Predictors of urinary heavy metal concentrations among pregnant women in Jinan, China.

BACKGROUND: Toxic heavy metal exposure and insufficiency or excess of essential heavy metals may have negative effects on pregnant women's health and fetal growth. To date, the predictors of pregnant women's heavy metal exposure levels remain unclear and vary with different regions. The study intended to explore potential predictors of exposure to heavy metals individually and high co-exposure to heavy metal mixtures. METHODS: We recruited 298 pregnant women in first trimester from prenatal clinics in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, and collected spot urine samples and questionnaire data on their demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, consumption of food and dietary supplement, and residential environment. All urine samples were analyzed for seven heavy metals: cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), strontium (Sr), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg). RESULTS: Factors associated with single heavy metal concentration were as follows: a) urinary As, Sr and Cd increased with women's age respectively; b) pregnant women with higher monthly household income per capita had lower Sr and Mo levels; c) pregnant women with intermittent folic acid supplementation and those not taking tap water as domestic drinking water had lower Sr concentrations; d) Cd was positively linked with consumption frequency of rice; e) Hg was adversely related to consumption frequency of egg and the women who took purified water as domestic drinking water had lower Hg exposure. In addition, pregnant women's age was positively associated with odds of high co-exposure to Co, As, Sr, Mo, Cd and Pb; while those with an educational level of college had lower odds of high exposure to such a metal mixture compared with those whose educational levels were lower than high school. CONCLUSION: Predictors of single urinary heavy metal concentration included pregnant women's age (As, Sr and Cd), monthly household income per capita (Sr and Mo), folic acid supplementation (Sr), rice consumption frequency (Cd), egg consumption frequency (Hg) and the type of domestic drinking water (Sr and Hg). Pregnant women with older age, lower educational level tended to have high co-exposure to Co, As, Sr, Mo, Cd and Pb.

Nanocellulose-Enhanced, Easily Processable Cellulose-Based Flexible Pressure Sensor for Wearable Epidermal Sensing.

Flexible pressure sensors (FPSs) based on biomass materials have gained considerable attention for their potential in wearable electronics, human-machine interaction, and environmental protection. Herein, flexible silver nanowire-dual-cellulose paper (SNdCP) containing common cellulose fibers, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), and silver nanowires (AgNWs) for FPSs was assembled by a facile papermaking strategy. Compared with bacterial cellulose (BC) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), CNFs possess better dimensions and reinforcement, which enables the composite paper to exhibit better mechanical properties (tensile stress of 164.65 MPa) and electrical conductivity (11600 S·m-1), providing more possibilities for FPSs. Benefiting from these advantages, we construct an easily processable and sensitive human-interactive FPS based on a composite paper with high sensitivity (0.050 kPa-1), fast response/recovery time (158/95 ms), and exceptional stability (>1000 bending cycles), capable of responding to finger motions, voice recognition, and human pulses; through further employment as the array unit and a control circuit, the observed highly adaptive mechano-electric transformability and functions are well maintained. Overall, a facile and versatile strategy with the potential to provide clues for the fabrication of cellulose-based FPSs with outstanding performance was introduced.

Dynamics of Information Flow and Task Allocation of Social Insect Colonies: Impacts of Spatial Interactions and Task Switching.

Models of social interaction dynamics have been powerful tools for understanding the efficiency of information spread and the robustness of task allocation in social insect colonies. How workers spatially distribute within the colony, or spatial heterogeneity degree (SHD), plays a vital role in contact dynamics, influencing information spread and task allocation. We used agent-based models to explore factors affecting spatial heterogeneity and information flow, including the number of task groups, variation in spatial arrangements, and levels of task switching, to study: (1) the impact of multiple task groups on SHD, contact dynamics, and information spread, and (2) the impact of task switching on SHD and contact dynamics. Both models show a strong linear relationship between the dynamics of SHD and contact dynamics, which exists for different initial conditions. The multiple-task-group model without task switching reveals the impacts of the number and spatial arrangements of task locations on information transmission. The task-switching model allows task-switching with a probability through contact between individuals. The model indicates that the task-switching mechanism enables a dynamical state of task-related spatial fidelity at the individual level. This spatial fidelity can assist the colony in redistributing their workforce, with consequent effects on the dynamics of spatial heterogeneity degree. The spatial fidelity of a task group is the proportion of workers who perform that task and have preferential walking styles toward their task location. Our analysis shows that the task switching rate between two tasks is an exponentially decreasing function of the spatial fidelity and contact rate. Higher spatial fidelity leads to more agents aggregating to task location, reducing contact between groups, thus making task switching more difficult. Our results provide important insights into the mechanisms that generate spatial heterogeneity and deepen our understanding of how spatial heterogeneity impacts task allocation, social interaction, and information spread.

Optimized Intermediates Adsorption Configuration on Co-Doped Fe2 P@NiP2 Heterojunction Interface for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Nitrate-To-Ammonia Conversion.

The extraction of ammonia (NH3 ) through electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3 - RR) represents a sustainable avenue in NH3 generation and utilization. However, the catalytic efficiency of the NO3 - RR is hindered by the sluggish kinetics. This study first theoretically found that phosphide-based heterostructure can alter the adsorption structure of intermediates in the nitrate-to-ammonia process, thereby achieving precise regulation of the energy barrier in the rate-determining step. Based on theoretical design, a novel Co-doped Fe2 P@NiP2 heterojunction catalyst is successfully synthesized, which deliver a notable NH3 yield rate of 0.395 mmol h-1  cm-2 at -0.7 V versus RHE, as well as a remarkable ammonia Faraday efficiency of 97.2% at -0.6 V versus RHE. Experimental and theoretical results further confirm that redistributing electrons and shifting the center of the d-band upwards through interfacial doping modulate intermediates adsorption strength and inhibition of hydrogen evolution, leading to excellent performance in NO3 - -to-NH3 . Further integrating the Co-Fe2 P@NiP2 catalyst into a Zn-nitrate battery exhibits a substantial voltage output of 1.49 V and a commendable power density of 13.2 mW cm-2 . The heteroatom-doped heterojunction strategy provides a versatile route for developing advanced catalysts, thereby broadening the horizons of electrocatalytic methodologies for nitrate reduction and ammonia synthesis.

Three-Dimensional Vanadium and Nitrogen Dual-Doped Ti3C2 Film with Ultra-High Specific Capacitance and High Volumetric Energy Density for Zinc-Ion Hybrid Capacitors.

Zinc-ion hybrid capacitors (ZICs) can achieve high energy and power density, ultralong cycle life, and a wide operating voltage window, and they are widely used in wearable devices, portable electronics devices, and other energy storage fields. The design of advanced ZICs with high specific capacity and energy density remains a challenge. In this work, a novel kind of V, N dual-doped Ti3C2 film with a three-dimensional (3D) porous structure (3D V-, N-Ti3C2) based on Zn-ion pre-intercalation can be fabricated via a simple synthetic process. The stable 3D structure and heteroatom doping provide abundant ion transport channels and numerous surface active sites. The prepared 3D V-, N-Ti3C2 film can deliver unexpectedly high specific capacitance of 855 F g-1 (309 mAh g-1) and demonstrates 95.26% capacitance retention after 5000 charge/discharge cycles. In addition, the energy storage mechanism of 3D V-, N-Ti3C2 electrodes is the chemical adsorption of H+/Zn2+, which is confirmed by ex situ XRD and ex situ XPS. ZIC full cells with a competitive energy density (103 Wh kg-1) consist of a 3D V-, N-Ti3C2 cathode and a zinc foil anode. The impressive results provide a feasible strategy for developing high-performance MXene-based energy storage devices in various energy-related fields.

Ultrasound-targeted microbubble technology facilitates SAHH gene delivery to treat diabetic cardiomyopathy by activating AMPK pathway.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a cardiovascular complication with no known cure. In this study, we evaluated the combination of ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) and cationic microbubbles (CMBs) for cardiac S-adenosyl homocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) gene transfection as potential DCM therapy. Models of high glucose/fat (HG/HF)-induced H9C2 cells and streptozotocin-induced DCM rats were established. Ultrasound-mediated SAHH delivery using CMBs was a safe and noninvasive approach for spatially localized drug administration both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, SAHH overexpression increased cell viability and antioxidative stress and inhibited apoptosis of HG/HF-induced H9C2 cells. Likewise, UTMD-mediated SAHH delivery attenuated apoptosis, oxidative stress, cardiac fibrosis, and myocardial dysfunction in DCM rats. Activation of the AMPK/FOXO3/SIRT3 signaling pathway may be a key mechanism mediating the role of SAHH in regulating myocardial injury. Thus, UTMD-mediated SAHH transfection may be an important advancement in cardiac gene therapy for restoring ventricular function after DCM.

Cationic cellulose nanofibers/chitosan auxiliary-dominated win-win strategy for paper yarn with superior color and physical performances.

The colored and high-saline effluents during the traditional dyeing process poses serious environmental challenge. In our study, an eco-friendly cationic cellulose nano-fiber/chitosan (CCNF/CS) binary versatile auxiliary was designed for the neutral salt-free dyeing and physical enhancement of paper by mixing with pulp simply. Profiting from the rich cationic binding sites of CCNF/CS (Charge density: 3749.67 µmol/g), under near neutral conditions (pH = 6.2), the maximum adsorption capacity of anionic GL (Direct fast turquoise blue GL) on paper with 0.5 % CCNF/CS reached 1865.06 mg/g with a desirable evenness (45.5 % and 92.1 % higher than that of CCNF and NaCl group, respectively), and the dye uptake was up to 97 %. The spontaneous adsorption behavior was aligned with the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, with a primary physical mechanism enhanced by chemical forces. The combination of strong electronic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and n-π stacking effects granted CCNF/CS an enhanced proficiency in anionic dye adsorption. In addition, the tensile strength of the resulting paper yarn with 0.5 % CCNF/CS increased to 52.47 MPa under the optimal parameters, deriving from the CCNF/CS-induced inter-fiber cohesion. Overall, our research provided a green promising approach for the innovative neutral salt-free dyeing and mechanical enhancement of paper.

Efficacy and safety of intragastric expandable oral capsules in adults with overweight or obesity: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

AIM: This trial assessed the efficacy and safety of 2.24 g intragastric expandable capsules twice per day versus placebo for weight management in adults with overweight or obesity. METHODS: This double-blind, placebo-controlled study included adults with a body mass index of at least 24 kg/m2 and no more than 40 kg/m2 . In total, 280 participants were recruited from six hospitals in China and were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive 2.24 g oral intragastric expandable capsules or placebo for 24 weeks. Coprimary endpoints were the percentage change in body weight from baseline and the rate of weight reduction of ≥5%, assessed using both the full analysis set and per protocol set. RESULTS: At baseline, the mean body weight was 81.8 kg, and the mean body mass index was 29.4 kg/m2 . The mean body weight change at week 24 was -4.9% with intragastric expandable capsules versus -1.9% with placebo [estimated treatment difference (ETD) -3.0%, 95% confidence interval (CI) -4.1 to -1.9; p < .001] using the full analysis set and -6.1% versus -2.5% (ETD -3.6%, 95% CI -5.0 to -2.3; p < .001), respectively, using the per protocol set. The percentage of participants who had weight loss exceeding 5% was 45.0% in the intragastric expandable capsule group versus 19.7% in the placebo group (ETD 25.3%, 95% CI 14.7-35.9; p < .001) in the full analysis set and 55.9% versus 26.2% (ETD 29.6%, 95% CI 17.1-42.2; p < .001), respectively, in the per protocol set. Waist circumference significantly decreased at week 24 (intragastric expandable capsules vs. placebo: -5.6 ± 8.3 cm vs. -2.9 ± 4.8 cm; p = .003). The most common adverse events associated with the use of intragastric expandable capsules were gastrointestinal disorders (intragastric expandable capsule vs. placebo, 25.0% vs. 21.9%), and most were mild and transient. CONCLUSIONS: In this 24-week trial including participants with overweight or obesity, 2.24 g of intragastric expandable capsules twice daily led to a clinically meaningful reduction in body weight compared with placebo.

Effects of age and disease duration on the efficacy and safety of iGlarLixi in Asian people with type 2 diabetes: A post hoc analysis of the LixiLan-O-AP and LixiLan-L-CN trials.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of age and disease duration on the efficacy and safety of iGlarLixi versus insulin glargine 100 units/ml (iGlar) or lixisenatide (Lixi) alone in Asian people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) uncontrolled on oral antidiabetic drugs (LixiLan-O-AP) or basal insulin ± oral antidiabetic drugs (LixiLan-L-CN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this post hoc analysis, the glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) changes were assessed from baseline to week 24 (LixiLan-O-AP) or 30 (LixiLan-L-CN) in subgroups defined by baseline age (<65, ≥65 years) and duration of T2D. The proportion who achieved the composite of HbA1c <7% (<53.0 mmol/mol) without weight gain and without symptomatic hypoglycaemia (plasma glucose ≤3.9 mmol/L) and the incidences of hypoglycaemia and gastrointestinal disorders were also analysed. RESULTS: HbA1c reductions were consistently greater with iGlarLixi versus iGlar or Lixi across all subgroups, including participants aged ≥65 years and those with T2D for ≥15 or ≥20 years. Greater proportions of participants achieved HbA1c <7% (<53.0 mmol/mol) without weight gain or hypoglycaemia with iGlarLixi versus iGlar or Lixi, regardless of age or T2D duration. Hypoglycaemia incidence was similar with iGlarLixi versus iGlar across most subgroups; the incidence of gastrointestinal disorders was lower with iGlarLixi versus Lixi in all subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: iGlarLixi showed consistent efficacy and safety across all age and disease duration subgroups in Asian people with uncontrolled T2D, including older individuals and those with longstanding disease.

Tactile corpuscle-inspired piezoresistive sensors based on (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane-enhanced CNPs/carboxylated MWCNTs/cellulosic fiber composites for textile electronics.

Recently, wearable electronic products and gadgets have developed quickly with the aim of catching up to or perhaps surpassing the ability of human skin to perceive information from the external world, such as pressure and strain. In this study, by first treating the cellulosic fiber (modal textile) substrate with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) and then covering it with conductive nanocomposites, a bionic corpuscle layer is produced. The sandwich structure of tactile corpuscle-inspired bionic (TCB) piezoresistive sensors created with the layer-by-layer (LBL) technology consists of a pressure-sensitive module (a bionic corpuscle), interdigital electrodes (a bionic sensory nerve), and a PU membrane (a bionic epidermis). The synergistic mechanism of hydrogen bond and coupling agent helps to improve the adhesive properties of conductive materials, and thus improve the pressure sensitive properties. The TCB sensor possesses favorable sensitivity (1.0005 kPa-1), a wide linear sensing range (1700 kPa), and a rapid response time (40 ms). The sensor is expected to be applied in a wide range of possible applications including human movement tracking, wearable detection system, and textile electronics.

Prusogliptin (DBPR108) monotherapy in treatment-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, double-blind, active and placebo-controlled, phase 3 study.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of prusogliptin (DBPR108), a novel and highly selective dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, in individuals with type 2 diabetes who had not been using glucose-lowering agents regularly for the 8 weeks before the screening period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this multicentre, randomized, double-blind, phase 3 study, adult patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to receive either DBPR108 100 mg, sitagliptin 100 mg, or placebo once daily during the initial 24-week double-blind treatment period, followed by a 28-week open-label extension period during which all patients received DBPR108 100 mg once daily. The primary endpoint was the mean change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels from baseline to week 24. RESULTS: In total, 766 patients were enrolled and received DBPR108 100 mg (n = 462), sitagliptin 100 mg (n = 152), or placebo (n = 152). The mean age of all patients was 54.3 ± 10.5 years, with 58% being men. The median duration of type 2 diabetes was 0.38 (0.02, 2.65) years, and the mean HbA1c (SD) at baseline was 7.94% (0.62), 7.88% (0.61) and 7.83% (0.59) for DBPR108, sitagliptin and placebo groups, respectively. At week 24, the least square mean (SE) changes from baseline in HbA1c were -0.63% (0.04%) for DBPR108, -0.60% (0.07%) for sitagliptin and -0.02% (0.07%) for placebo. The mean treatment difference between DBPR108 and placebo was -0.61% (95% CI -0.77% to -0.44%), and between DBPR108 and sitagliptin was -0.03% (95% CI -0.19% to 0.13%). These results indicate that DBPR108 was superior to placebo and non-inferior to sitagliptin. DBPR108 also significantly reduced fasting and postprandial plasma glucose levels and had little effect on body weight. The mean (SD) changes in HbA1c from baseline to week 52 were -0.50% (0.97%) for the DBPR108 group, -0.46% (0.96%) for the sitagliptin group and -0.41% (0.95%) for the placebo group. The incidence of adverse events was comparable across all three groups. CONCLUSIONS: DBPR108 showed superiority to placebo and non-inferiority to sitagliptin in terms of glycaemic control over the initial 24 weeks in treatment-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, its efficacy was sustained for up to 52 weeks.

Effects of Fe-N co-modified biochar on methanogenesis performance, microbial community, and metabolic pathway during anaerobic co-digestion of alternanthera philoxeroides and cow manure.

The performance of anaerobic digestion (AD) is susceptible to disturbances in feedstock degradation, intermediates accumulation, and methanogenic archaea activity. To improve the methanogenesis performance of the AD system, Fe-N co-modified biochar was prepared under different pyrolysis temperatures (300,500, and 700 °C). Meanwhile, pristine and Fe-modified biochar were also derived from alternanthera philoxeroides (AP). The aim was to compare the effects of Fe-N co-modification, Fe modification, and pristine biochar on the methanogenic performance and explicit the responding mechanism of the microbial community in anaerobic co-digestion (coAD) of AP and cow manure (CM). The highest cumulative methane production was obtained with the addition of Fe-N-BC500 (260.38 mL/gVS), which was 42.37 % higher than the control, while the acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid concentration of Fe-N-BC were increased by 147.58 %, 44.25 %, and 194.06 % compared with the control, respectively. The co-modified biochar enhanced the abundance of Chloroflexi and Methanosarcina in the AD system. Metabolic pathway analysis revealed that the increased methane production was related to the formation and metabolism of volatile fatty acids and that Fe-N-BC500 enhanced the biosynthesis of coenzyme A and the cell activity of microorganisms, accelerating the degradation of propionic acid and enhancing the hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis pathway. Overall, Fe-N co-modified biochar was proved to be an effective promoter for accelerated methane production during AD.

Tunable multiple nonvolatile resistance states in a MnSe-based van der Waals multiferroic tunnel junction.

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) multiferroic tunnel junctions (MFTJs) composed of a ferromagnetic metal and a ferroelectric barrier have controllable thickness and clean interface and can realize the coexistence of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) and tunneling electroresistance (TER). Therefore, they have enormous potential application in nonvolatile multistate memories. Here, using first principles combined with non-equilibrium Green's function method, we have systematically investigated the spin-dependent transport properties of Fe3GeTe2/MnSe/Fe3GeTe2 vdW MFTJs with various numbers of barrier layers. By controlling the polarization orientation of the ferroelectric barrier MnSe and the magnetization alignment of the ferromagnetic electrodes Fe3GeTe2, the MnSe-based MFTJs exhibit four nonvolatile resistance states, with the TMR (TER) becoming higher and reaching a maximum of 1.4 × 106% (4114%) as the MnSe layers increase from a bilayer to a tetralayer. Using asymmetric Cu and Fe3GeTe2 as the electrodes, the TER can be further improved from 349% to 618%. Moreover, there is a perfect spin filtering effect in these MFTJs. This work demonstrates the potential applications of MnSe-based devices in multistate nonvolatile memories and spin filters, which will stimulate experimental studies on layer-controllable spintronic devices.

Preoperative EABR evaluation of auditory pathway integrity in patients with different etiology and postoperative effect estimation.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of electrical auditory brainstem response (EABR) on the integrity evaluation of auditory pathway and the prediction of postoperative effect of cochlear implantation in patients with different etiology of hearing loss. METHODS: A total of 580 patients with neuropathic deafness who underwent cochlear implantation surgery from August 2011 to December 2020 were selected for EABR test. The preoperative EABR waveform was analyzed, and parameters such as V wave amplitude, threshold, latency and interval of each wave, and slope of V wave I/O curve were measured. Neural response telemetry (NRT) test was performed during MAP 1 month after operation, and C and T values of the machine were recorded. RESULTS: The total EABR extraction rate was 98.45% among 580 patients, including 100% for the normal structure group and enlarged vestibular aqueduct group (LVAS), 92.44% for other malformed group. The average threshold of V wave in patients with normal cochlear structure was significantly better than the malformation groups (p < 0.05). The total extraction rate of NRT was 78.62%, including 99.72% in the group with normal structure, 95.65% in the LVAS group, 1.85-88.24% in the group with other malformations, and 0% in the cochlear ossification group. The correlation analysis showed a statistically significant correlation between the average preoperative EABR threshold and the C value of NRT. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative EABR could evaluate the integrity of auditory conduction pathway of patients with cochlear implantation and predict the postoperative hearing rehabilitation effect.

Structure, Health Benefits, Mechanisms, and Gut Microbiota of Dendrobium officinale Polysaccharides: A Review.

Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (DOPs) are important active polysaccharides found in Dendrobium officinale, which is commonly used as a conventional food or herbal medicine and is well known in China. DOPs can influence the composition of the gut microbiota and the degradation capacity of these symbiotic bacteria, which in turn may determine the efficacy of dietary interventions. However, the necessary analysis of the relationship between DOPs and the gut microbiota is lacking. In this review, we summarize the extraction, structure, health benefits, and related mechanisms of DOPs, construct the DOPs-host axis, and propose that DOPs are potential prebiotics, mainly composed of 1,4-ß-D-mannose, 1,4-ß-D-glucose, and O-acetate groups, which induce an increase in the abundance of gut microbiota such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, Bacteroides, and Prevotella. In addition, we found that when exposed to DOPs with different structural properties, the gut microbiota may exhibit different diversity and composition and provide health benefits, such as metabolism regulations, inflammation modulation, immunity moderation, and cancer intervention. This may contribute to facilitating the development of functional foods and health products to improve human health.

Significance of NotchScore and JAG1 in predicting prognosis and immune response of low-grade glioma.

Introduction: Low-grade glioma (LGG) is a prevalent malignant tumor in the intracranial region. Despite the advancements in treatment methods for this malignancy over the past decade, significant challenges still persist in the form of drug resistance and tumor recurrence. The Notch signaling pathway plays essential roles in many physiological processes as well as in cancer development. However, the significance of the pathway and family genes in LGG are poorly understood. Methods: We conducted gene expression profiling analysis using the TCGA dataset to investigate the gene set associated with the Notch signaling pathway. we have proposed a metric called "NotchScore" that quantifies the strength of the Notch signaling pathway and enables us to assess its significance in predicting prognosis and immune response in LGG. We downregulated JAG1 in low-grade gliomas to assess its influence on the proliferation and migration of these tumors. Ultimately, we determined the impact of the transcription factor VDR on the transcription of PDL1 through chip-seq data analysis. Results: Our findings indicate that tumors with a higher NotchScore, exhibit poorer prognosis, potentially due to their ability to evade the anti-tumor effects of immune cells by expressing immune checkpoints. Among the genes involved in the Notch signaling pathway, JAG1 has emerged as the most representative in terms of capturing the characteristics of both NotchScore and Notch pathways. The experimental results demonstrate that silencing JAG1 yielded a significant decrease in tumor cell proliferation in LGG cell lines. Our study revealed mechanisms by which tumors evade the immune system through the modulation of PDL1 transcription levels via the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Additionally, JAG1 potentially influences PDL1 in LGG by regulating the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and the expression of the transcription factor VDR. Discussion: These findings contribute to our understanding of immune evasion by tumors in LGG. The insights gained from this research may have implications for the development of therapeutic interventions for LGG.

Clinical characteristics and the prognosis of diabetic foot in Tibet: A single center, retrospective study.

The objective of this study was to explore the clinical characteristics and prognosis of diabetic foot in hospitalized patients with diabetes in Tibet. To achieve that, patients hospitalized in People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region and diagnosed with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020 were enrolled in the study, and DFU cases of Peking University First Hospital were collected as control group. Analysis and comparison of clinical characteristics of DFU in plateau and plain areas were conducted. Normal distribution data or non-normal distribution data between groups were analyzed by t-test analysis or the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test, and categorical variants were compared by Chi-square of Pearson. A total of 54 DFU cases were enrolled in the study in the People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region (Tibet group for short). Males accounted for 83.3% (45 cases) in Tibet group, which was higher than that of Peking University First Hospital (Beijing group for short), which accounted for 67.0%. Compared with the DFU patients in the Beijing group, the Tibet group was younger (58.11 ± 12.25 years vs 64.18 ± 11.37 years, P < 0.05), with a shorter disease duration (7.00 years vs 12.00 years, P < 0.05). In contrast, alcohol consumption was higher in the Tibet group (44.4 vs 27.4%, P < 0.05), and the number of patients with smoking habit was higher in the Beijing group (29.6 vs 43.7%, P < 0.05). The Tibet group had higher HbA1c (10.2 vs 8.7%, P < 0.05) and lower DFU proportion (22.2 vs 44.2%, P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of moderate to severe infections between the two groups (58.5 vs 59.6%, P = 0.887). Leukocytes (6.75 × 109/L vs 8.72 × 109/L, P < 0.05) and neutrophils (4.07 × 109/L vs 6.26 × 109/L, P < 0.05) in Tibet group were lower. Although the DFU amputation rate in the Tibet group was lower than that in the Beijing group (9.3 vs 29.8%, P < 0.05), there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of treatment cost, hospital stay, and mortality. In conclusion, patients with DFU in Tibet had a smaller age, shorter duration of diabetes, and more male predominance. The proportions of gangrene and amputation were lower in Tibet, with gangrene accounting for 80% of all amputees.

Sub-9 nm high-performance and low-power transistors based on an in-plane NbSe2/MoSe2/NbSe2 heterojunction.

Due to the ability to reduce the gate length of field-effect transistors (FETs) down to sub-10 nm without obviously affecting the performance of the device, the utilization of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor materials as channel materials for FETs is of great interest. However, in-plane 2D/2D heterojunction FETs have received less attention in previous studies than vertical van der Waals heterojunction devices. Based on the above reasons, this study has investigated the transport properties of an in-plane NbSe2/MoSe2/NbSe2 heterojunction FET with different gate lengths by using ab initio quantum transport simulation. The results reveal that a gate length of sub-9 nm gives the device a low subthreshold swing down to 62 mV dec-1 and a high on-state current up to 1040 µA µm-1. Most importantly, the on-state current, delay time, and power dissipation of the FET with the optimized channel length can nearly meet or even exceed the high-performance and low-power requirements of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors. The findings for this FET can provide the design and development guidance for other in-plane heterojunction electrical devices in the post-Moore era.

Application and Comparison of Different Regression Models in Iodine Balance Experiment on Women of Childbearing Age and Pregnant Women.

The iodine balance experiment is a traditional approach to evaluate the physiological requirement for iodine, while the simple linear regression model (SLM) and the mixed effects model (MEM) are two primary methods used to analyze iodine balance experiments. In the present study, we aimed to compare the effects of these two regression models on the evaluation of iodine balance experiments to investigate appropriate valuation methods. By constructing SLM and MEM, zero iodine balance values (IBV) were determined, and the evaluation effects were compared. No changes were made to the experimental data for women of childbearing age, and cutoff values of 600 µg/day and 1000 µg/day, respectively, were chosen for further processing of the experimental data for pregnant women. Equation combinations 1-3 (EC1-3) were obtained by fitting SLM, and zero IBV were calculated as 110.26 µg/day, 333.06 µg/day, and 434.84 µg/day, respectively. EC4-6 were obtained by fitting MEM, and zero IBV were calculated as 110.44 µg/day, 335.79 µg/day, and 418.06 µg/day, respectively. The inclusion of inter-measurement variation as a random factor in the MEM yielded EC7-8, which reduced the test power of the iodine balance experiment on women of childbearing age. Our study suggested that when experimental conditions were tightly controlled, with fewer uncertainties or significant influences, computationally straightforward and well-understood SLM was preferred. If some uncertain factors might cause large changes in the experimental results, it was advised to use a more "conservative" MEM to calculate the zero IBV. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: Registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03279315 (17th September 2017, retrospectively registered), NCT03710148 (18th October 2018, retrospectively registered).

Over 50 W all-fiber mid-infrared supercontinuum laser.

Broadband supercontinuum laser sources in the mid-infrared region have attracted enormous interest and found significant applications in spectroscopy, imaging, sensing, defense, and security. Despite recent advances in mid-infrared supercontinuum laser sources using infrared fibers, the average power of those laser sources is limited to 10-watt-level, and further power scaling to over 50 W (or hundred-watt-level) remains a significant technological challenge. Here, we report an over 50 W all-fiber mid-infrared supercontinuum laser source with a spectral range from 1220 to 3740 nm, by using low loss (<0.1 dB/m) fluorotellurite fibers we developed as the nonlinear medium and a tilted fusion splicing method for reducing the reflection from the fluorotellurite-silica fiber joint. Furthermore, the scalability of all-fiber mid-infrared supercontinuum laser sources using fluorotellurite fibers is analyzed by considering thermal effects and optical damage, which verifies its potential of power scaling to hundred-watt-level. Our results pave the way for realizing all-fiber hundred-watt-level mid-infrared lasers for real applications.