Mild-moderate alcohol consumption and diabetes are associated with liver fibrosis in patients with biopsy-proven MASLD.

Background: It is unclear whether patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are allowed variable low levels of alcohol. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of mild-moderate alcohol consumption on the biochemical and histological characteristics of patients with MASLD. Methods: Alcohol consumption was assessed in 713 patients with steatotic liver disease (SLD) who underwent liver biopsy. Non-drinking, mild-moderate drinking, and excessive drinking were defined as 0 g/day, 1-<20 g/day, and >20 g/day for women and 0 g/day, 1-<30 g/day, and >30 g/day for men, respectively. Liver biopsies were scored according to the NASH CRN system. Results: A total of 713 participants (median age 39.0 years and 77.1% male) with biopsy-proven SLD were enrolled, including 239 nondrinkers, 269 mild-moderate drinkers and 205 excessive drinkers. Excessive drinking was associated with increased risks for lobular inflammation and liver fibrosis compared to nondrinkers and mild-moderate drinkers. Compared with non-drinkers, mild-moderate drinkers had significantly lower odds for steatosis (OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.38-0.93, p = 0.025), hepatocellular ballooning (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.29-0.91, p = 0.020) and fibrosis (OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.31-0.81, p = 0.005). However, in non-excessive drinkers with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), there was no association between mild-moderate alcohol consumption and liver fibrosis (OR = 0.562, 95% CI = 0.207-1.530, p = 0.257). Conclusions: Mild-moderate alcohol consumption might be protective against liver fibrosis in MASLD patients, which is modified by the presence of T2DM. However, further longitudinal studies are needed to determine the effect of ongoing alcohol consumption on disease severity.

Analysis of risk factors affecting postoperative neurological recovery in patients with cervical spine fracture in ankylosing spondylitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease that mainly affects the spine and involves the sacroiliac and peripheral joints. Low-energy trauma can often lead to spinal fractures and spinal cord injuries (SCIs), the treatment of AS is challenging. The prognosis of neurological function in patients with AS cervical fracture and SCI is a major problem that must sought clinician attention on urgent basis. A total of 106 patients with AS cervical fractures who underwent surgical treatment at Shanghai Changzheng Hospital between August 2009 and 2021 were included in this study. All the patients were divided into 2 groups (improved group and the control group) based on their neurological function improvement at 1 year mark after the surgery. The baseline characteristics, perioperative factors, and procedural outcomes of all the patients including injury type, AS drug treatment, the injured segment, ossified anterior longitudinal ligament injury, spinal hypersignal, decompression time window, operation duration, blood loss, preoperative and postoperative American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score were recorded and analyzed. Among the 106 patients, 79 demonstrated improved neurological function at 1 year mark after the surgery. Binary univariate logistic regression analysis revealed significant differences in injury type (P = .018), ossified anterior longitudinal ligament injury (P = .01), operation duration (P = .002), spinal hypersignal (P = .001), preoperative ASIA score (P < .001), and prior AS drug treatment (P = .012). No significant differences were observed in the other variables (P > .05). Binary multivariate logistic regression analysis identified spinal hypersignal (OR = 37.185, P = .028), preoperative ASIA score (OR = 0.16, P = .012) and previous AS drug treatment (OR = 0.296, P = .049) as factors associated with postoperative neurological function improvement. The preoperative ASIA score and previous drug treatment of AS were identified as protective factors affecting the improvement of neurological functions in patients with AS cervical fracture after surgery. Preoperative T2-weighted spinal hypersignal was identified as an independent risk factor affecting the improvement of neurological function recovery in patients with AS cervical fracture after the surgery.

Film-Forming Capability and Antibacterial Activity of Surface-Deacetylated Chitin Nanocrystals: Role of Degree of Deacetylation.

Developing sustainable food-active packaging materials is a major issue in food preservation applications. Chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) are regarded as unique bioderived nanomaterials due to their inherent nitrogen moiety. By tuning the chemical functionality of this nanomaterial, it is possible to affect its properties, such as film-forming capability and antibacterial activity. In this work, surface-deacetylated chitin nanocrystals (D-ChNCs) with different degrees of deacetylation (DDs) were prepared by partial deacetylation of native chitin and subsequent acid hydrolysis, and their film-forming capability and antibacterial activity were studied systematically. The D-ChNCs showed favorable film-forming ability and antibacterial activity, which are closely related to their DD. With the increase in DD (from 5.7% to 45.4%), the formed transparent films based on ChNCs showed gradually increased elongation at break (from 0.5% to 2.5%) and water contact angle (from 25.5° to 87.0°), but decreased break strength (from 3.13 to 0.89 MPa), Young's modulus (from 0.84 to 0.24 MPa), and water vapor permeability (from 4.7 × 10-10 to 4.1 × 10-10g/m s Pa). Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the D-ChNCs against E. coli and S. aureus also increased with the increase of DD. This study also found that the depolarization and potential dissipation of the bacterial cell membrane induced by the contact between amino-rich D-ChNCs and bacteria through electrostatic attraction are the possible mechanisms causing bacterial cell death. This study provides a basis for understanding the effects of DD on the film-forming capability and antibacterial activity of ChNCs, which is conducive to the design of novel active packaging films based on ChNCs.

Application of a novel nested ensemble algorithm in predicting motor function recovery in patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury.

Traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (TCSCI) often causes varying degrees of motor dysfunction, common assessed by the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI), in association with the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale. Accurate prediction of motor function recovery is extremely important for formulating effective diagnosis, therapeutic and rehabilitation programs. The aim of this study is to investigate the validity of a novel nested ensemble algorithm that uses the very early ASIA motor score (AMS) of ISNCSCI examination to predict motor function recovery 6 months after injury in TCSCI patients. This retrospective study included complete data of 315 TCSCI patients. The dataset consisting of the first AMS at ≤ 24 h post-injury and follow-up AMS at 6 months post-injury was divided into a training set (80%) and a test set (20%). The nested ensemble algorithm was established in a two-stage manner. Support Vector Classification (SVC), Adaboost, Weak-learner and Dummy were used in the first stage, and Adaboost was selected as second-stage model. The prediction results of the first stage models were uploaded into second-stage model to obtain the final prediction results. The model performance was evaluated using precision, recall, accuracy, F1 score, and confusion matrix. The nested ensemble algorithm was applied to predict motor function recovery of TCSCI, achieving an accuracy of 80.6%, a F1 score of 80.6%, and balancing sensitivity and specificity. The confusion matrix showed few false-negative rate, which has crucial practical implications for prognostic prediction of TCSCI. This novel nested ensemble algorithm, simply based on very early AMS, provides a useful tool for predicting motor function recovery 6 months after TCSCI, which is graded in gradients that progressively improve the accuracy and reliability of the prediction, demonstrating a strong potential of ensemble learning to personalize and optimize the rehabilitation and care of TCSCI patients.

Effect of different delivery modes on intestinal microbiota and immune function of neonates.

Different delivery methods can cause variations in the composition and structure of intestinal microbiota in neonates. However, the impact of the microecological environment on host immune function requires further investigation. In this study, 75 healthy neonates were divided into two groups: vaginal delivery group (n = 36) and cesarean section group (n = 39). Fecal and peripheral blood samples were collected from the 7th to the 10th day. 16S rRNA sequencing technique was performed to investigate the gut microbiota on fecal samples. Levels of immunoglobulins and Th1 and Th2 cells in the peripheral blood of neonates were measured. The abundance of Escherichia, Bifidobacterium, and Bacteroides in neonates in the cesarean section group was significantly lower than that in the vaginal delivery group. Metabolic pathway analysis showed three significantly up-regulated metabolic pathways in the intestinal microbiota of neonates in the cesarean section group. The levels of serum IgG and IL-12p70 in the cesarean section group were lower than those in the vaginal delivery group, and the proportion of IFN-γ/IL-4 was significantly lower in the cesarean section group compared to the vaginal delivery group. The mode of delivery has potential impact on the intestinal microbiota and immune functions of neonates, potentially leading to an imbalance of Th1/Th2 cells in neonates delivered by cesarean section.

Travertine deposition rather than tourism activity is the primary contributor to the microplastic risks in alpine karst lakes.

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging as anthropogenic vectors to form plastisphere, facilitating microbiome colonization and pathogenic dissemination, thus contributing to environmental and health crises across various ecosystems. However, a knowledge gap persists regarding MPs risks and their driving factors in certain unique and vulnerable ecosystems, such as Karst travertine lakes, some of which are renowned World Natural Heritage Sites under ever-increasing tourism pressure. We hypothesized that tourism activities serve as the most important factor of MPs pollution, whereas intrinsic features, including travertine deposition can exacerbate potential environmental risks. Thus, metagenomic approaches were employed to investigate the geographical distribution of the microbiome, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), virulence factor genes (VFGs), and their combined environmental risks in Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong, two famous tourism destinations in Southwest China. The plastisphere risks were higher in Huanglong, contradicting our hypothesis that Jiuzhaigou would face more crucial antibiotic risks due to its higher tourist activities. Specifically, the levels of Lipopolysaccharide Lewis and fosD increased by sevenfold and 20-fold, respectively, from upstream to downstream in Huanglong, whereas in Jiuzhaigou, no significant accrual was observed. Structural equation modeling results showed that travertine deposition was the primary contributor to MPs risks in alpine karstic lakes. Our findings suggest that tourism has low impact on MPs risks, possibly because of proper management, and that travertine deposition might act as an MPs hotspot, emphasizing the importance of considering the unique aspects of travertine lakes in mitigating MPs pollution and promoting the sustainable development of World Natural Heritage Sites.

Pyruvate kinase M2 sustains cardiac mitochondrial quality surveillance in septic cardiomyopathy by regulating prohibitin 2 abundance via S91 phosphorylation.

The endogenous mitochondrial quality control (MQC) system serves to protect mitochondria against cellular stressors. Although mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to cardiac damage during many pathological conditions, the regulatory signals influencing MQC disruption during septic cardiomyopathy (SC) remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) and prohibitin 2 (PHB2) interaction followed by MQC impairment in the pathogenesis of SC. We utilized LPS-induced SC models in PKM2 transgenic (PKM2TG) mice, PHB2S91D-knockin mice, and PKM2-overexpressing HL-1 cardiomyocytes. After LPS-induced SC, cardiac PKM2 expression was significantly downregulated in wild-type mice, whereas PKM2 overexpression in vivo sustained heart function, suppressed myocardial inflammation, and attenuated cardiomyocyte death. PKM2 overexpression relieved sepsis-related mitochondrial damage via MQC normalization, evidenced by balanced mitochondrial fission/fusion, activated mitophagy, restored mitochondrial biogenesis, and inhibited mitochondrial unfolded protein response. Docking simulations, co-IP, and domain deletion mutant protein transfection experiments showed that PKM2 phosphorylates PHB2 at Ser91, preventing LPS-mediated PHB2 degradation. Additionally, the A domain of PKM2 and the PHB domain of PHB2 are required for PKM2-PHB2 binding and PHB2 phosphorylation. After LPS exposure, expression of a phosphorylation-defective PHB2S91A mutant negated the protective effects of PKM2 overexpression. Moreover, knockin mice expressing a phosphorylation-mimetic PHB2S91D mutant showed improved heart function, reduced inflammation, and preserved mitochondrial function following sepsis induction. Abundant PKM2 expression is a prerequisite to sustain PKM2-PHB2 interaction which is a key element for preservation of PHB2 phosphorylation and MQC, presenting novel interventive targets for the treatment of septic cardiomyopathy.

Analysis of the intestinal microbiota and profiles of blood amino acids and acylcarnitines in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to discuss the distinctive features of the intestinal microbiota in neonates with hyperbilirubinemia and to comprehensively analyse the composition of the intestinal microbiota as well as the levels of free amino acids and acylcarnitines in the peripheral blood of neonates experiencing hyperbilirubinemia. RESULTS: At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi were the five predominant microbial groups identified in both the hyperbilirubinemia and control groups. Alpha diversity analysis, encompassing seven indices, showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups. However, Beta diversity analysis revealed a significant difference in intestinal microbiota structure between the groups. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) indicated a significant reduction in the abundance of Gammaproteobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae within the hyperbilirubinemia group compared to that in the control group. The heatmap revealed that the control group exhibited increased abundances of Escherichia and Bifidobacterium, while the hyperbilirubinemia group exhibited increased levels of Enterococcus and Streptococcus. Regarding blood amino acids and acylcarnitines, there were greater concentrations of citrulline (Cit), arginine (Arg), ornithine (Orn), and valine (Val) in the hyperbilirubinemia group than in the control group. The hyperbilirubinemia group also exhibited significant increases in medium-chain fatty acids (C6, C8), long-chain fatty acids (C18), and free carnitine (C0). CONCLUSION: By comparing neonates with hyperbilirubinemia to those without, a significant disparity in the community structure of the intestinal microbiota was observed. The intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in the bilirubin metabolism process. The intestinal microbiota of neonates with hyperbilirubinemia exhibited a certain degree of dysbiosis. The abundances of Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium were negatively correlated with the bilirubin concentration. Therefore, the fact that neonates with hyperbilirubinemia exhibit some variations in blood amino acid and acylcarnitine levels may provide, to a certain degree, a theoretical basis for clinical treatment and diagnosis.

Deregulation of immune response contributing to fulminant hepatitis in HEV infected pregnant women.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in pregnant women is associated with a wide spectrum of adverse consequences for both mother and fetus. The high mortality in this population appears to be associated with hormonal changes and consequent immunological changes. This study conducted an analysis of immune responses in pregnant women infected with HEV manifesting varying severity. Data mining analysis of the GSE79197 was utilized to examine differentially biological functions in pregnant women with HEV infection (P-HEV) versus without HEV infection (P-nHEV), P-HEV progressing to ALF (P-ALF) versus P-HEV, and P-HEV versus non-pregnant women with HEV infection (nP-HEV). We found cellular response to interleukin and immune response-regulating signalings were activated in P-HEV compared with P-nHEV. However, there was a significant decrease of immune responses, such as T cell activation, leukocyte cell-cell adhesion, regulation of lymphocyte activation, and immune response-regulating signaling pathway in P-ALF patient than P-HEV patient. Compared with nP-HEV, MHC protein complex binding function was inhibited in P-HEV. Further microRNA enrichment analysis showed that MAPK and T cell receptor signaling pathways were inhibited in P-HEV compared with nP-HEV. In summary, immune responses were activated during HEV infection while being suppressed when developing ALF during pregnancy, heightening the importance of immune mediation in the pathogenesis of severe outcome in HEV infected pregnant women.

Challenges of COVID-19 Case Forecasting in the US, 2020-2021.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, forecasting COVID-19 trends to support planning and response was a priority for scientists and decision makers alike. In the United States, COVID-19 forecasting was coordinated by a large group of universities, companies, and government entities led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US COVID-19 Forecast Hub (https://covid19forecasthub.org). We evaluated approximately 9.7 million forecasts of weekly state-level COVID-19 cases for predictions 1-4 weeks into the future submitted by 24 teams from August 2020 to December 2021. We assessed coverage of central prediction intervals and weighted interval scores (WIS), adjusting for missing forecasts relative to a baseline forecast, and used a Gaussian generalized estimating equation (GEE) model to evaluate differences in skill across epidemic phases that were defined by the effective reproduction number. Overall, we found high variation in skill across individual models, with ensemble-based forecasts outperforming other approaches. Forecast skill relative to the baseline was generally higher for larger jurisdictions (e.g., states compared to counties). Over time, forecasts generally performed worst in periods of rapid changes in reported cases (either in increasing or decreasing epidemic phases) with 95% prediction interval coverage dropping below 50% during the growth phases of the winter 2020, Delta, and Omicron waves. Ideally, case forecasts could serve as a leading indicator of changes in transmission dynamics. However, while most COVID-19 case forecasts outperformed a naïve baseline model, even the most accurate case forecasts were unreliable in key phases. Further research could improve forecasts of leading indicators, like COVID-19 cases, by leveraging additional real-time data, addressing performance across phases, improving the characterization of forecast confidence, and ensuring that forecasts were coherent across spatial scales. In the meantime, it is critical for forecast users to appreciate current limitations and use a broad set of indicators to inform pandemic-related decision making.

3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane modified MXene on three-dimensional nonwoven fiber substrates for low-cost, stable, and efficient solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination.

Recently, the solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination has attracted more and more attentions due to the advantages of low cost, zero energy consumption, and high water purification rate, etc. One of the bottlenecks of this emerging technique lies in a lack of simple and low-cost ways to construct three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical microstructures for photothermal membranes. To this end, a two-step strategy is carried out by combining surface functionalization with substrate engineering. Firstly, a silane coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) is grafted onto an ideal photothermal material of Ti3C2Tx MXene, to improve the nanochannel sizes and hydrophilicity, which are attributed to enlarged interspaces of MXene and introduced hydrophilic group e.g., -NH2 and -OH, respectively. Secondly, a low-cost and robust nonwoven fiber (NWF) substrate, which has a 3D micron-sized mesh structure with interlaced fiber stacks, is employed as the skeleton to load enough APTES-grafted MXene by a simple soaking method. Benefited from above design, the Ti3C2Tx-APTES/NWF composite membrane with a 3D hierarchical structure shows enhanced light scattering and utilization, water transport and vapor escape. A remarkable evaporation rate of 1.457 kg m-2 h-1 and an evaporation efficiency of 91.48 % are attained for a large-area (5 × 5 cm2) evaporator, and the evaporation rate is further increased to 1.672 kg m-2 h-1 for a small-area (2 × 2 cm2) device. The rejection rates of salt ions and heavy metal ions are higher than 99 % and 99.99 %, respectively, and the removal rates of organic dye molecules are nearly to 100 %. Besides, the composite photothermal membrane exhibits great stabilities in harsh conditions such as high salinities, long cycling, large light intensities, strong acid/alkali environments, and mechanical bending. Most importantly, the photothermal membrane shows a considerable cost-effectiveness of 89.4 g h-1/$. Hence, this study might promote the commercialization of solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination by collaboratively considering surface modification and substrate engineering for MXene.

Autophagy-related protein 5 (ATG5) interacts with bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2 (BST2) to stimulate HBV replication through antagonizing the antiviral activity of BST2.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global health burden with 820 000 deaths per year. In our previous study, we found that the knockdown of autophagy-related protein 5 (ATG5) significantly upregulated the interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) expression to exert the anti-HCV effect. However, the regulation of ATG5 on HBV replication and its underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we screened the altered expression of type I interferon (IFN-I) pathway genes using RT² Profiler™ PCR array following ATG5 knock-down and we found the bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2 (BST2) expression was significantly increased. We then verified the upregulation of BST2 by ATG5 knockdown using RT-qPCR and found that the knockdown of ATG5 activated the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway. ATG5 knockdown or BST2 overexpression decreased Hepatitis B core Antigen (HBcAg) protein, HBV DNA levels in cells and supernatants of HepAD38 and HBV-infected NTCP-HepG2. Knockdown of BST2 abrogated the anti-HBV effect of ATG5 knockdown. Furthermore, we found that ATG5 interacted with BST2, and further formed a ternary complex together with HBV-X (HBx). In conclusion, our finding indicates that ATG5 promotes HBV replication through decreasing BST2 expression and interacting with it directly to antagonize its antiviral function.

In-depth understanding of the effects of different molecular weight pullulan interacting with protein and starch on dough structure and application properties.

This work clarified the positive effects of pullulan on dough structure and application properties varied with its molecular weight. Pullulan with different molecular weights were introduced into dough system to explore their intervention effects on structural and technological properties of dough as well as physical and digestion properties of biscuits. Results showed that HPL (pullulan with molecule weight of 100- 300 kDa) could increase the intermolecular collisions, prompt the protein aggregation and limit the water migration in dough system, resulting in an integrate, continuous and dense network structure of the gel with strengthened elasticity and weakened extensibility, which caused an increase in biscuit thickness, hardness and crispness. On the contrary, LPL (pullulan with molecule weight of 3- 100 kDa) could go against the formation of stable and elastic dough through breaking down cross-linkage between protein and starch so as to provide biscuits with decreased hardness and crispness during baking. Both HPL and LPL delayed starch pasting and retrogradation process while HPL had the stronger retarding effect on starch digestibility of biscuits than LPL. These findings dedicated to a better understanding of pullulan function in dough system and provide suggestions for fractionation applications of pullulan in food field.

Internal representations of the canonical real-world distance of objects.

In the real world, every object has its canonical distance from observers. For example, airplanes are usually far away from us, whereas eyeglasses are close to us. Do we have an internal representation of the canonical real-world distance of objects in our cognitive system? If we do, does the canonical distance influence the perceived size of an object? Here, we conducted two experiments to address these questions. In Experiment 1, we first asked participants to rate the canonical distance of objects. Participants gave consistent ratings to each object. Then, pairs of object images were presented one by one in a trial, and participants were asked to rate the distance of the second object (i.e., a priming paradigm). We found that the rating of the perceived distance of the target object was modulated by the canonical real-world distance of the prime. In Experiment 2, participants were asked to judge the perceived size of canonically near or far objects that were presented at the converging end (i.e., far location) or the opening end (i.e., near location) of a background image with converging lines. We found that regardless of the presentation location, participants perceived the canonically near object as smaller than the canonically far object even though their retinal and real-world sizes were matched. In all, our results suggest that we have an internal representation of the canonical real-world distance of objects, which affects the perceived distance of subsequent objects and the perceived size of the objects themselves.

Secreted salt and hydrodynamic factors combine to affect dynamic fluctuations of microplastics on mangrove leaves.

Mangrove leaves have been acknowledged as crucial sink for coastal microplastics (MPs). Whereas, the temporal dynamics of MPs intercepted by mangrove leaves have remained poorly understood. Here, we detected MPs intercepted by submerged and non-submerged mangrove leaves over time and the potential driving factors. Abundance and characteristics of MPs interception by mangrove leaves exhibited dynamic fluctuations, with the coefficient of variation (CV) of submerged mangrove leaves (CV = 0.604; 1.76 n/g to 15.45 n/g) being approximately twofold higher than non-submerged mangrove leaves (CV = 0.377; 0.74 n/g to 3.28 n/g). Partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) analysis further illustrated that MPs abundance on submerged mangrove leaves were negative correlated to hydrodynamic factors (i.e., current velocity and tidal range). Intriguingly, secreted salt as a significantly driver of MPs intercepted by mangrove leaves. Results of this work highlights that MPs intercepted by mangrove leaves is characterized by dynamic fluctuations and reveals the importance of hydrodynamic factors and secreted salt. Overall, this work identifies the pivotal buffering role played by mangrove leaves in intercepting MPs, which provides basic knowledge for better understanding of microplastic pollution status and control from mangrove plants.

Heterojunction-Induced Rapid Transformation of Ni3+/Ni2+ Sites which Mediates Urea Oxidation for Energy-Efficient Hydrogen Production.

Water electrolysis is an environmentally-friendly strategy for hydrogen production but suffers from significant energy consumption. Substituting urea oxidation reaction (UOR) with lower theoretical voltage for water oxidation reaction adopting nickel-based electrocatalysts engenders reduced energy consumption for hydrogen production. The main obstacle remains strong interaction between accumulated Ni3+ and *COO in the conventional Ni3+-catalyzing pathway. Herein, a novel Ni3+/Ni2+ mediated pathway for UOR via constructing a heterojunction of nickel metaphosphate and nickel telluride (Ni2P4O12/NiTe), which efficiently lowers the energy barrier of UOR and avoids the accumulation of Ni3+ and excessive adsorption of *COO on the electrocatalysts, is developed. As a result, Ni2P4O12/NiTe demonstrates an exceptionally low potential of 1.313 V to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm-2 toward efficient urea oxidation reaction while simultaneously showcases an overpotential of merely 24 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for hydrogen evolution reaction. Constructing urea electrolysis electrolyzer using Ni2P4O12/NiTe at both sides attains 100 mA cm-2 at a low cell voltage of 1.475 V along with excellent stability over 500 h accompanied with nearly 100% Faradic efficiency.

Large electronegativity differences between adjacent atomic sites activate and stabilize ZnIn2S4 for efficient photocatalytic overall water splitting.

Photocatalytic overall water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen is desirable for long-term renewable, sustainable and clean fuel production on earth. Metal sulfides are considered as ideal hydrogen-evolved photocatalysts, but their component homogeneity and typical sulfur instability cause an inert oxygen production, which remains a huge obstacle to overall water-splitting. Here, a distortion-evoked cation-site oxygen doping of ZnIn2S4 (D-O-ZIS) creates significant electronegativity differences between adjacent atomic sites, with S1 sites being electron-rich and S2 sites being electron-deficient in the local structure of S1-S2-O sites. The strong charge redistribution character activates stable oxygen reactions at S2 sites and avoids the common issue of sulfur instability in metal sulfide photocatalysis, while S1 sites favor the adsorption/desorption of hydrogen. Consequently, an overall water-splitting reaction has been realized in D-O-ZIS with a remarkable solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 0.57%, accompanying a ~ 91% retention rate after 120 h photocatalytic test. In this work, we inspire an universal design from electronegativity differences perspective to activate and stabilize metal sulfide photocatalysts for efficient overall water-splitting.

Peanut oil odor enhances the immunomodulatory effect on immunosuppressed mice by regulating the cAMP signaling pathway via the brain-spleen axis.

The role of sniffing relative to immune function has attracted considerable attention. The present study investigated the immunomodulatory effects of peanut oil odor on cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressed mice. The subset of mice subjected to prolonged (8 h) sniffing peanut oil odor (PL) demonstrated significantly elevated levels of agouti-related peptide, neuropeptide Y, and glutamate (p < 0.05), whereas it significantly down-regulated the level of γ-aminobutyric acid in the brain (p < 0.05). Furthermore, immunohistochemistry results indicated significantly increased expression of mGluR1/5 and decreased expression of GABABR in the hippocampus and hypothalamus (p < 0.05) of the PL group. Additionally, the PL group had significantly up-regulated expression levels of cAMP, Epac, Rap1, ERK1/2 and PKA (p < 0.05) and remarkably increased phosphorylation of CREB in the cAMP signaling pathway (p < 0.05), which influenced the central nervous system. Moreover, compared with CTX-induced mice, the percentages of peripheral blood T lymphocytes (CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+) and the levels of splenic cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, and TNF-α) were significantly increased following PL treatment (p < 0.05). The PL group also showed significantly up-regulated expression levels of cAMP, p-p65, and p-IκBα in the spleen (p < 0.05) by western blot analysis. In summary, PL intervention significantly up-regulated the expression levels of cAMP in the brain (p < 0.05), with subsequent transfer of cAMP to the spleen which promoted phosphorylation of p65 and IκBα. This series of events enhanced the immunity of mice, which confirmed the regulatory effect of PL on the cAMP signaling pathway, thereby enhancing immune function via the brain-spleen axis.

T-cell receptor sequencing reveals hepatocellular carcinoma immune characteristics according to Barcelona Clinic liver cancer stages within liver tissue and peripheral blood.

Analysis of T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoires in different stages of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) might help to elucidate its pathogenesis and progression. This study aimed to investigate TCR profiles in liver biopsies and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in different Barcelona Clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stages of HCC. Ten patients in early stage (BCLC_A), 10 patients in middle stage (BCLC_B), and 10 patients in late stage (BCLC_C) cancer were prospectively enrolled. The liver tumor tissues, adjacent tissues, and PBMCs of each patient were collected and examined by TCR ß sequencing. Based on the ImMunoGeneTics (IMGT) database, we aligned the V, D, J, and C gene segments and identified the frequency of CDR3 sequences and amino acids sequence. Diversity of TCR in PBMCs was higher than in both tumor tissues and adjacent tissues, regardless of BCLC stage and postoperative recurrence. TCR clonality was increased in T cells from peripheral blood in advanced HCC, compared with the early and middle stages. No statistical differences were observed between different BCLC stages, either in tumors or adjacent tissues. TCR clonality revealed no significant difference between recurrent tumor and non-recurrent tumor, therefore PBMCs was better to be representative of TCR characteristics in different stages of HCC compared to tumor tissues. Clonal expansion of T cells was associated with low risk of recurrence in HCC patients.

Insight into the role of niche concept in deciphering the ecological drivers of MPs-associated bacterial communities in mangrove forest.

Myriad inherent and variable environmental features are controlling the assembly and succession of bacterial communities colonizing on mangrove microplastics (MPs). However, the mechanisms governing mangrove MPs-associated bacterial responses to environmental changes still remain unknown. Here, we assessed the dissimilarities of MPs-associated bacterial composition, diversity and functionality as well as quantified the niche variations of each taxon on plastispheres along river-mangrove-ocean and mangrove landward-to-seaward gradients in the Beibu Gulf, China, respectively. The bacterial richness and diversity as well as the niche breadth on mangrove sedimentary MPs dramatically decreased from landward to seaward regions. Characterizing the niche variations linked the difference of ecological drivers of MPs-associated bacterial populations and functions between river-mangrove-ocean (microplastic properties) and mangrove landward-to-seaward plastispheres (sediment physicochemical properties) to the trade-offs between selective stress exerted by inherent plastic substrates and microbial competitive stress imposed by environmental conditions. Notably, Rhodococcus erythropolis was predicted to be the generalist species and closely associated to biogeochemical cycles of mangrove plastispheres. Our work provides a reliable pathway for tackling the hidden mechanisms of environmental factors driving MPs-associated microbe from perspectives of niches and highlights the spatial dynamic variations of mangrove MPs-associated bacteria.