HG when performing DT (p < 0.05). No significant correlation in cerebral cortex activation and gait parameters in the HG when performing SW and DT was noted (p > 0.05). Participants of the PG with a higher oxygenated area in the left anterior prefrontal cortex (L-APFC) had a lower step frequency during SW (r = -0.533, p = 0.041), and so did the following indicators of the PG during DT: L-APFC and step speed (r = -0.557, p = 0.031); right anterior prefrontal cortex and step speed (r = -0.610, p = 0.016); left motor cortex and step speed (r = -0.674, p = 0.006); step frequency (r = -0.656, p = 0.008); and step length (r = -0.535, p = 0.040). The negative correlations between the cerebral cortex and gait parameters of the PG indicated a neural compensatory effect of pre-frailty. Therefore, older adults with pre-frailty promote prefrontal activation to compensate for the impaired sensorimotor systems.

Effects of inspiratory muscle training in patients with hypertension: a meta-analysis.

Objective: To explore the effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on hypertension and provide guidance for its clinical application as an auxiliary approach. Methods: Articles published prior to July 2022 were searched in Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, CNKI, and Wanfang databases. Included were randomized controlled studies that used IMT to treat individuals with hypertension. The mean difference (MD) was computed using the Revman 5.4 software. In individuals with hypertension, the effects of IMT on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), and pulse pressure (PP) were compared and studied. Results: There were found to be eight randomized controlled trials totaling 215 patients. According to a meta-analysis, the IMT reduced the SBP (MD: -12.55 mmHg, 95% CI: -15.78, -9.33), DBP (MD: -4.77 mmHg, 95% CI: -6.00, -3.54), HR (MD: -5.92 bpm, 95% CI: -8.72, -3.12), and PP (MD: -8.92 mmHg, 95% CI: -12.08, -5.76) in patients with hypertension. In subgroup analyses, low-intensity IMT showed a better reduction in SBP (MD: -14.47 mmHg, 95% CI: -17.60, -11.34), DBP (MD: -7.70 mmHg, 95% CI: -10.21, -5.18). Conclusion: IMT may become an auxiliary means to improve the four hemodynamic indexes (SBP, DBP, HR and PP) in patients with hypertension. In subgroup analyses, low-intensity IMT was more effective in regulating blood pressure than medium-high-intensity IMT. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42022300908.

Rippling Colloidal Polyelectrolyte Complex for Customized Fingerprints with High Tactile Perception.

Fingerprints possess wide applications in personal identification, tactile perception, access control, and anti-counterfeiting. However, latent fingerprints are usually left on touched surfaces, leading to the leakage of personal information. Furthermore, tactile perception greatly decreases when fingerprints are covered by gloves. Customized fingerprints are developed to solve these issues, but it is a challenge to develop fingerprints with various customized patterns using traditional techniques due to their requiring special templates, materials, or instruments. Inspired by ripples on the lake, blowing air is used to generate surface waves on a colloidal polyelectrolyte complex, leading to vertical stratification and the accumulation of particles near the top of the film layer. As water rapidly evaporates, the viscosity of these particles significantly increases and the wave is solidified, forming fingerprint patterns. These customized fingerprints integrate functions of grasping objects, personal identification without leaving latent fingerprints and tactile perception enhancement, which can be applied in information security, anti-counterfeiting, tactile sensors, and biological engineering.

SOS1-inspired hydrocarbon-stapled peptide as a pan-Ras inhibitor.

Blocking the interaction between Ras and Son of Sevenless homolog 1 (SOS1) has been an attractive therapeutic strategy for treating cancers involving oncogenic Ras mutations. K-Ras mutation is the most common in Ras-driven cancers, accounting for 86%, with N-Ras mutation and H-Ras mutation accounting for 11% and 3%, respectively. Here, we report the design and synthesis of a series of hydrocarbon-stapled peptides to mimic the alpha-helix of SOS1 as pan-Ras inhibitors. Among these stapled peptides, SSOSH-5 was identified to maintain a well-constrained alpha-helical structure and bind to H-Ras with high affinity. SSOSH-5 was furthermore validated to bind with Ras similarly to the parent linear peptide through structural modeling analysis. This optimized stapled peptide was proven to be capable of effectively inhibiting the proliferation of pan-Ras-mutated cancer cells and inducing apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner by modulating downstream kinase signaling. Of note, SSOSH-5 exhibited a high capability of crossing cell membranes and strong proteolytic resistance. We demonstrated that the peptide stapling strategy is a feasible approach for developing peptide-based pan-Ras inhibitors. Furthermore, we expect that SSOSH-5 can be further characterized and optimized for the treatment of Ras-driven cancers.

Research hotspots and frotiers of stem cells in stroke: A bibliometric analysis from 2004 to 2022.

Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and permanent disability worldwide. However, the current stroke treatment has a limited effect. Therefore, a new treatment is urgently needed. Stem cell therapy is a cutting-edge treatment for stroke patients. This study aimed to gain better understanding of global stem cell trends in stroke via a bibliometric analysis. Methods: We used the Web of Science Core Collection to search pertinent articles about stem cells in stroke published between 2004 and 2022. Analysis was conducted using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the R package "bibliometrix" to identify publication outputs, countries/regions, institutions, authors/co-cited authors, journals/co-cited journals, co-cited references, and keywords. Results: A total of 6,703 publications were included in the bibliometric analysis. The total number of citations significantly and rapidly increased between 2004 and 2022, with the most pronounced growth pattern observed in the period of 2008-2009. In terms of authoritarian countries, the USA had the most publications among the countries. As for institutions and authors, the most prolific institution was the University of South Florida, followed by Oakland University and then Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Chopp, M. and Borlongan, Cesario V, had the most output among the authors. Regarding the journals, Cell Transplantation had the highest publication, followed by Brain Research. As for references, "Mesenchymal stem cells as trophic mediators" was the most frequently cited (2,082), and the article entitled Neuronal replacement from endogenous precursors in the adult brain after stroke had the strongest burstiness (strength = 81.35). Emerging hot words in the past decade included "adhesion molecule," "mesenchymal stromal cell," "extracellular vesicle," "pluripotent stem cells," "signaling pathway," "plasticity," and "exosomes." Conclusion: Between 2004 and 2022, the terms "neurogenesis," "angiogenesis," "mesenchymal stem cells," "extracellular vesicle," "exosomes," "inflammation," and "oxidative stress" have emerged as the hot research areas for research on stem cells in stroke. Although stem cells exert a number of positive effects, the main mechanisms for mitigating the damage caused by stroke are still unknown. Clinical challenges may include complicating factors that can affect the efficacy of stem cell therapy, which are worth a deep exploration.

Foldable Hole-Transporting Materials for Merging Electronic States between Defective and Perfect Perovskite Sites.

Defective and perfect sites naturally exist within electronic semiconductors, and considerable efforts to reduce defects to improve the performance of electronic devices, especially in hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (ABX3 ), are undertaken. Herein, foldable hole-transporting materials (HTMs) are developed, and they extend the wavefunctions of A-site cations of perovskite, which, as hybridized electronic states, link the trap states (defective site) and valence band edge (perfect site) between the naturally defective and perfect sites of the perovskite surface, finally converting the discrete trap states of the perovskite as the continuous valence band to reduce trap recombination. Tailoring the foldability of the HTMs tunes the wavefunctions between defective and perfect surface sites, allowing the power conversion efficiency of a small cell to reach 23.22% and that of a mini-module (6.5 × 7 cm, active area = 30.24 cm2 ) to reach as high as 21.71% with a fill factor of 81%, the highest value reported for non-spiro-OMeTAD-based perovskite solar modules.

Scale-up synthesis of high-quality solid-state-processed CsCuX (X = Cl, Br, I) perovskite nanocrystal materials toward near-ultraviolet flexible electronic properties.

High-quality CsCu2X3 and Cs3Cu2X5 (X = Cl, Br, I) nanocrystals (NCs) exhibit excellent optoelectronic, physical, and chemical properties for detection of UV radiation due to large carrier mobility and lifetime, and heavy atoms. The nanocrystal materials can be prepared via a low-cost and simple solid-state synthesis. However, poor reproducibility and complex synthesis methods of obtaining perovskite NC thin films represent a drawback for the fabrication of the commercial photoelectric device. To address these issues, we develop highly stable CsCu2X3 and Cs3Cu2X5 NC materials using a facile solid-state reaction method for the scale-up production of halogen lead-free perovskites. We suggest a distinctive way to design a series of nanocrystalline perovskites using short-term synthesis and study the mechanism of perovskite formation using thermal solid-state synthesis. These all-inorganic and lead-free CsCu2X3 and Cs3Cu2X5 exhibit large photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) up to 95.2%. Moreover, flexible paper photodetectors based on this series of lead-free perovskites show strong photoselectivity and bending stability at 254 nm, 365 nm, and 405 nm wavelengths. High-quality responses with a responsivity of 1.1 × 10-3 A W-1 and detectivity of 2.71 × 109 jones under UV illumination (10 µW cm-2) at a bias voltage of 5 mV are demonstrated. These results open prospects for designing photodetectors, LEDs, and other photosensitive devices.

Efficacy and safety of whole-body vibration therapy for post-stroke spasticity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: One of the main objectives of stroke rehabilitation is to alleviate post-stroke spasticity. Over the recent years, many studies have explored the potential benefits of whole-body vibration (WBV) treatment for post-stroke spasticity, but it is still controversial. Objective: The current study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of WBV for post-stroke spasticity and determine the appropriate application situation. Methods: From their establishment until August 2022, the following databases were searched: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were published in either English or Chinese were taken into consideration. We independently filtered the research, gathered the data from the studies, and evaluated the research quality (Cochrane RoB tool) and the overall evidence quality (GRADE). Rev Man 5.4 software was utilized to conduct statistical analysis. Results: In this analysis, 11 RCTs with 475 patients that reported on the effectiveness of WBV therapy for post-stroke spasticity were taken into account. Compared to the control groups, the results revealed that WBV combined with conventional rehabilitation at a vibration frequency lower than 20 Hz (SMD = -0.58, 95% CI: -0.98 to -0.19, P = 0.004) was more effective in relieving upper (SMD = -0.53, 95% CI: -1.04 to 0.03, P = 0.03) and lower limb spasticity (SMD = -0.21, 95% CI: -0.40 to -0.01, P = 0.04); similarly, it was superior for patients aged under 60 years (SMD = -0.41, 95% CI: -0.66 to -0.17, P = 0.0008) with acute and subacute stroke (SMD = -0.39, 95% CI: -0.68 to -0.09, P = 0.01). The valid vibration for reducing spasticity was found to last for 10 min (SMD = -0.41, 95% CI: -0.75 to -0.07, P = 0.02). None of the included studies revealed any serious adverse impact. Conclusion: Moderate-quality evidence demonstrated when WBV was used as an adjuvant, vibration <20 Hz for 10 min was effective and secure in treating upper and lower limb spasticity in patients with acute and subacute stroke under the age of 60 years. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42022293951.

Efficacy of non-invasive brain stimulation on cognitive and motor functions in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on cognitive and motor functions in patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). Methods: A literature search was performed in the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, CNKI, and Wan fang. The time interval used for database construction was up to December 2022, and the language was not limited. The collected trials were subsequently screened, the data were extracted, the quality was evaluated, and the effect sizes were computed using STATA/MP Version 13 for outcome analysis. Standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for domain of interest. Results: In total, 17 articles that examined 364 patients with multiple sclerosis were included in this analysis. Non-invasive brain stimulation did not improve the overall cognitive function [SMD = 0.18, 95% CI (-0.32, 0.69), P = 0.475] but helped improve motor function in patients [SMD = 0.52, 95% CI (0.19, 0.85), P = 0.002]. Moreover, this study specifically indicated that non-invasive brain stimulation improved alerting [SMD = 0.68, 95% CI (0.09, 1.26), P = 0.02], whereas non-invasive brain stimulation intervention improved motor function in patients aged <45 years [SMD = 0.67, 95% CI (0.23, 1.10), P = 0.003] and in patients with expanded disability status scale scores (EDSS) <3.5 [SMD = 0.82, 95% CI (0.22, 1.42), P = 0.007]. In particular, NIBS contributed to the improvement of spasticity in pwMS [SMD = 0.68, 95% CI (0.13, 1.23), P = 0.015]. Conclusion: These results of this present study provide evidence that non-invasive brain stimulation could improve alertness in pwMS. Furthermore, NIBS may help pwMS with motor function and those who are under 45 years of age or with EDSS < 3.5 improve their motor function. For the therapeutic use of NIBS, we recommend applying transcranial magnetic stimulation as an intervention and located on the motor cortex M1 according to the subgroup analysis of motor function. These findings warrant verification. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022301012.