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The expandable graphite (EG) modified TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared by the high shear method using the TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and EG as precursors, in which the amount of EG doped in TiO2 was 10 wt.%. Followed by the impregnation method, adjusting the pH of the solution to 10, and using the electrostatic adsorption to achieve spatial confinement, the Pt elements were mainly distributed on the exposed TiO2, thus generating the Pt/10EG-TiO2-10 catalyst. The best CO oxidation activity with the excellent resistance to H2O and SO2 was obtained over the Pt/10EG-TiO2-10 catalyst: CO conversion after 36 hr of the reaction was ca. 85% under the harsh condition of 10 vol.% H2O and 100 ppm SO2 at a high gaseous hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 400,000 hr-1. Physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by various techniques. The results showed that the electrostatic adsorption, which riveted the Pt elements mainly on the exposed TiO2 of the support surface, reduced the dispersion of Pt NPs on EG and achieved the effective dispersion of Pt NPs, hence significantly improving CO oxidation activity over the Pt/10EG-TiO2-10 catalyst. The 10 wt.% EG doped in TiO2 caused the TiO2 support to form a more hydrophobic surface, which reduced the adsorption of H2O and SO2 on the catalyst, greatly inhibited deposition of the TiOSO4 and formation of the PtSO4 species as well as suppressed the oxidation of SO2, thus resulting in an improvement in the resistance to H2O and SO2 of the Pt/10EG-TiO2-10 catalyst.
Subject(s)
Graphite , Oxidation-Reduction , Platinum , Sulfur Dioxide , Titanium , Titanium/chemistry , Graphite/chemistry , Sulfur Dioxide/chemistry , Platinum/chemistry , Catalysis , Carbon Monoxide/chemistry , Water/chemistry , Air Pollutants/chemistry , Models, ChemicalABSTRACT
Aim: We aimed to establish a sensitive LC-MS/MS method to analyze the pharmacokinetics of Ani HBr tablets and injection. Methods: Around 10 mmNH4Ac containing 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile were used as the mobile phase. Acute lung injury in septic and normal rats, respectively, were administered Ani HBr tablets at doses of 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg and injection at doses of 4, 8 and 16 mg/kg, followed by extraction of the drugs from plasma using ethyl acetate for subsequent analysis. Results & conclusion: The method met the requirements for biological analysis. Ani HBr tablets absorbed slowly in rats with disease, tail vein administration was a more promising approach for treating septic acute lung injury.
[Box: see text].
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DNA methylation plays a crucial role in environmental adaptations. Here, using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, we generated comprehensive genome-wide DNA methylation profiles for the high-altitude Yunnan snub-nosed monkey ( Rhinopithecus bieti) and the closely related golden snub-nosed monkey ( R. roxellana). Our findings indicated a slight increase in overall DNA methylation levels in golden snub-nosed monkeys compared to Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, suggesting a higher prevalence of hypermethylated genomic regions in the former. Comparative genomic methylation analysis demonstrated that genes associated with differentially methylated regions were involved in membrane fusion, vesicular formation and trafficking, hemoglobin function, cell cycle regulation, and neuronal differentiation. These results suggest that the high-altitude-related epigenetic modifications are extensive, involving a complete adaptation process from the inhibition of single Ca 2+ channel proteins to multiple proteins collaboratively enhancing vesicular function or inhibiting cell differentiation and proliferation. Functional assays demonstrated that overexpression or down-regulation of candidate genes, such as SNX10, TIMELESS, and CACYBP, influenced cell viability under stress conditions. Overall, this research suggests that comparing DNA methylation across closely related species can identify novel candidate genomic regions and genes associated with local adaptations, thereby deepening our understanding of the mechanisms underlying environmental adaptations.
Subject(s)
Altitude , DNA Methylation , Epigenesis, Genetic , Animals , Adaptation, Physiological/genetics , Colobinae/genetics , Colobinae/physiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Early identification of risk factors for adverse COVID-19 progression in patients with autoimmune diseases is crucial for patient management, but data on the Chinese population are scarce. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of severe COVID-19 in patients using blood cell ratios, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and other inflammatory markers. METHODS: A retrospective study of 855 patients (746 females; median age 49 years) with autoimmune diseases and concurrent COVID-19 was conducted from December 2022 to February 2023 at the Rheumatology and Immunology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. Disease severity was assessed according to the 8th edition of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China's COVID-19 Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines. The clinical classification criteria group mild and moderate cases as nonsevere cases and severe and critical cases as severe cases. A multivariate logistic regression model was established to evaluate the relationships between COVID-19 severity and demographic characteristics, comorbidities, medication use, and laboratory findings. RESULTS: The PLR, NLR, and SII were significantly greater in the severe COVID-19 group than in the nonsevere group (all P < 0.05). In addition to classical independent clinical risk factors, increases in the PLR (OR: 1.004, 95 % CI: 1.001â¼1.007, p = 0.001), NLR (OR: 1.180, 95 % CI: 1.041â¼1.337, p = 0.010), and SII (OR: 0.999, 95 % CI: 0.998â¼1.000, p = 0.005) were identified as risk factors for severe COVID-19 in patients with autoimmune diseases. After adjusting for clinical risk factors, the PLR (AUC: 0.592 vs. 0.865; P < 0.05), NLR (AUC: 0.670 vs. 0.866; P < 0.05), and SII (AUC: 0.616 vs. 0.864; P < 0.05) demonstrated higher predictive values. CONCLUSION: Early prediction of severe COVID-19 in patients with autoimmune diseases can be achieved using the NLR, PLR, and SII.
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease with an unclear cause characterized by secondary osteophytes and degenerative changes in the articular cartilage. More than 250 million people are expected to be affected by it by 2050, putting a tremendous socioeconomic strain on the entire world. OA cannot currently be treated with any effective medications that change the illness. Over time, chondrocytes undergo gradual metabolic, structural, and functional changes as a result of aging or abuse. The degenerative progression of osteoarthritis is significantly influenced by the imbalance of chondrocyte homeostasis. By continuously recycling and rebuilding macromolecules or organelles, autophagy functions as a crucial regulatory system to maintain homeostasis during an individual's growth and development. This review uses chondrocytes as its starting point and establishes a strong connection between autophagy and osteoarthritis in order to thoroughly examine the mechanisms behind chondrocyte autophagy in osteoarthritis. Biomarkers of chondrocyte autophagy will be identified, and prospective targeted medications and novel treatment approaches for slowing or preventing the course of OA will be developed based on chondrocyte senescence, autophagy, and apoptosis in OA. KEY MESSAGES: Currently, OA has not been treated with any drugs that can effectively cure it. We hope that by exploring specific targets in the course of osteoarthritis, we can promote the progress of treatment strategies. The degenerative progression of osteoarthritis is significantly influenced by the imbalance of chondrocyte balance. Through the continuous recovery and reconstruction of macromolecules or organelles, autophagy is an important regulatory system for maintaining homeostasis during individual growth and development. In this paper, the close relationship between autophagy and osteoarthritis was established with chondrocytes as the starting point, in order to further explore the mechanism of chondrocyte autophagy in osteoarthritis. The development process of osteoarthritis was studied from the perspective of chondrocytes, and the change of autophagy level had a significant impact on osteoarthritis. Chondrocyte autophagy is mainly determined by intracellular mitochondrial autophagy, so we are committed to finding relevant molecules. Through PI3K/AKT- and MAPK-related pathways, the biomarkers of chondrocyte autophagy were identified, and chondrocyte senescence, autophagy, and apoptosis based on osteoarthritis provided a constructive idea for the development of prospective targeted drugs and new therapies to slow down or prevent the progression of osteoarthritis.
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Lead is a common environmental pollutant which can accumulate in the kidney and cause renal injury. However, regulatory effects and mechanisms of Sparassis latifolia polysaccharide (SLP) on lipid metabolism abnormality in kidney exposed to lead are not clarified. In this study, mice were used to construct an animal model to observe the histopathological changes in kidney, measure lead content, damage indicators, differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) and genes (DEGs) in key signaling pathways that cause lipid metabolism abnormalities based on lipidomics and transcriptomics, which were later validated using qPCR and western blotting. Co-treatment of Pb and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) were used to verify the link between SLP and oxidative stress. Our results indicated that treatment with SLP identified 276 DEMs (including metabolism of glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid, glycerolipid and fatty acid) and 177 DEGs (including genes related to oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy and lipid metabolism). Notably, regulatory effects of SLP on abnormal lipid metabolism in kidney were mainly associated with oxidative stress, inflammation and autophagy; SLP could regulate abnormal lipid metabolism in kidney by reducing oxidative stress and affecting its downstream-regulated autophagy and inflammatory to alleviate renal injury caused by lead exposure. This study provides a theoretical basis for SLP intervention in lead injury.
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BACKGROUND: Zinc finger C3H1-type containing (ZFC3H1) might regulate RNA processes. However, research lacks the prognostic value of ZFC3H1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: The study analyzed ZFC3H1 expression in HCC cells and its correlation with patient prognosis using transcriptomics, immunohistochemistry, and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR, as well as single-cell RNA expression data. Additionally, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were used to investigate the potential ZFC3H1-related cellular functions and signaling pathways. The impact of ZFC3H1 expression on the tumor microenvironment and tumor mutational burden (TMB) was assessed using the ESTIMATE algorithm. Cell-based assays, including cell counting kit 8, proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle, wound healing, and Transwell assays, were conducted to evaluate the influence of ZFC3H1 on hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation and migration. RESULTS: ZFC3H1 is upregulated in HCC and linked to tumor progression. High ZFC3H1 expression is a prognostic risk factor for HCC, according to Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. ESTIMATE analysis suggested that ZFC3H1 reduces immune cell infiltration and increases the TMB. Patients with low ZFC3H1 expression might respond better to immunotherapy. High ZFC3H1 expression is associated with increased half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of sorafenib. Functional experiments demonstrated that reducing ZFC3H1 expression inhibited HCC cell proliferation and migration. CONCLUSION: ZFC3H1 is upregulated in HCC, promoting the proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells, impacting the prognosis of HCC patients and the effectiveness of immunotherapy. ZFC3H1 might serve as a therapeutic target and biomarker for HCC.
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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly lethal malignancy, and its clinical management encounters severe challenges due to its high metastatic propensity and the absence of effective therapeutic targets. To improve druggability of aurovertin B (AVB), a natural polyketide with a significant antiproliferative effect on TNBC, a series of NO donor/AVB hybrids were synthesized and tested for bioactivities. Among them, compound 4d significantly inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of TNBC in vitro and in vivo with better safety than that of AVB. The structure-activity relationship analysis suggested that the types of NO donor and the linkers had considerable effects on the activities. Mechanistic investigations unveiled that 4d induced apoptosis and ferroptosis by the reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential and the down-regulation of GPX4, respectively. The antimetastatic effect of 4d was associated with the upregulation of DUSP1. Overall, these compelling results underscore the tremendous potential of 4d for treating TNBC.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents , Apoptosis , Ferroptosis , Nitric Oxide Donors , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms , Animals , Female , Humans , Mice , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry , Antineoplastic Agents/chemical synthesis , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Apoptosis/drug effects , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Drug Discovery , Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor , Ferroptosis/drug effects , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Mice, Nude , Molecular Structure , Nitric Oxide Donors/pharmacology , Nitric Oxide Donors/chemistry , Nitric Oxide Donors/therapeutic use , Nitric Oxide Donors/chemical synthesis , Structure-Activity Relationship , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Oxadiazoles/chemistry , Oxadiazoles/pharmacology , Pyrans/chemistry , Pyrans/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Ectomycorrhizal fungi have huge potential value, both nutritionally and economically, but most of them cannot be cultivated artificially. To better understand the influence of abiotic and biotic factors upon the growth of ectomycorrhizal fungi, mycosphere soil and bulk soil of five ectomycorrhizal fungi (Calvatia candida, Russula brevipes, Leucopaxillus laterarius, Leucopaxillus giganteus, and Lepista panaeola) were used as research objects for this study. Illumina MiSeq sequencing technology was used to analyze the community structure of the mycosphere and bulk soil bacteria of the five ectomycorrhizal fungi, and a comprehensive analysis was conducted based on soil physicochemical properties. Our results show that the mycosphere soil bacteria of the five ectomycorrhizal fungi are slightly different. Escherichia, Usitatibacter, and Bradyrhizobium are potential mycorrhizal-helper bacteria of distinct ectomycorrhizal fungi. Soil water content, soil pH, and available potassium are the main factors shaping the soil bacterial community of the studied ectomycorrhizal fungi. Moreover, from the KEGG functional prediction and LEfSe analysis, there are significant functional differences not only between the mycosphere soil and bulk soil. 'Biosynthesis of terpenoidsand steroids', 'alpha-Linolenic acid metabolism', 'Longevity regulating pathway-multiple species', 'D-Arginine and D-ornithine metabolism', 'Nitrotoluene degradation' and other functions were significantly different in mycosphere soil. These findings have pivotal implications for the sustainable utilization of ectomycorrhizal fungi, the expansion of edible fungus cultivation in forest environments, and the enhancement of derived economic benefits.
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RATIONALE: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) involves autoimmune and inflammatory responses in the central nervous system, primarily affecting the optic nerves and spinal cord. Atypical presentations such as ataxia and syncope complicate the diagnosis, and lesions in the medulla are easily mistaken for cerebral infarction. This case report emphasizes the need to recognize such manifestations to avoid misdiagnosis and ensure timely treatment. PATIENT CONCERNS: This case report presents an NMOSD female patient who experienced ataxia, syncope, and neuropathic pain during her illness. DIAGNOSIS: NMOSD. INTERVENTIONS: The patient managed her blood sugar with insulin, controlled neuropathic pain with pregabalin, and underwent 5 plasma exchanges. OUTCOMES: Significant improvement was noted 1 week post-plasma exchange, with complete resolution of neuropathic pain and no symptom recurrence reported at 6-month follow-up. LESSONS: Atypical manifestations of NMOSD, such as ataxia, syncope, and trigeminal neuralgia, increase diagnostic difficulty. Recognizing these symptoms is crucial to avoid misdiagnosis and ensure timely and appropriate treatment for patients.
Subject(s)
Ataxia , Neuralgia , Neuromyelitis Optica , Syncope , Humans , Female , Neuromyelitis Optica/complications , Neuromyelitis Optica/diagnosis , Ataxia/diagnosis , Ataxia/etiology , Syncope/etiology , Syncope/diagnosis , Neuralgia/etiology , Neuralgia/diagnosis , Disease Progression , Adult , Middle Aged , Plasma Exchange/methodsABSTRACT
Background: As an autoimmune disease, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) often affects multiple organs, including the ocular system. This study aims to investigate differences in retinal thickness (RT) and retinal superficial vascular density (SVD) between patients with AAV and healthy controls (HCs) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Currently, these differences are not clear. Methods: A total of 16 AAV individuals (32 eyes) and 16 HCs (32 eyes) were recruited to this cross-sectional study conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from June 2023 to September 2023. The study protocol conformed with the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2013). Each image observed by OCTA was divided into 9 regions using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) subzones as a guide. Results: In the full layer, the RT of AAV patients was found to be significantly reduced in the inner superior (IS, P<0.001), outer superior (OS, P=0.003), inner temporal (IT, P=0.003), and outer temporal (OT, P<0.001) regions; inner RT was significantly lower in the IS (P=0.006), OS (P<0.001), inner nasal (IN, P=0.005), outer nasal (ON, P<0.001), and center (C, P=0.01) regions than that in HCs. Outer RT of AAV patients showed a reduction in the IS (P<0.001), as well as IT (P=0.008), and OT (P<0.001) regions. No statistically significant differences were seen in the different subregions in other different layers (P>0.05). Only the inner inferior (II) and outer inferior (OI) regions of SVD in AAV patients did not differ significantly from controls. All other regions showed a reduction in SVD. The details are as follows: IS (P<0.001), OS (P<0.001), IT (P=0.005), OT (P<0.001), IN (P<0.001), ON (P<0.001), and C (P=0.003). According to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the full IS region [area under the curve (AUC): 0.8892, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.8041-0.9742, P<0.001] had the highest diagnostic value for AAV-induced reduction in RT. The IS (AUC: 0.9121, 95% CI: 0.8322-0.9920, P<0.001) region was also the most sensitive to changes in SVD of AAV individuals. In addition, we found that SVD in the IN region (r=-0.4224, 95% CI: -0.6779 to -0.0757, P=0.02) as well as mean visual acuity (r=-0.3922, 95% CI: -0.6579 to -0.0397, P=0.03) of AAV patients were negatively correlated with disease duration. However, we did not find an association between SVD and RT in this study. Conclusions: The findings from OCTA indicated a reduction in RT and SVD among patients with AAV. OCTA allows for the evaluation of AAV-related ocular lesions and holds promise for monitoring of disease progression through regular evaluations.
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Transformers have achieved remarkable performance in multivariate time series(MTS) forecasting due to their capability to capture long-term dependencies. However, the canonical attention mechanism has two key limitations: (1) its quadratic time complexity limits the sequence length, and (2) it generates future values from the entire historical sequence. To address this, we propose a Dozer Attention mechanism consisting of three sparse components: (1) Local, each query exclusively attends to keys within a localized window of neighboring time steps. (2) Stride, enables each query to attend to keys at predefined intervals. (3) Vary, allows queries to selectively attend to keys from a subset of the historical sequence. Notably, the size of this subset dynamically expands as forecasting horizons extend. Those three components are designed to capture essential attributes of MTS data, including locality, seasonality, and global temporal dependencies. Additionally, we present the Dozerformer Framework, incorporating the Dozer Attention mechanism for the MTS forecasting task. We evaluated the proposed Dozerformer framework with recent state-of-the-art methods on nine benchmark datasets and confirmed its superior performance. The experimental results indicate that excluding a subset of historical time steps from the time series forecasting process does not compromise accuracy while significantly improving efficiency. Code is available at https://github.com/GRYGY1215/Dozerformer.
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Glaesserella parasuis is usually a benign swine commensal in the upper respiratory tract, but virulent strains can cause systemic infection characterized by pneumonia, meningitis, and fibrinous polyserositis. The intensive pulmonary inflammatory response following G. parasuis infection is the main cause of lung injury and death in pigs. Vaccination has failed to control the disease due to the lack of extended cross-protection. Accumulating evidence indicates that the heme-binding protein A (HbpA) is a potential virulence determinant and a promising antigen candidate for the development of a broader range of vaccines. However, it is not yet known whether HbpA contributes to G. parasuis virulence or has any potential immune protective effects against G. parasuis. Here, we show that HbpA can induce the transcription and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1) in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAM, 3D4/31). The HbpA protein is recognized by Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 on 3D4/21 macrophages, resulting in the activation of MAP kinase and NF-κB signalling cascades and the transcription and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. HbpA contributes to virulence and bacterial pulmonary colonization in C57BL/6 mice and plays a role in adhesion to host cells and evasion of the bactericidal effect of pulmonary macrophages. In addition, mice immunized with HbpA were partially protected against challenge by G. parasuis SC1401. The results suggest that HbpA plays an important role in the pathogenesis of disease caused by G. parasuis and lay a foundation for the development of a subunit or chimeric anti-G. parasuis vaccine.
Subject(s)
Haemophilus Infections , Haemophilus parasuis , NF-kappa B , Signal Transduction , Swine Diseases , Animals , Mice , Haemophilus parasuis/immunology , Haemophilus Infections/veterinary , Haemophilus Infections/prevention & control , Haemophilus Infections/immunology , Haemophilus Infections/microbiology , NF-kappa B/metabolism , Swine Diseases/prevention & control , Swine Diseases/microbiology , Swine Diseases/immunology , Swine , Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Pasteurellaceae/immunology , Inflammation/prevention & control , Inflammation/veterinary , FemaleABSTRACT
Objective: To examine the clinical features and synovial pathologies in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients across varying titers of circulating anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA). Methodology: We devised a negative pressure suction and rebound synovial biopsy tool to enhance the yield of synovial biopsies, noted for its ease and safety of use. This research involved a retrospective examination of 60 active RA patients who underwent synovial biopsies with this tool from June to November 2013 at our institution. A range of disease activity markers were collected, including DAS28-CRP, ESR, CRP, count of swollen and tender joints, VAS pain scale, and so forth. Synovial tissue underwent HE staining and immunohistochemistry, including synovitis grading (GSS) and counting of B cells (CD20), T cells (CD3), macrophages (CD68), and plasma cells (CD138). Participants: were categorized into three groups as per ACPA titers: ACPA-negative (0-5U/mL), low-titer (5-20U/mL), and high-titer (above 20U/mL). The study compared the clinical features and synovial pathologies across these groups. Results: Of the 60 RA patients, they were segregated into three groups based on ACPA titers: 20 in ACPA-negative, 9 in the low-titer group, and 31 in the high-titer group. No significant differences were observed in GSS scores, synovial cell proliferation and loss, matrix activation, inflammatory infiltration, and neovascularization among these groups (P > 0.05). The high-titer ACPA group demonstrated significantly increased counts of CD3+ T cells, CD20+ B cells, and CD68+ macrophages in synovial tissues compared to the ACPA-negative and low-titer groups (p < 0.05), along with a higher incidence of ectopic lymphoid neogenesis (p < 0.05). Ordinal logistic regression revealed that rheumatoid factor (RF), and counts of synovial T cells, B cells, macrophages, and ectopic lymphoid neogenesis correlated with ACPA titers (P < 0.05), particularly lymphoid neogenesis (OR = 3.63, P = 0.023). Conclusion: RA patients with high-titer ACPA demonstrate elevated levels of inflammatory cell infiltration in synovial tissues, with ectopic lymphoid neogenesis showing a strong correlation with high ACPA positivity.
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Designing high-performance binder-free electrochemical electrodes is crucially important toward supercapacitors. In this paper, a Zn/N-doped porous carbon film coating on flexible carbon nanotubes (ZIF-8@CT-800) derived from the epitaxial Zn-MOF film growth on cotton textile was successfully fabricated via a combination of the liquid-phase epitaxial (LPE) method and calcination treatments. The ZIF-8@CT-800 serves directly as a self-supported electrode for supercapacitors and exhibits a high areal capacitance of 930 mF·cm-2 at a current density of 1 mA·cm-2 and a good recyclability of 86% after 2000 cycles. The excellent supercapacitor property is ascribed to the unique structural design of ZIF-8@CT-800, which provides appropriate channels for enhanced electronic and ionic transport as well as increased surface area for accessing more electrolyte ions. This work will provide significant guidance for designing MOF-derived porous carbon to construct flexible binder-free electrode materials with high electrochemical performance.
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Lithium-selenium (Li-Se) batteries are considered promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries due to their higher volumetric capacity and energy density. However, they still face limitations in efficiently utilizing the active selenium. Here, we develop surface-functionalized mesoporous hollow carbon nanospheres as the selenium host. By using KOH activation, the surface of the carbon nanospheres is functionalized with hydroxyl groups, which greatly improve the utilization of selenium and facilitate the conversion of lithium selenides, leading to much higher capacities compared to ZnCl2 activation and untreated carbon nanospheres. Theory and experimental evidence suggest that surface hydroxyl groups can enhance the reduction conversion of polyselenides to selenides and facilitate the oxidation reaction of selenides to elemental selenium. In-situ and ex-situ characterization techniques provided additional confirmation of the hydroxyl groups electrochemical durability in catalyzing selenium conversion. The meticulously engineered Se cathode demonstrates a high specific capacity of 594 mA h g-1 at 0.5C, excellent rate capability of 464 mA h g-1 at 2C, and a stable cycling performance of 500 cycles at 2C with a capacity retention of 84.8 %, corresponding to an ultra-low-capacity decay rate of 0.0144 % per cycle, surpassing many reported lithium-selenium battery technologies.
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Oxaliplatin and capecitabine are instrumental in the adjunctive and palliative systemic management of colorectal cancer. The concurrent administration of these chemotherapeutic agents often results in adverse effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, leukopenia, and hand-foot syndrome. However, reports of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) caused by oxaliplatin and capecitabine are scarce. In this case study, we report a rare occurrence of lower-extremity DVT triggered by synergistic oxaliplatin and capecitabine chemotherapy in a patient diagnosed with malignant colon cancer. During the initial cycle of chemotherapy, the patient demonstrated DVT within the intermuscular veins of the right calf and abnormalities in markers of coagulation function. Enlargement of the intermuscular venous thrombosis and an increase in coagulation markers were observed subsequent to the second chemotherapy cycle. From our experience of this case, we suggest that DVT is induced by oxaliplatin and capecitabine warrants vigilant attention. Risk assessment for DVT prior to chemotherapy, coupled with early detection and intervention, is crucial for DVT prevention. Furthermore, enhancing the awareness of health care professionals and patients about the potential of chemotherapy-induced DVT is of paramount importance. Consequently, this case carries significant clinical implications.
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Sport visual ability plays an important role in the performance of elite athletes in competition. However, its relationship with boxers' performance has not been fully understood. This study investigated the relationship between sports visual abilities and in-competition punching performance in 26 highly trained male amateur boxers. Ten visual abilities of the boxers were tested using the Senaptec Sensory Station (Senaptec, Beaverton, OR, United States), including Visual Clarity (VC), Contrast Sensitivity (CS), Depth Perception (DP), Near Far Quickness (NFQ), Target Capture (TC), Perception Span (PS), Multiple Object Tracking (MOT), Eye-Hand Coordination (EHC), Go/No Go (GNG), and Reaction Time (RT). Performance analyses were conducted on national boxing championships conducted by the boxers to analyze their punching accuracy. Correlation and regression analyses showed that punch performance %Hit was very strong correlated with DP, EHC, GNG, and RT, and showed a strong correlation with VC, CS, and PS. %Hit was moderate correlated with MOT, while there was no correlation with NFQ and TC. In addition, RT, EHC, and DP are important visual ability variables for boxers. The results of this study indicate that there is an overall relationship between sports visual ability and boxing performance, but there is also a specific relationship between variables in visual ability and boxing performance, especially faster reaction times, better processing of visual information, and decision-making abilities, and the ability to accurately recognize the distance and position of an opponent and their punches are essential for enhancing boxing performance. Further studies are needed to investigate the relationship between sport visual ability and more comprehensive performance in boxers, and the possibility of enhancing performance through specific visual training.
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BACKGROUND: Portal vein injury is an uncommon complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), for which stent malpositioning in the portal vein is very rare and can lead to fatal events. We report a case of biliary stent migration to the portal vein and a novel method for its safe removal under the guidance of portal angiography. Moreover, we reviewed the literature and summarized reports on the identification and management of this condition. CASE SUMMARY: A 59-year-old woman with pancreatic cancer presented with abdominal pain and a high fever 20 days after the placement of two plastic biliary stents under the guidance of ERCP. Blood cultures and laboratory tests revealed sepsis, which was treated with antibiotics. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan revealed that one of the biliary stents in the main portal vein was malpositioned. To safely remove the stent, portal angiography was performed to visualize the portal vein and to allow the management of any bleeding. The two stents were removed without obvious bleeding, and an uncovered self-expanding metal stent was placed in the common bile duct for drainage. The patient had an uneventful 6-month follow-up period, except for self-resolving portal vein thrombosis. CONCLUSION: The combination of endoscopic and angiographic techniques allowed uneventful management of stent malposition in the portal vein.
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BACKGROUND: Serologically active clinically quiescent (SACQ) is a state within systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) characterized by elevated serologic markers without clinical activity. The heterogeneity in SACQ patients poses challenges in disease management. This multicenter prospective study aimed to identify distinct SACQ subgroups and assess their utility in predicting organ damage. METHODS: SACQ was defined as a sustained period of at least 6 months with persistent serologic activity, marked by positive anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibodies and/or hypocomplementemia, and without clinical activity. Cluster analysis was employed, utilizing 16 independent components to delineate phenotypes. FINDINGS: Among the 4,107 patients with SLE, 990 (24.1%) achieved SACQ within 2.0 ± 2.3 years on average. Over a total follow-up of 7,105.1 patient years, 340 (34.3%) experienced flares, and 134 (13.5%) developed organ damage. Three distinct SACQ subgroups were identified. Cluster 1 (n = 219, 22.1%) consisted predominantly of elderly males with a history of major organ involvement at SLE diagnosis, showing the highest risk of severe flares (16.4%) and organ damage (27.9%). Cluster 2 (n = 279, 28.2%) was characterized by milder disease and a lower risk of damage accrual (5.7%). Notably, 86 patients (30.8%) in cluster 2 successfully discontinued low-dose glucocorticoids, with 49 of them doing so without experiencing flares. Cluster 3 (n = 492, 49.7%) featured the highest proportion of lupus nephritis and a moderate risk of organ damage (11.8%), with male patients showing significantly higher risk of damage (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.51, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.82-11.79). CONCLUSION: This study identified three distinct SACQ clusters, each with specific prognostic implications. This classification could enhance personalized management for SACQ patients. FUNDING: This work was funded by the National Key R&D Program (2021YFC2501300), the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (Z201100005520023), the CAMS Innovation Fund (2021-I2M-1-005), and National High-Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding (2022-PUMCH-D-009).