Ir Single Atoms Boost Metal-Oxygen Covalency on Selenide-Derived NiOOH for Direct Intramolecular Oxygen Coupling.

This investigation probes the intricate interplay of catalyst dynamics and reaction pathways during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), highlighting the significance of atomic-level and local ligand structure insights in crafting highly active electrocatalysts. Leveraging a tailored ion exchange reaction followed by electrochemical dynamic reconstruction, we engineered a novel catalytic structure featuring single Ir atoms anchored to NiOOH (Ir1@NiOOH). This novel approach involved the strategic replacement of Fe with Ir, facilitating the transition of selenide precatalysts into active (oxy)hydroxides. This elemental substitution promoted an upward shift in the O 2p band and intensified the metal-oxygen covalency, thereby altering the OER mechanism toward enhanced activity. The shift from a single-metal site mechanism (SMSM) in NiOOH to a dual-metal-site mechanism (DMSM) in Ir1@NiOOH was substantiated by in situ differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) and supported by theoretical insights. Remarkably, the Ir1@NiOOH electrode exhibited exceptional electrocatalytic performance, achieving overpotentials as low as 142 and 308 mV at current densities of 10 and 1000 mA cm-2, respectively, setting a new benchmark for the electrocatalysis of OER.

Efficient Acidic Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Enabled by Ru Single Atoms Anchored on Hematite Photoanodes.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting in acidic media holds promise as an efficient approach to renewable hydrogen production. However, the development of highly active and stable photoanodes under acidic conditions remains a significant challenge. Herein, we demonstrate the remarkable water oxidation performance of Ru single atom decorated hematite (Fe2O3) photoanodes, resulting in a high photocurrent of 1.42 mA cm-2 at 1.23 VRHE under acidic conditions. Comprehensive experimental and theoretical investigations shed light on the mechanisms underlying the superior activity of the Ru-decorated photoanode. The presence of single Ru atoms enhances the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers, facilitating efficient water oxidation kinetics on the Fe2O3 surface. This is achieved by creating additional energy levels within the Fe2O3 bandgap and optimizing the free adsorption energy of intermediates. These modifications effectively lower the energy barrier of the rate-determining step for water splitting, thereby promoting efficient PEC hydrogen production.

Enantioselective Cyanofunctionalization of Aromatic Alkenes via Radical Anions.

Alkene radical ions constitute an integral and unique class of reactive intermediates for the synthesis of valuable compounds because they have both unpaired spins and charge. However, relatively few synthetic applications of alkene radical anions have emerged due to a dearth of generally applicable and mild radical anion generation approaches. Precise control over the chemo- and stereoselectivity in alkene radical anion-mediated processes represents another long-standing challenge due to their high reactivity. To overcome these issues, here, we develop a new redox-neutral strategy that seamlessly merges photoredox and copper catalysis to enable the controlled generation of alkene radical anions and their orthogonal enantioselective cyanofunctionalization via distonic-like species. This new strategy enables highly regio-, chemo-, and enantioselective hydrocyanation, deuterocyanation, and cyanocarboxylation of alkenes without stoichiometric reductants or oxidants under visible light irradiation. This protocol provides a new blueprint for the exploration of the transformation potential of alkene radical anions.

High-quality haplotype-resolved genome assembly for ring-cup oak (Quercus glauca) provides insight into oaks demographic dynamics.

Quercus section Cyclobalanopsis represents a dominant woody lineage in East Asian evergreen broadleaved forests. Regardless of its ecological and economic importance, little is known about the genomes of species in this unique oak lineage. Quercus glauca is one of the most widespread tree species in the section Cyclobalanopsis. In this study, a high-quality haplotype-resolved reference genome was assembled for Q. glauca from PacBio HiFi and Hi-C reads. The genome size, contig N50, and scaffold N50 measured 902.88, 7.60, and 69.28 Mb, respectively, for haplotype1, and 913.28, 7.20, and 71.53 Mb, respectively, for haplotype2. A total of 37,457 and 38,311 protein-coding genes were predicted in haplotype1 and haplotype2, respectively. Homologous chromosomes in the Q. glauca genome had excellent gene pair collinearity. The number of R-genes in Q. glauca was similar to most East Asian oaks but less than oak species from Europe and America. Abundant structural variation in the Q. glauca genome could contribute to environmental stress tolerance in Q. glauca. Sections Cyclobalanopsis and Cerris diverged in the Oligocene, in agreement with fossil records for section Cyclobalanopsis, which document its presence in East Asia since the early Miocene. The demographic dynamics of closely related oak species were largely similar. The high-quality reference genome provided here for the most widespread species in section Cyclobalanopsis will serve as an essential genomic resource for evolutionary studies of key oak lineages while also supporting studies of interspecific introgression, local adaptation, and speciation in oaks.

Plasma proteomics-based biomarkers for predicting response to mesenchymal stem cell therapy in severe COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to identify potential biomarkers for predicting response to MSC therapy by pre-MSC treatment plasma proteomic profile in severe COVID-19 in order to optimize treatment choice. METHODS: A total of 58 patients selected from our previous RCT cohort were enrolled in this study. MSC responders (n = 35) were defined as whose resolution of lung consolidation ≥ 51.99% (the median value for resolution of lung consolidation) from pre-MSC to 28 days post-MSC treatment, while non-responders (n = 23) were defined as whose resolution of lung consolidation < 51.99%. Plasma before MSC treatment was detected using data-independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify pre-MSC treatment plasma proteomic biomarkers that might distinguish between responders and non-responders to MSC therapy. RESULTS: In total, 1101 proteins were identified in plasma. Compared with the non-responders, the responders had three upregulated proteins (CSPG2, CTRB1, and OSCAR) and 10 downregulated proteins (ANXA1, AGRG6, CAPG, DDX55, KV133, LEG10, OXSR1, PICAL, PTGDS, and S100A8) in plasma before MSC treatment. Using logistic regression model, lower levels of DDX55, AGRG6, PICAL, and ANXA1 and higher levels of CTRB1 pre-MSC treatment were predictors of responders to MSC therapy, with AUC of the ROC at 0.910 (95% CI 0.818-1.000) in the training set. In the validation set, AUC of the ROC was 0.767 (95% CI 0.459-1.000). CONCLUSIONS: The responsiveness to MSC therapy appears to depend on baseline level of DDX55, AGRG6, PICAL, CTRB1, and ANXA1. Clinicians should take these factors into consideration when making decision to initiate MSC therapy in patients with severe COVID-19.

Chronic cough relief by allosteric modulation of P2X3 without taste disturbance.

P2X receptors are cation channels that sense extracellular ATP. Many therapeutic candidates targeting P2X receptors have begun clinical trials or acquired approval for the treatment of refractory chronic cough (RCC) and other disorders. However, the present negative allosteric modulation of P2X receptors is primarily limited to the central pocket or the site below the left flipper domain. Here, we uncover a mechanism of allosteric regulation of P2X3 in the inner pocket of the head domain (IP-HD), and show that the antitussive effects of quercetin and PSFL2915 (our nM-affinity P2X3 inhibitor optimized based on quercetin) on male mice and guinea pigs were achieved by preventing allosteric changes of IP-HD in P2X3. While being therapeutically comparable to the newly licensed P2X3 RCC drug gefapixant, quercetin and PSFL2915 do not have an adverse effect on taste as gefapixant does. Thus, allosteric modulation of P2X3 via IP-HD may be a druggable strategy to alleviate RCC.

IL-7 promotes CD19-directed CAR-T cells proliferation through miRNA-98-5p by targeting CDKN1A.

CAR-T targeting CD19 have achieved significant effects in the treatment of B-line leukemia and lymphoma. However, the treated patients frequently relapsed and could not achieve complete remission. Therefore, improving the proliferation and cytotoxicity of CAR-T cells, reducing exhaustion and enhancing infiltration capacity are still issues to be solved. The IL-7 has been shown to enhance the memory characteristics of CAR-T cells, but the specific mechanism has yet to be elaborated. miRNAs play an important role in T cell activity. However, whether miRNA is involved in the activation of CAR-T cells by IL-7 has not yet been reported. Our previous study had established the 3rd generation CAR-T cells. The present study further found that IL-7 significantly increased the proliferation of anti-CD19 CAR-T cells, the ratio of CD4 + CAR + cells and the S phase of cell cycle. In vivo study NAMALWA xenograft model showed that IL-7-stimulated CAR-T cells possessed stronger tumoricidal efficiency. Further we validated that IL-7 induced CAR-T cells had low expression of CDKN1A and high expression of miRNA-98-5p. Additionally, CDKN1A was associated with miRNA-98-5p. Our results, for the first time, suggested IL-7 could conspicuously enhance the proliferation of CAR-T cells through miRNA-98-5p targeting CDKN1A expression, which should be applied to CAR-T production.

The effect of perioperative mmunonutrition on patients undergoing esophagectomy: a systematic review and updated meta-analysis / Efectos de la inmunonutrición perioperatoria en pacientes sometidos a esofagectomía: revisión sistemática y metaanálisis actualizado

Background: immunonutrition has been introduced and proposed to have positive modulating effects on inflammatory and immune responses in surgical patients. This meta-analysis aimed to assess whether perioperative enteral immunonutrition (EIN) can reduce postoperative complications or reduce inflammatory responses in esophageal cancer (EC) patients undergoing esophagectomy. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of EIN before and/or after surgery in EC patients undergoing esophagectomy were identified. Two investigators independently searched articles, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies. Results: ten RCTs involving 1,052 patients were included in the meta-analysis, including 573 patients in the EIN group and 479 patients in the enteral nutrition (EN) group. Overall, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in the incidence of postoperative pneumonia, surgical site infection, intra-abdominal abscess, septicemia, and urinary tract infection. No significant incidence of postoperative anastomotic leakage, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and in-hospital mortality was found. Conclusions: perioperative enteral immunonutrition did not reduce the incidence of infectious complications and anastomotic leakage in EC patients undergoing esophagectomy, nor did it reduce postoperative CRP and IL-6, but did not increase in-hospital mortality.(AU)

Antecedentes: se ha introducido y propuesto la inmunonutrición para regular activamente la inflamación y la respuesta inmune en pacientesquirúrgicos. El presente metaanálisis fue diseñado para evaluar si la inmunonutrición enteral perioperatoria (EIN, por sus siglas en inglés) puedereducir las complicaciones postoperatorias o la inflamación en pacientes con cáncer de esófago (CE) sometidos a esofagectomía.Métodos: se realizó una búsqueda sistemática en las bases de datos de PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCO y Cochrane Library. Se evaluóel efecto de la EIN preoperatoria y/o postoperatoria en un ensayo aleatorizado controlado (RCT) en pacientes con cáncer de esófago sometidosa esofagectomía. Dos investigadores buscaron independientemente artículos, extrajeron datos y evaluaron la calidad de los artículos incluidos.Resultados: el metanálisis incluyó diez ensayos controlados aleatorios en los que participaron 1.052 pacientes, de los cuales 573 fueronincluidos en el grupo EIN y 479, en el grupo de nutrición enteral (NE). En general, no hubo diferencia significativa en la incidencia de neumoníapostoperatoria, infección del sitio quirúrgico, absceso intraperitoneal, sepsis e infección del tracto urinario entre los dos grupos. No hubo diferenciasignificativa en la incidencia de fístula anastomótica postoperatoria, síndrome de distrés respiratorio agudo (SDRA) y mortalidad hospitalaria.Conclusión: la inmunonutrición enteral perioperatoria no puede reducir la incidencia de complicaciones infecciosas postoperatorias y fístulasanastomóticas, ni la PCR postoperatoria ni la IL-6. Pero no aumentó la mortalidad hospitalaria.(AU)

Cytokine Storm in Acute Viral Respiratory Injury: Role of Qing-Fei-Pai-Du Decoction in Inhibiting the Infiltration of Neutrophils and Macrophages through TAK1/IKK/NF-[Formula: see text]B Pathway.

COVID-19 has posed unprecedented challenges to global public health since its outbreak. The Qing-Fei-Pai-Du decoction (QFPDD), a Chinese herbal formula, is widely used in China to treat COVID-19. It exerts an impressive therapeutic effect by inhibiting the progression from mild to critical disease in the clinic. However, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses elicit similar pathological processes. Their severe manifestations, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiple organ failure (MOF), and viral sepsis, are correlated with the cytokine storm. During flu infection, QFPDD reduced the lung indexes and downregulated the expressions of MCP-1, TNF-[Formula: see text], IL-6, and IL-1[Formula: see text] in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF), lungs, or serum samples. The infiltration of neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes in lungs was decreased dramatically, and lung injury was ameliorated in QFPDD-treated flu mice. In addition, QFPDD also inhibited the polarization of M1 macrophages and downregulated the expressions of IL-6, TNF-[Formula: see text], MIP-2, MCP-1, and IP-10, while also upregulating the IL-10 expression. The phosphorylated TAK1, IKK[Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text], and I[Formula: see text]B[Formula: see text] and the subsequent translocation of phosphorylated p65 into the nuclei were decreased by QFPDD. These findings indicated that QFPDD reduces the intensity of the cytokine storm by inhibiting the NF-[Formula: see text]B signaling pathway during severe viral infections, thereby providing theoretical and experimental support for its clinical application in respiratory viral infections.

Supramolecular assemblies with spatio-temporal sequential drug delivery capability treat spinal cord injury via neuroprotection and immunoregulation.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in irreversible motor and sensory deficits. However, up to data, clinical first-line drugs have ambiguous benefits and debilitating side effects, mainly due to the insufficient accumulation, poor physiological barrier penetration, and lack of spatio-temporal controlled release at lesion tissue. Herein, we proposed a supramolecular assemblies composed of hyperbranched polymer-formed core/shell structure through host-guest interactions. Such HPAA-BM@CD-HPG-C assemblies co-loaded with p38 inhibitor (SB203580) and insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1) are able to achieve time- and space-programmed sequential delivery benefiting from their cascaded responsiveness. The core-shell disassembly of HPAA-BM@CD-HPG-C occurs in acidic micro-environment around lesion, achieving preferentially the burst release of IGF-1 to protect survival neurons. Subsequently, the HPAA-BM cores containing SB203580 are endocytosed by the recruited macrophages and degraded by intracellular GSH, accelerating the release of SB203580 to promote the conversion from M1 to M2 macrophage. Hence, the successive synergy of neuroprotection and immunoregulation effects contribute to subsequent nerve repair and locomotor recovery as demonstrated in vitro and in vivo studies. Thus, our fabrication provides a strategy that multiple drugs co-delivery in a spatio-temporal selective manner adapting to the disease progression through self-cascaded disintegration, are expected to realize multidimensional precise treatment of SCI.

A mixed-ligand Co(II) MOF synthesized from a single organic ligand to capture iodine and methyl iodide vapour.

Mixed-ligand metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are usually synthesized from two or more organic ligands as initial reactants, and MOFs synthesized from one organic ligand precursor through partial in situ reactions remain very limited. Herein, by introducing an imidazole-tetrazole bifunctional ligand, 5-(4-imidazol-1-yl-phenyl)-2H-tetrazole (HIPT), as a single ligand and performing in situ hydrolysis of the tetrazolium group, a mixed-ligand Co(II)-MOF based on HIPT and 4-imidazol-1-yl-benzoic acid (HIBA), [Co2(µ3-O)(IPT)(IBA)]·x solvent (Co-IPT-IBA), was constructed and applied to capture I2 and methyl iodide vapours. Single crystal structural analyses reveal that Co-IPT-IBA exhibits a 3D porous framework with 1D channels based on the relatively few reported ribbon-like rod SBUs. The nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms indicate that the BET surface area of Co-IPT-IBA is 168.5 m2 g-1 and it possesses both micropores and mesopores. Due to its porosity, nitrogen-rich conjugated aromatic rings, and Co(II) ions, Co-IPT-IBA was applied to capture iodine molecules in vapour and exhibited an adsorption capacity of 2.88 g g-1. By combining the IR, Raman, XPS and grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation results, it was deduced that the tetrazole ring, coordination water molecules, and the redox potential of Co3+/Co2+ facilitate iodine capture. The presence of mesopores was also responsible for the high iodine adsorption capacity. In addition, Co-IPT-IBA showed the ability to capture methyl iodide in vapours with a moderate capacity of 625 mg g-1. The transformation of crystalline Co-IPT-IBA to amorphous MOFs may be due to the methylation reaction. This work represents a relatively rare example of methyl iodide adsorption by MOFs.

Human mesenchymal stem cell therapy in severe COVID-19 patients: 2-year follow-up results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Long-term effects of human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatment on COVID-19 patients have not been fully characterized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a MSC treatment administered to severe COVID-19 patients enrolled in our previous randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (NCT04288102). METHODS: A total of 100 patients experiencing severe COVID-19 received either MSC treatment (n = 65, 4 × 107 cells per infusion) or a placebo (n = 35) combined with standard of care on days 0, 3, and 6. Patients were subsequently evaluated 18 and 24 months after treatment to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of the MSC treatment. Outcomes measured included: 6-min walking distance (6-MWD), lung imaging, quality of life according to the Short Form 36 questionnaire (SF-36), COVID-19-related symptoms, titers of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies, tumor markers, and MSC-related adverse events (AEs). FINDINGS: Two years after treatment, a marginally smaller proportion of patients had a 6-MWD below the lower limit of the normal range in the MSC group than in the placebo group (OR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.04-0.80, Fisher's exact test, p = 0.015). At month 18, the general health score from the SF-36 was higher in the MSC group than in the placebo group (50.00 vs. 35.00, 95% CI: 0.00-20.00, Wilcoxon rank sum test, p = 0.018). Total severity score of lung imaging and the titer of neutralizing antibodies were similar between the two groups at months 18 and 24. There was no difference in AEs or tumor markers at the 2-year follow-up between the two groups. INTERPRETATION: Long-term safety was observed for the COVID-19 patients who received MSC treatment. However, efficacy of MSC treatment was not significantly sustained through the end of the 2-year follow-up period. FUNDING: The National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFA1105604, 2020YFC0860900, 2022YFC2304401), the specific research fund of The Innovation Platform for Academicians of Hainan Province (YSPTZX202216) and the Fund of National Clinical Center for Infectious Diseases, PLA General Hospital (NCRC-ID202105,413FZT6).

The effect of perioperative immunonutrition on patients undergoing esophagectomy: a systematic review and updated meta-analysis.

Introduction: Background: immunonutrition has been introduced and proposed to have positive modulating effects on inflammatory and immune responses in surgical patients. This meta-analysis aimed to assess whether perioperative enteral immunonutrition (EIN) can reduce postoperative complications or reduce inflammatory responses in esophageal cancer (EC) patients undergoing esophagectomy. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of EIN before and/or after surgery in EC patients undergoing esophagectomy were identified. Two investigators independently searched articles, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies. Results: ten RCTs involving 1,052 patients were included in the meta-analysis, including 573 patients in the EIN group and 479 patients in the enteral nutrition (EN) group. Overall, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in the incidence of postoperative pneumonia, surgical site infection, intra-abdominal abscess, septicemia, and urinary tract infection. No significant incidence of postoperative anastomotic leakage, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and in-hospital mortality was found. Conclusions: perioperative enteral immunonutrition did not reduce the incidence of infectious complications and anastomotic leakage in EC patients undergoing esophagectomy, nor did it reduce postoperative CRP and IL-6, but did not increase in-hospital mortality.

Introducción: Antecedentes: se ha introducido y propuesto la inmunonutrición para regular activamente la inflamación y la respuesta inmune en pacientes quirúrgicos. El presente metaanálisis fue diseñado para evaluar si la inmunonutrición enteral perioperatoria (EIN, por sus siglas en inglés) puede reducir las complicaciones postoperatorias o la inflamación en pacientes con cáncer de esófago (CE) sometidos a esofagectomía. Métodos: se realizó una búsqueda sistemática en las bases de datos de PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCO y Cochrane Library. Se evaluó el efecto de la EIN preoperatoria y/o postoperatoria en un ensayo aleatorizado controlado (RCT) en pacientes con cáncer de esófago sometidos a esofagectomía. Dos investigadores buscaron independientemente artículos, extrajeron datos y evaluaron la calidad de los artículos incluidos. Resultados: el metanálisis incluyó diez ensayos controlados aleatorios en los que participaron 1.052 pacientes, de los cuales 573 fueron incluidos en el grupo EIN y 479, en el grupo de nutrición enteral (NE). En general, no hubo diferencia significativa en la incidencia de neumonía postoperatoria, infección del sitio quirúrgico, absceso intraperitoneal, sepsis e infección del tracto urinario entre los dos grupos. No hubo diferencia significativa en la incidencia de fístula anastomótica postoperatoria, síndrome de distrés respiratorio agudo (SDRA) y mortalidad hospitalaria. Conclusión: la inmunonutrición enteral perioperatoria no puede reducir la incidencia de complicaciones infecciosas postoperatorias y fístulas anastomóticas, ni la PCR postoperatoria ni la IL-6. Pero no aumentó la mortalidad hospitalaria.

Calcium oscillation on homogeneous and heterogeneous networks of ryanodine receptor.

Calcium oscillation is an important calcium homeostasis, imbalance of which is the key mechanism of initiation and progression of many major diseases. The formation and maintenance of calcium homeostasis are closely related to the spatial distribution of calcium channels on endoplasmic reticulum, whose complex structure was unveiled by recent observations with superresolution imaging techniques. In the current paper, a theoretical framework is established by abstracting the spatial distribution of the calcium channels as a nonlinear biological complex network with calcium channels as nodes and Ca^{2+} as edges. A dynamical model for a ryanodine receptor (RyR) is adopted to investigate the effect of spatial distribution on calcium oscillation. The mean-field model can be well reproduced from the complete graph and dense Erdös-Rényi network. The synchronization of RyRs is found important to generate a global calcium oscillation. Below a critical density of the Erdös-Rényi or BaraBási-Albert network, the amplitude and interspike interval decrease rapidly with the end of disappearance of oscillation due to the desynchronization. The clique graph with a cluster structure cannot produce a global oscillation due to the failure of synchronization between clusters. A more realistic geometric network is constructed in a two-dimensional plane based on the experimental information about the RyR arrangement of clusters and the frequency distribution of cluster sizes. Different from the clique graph, the global oscillation can be generated with reasonable parameters on the geometric network. The simulation also suggests that existence of small clusters and rogue RyRs plays an important role in the maintenance of global calcium oscillation through keeping synchronization between large clusters. Such results support the heterogeneous distribution of RyRs with different-size clusters, which is helpful to understand recent observations with superresolution nanoscale imaging techniques. The current theoretical framework can also be extent to investigate other phenomena in calcium signal transduction.

Comparison of Refractive Prediction Accuracy With Three Optical Devices.

PURPOSE: To investigate refractive prediction accuracy with the OA-2000 (Tomey), Anterion (Heidelberg Engineering), and IOLMaster 500 (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG) in patients with cataract. METHODS: Patients with cataract referred for phacoemulsification were enrolled and scanned with the OA-2000, Anterion, and IOLMaster 500 in random order. The success rate of axial length (AL) measurements per device was calculated and a chi-square test was used to identify the differences in acquisition rate between the three devices. The Bland-Altman method was used to appraise the agreement of biometric parameters between the three devices. Four different formulas (Barrett Universal II [BUII], Haigis, Holladay 1, and SRK/T) were included in the study. The parameters of refractive prediction accuracy comprised predictive error (PE), absolute PE (AE), and percentages of eyes with a PE within ±0.50, ±0.75, and ±1.00 diopters (D). RESULTS: The acquisition rates of AL measurements with the OA-2000 and Anterion were 97.35% and 94.70%, respectively (chi-square = 3.82, P > .05). A significantly lower acquisition rate of 84.82% was obtained with the IOLMaster 500 compared with the other two devices (P < .05). Bland-Altman analysis identified good agreement between the three biometers with narrow 95% limits of agreement for flat and steep keratometry (K1 and K2), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and AL. For PE, only the differences between the Anterion and IOLMaster 500 with the Barrett UII and Haigis formulas were statistically significant (P < .05). The three devices revealed no statistically significant differences in MAE, MedAE, and the proportion of eyes with a PE within ±0.50, ±0.75, and ±1.00 D (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The OA-2000 and Anterion showed a similarly higher acquisition rate of AL measurements than the IOLMaster 500 in patients with cataract. Good agreement for K1, K2, ACD, and AL was found between the three biometers. Regarding refractive prediction accuracy, the Anterion did not significantly outperform both the OA-2000 and IOLMaster 500. [J Refract Surg. 2023;39(1):48-55.].

Integrated physiological, metabolomic, and proteome analysis of Alpinia officinarum Hance essential oil inhibits the growth of Fusarium oxysporum of Panax notoginseng.

Fusarium oxysporum is the main pathogen of Panax notoginseng root rot, and chemical fungicides remain the primary measures to control the disease. Plant essential oil (EO) is a volatile plant secondary metabolic product that does not produce any residue to replace chemical pesticide. To comprehensively understand the antifungal mechanism of Alpinia officinarum Hance EO, the physiological indicators, proteome and metabolome were analyzed using F. oxysporum spores and hyphae treated with different EO concentrations. The cell membrane was damaged after both low and high concentrations of EO treatment, along with leakage of the cell contents. To resist the destruction of membrane structure, fungi can increase the function of steroid biosynthesis and expression of these catalytic enzymes, including squalene monooxygenase (SQLE), sterol 14alpha-demethylase (CYP51, CYP61A), delta14-sterol reductase (TM7SF2, ERG4), methylsterol monooxygenase (MESO1), and sterol 24-C-methyltransferase (SMT1). Furthermore, the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) was influenced by inhibiting the expression of glutamate synthase (GLT1), 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase (ABAT), and succinate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (gabD); increasing malate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA); and decreasing citrate content. The spore germination rate and mycelia growth were decreased because the expression of cohesin complex subunit SA-1/2 (IRR1) and cohesion complex subunit (YCS4, BRN1, YCG1) were inhibited. Particularly, under high EO concentrations, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDC28) and DNA replication licensing factor (MCM) were further inhibited to disrupt the cell cycle and meiosis, thus affecting cell division. The results of this study will enrich the understanding of the antifungal mechanism of EOs and provide an important basis to develop new plant-derived fungicides.

Design and Preparation of NiFe2O4@FeOOH Composite Electrocatalyst for Highly Efficient and Stable Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Rational design and constructing earth-abundant electrocatalysts for efficient electrocatalytic water splitting is a crucial challenge. Herein, we report a simple and efficient one-step electrochemical synthetic route of the NiFe2O4@FeOOH composite electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction. The unique morphology of the NiFe2O4 nanoflowers loaded on FeOOH nanosheets allows more active sites to be exposed and promote charge transfer as well as gas release, and the resulting electrode enables a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at a low overpotential of 255 mV with outstanding stability at a current density of 100 mA cm-2 for 300 h.

Experimental Phaeohyphomycosis of Curvularia lunata.

Originally considered to be a plant pathogen, reports of phaeohyphomycosis due to Curvularia lunata (C. lunata) in animals and humans are increasing. However, studies on the pathogenesis, virulence, and epidemiology of C. lunata have rarely been discussed. In the present study, BALB/c mice were experimentally inoculated with C. lunata suspension by different routes and the course of infection was evaluated. In addition, the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of C. lunata against six commonly used antifungals was evaluated using the microdilution method. Inoculation resulted in skin lesions in animals inoculated intraperitonially and subcutaneously. Infection was confirmed by both mycological and histopathologic examination. C. lunata spores and hyphae were detected in the histopathologic sections stained with hexamine silver staining. In addition, voriconazole (VRC) demonstrated greater activity against C. lunata when compared to the other antifungals, whereas fluconazole (FLC) was the least active antifungal with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) range of 8-16 µg/mL. Further studies are necessary to understand the pathogenicity of C. lunata and uncover the mystery of this fungus.

Strategies for the Construction of Functional Materials Utilizing Presynthesized Metal-Organic Cages (MOCs).

Metal-organic cages (MOCs) that assemble from metal ions or metal clusters and organic ligands have attracted the interest of the scientific community because of their various functional coordination cavities. Unlike metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with infinite frameworks, MOCs have discrete structures, making them soluble and stable in certain solvents and facilitating their application as starting reagents in the further construction of single components or composite materials. In recent years, increasing progress has been made in this field. In this review, we introduce these works from the perspective of design strategies, and focus on how presynthesized MOCs can be used to construct functional materials. Finally, we discuss the challenges and development prospects in this field.

Stem Cell Therapies for Chronic Liver Diseases: Progress and Challenges.

Chronic liver diseases have become a significant health issue worldwide and urgently require the development of novel therapeutic approaches, in addition to liver transplantation. Recent clinical and preclinical studies have shown that cell-based therapeutic strategies may contribute to the improvement of chronic liver diseases and offer new therapeutic options to restore liver function through their roles in tissue impairment and immunomodulation. In this review, we summarize the current progress and analyze the challenges for different types of cell therapies used in the treatment of chronic liver diseases currently explored in clinical trials and preclinical studies in animal models. We also discuss some critical issues regarding the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs, the most extensive cell source of stem cells), including therapeutic dosage, transfusion routine, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of transfused MSCs.