Cold-Sintered All-Inorganic Perovskite Bulk Composite Scintillators for Efficient X-ray Imaging.

Cost-effective bulk scintillators with high density, large-area, and long-term stability are desirable for high-energy radiation detections. Conventional bulk polycrystalline or single-crystal scintillators are generally synthesized by high-temperature approaches, and it is challenging to realize simultaneously high detectivity/responsivity, spatial resolution, and rapid time response. Here, we report the cold sintering of bulk scintillators (at 90 °C) based on an "emitter-in-matrix" principle, in which emissive CsPbBr3 nanocrystals are embedded in a durable and transparent Cs4PbBr6 matrix. These bulk scintillators exhibit high light yield (33,800 photons MeV-1), low detection limit (79 nGyair s-1), fast decay time (9.8 ns), and outstanding spatial resolution of 8.9 lp mm-1 to X-ray radiation and an energy resolution of 19.3% for γ-ray (59.6 keV) detection. The composite scintillator also shows exceptional stability against environmental degradation and cyclic X-ray radiation. Our results demonstrate a cost-effective strategy for developing perovskite-based bulk transparent scintillators with exceptional performance and high radioluminescence stability for high-energy radiation detection and imaging.

The bi-directional relationships between diversified leisure activity participation and cognitive function in older adults in China: separating between-person effects from within-person effects.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the bi-directorial association between diversified leisure activity participation and cognitive function over a 7-year period. METHODS: Data analyzed was from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), a large-scale longitudinal national study. The baseline survey was conducted in 2011 with follow-up every three years. We traced a total of 2718 participants over a period of 7 years. We used adjusted random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) to examine the bi-directorial associations between diversified leisure activity participation and cognitive function. RESULTS: We observed bi-directorial associations between diversity of leisure activity and cognitive function across waves at the between-person and within-person levels. The adjusted random intercept cross-lagged panel models fitted the data appropriately, and the 3-year cross-lagged effects of prior diversified leisure activity participation on cognitive function (ß = 0.058, p < 0.01) and cognitive function on subsequent diversified leisure activity participation (ß = 0.047, p < 0.05) were significant. The results remained after adjusting the model for baseline sex, age, educational level, marital status and current residence, the number of chronic diseases, ADL, depressive symptoms, sleep quality, smoking, and drinking. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a reciprocal causality relationship between diversified leisure activity participation and cognitive function, indicating a "positive circle" that further promotes cognition over time.

Perivascular neurons instruct 3D vascular lattice formation via neurovascular contact.

The vasculature of the central nervous system is a 3D lattice composed of laminar vascular beds interconnected by penetrating vessels. The mechanisms controlling 3D lattice network formation remain largely unknown. Combining viral labeling, genetic marking, and single-cell profiling in the mouse retina, we discovered a perivascular neuronal subset, annotated as Fam19a4/Nts-positive retinal ganglion cells (Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs), directly contacting the vasculature with perisomatic endfeet. Developmental ablation of Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs led to disoriented growth of penetrating vessels near the ganglion cell layer (GCL), leading to a disorganized 3D vascular lattice. We identified enriched PIEZO2 expression in Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs. Piezo2 loss from all retinal neurons or Fam19a4/Nts-RGCs abolished the direct neurovascular contacts and phenocopied the Fam19a4/Nts-RGC ablation deficits. The defective vascular structure led to reduced capillary perfusion and sensitized the retina to ischemic insults. Furthermore, we uncovered a Piezo2-dependent perivascular granule cell subset for cerebellar vascular patterning, indicating neuronal Piezo2-dependent 3D vascular patterning in the brain.

A Comprehensive Study on the Diagnostic Value of Multi-Slice Computed Tomography for Peripancreatic Infection in Elderly With Severe Acute Pancreatitis.

Background: This study investigated the diagnostic efficacy of multi-slice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) perfusion imaging in evaluating peripancreatic infection in elderly patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 110 elderly SAP patients treated at our hospital from March 2018 to August 2019. The study correlated MSCT perfusion imaging characteristics with peripancreatic infection in elderly SAP patients. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the diagnostic performance of MSCT perfusion imaging parameters in evaluating peripancreatic infection in elderly SAP patients. Results: The results indicated that among all 110 elderly SAP patients, the incidence rate of peripancreatic infection was 20.91%, with a mortality rate of 0.91%. MSCT perfusion imaging revealed that after peripancreatic infection in elderly SAP patients, there was a decrease in pancreatic density, local enlargement of the pancreas, blurring of the pancreatic margins, and associated ascites. Compression/narrowing/occlusion of the splenic vein was observed in 22 patients, compression/narrowing/occlusion of the superior mesenteric vein in 17 patients, thickening/thrombosis of the portal vein in 19 patients, and collateral circulation in 21 patients. Compared to elderly SAP patients without peripancreatic infection, those with the infection showed prolonged peak times, reduced peak heights, and decreased blood flow. ROC analysis indicated that the combination of the three parameters (peak time, peak height, and blood flow) had higher specificity and area under the curve (AUC) than single parameters, with no significant difference in sensitivity between the combination and single parameters. Conclusions: In conclusion, combining the three key MSCT perfusion imaging parameters (peak time, peak height, and blood flow) can significantly enhance the predictive efficacy for the risk of peripancreatic infection in elderly SAP patients.

Lithium fluorosulfonate-induced low-resistance interphase boosting low-temperature performance of commercial graphite/LiFePO4 pouch batteries.

The performance of Li-ion batteries (LIBs) at sub-ambient temperatures is limited by the resistive interphases due to electrolyte decomposition, particularly on the anode surface. In this study, lithium fluorosulfonate (LFS) was added to commercial electrolytes to enhance the low-temperature electrochemical performance of LiFePO4 (LFP)/graphite (Gr) pouch cells. The addition of LFS significantly reduced the charge transfer resistance of the anode, substantially extending the cycle life and discharge capacity of commercial LFP/Gr pouch cells at -10 and -30 °C. Compared with the capacity retention rate of the baseline electrolyte at -10 °C (80 % after 25cycles), the capacity retention rate of the LFS electrolyte after 100 cycles under 0.5 C/0.5 C was retained at 94 %. Further mechanistic studies showed that the LFS additive induced the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film comprising inorganic-rich LiF, Li2SO4, and additional organic fluorides and sulfides to maintain good stability at the Gr/electrolyte interface during low-temperature operation. LFS suppressed electrolyte decomposition by forming a robust and low-resistance SEI film on the anode. These results demonstrate that LFS is a promising electrolyte additive for low-temperature LFP/Gr pouch cells.

DIRMC: a database of immunotherapy-related molecular characteristics.

Cancer immunotherapy has brought about a revolutionary breakthrough in the field of cancer treatment. Immunotherapy has changed the treatment landscape for a variety of solid and hematologic malignancies. To assist researchers in efficiently uncovering valuable information related to cancer immunotherapy, we have presented a manually curated comprehensive database called DIRMC, which focuses on molecular features involved in cancer immunotherapy. All the content was collected manually from published literature, authoritative clinical trial data submitted by clinicians, some databases for drug target prediction such as DrugBank, and some experimentally confirmed high-throughput data sets for the characterization of immune-related molecular interactions in cancer, such as a curated database of T-cell receptor sequences with known antigen specificity (VDJdb), a pathology-associated TCR database (McPAS-TCR) et al. By constructing a fully connected functional network, ranging from cancer-related gene mutations to target genes to translated target proteins to protein regions or sites that may specifically affect protein function, we aim to comprehensively characterize molecular features related to cancer immunotherapy. We have developed the scoring criteria to assess the reliability of each MHC-peptide-T-cell receptor (TCR) interaction item to provide a reference for users. The database provides a user-friendly interface to browse and retrieve data by genes, target proteins, diseases and more. DIRMC also provides a download and submission page for researchers to access data of interest for further investigation or submit new interactions related to cancer immunotherapy targets. Furthermore, DIRMC provides a graphical interface to help users predict the binding affinity between their own peptide of interest and MHC or TCR. This database will provide researchers with a one-stop resource to understand cancer immunotherapy-related targets as well as data on MHC-peptide-TCR interactions. It aims to offer reliable molecular characteristics support for both the analysis of the current status of cancer immunotherapy and the development of new immunotherapy. DIRMC is available at http://www.dirmc.tech/. Database URL: http://www.dirmc.tech/.

Reviving Cost-Effective Organic Cathodes in Halide-Based All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

The evolution of inorganic solid electrolytes has revolutionized the field of sustainable organic cathode materials, particularly addressing the dissolution problems in traditional liquid electrolytes. However, current sulfide-based all-solid-state lithium-organic batteries still face challenges such as high working temperatures, high costs, and low voltage. Here, we design an all-solid-state lithium battery based on a cost-effective organic cathode material phenanthrenequinone (PQ) and a halide solid electrolyte Li2ZrCl6. Thanks to the good compatibility between PQ and Li2ZrCl6, the PQ cathode achieved a high specific capacity of 248 mAh g-1 (96% of the theoretical capacity), a high average discharge voltage of 2.74 V (vs. Li+/Li), and a good capacity retention of 95% after 100 cycles at room temperature (25 °C). Furthermore, the interaction between the high-voltage carbonyl PQ cathode and both sulfide and halide solid electrolytes, as well as the redox mechanism of PQ cathode in all-solid-state batteries,  were carefully studied by a variety of advanced characterizations. We believe such a design and the corresponding investigations for the underlying chemistry give insights into the further development of practical all-solid-state lithium-organic batteries.

Transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into muscle cells to constitute cultured meat with tunable intramuscular fat deposition.

Current studies on cultured meat mainly focus on the muscle tissue reconstruction in vitro, but lack the formation of intramuscular fat, which is a crucial factor in determining taste, texture, and nutritional contents. Therefore, incorporating fat into cultured meat is of superior value. In this study, we employed the myogenic/lipogenic transdifferentiation of chicken fibroblasts in 3D to produce muscle mass and deposit fat into the same cells without the co-culture or mixture of different cells or fat substances. The immortalized chicken embryonic fibroblasts were implanted into the hydrogel scaffold, and the cell proliferation and myogenic transdifferentiation were conducted in 3D to produce the whole-cut meat mimics. Compared to 2D, cells grown in 3D matrix showed elevated myogenesis and collagen production. We further induced fat deposition in the transdifferentiated muscle cells and the triglyceride content could be manipulated to match and exceed the levels of chicken meat. The gene expression analysis indicated that both lineage-specific and multifunctional signalings could contribute to the generation of muscle/fat matrix. Overall, we were able to precisely modulate muscle, fat, and extracellular matrix contents according to balanced or specialized meat preferences. These findings provide new avenues for customized cultured meat production with desired intramuscular fat contents that can be tailored to meet the diverse demands of consumers.

Balanced opioid-free anesthesia with lidocaine and esketamine versus balanced anesthesia with sufentanil for gynecological endoscopic surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

In this randomized controlled trial, 74 patients scheduled for gynecological laparoscopic surgery (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade I/II) were enrolled and randomly divided into two study groups: (i) Group C (control), received sufentanil (0.3 µg/kg) and saline, followed by sufentanil (0.1 µg/kg∙h) and saline; and (ii) Group F (OFA), received esketamine (0.15 mg/kg) and lidocaine (2 mg/kg), followed by esketamine (0.1 mg/kg∙h) and lidocaine (1.5 mg/kg∙h). The primary outcome was the 48-h time-weighted average (TWA) of postoperative pain scores. Secondary outcomes included time to extubation, adverse effects, and postoperative sedation score, pain scores at different time points, analgesic consumption at 48 h, and gastrointestinal functional recovery. The 48-h TWAs of pain scores were 1.32 (0.78) (95% CI 1.06-1.58) and 1.09 (0.70) (95% CI 0.87-1.33) for Groups F and C, respectively. The estimated difference between Groups F and C was - 0.23 (95% CI - 0.58 - 0.12; P = 0.195). No differences were found in any of the secondary outcomes and no severe adverse effects were observed in either group. Balanced OFA with lidocaine and esketamine achieved similar effects to balanced anesthesia with sufentanil in patients undergoing elective gynecological laparoscopic surgery, without severe adverse effects.Clinical Trial Registration: ChiCTR2300067951, www.chictr.org.cn 01 February, 2023.

Interpretation of 10 years of Alzheimer's disease genetic findings in the perspective of statistical heterogeneity.

Common genetic variants and susceptibility loci associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been discovered through large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS), GWAS by proxy (GWAX) and meta-analysis of GWAS and GWAX (GWAS+GWAX). However, due to the very low repeatability of AD susceptibility loci and the low heritability of AD, these AD genetic findings have been questioned. We summarize AD genetic findings from the past 10 years and provide a new interpretation of these findings in the context of statistical heterogeneity. We discovered that only 17% of AD risk loci demonstrated reproducibility with a genome-wide significance of P < 5.00E-08 across all AD GWAS and GWAS+GWAX datasets. We highlighted that the AD GWAS+GWAX with the largest sample size failed to identify the most significant signals, the maximum number of genome-wide significant genetic variants or maximum heritability. Additionally, we identified widespread statistical heterogeneity in AD GWAS+GWAX datasets, but not in AD GWAS datasets. We consider that statistical heterogeneity may have attenuated the statistical power in AD GWAS+GWAX and may contribute to explaining the low repeatability (17%) of genome-wide significant AD susceptibility loci and the decreased AD heritability (40-2%) as the sample size increased. Importantly, evidence supports the idea that a decrease in statistical heterogeneity facilitates the identification of genome-wide significant genetic loci and contributes to an increase in AD heritability. Collectively, current AD GWAX and GWAS+GWAX findings should be meticulously assessed and warrant additional investigation, and AD GWAS+GWAX should employ multiple meta-analysis methods, such as random-effects inverse variance-weighted meta-analysis, which is designed specifically for statistical heterogeneity.

Correlations of FCGR2A 131R/H and FCGR3A 158V/F Polymorphisms with the Susceptibility of Peri-implantitis in Chinese Han Population.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship of peri-implantitis (PI) with FCGR2A and FCGR3A gene polymorphisms. One hundred and forty-four patients with PI and 136 patients without PI infection were selected. Gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected from the two groups. The FCGR2A and FCGR3A polymorphism in the two groups were measured. All volunteers were evaluated for periodontal status. The effect of polymorphisms on PI susceptibility was investigated by chi-square analysis and logistic regression. The frequency of FCGR2A rs1801274 GG genotype of PI group was higher than that of the control group, while the GA and AA genotype carriers were less in PI group. After adjusting for other clinical indicators, rs1801274 GA genotype, AA genotype, and the A allele were still negatively correlated with the onset of PI. FCGR3A rs396991 polymorphism was not associated with PI. FCGR2A rs1801274 polymorphism was significantly associated with PI in the Chinese Han population, and GG genotype might be a genetic risk factor for PI.

Single-Crystal P2-Na0.67Mn0.67Ni0.33O2 Cathode Material with Improved Cycling Stability for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Layered oxides constitute one of the most promising cathode materials classes for large-scale sodium-ion batteries because of their high specific capacity, scalable synthesis, and low cost. However, their practical use is limited by their low energy density, physicochemical instability, and poor cycling stability. Aiming to mitigate these shortcomings, in this work, we synthesized polycrystalline (PC) and single-crystal (SC) P2-type Na0.67-δMn0.67Ni0.33O2 (NMNO) cathode materials through a solid-state route and evaluated their physicochemical and electrochemical performance. The SC-NMNO cathode with a large mean primary particle size (D50) of 12.7 µm was found to exhibit high cycling stability leading to 47% higher capacity retention than PC-NMNO after 175 cycles at 1C rate in the potential window 4.2-1.5 V. This could be attributed to the effective mitigation of parasitic side reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interface and suppressed intergranular cracking induced by anisotropic volume changes. This is confirmed by the lower volume variation of SC-NMNO (ΔV ∼ 1.0%) compared to PC-NMNO (ΔV ∼ 1.4%) upon charging to 4.2 V. Additionally, the SC-NMNO cathode displayed slightly higher thermal stability compared to PC-NMNO. Both cathodes exhibited good chemical stability against air and water exposure, thus enabling material storage/handling in the ambient atmosphere as well as making them suitable for aqueous processing. In this regard, PC-NMNO was investigated with two low-cost aqueous binders, carboxymethyl cellulose, and sodium trimetaphosphate, which exhibited higher binding strength and displayed excellent electrochemical performance compared to PVDF, which could potentially lead to significant cost reduction in electrode manufacturing.

High-Performance Sub-10 nm Two-Dimensional SbSeBr Transistors through Transport Orientation.

Exploring two-dimensional (2D) materials with a small carrier effective mass and suitable band gap is crucial for the design of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). Here, the quantum transport properties of stable 2D SbSeBr are simulated on the basis of first-principles calculations. Monolayer SbSeBr proves to be a competitive channel material, offering a suitable band gap of 1.18 eV and a small electron effective mass (me*) of 0.22m0. The 2D SbSeBr field effect transistor (FET) with 8 nm channel length exhibits a high on-state current of 1869 µA/µm, low power consumption of 0.080 fJ/µm, and small delay time of 0.062 ps, which can satisfy the requirements of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors for high-performance devices. Moreover, despite the monolayer SbSeBr having an isotropic me*, the asymmetrical band trends enable SbSeBr FETs to display transport orientation, which emphasizes the importance of band trends and provides valuable insights for selecting channel materials.

Adherence to Healthy and Unhealthy Plant-Based Diets and the Risk of Gout.

Importance: Plant-based diets are increasing in popularity due, in part, to their health benefits for selected cardiometabolic diseases as well as favorable environmental impact. Little is known about how such a diet is related to gout risk. Objective: To examine associations between adherence to a plant-based diet (including healthy and unhealthy versions of this diet), as well as its 18 individual food groups, and incident gout. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prospective cohort study used data from population-based cohorts of US men and women enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2012) and Nurses' Health Study (1984-2010). Participants were men and women free of gout at baseline. Statistical analyses were performed over March 2020 to August 2023. Exposures: An overall plant-based diet index (PDI), as well as healthy (hPDI) and unhealthy (uPDI) versions of this index that emphasize healthy and less healthy plant-based foods, respectively. These diet indices were comprised of 18 food groups, assessed using a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Main Outcomes and Measures: Incident cases of gout that were confirmed with a supplementary questionnaire to meet the preliminary American College of Rheumatology survey criteria for gout. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate multivariable-adjusted associations of all 3 PDIs with incident gout using quintiles (Q) of adherence. Results: Among a total of 122 679 participants (mean [SD] age, 53.8 [9.8] years among 43 703 men; mean [SD] age, 50.9 [7.2] years among 78 976 women) over 2 704 899 person-years of follow-up, 2709 participants experienced incident gout. The overall PDI was not significantly associated with gout in either cohort (Q5 vs Q1 pooled hazard ratio [HR], 1.02 [95% CI, 0.89-1.17]; P for trend = .63). In the pooled analysis, hPDI was significantly inversely associated with risk of gout (Q5 vs Q1 HR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.69-0.91]; P for trend = .002), while the uPDI was positively associated with risk of gout (Q5 vs Q1 HR, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.03-1.33]; P for trend = .02), particularly in women (Q5 vs Q1 HR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.05-1.62]; P for trend = .01). In analysis of individual food groups, higher intakes of certain healthy plant foods, such as whole grains (pooled HR per 1 serving/d, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.89-0.97]) and tea and coffee (pooled HR per 1 serving/d, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.92-0.97]), as well as dairy (pooled HR per 1 serving/d, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.82-0.90]), were independently associated with a lower risk of gout, while selected unhealthy plant foods, such as fruit juice (pooled HR per 1 serving/d, 1.06 [95% CI, 1.00-1.13]) and sugar-sweetened beverages (pooled HR per 1 serving/d, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.07-1.26]) were associated with increased risk of gout. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this prospective cohort study of PDIs and gout support current dietary recommendations to increase consumption of healthy plant foods while lowering intake of unhealthy plant foods to mitigate gout risk.

Sediment DNA Records the Critical Transition of Bacterial Communities in the Arid Lake.

It is necessary to predict the critical transition of lake ecosystems due to their abrupt, non-linear effects on social-economic systems. Given the promising application of paleolimnological archives to tracking the historical changes of lake ecosystems, it is speculated that they can also record the lake's critical transition. We studied Lake Dali-Nor in the arid region of Inner Mongolia because of the profound shrinking the lake experienced between the 1300 s and the 1600 s. We reconstructed the succession of bacterial communities from a 140-cm-long sediment core at 4-cm intervals and detected the critical transition. Our results showed that the historical trajectory of bacterial communities from the 1200 s to the 2010s was divided into two alternative states: state1 from 1200 to 1300 s and state2 from 1400 to 2010s. Furthermore, in the late 1300 s, the appearance of a tipping point and critical slowing down implied the existence of a critical transition. By using a multi-decadal time series from the sedimentary core, with general Lotka-Volterra model simulations, local stability analysis found that bacterial communities were the most unstable as they approached the critical transition, suggesting that the collapse of stability triggers the community shift from an equilibrium state to another state. Furthermore, the most unstable community harbored the strongest antagonistic and mutualistic interactions, which may imply the detrimental role of interaction strength on community stability. Collectively, our study showed that sediment DNA can be used to detect the critical transition of lake ecosystems.

Calibration of citrus intake assessed by food frequency questionnaires using urinary proline betaine in an observational study setting.

BACKGROUND: Whether observational study can be employed to establish calibration equations for self-reported dietary intake using food biomarkers is unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining calibration equations based on food biomarkers and 7-day diet records (7DDRs) to correct measurement errors of food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) in an observational study setting. METHODS: The study population consisted of 669 male and 749 female from the Women and Men's Lifestyle Validation Study. In the training set, the biomarker-predicted intake derived by regressing 7DDR-assessed intake on urinary proline betaine level was regressed on the FFQ-assessed intake to obtain the calibration equations. The regression coefficients were applied to the test set to calculate the calibrated FFQ intake. We examined total citrus as well as individual citrus fruits/beverages. RESULTS: Urinary proline betaine was moderately correlated with orange juice intake [Pearson correlation (r): 0.53 for 7DDR and 0.48 for FFQ] but only weakly correlated with intakes of orange (r: 0.12 for 7DDR and 0.15 for FFQ) and grapefruit (r: 0.14 for 7DDR and 0.09 for FFQ). The FFQ-assessed citrus intake was systematically higher than the 7DDR-assessed intake, and after calibrations the mean calibrated FFQ measurements were almost identical to 7DDR assessments. In the test set, the mean intake levels from 7DDRs, FFQ, and calibrated FFQ were 62.5, 75.3, 63.2 g/d for total citrus, 41.6, 42.5, 41.9 g/d for orange juice, 11.8, 24.3, 12.3 g/d for oranges, and 8.3, 9.3, 8.6 g/d for grapefruit. We observed larger differences between calibrated FFQ and 7DDR assessments at the extreme ends of intake, although on average good agreements were observed for all citrus except grapefruit. CONCLUSION: Our two-step calibration approach has the potential to be adapted to correct systematic measurement error for other foods/nutrients with established food biomarkers in a cost-effective way.

Aqueous Cellulose Solution Adhesive.

In the context of sustainable development, research on a biomass-based adhesive without chemical modification as a substitute for petroleum-based adhesive is now crucial. It turns out to be challenging to guarantee a simple and sustainable method to produce high-quality adhesives and subsequently manufacture multifunctional composites. Herein, the inherent properties of cellulose were exploited to generate an adhesive based on a cellulose aqueous solution. The adhesion is simple to prepare structurally and functionally complex materials in a single process. Cellulose-based daily necessities including straws, bags, and cups were prepared by adhering cellulose films, and smart devices like actuators and supercapacitors assembled by adhering hydrogels were also demonstrated. In addition, the composite boards bonded with natural biomass wastes, such as wood chips, displayed significantly stronger mechanical properties than the natural wood or commercial composite boards. Cellulose aqueous adhesives provide a straightforward, feasible, renewable, and inventive bonding technique for material shaping and the creation of multipurpose devices.

The IFT80/Hedgehog Pathway Regulates the Osteogenic-adipogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

BACKGROUND: Steroid-induced avascular necrosis of the femoral head (SANFH) is a typical refractory disease that often progresses irreversibly and has a high disability rate. Numerous studies have confirmed that abnormal osteogenic-adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) is one of the major factors of SANFH. However, the mechanism remains to be elucidated. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the mechanism and effect of the IFT80/Hedgehog-mediated osteogenic-adipogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs in SANFH. METHODS: Femoral head specimens of SANFH patients and femoral neck fractures (FNF) patients were collected to detect the expression of IFT80, Shh and osteogenic-adipogenic differentiation-related genes by immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blot (WB) and Reverse Transcription Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). Based on the rabbit SANFH model, the mRNA expression and protein level of IFT80 and Shh were detected by RT-qPCR and WB. After the osteogenic/adipogenic differentiation based on rabbit BM-MSCs, the IFT80, Gli1, PPAR-γ, and Runx2 expression were detected. Differences in alkaline phosphodiesterase activity, calcium nodule, quantification/distribution of lipid droplets, expression of IFT80/Hedgehog axis, and the level of osteogenic- adipogenic associated factors were determined after IFT80 overexpression. RESULTS: RT-qPCR, WB and IHC revealed that IFT80 and Shh lowly expressed in the osteoblasts and intra-trabecular osteocytes at the edge of trabeculae and in the intercellular matrix of the bone marrow lumen in the SANFH specimens. The Runx2 expression was low, while the PPAR-γ expression was high in both human specimens and animal models of SANFH, suggesting that the balance of osteogenic-adipogenic differentiation was dysregulated. Rabbit BM-MSCs with stable overexpression of IFT80 showed increased alkaline phosphatase activity after induction of osteogenic differentiation, increased calcium nodule production, and decreased adipogenesis after induction of adipogenic differentiation. CONCLUSION: There is a dysregulation of the balance of osteogenic-adipogenic differentiation in SANFH. IFT80 may inhibit adipogenic differentiation while promoting osteogenic differentiation in rabbit BM-MSCs by activating the Hedgehog pathway.

Clinical predictive value of control attenuation parameters in combination with miR-192-5p in patients with acute pancreatitis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

INTRODUCTION: Control attenuation parameters (CAP) can detect nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our previous study found that miR-192-5p could screen for acute pancreatitis (AP) in NAFLD patients. This study focused on the role of CAP and miR-192-5p in NAFLD of acute AP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: AP patients and controls were enrolled. Classification of AP patients into NAFLD/AP patients and non-NAFLD/AP was made based on the CAP value. CAP was measured by liver transient elastography. Serum miR-192-5p was measured by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the risk factors for the development of NAFLD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was assessed for the predictive value of AP severity. RESULTS: NAFLD was more common in the AP group than in the controls (35.00% vs. 8.75%). The CAP value was higher in AP patients with NAFLD than in non-NAFLD, whereas miR-192-5p was significantly lower in AP patients with NAFLD. Additionally, AP patients with NALFD are more likely to experience respiratory failure, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and pancreatic necrosis with longer hospitalisation and exacerbate the incidence of moderate to severe AP. Both miR-192-5p and TG are potential risk factors for the development of NAFLD in patients with AP. Furthermore, the CAP value gradually increased with increasing AP severity, while miR-192-5p gradually decreased. Finally, the sensitivity and specificity of CAP combined with miR-192-5p for the prediction of moderate to severe AP were scored as 82.61% and 82.43%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD exacerbated the progression of AP, and CAP combined with miR-192-5p could predict the severity of AP. Our study may provide more reference for AP disease progression and treatment.

Impact of grassland degradation on soil multifunctionality: Linking to protozoan network complexity and stability.

Soil protozoa, as predators of microbial communities, profoundly influence multifunctionality of soils. Understanding the relationship between soil protozoa and soil multifunctionality (SMF) is crucial to unraveling the driving mechanisms of SMF. However, this relationship remains unclear, particularly in grassland ecosystems that are experiencing degradation. By employing 18S rRNA gene sequencing and network analysis, we examined the diversity, composition, and network patterns of the soil protozoan community along a well-characterized gradient of grassland degradation at four alpine sites, including two alpine meadows (Cuona and Jiuzhi) and two alpine steppes (Shuanghu and Gonghe) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Our findings showed that grassland degradation decreased SMF for 1-2 times in all four sites but increased soil protozoan diversity (Shannon index) for 13.82-298.01 % in alpine steppes. Grassland degradation-induced changes in soil protozoan composition, particularly to the Intramacronucleata with a large body size, were consistently observed across all four sites. The enhancing network complexity (average degree), stability (robustness), and cooperative relationships (positive correlation) are the responses of protozoa to grassland degradation. Further analyses revealed that the increased network complexity and stability led to a decrease in SMF by affecting microbial biomass. Overall, protozoa increase their diversity and strengthen their cooperative relationships to resist grassland degradation, and emphasize the critical role of protozoan network complexity and stability in regulating SMF. Therefore, not only protozoan diversity and composition but also their interactions should be considered in evaluating SMF responses to grassland degradation, which has important implications for predicting changes in soil function under future scenarios of anthropogenic change.