The abnormalities of lipid metabolism in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder and relationship with suicidal ideation and attempted suicide.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a widespread health issue in many countries, which has an extremely negative impact on the health of children and adolescents in particular. In the context of depression and metabolic disorders, dyslipidemia and metabolism-related problems become more prominent comorbidities. However, they continue to be the main barrier to the successful recovery of the clinical progress. In this study we investigated the rate of dyslipidemia, additional risk factors among Chinese children and adolescents with MDD, and association of the suicidal behavior with lipid levels. Methods: The study took 756 people from the Third People's Hospital of Fuyang between January 2020 and December 2021, aged between 8 and 18, with major depressive disorders diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). We determined the FBG (fasting blood glucose) and lipid parameters in all subjects and also investigated the history of suicidal ideation, the cases of attempted suicide, and the scores of depressive symptoms. Sociodemographic and clinical data were gathered and analyzed using the SPSS-23.0 version. Results: The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, high LDL-C, and low HDL-C were 5.42 % (41/756), 10.58 % (80/756), 3.84 % (29/756) and 5.42 % (41/756) respectively. For hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, they were positive associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, and the positive correlation is shown between low HDL-C levels and suicide attempts. Nevertheless, non-ideation and inversely suicidal attempts were not discovered among high-LDL-C subjects. Logistic analysis showed that high levels of FBG (OR = 2.86, 95 % CI: 1.31-6.25, P = 0.008) and worse LDL-C (OR = 357.82, 95 % CI: 66.16-1935.10, P < 0.001) are the independent associated factors for hypercholesterolemia. More hospitalizations (OR = 1.89, 95 % CI: 1.07-3.35, P = 0.028), obesity (OR = 2.55, 95 % CI: 1.25-5.18, P = 0.010), high levels of TC (OR = 2.15, 95 % CI: 1.03-4.48, P = 0.042), and higher doses of antidepressants (OR = 1.02, 95 % CI: 1.00-1.04, P = 0.029) were independently associated factors for hypertriglyceridemia, while high levels of HDL-C (OR = 0.11, 95 % CI: 0.04-0.31, P < 0.001) were protective factors. In addition, high levels of TC (OR = 113.94, 95 % CI: 20.01-648.85) were statistically different (P < 0.001) and suggested that the factor was significantly related to high LDL-C. Meanwhile, older age (OR = 1.25, 95 % CI: 1.02-1.52, P = 0.030) and high levels of TG (OR = 3.00, 95 % CI: 1.98-4.55, P < 0.001) were independent factors contributing to low HDL-C. Conclusion: The high prevalence of dyslipidemia in childhood and adolescence among children and adolescents with depressive disorder has become a public health issue. Hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia showed a positive correlation with suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts. Monitoring the incidence of suicidal thoughts and attempts among them would carry some predictor meaning in therapy and for jumping back to health.

Quantifying Contributions of Different Repulsion to Film Drainage Time during the Bubble-Solid Surface Attachment and Implications for the Flotation of Fine Particles.

The flotation recovery of fine particles faces serious challenges due to the lack of kinetic energy required for supporting their radial displacement and attachment with bubbles. Generally, the hydrodynamic resistance and repulsive disjoining pressure successively inhibit the liquid outflow intervening between the bubble and solid surfaces. To quantitatively characterize the influence of the main repulsion on film thinning time, experiments have been designed in three different aqueous systems. Bubble surface mobility closely associated with hydrodynamic resistance was determined by the rising bubble technique, and the DLVO theory was employed to confirm the evolution of electrostatic repulsion. The film drainage process was then measured based on the high-speed microscopic interferometry. Furthermore, the influence of the main repulsion on bubble-solid surface interactions was examined by flotation recovery. Results show that the earlier buildup of hydrodynamic force ran through the whole film thinning process, and under immobile conditions, the central region gradually became dominant in film thinning due to the very limited fluid flow at the thinnest rim position. Therefore, to achieve the identical film thickness (∼100 nm), the large hydrodynamic resistance could prolong the film thinning time by about 1 order of magnitude, compared with that induced by electrostatic repulsion, which accounts for the increased flotation recovery by 10% using mobile bubbles. This study not only enhances the understanding of how typical repulsive forces work in film drainage dynamics but also opens up an avenue for enhancing flotation and avoiding wasting resources by modulating bubble surface mobility and thus micro/nanoscale fluid flow.

Clinical analysis of renal cell carcinoma with intestinal metastasis resulting in small bowel and colon fistula.

An enteric fistula is an abnormal connection between the intestine and other organs and is often caused by inflammation or trauma. Diagnosis and treatment involve imaging and endoscopy. Treatment may include medication and surgery. This report presents a rare case of severe enteric fistula caused by colonic metastasis of clear cell renal carcinoma. The objective of this report is to increase surgeons' awareness of atypical manifestations of intestinal metastatic cancer.

Deciphering cell wall sensors enabling the construction of robust P. pastoris for single-cell protein production.

Single-cell protein (SCP) production in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris has the potential to achieve a sustainable protein supply. However, improving the methanol fermentation efficiency and reducing carbon loss has been a long-standing challenge with far-reaching scientific and practical implications. Here, comparative transcriptomics revealed that PAS_0305, a gene directly associated with cell wall thickness under methanol stress, can be used as a target for unlocking cell wall sensors. Intracellular trehalose accumulation confirmed that cell wall sensors were activated after knocking out PAS_0305, which resulted in increased cell wall permeability. Genome-wide signal perturbations were transduced through the HOG module and the CWI pathway, which was confirmed to connected by Pbs2-Mkk. As a consequence of CWI pathway activation, ΔPAS_0305 elicited a rescue response of cell wall remodeling by increasing the ß-1,3-glucan content and decreasing the chitin/mannose content. Remarkably, perturbations in global stress signals led to a fine-tuning of the metabolic network of ΔPAS_0305, resulting in a superior phenotype with highest crude protein and methanol conversion rate of 67.21% and 0.46 gDCW/g. Further genome-scale metabolic models were constructed to validate the experimental results, confirming that unlocking cell wall sensors resulted in maximized flux from methanol towards SCP and effectively addressing the issue of carbon loss in methanol fermentation. This work sheds new light on the potential of manipulating cellular signaling pathways to optimize metabolic networks and achieve exceptional phenotypic characteristics, providing new strategies for constructing versatile cell factories in P. pastoris.

Enhancing the Heterologous Expression of a Thermophilic Endoglucanase and Its Cost-Effective Production in Pichia pastoris Using Multiple Strategies.

Although Pichia pastoris was successfully used for heterologous gene expression for more than twenty years, many factors influencing protein expression remain unclear. Here, we optimized the expression of a thermophilic endoglucanase from Thermothielavioides terrestris (TtCel45A) for cost-effective production in Pichia pastoris. To achieve this, we established a multifactorial regulation strategy that involved selecting a genome-editing system, utilizing neutral loci, incorporating multiple copies of the heterologous expression cassette, and optimizing high-density fermentation for the co-production of single-cell protein (SCP). Notably, even though all neutral sites were used, there was still a slight difference in the enzymatic activity of heterologously expressed TtCel45A. Interestingly, the optimal gene copy number for the chromosomal expression of TtCel45A was found to be three, indicating limitations in translational capacity, post-translational processing, and secretion, ultimately impacting protein yields in P. pastoris. We suggest that multiple parameters might influence a kinetic competition between protein elongation and mRNA degradation. During high-density fermentation, the highest protein concentration and endoglucanase activity of TtCel45A with three copies reached 15.8 g/L and 9640 IU/mL, respectively. At the same time, the remaining SCP of P. pastoris exhibited a crude protein and amino acid content of up to 59.32% and 46.98%, respectively. These findings suggested that SCP from P. pastoris holds great promise as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative for meeting the global protein demand, while also enabling the production of thermophilic TtCel45A in a single industrial process.

Broadband transverse unidirectional scattering and large range nanoscale displacement measuring based on the interaction between a tightly focused azimuthally polarized beam and a silicon hollow nanostructure.

We theoretically propose a broadband transverse unidirectional scattering scheme based on the interaction between a tightly focused azimuthally polarized beam (APB) and a silicon hollow nanostructure. When the nanostructure is located at a specific position in the focal plane of the APB, the transverse scattering fields can be decomposed into contributions from transverse components of the electric dipoles, longitudinal components of magnetic dipoles and magnetic quadrupole components. In order to satisfy the transverse Kerker conditions for these multipoles within a wide infrared spectrum, we design a novel nanostructure with hollow parallelepiped shape. Through numerical simulations and theoretical calculations, this scheme exhibits efficient transverse unidirectional scattering effects in the wavelength range of 1440 nm to 1820 nm (380 nm). In addition, by adjusting the position of the nanostructure on the x-axis, efficient nanoscale displacement sensing with large measuring ranges can be achieved. After analyses, the results prove that our research may have potential applications in the field of high-precision on-chip displacement sensors.

The prevalence of underweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents with major depressive disorder and relationship with suicidal ideation and attempted suicide.

Background: The high rates of obesity and suicide have become serious public health problems worldwide, especially in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). This research aimed to explore the rates of underweight, overweight or obesity, suicidal ideation and attempted suicide in hospitalized children and adolescents with MDD. Then, we analyzed the correlation between underweight or obesity and suicidal ideation and attempted suicide, and finally obtained the independent influencing factors of underweight or obesity. Methods: A total of 757 subjects in the Third People's Hospital of Fuyang from January 2020 to December 2021 were enrolled in this study. According to the underweight, overweight and obesity screening table for school-age children and adolescents published and implemented by the health industry standard of China, all subjects were divided into different body mass index (BMI) categories. We measured fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipid levels in all subjects and assessed suicidal ideation, attempted suicide, and the severity of depressive symptoms. The socio-demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed by SPSS 22.0. Results: The rates of underweight, overweight, obesity, suicidal ideation and attempted suicide were 8.2% (62/757), 15.5% (117/757), 10.4% (79/757), 17.2% (130/757), and 9.9% (75/757), respectively. Correlation analysis indicated that BMIs level was positively correlated with age, age of first hospitalization, total duration of disease, number of hospitalizations, FBG, TG (triglyceride), TC (total cholesterol), LDL (low density lipoprotein), and negatively correlated with HDL (high density lipoprotein). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that male and high level of HDL were risk factors for MDD inpatients with underweight, while high level of TG was a protective factor. Meanwhile, higher levels of FBG, TG and CGI-S were risk factors and suicidal ideation and high dose of antidepressant drugs were protective factors for obesity in children and adolescents with MDD. Conclusion: The prevalence of underweight, obesity, suicidal ideation and attempted suicide were high in children and adolescents with MDD, and severe depressive symptoms are independent risk factors for obesity, while suicidal ideation and high dose of antidepressants may be protective factors for obesity.

Study on Key Drivers and Collaborative Management Strategies for Construction and Demolition Waste Utilization in New Urban District Development: From a Social Network Perspective.

Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) during new district development shows the characteristics of large quantity, concentrated distribution, and long duration on both supply and demand sides. The construction of the new district has objective conditions to promote the scale development of recycling industries and achieve green development through local digestion, so the recycling indicators for the new district proposed by the government are generally higher than those of other regions. However, many new districts have yet to systematically identify key drivers (KDs) of recycling and form win-win governance mechanisms with multiple government and market subjects, resulting in uncontrolled accumulation or high-cost discard of C&DW. This paper identifies 29 recycling drivers and 8 governing subjects through literature research and a field study of five national new districts in China. Then, a 2-mode social network and two 1-mode social networks are constructed to analyze the complex interactions between drivers and governing subjects, taking Nanjing Jiangbei New District as an example. The results of the study show that most of the drivers need at least 2 governance subjects to promote together, which indicates that it is necessary to build a collaborative governance mechanism of multiple subjects. This study provides a structured framework to analyze the drivers of recycling in new district development and the collaborative governance of multiple subjects, which can provide a basis for promoting efficient recycling of new district development.

Ultrahigh-Throughput Screening of High-ß-Xylosidase-Producing Penicillium piceum and Investigation of the Novel ß-Xylosidase Characteristics.

A droplet-based microfluidic ultrahigh-throughput screening technology has been developed for the selection of high-ß-xylosidase-producing Penicillium piceum W6 from the atmospheric and room-temperature plasma-mutated library of P. piceum. ß-xylosidase hyperproducers filamentous fungi, P. piceum W6, exhibited an increase in ß-xylosidase activity by 7.1-fold. A novel ß-D-xylosidase was purified from the extracellular proteins of P. piceum W6 and designated as PpBXL. The optimal pH and temperature of PpBXL were 4.0 and 70 °C, respectively. PpBXL had high stability an acidic pH range of 3.0-5.0 and exhibited good thermostability with a thermal denaturation half-life of 10 days at 70 °C. Moreover, PpBXL showed the bifunctional activities of α-L-arabinofuranosidase and ß-xylosidase. Supplementation with low-dose PpBXL (100 µg/g substrate) improved the yields of glucose and xylose generated from delignified biomass by 36-45%. The synergism between PpBXL and lignocellulolytic enzymes enhanced delignified biomass saccharification, increased the Xyl/Ara ratio, and decreased the strength of hydrogen bonds.

Trifunctional Electrolyte Additive Hexadecyltrioctylammonium Iodide for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with Extended Cycle Life.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery with a very high theoretical energy density (∼2500 Wh kg-1) is a very promising alternative to the commercial lithium-ion battery as the next-generation energy storage device. However, the Li-S battery suffers from shuttle effect and Li dendrites growth due to the solubility of polysulfides in the electrolyte system and the inhomogeneous deposition of Li, resulting in short cycling life span, which is the major obstacle in its practical application. Herein, we report an additive, hexadecyltrioctylammonium iodide (HTOA-I), in the conventional electrolyte system, which shows trifunctional effect on extending Li-S battery cycle life. It can not only help us to form a protective solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) on the surface of Li anode so as to reduce the contact of polysulfides with Li but also hinder the shuttling of polysulfides to the Li anode due to the strong combination of large-sized HTOA+ with polysulfide anions (Sn2-), which retard the migration of Sn2- and cause homogeneous Li deposition owing to the large size and stronger trend of HTOA+ to be absorbed on Li anode as well. A new method of phosphorescence analysis for direct observation of polysulfides shuttling has been put forward for the first time, which can be further developed in future studies. The cell with the HTOA-I-added electrolyte system shows high cycling stability, retaining 83.4% of the initial capacity after 200 cycles at 1 A g-1 and achieving 689 mAh g-1 even after 1000 cycles. This cost-effective and facile approach will not increase the complexity of the battery manufacturing process. Compared to other electrolyte additives, the additive in our work, HTOA-I, has better positive effects on extending cycle life. This trifunctional electrolyte additive will inspire the design of other new additives and further promote the development of Li-S batteries.

Graphene-enabled electrically tunability of metalens in the terahertz range.

In general, the functions of most metalenses cannot be adjusted dynamically after being fabricated. Here, we theoretically propose an electrically tunable metalens composed of single-layered and non-structured doped graphene loaded with ribbon-shaped metallic strip arrays with varied widths and gaps. The combination of the different widths and gaps can provide full phase coverage from 0 to 2π, which is necessary for a plane wave to be focused. The metalens exhibits obvious tunability of focal length and focal intensity as we varied the Fermi levels of the doped graphene at 10 THz. The focus is able to be shifted within 90.4 µm (∼3λ), with maximum focusing efficiency up to 61.62%. The tunable metalens can also be expanded to other operation frequencies from mid-infrared to terahertz range by properly designing structural parameters. The metalens consisting of nanostructured metal and non-structured graphene utilizes mature metal nanostructure preparation process and avoids the graphene processing, which consequently facilitates the fabrication and promotes the application.

A phytic acid derived LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4/Carbon composite of high energy density for lithium rechargeable batteries.

A composite of olivine lithium manganese iron phosphate (LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4), external carbon coating and internal embedded carbon flakes, EC-IC-LMFP, is prepared by using phytic acid (PhyA) as phosphorus source via solvothermal process followed by calcination. The composite with improved electronic conductivity and ion diffusivity presents an ultrahigh reversible specific capacity of 193 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C, and an excellent cycling stability of 93% capacity retention after 100 cycles at 1 C when applied as a cathode material for Li-ion batteries (LIBs). Additionally, the composite fine powders exhibit a special microstructure and its volumetric energy density is estimated to reach 1605 Wh L-1, much larger than the commercial LiFePO4.