Synergy Between Surface Confinement and Heterointerfacial Regulations with Fast Electron/Ion Migration in InSe-PPy for Sodium-Ion Storage.

Layered indium selenide (InSe) is a new 2D semiconductor material with high carrier mobility, widely adjustable bandgap, and high ductility. However, its ion storage behavior and related electrochemical reaction mechanism are rarely reported. In this study, InSe nanoflakes encapsulated in conductive polypyrrole (InSe@PPy) are designed in consideration of restraining the severe volume change in the electrochemical reaction and increasing conductivity via in situ chemical oxidation polymerization. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the construction of heterostructure can generate an internal electric field to accelerate electron transfer via additional driving forces, offering synergistically enhanced structural stability, electrical conductivity, and Na+ diffusion process. The resulting InSe@PPy composite shows outstanding electrochemical performance in the sodium ion batteries system, achieving a high reversible capacity of 336.4 mA h g-1 after 500 cycles at 1 A g-1 and a long-term cyclic stability with capacity of 274.4 mA h g-1 after 2800 cycles at 5 A g-1 . In particular, the investigation of capacity fluctuation within the first cycling reveals the alternating significance of intercalation and conversion reactions and evanescent alloying reaction. The combined reaction mechanism of insertion, conversion, and alloying of InSe@PPy is revealed by in situ X-ray diffraction, ex situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.

Predicting gene regulatory links from single-cell RNA-seq data using graph neural networks.

Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has emerged as a powerful technique for studying gene expression patterns at the single-cell level. Inferring gene regulatory networks (GRNs) from scRNA-seq data provides insight into cellular phenotypes from the genomic level. However, the high sparsity, noise and dropout events inherent in scRNA-seq data present challenges for GRN inference. In recent years, the dramatic increase in data on experimentally validated transcription factors binding to DNA has made it possible to infer GRNs by supervised methods. In this study, we address the problem of GRN inference by framing it as a graph link prediction task. In this paper, we propose a novel framework called GNNLink, which leverages known GRNs to deduce the potential regulatory interdependencies between genes. First, we preprocess the raw scRNA-seq data. Then, we introduce a graph convolutional network-based interaction graph encoder to effectively refine gene features by capturing interdependencies between nodes in the network. Finally, the inference of GRN is obtained by performing matrix completion operation on node features. The features obtained from model training can be applied to downstream tasks such as measuring similarity and inferring causality between gene pairs. To evaluate the performance of GNNLink, we compare it with six existing GRN reconstruction methods using seven scRNA-seq datasets. These datasets encompass diverse ground truth networks, including functional interaction networks, Loss of Function/Gain of Function data, non-specific ChIP-seq data and cell-type-specific ChIP-seq data. Our experimental results demonstrate that GNNLink achieves comparable or superior performance across these datasets, showcasing its robustness and accuracy. Furthermore, we observe consistent performance across datasets of varying scales. For reproducibility, we provide the data and source code of GNNLink on our GitHub repository: https://github.com/sdesignates/GNNLink.

Application of multivariate time-series model for high performance computing (HPC) fault prediction.

Aiming at the high reliability demand of increasingly large and complex supercomputing systems, this paper proposes a multidimensional fusion CBA-net (CNN-BiLSTAM-Attention) fault prediction model based on HDBSCAN clustering preprocessing classification data, which can effectively extract and learn the spatial and temporal features in the predecessor fault log. The model can effectively extract and learn the spatial and temporal features from the predecessor fault logs, and has the advantages of high sensitivity to time series features and sufficient extraction of local features, etc. The RMSE of the model for fault occurrence time prediction is 0.031, and the prediction accuracy of node location for fault occurrence is 93% on average, as demonstrated by experiments. The model can achieve fast convergence and improve the fine-grained and accurate fault prediction of large supercomputers.

Defective Bi2S3 Anchored on CuS/C as an Ultrafast and Long-Life Anode for Sodium-Ion Storage.

Due to the high electrical conductivity and abundant redox active sites, bimetal sulfides are highly competitive anode materials for sodium storage with long-life and high-rate. Herein, a heterostructured metal sulfide (Bi2S3-CuS) with a carbon-based support is prepared by calcination and ion exchange methods. The synergistic effects of the heterostructure and defective structure provide facile diffusion channels, fast Na+ migration, and plentiful active sites for Na+, which reflect in the impressive electrochemical performance with a high reversible capacity of 592.2 mA h g-1 after 1000 cycles at 8 A g-1. Furthermore, the Na-ion full batteries exhibit an ultra-long cycling performance with a value of 216 mA h g-1 after 4000 cycles at 10 A g-1. Interestingly, the defective structure of Bi2S3 remains after cycling. Kinetic analyses and density functional theoretical calculations clarified that the heterointerfacial structure, especially on the interface containing sulfur defects in Bi2S3 of Bi2S3-CuS, could induce feasible ion adsorption and promote ion transfer, which lays the foundation for achieving ultrafast sodiation kinetics.

Ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum block provided more effective analgesia for children undergoing lower abdominal laparoscopic surgery: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain treatment for pediatrics is often inadequate and the evidence of pediatric postoperative analgesia is scarce. To our knowledge, no report regarding the comparison among caudal block, transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and quadratus lumborum (QL) block for children undergoing lower abdominal laparoscopic surgery was found at present. Thus this trial aimed to compare the efficacies of them for children undergoing lower abdominal laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: One hundred and eighty children aged from 1 to 12 years undergoing lower abdominal laparoscopic surgery were included and randomized to receive caudal block, TAP block or QL block. The primary outcome was the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability (FLACC) score at 30 min, 1 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h, and 24 h and tramadol consumption during first 24 h postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included the number of children received tramadol, time to first tramadol request, parents' satisfaction and postoperative adverse reactions. RESULTS: The QLB group had lower postoperative FLACC scores at 8 h (median difference - 0.43, P = 0.03) than the Caudal group and at 4 h (median difference - 0.6, P = 0.001) and 8 h (median difference - 0.43, P = 0.03) than the TAPB group. The tramadol consumption was lower in the QLB group (28.43 ± 6.55) than the TAPB group (37.17 ± 6.12, P = 0.023). Although the number of children received tramadol did not differ among the three groups, the time to first tramadol request was longer in the QLB group (7.20 ± 0.79) than the caudal group (8.42 ± 0.61, P = 0.008). No statistical difference was observed concerning other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: QLB produced more effective postoperative analgesia for children undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery compared with the TAPB and caudal block.

Coupling of Metallic VSe2 and Conductive Polypyrrole for Boosted Sodium-Ion Storage by Reinforced Conductivity Within and Outside.

Although transitional metal dichalcogenides have been regarded as appealing electrodes for sodium/potassium-ion batteries (SIBs/PIBs) owing to their high theoretical capacity, it is a key challenge to realize dichalcogenide anodes with long-period cycling performance and high-rate capability because of their poor conductivity and large volumetric change. Herein, polypyrrole-encapsulated VSe2 nanoplates (VSe2@PPy) were prepared by the selenization of VOOH hollow nanospheres and subsequent in situ polymerization and coating by pyrrole. Benefiting from the inherent metallicity of VSe2, the improvement in the conductivity and the structural protection provided by the PPy layer, the VSe2@PPy nanoplates exhibited enhanced sodium/potassium-storage performances, delivering a superior rate capability with a capacity of 260.0 mA h g-1 at 10 A g-1 in SIBs and 148.6 mA h g-1 at 5 A g-1 in PIBs, as well as revealing an ultrastability in cycling of 324.6 mA h g-1 after 2800 cycles at 4 A g-1 in SIBs. Moreover, the insertion and conversion mechanisms of VSe2@PPy in SIBs with intermediates of Na0.6VSe2, NaVSe2, and VSe were elucidated by in situ/ex situ X-ray diffraction combined with ex situ transmission electron microscopy observation and in situ potentio-electrochemical impedance spectroscopy during the sodiation and desodiation processes. Density functional theory calculations show that the strong coupling between VSe2 and PPy not only causes it to have a stronger total density of states and a built-in electric field, leading to an increased electrical conductivity, but also effectively decreases the ion diffusion barrier.

Drp1-Mediated Mitochondrial Metabolic Dysfunction Inhibits the Tumor Growth of Pituitary Adenomas.

Metabolic changes have been suggested to be a hallmark of tumors and are closely associated with tumorigenesis. In a previous study, we demonstrated the role of lactate dehydrogenase in regulating abnormal glucose metabolism in pituitary adenomas (PA). As the key organelle of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), mitochondria play a vital role in the energy supply for tumor cells. However, few attempts have been made to elucidate mitochondrial metabolic homeostasis in PA. Dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) is a member of the dynamin superfamily of GTPases, which mediates mitochondrial fission. This study is aimed at investigating whether Drp1 affects the progression of PA through abnormal mitochondrial metabolism. We analyzed the expression of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) in 20 surgical PA samples. The effects of Drp1 on PA growth were assessed in vitro and in xenograft models. We found an upregulation of Drp1 in PA samples with a low proliferation index. Knockdown or inhibition of Drp1 enhanced the proliferation of PA cell lines in vitro, while overexpression of Drp1 could reversed such effects. Mechanistically, overexpressed Drp1 damaged mitochondria by overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induced mitochondrial OXPHOS inhibition and decline of ATP production. The energy deficiency inhibited proliferation of PA cells. In addition, overexpressed Drp1 promoted cytochrome c release from damaged mitochondria into the cytoplasm and then activated the downstream caspase apoptotic cascade reaction, which induced apoptosis of PA cells. Moreover, the decreased ATP production induced by Drp1 overexpressing activated the AMPK cellular energy stress sensor and enhanced autophagy through the AMPK-ULK1 pathway, which might play a protective role in PA growth. Furthermore, overexpression of Drp1 repressed PA growth in vivo. Our data indicates that Drp1-mediated mitochondrial metabolic dysfunction inhibits PA growth by affecting cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy. Selectively targeting mitochondrial metabolic homeostasis stands out as a promising antineoplastic strategy for PA therapy.

Carbon-Encapsulated Ni3 Se4 /CoSe2 Heterostructured Nanospheres: Sodium/Potassium-Ion Storage Anode with Prominent Electrochemical Properties.

Heterogeneous structures are used as energy storage devices because of their ability to accelerate charge transfer, which greatly contributes to the rate capability of devices. However, the construction of heterostructures with conspicuous electrochemical properties remains a huge challenge. In this study, a design of heterostructured Ni3 Se4 /CoSe2 nanospheres encapsulated by a carbon shell (Ni3 Se4 /CoSe2 @C) synthesized through facile hydrothermal and annealing methods is presented. The Ni3 Se4 /CoSe2 @C exhibits excellent cyclic performance with a capacity of 420 mA h g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 after 100 cycles for Na-storage and 330.1 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 after 200 cycles for K-storage. The excellent cyclic performance can be attributed to the carbon coating that maintains the structural stability and enhances electrical conductivity, and significantly, the heterostructures that promote ion/electron transport. The sodium storage mechanism of the Ni3 Se4 /CoSe2 @C is revealed by ex situ X-ray powder diffraction, ex situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and in situ electrochemical impedance spectra analyses. The first principles density functional theory calculation is performed to prove that the heterostructure on the Ni3 Se4 /CoSe2 interface can induce an electric field and thus improve the electrochemical reaction kinetics. This study provides an effective approach for constructing heterostructured composites for high-performance alkaline batteries.

Heterojunction-Promoted Sodium Ion Storage of Bimetallic Selenides Encapsulated in a Carbon Sheath with Boosted Ion Diffusion and Stable Structure.

Although metallic chalcogenides are deemed as attractive sodium anode materials recently, the electrochemical performance is severely confined by the liability of structural collapse and sluggish ion diffusion kinetics. Herein a composite of carbon-encapsulated bimetallic selenides MoSe2-Sb2Se3 was prepared by a hydrothermal method on the basis of abundant reaction sites, high activity, an extra built-in electric field generated from heterointerfaces, and synergistic effects between the different components. Equally important, the carbon coating is effective to support the structural stability by restraining the vast volumetric variation to achieve the purpose of improving the cycling performance. The density functional theory calculation results indicate that the band gap is narrowed and that the work function is decreased on the interface of the MoSe2-Sb2Se3 heterojunction, leading to an additional driving force stemming from the introduction of the built-in electric field and the formation of the Sb-Se (Se from MoSe2) bond. Therefore, the resultant composite presents increased reaction kinetics and good electrochemical properties by acquiring a capacity of 376.0 mA h g-1 over 580 cycles at 2.0 A g-1 for the half-cell and 276 mA h g-1 over 750 cycles at 2 A g-1 for the full-cell. This work highlights bimetallic selenides with facilitated ion transferability with high performance.

Minimal TiO2 Coupled with Conductive Polymer-Stimulated Synergistic Effect on Fast and Reversible Sodium-Ion Storage for Bismuth Sulfide.

Designing multiphase composition is believed to availably boost the structural integrity and electrochemical properties of sodium-ion battery anodes. Herein, a conceive of nanoflowers, assembled with Bi2S3 nanorods, is demonstrated to construct the multiphase composition involving TiO2 coating and polypyrrole (PPy) encapsulation. Bi2S3 acted as the dominating active material, in consideration of the low content of TiO2, which ensured the high capacity of the composite. The dual-structural restrain of the TiO2 and PPy coatings can effectively alleviate volume variation based on the pseudo-"zero-strain" effect of TiO2 and high flexibility of PPy shells. Meanwhile, the heterointerface greatly enhanced the coupling effect between Bi2S3 and TiO2 and thus improved the electrochemical performance, which was proved by the results of density functional theory calculation and electrochemical tests. Combining the regulation from the Bi2S3/TiO2 heterojunction and the dual-structural restrain effect, the Bi2S3/TiO2@PPy electrode exhibited excellent rate performance and superior cycle stability (275.8 mA h g-1 over 500 cycles at 10 A g-1). This study indicates that designing multiphase composition can be very promising and provides a structural insight to construct high stability in electrodes for sodium-ion batteries.

SCP2-mediated cholesterol membrane trafficking promotes the growth of pituitary adenomas via Hedgehog signaling activation.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic reprogramming is an important characteristic of tumors. In the progression of pituitary adenomas (PA), abnormal glucose metabolism has been confirmed by us before. However, whether cholesterol metabolism is involved in the process of PA remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether abnormal cholesterol metabolism could affect the progression of PA. METHODS: We analyzed the expression of sterol carrier protein 2 (SCP2) in 40 surgical PA samples. In vitro experiments and xenograft models were used to assess the effects of SCP2 and cholesterol on proliferation of PA. The incidence of hypercholesterolemia between 140 PA patients and 100 heathy controls were compared. RESULTS: We found an upregulation of SCP2 in PA samples, especially in tumors with high proliferation index. Forced expression of SCP2 promoted PA cell lines proliferation in vitro. Furthermore, SCP2 regulated cholesterol trafficking from cytoplasm to membrane in GH3 cells, and extracellularly treating GH3 cells and primary PA cells with methyl-ß-cyclodextrin/cholesterol complex to mimic membrane cholesterol concentration enhanced cell proliferation, which suggested a proliferative effect of cholesterol. Mechanistically, cholesterol induced activation of PKA/SUFU/GLI1 signaling via smoothened receptor, which was well-known as Hedgehog signaling, resulting in inhibiting apoptosis and promoting cell cycle. Accordingly, activation of Hedgehog signaling was also confirmed in primary PA cells and surgical PA samples. In vivo, SCP2 overexpression and high cholesterol diet could promote tumor growth. Intriguingly, the incidence of hypercholesterolemia was significantly higher in PA patients than healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicated that dysregulated cholesterol metabolism could promote PA growth by activating Hedgehog signaling, supporting a potential tumorigenic role of cholesterol metabolism in PA progression.

Lactate dehydrogenase A promotes the invasion and proliferation of pituitary adenoma.

Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) has been reported to be involved in the initiation and progression of tumors. However, the potential role of LDHA in pituitary adenoma (PA) remains unknown. In this study, we showed that the expression levels of LDHA mRNA and protein were significantly elevated in invasive PA samples, and positively correlated with higher Ki-67 index. Overexpression of LDHA in a PA cell line (GH3) promoted glucose uptake through the upregulation of glucose transporter-1 (Glut1), lactate secretion and induced cellular invasion by upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase2 (MMP2). LDHA also promoted GH3 cell proliferation through induction of cell cycle progression via activation of the Akt-GSK-3ß-cyclinD1 pathway. Accordingly, oxamate-induced inhibition of LDHA suppressed glucose uptake, lactate secretion, invasion and proliferation in GH3 cells via down regulation of Glut1 and MMP2 expression and inhibition of the Akt-GSK-3ß-cyclinD1 pathway. Moreover, oxamate induced GH3 cell apoptosis by increasing mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In vivo, LDHA overexpression promoted tumor growth, and oxamate delayed tumor growth. In primary PA cell cultures, oxamate also effectively suppressed invasion and proliferation. Our data indicate that LDHA is involved in promoting the progression of PA, and oxamate might be a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of PA.

Metformin inhibits proliferation and growth hormone secretion of GH3 pituitary adenoma cells.

Metformin is an anti-hyperglycemic agent used to treat diabetes, and recent evidence suggests it has antitumor efficacy. Because growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma (GH-PA) patients have a high incidence of diabetes frequently treated with metformin, we assessed the antitumor effect of metformin on GH-PA. We found that metformin effectively inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in the GH-PA cell line GH3. We detected a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), an increase in expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, and a decrease in expression of an anti-apoptotic protein in metformin-treated GH3 cells, which suggests involvement of the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway. Inhibition of AMPK, which is activated by metformin, failed to reverse the antiproliferative effect. ATF3 was upregulated by metformin, and its knockdown significantly reduced metformin-induced apoptosis. In addition, GH secretion was inhibited by metformin through suppression of STAT3 activity independently of AMPK. Metformin also significantly suppressed cellular proliferation and GH secretion in primary human GH-PA cells. Metformin also significantly inhibited GH3 cell proliferation and GH secretion in vivo. ATF3 upregulation and p-STAT3 downregulation were confirmed in xenografts. These findings suggest metformin is a potentially promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of GH-PA, particularly in patients with diabetes.

Evidence for possible role of toll-like receptor 3 mediating virus-induced progression of pituitary adenomas.

Tumor-related viruses are known to be involved in initiation and progression of certain tumors. However, the relationship between virus and pituitary adenomas (PAs) remains unknown. Here, we investigated infection status of three types of viruses (HPV16, HHV6B and HSV1) and expression level of toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in 60 human PA samples. We also determined the role of TLR3 signaling pathway on a PA cell line (GH3). We firstly found that positive rates of HPV16 and HHV6B infection were significantly higher in invasive PA samples than in noninvasive samples (P < 0.01). Similarly, TLR3 mRNA and protein expression also increased in invasive PA samples (P < 0.01). In vitro analysis indicated that GH3 cell proliferation and survival were enhanced by TLR3 activation, which was accompanied by NF-κB activation. Our data indicate that HPV16 and HHV6B viruses may be involved in promoting the progression of PA by activating the TLR3 signaling pathway.

[Effect of electroacupuncture for immune function of patients treated with laparoscopic radical rectectomy for rectal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) combined with general anesthesia for the immune function of patients treated with laparoscopic radical rectectomy for rectal cancer. METHODS: Fifty patients who would receive selective laparoscopic radical rectectomy for rectal cancer with general anesthesia were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group,25 cases in each one. Fifteen minutes before anesthesia induction,patients in the observation group were treated with EA at Zusanli (ST 36) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) until the end of operation. Sham acupuncture without piercing the skin was applied at the same acupoints in the control group, and electrodes were connected without stimulation. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6) were quantitatively tested before anesthesia (T0), at the time of abdomen closing (T1) and one hour after anesthesia anabiosis (T2). And serum procalcitonin (PCT) level, leucocyte count and the number of cases with increasing leucocyte (the standard number>10×109/L) were measured on the first day after operation. RESULTS: The levels of IL-4 and IL-6 were increased apparently and the ratio of IFN-γ/IL-4 was decreased at T2 compared with those before treatment in the control group (all P<0.05), but obvious change did not appear in the observation group (all P>0.05). The ratio of IFN-γ/IL-4 was enhanced (P<0.05),and the levels of IL-4 and IL-6 were reduced (both P<0.05) at T2 in the observation group compared with those in the control group. The level of PCT of the observation group was markedly lower than that of the control group on the first day after operation (P<0.05). There was no statistical significance about leucocyte count and the number of cases with increasing leucocyte between the two groups (both P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EA at Zusanli (ST 36) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) could alleviate the depressing immune function and inflammatory reaction of patients after laparoscopic radical rectectomy for rectal cancer.

Development of an optical gas leak sensor for detecting ethylene, dimethyl ether and methane.

In this paper, we present an approach to develop an optical gas leak sensor that can be used to measure ethylene, dimethyl ether, and methane. The sensor is designed based on the principles of IR absorption spectrum detection, and comprises two crossed elliptical surfaces with a folded reflection-type optical path. We first analyze the optical path and the use of this structure to design a miniature gas sensor. The proposed sensor includes two detectors (one to acquire the reference signal and the other for the response signal), the light source, and the filter, all of which are integrated in a miniature gold-plated chamber. We also designed a signal detection device to extract the sensor signal and a microprocessor to calculate and control the entire process. The produced sensor prototype had an accuracy of ±0.05%. Experiments which simulate the transportation of hazardous chemicals demonstrated that the developed sensor exhibited a good dynamic response and adequately met technical requirements.