Novel targets and their functions in the prognosis of uterine corpus endometrial cancer patients.

Aberrant mRNA expression is implicated in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) oncogenesis and progression. However, effective prognostic biomarkers for UCEC remain limited. We aimed to construct a reliable multi-gene risk model using gene expression profiles. Utilizing TCGA data (543 UCEC samples, 35 controls), we identified 1517 differentially acting genes. Weighted gene co-expression complex analysis (WGCCA), hub gene screening, and risk regression analysis (RRA) were employed to determine prognosis-related genes and construct the risk model. Nomograms visualized risk scores and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves assessed model performance. Seven novel prognosis-related hub genes (ANGPT1, ASB2, GAL, GDF7, ONECUT2, SV2B, TRPC6) were identified. The model's concordance index (C index) by multivariate Cox regression analysis was 0.79. ROC curves yielded AUCs of 0.811 (3-year) and 0.79 (5-year), demonstrating the model's efficacy in predicting UCEC survival. Our study proposes a promising seven-biomarker risk model for predicting UCEC prognosis, offering potential clinical utility.

Liangxue-Qushi-Zhiyang Decoction Ameliorates DNCB-Induced Atopic Dermatitis in Mice through the MAPK Signaling Pathway Based on Network Pharmacology.

The traditional prescription of Liangxue-Qushi-Zhiyang decoction (LQZ) has been demonstrated to be efficacious in treating atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory skin disorder marked by intense itching, redness, rashes, and skin thickening. Nevertheless, there has been an inadequate systematic exploration of the potential targets, biological processes, and pathways for AD treatment through LQZ. The study objective was to evaluate the efficacy and possible mechanism of LQZ in AD mice. In our study, we identified the primary compounds of LQZ, analyzed hub targets, and constructed a network. Subsequently, the predicted mechanisms of LQZ in AD were experimentally studied and validated in vivo, as determined by network pharmacological analysis. A total of 80 serum components of LQZ were identified through ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS), among which 49 compounds were absorbed into the bloodstream. Our results indicated that LQZ targets six putative key factors in the MAPK signaling pathway, which play essential roles in AD, namely, EGFR, p-MAPK1/3, p-MAPK14, IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α. We observed spleen coefficient, dermatitis scores, and ear thickness were all downregulated in 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced mice after LQZ treatment. Histological analysis of the dorsal and ear skin further revealed that LQZ significantly decreased skin inflammation, epidermal thickness, and mast cell numbers compared to the DNCB group. Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of LQZ in reducing epidermal and dermal damage in a mouse model of AD. Furthermore, our findings suggest that downregulating the MAPK signaling pathway could be a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AD.

Ca-Mg modified attapulgite for phosphate removal and its potential as phosphate-based fertilizer.

The urgent concerns of controlling water body eutrophication and the alleviating phosphorus shortage have led to an urgent need for action. The removal of phosphate from polluted waters and its reuse are essential for the prevention of eutrophication and for the sustainable utilization of phosphate resources. In this study, modified attapulgite with different Ca:Mg molar ratios was synthesized to facilitate the recovery of phosphate, with subsequent use of soil fertilizer. Ca-Mg modified attapulgite with the optimal ratio (ACM-5:3) exhibited an exceptional adsorption quality, achieving a maximum adsorption capacity of 63.2 mg/g. The pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir model could well describe the adsorption kinetics and isotherms, respectively. The adsorption mechanism analyses suggested that the interaction between ACM-5:3 and phosphate depended mainly on ion exchange and electrostatic attraction. Moreover, phosphate-laden-ACM-5:3 demonstrated a significant potential as a phosphorus-releasing fertilizer. It could promote corn growth by ensuring a continuous supply of phosphorus and minimizing phosphorus runoff losses. The above results suggested that ACM-5:3 was a potential adsorbent for efficient phosphate removal and recovery.

Hole-Injection-Barrier Effect on the Degradation of Blue Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

Inefficient hole injection presents a major challenge in achieving stable and commercially viable solution-processed blue electroluminescent devices. Here, we conduct an in-depth study on quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) to understand how the energy levels of common electrodes and hole-transporting layers (HTL) affect device degradation. Our experimental findings reveal a design rule that may seem nonintuitive: combining an electrode and HTL with matched energy levels is most effective in preventing voltage rise and irreversible luminance decay, even though it causes a significant energy offset between the HTL and emissive quantum dots. Using an iterative electrostatic model, we discover that the positive outcomes, including a T95 lifetime of 109 h (luminance = 1000 nits, CIE-y = 0.087), are due to the enhanced p-type doping in the HTL rather than the assumed reduction in barrier heights. Furthermore, our modified hole injection dynamics theory, which considers distributed density-of-states, shows that the increased HTL/quantum-dot energy offset is not a primary concern because the effective barrier height is significantly lower than conventionally assumed. Following this design rule, we expect device stability to be enhanced considerably.

Synergy of Front-Surface Energy-Level Gradient and Lattice Anchoring Effect for Enhancing Perovskite Solar Cell Performance.

A front surface gradient of the absorber valence band can effectively reduce the open-circuit voltage (VOC ) loss of perovskite solar cells by suppressing the minority carrier concentration near the front surface. However, the existing method is limited to the one-step fabrication process, resulting in underachieved photon harvesting and power conversion efficiency (PCE). To solve the problem, ZnCd-based alloy quantum dots (QDs) are utilized to create a valence-band-maximum gradient at the front surface of a two-step processed FAPbI3 absorber. This design significantly enhances VOC without requiring surface passivation. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that reducing the QD-perovskite lattice mismatch while maintaining QD's energy levels mitigates nonradiative recombination without compromising the front surface gradient effect. As a result, normal-structured perovskite solar cells achieve a VOC equivalent to 93% of the Schockley-Queisser limit and a PCE of 24.37%.

Blue light-emitting diodes based on colloidal quantum dots with reduced surface-bulk coupling.

To industrialize printed full-color displays based on quantum-dot light-emitting diodes, one must explore the degradation mechanism and improve the operational stability of blue electroluminescence. Here, we report that although state-of-the-art blue quantum dots, with monotonically-graded core/shell/shell structures, feature near-unity photoluminescence quantum efficiency and efficient charge injection, the significant surface-bulk coupling at the quantum-dot level, revealed by the abnormal dipolar excited state, magnifies the impact of surface localized charges and limits operational lifetimes. Inspired by this, we propose blue quantum dots with a large core and an intermediate shell featuring nonmonotonically-graded energy levels. This strategy significantly reduces surface-bulk coupling and tunes emission wavelength without compromising charge injection. Using these quantum dots, we fabricate bottom-emitting devices with emission colors varying from near-Rec.2020-standard blue to sky blue. At an initial luminance of 1000 cd m-2, these devices exhibit T95 operational lifetimes ranging from 75 to 227 h, significantly surpassing the existing records.

Effects of Digital Transformation on Environmental Governance of Mining Enterprises: Evidence from China.

Digitization offers fresh impetus to the transformation and upgrading of mining enterprises, while on the other hand, the rapid development and broad application of digital technologies make the environmental governance of mining enterprises the most important themes of theoretical research and practical exploration. In this paper, A-share companies listed between 2007 and 2020 are taken as samples to study the influence of digital transformation on the environmental governance of mining enterprises, and its relative acting paths. Our main research methods are multiple linear regression analysis, the panel fixed-effect model and the intermediary effect model. The results show that digital transformation significantly improves the environmental governance of mining enterprises, which is still tenable even after going through a series of endogeneity and robustness tests. It is found via the path test that, by strengthening the supervision of the media, the digital transformation performed in mining enterprises helps improve their environmental governance level, but the comparability of the accounting data shows no significant mediation effect between digital transformation and environmental governance. The heterogeneity test found that the promotion of digital transformation in environmental governance was significant only in non-state-owned enterprises, large-scale enterprises, and mature-growth enterprises. The findings enrich studies on the economic consequences and the environmental governance influences brought by mining enterprise's transformation based on advanced technologies. This provides an important reference and is of great heuristic significance in promoting digital transformation and strengthening the environmental governance of mining enterprises.

Effects of General Anesthesia on Changes of Serum Hepatitis B Virus-DNA Levels in Infected Patients Underwent Non-Hepatobiliary Minimally Invasive Surgery: A Pilot Observational Study.

Objective: To investigate the effects of different general anesthesia methods on the changes of serum hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid (HBV-DNA) levels in the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patients. Methods: This pilot prospective observational study was carried out from March 2021 to January 2022. Forty patients infected by HBV, who underwent non-hepatobiliary minimally invasive surgery, were allocated into an intravenous anesthesia group maintained with propofol (Group P, n = 20) and an inhalation anesthesia group maintained with sevoflurane (Group S, n = 20) by a random envelope method. Patient's blood was drawn before operation (Tbaseline), at 24 hours (Tpost 24hrs) and 48 hours (Tpost 48hrs) after operation to detect the serum HBV-DNA levels and analyze the subset levels of T, B lymphocytes and NK cells (TBNK) in two groups. The serum HBV-DNA level was used as the major outcome, and it was analyzed by repeated-measures analysis of variance after natural logarithm transformation. Results: In Group P and Group S, compared with the baseline, the serum HBV-DNA levels decreased significantly at Tpost 24hrs and Tpost 48hrs, P<0.05. The total ratio of CD4+T cells and the ratio of CD4+T to CD8+T cells (CD4+/CD8+) were lower at Tpost 24hrs, P<0.05, and the total ratio of B cells was significantly increased at Tpost 24hrs, P<0.05. Compared with the values at Tpost 24hrs, the total ratio of CD4+ T cells, CD4+/CD8+ T cells, and the total ratio of B cells were significantly increased at Tpost 48hrs in both groups, P<0.05. However, there were no statistical differences between Group P and Group S. Conclusion: The levels of serum HBV-DNA decreased within 48 hours after general anesthesia. There were no significant differences between the effects of intravenous and inhalation anesthesia on the serum HBV-DNA levels. Trial Registration: This study has been prospectively registered in the Clinical Trials Registry (NCT02038088, 1/28/2015).

Highly Stable SnO2-Based Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes with the Conventional Device Structure.

ZnO-based electron-transporting layers (ETLs) have been universally used in quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) for high performance. The active surface chemistry of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), however, leads to QLEDs with positive aging and unacceptably poor shelf stability. SnO2 is a promising candidate for ETLs with less reactivity, but NP agglomeration in nonionic solvents makes the conventional device structure abandoned, resulting in QLEDs with extremely low operational lifetimes. The large barrier for electron injection also limits the electroluminescence efficiency. Here, we report one solution to all the above-mentioned problems. Owing to the strong HO-SnO2 coordination and the steric effect provided by the hydrocarbon groups, tetramethylammonium hydroxide can stabilize SnO2 NPs in alcohol, while its intrinsic dipole induces a favorable electronic-level shift for charge injection. The SnO2-based devices, with the conventional structure, exhibit not only the most efficient electroluminescence among ZnO-free QLEDs but also an operational lifetime (T95) over 3200 h at 1000 cd m-2, which is comparable with that of state-of-the-art ZnO-based devices. More importantly, the superior shelf stability means that the TMAH-SnO2 NPs are promising to enable QLEDs with real stability.

Direct Observation of the Charge Transfer States from a Non-Fullerene Organic Solar Cell with a Small Driving Force.

For organic solar cells (OSCs), the charge generation mechanism and the recombination loss are heavily linked with charge transfer states (CTS). Measuring the energy of CTS (ECT) by the most widely used technique, however, has become challenging for the non-fullerene-based OSCs with a small driving force, resulting in difficulty in the understanding of OSC physics. Herein, we present a study of the PM6:Y6 bulk heterojunction. It is demonstrated that electro-absorption can not only reveal the dipolar nature of Y6 but also resolve the morphology-dependent absorption signal of CTS in the sub-bandgap region. The device with the optimum blending weight ratio shows an ECT of 1.27 eV, which is confirmed by independent measurements. Because of the charge transfer characteristics of Y6, the charge generation at PM6:Y6 interfaces occurs efficiently under a small but non-negligible driving force of 0.14 eV, and the total recombination loss is as low as 0.43 eV.

Intraoperative Hypotension and Related Risk Factors for Postoperative Mortality After Noncardiac Surgery in Elderly Patients: A Retrospective Analysis Report.

BACKGROUND: Blood pressure fluctuation is very common during non-cardiac surgery in elderly. This retrospective study was to analyse whether intraoperative hypotension in elderly and other risk factors relate to the postoperative mortality. METHODS: A total of 118 cases (Observational group), who underwent noncardiac surgery in three medical centers between September 2014 and March 2017, and died in the hospital after the noncardiac surgery. With 1:2 ratio of propensity matching, 236 survival cases (Control group) were selected for comparison analyses with the death cases. Intraoperative blood pressure and perioperative parameters from both groups were collected from electronic anaesthesia charts. Data were analysed with univariate logistic regression analysis where variables with p values less than 0.05 were analysed with multivariate logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed. RESULTS: There are five risk factors related to postoperative death in elderly patients: ASA grade, COPD, emergency surgery, general anesthesia, 60 < MAP ≤ 65mmHg (OR > 1), and one factor may reduce the risk of postoperative mortality, which is PACU therapy (OR < 1). Compared with the Control group, the Observational group had a higher proportion of cerebral hernia, kidney injury and trauma (p < 0.001). The intraoperative blood transfusion volume and intraoperative blood loss volume were higher in the Observational group than the Control group (p < 0.001). The proportion of using vasoactive drugs was higher in the Observational group (p < 0.001), and there was more urine output during the operation in the Observational group (p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: The intraoperative MAP of geriatric patients lower than 65mmHg is highly related to the postoperative mortality. Elderly patients with emergency surgery, high ASA grade and a history of COPD have an increased risk of postoperative mortality. General anesthesia is a risk factor for postoperative death in elderly patients, and the PACU therapy is a protective factor to avoid postoperative death. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study has been retrospectively registered in the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (ChiCTR2000038912, 10/10/2020).

Perovskite Quantum Dots with Ultrahigh Solid-State Photoluminescence Quantum Efficiency, Superior Stability, and Uncompromised Electrical Conductivity.

All-inorganic perovskite quantum dots (PQDs), potentially applicable to high-performance display technologies, are facing challenges when the superior luminescence properties with high stability and uncompromised electrical conductivity are combined. Here, by introducing hexylamine sulfate and reducing the reaction rate, we managed to optimize the surface sacrificial coating of CsPbBr3 QDs. As a result, the colloidal PQDs show a photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE) of 95.8% in solution, and an internal PLQE as high as 97.8% in solid-state films. As far as stability is concerned, the PQDs not only show excellent resistance to polar solvent but also can retain over 84% of the initial PL intensity after continuous heating at 100 °C for 60 min. More importantly, the superior stability is achieved without compromising electrical conductivity. The light-emitting diodes made from these PQDs show a current efficiency of 8.9 cd A-1 with excellent thermal stability.

Effects of dexmedetomidine on the function of distal organs and oxidative stress after lower limb ischaemia-reperfusion in elderly patients undergoing unilateral knee arthroplasty.

AIMS: This study aims to evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine on organ function, inflammation response, and oxidative stress in elderly patients following iatrogenic lower limb ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) during unilateral total knee arthroplasty. METHODS: Following unilateral total knee arthroplasty, 54 elderly patients were randomized to receive either intraoperative intravenous injection of dexmedetomidine (n = 27) or equivalent volume of 0.9% saline (n = 27). Blood samples were harvested at 5 minutes before lower limb tourniquet release (baseline); and 1, 6 and 24 hours after tourniquet release. Surrogate markers of cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic and renal function, oxidative stress, inflammatory response, along with parasympathetic and sympathetic activity were recorded and analysed. RESULTS: The levels of blood xanthine oxidase, creatine kinase, lactic acid and respiratory index increased in patients following tourniquet-induced lower limb IR injury. Dexmedetomidine administration decreased the respiratory index (P = .014, P = .01, and P = .043) and the norepinephrine level (P < .001) at 1, 6 and 24 hours; and decreased the xanthine oxidase level (P = .049, P < .001) at 6 and 24 hours after tourniquet release compared with the Control group. Other measurements, including creatine kinase isoenzyme, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, urea nitrogen, glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, malondialdehyde, interleukin-1, interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α, were not statistically significantly different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative dexmedetomidine administration in elderly patients dampens the deterioration in respiratory function and suppresses the oxidative stress response in elderly patients following iatrogenic lower limb IR injury.

Positive Aging Effect of ZnO Nanoparticles Induced by Surface Stabilization.

For quantum-dot photodiodes comprising an electron-transporting layer assembled of ZnO nanoparticles, the light emitter/absorber generally exhibits enhanced optoelectronic performance after the device is shelf-aged. To understand the so-called positive aging effect, the optoelectronic properties of ZnO nanoparticles are investigated at the thin film and device level as a function of aging time. It is evidenced that the aging process is driven by a surface-stabilizing mechanism of ZnO nanoparticles, in which the active surface adsorption sites for oxygen are gradually but irreversibly stabilized, i.e.. with surface termination of HO-ZnO, leading to reduced nonradiative recombination and increased built-in potential in the adjacent photoactive layer. This work provides insight into new synthetic routes for minimizing the negative impact caused by the aging process.

A Highly Sensitive Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Based on Graphene Oxide/Polypyrrole@Polyurethane Sponge.

In this work, polyurethane sponge is employed as the structural substrate of the sensor. Graphene oxide (GO) and polypyrrole (PPy) are alternately coated on the sponge fiber skeleton by charge layer-by-layer assembly (LBL) to form a multilayer composite conductive layer to prepare the piezoresistive sensors. The 2D GO sheet is helpful for the formation of the GO layers, and separating the PPy layer. The prepared GO/PPy@PU (polyurethane) conductive sponges still had high compressibility. The unique fragmental microstructure and synergistic effect made the sensor reach a high sensitivity of 0.79 kPa-1. The sensor could detect as low as 75 Pa, exhibited response time less than 70 ms and reproducibility over 10,000 cycles, and could be used for different types of motion detection. This work opens up new opportunities for high-performance piezoresistive sensors and other electronic devices for GO/PPy composites.

A High Compressibility Pressure-Sensitive Structure Based on CB@PU Yarn Network.

In this work, a piezoresistive sensor structure based on carbon black (CB)@polyurethane (PU) yarn material was developed. Specifically, CB@PU yarn was constructed by the polymer-mediated water-based electrostatic deposition method. The distribution of the yarn was artificially controlled to fabricate conductive networks. The CB conductive layer was efficiently supported by the net-like structure of PU yarn, thus generating collaborative advantage. The as-fabricated pressure sensor not only displayed compressibility of over 97%, but also detected a wide pressure change from 25 Pa to 20 kPa. Furthermore, this sensor exhibited response time of less than 70 ms and reproducibility of over 10,000 cycles. The advantages of the CB@PU network ensured this pressure-sensitive structure enormous potential application in pressure sensitive equipment.

[Indoor Deposition Flux, Seasonal Variations and Human Exposure Levels of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Xiamen, China].

Indoor dust was an important and even a major route of human exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). However, the vacuum dust concentrations were less correlated with indoor residents' serum concentrations of PBDEs, thus inadequat for either estimation of human exposure dose or research of deposition flux and its seasonal variations. Passive sampling of indoo dustfall could offset these shortages. A total of 49 indoor sampling sites including homes, offices, computer rooms and furniture factor were selected in Xiamen, China to collect the four season dustfall samples with glass plates (walled by clean aluminum foil). Deposition flux, concentrations, congener profiles, seasonal variations, and human exposure to PBDEs in the dustfall were studied The geometric means of the yearly round deposition flux of ∑ PBDEs (sum of 16 BDE congeners including BDE-209) in homes offices, computer rooms and furniture factory were 6.1, 3.0, 1.1 and 179.8 ng · (m² · d)⁻¹, respectively. The geometric mea deposition flux of ∑ PBDEs in homes was 2 times of that in offices, but the concentration of ∑ PBDEs in the dustfall from home (445.5 ng · g⁻¹) was only slightly higher than that of offices (384.0 ng · g⁻¹). The ∑ PBDEs deposition flux in homes, offices and computer rooms in Xiamen were at lower level compared with other cities around the world. The PBDEs deposition flux in furnitur factory was much higher than that in the ordinary indoor environment. Autumn was the season with highest deposition flux of ∑ PBDEs. Geometric means of BDE- 209's proportion of the ∑ PBDEs in dustfall in all seasons in the four types of indoo environment were above 80% . The deposition flux of PBDEs was correlated to the dustfall deposition flux in homes, offices and computer rooms, but not that in furniture factory. ∑15 PBDEs in homes and offices were significantly correlated with the age of computers, but not quantities of electrical and electronic products, furniture and interior decoration, etc. Indoor dust was a key route for human exposure to ∑ PBDEs, especially for higher brominated BDEs.

An instrument-based screening assay for DNA-targeted anticancer drugs using resonance light scattering.

DNA is a valid drug target for development of target-based therapeutics against cancer. Screening DNA-targeted anticancer drugs is a key process for the research and development of new anticancer drugs. The traditional anticancer drug screening methods, including animal experiments and cell-based screening assays, have unavoidable drawbacks. In this contribution, the new instrument-based screening assay for DNA-targeted anticancer drugs in vitro using resonance light scattering (RLS) technique was proposed. The experiments suggested that the increment of RLS intensity was directly proportional to the antitumor effect of anticancer drugs. Therefore, it was intuitive to obtain the sequence of the antitumor activity of four anticancer drugs without data processing as follows: mitoxantrone (MIT) > pirarubicin (PIR) > daunorubicin (DAU) > doxorubicin (DOX) by RLS screening spectra. Moreover, the apparent equilibrium constant (K) was 1.23 x 10(4), 2.22 x 10(4), 4.66 x 10(4) L/mol for DOX, DAU, and PIR, respectively. The inhibitory concentration 50 (IC50) was 0.148, 0.102, 0.025, 0.013 micromol/L for DOX, DAU, PIR, MIT, respectively. Therefore, the antitumor effect of four drugs was as follows: MIT > PIR > DAU > DOX, which was in good agreement with the result obtained from RLS screening assays. The mechanism between DNA and anthracycline drugs was investigated using UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and electrophoresis experiments. The proposed assay is a rapid, intuitive, and easy-to-conduct bioassay with good accuracy and reproducibility.