First Clarification of the Involvement of Glycosyltransferase MdUGT73CG22 in the Detoxification Metabolism of Nicosulfuron in Apple.

Nicosulfuron, an acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor herbicide, is a broad-spectrum and highly effective post-emergence herbicide. Glycosyltransferases (GTs) are widely found in organisms and transfer sugar molecules from donors to acceptors to form glycosides or sugar esters, thereby altering the physicochemical properties of the acceptor molecule, such as participating in detoxification. In this study, nine glycosyltransferases in group D of the apple glycosyltransferase family I were predicted to possibly be involved in the detoxification metabolism of ALS-inhibiting herbicides based on gene chip data published online. In order to confirm this, we analysed whether the expression of the nine glycosyltransferase genes in group D was induced by the previously reported ALS-inhibiting herbicides by real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction). It was found that the ALS-inhibiting herbicide nicosulfuron significantly increased the expression of the MdUGT73CG22 gene in group D. Further investigation of the mechanism of action revealed that the apple glycosyltransferase MdUGT73CG22 glycosylated and modified nicosulfuron both in vivo and ex vivo to form nicosulfuron glycosides, which were involved in detoxification metabolism. In conclusion, a new glycosyltransferase, MdUGT73CG22, was identified for the first time in this study, which can glycosylate modifications of the ALS-inhibiting herbicide nicosulfuron and may be involved in the detoxification process in plants, which can help to further improve the knowledge of the non-targeted mechanism of herbicides.

Highly Dispersed Ni Atoms and O3 Promote Room-Temperature Catalytic Oxidation.

Transition metal oxides are promising catalysts for catalytic oxidation reactions but are hampered by low room-temperature activities. Such low activities are normally caused by sparse reactive sites and insufficient capacity for molecular oxygen (O2) activation. Here, we present a dual-stimulation strategy to tackle these two issues. Specifically, we import highly dispersed nickel (Ni) atoms onto MnO2 to enrich its oxygen vacancies (reactive sites). Then, we use molecular ozone (O3) with a lower activation energy as an oxidant instead of molecular O2. With such dual stimulations, the constructed O3-Ni/MnO2 catalytic system shows boosted room-temperature activity for toluene oxidation with a toluene conversion of up to 98%, compared with the O3-MnO2 (Ni-free) system with only 50% conversion and the inactive O2-Ni/MnO2 (O3-free) system. This leap realizes efficient room-temperature catalytic oxidation of transition metal oxides, which is constantly pursued but has always been difficult to truly achieve.

Ethylenedioxythiophene-Based Small Molecular Donor with Multiple Conformation Locks for Organic Solar Cells with Efficiency of 19.3 .

Ternary organic solar cells (T-OSCs) represent an efficient strategy for enhancing the performance of OSCs. Presently, the majority of high-performance T-OSCs incorporates well-established Y-acceptors or donor polymers as the third component. In this study, a novel class of conjugated small molecules has been introduced as the third component, demonstrating exceptional photovoltaic performance in T-OSCs. This innovative molecule comprises ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) bridge and 3-ethylrhodanine as the end group, with the EDOT unit facilitating the creation of multiple conformation locks. Consequently, the EDOT-based molecule exhibits two-dimensional charge transport, distinguishing it from the thiophene-bridged small molecule, which displays fewer conformation locks and provides one-dimensional charge transport. Furthermore, the robust electron-donating nature of EDOT imparts the small molecule with cascade energy levels relative to the electron donor and acceptor. As a result, OSCs incorporating the EDOT-based small molecule as the third component demonstrate enhanced mobilities, yielding a remarkable efficiency of 19.3 %, surpassing the efficiency of 18.7 % observed for OSCs incorporating thiophene-based small molecule as the third component. The investigations in this study underscore the excellence of EDOT as a building block for constructing conjugated materials with multiple conformation locks and high charge carrier mobilities, thereby contributing to elevated photovoltaic performance in OSCs.

Rational Design of Cost-Effective Metal-Doped ZrO2 for Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

The design of cost-effective electrocatalysts is an open challenging for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to the "stable-or-active" dilemma. Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), a versatile and low-cost material that can be stable under OER operating conditions, exhibits inherently poor OER activity from experimental observations. Herein, we doped a series of metal elements to regulate the ZrO2 catalytic activity in OER via spin-polarized density functional theory calculations with van der Waals interactions. Microkinetic modeling as a function of the OER activity descriptor (GO*-GHO*) displays that 16 metal dopants enable to enhance OER activities over a thermodynamically stable ZrO2 surface, among which Fe and Rh (in the form of single-atom dopant) reach the volcano peak (i.e. the optimal activity of OER under the potential of interest), indicating excellent OER performance. Free energy diagram calculations, density of states, and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations further showed that Fe and Rh are the effective dopants for ZrO2, leading to low OER overpotential, high conductivity, and good stability. Considering cost-effectiveness, single-atom Fe doped ZrO2 emerged as the most promising catalyst for OER. This finding offers a valuable perspective and reference for experimental researchers to design cost-effective catalysts for the industrial-scale OER production.

BIBR1532 inhibits proliferation and enhances apoptosis in multiple myeloma cells by reducing telomerase activity.

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a rare haematological disorder with few therapeutic options. BIBR1532, a telomerase inhibitor, is widely used in cancer treatment and has promising outcomes. In this study, we investigated the efficacy and mechanism of action of BIBR1532 in MM. Methods: K562 and MEG-01 cells were cultured with BIBR1532 at different concentrations. After 24 and 48 h, cell survival was analyzed. Next, these cells were cultured with 25 and 50 µM BIBR1532 for 48 h, then, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and the expression of the telomerase activity related markers were tested by 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining, flow cytometric analysis, western blot and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), respectively. Expression of Bcl-xL, Bad, Survivin, phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT, mTOR, ERK1/2, and MAPK were tested via western blotting. Further experiments were conducted to evaluate the synergistic effects of BIBR1532 and doxorubicin (Dox) or bortezomib (Bor). Results: BIBR1532 inhibited K562 and MEG-01 cell survival in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, BIBR1532 hindered cell proliferation while promoting apoptosis, and this effect was enhanced by increasing the BIBR1532 concentration. Moreover, BIBR1532 inhibited TERT and c-MYC expression, PI3K, AKT, mTOR phosphorylation, and facilitated ERK1/2 and MAPK phosphorylation. Additionally, BIBR1532 combined with Dox or Bor showed synergistic effects in MM treatment. Conclusion: BIBR1532 inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in MM cells by inhibiting telomerase activity. Additionally, BIBR1532 combined with Dox or Bor exhibited synergistic effects, indicating that BIBR1532 may be a novel medicine for the treatment of MM.

Extreme hepatectomy with modified ALPPS in a rat model: gradual portal vein restriction associated with hepatic artery restriction.

BACKGROUND & AIM: Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation (PVL) for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) is a creative strategy for enlarging the future liver remnant (FLR) and increasing the tumor resectability rate. However, the indications for ALPPS must have a certain limit when the FLR is too small. We aimed to establish a modified ALPPS model with more widen applicability in rats. METHODS: An extreme ALPPS model was established in rodents with only a 6.5% FLR. The portal vein (PV) was subjected to restriction to different degrees, then the portal vein pressure (PVP) was measured. Then, different modifications of ALPPS, including hepatic artery restriction (HAR), gradual portal vein restriction (GPVR), and GPVR-associated HAR (HAR+GPVR), were applied in the extreme ALPPS models. RESULTS: PVL or PVR provoked an immediate increase in the PVP. The PVP in the PVR -1.28 mm, PVR -0.81 mm, PVR -0.63 mm, and PVL groups was 11.05±1.57 cmH2O, 16.18±1.92 cmH2O, 20.66±1.99 cmH2O, and 24.10±3.33 cmH2O, respectively, and the corresponding 3-day survival rate was 100%, 90.09%, 36.33% and 0, respectively. Then, in the extreme ALPPS model, the growth ratio of the FLR in the control, HAR, GPVR, and HAR+GPVR groups was 0.43±0.21, 0.50±0.16, 4.80±0.86, and 7.40±2.56, and as a consequence, the corresponding 30-day survival rate was 9.09%, 15.38%, 84.61% and 92.90%, respectively. CONCLUSION: ALPPS itself has a limit, and high PVP after PVL contributes to postoperative death in the extreme ALPPS model. Furthermore, a modified method for extreme ALPPS is proposed, i.e., GPVR+HAR in place of PVL, which significantly improves the survival rate of extreme hepatectomy in rat models.

Analysis of factors affecting intraoperative conversion from thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer to thoracotomy and intraoperative management experience.

Objective: To explore the factors affecting the intraoperative conversion of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) to thoracotomy in patients with lung cancer. Methods: The clinical data of 80 patients with lung cancer in The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from May 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients who were treated with VATS alone were included into thoracoscopy group (n= 40), and those who were intraoperatively converted from VATS to thoracotomy were included into conversion group (n= 40). The medical record data were collected, the influencing factors of intraoperative conversion from VATS to thoracotomy were analyzed, and the surgical indexes and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Results: Multivariate regression model showed that tumor in the upper lobe, central lung cancer, history of pulmonary tuberculosis, pleural adhesion ≥ Grade-4 and maximum tumor diameter ≥ 35 mm were risk factors for patients with lung cancer undergoing conversion from VATS to thoracotomy (p< 0.05). In the conversion group, the surgical duration and hospital stay were longer, the intraoperative bleeding volume and thoracic drainage volume were larger, and the total incidence of postoperative complications was higher than those in the thoracoscopy group (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Conversion from VATS to thoracotomy may increase the risk of complications in patients with lung cancer. Tumor in the upper lobe, central lung cancer, history of pulmonary tuberculosis, high degree of pleural adhesion and large tumor diameter are risk factors for conversion from VATS to thoracotomy.

The clinical utility of metagenomic next-generation sequencing for the diagnosis of central nervous system infectious diseases.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the clinical utility of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for the diagnosis of central nervous system infections (CNSI). METHODS: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 54 patients who were high-level clinical suspicion of CNSI was collected and sent for mNGS and conventional tests from January 2019 to March 2022. RESULTS: Twenty out of 54 patients were diagnosed with CNSI and 34 non-CNSI. Among the 34 non-CNSI, one was false positive by mNGS. Among the 20 CNSI, 11 had presumed viral encephalitis and/or meningitis, 5 had presumed bacterial meningitis, 2 had presumed TMB, 1 had Crytococcus meningitis and 1 had neurosyphilis. The sensitivity of viral encephalitis and/or meningitis was 0.73 (8/11); 10 virus were detected; 9/10 was dsDNA; 1/10 was ssRNA. SSRN ranged from 1 to 13. The accuracy rate was 0.4, the accuracy rate was positively correlated with SSRN (r = 0.738, P = 0.015), SSRN ≥ 1, the accuracy rate was 0.4; SSRN ≥ 3, the accuracy rate was 0.66; SSRN ≥ 4, the accuracy rate was 0.75; SSRN ≥ 6, the accuracy rate was 1. The sensitivity of bacterial meningitis was 1. Seven kinds of bacteria were detected, among which 3/7 were gram positive, 3/7 were gram negative, and 1/7 was infected NTM (nontuberculous mycobacteria). The accuracy rate was 0.43 (3/7). The sensitivity of TBM was 0.66 (2/3), the accuracy rate was 1. The sensitivity of Crytococcus meningitis was 1, the accuracy rate was 0.5. PPV (positive predictive value) of mNGS was 0.94, NPV (negative predictive value) of mNGS was 0.89, specificity was 0.97 and sensitivity was 0.8. The AUG for CSF mNGS diagnosis of CNSI was 0.89 (95% CI = 0.78-0.99) Headache, meningeal irritation sign and image of meninges abnormal were correlated with the sensitivity of mNGS (r = 0.451, 0.313, 0.446; p = 0.001, 0.021, 0.001); CSF Glucose and CSF Chloride were negatively correlated with sensitivity of mNGS (r = -0.395, -0.462; p = 0.003, ＜ 0.001). CONCLUSION: mNGS is a detection means with high sensitivity, wide coverage and strong timeliness, which can help clinicians to identify the pathogen diagnosis quickly, conduct targeted anti-infection treatment early and reduce antibiotic abuse. The pathogen which causing low CSF Glucose, low CSF Chloride or meninges infections was more likely to be detected by mNGS. It may be related to growth and structural characteristics of the pathogen and blood-brain barrier damage.

Extended Ligation of the Hepatic Vein May Yield a Similar Effect to Liver Venous Deprivation in a Rat Model.

AIMS: To validate the hypothesis that hepatic vein ligation (HVL) alone may produce similar results to liver venous deprivation (LVD or HVL + portal vein ligation [PVL]). METHODS: Rats were assigned to five groups, namely, the control group; the R group in which the right median hepatic vein (RMHV) was ligated; the M group in which the middle median hepatic vein (MMHV) was ligated; the RM group in which both the RMHV and MMHV were ligated (R + MMHVL, extended ligation of the hepatic veins); and the LVD group in which both the right median portal vein and the RMHV were ligated. The liver hypertrophy effect and liver enzymes were determined. Methylene blue staining and retrograde pressurized perfusion assays were performed to investigate the hemodynamic changes. RESULTS: The RM and LVD groups exhibited similar significant hypertrophy in the future liver remnants when compared to that of the control group, and almost no additional hypertrophy effect was observed in the R and M groups. There was a remarkable elevation in serum transaminase levels in both groups. The methylene blue staining experiment indicated that pressure-dependent collaterals formed between the contiguous drainage areas, and the R + MMHVL procedure blocked the outflow of the right median lobe. CONCLUSION: Extended ligation of the hepatic vein (R + MMHVL) resulted in a similar hypertrophy effect and hepatic damage to those of LVD (HVL + PVL) treatment in a rat model, and intrahepatic venovenous collaterals play key roles.

AURKB activates EMT through PI3K/AKT signaling axis to promote ICC progression.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a fatal disease and the molecular mechanism of its progression remains unknown. Aurora Kinase B (AURKB) is a central regulator of chromosome separation and cytokinesis and is abnormally expressed in a variety of cancer cells. This research aimed to explore the effect of AURKB in occurrence and metastasis of ICC. We found that AURKB showed a progressive up-regulation pattern from normal bile duct tissue to ICC with high invasion. Our data showed that AURKB significantly promoted ICC cell proliferation, induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration and invasion through gain- and loss- of function experiments. In vivo results consistently showed that AURKB up-regulation not only promoted tumor growth, but also promoted tumor metastasis. Importantly, we discovered that AURKB regulates the expressions of EMT-related genes via PI3K/AKT signaling axis. Herein, our results suggest that AURKB induced EMT through the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is critical to the progression of ICC, which may be a prospective therapeutic treatment for overcoming ICC metastasis and progression.

Qing-Kai-Ling oral liquid alleviated pneumonia via regulation of intestinal flora and metabolites in rats.

Background: Qing-Kai-Ling (QKL) oral liquid, evolving from a classical Chinese formula known as An-Gong-Niu-Huang pills, is a well-established treatment for pneumonia with its mechanism remaining muddled. Studies have shown that the regulation of both intestinal flora and host-microbiota co-metabolism may contribute to preventing and treating pneumonia. The study aimed to investigate the potential mechanism by which QKL alleviates pneumonia from the perspective of 'microbiota-metabolites-host' interaction. Methods: We evaluated the therapeutic effects of QKL on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pneumonia rats. To explore the protective mechanism of QKL treatment, a multi-omics analysis that included 16S rDNA sequencing for disclosing the key intestinal flora, the fecal metabolome to discover the differential metabolites, and whole transcriptome sequencing of lung tissue to obtain the differentially expressed genes was carried out. Then, a Spearman correlation was employed to investigate the association between the intestinal flora, the fecal metabolome and inflammation-related indices. Results: The study demonstrated that pneumonia symptoms were significantly attenuated in QKL-treated rats, including decreased TNF-α, NO levels and increased SOD level. Furthermore, QKL was effective in alleviating pneumonia and provided protection equivalent to that of the positive drug dexamethasone. Compared with the Model group, QKL treatment significantly increased the richness and αlpha diversity of intestinal flora, and restored multiple intestinal genera (e.g., Bifidobacterium, Ruminococcus_torques_group, Dorea, Mucispirillum, and Staphylococcus) that were correlated with inflammation-related indices. Interestingly, the intestinal flora demonstrated a strong correlation with several metabolites impacted by QKL. Furthermore, metabolome and transcriptome analyses showed that enrichment of several host-microbiota co-metabolites [arachidonic acid, 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid, LysoPC (20:0/0:0), LysoPA (18:0e/0:0), cholic acid, 7-ketodeoxycholic acid and 12-ketodeoxycholic acid] levels and varying lung gene (Pla2g2a, Pla2g5, Alox12e, Cyp4a8, Ccl19, and Ccl21) expression were observed in the QKL group. Moreover, these metabolites and genes were involved in arachidonic acid metabolism and inflammation-related pathways. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that QKL could potentially modulate intestinal flora dysbiosis, improve host-microbiota co-metabolism dysregulation and regulate gene expression in the lungs, thereby mitigating LPS-induced pneumonia in rats. The study may provide new ideas for the clinical application and further development of QKL.

Order-disorder engineering of RuO2 nanosheets towards pH-universal oxygen evolution.

Ru-based electrocatalysts are considered promising anode catalysts towards water electrolysis due to their impressive activity under acidic conditions. Yet, caused by the collapse of the local crystalline domains and concurrent leaching of Ru species during the OER process, durability against structural degradation remains poor. Herein, we present an order-disorder structure optimization strategy, based on RuO2 nanosheets with well-defined amorphous-crystalline boundaries supported on carbon cloth (a/c-RuO2/CC), to effectively catalyze water oxidation, especially in the case of an acidic medium. Specifically, the as-prepared a/c-RuO2/CC sample has achieved a lower overpotential of 150 mV at 10 mA cm-2, a smaller Tafel slope of 47 mV dec-1, and a significantly higher durability with suppressed dissolution of Ru, with regard to its crystalline (c-RuO2/CC) and amorphous (a-RuO2/CC) counterparts. Computational simulations combined with experimental characterizations uncover that the construction of the structurally ordered-disordered boundary enables a weakened Ru-O covalency with regard to the ordered counterpart, which suppresses the leaching of active Ru species from the crystalline phase, thus enhances stability. An upshift of the d-band center in a/c-RuO2/CC relative to a-RuO2/CC reduces the energy barrier of the potential-determining step (*O → *OOH), thereby dramatically boosting activity.

GrpE and ComD contribute to the adherence, biofilm formation, and pathogenicity of Streptococcus suis.

Streptococcus suis is a major bacterial pathogen of swine and an emerging zoonotic agent that has to date resulted in substantial economic losses to the swine industry worldwide, and can cause persistent infection by forming biofilms. GrpE and histidine protein kinase ComD are important proteins implicated in the pathogenicity of S. suis, although whether they play roles in adhesion and biofilm formation has yet to be sufficiently clarified. In this study, we constructed grpE and comD deletion strains of S. suis by homologous recombination, and examined their cell adhesion and biofilm formation capacities compared with those of the wild-type strain. The pathogenicity of the grpE and comD deletion strains was evaluated using a mouse infection model, which revealed that compared with the wild-type, these deletion strains induced milder symptoms and lower bacteremia, as well as comparatively minor organ (brain, spleen, liver, and lung) lesions, in the infected mice. Moreover, the deletion of grpE and comD significantly reduced the pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α) induction capacity of S. suis. Collectively, the findings of this study indicate that the GrpE and ComD proteins of Streptococcus suis play key roles in the adherence to PK-15 cells and the formation of biofilms, thereby contributing to the virulence of this pathogen.

Electrospun TiO2 Nanofibers Featuring Surface Oxygen Vacancies as a Multifunctional Interlayer for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries in a Wide Temperature Range.

Despite great achievements having been made in lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), further improvements regarding rate performance, cycle life, and operating temperature are needed for realistic applications. Herein, we developed a simple electrospun method for the preparation of TiO2 coaxial nanofiber (TCNFs)-modified Celgard separators to suppress the polysulfide shuttling. LSBs with a TCNF/Celgard separator display excellent electrochemical performance. For an areal sulfur loading of 2.5 mg cm-2, the cells exhibited a capacity of 1279 mA h g-1 at 0.5 A g-1, remained 798 mA h g-1 at 2.5 A g-1, and low-capacity decay of 0.057% per cycle within 1000 cycles. At 50 and -10 °C, the capacity of the cells is maintained at 932 and 931 mA h g-1 after 80 cycles at 0.5 A g-1, respectively. Detailed structural analysis and theoretical calculations revealed that the hollow-structured TCNFs offer high density of accessible electropositive Ti sites and oxygen vacancies and thus enables efficient trapping of polysulfides and facilitates Li+ transfer, leading to excellent performance. The simplicity of this strategy and the diversity of hollow-structured metal oxides holds great promise to design separators for high-performance LSBs.

Design of molecular MNC dual-atom catalysts for nitrogen reduction starting from surface state analysis.

Under electrocatalytic conditions, the state of a catalyst surface (e.g., adsorbate coverage) can be very different from a pristine form due to the existing conversion equilibrium between water and H- and O-containing adsorbates. Dismissing the analysis of the catalyst surface state under operating conditionsmay lead to misleading guidelines for experiments. Given that confirming the actual active site of the catalyst under operating conditions is indispensable to providing practical guidance for experiments, herein, we analyzed the relations between the Gibbs free energy and the potential of a new type of molecular metal-nitrogen-carbon (MNC) dual-atom catalysts (DACs) with a unique 5 N-coordination environment, by spin-polarized density functional theory (DFT) and surface Pourbaix diagram calculations. Analyzing the derived surface Pourbaix diagrams, we screened out three catalysts, N3-Ni-Ni-N2, N3-Co-Ni-N2, and N3-Ni-Co-N2, to further study the activity of nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). The results display that N3-Co-Ni-N2 is a promising NRR catalyst with a relatively low ΔG of 0.49 eV and slow kinetics of the competing hydrogen evolution. This work proposes a new strategy to guide DAC experiments more precisely: the analysis of the surface occupancy state of the catalysts under electrochemical conditions should be performed before activity analysis.

Establishment of a Rat Model of Liver Venous Deprivation: Simultaneous Portal and Hepatic Vein Ligation.

Background and Aims: The aim was to establish a liver venous deprivation (LVD) model in rats, compare hepatic hypertrophy between LVD and associated liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS), and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods: The LVD or extended-LVD (e-LVD) group received portal vein ligation (PVL) combined with hepatic vein ligation (HVL). The ALPPS or e-ALPPS group received PVL plus parenchyma ligation. Liver regeneration was assessed by measuring the liver weight and performing pathological analysis. Liver functions and the sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1)/sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)/sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) pathway were also investigated. Results: All future liver remnants (FLRs) in the ALPPS, e-ALPPS, LVD, and e-LVD groups exhibited significant hypertrophy compared with the control group. The LVD and e-LVD procedures induced similar liver hypertrophy than that in the corresponding ALPPS groups. Furthermore, the LVD and e-LVD methods led to obvious cytolysis in the venous-deprived lobes as well as a noticeable increase in serum transaminase levels, while no necrosis was observed in the ALPPS and e-ALPPS groups. SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 pathway were distinctly activated after operation, especially in congestive/ischemic livers. Conclusions: We describe the first rat model of LVD and e-LVD with simultaneously associated HVL and PVL. Compared with the ALPPS technique, the LVD or e-LVD procedure had a comparable overall effect on the hypertrophy response and a stronger effect on liver function. The SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 pathway was involved in the LVD- or ALPPS-induced liver remodeling.

2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Photocatalysis.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), a rising star in the post-graphene era, are fundamentally and technologically intriguing for photocatalysis. Their extraordinary electronic, optical, and chemical properties endow them as promising materials for effectively harvesting light and catalyzing the redox reaction in photocatalysis. Here, we present a tutorial-style review of the field of 2D TMDs for photocatalysis to educate researchers (especially the new-comers), which begins with a brief introduction of the fundamentals of 2D TMDs and photocatalysis along with the synthesis of this type of material, then look deeply into the merits of 2D TMDs as co-catalysts and active photocatalysts, followed by an overview of the challenges and corresponding strategies of 2D TMDs for photocatalysis, and finally look ahead this topic.

Comparisons of minimally invasive esophagectomy and open esophagectomy in lymph node metastasis/dissection for thoracic esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to clarify the characteristics of lymph node metastasis (LNM) and to compare the oncologic outcomes of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) with open esophagectomy (OE) in terms of lymph node dissection (LND) in thoracic esophageal cancer patients. METHODS: The data from esophageal cancer patients who underwent MIE or OE from January 2016 to January 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The characteristics of LNM in thoracic esophageal cancer were discussed, and the differences in numbers of LND, LND rate, and LNM rate/degree of upper mediastinum between MIE and OE were compared. RESULTS: For overall characteristics of LNM in 249 included patients, the highest rate of LNM was found in upper mediastinum, while LNM rate in middle and lower mediastinum, and abdomen increased with the tumor site moving down. The patients were divided into MIE ( n  = 204) and OE groups ( n  = 45). In terms of number of LND, there were significant differences in upper mediastinum between MIE and OE groups (8 [5, 11] vs. 5 [3, 8], P  < 0.001). The comparative analysis of regional lymph node showed there was no significant difference except the subgroup of upper mediastinal 2L and 4L group (3 [1, 5] vs. 0 [0, 2], P  < 0.001 and 0 [0, 2] vs. 0, P  = 0.012, respectively). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in terms of LND rate except 2L (89.7% [183/204] vs. 71.1% [32/45], P  = 0.001) and 4L (41.2% [84/204] vs . 22.2% [10/45], P  = 0.018) groups. For LNM rate of T3 stage, there was no significant difference between MIE and OE groups, and the comparative analysis of regional lymph node showed that there was no significant difference except 2L group (11.1% [5/45] vs . 38.1% [8/21], P  = 0.025). The LNM degree of OE group was significantly higher than that of MIE group (27.2% [47/173] vs . 7.6% [32/419], P  < 0.001), and the comparative analysis of regional LNM degree showed that there was no significant difference except 2L (34.7% [17/49] vs . 7.7% [13/169], P  < 0.001) and 4L (23.8% [5/21] vs . 3.9% [2/51], P  = 0.031) subgroups. CONCLUSION: MIE may have an advantage in LND of upper mediastinum 2L and 4L groups, while it was similar to OE in other stations of LND.

Boosting Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to HCOOH on Ni Single Atom Anchored WTe2 Monolayer.

Achieving efficient conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) to formic acid (HCOOH) at mild conditions is a promising means to reduce greenhouse gas emission and mitigate the energy crisis. Herein, spin-polarized density functional theory calculations with van der Waals corrections (DFT+D3) are performed to analyze the catalytic activity of seven metals (Ti, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, In, and Sn) anchored on a tungsten ditelluride monolayer (M@WTe2 ) and screen favorable CO2 reduction pathways. These results demonstrate that Ni single atoms strongly bind to the WTe2 monolayer and exist in isolated form due to the high diffusion barriers. Also, Ni-anchored WTe2 monolayer (Ni@WTe2 ) possesses a considerably low limiting-potential (-0.11 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode) to convert CO2 to HCOOH due to moderate OCHO adsorption energy and a suppressed competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Therefore, Ni@WTe2 monolayer is a promising electrocatalytic material for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR). This study sheds light on strategies of designing single metal atom anchored WTe2 catalysts for improved CO2 RR performances.

Systematic identification of key extracellular proteins as the potential biomarkers in lupus nephritis.

Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) is the most common and severe clinical manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with considerable morbidity/mortality and limited treatment options. Since kidney biopsy is a relative hysteretic indicator, it is indispensable to investigate potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and predicting clinical outcomes of LN patients. Extracellular proteins may become the promising biomarkers by the secretion into body fluid. Our study linked extracellular proteins with lupus nephritis to identify the emerging biomarkers. Methods: The expression profiling data were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Meanwhile, the two gene lists encoding extracellular proteins were collected from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) and UniProt database. Subsequently, the extracellular protein-differentially expressed genes (EP-DEGs) were screened out, and the key EP-DEGs were determined by MCODE, MCC, and Degree methods via the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The expression level, immune characteristics, and diagnostic value of these candidate biomarkers were investigated. Finally, the Nephroseq V5 tool was applied to evaluate the clinical significance of the key EP-DEGs. Results: A total of 164 DEGs were acquired by comparing LN samples with healthy controls based on GSE32591 datasets. Then, 38 EP-DEGs were screened out through the intersection between DEGs and extracellular protein gene lists. Function enrichment analysis indicated that these EP-DEGs might participate in immune response and constitute the extracellular matrix. Four key EP-DEGs (LUM, TGFBI, COL1A2, and POSTN) were eventually identified as candidate biomarkers, and they were all overexpressed in LN samples. Except that LUM expression was negatively correlated with most of the immune regulatory genes, there was a positive correlation between the remaining three biomarkers and the immune regulatory genes. In addition, these biomarkers had high diagnostic value, especially the AUC value of the LUM-TGFBI combination which reached almost 1 (AUC = 0.973), demonstrating high accuracy in distinguishing LN from controls. Finally, we found a meaningful correlation of these biomarkers with sex, WHO class, and renal function such as glomerular filtration rate (GFR), serum creatinine level, and proteinuria. Conclusion: In summary, our study comprehensively identified four key EP-DEGs exerting a vital role in LN diagnosis and pathogenesis and serving as promising therapeutic targets.