Portable and Flexible Hydrogel Sensor for On-Site Atrazine Assay on Agricultural Products.

There is growing attention focused toward the problems of ecological sustainability and food safety raised from the abuse of herbicides, which underscores the need for the development of a portable and reliable sensor for simple, rapid, and user-friendly on-site analysis of herbicide residues. Herein, a novel multifunctional hydrogel composite is explored to serve as a portable and flexible sensor for the facile and efficient analysis of atrazine (ATZ) residues. The hydrogel electrode is fabricated by doping graphite-phase carbon nitride (g-C3N4) into the aramid nanofiber reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel via a simple solution-casting procedure. Benefiting from the excellent electroactivity and large specific surface area of the solid nanoscale component, the prepared hydrogel sensor is capable of simple, rapid, and sensitive detection of ATZ with a detection limit down to 0.002 ng/mL and per test time less than 1 min. After combination with a smartphone-controlled portable electrochemical analyzer, the flexible sensor exhibited satisfactory analytical performance for the ATZ assay. We further demonstrated the applications of the sensor in the evaluation of the ATZ residues in real water and soil samples as well as the user-friendly on-site point-of-need detection of ATZ residues on various agricultural products. We envision that this flexible and portable sensor will open a new avenue on the development of next-generation analytical tools for herbicide monitoring in the environment and agricultural products.

Cellulose Nanofibrils of High Immunoaffinity for Efficient Enrichment of Small Extracellular Vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), crucial in facilitating the transport of diverse molecular cargoes for intercellular communication, have shown great potential in diagnostics, therapeutics, and drug delivery. The challenge of developing effective preparation methods for EVs is heightened by their intrinsic heterogeneity and complexity. Here, a novel strategy for high EV enrichment is developed by utilizing EV-affinitive-modified cellulose nanofibrils. Specifically, modified cellulose with rich carboxyl groups has outstanding dispersing properties, able to be dispersed into cellulose nanofibrils in solution. These cellulose nanofibrils are utilized as scaffolds for the immobilization of EV-affinitive antibody of CD63 by chemical conjugation. The CD63-modified nanofibrils demonstrate a superior EV capture efficiency of 86.4% compared with other reported methods. The high performance of this system is further validated by the efficient capture of EVs from biological blood plasma, allowing the detection of bioactive markers from EV-derived miRNAs and proteins. The authors envision that these modified cellulose nanofibrils of enhanced capability on EV enrichment will open new avenues in various biomedical applications.

Masting promotes transformation from predation to mutualism in an oak-weevil-rodent system.

The significance of ecological non-monotonicity (a function whose first derivative changes signs) in shaping the structure and functions of the ecosystem has recently been recognized, but such studies involving high-order interactions are rare. Here, we have proposed a three-trophic conceptual diagram on interactions among trees, rodents, and insects in mast and non-mast years and tested the hypothesis that oak (Quercus wutaishanica) masting could result in increased mutualism and less predation in an oak-weevil-rodent system in a warm temperate forest of China. Our 14-year dataset revealed that mast years coincided with a relatively low rodent abundance but a high weevil abundance. Masting not only benefited seedling recruitment of oaks through increased dispersal by rodents but also a decrease in predation by rodents and weevils, as well as an increase in the overwintering survival of rodents. Masting appeared to have increased weevil survival by reducing predation of infested acorns by rodents. These results suggest that masting benefits all participants in the plant-insect-rodent system by increasing mutualism and reducing predation behavior (i.e., a non-monotonic function). Our study highlights the significance of masting in maintaining the diversity and function of the forest ecosystem by facilitating the transformation from predation to mutualism among trophic species.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in patients with monoclonal gammopathy and renal damage in central China: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Renal involvement is common in monoclonal gammopathy (MG); however, the same patient may have both MG and non-paraprotein-associated renal damage. Accordingly, distinguishing the cause of renal damage is necessary because of the different clinical characteristics and associated treatments. In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we described the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of 703 patients with MG and renal damage in central China. Patients were classified as having MG of renal significance (MGRS), MG of undetermined significance (MGUS), or hematological malignancy. 260 (36.98%), 259 (36.84%), and 184 (26.17%) had MGRS, MGUS, and hematological malignancies, respectively. Amyloidosis was the leading pattern of MGRS (74.23%), followed by thrombotic microangiopathy (8.85%) and monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease (8.46%). Membranous nephropathy was the leading diagnosis of MGUS (39.38%). Renal pathological findings of patients with hematological malignancies included paraprotein-associated lesions (84.78%) and non-paraprotein-associated lesions (15.22%). The presence of nephrotic syndrome and an abnormal free light chain (FLC) ratio were independently associated with MGRS. The overall survival was better in patients with MGUS than in those with MGRS or hematological malignancies.

Cross-cultural nuances in sarcasm comprehension: a comparative study of Chinese and American perspectives.

It is evident that sarcasm can be interpreted differently due to various factors, However, rare research was conducted to investigate the influence of national culture on sarcasm comprehension despite its valuable theoretical implication. This study used an online rating task to explore how national culture impacts the comprehension of sarcasm, focusing on the differences between Chinese and American cultural values (i.e., power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism, long-term orientation, and masculinity) and their influence on comprehending sarcastic praise and criticism. The study showed that Chinese participants tend to understand sarcasm less than Americans. It also found that Power Distance is linked to better sarcasm comprehension in both cultures, while Uncertainty Avoidance has a negative effect on it, especially in Chinese participants. Collectivism is also associated with improved sarcasm comprehension, especially in Chinese participants. However, Masculinity and Long-Term Orientation do not seem to have a significant impact on sarcasm comprehension, regardless of nationality or the type of comment (praise or criticism). Overall, the study reveals nuanced differences in how cultural values shape the comprehension of sarcasm in Chinese and American contexts, underscoring the complex interplay between culture and communication.

Cryo-EM structure of HQNO-bound Alternative Complex III from the anoxygenic phototrophic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus.

Alternative complex III (ACIII) couples quinol oxidation and electron acceptor reduction with potential transmembrane proton translocation. It is compositionally and structurally different from the cytochrome bc1/b6f complexes, but functionally replaces these enzymes in the photosynthetic and/or respiratory electron transport chains (ETCs) of many bacteria. However, the true compositions and architectures of ACIIIs remain unclear, as do their structural and functional relevance in mediating the ETCs. We here determined cryogenic electron microscopy structures of photosynthetic ACIII isolated from Chloroflexus aurantiacus (CaACIIIp), in apo-form and in complexed form bound to a menadiol analog 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide (HQNO). Besides six canonical subunits (ActABCDEF), the structures revealed conformations of two previously unresolved subunits, ActG and I, which contributed to the complex stability. We also elucidated the structural basis of menaquinol oxidation and subsequent electron transfer along the [3Fe-4S]-6 hemes wire to its periplasmic electron acceptors, using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), spectroelectrochemistry, enzymatic analyses and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. A unique insertion loop in ActE was shown to function in determining the binding specificity of CaACIIIp for downstream electron acceptors. This study broadens our understanding of the structural diversity and molecular evolution of ACIIIs, enabling further investigation of the (mena)quinol oxidoreductases evolved coupling mechanism in bacterial energy conservation.

A cytochrome c551 mediates the cyclic electron transport chain of the anoxygenic phototrophic bacterium Roseiflexus castenholzii.

Roseiflexus castenholzii is a gram-negative filamentous phototrophic bacterium that carries out anoxygenic photosynthesis through a cyclic electron transport chain (ETC). The ETC is composed of a reaction center (RC)-light-harvesting (LH) complex (rcRC-LH); an alternative complex III (rcACIII), which functionally replaces the cytochrome bc1/b6f complex; and the periplasmic electron acceptor auracyanin (rcAc). Although compositionally and structurally different from the bc1/b6f complex, rcACIII plays similar essential roles in oxidizing menaquinol and transferring electrons to the rcAc. However, rcACIII-mediated electron transfer (which includes both an intraprotein route and a downstream route) has not been clearly elucidated, nor have the details of cyclic ETC. Here, we identify a previously unknown monoheme cytochrome c (cyt c551) as a novel periplasmic electron acceptor of rcACIII. It reduces the light-excited rcRC-LH to complete a cyclic ETC. We also reveal the molecular mechanisms involved in the ETC using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), spectroelectrochemistry, and enzymatic and structural analyses. We find that electrons released from rcACIII-oxidized menaquinol are transferred to two alternative periplasmic electron acceptors (rcAc and cyt c551), which eventually reduce the rcRC to form the complete cyclic ETC. This work serves as a foundation for further studies of ACIII-mediated electron transfer in anoxygenic photosynthesis and broadens our understanding of the diversity and molecular evolution of prokaryotic ETCs.

A New Dietary Fiber Can Enhance Satiety and Reduce Postprandial Blood Glucose in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial.

BACKGROUND: Dietary fiber plays a potential role in regulating energy intake and stabilizing postprandial blood glucose levels. Soluble dietary fiber has become an important entry point for nutritional research on the regulation of satiety. METHODS: this was a double-blind, randomized cross-over trial enrolling 12 healthy subjects to compare the effects of RPG (R+PolyGly) dietary fiber products (bread, powder, and capsule) and pectin administered with a standard meal on satiety, blood glucose, and serum insulin level. RESULTS: Adding 3.8% RPG dietary fiber to bread significantly increased the volume, water content, hardness, and chewiness of bread compared to 3.8% pectin bread and white bread and significantly improved the sensory quality of bread. RPG bread had better appetite suppression effects at some time points than the other two groups and the best postprandial blood glucose lowering effects among the three groups. Administration of RPG capsules containing 5.6 g of RPG dietary fiber with meals improved satiety and reduced hunger compared to 6 g of RPG powder and 6 g of pectin, which had the greatest effect on suppressing appetite and reducing prospective food consumption. The peak level of serum glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in the RPG capsule group (578.17 ± 19.93 pg/mL) was significantly higher than that in other groups at 0 min and 30 min after eating. RPG powder had the best effect in reducing postprandial blood glucose and increasing serum insulin levels; the total area under the curve (AUC) of serum insulin with RPG powder was higher than other groups (5960 ± 252.46 µU min/mL). CONCLUSION: RPG dietary fiber products can improve the sensory properties of food, reduce postprandial blood glucose, and enhance satiety, especially in capsule and powder forms. Further research on the physiological effects of RPG dietary fiber is required to facilitate its use as a functional ingredient in food products.

Pan-cancer analysis of the prognostic significance and oncogenic role of GXYLT2.

Growing evidence supports an oncogenic role for glucoside xylosyltransferase 2 (GXYLT2) in a number of malignancies. To evaluate the prognostic value and oncogenic function of GXYLT2 in diverse cancer types, we analyzed sequencing data from public databases on 33 tumor tissues and their corresponding normal tissues. We found that GXYLT2 was overexpressed in a number of tumors, and that its expression was positively correlated with disease progression and mortality in several major cancer types including stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). GXYLT2 was also linked to tumor size, grade, and the immune and molecular subtypes of STAD. GO and KEGG pathway analyses of GXYLT2 co-expressed genes in STAD suggested that GXYLT2 possibly plays a role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition, extracellular matrix production and degradation, angiogenesis, apoptosis, as well as in tumor inflammation, such as cytokine production and T cell activation. Finally, prognostic nomograms were created and validated for predicting 1, 3, and 5-year survival of patients with STAD. Our findings indicate that GXYLT2 may play a role in tumorigenesis and tumor immunity, and it may serve as a prognostic marker and potential immunotherapeutic target for STAD and some other types of cancer.

Carotenoid assembly regulates quinone diffusion and the Roseiflexus castenholzii reaction center-light harvesting complex architecture.

Carotenoid (Car) pigments perform central roles in photosynthesis-related light harvesting (LH), photoprotection, and assembly of functional pigment-protein complexes. However, the relationships between Car depletion in the LH, assembly of the prokaryotic reaction center (RC)-LH complex, and quinone exchange are not fully understood. Here, we analyzed native RC-LH (nRC-LH) and Car-depleted RC-LH (dRC-LH) complexes in Roseiflexus castenholzii, a chlorosome-less filamentous anoxygenic phototroph that forms the deepest branch of photosynthetic bacteria. Newly identified exterior Cars functioned with the bacteriochlorophyll B800 to block the proposed quinone channel between LHαß subunits in the nRC-LH, forming a sealed LH ring that was disrupted by transmembrane helices from cytochrome c and subunit X to allow quinone shuttling. dRC-LH lacked subunit X, leading to an exposed LH ring with a larger opening, which together accelerated the quinone exchange rate. We also assigned amino acid sequences of subunit X and two hypothetical proteins Y and Z that functioned in forming the quinone channel and stabilizing the RC-LH interactions. This study reveals the structural basis by which Cars assembly regulates the architecture and quinone exchange of bacterial RC-LH complexes. These findings mark an important step forward in understanding the evolution and diversity of prokaryotic photosynthetic apparatus.

Photosynthesis is a biological process that converts energy from sunlight into a form of chemical energy that supports almost all life on Earth. Over the course of evolution, photosynthesis has gone from being only performed by bacteria to appearing in algae and green plants. While this has given rise to a range of different machineries for photosynthesis, the process always begins the same way: with a structure called the reaction center-light harvesting (RC-LH) complex. Two pigments in the light-harvesting (LH) region ­ known as chlorophyll and carotenoids ­ absorb light energy and transfer it to another part of the complex known as the quinone-type reaction center (RC). This results in the release of electrons that interact with a molecule called quinone converting it to hydroquinone. The electron-bound hydroquinone then shuttles to other locations in the cell where it initiates further steps that ultimately synthesize forms of chemical energy that can power essential cellular processes. In photosynthetic bacteria, hydroquinone must first pass through a ring structure in the light harvesting region in order to leave the reaction center. Previous studies suggest that carotenoids influence the architecture of this ring, but it remains unclear how this may affect the ability of hydroquinone to move out of the RC-LH complex. To investigate, Xin, Shi, Zhang et al. used a technique called cryo-electron microscopy to study the three-dimensional structure of RC-LH complexes in one of the first bacterial species to employ photosynthesis, Roseiflexus castenholzii. The experiments found that fully assembled complexes bind two groups of carotenoids: one nestled in the interior of the LH ring and the other on the exterior. The exterior carotenoids work together with bacteriochlorophyll molecules to form a closed ring that blocks hydroquinone from leaving the RC-LH complex. To allow hydroquinone to leave, two groups of regulatory proteins, including a cytochrome and subunit X, then disrupt the structure of the ring to 'open' it up. These findings broaden our knowledge of the molecules involved in photosynthesis. A better understanding of this process may aid the development of solar panels and other devices that use RC-LH complexes rather than silicon or other inorganic materials to convert energy from sunlight into electricity.

TRIM69: a marker of metastasis and potential sensitizer to 5-Fluorouracil and PD-1 blockers in colon adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Several proteins in the tripartite-motif (TRIM) family are associated with the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), but research on the role of TRIM69 was lacking. The present study examined the correlation between TRIM69 expression and colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). METHODS: mRNA sequencing data for COAD patients was extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas to analyze correlations between TRIM69 expression and patients' clinical features as well as survival. Potential associations with immune cells and chemosensitivity also were predicted using various algorithms in the TIMER, Limma, clusterProfiler, GeneMANIA, and Gene Set Cancer Analysis platforms. Subsequently, polymerase chain reaction analysis and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect TRIM69 expression in COAD tissue samples from real-world patients. RESULTS: TRIM69 expression was lower in COAD tissues than in normal tissues and correlated with the pathologic stage and metastasis (M category). Additionally, TRIM69 was found to be involved in several immune-related pathways, notably the NOD-like signaling pathway. These results suggest that high TRIM69 expression has the potential to enhance tumor sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockers. CONCLUSIONS: From our findings that TRIM69 expression was significantly reduced in COAD compared with non-cancer tissues and associated with pathologic stage and metastasis, we conclude that increasing TRIM69 expression and/or activity may help to improve therapeutic outcomes. Accordingly, TRIM69 represents a potentially valuable marker of metastasis and target for adjuvant therapy in COAD.

Effects of HBsAg carriers on pregnancy complications in pregnant women: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major health threat worldwide, especially in developing countries. We aimed to investigate the impact of hepatitis B carrier on pregnancy complications in pregnant women, in China. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted by using data from the EHR system of Longhua District People's Hospital in Shenzhen, China, from January 2018 to June 2022. Binary logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between HBsAg carrier status and pregnancy complications and pregnancy outcomes. Results: The study included 2095 HBsAg carriers (exposed group) and 23,019 normal pregnant women (unexposed group). Pregnant women in the exposed group were older than the pregnant women in the unexposed group (29 (27,32) vs. 29 (26,32), p < 0.001). In addition, the incidence of some adverse pregnancy complications in the exposure group was lower than that in the unexposed group, including hypothyroidism of pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.779; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.617-0.984; p = 0.036), hyperthyroidism of pregnancy (aOR, 0.388; 95% CI, 0.159-0.984; p = 0.038), pregnancy induced hypertension (aOR, 0.699; 95% CI, 0.551-0.887; p = 0.003), antepartum hemorrhage (aOR, 0.294; 95% CI, 0.093-0.929; p = 0.037). However, compared with the unexposed group, the exposed group had a higher risk of lower birth weight (aOR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.02-1.23; p = 0.018) and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (aOR, 2.888, 95% CI, 2.207-3.780; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence rate of HBsAg carriers in pregnant women in Longhua District of Shenzhen was 8.34%. Compared with normal pregnant women, HBsAg carriers have a higher risk of ICP, a lower risk of gestational hypothyroidism and PIH, and a lower birth weight of their infants.

Co-packaged optics (CPO): status, challenges, and solutions.

Due to the rise of 5G, IoT, AI, and high-performance computing applications, datacenter traffic has grown at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 30%. Furthermore, nearly three-fourths of the datacenter traffic resides within datacenters. The conventional pluggable optics increases at a much slower rate than that of datacenter traffic. The gap between application requirements and the capability of conventional pluggable optics keeps increasing, a trend that is unsustainable. Co-packaged optics (CPO) is a disruptive approach to increasing the interconnecting bandwidth density and energy efficiency by dramatically shortening the electrical link length through advanced packaging and co-optimization of electronics and photonics. CPO is widely regarded as a promising solution for future datacenter interconnections, and silicon platform is the most promising platform for large-scale integration. Leading international companies (e.g., Intel, Broadcom and IBM) have heavily investigated in CPO technology, an inter-disciplinary research field that involves photonic devices, integrated circuits design, packaging, photonic device modeling, electronic-photonic co-simulation, applications, and standardization. This review aims to provide the readers a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art progress of CPO in silicon platform, identify the key challenges, and point out the potential solutions, hoping to encourage collaboration between different research fields to accelerate the development of CPO technology.

Hybrid assembly of polymeric nanofiber network for robust and electronically conductive hydrogels.

Electroconductive hydrogels have been applied in implantable bioelectronics, tissue engineering platforms, soft actuators, and other emerging technologies. However, achieving high conductivity and mechanical robustness remains challenging. Here we report an approach to fabricating electroconductive hydrogels based on the hybrid assembly of polymeric nanofiber networks. In these hydrogels, conducting polymers self-organize into highly connected three dimensional nanostructures with an ultralow threshold (~1 wt%) for electrical percolation, assisted by templating effects from aramid nanofibers, to achieve high electronic conductivity and structural robustness without sacrificing porosity or water content. We show that a hydrogel composed of polypyrrole, aramid nanofibers and polyvinyl alcohol achieves conductivity of ~80 S cm-1, mechanical strength of ~9.4 MPa and stretchability of ~36%. We show that patterned conductive nanofiber hydrogels can be used as electrodes and interconnects with favorable electrochemical impedance and charge injection capacity for electrophysiological applications. In addition, we demonstrate that cardiomyocytes cultured on soft and conductive nanofiber hydrogel substrates exhibit spontaneous and synchronous beating, suggesting opportunities for the development of advanced implantable devices and tissue engineering technologies.

How to establishing an indicators framework for evaluating the performances in primary TB control institutions under the new TB control model? Based on a Delphi study conducted in Guangxi, China.

BACKGROUND: In China, the new TB control model of trinity form had been implemented in all parts, and the comprehensively evaluation to the performances in primary TB control institutions were closely related to the working capacity and quality of TB service, but there was still no an unified evaluation indicators framework in practice and few relevant studies. The purpose of this study was to establish an indicators framework for comprehensively evaluating the performances in primary TB control institutions under the new TB control model of trinity form in Guangxi, China. METHODS: The Delphi method was used to establish an indicators framework for comprehensively evaluating the performances in primary TB control institutions under the new TB control model of trinity form, and the analytic hierarchy process(AHP) was used to determine the weights of all levels of indicators, from September 2021 to December 2021 in Guangxi, China. RESULTS: A total of 14 experts who had at least 10 years working experience and engaged in TB prevention and control and public health management from health committee, CDC, TB designated hospitals and university of Guangxi were consulted in two rounds. The average age of the experts were (43.3 ± 7.549) years old, and the effective recovery rate of the questionnaire was 100.0%. The average value of authority coefficient of experts (Cr) in the two rounds of consultation was above 0.800. The Kendall's harmony coefficient (W) of experts' opinions on the first-level indicators, the second-level indicators and the third-level indicators were 0.786, 0.201 and 0.169, respectively, which were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Finally, an indicators framework was established, which included 2 first-level indicators, 10 second-level indicators and 37 third-level indicators. The results of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) showed that the consistency test of all levels of indicators were CI < 0.10, which indicating that the weight of each indicator was acceptable. CONCLUSION: The indicators framework established in this study was in line with the reality, had reasonable weights, and could provide a scientific evaluation tool for comprehensively evaluating the performances in primary TB control institutions under the new TB control model of trinity form in Guangxi, China.

Eliminate the hardware: Mobile terminals-oriented food recognition and weight estimation system.

Food recognition and weight estimation based on image methods have always been hotspots in the field of computer vision and medical nutrition, and have good application prospects in digital nutrition therapy and health detection. With the development of deep learning technology, image-based recognition technology has also rapidly extended to various fields, such as agricultural pests, disease identification, tumor marker recognition, wound severity judgment, road wear recognition, and food safety detection. This article proposes a non-wearable food recognition and weight estimation system (nWFWS) to identify the food type and food weight in the target recognition area via smartphones, so to assist clinical patients and physicians in monitoring diet-related health conditions. In addition, the system is mainly designed for mobile terminals; it can be installed on a mobile phone with an Android system or an iOS system. This can lower the cost and burden of additional wearable health monitoring equipment while also greatly simplifying the automatic estimation of food intake via mobile phone photography and image collection. Based on the system's ability to accurately identify 1,455 food pictures with an accuracy rate of 89.60%, we used a deep convolutional neural network and visual-inertial system to collect image pixels, and 612 high-resolution food images with different traits after systematic training, to obtain a preliminary relationship model between the area of food pixels and the measured weight was obtained, and the weight of untested food images was successfully determined. There was a high correlation between the predicted and actual values. In a word, this system is feasible and relatively accurate for one automated dietary monitoring and nutritional assessment.

A Digital Smartphone-Based Self-administered Tool (R+ Dietitian) for Nutritional Risk Screening and Dietary Assessment in Hospitalized Patients With Cancer: Evaluation and Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a common and severe problem in patients with cancer that directly increases the incidence of complications and significantly deteriorates quality of life. Nutritional risk screening and dietary assessment are critical because they are the basis for providing personalized nutritional support. No digital smartphone-based self-administered tool for nutritional risk screening and dietary assessment among hospitalized patients with cancer has been developed and evaluated. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop a digital smartphone-based self-administered mini program for nutritional risk screening and dietary assessment for hospitalized patients with cancer and to evaluate the validity of the mini program. METHODS: We have developed the R+ Dietitian mini program, which consists of 3 parts: (1) collection of basic information of patients, (2) nutritional risk screening, and (3) dietary energy and protein assessment. The face-to-face paper-based Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS-2002), the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment Short Form (PG-SGA-SF), and 3 days of 24-hour dietary recall (3d-24HRs) questionnaires were administered according to standard procedure by 2 trained dietitians as the reference methods. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, κ value, and correlation coefficients (CCs) of nutritional risk screened in R+ Dietitian against the reference methods, as well as the difference and CCs of estimated dietary energy and protein intakes between R+ Dietitian and 3d-24HRs were calculated to evaluate the validity of R+ Dietitian. RESULTS: A total of 244 hospitalized patients with cancer were recruited to evaluate the validity of R+ Dietitian. The NRS-2002 and PG-SGA-SF tools in R+ Dietitian showed high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity (77.5%, 81.0%, and 76.7% and 69.3%, 84.5%, and 64.5%, respectively), and fair agreement (κ=0.42 and 0.37, respectively; CC 0.62 and 0.56, respectively) with the NRS-2002 and PG-SGA-SF tools administered by dietitians. The estimated intakes of dietary energy and protein were significantly higher (P<.001 for both) in R+ Dietitian (mean difference of energy intake: 144.2 kcal, SD 454.8; median difference of protein intake: 10.7 g, IQR 9.5-39.8), and showed fair agreement (CC 0.59 and 0.47, respectively), compared with 3d-24HRs performed by dietitians. CONCLUSIONS: The identified nutritional risk and assessment of dietary intakes of energy and protein in R+ Dietitian displayed a fair agreement with the screening and assessment conducted by dietitians. R+ Dietitian has the potential to be a tool for nutritional risk screening and dietary intake assessment among hospitalized patients with cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900026324; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=41528.

Sheep tail fat inhibits the proliferation of non-small-cell lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

Increasing evidence suggests that numerous edible oils may function as adjuvant dietary therapies to treat cancer. We previously reported that the odd-chain saturated fatty acid (OCSFA), heptadecanoic acid (C17:0), profoundly inhibits non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell proliferation. However, the antitumor potential of edible lipids rich in C17:0 remains unclear. Here, we determined that sheep tail fat (STF) is a dietary lipid rich in C17:0 and exhibited the greatest inhibitory effect against three NSCLC cell lines (A549, PC-9, and PC-9/GR) among common dietary lipids. Cell migration experiments demonstrated that STF could significantly inhibit the wound healing capacity of three NSCLC cell lines by promoting the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent cell death. Mechanistic studies showed that STF suppressed NSCLC cell growth by downregulating the Akt/S6K signaling pathway. Furthermore, administration of STF reduced tumor growth, weight, and expression of the proliferative marker Ki-67 in nude mice bearing A549 xenografts. Collectively, our data show that STF has antitumor activity against NSCLC, implying that dietary intake of C17:0-rich STF may be a potential adjuvant therapy for NSCLC.

Theoretical Study of Alkaline-Earth Metal (Be, Mg, and Ca)-Substituted Aluminum Nitride Nanocages With High Stability and Large Nonlinear Optical Responses.

By replacing one Al or N atom of aluminum nitride nanocage Al12N12 with an alkaline-earth metal atom, two series of compounds, namely, M@Al12N11 and M@Al11N12 (M = Be, Mg, and Ca), were constructed and investigated in theory. The substituted effect of alkaline-earth metal on the geometric structure and electronic properties of Al12N12 is studied in detail by density functional theory (DFT) methods. The calculated binding energies, HOMO-LUMO gaps, and VIE values of these compounds reveal that they possess high stability, though the NBO and HOMO analyses show that they are also excess electron compounds. Due to the existence of diffuse excess electrons, these alkaline-earth metal-substituted compounds exhibit larger first hyperpolarizabilities (ß 0) than pure Al12N12 nanocage. In particular, these considered compounds exhibit satisfactory infrared (IR) (>1800 nm) and ultraviolet (UV) (˂ 250 nm) transparency. Therefore, these proposed excess electron compounds with high stability may be regarded as potential candidates for new UV and IR NLO molecules.

Design of a Novel Series of Hetero-Binuclear Superhalogen Anions MM'X4 - (M = Li, Na; M' = Be, Mg, Ca; X = Cl, Br).

A series of hetero-binuclear superatom motifs involving chloride/bromide ligands, that is, MM'X4 - (M = Li, Na; M' = Be, Mg, Ca; X = Cl, Br) anions, have been characterized by using many-body perturbation theory calculations. Large vertical electron detachment energies (VDEs, 5.470-6.799 eV) confirm the superhalogen identity of these anions. A larger VDE value can be obtained by introducing small M or large M' central atoms and small halogen ligand atoms. Thus, one isomer of LiCaCl4 - possesses the largest VDE value. Besides, when the extra electron is shared by all ligand atoms or three bridging ligand atoms, the isomers have relatively larger VDE values.