Zirconium Oxide Doped Organosilica Nanodots as Light- and Charge-Management Cathode Interlayer for Highly Efficient and Stable Inverted Organic Solar Cells.

In this work, it is reported that zirconium oxide (ZrO2) doped organosilica nanodots (OSiNDs: ZrO2) with light- and charge-management properties serve as efficient cathode interlayers for high-efficiency inverted organic solar cells (i-OSCs). ZrO2 doping effectively improves the light harvesting of the active layer, the physical contact between the active layer, as well as the electron collection property by habiting charge recombination loss. Consequently, all devices utilizing the OSiNDs: ZrO2 cathode interlayer exhibit enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE). Specifically, i-OSCs based on PM6:Y6 and PM6:BTP-eC9 achieve remarkable PCEs of 17.16% and 18.43%, respectively. Furthermore, the PCE of device based on PM6:Y6 maintains over 97.2% of its original value following AM 1.5G illumination (including UV light) at 100 mW cm-2 for 600 min.

A combination of pre-infusion serum ferritin, CRP and IL-6 predicts outcome in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients treated with CAR-T cells.

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor - T (CAR-T) cell therapy has shown remarkable efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM). However, a subset of patients still experienced progression or relapse, and the predictors of prognosis are little known. We analyzed the inflammatory markers before CAR-T cell infusion, to clarify their correlation with survival and toxicity. Methods: This study involved 109 R/R MM patients who received CAR-T therapy between June 2017 and July 2021. Inflammatory markers, including ferritin, c-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) before CAR-T cell infusion were detected and then categorized by quartiles. Adverse events and clinical outcomes were compared between patients with upper quartile of inflammatory markers and patients with lower three quartiles of inflammatory markers. An inflammatory prognostic index (InPI) based on these three inflammatory markers was developed in this study. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the InPI score, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared among the groups. In addition, we explored the correlation between cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and pre-infusion inflammatory markers. Results: We found that the pre-infusion high ferritin (hazard ratio [HR], 3.382; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.667 to 6.863; P = .0007), high CRP (HR, 2.043; 95% CI, 1.019 to 4.097; P = .044), and high IL-6 (HR, 3.298; 95% CI, 1.598 to 6.808; P = .0013) were significantly associated with inferior OS. The formula of the InPI score was based on the HR value of these 3 variables. Three risk groups were formed: (good, 0 to 0.5 point; intermediate, 1 to 1.5 points; poor, 2 to 2.5 points). Median OS for patients with good, intermediate, and poor InPI was not reached, 24 months, and 4 months, respectively, and median PFS was 19.1 months, 12.3 months, and 2.9 months, respectively. In the cox proportional hazards model, poor InPI remained an independent prognostic factor for PFS and OS. Pre-infusion ferritin was negatively associated with CAR T-cell expansion normalized to baseline tumor burden. Spearman correlation analysis showed that pre-infusion ferritin and IL-6 levels positively correlated with the grade of CRS (P = .0369 and P = .0117, respectively). The incidence of severe CRS was higher in patients with high IL-6 compared with patients with low IL-6 (26% vs. 9%, P = .0405). Pre-infusion ferritin, CRP and IL-6 were positively correlated with each peak values within the first month after infusion. Conclusions: Our results suggest that patients with elevated inflammation markers before CAR-T cell infusion are more likely to have poor prognosis.

Effects of different gastrointestinal reconstruction techniques on nutrition, anemia, and quality of life in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: To explore the effect of different gastrointestinal reconstruction techniques on laparoscopic distal gastrectomy of gastric cancer on the nutritional and anemia status, and quality of life (QoL) of patients. METHODS: Eligible patients were randomly divided into three groups (n=36/group): Billroth I anastomosis group, Billroth II combined with Braun anastomosis group, and Roux-en-Y anastomosis group. Related indicators were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: The general data were comparable among the three groups (all P>0.05). Among the surgical-related indicators and postoperative recovery indicators, only the comparison of the operation time was statistically significant (P=0.004). The follow-up time was 5~36 months (average 27.9 months). In terms of nutritional and anemia indicators, only the differences in the levels of prealbumin, hemoglobin and serum ferritin in 24 months after operation showed significant differences (P=0.015, P=0.003, P=0.005, respectively). There were no significant differences in hospital readmission rate, overall survival, and QoL among the three groups (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In laparoscopic gastrectomy for stage II~III distal gastric cancer, Billroth I anastomosis has shorter operation time than Billroth II combined with Braun anastomosis and Roux-en-Y anastomosis and advantages in the improvement of nutritional status and anemia recovery.

Traps and transport resistance are the next frontiers for stable non-fullerene acceptor solar cells.

Stability is one of the most important challenges facing material research for organic solar cells (OSC) on their path to further commercialization. In the high-performance material system PM6:Y6 studied here, we investigate degradation mechanisms of inverted photovoltaic devices. We have identified two distinct degradation pathways: one requires the presence of both illumination and oxygen and features a short-circuit current reduction, the other one is induced thermally and marked by severe losses of open-circuit voltage and fill factor. We focus our investigation on the thermally accelerated degradation. Our findings show that bulk material properties and interfaces remain remarkably stable, however, aging-induced defect state formation in the active layer remains the primary cause of thermal degradation. The increased trap density leads to higher non-radiative recombination, which limits the open-circuit voltage and lowers the charge carrier mobility in the photoactive layer. Furthermore, we find the trap-induced transport resistance to be the major reason for the drop in fill factor. Our results suggest that device lifetimes could be significantly increased by marginally suppressing trap formation, leading to a bright future for OSC.

Performance Enhancement of Organic Solar Cells by Adding a Liquid Crystalline Molecule in Cathode and Anode Interlayers.

In this study, an effective and simple approach for optimizing the performance of both cathode and anode interlayers in OSCs is demonstrated using 4-heptyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl (7CB) to dope a classic cathode (ZnO and SnO2) or an anode interlayer [poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)]. Because of the enhanced light absorption, improved physical contact between a photoactive layer and an interlayer, and increased carrier recombination, all of the devices based on a 7CB-doped interlayer show increased short-circuit current density (Jsc), fill factor (FF), and power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared to the corresponding undoped interlayer, regardless it is the anode interlayer or the cathode interlayer, which is a rare phenomenon in the interlayer modification field.

Inhibiting PDGF-D alleviates the symptoms of HELLP by suppressing NF-κB activation.

Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome is a life-threatening pregnancy complication. Though there are several medications widely used to treat HELLP syndrome, delivery is the only efficient treatment. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of platelet-derived growth factor-D (PDGF-D), a newly identified PDGF, in a rat model of HELLP syndrome which was accomplished by sFlt-1 and sEng injection. The expression levels of PDGF-D in pregnant women diagnosed with HELLP syndrome was determined. A HELLP rat model was established and the PDGF-D expression level in the plasma and the placenta tissue was evaluated. To evaluate the effects of PDGF-D in HELLP syndrome model, siPDGF-D was injected into the rats and the HELLP syndrome-related parameters were measured. The levels of inflammatory cytokines and PDGF-D were determined by ELISA. The oxidative stress activities in the plasma were also determined. Furthermore, the expression of PDGF-D/PDGFR-ß/nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) p65 in placenta tissues was evaluated by Western blotting. Compared to the normal pregnant (NP) group, the levels of PDGF-D were augmented regardless of species. Knockdown of PDGF-D can result in the alleviation of HELLP syndrome development and progression in the HELLP rat model. Importantly, as a result of PDGF-D knockdown, the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress activities were modulated, and the phosphorylation of PDGFR-ß and NF-κB p65 in placenta tissue was inhibited. Taking together, our findings indicate that targeting PDGF-D could be used as a novel strategy to treat patients with HELLP syndrome.

Gender differences in UV-induced skin inflammation, skin carcinogenesis and systemic damage.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced chronic inflammation contributes to all stages of skin tumor development. In addition, gender plays an important role in inflammatory diseases or cancer. In this study, histopathology changes, hematology, oxidative stress and inflammatory response were used to evaluate sex differences in UV-induced chronic inflammation-associated cancer development. The results showed that the male and female mice had photoaging damage at the 9th week. However, skin tumors only appeared in male mice at 31st week. Furthermore, UV increased ROS production, p65, p-p65, IL-6 and TNF-α protein expressions in skin, and these factors elevated more in male mouse model. Hematology results showed that the parameters of blood systemic inflammation were changed in different degrees in model groups, while the pathological results showed inflammatory cell infiltration in the internal organs of both model groups in varying degrees. These results indicate that there are gender differences in UV-induced skin inflammation, carcinogenesis and systemic damage. Moreover, male mice are more sensitive to UV irradiation, which may be responsible to greater oxidative stress and inflammatory damage.

Relationship between electrocardiogram QRS wave duration and pathological parameters of patients with acute myocardial infarction and prognosis analysis / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To explore the relationship between electrocardiogram QRS wave duration and pathological parameters of acute myocardial infarction and its prognosis.Methods:The patients with acute myocardial infarction treated in Hunan Brain Hospital from January 2018 to June 2019 were divided into normal group (≤110 ms, NG group) and extended group (>110 ms, EG group) according to the time limit of QRS wave group of electrocardiogram (ECG). The clinicopathological data of the two groups were collected, and the differences of relevant pathological parameters between the two groups were compared. The correlation between ECG QRS complex time limit and pathological parameters of acute myocardial infarction and the independent risk factors affecting the occurrence of malignant cardiovascular events after acute myocardial infarction were analyzed.Results:A total of 134 patients were enrolled, 73 in the EG group, and 61 in the NG group. The plasma levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (N-proBNP) in EG group were significantly higher than those in NG group ( P<0.05), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was significantly lower than that in NG group ( P<0.05). The time limit of QRS wave group in EG group was positively correlated with the plasma levels of N-proBNP ( r=0.981, P<0.001) and negatively correlated with LVEF ( r=-0.979, P<0.001). The ratio of Killip grade Ⅰ patients in EG group were lower than those in NG group ( P<0.05), while the ratio of grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ patients were significantly higher than those in NG group ( P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the two groups in grade Ⅳ patients ( P>0.05). The incidence of malignant cardiovascular events (cardiogenic shock, malignant arrhythmia, acute pulmonary edema, cardiogenic death and re-infarction) in EG group was significantly higher than that in NG group ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elevated serum N-proBNP, decreased LVEF, prolonged QRS wave duration and high Killip cardiac function were independent risk factors for malignant cardiovascular events after acute myocardial infarction. Conclusions:After acute myocardial infarction, EG patients have worse cardiac function, higher incidence of malignant cardiovascular events and worse prognosis than NG patients.

Study on interaction effects between intestinal microflora features and serum inflammatory factors and insulin resistance index in patients with first-episode untreated schizophrenia / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To study the interaction effects between intestinal microflora features with serum inflammatory factors and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in patients with first-episode untreated schizophrenia (SCZ).Methods:A total of 79 SCZ patients admitted to Suining Central Hospital from August 2016 to August 2019 were selected as observation group, and 60 healthy examiners were set as control group. The intestinal microflora, serum inflammatory factors and glucose metabolism indexes of the two groups were detected and compared. The correlation between intestinal microflora and inflammatory factors and HOMA-IR was analyzed.Results:The content of bifidobacteria in the observation group was lower than that in the control group while the content of bacteroides was higher than that in control group; the levels of serum inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6] and in the observation group were higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05); the level of HOMA-IR in the observation group was higher than that in control group ( P<0.05). The TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and HOMA-IR in SCZ patients were significantly negatively correlated with intestinal bifidobacteria content ( P<0.05), and were obviously positively correlated with bacteroides content ( P<0.05). Conclusions:In first-episode untreated SCZ, the content of bifidobacteria decreased and the content of bacteroides increased, and there was a significant correlation with inflammatory factors and HOMA-IR, which may lead to the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism and induce the occurrence of metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

A Cost-Effective, Aqueous-Solution-Processed Cathode Interlayer Based on Organosilica Nanodots for Highly Efficient and Stable Organic Solar Cells.

The performance and industrial viability of organic photovoltaics are strongly influenced by the functionality and stability of interface layers. Many of the interface materials most commonly used in the lab are limited in their operational stability or their materials cost and are frequently not transferred toward large-scale production and industrial applications. In this work, an advanced aqueous-solution-processed cathode interface layer is demonstrated based on cost-effective organosilica nanodots (OSiNDs) synthesized via a simple one-step hydrothermal reaction. Compared to the interface layers optimized for inverted organic solar cells (i-OSCs), the OSiNDs cathode interlayer shows improved charge carrier extraction and excellent operational stability for various model photoactive systems, achieving a remarkably high power conversion efficiency up to 17.15%. More importantly, the OSiNDs' interlayer is extremely stable under thermal stress or photoillumination (UV and AM 1.5G) and undergoes no photochemical reaction with the photoactive materials used. As a result, the operational stability of inverted OSCs under continuous 1 sun illumination (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm-2 ) is significantly improved by replacing the commonly used ZnO interlayer with OSiND-based interfaces.

Low-Bandgap Porphyrins for Highly Efficient Organic Solar Cells: Materials, Morphology, and Applications.

With developments in materials, thin-film processing, fine-tuning of morphology, and optimization of device fabrication, the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs) has improved markedly in recent years. Designing low-bandgap materials has been a focus in order to maximize solar energy conversion. However, there are only a few successful low-bandgap donor materials developed with near-infrared (NIR) absorption that are well matched to the existing efficient acceptors. Porphyrin has shown great potential as a useful building block for constructing low-bandgap donor materials due to its large conjugated plane and strong absorption. Porphyrin-based donor materials have been shown to contribute to many record-high device efficiencies in small molecule, tandem, ternary, flexible, and OSC/perovskite hybrid solar cells. Specifically, non-fullerene small-molecule solar cells have recently shown a high power conversion efficiency of 12% using low-bandgap porphyrin. All these have validated the great potential of porphyrin derivatives as effective donor materials and made DPPEZnP-TRs a family of best low-bandgap donor materials in the OSC field so far. Here, recent progress in the rational design, morphology, dynamics, and multi-functional applications starting from 2015 will be highlighted to deepen understanding of the structure-property relationship. Finally, some future directions of porphyrin-based OSCs are presented.

Vacuum-Controlled Growth of CsPbI2Br for Highly Efficient and Stable All-Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells.

A high-temperature annealing process (>250 °C) is always needed to obtain high-quality α-CsPbI2Br perovskite films, which makes it a challenge in the manufacture and application of flexible photovoltaic devices. In this work, a vacuum-controlled growth (VCG) method that can effectively control the crystallization of perovskite and provide high-quality films with larger grain size and low defect density at a lower temperature is demonstrated. Besides, a facile introduction of polyethyleneimine ethoxylated (PEIE) interlayer improves the charge extraction and suppresses the carrier recombination. Therefore, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of an all-inorganic CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cell (PSC) reaches 12.32%. The unencapsulated PSCs with VCG treatment and PEIE modification show outstanding stabilities while retaining over 95% of the initial PCE after being stored in a N2 glovebox for 1000 h. This low-temperature crystallization method and cheap interlayer introduction can drive the development of future commercialization of all-inorganic perovskite solar cells.

Large-Area and Patternable Nano-Dot Array from Electrolysis of ITO Film for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

Fabrication of large-area devices with patternable nanostructures is important for practical applications in optical or electrical devices. In this work, we describe an easy and environment-friendly method for preparing large-area nano-dot (ND) arrays via the electrolytic reaction of a metal oxide film. NDs with various size and morphology can be obtained by adjusting the applied voltage, electrolysis time, and the film thickness of the indium tin oxide (ITO) layer. High-density NDs with size of 50-60 nm can be obtained by electrolysis of a 25-nm-thick ITO film at 150 V for 1.5 min under a water droplet medium, which have been applied for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) after depositing a thin layer of silver. The SERS substrate with optimized ND structure exhibits sensitive detection of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) with detection limit down to 5 × 10-12 M. The enhancement factors (EFs) of 1.12 × 106 and 6.79 × 105 have been achieved for characterization of 4-methylbenzenethiol (4-MBT) and R6G, respectively. With an additional photolithographic step, multiple areas of ND arrays can be created on one substrate, enabling simultaneous detection of various samples containing different molecules at once experiment. Such a method is quick, easy, patternable, and environment-friendly, being suitable for on-site quick and synchronous determination of various molecules for applications in point-of-care, environmental monitoring, and airport security fields.

Analysis of clinical and pathological diagnoses of 29 987 skin biopsy samples in Peking Union Medical College Hospital / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To analyze the disease constitution,accuracy of clinical and pathological diagnoses of skin biopsy samples in Peking Union Medical College Hospital.Methods A total of 29987 patients subjected to skin biopsy were collected from Department of Dermatology,Peking Union Medical College Hospital from June 2010 to November 2018,and clinical and histopathological diagnoses of these skin biopsy samples were analyzed retrospectively.Results According to the results of histopathological diagnosis,confirmed diagnoses of these patients could be classified into 33 categories and 242 kinds.Common disease categories included epidermal tumors (2931 cases,9.77％),connective tissue diseases (2809 cases,9.37％),melanocytic tumors (2078 cases,6.93％),erythematous scaly pustular dermatoses (1376 cases,4.59％),lichenoid dermatoses (1291cases,4.31％),allergic or eczematous skin diseases (1282 cases,4.28％)and infectious skin diseases (1156 cases,3.86％).Common skin diseases included scleroderma (1887 cases,6.29％),pigmented nevus (1755 cases,5.85％),seborrheic keratosis (1136 cases,3.79％),eczema (1089 cases,3.63％),psoriasis (881 cases,2.94％),lichen planus (867 cases,2.89％),lupus erythematosus (638 cases,2.13％),pemphigus (549 cases,1.83％),and basal cell carcinoma (501 cases,1.67％).Poor consistency was observed between clinical diagnosis and histopathological diagnosis of lichen planus,bullous pemphigoid,granuloma annulare and hypereosinophilic dermatitis.Conclusions Common disease categories of the skin biopsy samples in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were epidermal tumors,connective tissue diseases,melanocytic tumors,erythematous scaly pustular dermatoses,lichenoid dermatoses,and allergic or eczematous skin diseases.Poor consistency was observed between clinical and pathological diagnosis in some skin diseases,and understanding of these diseases should be improved.

Psychological and physiological effects of viewing a money plant by older adults.

BACKGROUND: Observing plants can induce neurophysiological responses that can alleviate stress and reduce anxiety. However, few studies have examined such effects in older adults. METHODS: The physiological and psychological effects of observing nature (visual observation of a money plant) on 50 older Chinese women (age range: 58-90 years, SD: 8.5 years) were investigated. The participants observed a healthy money plant in a planter for 5 min; the lack of presence of a plant was used as a control. Physiological measurements were assessed using electroencephalography, and the STAI was used as a psychological assessment. RESULTS: After a 5-min observation of a money plant as compared with the control condition, systolic blood pressure significantly decreased, variations in both high alpha and high beta brainwaves were found, and psychological measurements revealed lower anxiety scores. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that viewing a money plant for 5 min may enhance both psychological and physiological relaxation in older adults.

Over 12% Efficiency Nonfullerene All-Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells with Sequentially Evolved Multilength Scale Morphologies.

In this paper, two near-infrared absorbing molecules are successfully incorporated into nonfullerene-based small-molecule organic solar cells (NFSM-OSCs) to achieve a very high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.08%. This is achieved by tuning the sequentially evolved crystalline morphology through combined solvent additive and solvent vapor annealing, which mainly work on ZnP-TBO and 6TIC, respectively. It not only helps improve the crystallinity of the ZnP-TBO and 6TIC blend, but also forms multilength scale morphology to enhance charge mobility and charge extraction. Moreover, it simultaneously reduces the nongeminate recombination by effective charge delocalization. The resultant device performance shows remarkably enhanced fill factor and Jsc . These result in a very respectable PCE, which is the highest among all NFSM-OSCs and all small-molecule binary solar cells reported so far.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the hybrid of Haliotis discus hannai (♀) × Haliotis Iris (♂).

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of the hybrid of Haliotis discus hannai (♀) × Haliotis iris (♂) was sequenced and analyzed for the first time. The mitogenome had a length of 16,719 bp and contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 1 control region (CR). The sequence identity of the complete mtDNA sequences between the hybrid F1 and H. discus hannai was 99.40%, which revealed that the mitogenome of the hybrid subjected to the maternal inheritance rule. The phylogenetic analysis also presented that the hybrid F1 was relatively more close to H. discus hannai.

Dermoscopic features of onychomycosis and nail psoriasis / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To investigate dermoscopic features of onychomycosis and nail psoriasis.Methods From March 2017 to March 2018,128 patients with onychomycosis and 128 with nail psoriasis were enrolled from Department of Dermatology,Xiangyang Central Hospital.Dermoscopic images of the lesional nails were compared.Enumeration data were analyzed by chi-square test and Fisher's exact test.Results There were 7 kinds of dermoscopic patterns in onychomycosis,including jagged edge (69/128,53.91％),longitudinal striae (72/128,56.25％),cone-shaped keratosis (30/128,23.44％),nail plate thickening (21/128,16.41％),black dots (5/128,3.91％),onycholysis (26/128,20.31％),and nail discoloration (23/128,17.97％).The jagged edge and longitudinal striae occurred more frequently in distal/ lateral subungual onychomycosis (DLSO) than in the other 3 clinical subtypes of onychomycosis (all P ＜ 0.001),and cone-shaped keratosis occurred more frequently in total dystrophic onychomycosis (TDO) than in the other 3 clinical subtypes of onychomycosis (x2 =42.020,P ＜ 0.001).There were no significant differences in the prevalance of nail plate thickening,black dots,onycholysis and nail discoloration among the 4 clinical subtypes of onychomycosis (all P ＞ 0.05).There were 7 kinds of dermoscopic patterns in nail psoriasis,including pitting corrosion (61/128,47.66％),oil drop sign (41/128,32.03％),splinter hemorrhage (41/128,32.03％),dilated hyponychial capillaries (23/128,17.97％),nail plate thickening (20/128,15.63％),onycholysis (20/128,15.63％),and nail discoloration (13/128,10.16％).The oil drop sign occurred more frequently in psoriasis vulgaris and psoriasis arthropathica than in the other 2 clinical subtypes of psoriasis (P =0.019).The dilated hyponychial capillaries occurred more frequently in pustular psoriasis than in the other 3 clinical subtypes of psoriasis (P =0.047).There were no significant differences in the prevalance of pitting corrosion,splinter haemorrhage,nail plate thickening and nail discoloration among the 4 clinical subtypes of psoriasis (all P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The dermoscopic features of onychomycosis include jagged edge,longitudinal striae,cone-shaped keratosis and black dots,and the dermoscopic features of nail psoriasis include pitting corrosion,oil drop sign,splinter haemorrhage and dilated hyponychial capillaries.Their common dermoscopic features include nail plate thickening,onycholysis and nail discoloration.