Highly Stable MOF-Type Lead Halide Luminescent Ferroelectrics.

Lead halide molecular ferroelectrics represent an important class of luminescent ferroelectrics, distinguished by their high chemical and structural tunability, excellent processability and distinctive luminescent characteristics. However, their inherent instability, prone to decomposition upon exposure to moisture and light, hinders their broader ferroelectric applications. Herein, for the first time, we present a series of isoreticular metal-organic framework (MOF)-type lead halide luminescent ferroelectrics, demonstrating exceptional robustness under ambient conditions for at least 15 months and even when subjected to aqueous boiling conditions. Unlike conventional metal-oxo secondary building units (SBUs) in MOFs adopting highly centrosymmetric structure with limited structural distortion, our lead halide-based MOFs occupy structurally deformable [Pb2X]+ (X=Cl-/Br-/I-) SBUs that facilitate a c-axis-biased displacement of Pb2+ centers and substantially contribute to thermoinducible structural transformation. Importantly, this class of MOF-type lead halide ferroelectrics undergo ferroelectric-to-paraelectric phase transitions with remarkably high Curie temperature of up to 505 K, superior to most of molecular ferroelectrics. Moreover, the covalent bonding between phosphorescent organic component and the light-harvesting inorganic component achieves efficient spin-orbit coupling and intersystem crossing, resulting in long-lived afterglow emission. The compelling combination of high stability, ferroelectricity and afterglow emission exhibited by lead halide MOFs opens up many potential opportunities in energy-conversion applications.

Cement-augmented locked plate fixation proximal humerus fractures in elderly patient: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This systemic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of proximal humeral fracture in elderly patient fixation using locked plate with or without cement augmentation. METHODS: The databases of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched in August 2023 for literature comparing the clinical outcomes of patients with PHFs treated with locked plate alone and locked plate augmented with cement. Data describing study design; level of evidence; inclusion criteria; demographic information; final follow-up; revision rate; implant failure rate; avascular necrosis rate; total complication rate; constant score; and disability of arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) score were collected. RESULTS: Eight studies (one randomized-controlled trial and seven observational studies), involving 664 patients, were identified. Compared with locked plates alone, using cement-augmented locked plates reduced the implant failure rate (odds ratio (OR) = 0.19; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.10-0.39; P < 0.0001) and total complication rate (OR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.29-0.69; P = 0.0002) and improved DASH scores (mean difference (MD) = 2.99; 95% CI 1.00-4.98; P = 0.003). However, there was no significant difference in clinical outcomes, including revision rate, avascular necrosis rate, and constant score. CONCLUSION: In this review and meta-analysis, fixation of the PHFs in elderly patients using locked plates with or without cement augmentation has no significant difference in revision rate, but the implant failure and total complication rates may be lesser on using the cement-augmented locked plate for fixation than on using a locked plate alone. Good results are expected for most patients treated with this technique. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)21 guidelines were followed to conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis and was registered as a protocol in PROSPERO (CRD42022318798).

Solar-Driven Conversion of CO2 to C2 Products by the 3d Transition Metal Intercalates of Layered Lead Iodides.

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction to high-value-added C2+ products presents significant challenges, which is attributed to the slow kinetics of multi-e- CO2 photoreduction and the high thermodynamic barrier for C-C coupling. Incorporating redox-active Co2+/Ni2+ cations into lead halide photocatalysts has high potentials to improve carrier transport and introduce charge polarized bimetallic sites, addressing the kinetic and thermodynamic issues, respectively. In this study, a coordination-driven synthetic strategy is developed to introduce 3d transition metals into the interlamellar region of layered organolead iodides with atomic precision. The resultant bimetallic halide hybrids exhibit selective photoreduction of CO2 to C2H5OH using H2O vapor at the evolution rates of 24.9-31.4 µmol g-1 h-1 and high selectivity of 89.5-93.6%, while pristine layered lead iodide yields only C1 products. Band structure calculations and photoluminescence studies indicate that the interlayer Co2+/Ni2+ species greatly contribute to the frontier orbitals and enhance exciton dissociation into free carriers, facilitating carrier transport between adjacent lead iodide layers. In addition, Bader charge distribution calculations and in situ experimental spectroscopic studies reveal that the asymmetric Ni-O-Pb bimetallic catalytic sites exhibit intrinsic charge polarization, promoting C-C coupling and leading to the formation of the key *OC-CHO intermediate.

Graphiumisides A-D, Monoterpene Glycosides from an Animal-Derived Endophytic Fungus Graphium sp. GD-11.

 Four new monoterpene rhamnosides, graphiumisides A-D (1-4), along with four known steroid compounds (5-8) were isolated from the fermentation extract of animal-derived endophytic fungus, Graphium sp. GD-11. The chemical structures of all compounds were elucidated using 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS spectroscopic analyses, and other spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1-4 exhibit a distinctive structure connected by one p-menthane type monoterpene and one L-rhamnose. This is the first report of monoterpene glycosides from Graphium sp. All compounds (1-8) were tested for cytotoxic activities against four cancer cell lines (HepG2, SMMC7721, SW480, and A549), and only compound 1 showed weak anti-tumor activity against SMMC7721 cells.

Sublethal acetamiprid affects reproduction, development and disrupts gene expression in Binodoxys communis.

At present, understanding of neonicotinoid toxicity in arthropods remains limited. We here evaluated the lethal and sublethal effects of acetamiprid in F0 and F1 generations of Binodoxys communis using a range of sublethal concentrations. The 10% lethal concentration (LC10) and half lethal concentration (LC25) of ACE had negative effects on the B. communis survival rate, adult longevity, parasitism rate, and emergence rate, and significantly prolonged the duration of the developmental cycle. ACE also had intergenerational effects, with some biological indices affected in the F1 generation after pesticide exposure. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that differentially expressed genes were enriched in specific pathways including the amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, exogenous metabolism, signal transduction, and glutathione metabolism pathways. These results indicated strong contact toxicity of ACE to B. communis, which may inhibit their biological control capacity. These results improve our understanding of the toxicological mechanisms of parasitic natural enemies in response to insecticide exposure.

Tools and methods for high-throughput single-cell imaging with the mother machine.

Despite much progress, image processing remains a significant bottleneck for high-throughput analysis of microscopy data. One popular platform for single-cell time-lapse imaging is the mother machine, which enables long-term tracking of microbial cells under precisely controlled growth conditions. While several mother machine image analysis pipelines have been developed in the past several years, adoption by a non-expert audience remains a challenge. To fill this gap, we implemented our own software, MM3, as a plugin for the multidimensional image viewer napari. napari-MM3 is a complete and modular image analysis pipeline for mother machine data, which takes advantage of the high-level interactivity of napari. Here, we give an overview of napari-MM3 and test it against several well-designed and widely used image analysis pipelines, including BACMMAN and DeLTA. Researchers often analyze mother machine data with custom scripts using varied image analysis methods, but a quantitative comparison of the output of different pipelines has been lacking. To this end, we show that key single-cell physiological parameter correlations and distributions are robust to the choice of analysis method. However, we also find that small changes in thresholding parameters can systematically alter parameters extracted from single-cell imaging experiments. Moreover, we explicitly show that in deep learning-based segmentation, 'what you put is what you get' (WYPIWYG) - that is, pixel-level variation in training data for cell segmentation can propagate to the model output and bias spatial and temporal measurements. Finally, while the primary purpose of this work is to introduce the image analysis software that we have developed over the last decade in our lab, we also provide information for those who want to implement mother machine-based high-throughput imaging and analysis methods in their research.

Deubiquitinating enzyme OTUD4 stabilizes RBM47 to induce ATF3 transcription: a novel mechanism underlying the restrained malignant properties of ccRCC cells.

Dysregulation of deubiquitination contributes to various diseases, including cancer, and aberrant expression of deubiquitinating enzymes is involved in carcinoma progression. As a member of the ovarian tumor (OTU) deubiquitinases, OTUD4 is considered a tumor suppressor in many kinds of malignancies. The biological characteristics and mechanisms of OTUD4 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remain unclear. The downregulation of OTUD4 in ccRCC was confirmed based on the TCGA database and a validation cohort of 30-paired ccRCC and para-carcinoma samples. Moreover, OTUD4 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry in 50 cases of ccRCC tissues, and patients with lower levels of OTUD4 showed larger tumor size (p = 0.015). TCGA data revealed that patients with high expression of OTUD4 had a longer overall survival rate. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed that downregulation of OTUD4 was essential for tumor cell growth and metastasis in ccRCC, and OTUD4 overexpression inhibited these malignant phenotypes. We further found that OTUD4 sensitized ccRCC cells to Erastin-induced ferroptosis, and ferrostain-1 inhibited OTUD4-induced ferroptotic cell death. Mechanistic studies indicated that OTUD4 functioned as an anti-proliferative and anti-metastasic factor through the regulation of RNA-binding protein 47 (RBM47)-mediated activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3). OTUD4 directly interacted with RBM47 and promoted its stability via deubiquitination events. RBM47 was critical in ccRCC progression by regulating ATF3 mRNA stability, thereby promoting ATF3-mediated ferroptosis. RBM47 interference abolished the suppressive role of OTUD4 overexpression in ccRCC. Our findings provide mechanistic insight into OTUD4 of ccRCC progression and indicate a novel critical pathway OTUD4/RBM47/ATF3 may serve as a potential therapeutic pathway for ccRCC.

The Healthy Eating Index-2015 and All-Cause/Cause-Specific Mortality: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis.

This meta-analysis was undertaken to determine the predictive value of Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 in all-cause, cancer-cause, and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-cause mortality. This review was registered with PROSPERO as CRD42023421585. PubMed and Web of Science were searched for articles published by September 15, 2023. The hazard ratio (HR) was calculated with exact confidence intervals (CIs) of 95%. Statistical heterogeneity among studies was measured by Cochran's Q test (χ2) and the I2 statistic. Eighteen published studies were finally identified in this meta-analysis. The results showed that the HEI-2015 was associated with all-cause mortality either as a categorical variable (HR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.79, 0.82) or continuous variable (HR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.88, 0.92). The HEI-2015 was also associated with cancer-cause mortality as categorical variable (HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.83) or continuous variable (HR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.81, 0.99). The categorical HEI-2015 was also independently correlated with decreasing CVD-cause mortality (HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.87). A nonlinear dose-response relation between the HEI-2015 and all-cause mortality was found. In the linear dose-response analysis, the risk of mortality from cancer decreased by 0.42% per 1 score increment of the HEI-2015 and the risk of CVD-cause mortality decreased by 0.51% with the increment of the HEI-2015 per 1 score. Our analysis indicated a significant relationship between the HEI-2015 and all-cause, cancer-cause, and CVD-cause mortality.

Examining the causal relationship between circulating immune cells and the susceptibility to osteomyelitis: A Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Osteomyelitis is considered as a deleterious inflammatory condition affecting the bone, primarily attributed to pathogenic infection. However, the underlying factors predisposing individuals to osteomyelitis remain incompletely elucidated. The immune system plays a multifaceted role in the progression of this condition, yet previous observational studies and randomized controlled trials investigating the association between circulating immune cell counts and osteomyelitis have been constrained. In order to address this knowledge gap, we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to evaluate the impact of diverse immune cell counts on the risk of developing osteomyelitis. METHODS: In our study, we utilized single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that have been strongly linked to circulating immune cells or specific lymphocyte subtypes, as identified in large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS). These SNPs served as instrumental variables (IVs) for our MR analysis. We employed a more relaxed clumping threshold to conduct MR analysis on several related lymphocyte subtypes. To estimate causal effects, we utilized the Wald ratio, as well as the random-effects inverse variance weighted (IVW) and weighted median (WM) methods. To enhance the credibility of our results, we performed F-statistic calculations and a series of sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: Our findings revealed a significant correlation between the absolute count of circulating lymphocytes and the risk of osteomyelitis [odds ratio(OR) 1.20；95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.08-1.32；P = 0.0005]. Furthermore, we identified a causal relationship between the absolute count of CD8+ T cells and susceptibility to osteomyelitis (OR 1.16; 95 % CI, 1.04-1.30; P = 0.0098). Importantly, these findings remained robust across a wide range of sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION: Through our MR analysis, we have provided evidence supporting a causal relationship between genetic predisposition to higher circulating immune cell counts and an increased risk of osteomyelitis. Specifically, our findings highlight the association between elevated CD8+ T cell counts and a heightened susceptibility to osteomyelitis. These results offer valuable insights for the future exploration of immunotherapy approaches in the management of osteomyelitis.

Successful use of Palbociclib combined with Venetoclax and Azacitidine in an adult with refractory/relapsed therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) is considered high risk as it related to prior exposure to cytotoxic chemotherapy agents for solid tumors or hematologic malignancies. Compared with de novo AML, t-AML is associated with lower remission rates, inferior overall survival (OS) and higher relapse rates. Many efforts have been devoted to improving the overall but with limited success, and novel strategy is thus highly needed. CASE DESCRIPTION: We reported one patient with refractory/relapsed t-AML was successfully treated with Palbociclib combined with Venetoclax and Azacytidine (AZA). In this case, a 47-year-old patient with t-AML recurred during Venetoclax in combination with AZA therapy. However, the patient achieved morphological, immunophenotypic and molecular complete remission again after Palbociclib combined with Venetoclax and AZA. CONCLUSIONS: Although only one successful case is presented here, three-drug combination regimens should be considered as another treatment option for t-AML in the future.

Moderate nitrogen application facilitates Bt cotton growth and suppresses population expansion of aphids (Aphis gossypii) by altering plant physiological characteristics.

Introduction: Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer in cotton field causes soil and water pollution as well as significant increase of aphid population. Reasonable fertilization is an important approach to improve agricultural production efficiency and reduce agriculture-derived pollutions. This study was aimed to explore the effects of nitrogen fertilizer on the Bt cotton physiological characteristics and the growth and development of A. gossypii, a sap-sucking cotton pest. Methods: Five different levels of Ca(NO3)2 (0.0 g/kg, 0.3 g/kg, 0.9 g/kg, 2.7 g/kg and 8.1 g/kg) were applied into vermiculite as nitrogen fertilizer in order to explore the effects of nitrogen fertilizer on the growth and development of Bt cotton and aphids. Results: The results showed that the medium level of nitrogen fertilizer (0.9 g/kg) effectively facilitated the growth of Bt cotton plant and suppressed the population expansion of aphids, whereas high and extremely high nitrogen application (2.7 and 8.1 g/kg) significantly increased the population size of aphids. Both high and low nitrogen application benefited aphid growth in multiple aspects such as prolonging nymph period and adult lifespan, enhancing fecundity, and improving adult survival rate by elevating soluble sugar content in host Bt cotton plants. Cotton leaf Bt toxin content in medium nitrogen group (0.9 g/kg) was significantly higher than that in high (2.7 and 8.1 g/kg) and low (0.3 g/kg) nitrogen groups, but Bt toxin content in aphids was very low in all the nitrogen treatment groups, suggesting that medium level (0.9 g/kg) might be the optimal nitrogen fertilizer treatment level for promoting cotton seedling growth and inhibiting aphids. Discussion: Overall, this study provides insight into trophic interaction among nitrogen fertilizer levels, Bt cotton, and cotton aphid, and reveals the multiple effects of nitrogen fertilizer levels on growth and development of cotton and aphids. Our findings will contribute to the optimization of the integrated management of Bt cotton and cotton aphids under nitrogen fertilization.

Thripidae pest species community identification and population genetic diversity analyses of 2 dominant thrips in cotton fields of China.

Thrips are devastating pests for various crops, and they can rasp tender leaves, terminal buds, and flowers, which specifically causing huge economic losses to cotton production. However, there is very little knowledge about the species composition of thrips in mainland China, as well as the genetic structure of the thrips populations, particularly in the cotton-producing regions. In this study, thrips were collected from 40 geographical locations at 8 different provinces which representing majority cotton-producing belts in China, and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I sequence was used to identify species composition and evaluate the genetic diversity of collected thrips individuals. Based on experimental results proven that overall, 10 and 8 species of thrips were identified in seedling and flowering stage respectively, which is corresponding dominant species are Thrip tabaci (Lindeman) and Frankliniella intonsa (Trybom). Genetically, 24 haplotypes were identified in 310 T. tabaci individuals from 10 locations, and 263 haplotypes were detected in 1,861 F. intonsa individuals from 40 locations. Hap1 (T. tabaci) is the most widely distributed haplotype among all the T. tabaci samples. Likewise, Hap 2 is the most widely distributed and abundant haplotype among all samples of F. intonsa. The genetic differentiation degrees of T. tabaci between SXYC population and other 9 populations were high, but its gene flow in these 10 regions was relatively low, which might be due to geographical barriers. The Mantel tests showed no correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance of the 2 thrip species. Demographic analysis results showed that both T. tabaci and F. intonsa experienced population expansion in China. Taken together, this study identifies the species composition of thrips in major cotton-producing regions at different growth periods and evaluates effects of geomorphology on the geographical distribution of haplotypes of dominant thrips T. tabaci and F. intonsa.

Association of dietary inflammatory index and the SARS-CoV-2 infection incidence, severity and mortality of COVID-19: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the SARS-CoV-2 infection risk, severity or mortality of COVID-19, however, the outcomes remain controversial. OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine whether a dose-response association of DII and SARS-CoV-2 infection exists. DESIGN: A dose-response meta-analysis was performed to investigate the association of DII and SARS-CoV-2 infection. We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Embase and Web of Science up to March 15th, 2023. The odds ratios (OR) of DII and COVID-19 risk and severity were computed. RESULTS: Totally, 5 studies were included (1 from UK and 4 from Iran), consisting of 197,929 participants with 12,081 COVID-19 cases. Although there was heterogeneity among studies, the results indicated that higher DII was independently related to higher SARS-CoV-2 infection incidence (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.17) and COVID-19 severity (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.15) but not COVID-19 mortality (risk ratio = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.27). The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection increased by 31% for each 1-point increase in the E-DII (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.43). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that an elevated DII score is associated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infectious risk and severity of COVID-19. There were not enough studies on COVID-19 mortality. Further large prospective studies in different countries are warranted to validate our results.

Transformation pathways of the carbon-containing group compounds during municipal sludge pyrolysis treatment.

Municipal sludge contains abundant amounts of carbon, with contents ranging from 14 % to 38 %. The various carbon-containing group compounds can be converted into beneficial products, but pollutants and greenhouse gases are also released through the municipal sludge pyrolysis process. Ascertaining the pathways by which carbon-containing group compounds is converted and transformed is crucial for addressing pollution concerns and promoting recycling. This study explored the transformation pathways of carbon-containing group compounds during the pyrolysis process of municipal sludge. The results showed that the three major carbon-containing group compounds including protein (61 %), cellulose (9 %), and hemicellulose (7 %), had significantly different pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C, 400 °C and 300 °C. In terms of gas pollution, most carbon was fully pyrolyzed into CO2. While the temperature raised up to 500 °C, a part of the CO2 converted into CO. Meanwhile, the various carbon-containing compounds exhibited distinct effects on gas production, which CH4 was produced more with cellulose and protein presenting in the sludge. When temperature increased to 700 °C, the 60 % of the carbon-containing group compounds were transformed into liquid and solid. The pyrolysis liquid in the low-temperature stage (30-300 °C) contained a relatively high aliphatics content and lower organooxygen species (OOSs) content (at 200 °C), suggesting a potential for resource utilization. The yield of CO in the gas rapidly increased as the temperature increased in the high-temperature stage (500-700 °C). The insights from this study hold practical implications for enhancing municipal sludge pyrolysis efficiency, reducing pollution, and facilitating more sustainable and resource-efficient practices.

Rutin promotes osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by increasing ECM deposition and inhibiting p53 expression.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an important source of cells for bone regeneration. Although the utilization of MSCs along with growth factors and scaffolds is a beneficial clinical approach for bone tissue engineering, there is need for improvement on the effectiveness of MSC osteogenesis and differentiation. Rutin is a natural flavonoid and a major component for cell proliferation and bone development. However, studies on the mechanism through which rutin regulates osteogenesis and MSC differentiation are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanisms of rutin on osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. MSCs were extracted from umbilical cords and treated with rutin, followed by the examination of osteogenesis-related markers. Rutin treatment promoted the differentiation of MSCs towards the osteogenic lineage rather than the adipogenic lineage and increased the expression of osteogenic markers. RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis indicated that rutin regulated p53, a key gene in regulating the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. Additionally, cellular experiments showed that rutin-induced decrease in p53 expression increased the formation of extracellular matrix (ECM) by promoting p65 phosphorylation and caspase-3 cleavage. Conclusively, this study demonstrates the importance of rutin in osteogenesis and indicates that rutin possesses potential pharmaceutical application for bone regeneration and bone tissue engineering.

Sulfuric acid-assisted ball milling for the preparation of Si-O-enriched straw biochar: removal efficiency of rhodamine B and adsorption mechanism.

Traditional pyrolysis biochar has been widely employed to treat dye wastewater. However, there are some problems in the pyrolysis process, such as the generation of harmful gases and the low content of silico-oxygen functional groups to promote adsorption. Straw biochar (Ac-BCbm) was prepared by sulfuric acid co-ball milling method. The adsorption performance and adsorption mechanism of rhodamine B (RhB) under different preparation conditions and factors were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption rate of Ac-BCbm on RhB was up to 94.9%, which was 60.5% and 55.8% higher than that of ball-milling straw (STbm) and biochar prepared by pyrolysis (STBC600), respectively. The Ac-BCbm had better adaptability under different pH and common interfering ions for remove RhB. Characterization and DFT simulation analysis revealed that the sulfuric acid co-ball milling process promoted the formation of Si-OH and Si-O-CH3 oxygen-containing functional groups of Si component in straw, which enhanced the hydrogen bonding interactions and effectively improved the adsorption efficiency. This study investigated a new strategy for biochar preparation by sulfuric acid co-ball milling, which provides an additional development direction for the efficient resource utilization of straw.

A 0D hybrid lead-free halide with near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield toward multifunctional optoelectronic applications.

Zero-dimensional (0D) hybrid metal halides have emerged as highly efficient luminescent materials, but integrated multifunction in a structural platform remains a significant challenge. Herein, a new hybrid 0D indium halide of (Im-BDMPA)InCl6·H2O was designed as a highly efficient luminescent emitter and X-ray scintillator toward multiple optoelectronic applications. Specifically, it displays strong broadband yellow light emission with near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) through Sb3+ doping, acting as a down-conversion phosphor to fabricate high-performance white light emitting diodes (WLEDs). Benefiting from the high PLQY and negligible self-absorption characteristics, this halide exhibits extraordinary X-ray scintillation performance with a high light yield of 55 320 photons per MeV, which represents a new scintillator in 0D hybrid indium halides. Further combined merits of a low detection limit (0.0853 µGyair s-1), ultra-high spatial resolution of 17.25 lp per mm and negligible afterglow time (0.48 ms) demonstrate its excellent application prospects in X-ray imaging. In addition, this 0D halide also exhibits reversible luminescence off-on switching toward tribromomethane (TBM) but fails in any other organic solvents with an ultra-low detection limit of 0.1 ppm, acting as a perfect real-time fluorescent probe to detect TBM with ultrahigh sensitivity, selectivity and repeatability. Therefore, this work highlights the multiple optoelectronic applications of 0D hybrid lead-free halides in white LEDs, X-ray scintillation, fluorescence sensors, etc.

Polymer carbon nitride nanosheet-based lamellar membranes inspired by "couple hardness with softness" for ultrafast molecular separation in organic solvents.

Membranes with ultrafast molecular separation ability in organic solvents can offer unprecedented opportunities for efficient and low-cost solvent recovery in industry. Herein, a graphene-like polymer carbon nitride nanosheet (PCNN) with a low-friction surface was applied as the main membrane building block to boost the ultrafast transport of the solvent. Meanwhile, inspired by the concept of "couple hardness with softness", soft and flexible graphene oxide (GO) was chosen to fix the random stack of the rigid PCNN and tailor the lamellar structure of the PCNN membrane. The optimal PCNN/GO lamellar membrane shows a remarkable methanol permeance of 435.5 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 (four times higher than that of the GO membrane) while maintaining a high rejection for reactive black (RB, 98.9% in ethanol). Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to elucidate the ultrafast transport mechanism of the PCNN/GO membrane. This study reveals that PCNN is a promising building block for lamellar membranes and may open up new avenues for high-performance molecular separation membranes.

Effects of sublethal fipronil exposure on cross-generational functional responses and gene expression in Binodoxys communis.

The effective systemic insecticide fipronil is widely used on a variety of crops and in public spaces to control insect pests. Binodoxys communis (Gahan) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is the dominant natural enemy of Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae), an important cotton pest, and has good efficiency in inhibiting aphid populations. The direct effects of environmental residues of sublethal fipronil doses on adult B. communis have not previously been reported. This study therefore aimed to evaluate the side effects and transcriptomic impacts of sublethal fipronil doses on B. communis. The results showed that exposure to the LC10 dose of fipronil significantly reduced the survival rate and parasitism rate of the F0 generation, but did not affect these indicators in the F1 generation. The LC25 dose did not affect the survival or parasitic rates of the F0 generation, but did significantly reduce the survival rate of F1 generation parasitoids. These results indicated that sublethal doses of fipronil affected B. communis population growth. Transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in B. communis at 1 h after treatment were primarily enriched in pathways associated with fatty acid elongation, biosynthesis of fatty acids, and fatty acid metabolism. DEGs at 3 days after treatment were mainly enriched in ribosomal functions, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and tyrosine metabolism. Six DEGs (PY, ELOVL, VLCOAR, MRJP1, ELOVL AAEL008004-like, and RPL13) were selected for validation with real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. This is the first report of sublethal, trans-generational, and transcriptomic side effects of fipronil on the dominant parasitoid of A. gossypii. The results of this study show that adaptation of parasitoids to high concentrations of pesticides may be at the expense of their offspring. These findings broaden our overall understanding of the intergenerational adjustments used by insects to respond to pesticide stress and call for risk assessments of the long-term impacts and intergenerational effects of other pesticides.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Colistin Sulfate in the Treatment of Carbapenem-Resistant Organism Infections in Patients with Hematological Diseases.

INTRODUCTION: Carbapenem-resistant organisms (CRO) have emerged as a significant worldwide issue. However, the availability of efficacious antibiotics for treating CRO infections remains limited. Polymyxins, including colistin sulfate, represent the last-line therapeutic option against CRO infections. This study aims to retrospectively evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of colistin sulfate in managing CRO infections among patients with hematological diseases. METHODS: Between April 2022 and January 2023, a total of 118 hematological patients diagnosed with CRO infection were treated with colistin sulfate at Suzhou Hongci Hospital of Hematology. The assessment encompassed the clinical efficacy, bacterial clearance rate, adverse reactions, and 30-day all-cause mortality. RESULTS: The study found that the total effective rate of colistin sulfate in the treatment of CRO infection was 74.6%, with a bacterial clearance rate of 72.6%. Throughout the treatment, nephrotoxicity occurred in 7.6% of cases, neurotoxicity in 2.5% of cases, and the 30-day all-cause mortality rate was 22.9%. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that the treatment course and combination medication with other antimicrobials were independent factors affecting the clinical efficacy of colistin sulfate. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that the treatment of colistin sulfate can achieve high clinical efficacy and microbial responses, with a low risk of nephrotoxicity. This study provides evidence of the positive clinical efficacy and safety of colistin sulfate treatment in these patients. High-quality randomized controlled trials are still needed to further confirm the beneficial role of colistin sulfate.