Optoelectronic tuning of plasmon resonances via optically modulated hot electrons.

Fast optical modulation of nanoplasmonics is fundamental for on-chip integration of all-optical devices. Although various strategies have been proposed for dynamic modulation of surface plasmons, critical issues of device compatibility and extremely low efficiency in the visible spectrum hamper the application of optoplasmonic nanochips. Here we establish an optoplasmonic system based on Au@Cu2-xS hybrid core-shell nanoparticles. The optical excitation of hot electrons and their charge transfer to the semiconductor coating (Cu2-xS) lead to lowered electron density of Au, which results in the red shift of the localized surface plasmon resonance. The hot electrons can also transport through the Cu2-xS layer to the metal substrate, which increases the conductance of the nanogap. As such, the coupled gap plasmon blue-shifts with a magnitude of up to ∼15 nm, depending on the excitation power and the thickness of the coatings, which agrees with numerical simulations. All of this optoelectronic tuning process is highly reversible, controllable and fast with a modulated laser beam, which is highly compatible and sufficiently useful for on-chip integration of nanophotonic devices.

An ultra-compact mechanical antenna based on PTFE highly charged electret for extremely low frequency communications.

-Extremely-Low Frequencies (ELF, 30∼300Hz) transmitting antennas in wireless communications are often limited by antenna size and complex impedance matching networks. In this paper, we propose an ultra-small Artificial Electret Type Mechanical Antenna (AETMA), which is composed of a single charge electret and a driving structure, with high radiation efficiency and small size. In order to improve the electric dipole moment of the mechanical antenna, we employ a pin-plate corona polarization technique and a unidirectional stretching treatment to obtain a porous thin-film electret that can stably store a large amount of charge. Its surface charge density can reach 5.355 mC/m2 and we analyze its surface potential stability. To assess the radiation capability of AETMA, the radiation field models of three kinds of mechanical antennas are established and verified by simulation. Additionally, we simulate and compare the planar electret and curved electret configurations to determine the optimal form of AETMA. The radiation intensity of the planar electret is found to be superior under the same moment of inertia. Finally, a 1m-scale artificial electret antenna is designed based on the optimal model. Comparative analysis with existing rotary mechanical antenna schemes confirms the great potential of the proposed AETMA for portable, miniaturized and high-performance wireless communication devices.

Effectiveness and economic evaluation of rhTPO and rhIL-11 in the treatment of cancer therapy induced thrombocytopenia based on real-world research.

Objective: Based on real-world research, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and economy of recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO) and recombinant human interleukin 11 (rhIL-11) in the treatment of cancer therapy induced thrombocytopenia (CTIT). Methods: We retrospectively collected clinical data of patients with CTIT who were treated with rhTPO or rhIL-11 in a single cancer hospital from January 2020 to December 2021. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to eliminate confounding factors. The measurements of effectiveness analysis were the platelet compliance rate, days of medication, days of compliance, highest platelet count after medication, platelet count elevation before and after medication, and the lowest platelet count after next-cycle cancer therapy. The economic evaluation was performed according to the results of the effectiveness evaluation. At the same time, patients were stratified according to type of tumor and grade of thrombocytopenia for subgroup analysis. Results: A total of 262 patients were collected and 174 patients were enrolled after PSM, 87 in the rhTPO group and 87 in the rhIL-11 group. In all patients, there were no significant differences in the platelet compliance rate, mean days of medication, median days of compliance, median highest platelet count after medication, and the median platelet count elevation before and after medication between the two groups (p > 0.05), but the median lowest platelet count after next-cycle cancer therapy in the rhTPO group was lower than that in the rhIL-11 group (p = 0.014). The subgroup analysis showed that the rhTPO group had longer mean days of medication than the rhIL-11 group in patients with hematological malignancies (p = 0.042), and a lower median lowest platelet count after next-cycle cancer therapy in patients with grade I/II thrombocytopenia than rhIL-11 group (p = 0.022), with no significant difference in other outcome indicators (p > 0.05). As there was no statistically significant difference in platelet compliance rate between the two groups, the cost-minimization analysis showed that the rhIL-11 group had lower treatment costs than the rhTPO group. Conclusion: RhTPO and rhIL-11 showed similar effectiveness in the treatment of CTIT, but rhIL-11 was more advantageous in economic cost.

A prediction index of the volatile organic compounds pollution conditions in a chemical industrial park based on atmospheric stability.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as common precursors of ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), are a focus of air pollution prevention and control. Furthermore, with the rapid development of industry, industrial sources have become the largest source of anthropogenic VOCs emissions, leading to economic development while causing great harm to the environment. It is becoming meaningful to efficiently predict the future total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) pollution conditions in chemical industrial parks (CIPs), which can assist managers in carrying out corporate emission management in advance. In this study, TVOC monitoring data and meteorological data from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, were used to innovatively construct the TVOC pollution index. This index comprehensively considers the atmospheric stability and localized horizontal diffusion conditions and can quickly and accurately predict the variations in the TVOC in a CIP in the next 7 days. In addition, we used synoptic weather patterns and backward trajectory analysis to explore the mechanism of VOCs pollution formation in a CIP. The results show that the combined influences of a westerly wind pattern, temperatures above 30 °C, a subtropical high pressure system, more upwind pollutants, and the horizontal and vertical diffusion conditions in the CIP were unfavorable, leading to VOCs pollution.

Spatiotemporal and direct capturing global substrates of lysine-modifying enzymes in living cells.

Protein-modifying enzymes regulate the dynamics of myriad post-translational modification (PTM) substrates. Precise characterization of enzyme-substrate associations is essential for the molecular basis of cellular function and phenotype. Methods for direct capturing global substrates of protein-modifying enzymes in living cells are with many challenges, and yet largely unexplored. Here, we report a strategy to directly capture substrates of lysine-modifying enzymes via PTM-acceptor residue crosslinking in living cells, enabling global profiling of substrates of PTM-enzymes and validation of PTM-sites in a straightforward manner. By integrating enzymatic PTM-mechanisms, and genetically encoding residue-selective photo-crosslinker into PTM-enzymes, our strategy expands the substrate profiles of both bacterial and mammalian lysine acylation enzymes, including bacterial lysine acylases PatZ, YiaC, LplA, TmcA, and YjaB, as well as mammalian acyltransferases GCN5 and Tip60, leading to discovery of distinct yet functionally important substrates and acylation sites. The concept of direct capturing substrates of PTM-enzymes via residue crosslinking may extend to the other types of amino acid residues beyond lysine, which has the potential to facilitate the investigation of diverse types of PTMs and substrate-enzyme interactive proteomics.

Alterations in gut and genital microbiota associated with gynecological diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Increasing number of studies have demonstrated certain patterns of microbial changes in gynecological diseases; however, the interaction between them remains unclear. To evaluate the consistency or specificity across multiple studies on different gynecological diseases and microbial alterations at different sites of the body (gut and genital tract), we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to December 5, 2022(PROSPERO: CRD42023400205). Eligible studies focused on gynecological diseases in adult women, applied next-generation sequencing on microbiome, and reported outcomes including alpha or beta diversity or relative abundance. The random-effects model on standardized mean difference (SMD) was conducted using the inverse-variance method for alpha diversity indices. RESULTS: Of 3327 unique articles, 87 eligible studies were included. Significant decreases were found in gut microbiome of patients versus controls (observed species SMD=-0.35; 95%CI, -0.62 to -0.09; Shannon index SMD=-0.23; 95%CI, -0.40 to -0.06), whereas significant increases were observed in vaginal microbiome (Chao1 SMD = 1.15; 95%CI, 0.74 to 1.56; Shannon index SMD = 0.51; 95%CI, 0.16 to 0.86). Most studies of different diagnostic categories showed no significant differences in beta diversity. Disease specificity was observed, but almost all the changes were only replicated in three studies, except for the increased Aerococcus in bacterial vaginosis (BV). Patients with major gynecological diseases shared the enrichment of Prevotella and depletion of Lactobacillus, and an overlap in microbes was implied between BV, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and cervical cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrated an association between alterations in gut and genital microbiota and gynecological diseases. The most observed results were shared alterations across diseases rather than disease-specific alterations. Therefore, further investigation is required to identify specific biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment in the future.

Confined In-Situ Encapsulation of Co/C Composites with Increased Heterogeneous Interface Polarization for Enhanced Electromagnetic Performance.

It is an urgent problem to realize reliable microwave absorption materials (MAMs) with low density. To address this issue, a series of controlled experiments w ere carried out, which indicated that the tubular structure enables excellent microwave absorption properties with a lower powder filling rate. This performance is attributable to the combined dielectric and magnetic loss mechanisms provided by Co/C and the interface polarization facilitated by multiple heterogeneous interfaces. Particularly, Co@C nanotubes, benefiting from the enhanced heterointerface polarization due to their abundant specific surface area and the reduced electron migration barrier induced by their 1D stacked structure, effectively achieved a dual enhancement of dielectric loss and polarization loss at lower powder filling ratios. Furthermore, the magnetic coupling effect of magnetic nanoparticle arrays in tubular structures is demonstrated by micromagnetic simulation, which have been few reported elsewhere. These propertied enable Co@C nanotubes to achieve minimum reflection loss and maximum effective absorption broadband values of 61.0 dB and 5.5 GHz, respectively, with a powder filling ratio of 20 wt% and a thickness of 1.94 mm. This study reveals the significance of designing 1D structures in reducing powder filling ratio and matching thickness, providing valuable insights for developing MAMs with different microstructures.

A New Assistance Navigation Method for Substation Inspection Robots to Safely Cross Grass Areas.

With the development of intelligent substations, inspection robots are widely used to ensure the safe and stable operation of substations. Due to the prevalence of grass around the substation in the external environment, the inspection robot will be affected by grass when performing the inspection task, which can easily lead to the interruption of the inspection task. At present, inspection robots based on LiDAR sensors regard grass as hard obstacles such as stones, resulting in interruption of inspection tasks and decreased inspection efficiency. Moreover, there are inaccurate multiple object-detection boxes in grass recognition. To address these issues, this paper proposes a new assistance navigation method for substation inspection robots to cross grass areas safely. First, an assistant navigation algorithm is designed to enable the substation inspection robot to recognize grass and to cross the grass obstacles on the route of movement to continue the inspection work. Second, a three-layer convolutional structure of the Faster-RCNN network in the assistant navigation algorithm is improved instead of the original full connection structure for optimizing the object-detection boxes. Finally, compared with several Faster-RCNN networks with different convolutional kernel dimensions, the experimental results show that at the convolutional kernel dimension of 1024, the proposed method in this paper improves the mAP by 4.13% and the mAP is 91.25% at IoU threshold 0.5 in the range of IoU thresholds from 0.5 to 0.9 with respect to the basic network. In addition, the assistant navigation algorithm designed in this paper fuses the ultrasonic radar signals with the object recognition results and then performs the safety judgment to make the inspection robot safely cross the grass area, which improves the inspection efficiency.

Expression and functional study of cholecystokinin-A receptors on the interstitial Cajal-like cells of the guinea pig common bile duct.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have shown that interstitial Cajal-like cell (ICLC) abnormalities are closely related to a variety of dynamic gastrointestinal disorders. ICLCs are pacemaker cells for gastrointestinal movement and are involved in the transmission of nerve impulses. AIM: To elucidate the expression profile and significance of cholecystokinin-A (CCK-A) receptors in ICLCs in the common bile duct (CBD), as well as the role of CCK in regulating CBD motility through CCK-A receptors on CBD ICLCs. METHODS: The levels of tyrosine kinase receptor (c-kit) and CCK-A receptors in CBD tissues and isolated CBD cells were quantified using the double immunofluorescence labeling technique. The CCK-mediated enhancement of the movement of CBD muscle strips through CBD ICLCs was observed by a muscle strip contraction test. RESULTS: Immunofluorescence showed co-expression of c-kit and CCK-A receptors in the CBD muscularis layer. Observations of isolated CBD cells showed that c-kit was expressed on the surface of ICLCs, the cell body and synapse were colored and polygonal, and some cells presented protrusions and formed networks adjacent to the CBD while others formed filaments at the synaptic terminals of local cells. CCK-A receptors were also expressed on CBD ICLCs. At concentrations ranging from 10-6 mol/L to 10-10 mol/L, CCK promoted CBD smooth muscle contractility in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, after ICLC removal, the contractility mediated by CCK in CBD smooth muscle decreased. CONCLUSION: CCK-A receptors are highly expressed on CBD ICLCs, and CCK may regulate CBD motility through the CCK-A receptors on ICLCs.

A Small Object Detection Method for Oil Leakage Defects in Substations Based on Improved Faster-RCNN.

Since substations are key parts of power transmission, ensuring the safety of substations involves monitoring whether the substation equipment is in a normal state. Oil leakage detection is one of the necessary daily tasks of substation inspection robots, which can immediately find out whether there is oil leakage in the equipment in operation so as to ensure the service life of the equipment and maintain the safe and stable operation of the system. At present, there are still some challenges in oil leakage detection in substation equipment: there is a lack of a more accurate method of detecting oil leakage in small objects, and there is no combination of intelligent inspection robots to assist substation inspection workers in judging oil leakage accidents. To address these issues, this paper proposes a small object detection method for oil leakage defects in substations. This paper proposes a small object detection method for oil leakage defects in substations, which is based on the feature extraction network Resnet-101 of the Faster-RCNN model for improvement. In order to decrease the loss of information in the original image, especially for small objects, this method is developed by canceling the downsampling operation and replacing the large convolutional kernel with a small convolutional kernel. In addition, the method proposed in this paper is combined with an intelligent inspection robot, and an oil leakage decision-making scheme is designed, which can provide substation equipment oil leakage maintenance recommendations for substation workers to deal with oil leakage accidents. Finally, the experimental validation of real substation oil leakage image collection is carried out by the intelligent inspection robot equipped with a camera. The experimental results show that the proposed FRRNet101-c model in this paper has the best performance for oil leakage detection in substation equipment compared with several baseline models, improving the Mean Average Precision (mAP) by 6.3%, especially in detecting small objects, which has improved by 12%.

A Modified Unilateral Extrapedicular Approach Applied to Percutaneous Kyphoplasty to Treat Lumbar Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture: A Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, many extrapedicular puncture methods have been applied to percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). However, these techniques were generally complex and had the risk of some puncture-related complications, which greatly limited the wide applications in PKP. Finding a safer and more feasible extrapedicular puncture method was rather important. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the treatment effect of modified unilateral extrapedicular PKP in patients with lumbar OVCFs clinically and radiologically. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, an affiliated hospital of a medical university. METHODS: Patients who were treated by modified unilateral extrapedicular PKP in our institution, from January 2020 to March 2021, were retrospectively enrolled. The degree of pain relief and functional recovery were evaluated by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), respectively. Radiologic results were assessed including anterior vertebral height (AVH) and kyphotic angle. In addition, volumetric analysis was performed to evaluate bone cement distribution. And the intraoperative data and complications were also recorded. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients with lumbar OVCFs were successfully treated by modified unilateral extrapedicular PKP. All patients experienced a significant decrease in VAS and ODI scores after surgery (P < 0.01) and maintained the statistical significance until the last follow-up (P < 0.01), as well as significant AVH restoration (P < 0.01) and kyphotic angle correction (P < 0.01) compared with preoperative corresponding values. Volumetric analysis showed that all cases of bone cement diffused across the midline of the vertebral body (VB), in which 43 patients (89.6%) presented optimal contralateral distribution with good or excellent bone cement spread. In addition, 8 patients (16.7%) experienced asymptomatic cement leakage, and no other severe complications, such as injuries to segmental lumbar arteries and nerve roots, were found. LIMITATIONS: A noncontrol study with a small patient population and short follow-up duration. CONCLUSIONS: Modified unilateral extrapedicular PKP, in which the puncture trajectory was advanced through the bottom of Kambin's triangle to or across the midline of VB for proper bilateral cement distribution, greatly alleviated back pain and restored the morphology of fractured vertebrae. It seemed to be a safe and effective alternative applied to treat lumbar OVCFs with appropriate patient selection.

Neuroprotective Effects of Oxymatrine via Triggering Autophagy and Inhibiting Apoptosis Following Spinal Cord Injury in Rats.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological disorder characterized by high morbidity and disability. However, there is still a lack of effective treatments for it. The identification of drugs that promote autophagy and inhibit apoptosis in neurons is critical for improving patient outcomes following SCI. Previous studies have shown that increasing the activity of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and downstream protein AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in rat models of SCI is highly neuroprotective. Oxymatrine (OMT), a quinolizidine alkaloid, has exhibited neuroprotective effects in various central nervous system (CNS) diseases. However, its explicit effect and molecular mechanism in SCI are still unclear. Herein, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of OMT and explore the potential role of autophagy regulation following SCI in rats. A modified compressive device (weight 35 g, time 5 min) was applied to induce moderate SCI in all groups except the sham group. After treatment with drugs or vehicle (saline), our results indicated that OMT treatment significantly reduced the lesion size, promoted survival of motor neurons, and subsequently attenuated motor dysfunction following SCI in rats. OMT significantly enhanced autophagy activity, inhibited apoptosis in neurons, and increased SIRT1 and p-AMPK expression levels. Interestingly, these effects of OMT on SCI were partially prevented by co-treatment with SIRT1 inhibitor EX527. Furthermore, combining OMT with the potent autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) could effectively abolish its promotion of autophagic flux. Taken together, these data revealed that OMT exerts a neuroprotective role in functional recovery against SCI in rats, and these effects are potentially associated with OMT-induced activation of autophagy via the SIRT1/AMPK signaling pathway.

Indirect regulation of HIPPO pathway by miRNA mediates high-intensity intermittent exercise to ameliorate aging skeletal muscle function.

Exercise-induced microRNA (miRNA) and HIPPO pathways participate in the regulation of skeletal muscle plasticity but their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on miRNA expression and the HIPPO pathway in the skeletal muscle of aging rats to determine its role in the amelioration of muscle aging. Thirty-six 18-month-old female rats were randomly divided into sedentary control (SED, n = 12), moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT, n = 12), and HIIT (n = 12) groups, with continuous exercise for 8 months. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, KEGG enrichment, and dual-luciferase assays were performed on the target skeletal muscle. Compared with the SED group, the MICT and HIIT groups showed a significant trend of improvement in Lee's index and grip strength and a marked increase in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function, apoptosis, antioxidant, and lipolysis-related protein expression. They also exhibited PI3K/AKT pathway activation and a decrease in expression of HIPPO pathway-related proteins; 20 miRNAs were differentially expressed and enriched in the exercise group compared with the SED group, including the HIPPO pathway and metabolic pathways. Further analysis of L6 cells confirmed that miR-182 may target PTEN, which indirectly regulates HIPPO signaling, but not Mob1. the combined application of HIIT and MICT increased the antioxidant and lipolytic capacities of skeletal muscle and improved atrophy of aging skeletal muscle; HIIT was more effective than MICT. This may be related to HIIT-mediated AKT pathway activation and HIPPO pathway inhibition by miRNAs (miR-486 and miR-182).

Reactivities of silane coupling agents in the silica/rubber composites: Theoretical insights into the relationships between energy barriers and electronic characteristics.

Si69 and Si75, typical commodities of silane coupling agents, are often employed in tire recipes to work as the bridges connecting silica and polymers, with which rolling resistance and wet traction are enhanced without loss in abrasion resistance. In this article, the reactivities of Si69 and Si75 with silica and various rubbers were theoretically investigated by using density functional theory (DFT). When the agents were coupled with silica, not only the acid+water condition but also the pure acid condition was confirmed to readily trigger the condensation reactions. The corresponding Gibbs free energy barriers were related to the charge distributions of reaction regions. As the agents suffered from the homolysis of central SS bonds, the generated single-S-tailer radicals (RS·) showed significantly higher reactivities of both the radical addition and the α-H transfer reactions with rubbers, due to the stronger radical philicities of the terminal sulfur radicals with larger condensed local softnesses [s0 (S)]. When the agents underwent the heterolysis of central SS bonds, the terminal sulfur anions with smaller s- (S) indices, however, facilitated the nucleophilic addition reactions with rubbers. Several derivative indices based on the condensed local softnesses were also proposed here to shed light on the reactivities from the viewpoint of the relationship between energy barriers and electronic characteristics. The above findings pave the way for the design of new kinds of silane coupling agents using computer-aided techniques, and meanwhile, provide references for the practical application of Si69 and Si75 to the silica/rubbers systems.

Upregulation of TRPC6 inhibits astrocyte activation and proliferation after spinal cord injury in rats by suppressing AQP4 expression.

AIMS: This work investigates the effects and mechanisms of inhibiting TRPC6 (a non-selective cation channel) downregulation on rat astrocyte activation and proliferation following spinal cord injury (SCI) by suppressing AQP4 expression. We used HYP9 (TRPC6-specific agonist) and TGN-020 (AQP4-specific inhibitor) to explore the relationship between TRPC6 and AQP4 and their probable protective effects on SCI. METHODS: In a rat SCI model, we randomly assigned female Sprague-Dawley rats into the following four groups: Sham, SCI, SCI+HYP9, and SCI+TGN-020. Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining were used to determine protein expression among groups following SCI. TUNEL and immunofluorescence staining were used to identify changes in the rate of apoptosis and the fraction of surviving neurons after SCI. The Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan open-field locomotor scale was used to identify changes in motor function after SCI. In vitro astrocyte scratch model, we first used the CCK8 assay to test the effects of varying doses of HYP9 or TGN-020 on astrocytes and then split the astrocytes into four groups: Con, Scratch, Scratch+HYP9, and Scratch+TGN-020. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to identify changes in the expression of target proteins. RESULTS: In vivo and in vitro models, SCI dramatically decreased TRPC6 while considerably upregulating AQP4, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression. However, HYP9 or TGN-020 significantly suppressed activation of astrocytes, promoted neurons survival in the anterior horn of the spinal cords, and benefited the recovery of motor function in the hind limbs of rats following SCI. Interestingly, TRPC6 agonists dramatically suppressed AQP4 overexpression, indicating that the probable mechanism of HYP9 benefiting alleviation of SCI may be connected to AQP4 inhibition and astrocyte activation and proliferation reduction. CONCLUSION: we discovered for the first time that HYP9 inhibits astrocyte activation and proliferation by inhibiting AQP4 in SCI rats in vivo and in vitro models and that it preserves neuronal survival and functional recovery after SCI.

Probabilistic Hierarchical Quantum Information Splitting of Arbitrary Multi-Qubit States.

By utilizing the non-maximally entangled four-qubit cluster states as the quantum channel, we first propose a hierarchical quantum information splitting scheme of arbitrary three-qubit states among three agents with a certain probability. Then we generalize the scheme to arbitrary multi-qubit states. Hierarchy is reflected on the different abilities of agents to restore the target state. The high-grade agent only needs the help of one low-grade agent, while the low-grade agent requires all the other agents' assistance. The designated receiver performs positive operator-valued measurement (POVM) which is elaborately constructed with the aid of Hadamard matrix. It is worth mentioning that a general expression of recovery operation is derived to disclose the relationship with measurement outcomes. Moreover, the scheme is extended to multiple agents by means of the symmetry of cluster states.

Sphingosine Kinase-1 (SPHK1) promotes inflammation in infantile pneumonia by regulating NLRP3 inflammasome and SIRT1 expression.

BACKGROUND: Infantile pneumonia is an acute inflammatory disorder of the lung caused by mycoplasma pneumonia. SPHK1 (sphingosine kinase-1) signaling pathway is involved in the process of inflammatory diseases. However, whether SphK1 regulates inflammatory responses in infantile pneumonia remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of SPHK1 in infantile pneumonia and its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Serum samples of 12 patients with infantile pneumonia and healthy controls were obtained from Hunan Children's Hospital. To induce pneumonia, mice were administrated with LPS (lipopolysaccharide) into the lung. RAW264.7 cells were used as an in vitro macrophage model stimulated with LPS or PBS for 4 h. RESULTS: SPHK1 mRNA level and protein level in the LPS-treated mice and patients with infantile pneumonia were significantly increased. SPHK1 promoted inflammation and lung injury in mice with infantile pneumonia. The knockdown of SPHK1 expression inhibited inflammation and restrained lung injury in mice with infantile pneumonia. SPHK1 overexpression also exacerbated inflammation in RAW264.7 cells stimulated by LPS, and SPHK1 silencing reduced inflammatory responses. We further showed that SPHK1 induced NLRP3 (NLR Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3) activity by inhibiting SIRT1 expression. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that SPHK1 promotes inflammation of infantile pneumonia by modulating NLRP3 inflammasome via the regulation of SIRT1 expression and mitochondrial permeability transition.

A Comparison Between Modified Unilateral Extrapedicular and Bilateral Transpedicular Percutaneous Kyphoplasty in the Treatment of Lumbar Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture.

BACKGROUND: Few researchers have verified the clinical efficacy and safety of the modified unilateral extrapedicular approach (mUEP) applied to the percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in comparative studies with other puncture techniques. Compared with the bilateral transpedicular approach (BTP), whether mUEP PKP is a preferred treatment for lumbar osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) remains unclear. METHODS: Patients treated by PKP for single-level lumbar OVCF in our institution from September 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were grouped according to the puncture techniques. Clinical and radiologic outcomes were evaluated preoperatively, postoperatively, and at follow-up. The clinical evaluation was performed by using visual analog scale for pain relief and Oswestry Disability Index for health status. Radiologic measurements contained anterior vertebral height, kyphotic angle, and bone cement distribution. RESULTS: In total, 76 patients with a mean follow-up duration of 16.6 months were enrolled, including 34 patients in the mUEP PK group and 42 patients in the BTP PKP group. In the mUEP group, operation time, fluoroscopy times, and injected cement volume were significantly less than that in the BTP group (P < 0.01). Both visual analog scale and Oswestry Disability Index scores of all patients decreased significantly after surgery (P < 0.01), with no significant differences between the 2 groups at each follow-up. Both mUEP PKP and BTP PKP showed significant anterior height restoration and kyphotic angle correction (P < 0.01), with no significant differences between the 2 groups at each follow-up. Meanwhile, the mUEP PKP reduced the incidence of intraspinal cement leakage (P < 0.05), and no facet joint violation was found in mUEP PKP. CONCLUSIONS: mUEP PKP could be clinically and radiographically equivalent to BTP PKP. However, it has advantages in reducing operation time and fluoroscopy times, lowering the risk of intraspinal cement leakage, and preventing the presence of facet joint violation. Compared with BTP PKP, the mUEP PKP seems to be an effective and alternative puncture technique for the treatment of lumbar OVCF after appropriate patient selection.

Twist2 Reduced NLRP3-Induced Inflammation of Infantile Pneumonia via Regulation of Mitochondrial Permeability Transition by FOXO1.

BACKGROUND: Infantile pneumonia is an acute inflammatory lesion of the lung caused by mycoplasma pneumonia. Indeed, Twist2 signaling pathway controls inflammatory reaction, oxidative stress, and other biological reaction. However, the regulation of Twist2 on the inflammation in infantile pneumonia remains unclear. This study explained that the function and mechanism of Twist2 in infantile pneumonia. METHODS: The subjects included the serum samples of 12 patients with infantile pneumonia and normal healthy volunteers from Hunan Children's Hospital. Besides, mice were given with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the lung. Moreover, RAW264.7 macrophages were stimulated with LPS for 4 h and added to the culture medium. RESULTS: In present study, in serum of patients with infantile pneumonia or lung tissue of mice model with infantile pneumonia, TWIST2 expression was lessened. Apart from that, TWIST2 protein could reduce the inflammatory reaction in mice model with infantile pneumonia, resulting in an inhibition in lung injury. Conversely, over-expression of TWIST2 also decreased inflammatory reaction in macrophages model via the regulation of FOXO1/NLRP3 pathway. Downregulation of TWIST2 promoted the inflammation in macrophages model by the regulation of FOXO1/NLRP3 pathway. CONCLUSION: According to the findings, present study have identified that the TWIST2 could reduce the inflammation of infantile pneumonia by NLRP3 inflammasome through the regulation of mitochondrial permeability transition and the induction of FOXO1 expression.

MOF Hybrid for Long-Term Pest Management and Micronutrient Supply Triggered with Protease.

Advanced intelligent systems for delivery of pesticides or fertilizers require formulations that allow for long-term efficacy. In this work, a metal-organic framework (MOF) hybrid was developed for long-term pest management and micronutrient supply. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 was fabricated for crop micronutrients (Zn2+) supply and insecticide dinotefuran (DNF) encapsulation. Polymethylmethacrylate was polymerized in situ to impart the MOF hybrid with sustained cargo delivery. Then, zein was introduced to facilitate protease-triggered cargo release associated with the microenvironment of pests and targeted release. The resulting MOF hybrid exhibited stimulus-responsive, slow-release behaviors. Sustained DNF delivery was achieved over a period of at least 32 days in soil. Compared with that of free DNF, the UV resistance of DNF in the MOF hybrid increased by nearly 10 times, and the insecticidal efficiency increased 33.3% with leaching treatment and 40.1% after incubating in a greenhouse for 14 days. This MOF hybrid provides a controlled, targeted, and sustained delivery formulation for long-term pest management and crop micronutrient supply and has huge application prospects in sustainable agriculture.