Stable body sizes in soil nematodes across altitudes: The role of intrageneric variation in community assembly.

Animal body size exhibits rapid responses to environmental variations and displays considerable variability across ecological scales, significantly influencing ecological community assembly. However, our understanding of the extent of body size variation and its responses to environmental differences within soil fauna remains limited, impeding a comprehensive grasp of soil fauna's functional ecology. Here, we aim to investigate the magnitude of intrageneric body size variation and its implications for soil nematode community assembly along an altitudinal gradient. We examined soil nematode body size responses along an altitudinal gradient spanning from 3136 to 4128 m in an alpine mountain region of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. We assessed the contributions of intra- and intergeneric variations in body size, both within and among communities, using individual body size values. The implications of these variations for community assembly processes were determined through phenotypic variance ratios employing permutation tests. Our analyses did not reveal statistically significant correlations between altitude and the community-weighted mean body mass, regardless of considering intrageneric trait variation (IGTV). Approximately 15% of the variation in body size among communities and a substantial 72% of the variation in body size within communities can be attributed to IGTV. Altitude did not significantly affect IGTV within or among communities. Furthermore, our results underscored the dominant role of internal filtering within the community in governing nematode community assembly, with external filtering outside the community playing a limited role within our altitudinal range. Our findings emphasize the dominant role of body size variation within communities rather than among communities, attributable to strong internal filtering processes. These findings advance our understanding of body size variation in soil nematodes across ecological scales and highlight the pivotal role of intrageneric variation in shaping the functional ecology of soil fauna.

Hb Guigang [α90 (FG2)Lys→Asn; HBA1:c.273G˃T]: a Novel α-Globin Chain Variant.

BACKGROUND: New hemoglobin (Hb) variants are constantly being updated as assays are developed and the testing population expands. Here, we report a novel Hb variant, named Hb Guigang. METHODS: Hemoglobin (Hb) analysis was analyzed by capillary electrophoresis (CE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Glycated hemoglobin was performed by CE and HPLC. Routine genetic analysis was done with Gap-PCR and PCR-reverse dot-blot hybridization. The hemoglobin variant was identified by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: CE of three cases showed the presence of Hb variants in Zone 5 and Zone 12, respectively. HPLC indicated an elevated P3 peak, suggesting the possible presence of the Hb variant. Hb A1c was measured by CE and HPLC, and the results were 6.7% and 4.76%, respectively. Sanger sequencing confirmed an AAG˃AAT mutation at codon 90 of the HBA1 gene. This mutation was reported for the first time, and we named it Hb Guigang based on the proband's place of residence. CONCLUSIONS: Hb Guigang with normal hematological parameters was separated and quantified by CE, whereas HPLC suggested that Hb Guigang co-eluted with the P3 peaks and could not be quantified.

Deciphering glutamine metabolism patterns for malignancy and tumor microenvironment in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common subtype of kidney cancer characterized by metabolic reprogramming. Glutamine metabolism is pivotal in metabolic reprogramming, contributing to the significant heterogeneity observed in ccRCC. Consequently, developing prognostic markers associated with glutamine metabolism could enhance personalized treatment strategies for ccRCC patients. This study obtained RNA sequencing and clinical data from 763 ccRCC cases sourced from multiple databases. Consensus clustering of 74 glutamine metabolism related genes (GMRGs)- profiles stratified the patients into three clusters, each of which exhibited distinct prognosis, tumor microenvironment, and biological characteristics. Then, six genes (SMTNL2, MIOX, TMEM27, SLC16A12, HRH2, and SAA1) were identified by machine-learning algorithms to develop a predictive signature related to glutamine metabolism, termed as GMRScore. The GMRScore showed significant differences in clinical prognosis, expression profile of immune checkpoints, abundance of immune cells, and immunotherapy response of ccRCC patients. Besides, the nomogram incorporating the GMRScore and clinical features showed strong predictive performance in prognosis of ccRCC patients. ALDH18A1, one of the GRMGs, exhibited elevated expression level in ccRCC and was related to markedly poorer prognosis in the integrated cohort, validated by proteomic profiling of 232 ccRCC samples from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC). Conducting western blotting, CCK-8, transwell, and flow cytometry assays, we found the knockdown of ALDH18A1 in ccRCC significantly promoted apoptosis and inhibited proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in two human ccRCC cell lines (786-O and 769-P). In conclusion, we developed a glutamine metabolism-related prognostic signature in ccRCC, which is tightly linked to the tumor immune microenvironment and immunotherapy response, potentially facilitating precision therapy for ccRCC patients. Additionally, this study revealed the key role of ALDH18A1 in promoting ccRCC progression for the first time.

Nanorobot-based Direct Implantation of Flexible Neural Electrode for BCI.

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) has gained remarkable prominence in biomedical community. While BCI holds vast potential across diverse domains, the implantation of neural electrodes poses multifaceted challenges to fully explore the power of BCI. Conventional rigid electrodes face the problem of foreign body reaction induced by mechanical mismatch to biological tissue, while flexible electrodes, though more preferential, lack controllability during implantation. Researchers have explored various strategies, from assistive shuttle to biodegradable coatings, to strike a balance between implantation rigidity and post-implantation flexibility. Yet, these approaches may introduce complications, including immune response, inflammations, and raising intracranial pressure. To this end, this paper proposes a novel nanorobot-based technique for direct implantation of flexible neural electrodes, leveraging the high controllability and repeatability of robotics to enhance the implantation quality. This approach features a dual-arm nanorobotic system equipped with stereo microscope, by which a flexible electrode is first visually aligned to the target neural tissue to establish contact and thereafter implanted into brain with well controlled insertion direction and depth. The key innovation is, through dual-arm coordination, the flexible electrode maintains straight along the implantation direction. With this approach, we implanted CNTf electrodes into cerebral cortex of mouse, and captured standard spiking neural signals.

Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric [4 + 3] cycloaddition of methylene-trimethylenemethane: access to seven-membered exocyclic axially chiral allenes.

A palladium-catalyzed asymmetric [4 + 3] cycloaddition of the methylene-trimethylenemethane donor with an azadiene has been developed, affording benzofuro[3,2-b]azepine-derived exocyclic chiral allene with control of axial and point chirality. The target compounds were generated in good to excellent yields and with high diastereoselectivities and enantioselectivities (up to >20 : 1 dr, 99% ee). Furthermore, this cycloaddition reaction could be efficiently scaled-up and several synthetic transformations were accomplished for the construction of useful chiral allenol and chiral spirocyclic derivatives.

A Benzothiadiazole-Based Zn(II) Metal-Organic Framework with Visual Turn-On Sensing for Anthrax Biomarker and Theoretical Calculation.

2,6-pyridine dicarboxylic acid (DPA) is an exceptional biomarker of notorious anthrax spores. Therefore, the rapid, sensitive, and selective quantitative detection of DPA is extremely significant and urgent. This paper reports a Zn(II) metal-organic framework with the formula of {[Zn6(NDA)6(DPBT)3] 2H2O·3DMF}n (MOF-1), which consists of 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (2,6-NDA), 4,7-di(4-pyridyl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (DPBT), and Zn(II) ions. Structural analysis indicated that MOF-1 is a three-dimensional (3D) network which crystallized in the monoclinic system with the C2/c space group, revealing high pH, solvent, and thermal stability. Luminescence sensing studies demonstrated that MOF-1 had the potential to be a highly selective, sensitive, and recyclable fluorescence sensor for the identification of DPA. Furthermore, fluorescent test paper was made to detect DPA promptly with color changes. The enhancement mechanism was established by the hydrogen-bonding interaction and photoinduced electron transfer transition between MOF-1 and DPA molecules.

Investigation of Viscoelastic Guided Wave Properties in Anisotropic Laminated Composites Using a Legendre Orthogonal Polynomials Expansion-Assisted Viscoelastodynamic Model.

This study investigates viscoelastic guided wave properties (e.g., complex-wavenumber-, phase-velocity-, and attenuation-frequency relations) for multiple modes, including different orders of antisymmetric, symmetric, and shear horizontal modes in viscoelastic anisotropic laminated composites. To obtain those frequency-dependent relations, a guided wave characteristic equation is formulated based on a Legendre orthogonal polynomials expansion (LOPE)-assisted viscoelastodynamic model, which fuses the hysteretic viscoelastic model-based wave dynamics and the LOPE-based mode shape approximation. Then, the complex-wavenumber-frequency solutions are obtained by solving the characteristic equation using an improved root-finding algorithm, which leverages coefficient matrix determinant ratios and our proposed local tracking windows. To trace the solutions on the dispersion curves of different wave modes and avoid curve-tracing misalignment in regions with phase-velocity curve crossing, we presented a curve-tracing strategy considering wave attenuation. With the LOPE-assisted viscoelastodynamic model, the effects of material viscosity and fiber orientation on different guided wave modes are investigated for unidirectional carbon-fiber-reinforced composites. The results show that the viscosity in the hysteresis model mainly affects the frequency-dependent attenuation of viscoelastic guided waves, while the fiber orientation influences both the phase-velocity and attenuation curves. We expect the theoretical work in this study to facilitate the development of guided wave-based techniques for the NDT and SHM of viscoelastic anisotropic laminated composites.

Establishment and validation of a gene mutation-based risk model for predicting prognosis and therapy response in acute myeloid leukemia.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant clonal proliferative disease of hematopoietic system. Despite tremendous progress in uncovering the AML genome, only a small number of mutations have been incorporated into risk stratification and used as therapeutic targets. In this research, we performed to construct a predictive prognosis risk model for AML patients according to gene mutations. Methods: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology was utilized to detect gene mutation from 118 patients. mRNA expression profiles and related clinical information were mined from TCGA and GEO databases. Consensus cluster analysis was applied to obtain molecular subtypes, and differences in clinicopathological features, prognosis, and immune microenvironment of different clusters were systematically compared. According to the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between clusters, univariate and LASSO regression analysis were applied to identify gene signatures to build a prognostic risk model. Patients were classified into high-risk (HR) and low-risk (LR) groups according to the median risk score (RS). Differences in prognosis, immune profile, and therapeutic sensitivity between two groups were analyzed. The independent predictive value of RS was assessed and a nomogram was developed. Results: NGS detected 24 mutated genes, with higher mutation frequencies in CBL (63 %) and SETBP1 (49 %). Two clusters exhibited different immune microenvironments and survival probability (p = 0.0056) were identified. A total of 444 DEGs were screened in two clusters, and a mutation-associated risk model was constructed, including MPO, HGF, SH2B3, SETBP1, HLA-DRB1, LGALS1, and KDM5B. Patients in LR had a superior survival time compared to HR. Predictive performance of this model was confirmed and the developed nomogram further improved the applicability of the risk model with the AUCs for predicting 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rate were 0.829, 0.81 and 0.811, respectively. HR cases were more sensitive to erlotinib, CI-1040, and AZD6244. Conclusion: These findings supplemented the understanding of gene mutations in AML, and constructed models had good application prospect to provide effective information for predicting prognosis and treatment response of AML.

Associations of serum D-dimer and glycosylated hemoglobin levels with third-trimester fetal growth restriction in gestational diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a special type of diabetes that commonly occurs in women during pregnancy and involves impaired glucose tolerance and abnormal glucose metabolism; GDM is diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy and can affect fetal growth and development. AIM: To investigate the associations of serum D-dimer (D-D) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels with third-trimester fetal growth restriction (FGR) in GDM patients. METHODS: The clinical data of 164 pregnant women who were diagnosed with GDM and delivered at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University from January 2021 to January 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Among these women, 63 whose fetuses had FGR were included in the FGR group, and 101 women whose fetuses had normal body weights were included in the normal body weight group (normal group). Fasting venous blood samples were collected from the elbow at 28-30 wk gestation and 1-3 d before delivery to measure serum D-D and HbA1c levels for comparative analysis. The diagnostic value of serum D-D and HbA1c levels for FGR was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic analysis, and the influencing factors of third-trimester FGR in GDM patients were analyzed by logistic regression. RESULTS: Serum fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, D-D and HbA1c levels were significantly greater in the FGR group than in the normal group, while the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance values were lower (P < 0.05). Regarding the diagnosis of FGR based on serum D-D and HbA1c levels, the areas under the curves (AUCs) were 0.826 and 0.848, the cutoff values were 3.04 mg/L and 5.80%, the sensitivities were 81.0% and 79.4%, and the specificities were 88.1% and 87.1%, respectively. The AUC of serum D-D plus HbA1c levels for diagnosing FGR was 0.928, and the sensitivity and specificity were 84.1% and 91.1%, respectively. High D-D and HbA1c levels were risk factors for third-trimester FGR in GDM patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: D-D and HbA1c levels can indicate the occurrence of FGR in GDM patients in the third trimester of pregnancy to some extent, and their combination can be used as an important index for the early prediction of FGR.

SIRT5 exacerbates eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis by promoting polarization of M2 macrophage.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies implied that local M2 polarization of macrophage promoted mucosal edema and exacerbated TH2 type inflammation in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). However, the specific pathogenic role of M2 macrophages and the intrinsic regulators in the development of CRS remains elusive. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the regulatory role of SIRT5 in the polarization of M2 macrophages and its potential contribution to the development of CRSwNP. METHODS: Real-time reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and Western blot analyses were performed to examine the expression levels of SIRT5 and markers of M2 macrophages in sinonasal mucosa samples obtained from both CRS and control groups. Wild-type and Sirt5-knockout mice were used to establish a nasal polyp model with TH2 inflammation and to investigate the effects of SIRT5 in macrophage on disease development. Furthermore, in vitro experiments were conducted to elucidate the regulatory role of SIRT5 in polarization of M2 macrophages. RESULTS: Clinical investigations showed that SIRT5 was highly expressed and positively correlated with M2 macrophage markers in eosinophilic polyps. The expression of SIRT5 in M2 macrophages was found to contribute to the development of the disease, which was impaired in Sirt5-deficient mice. Mechanistically, SIRT5 was shown to enhance the alternative polarization of macrophages by promoting glutaminolysis. CONCLUSIONS: SIRT5 plays a crucial role in promoting the development of CRSwNP by supporting alternative polarization of macrophages, thus providing a potential target for CRSwNP interventions.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing low-dose versus standard-dose computed tomography-guided lung biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Despite the existence of several Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) investigating Low-Dose Computed Tomography (LDCT) as a guide in lung biopsies, conclusive findings remain elusive. To address this contention, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LDCT-guided lung biopsies. METHODS: A comprehensive search across major databases identified RCTs comparing the effectiveness of LDCT-guided with Standard-Dose Computed Tomography (SDCT)-guided lung biopsies. Subsequently, we utilized a random-effects model meta-analysis to assess diagnostic accuracy, radiation dose, operation duration, and clinical complications associated with these procedures. RESULTS: Out of 292 scrutinized studies, six RCTs representing 922 patients were included in the final analysis. Results indicated the differences between the LDCT and SDCT groups were not different with statistical significance in terms of diagnostic accuracy rates (Intent-to-Treat (ITT) populations: Relative Risk (RR) 1.01, 95% Confidence interval [CI] 0.97-1.06, p = 0.61; Per-Protocol (PP) populations: RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.98-1.04, p = 0.46), incidence of pneumothorax (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.75-1.35, p = 0.98), incidence of hemoptysis (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.63-1.43, p = 0.80), and operation duration (minutes) (Mean Differences [MD] -0.34, 95% CI -1.67-0.99, p = 0.61). Notably, LDCT group demonstrated a lower radiation dose (mGy·cm) with statistical significance (MD -188.62, 95% CI -273.90 to -103.34, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of LDCT in lung biopsy procedures demonstrated equivalent efficacy and safety to standard methods while notably reducing patient radiation exposure.

Exploring the impact of nonylphenol exposure on Litopenaeus vannamei at the histological and molecular levels.

Nonylphenol (NP) is one of the common pollutants in the environment that have toxic effects on aquatic animals. Nevertheless, little is known about the possible toxicity mechanism of NP on the hepatopancreas of Litopenaeus vannamei. In the present study, the detrimental effects of NP on the hepatopancreas of the L. vannamei were explored at the histological and transcriptomic levels. The findings indicated that after NP exposed for 3, 12, and 48 h, the hepatopancreas histology was changed significantly. Transcriptomic analysis showed that a total of 4302, 3651, and 4830 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at 3, 12, and 48 h following NP exposure. All these DEGs were classified into 12 clusters according to the expression patterns at different time points. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of DEGs were also performed, immunological, metabolic, and inflammatory related pathways, including arachidonic acid metabolism (ko00590), the PPAR signaling pathway (ko03320), and the regulation of TRP channels by inflammatory mediators (ko04750) were significantly enriched. Six DEGs were selected for validation by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and the results confirmed the reliability of transcriptome data. All results indicated that NP is toxic to L. vannamei by damaging the histopathological structure and disrupting the biological function. The findings would provide a theoretical framework for lowering or limiting the detrimental impacts of NP on aquaculture and help us to further study the molecular toxicity of NP in crustaceans.

Phylogenetic placement and comparative analysis of the mitochondrial genomes of Idiostoloidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera).

The classification system and the higher level phylogenetic relationships of Pentatomomorpha, the second largest infraorder of Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera), have been debated and remain controversial over decades. In particular, the placement and phylogenetic relationship of Idiostoloidea are not well resolved, which hampers a better understanding of the evolutionary history of Pentatomomorpha. In this study, for the first time, we reported the complete mitochondrial genome for two narrowly distributed families of Idiostoloidea (including Idiostolidae and Henicocoridae), respectively. The length of the mitochondrial genome of Monteithocoris hirsutus and Henicocoris sp. is 16,632 and 16,013 bp, respectively. The content of AT is ranging from 75.15% to 80.48%. The mitogenomic structure of Idiostoloidea is highly conservative and there are no gene arrangements. By using the Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian site-heterogeneous mixture model, we inferred the phylogenetic relationships within Pentatomomorpha and estimated their divergence times based on concatenated mitogenomes and nuclear ribosomal genes. Our results support the classification system of six superfamilies within Pentatomomorpha and confirm the monophyletic groups of each superfamily, with the following phylogenetic relationships: (Aradoidea + (Pentatomoidea + (Idiostoloidea + (Coreoidea + (Pyrrhocoroidea + Lygaeoidea))))). Furthermore, estimated divergence times revealed that most pentatomomorphan superfamilies and families diverged during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, which coincides with the explosive radiation of angiosperms.

Development of a piezo stack - laser Doppler vibrometer sensing approach for characterizing shear wave dispersion and local viscoelastic property distributions.

Laser Doppler vibrometry and wavefield analysis have recently shown great potential for nondestructive evaluation, structural health monitoring, and studying wave physics. However, there are limited studies on these approaches for viscoelastic soft materials, especially, very few studies on the laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV)-based acquisition of time-space wavefields of dispersive shear waves in viscoelastic materials and the analysis of these wavefields for characterizing shear wave dispersion and evaluating local viscoelastic property distributions. Therefore, this research focuses on developing a piezo stack-LDV system and shear wave time-space wavefield analysis methods for enabling the functions of characterizing the shear wave dispersion and the distributions of local viscoelastic material properties. Our system leverages a piezo stack to generate shear waves in viscoelastic materials and an LDV to acquire time-space wavefields. We introduced space-frequency-wavenumber analysis and least square regression-based dispersion comparison to analyze shear wave time-space wavefields and offer functions including extracting shear wave dispersion relations from wavefields and characterizing the spatial distributions of local wavenumbers and viscoelastic properties (e.g., shear elasticity and viscosity). Proof-of-concept experiments were performed using a synthetic gelatin phantom. The results show that our system can successfully generate shear waves and acquire time-space wavefields. They also prove that our wavefield analysis methods can reveal the shear wave dispersion relation and show the spatial distributions of local wavenumbers and viscoelastic properties. We expect this research to benefit engineering and biomedical research communities and inspire researchers interested in developing shear wave-based technologies for characterizing viscoelastic materials.

Effect of propofol and ciprofol on the euphoric reaction in patients with painless gastroscopy: A prospective randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To explore the effects of propofol and ciprofol on patient euphoric reactions during sedation in patients undergoing gastroscopy and to investigate potential factors that may influence euphoric reactions in patients. Methods: A total of 217 patients were randomly divided into two groups: the propofol group (P group, n = 109) and the ciprofol group (C group, n = 108). The patients in the P group were given 2 mg/kg propofol, and those in the C group were given 0.5 mg/kg ciprofol. The patients were assessed using the Addiction Research Center Inventory-Chinese Version (ARCI-CV) to measure euphoric reactions at three time points: preexamination, 30 min after awakening, and 1 week after examination. Anxiety, depression, and sleep status were evaluated using appropriate scales at admission and 1 week after the examination. The dream rate, sedative effects, vital sign dynamics, and adverse reactions were documented during the sedation process. Results: After 30 min of awakening, the P group and C group showed no statistically significant differences in the mean morphine-benzedrine group (MBG) score (8.84 vs. 9.09, P > 0.05), dream rate (42.2 % vs. 40.7 %, P > 0.05), or MBG score one week after the examination (7.04 vs. 7.05, P > 0.05). The regression analysis revealed that sex, dream status, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score, and examination time had notable impacts on the MBG-30 min score. No statistically significant differences were observed in sedative effects, anxiety, depression, or sleep status between the two groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of injection pain and severe hypotension was significantly lower in the C group (P < 0.05), and hemodynamics and SpO2 were more stable during sedation (P < 0.05). Conclusion: There was no significant difference between propofol and ciprofol in terms of euphoria experienced by patients after sedation in patients undergoing gastroscopy. Ciprofol has demonstrated addictive potential similar to that of propofol, warranting careful attention to its addictive potential during clinical application.

How incubation temperature affects hatchling performance in reptiles: an integrative insight based on plasticity in metabolic enzyme.

Evaluating the effects of temperature variations on animals plays an important role in understanding the threat of climate warming. The effects of developmental temperature on offspring performance are critical in evaluating the effects of warming temperatures on the fitness of oviparous species, but the physiological and biochemical basis of this developmental plasticity is largely unknown. In this study, we incubated eggs of the turtle Pelodiscus sinensis at low (24 °C), medium (28 °C), and high (32 °C) temperatures, and evaluated the effects of developmental temperature on offspring fitness, and metabolic enzymes in the neck and limb muscles of hatchlings. The hatchlings from eggs incubated at the medium temperature showed better fitness-related performance (righting response and swimming capacity) and higher activities of metabolic enzymes (hexokinase, HK; lactate dehydrogenase, LDH) than hatchlings from the eggs incubated at high or low temperatures. In addition, the swimming speed and righting response were significantly correlated with the HK activities in limb (swimming speed) and neck (righting response) muscles, suggesting that the developmental plasticity of energy metabolic pathway might play a role in determining the way incubation temperature affects offspring phenotypes. Integrating the fitness-related performance and the activities of metabolic enzymes, we predict that the P. sinensis from high latitude would not face the detrimental effects of climate warming until the average nest temperatures reach 32 °C.

Capillary-based, multifunctional manipulation of particles and fluids via focused surface acoustic waves.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW)-enabled acoustofluidic technologies have recently atttracted increasing attention for applications in biology, chemistry, biophysics, and medicine. Most SAW acoustofluidic devices generate acoustic energy which is then transmitted into custom microfabricated polymer-based channels. There are limited studies on delivering this acoustic energy into convenient commercially-available glass tubes for manipulating particles and fluids. Herein, we have constructed a capillary-based SAW acoustofluidic device for multifunctional fluidic and particle manipulation. This device integrates a converging interdigitated transducer to generate focused SAWs on a piezoelectric chip, as well as a glass capillary that transports particles and fluids. To understand the actuation mechanisms underlying this device, we performed finite element simulations by considering piezoelectric, solid mechanic, and pressure acoustic physics. This experimental study shows that the capillary-based SAW acoustofluidic device can perform multiple functions including enriching particles, patterning particles, transporting particles and fluids, as well as generating droplets with controlled sizes. Given the usefulness of these functions, we expect that this acoustofluidic device can be useful in applications such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, biofabrication, and bioanalysis.

Robot-assisted chirality-tunable acoustic vortex tweezers for contactless, multifunctional, 4-DOF object manipulation.

Robotic manipulation of small objects has shown great potential for engineering, biology, and chemistry research. However, existing robotic platforms have difficulty in achieving contactless, high-resolution, 4-degrees-of-freedom (4-DOF) manipulation of small objects, and noninvasive maneuvering of objects in regions shielded by tissue and bone barriers. Here, we present chirality-tunable acoustic vortex tweezers that can tune acoustic vortex chirality, transmit through biological barriers, trap single micro- to millimeter-sized objects, and control object rotation. Assisted by programmable robots, our acoustic systems further enable contactless, high-resolution translation of single objects. Our systems were demonstrated by tuning acoustic vortex chirality, controlling object rotation, and translating objects along arbitrary-shaped paths. Moreover, we used our systems to trap single objects in regions with tissue and skull barriers and translate an object inside a Y-shaped channel of a thick biomimetic phantom. In addition, we showed the function of ultrasound imaging-assisted acoustic manipulation by monitoring acoustic object manipulation via live ultrasound imaging.

Residue changes, degradation, processing factors and their relation between physicochemical properties of pesticides in peanuts during multiproduct processing.

This study systematically investigates the residue changes, processing factors (PFs), and relation between the physicochemical properties of pesticides during peanut processing. Results revealed that peeling, washing, and boiling treatments removed partial or substantial pesticide residues from peanuts with PFs of 0.29-1.10 (most <1). By contrast, pesticides appeared to be partially concentrated during roasting, stir-frying, and deep-frying peanuts with PFs of 0.16-1.25. During oil pressing, 13 of the 28 pesticides were concentrated in the peanut oil (PF range: 1.06-2.01) and 25 of the pesticides were concentrated in the peanut meal (1.07-1.46). Physicochemical parameters such as octanol-water partition coefficient, degradation point, molecular weight, and melting point showed significant correlations with PFs during processing. Notably, log Kow exhibited strong positive correlations with the PFs of boiling, roasting, and oil pressing. Overall, this study describes the fate of pesticides during multiproduct processing, providing guidance to promote the healthy consumption of peanuts for human health.

A blueprint for tumor-infiltrating B cells across human cancers.

B lymphocytes are essential mediators of humoral immunity and play multiple roles in human cancer. To decode the functions of tumor-infiltrating B cells, we generated a B cell blueprint encompassing single-cell transcriptome, B cell-receptor repertoire, and chromatin accessibility data across 20 different cancer types (477 samples, 269 patients). B cells harbored extraordinary heterogeneity and comprised 15 subsets, which could be grouped into two independent developmental paths (extrafollicular versus germinal center). Tumor types grouped into the extrafollicular pathway were linked with worse clinical outcomes and resistance to immunotherapy. The dysfunctional extrafollicular program was associated with glutamine-derived metabolites through epigenetic-metabolic cross-talk, which promoted a T cell-driven immunosuppressive program. These data suggest an intratumor B cell balance between extrafollicular and germinal-center responses and suggest that humoral immunity could possibly be harnessed for B cell-targeting immunotherapy.