Polymer-acid-metal quasi-ohmic contact for stable perovskite solar cells beyond a 20,000-hour extrapolated lifetime.

The development of a robust quasi-ohmic contact with minimal resistance, good stability and cost-effectiveness is crucial for perovskite solar cells. We introduce a generic approach featuring a Lewis-acid layer sandwiched between dopant-free semicrystalline polymer and metal electrode in perovskite solar cells, resulting in an ideal quasi-ohmic contact even at elevated temperature up to 85 °C. The solubility of Lewis acid in alcohol facilitates nondestructive solution processing on top of polymer, which boosts hole injection from polymer into metal by two orders of magnitude. By integrating the polymer-acid-metal structure into solar cells, devices exhibit remarkable resilience, retaining 96% ± 3%, 96% ± 2% and 75% ± 7% of their initial efficiencies after continuous operation in nitrogen at 35 °C for 2212 h, 55 °C for 1650 h and 85 °C for 937 h, respectively. Leveraging the Arrhenius relation, we project an impressive T80 lifetime of 26,126 h at 30 °C.

E-Tattoos: Toward Functional but Imperceptible Interfacing with Human Skin.

The human body continuously emits physiological and psychological information from head to toe. Wearable electronics capable of noninvasively and accurately digitizing this information without compromising user comfort or mobility have the potential to revolutionize telemedicine, mobile health, and both human-machine or human-metaverse interactions. However, state-of-the-art wearable electronics face limitations regarding wearability and functionality due to the mechanical incompatibility between conventional rigid, planar electronics and soft, curvy human skin surfaces. E-Tattoos, a unique type of wearable electronics, are defined by their ultrathin and skin-soft characteristics, which enable noninvasive and comfortable lamination on human skin surfaces without causing obstruction or even mechanical perception. This review article offers an exhaustive exploration of e-tattoos, accounting for their materials, structures, manufacturing processes, properties, functionalities, applications, and remaining challenges. We begin by summarizing the properties of human skin and their effects on signal transmission across the e-tattoo-skin interface. Following this is a discussion of the materials, structural designs, manufacturing, and skin attachment processes of e-tattoos. We classify e-tattoo functionalities into electrical, mechanical, optical, thermal, and chemical sensing, as well as wound healing and other treatments. After discussing energy harvesting and storage capabilities, we outline strategies for the system integration of wireless e-tattoos. In the end, we offer personal perspectives on the remaining challenges and future opportunities in the field.

One HA stalk topping multiple heads as a novel influenza vaccine.

Classic chimeric hemagglutinin (cHA) was designed to induce immune responses against the conserved stalk domain of HA. However, it is unclear whether combining more than one HA head domain onto one stalk domain is immunogenic and further induce immune responses against influenza viruses. Here, we constructed numerous novel cHAs comprising two or three fuzed head domains from different subtypes grafted onto one stalk domain, designated as cH1-H3, cH1-H7, cH1-H3-H7, and cH1-H7-H3. The three-dimensional structures of these novel cHAs were modelled using bioinformatics simulations. Structural analysis showed that the intact neutralizing epitopes were exposed in cH1-H7 and were predicted to be immunogenic. The immunogenicity of the cHAs constructs was evaluated in mice using a chimpanzee adenoviral vector (AdC68) vaccine platform. The results demonstrated that cH1-H7 expressed by AdC68 (AdC68-cH1-H7) induced the production of high levels of binding antibodies, neutralizing antibodies, and hemagglutinin inhibition antibodies against homologous pandemic H1N1, drifted seasonal H1N1, and H7N9 virus. Moreover, vaccinated mice were fully protected from a lethal challenge with the aforementioned influenza viruses. Hence, cH1-H7 cHAs with potent immunogenicity might be a potential novel vaccine to provide protection against different subtypes of influenza virus.

RNA sequencing reveals the transcriptomic landscape and alternative splicing events induced by LGALS1 silencing in non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common clinical cancer with high mortality. The lectin galactoside-binding soluble 1 (LGALS1) is an RNA-binding protein (RBP) involved in NSCLC progression. Alternative splicing (AS) is a vital function of RBPs that contributes to tumor progression. It is unknown whether LGALS1 regulates NSCLC progression through AS events. OBJECTIVES: To profile the transcriptomic landscape and LGALS1-regulated AS events in NSCLC. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The A549 cells either with silenced LGALS1 (siLGALS1 group) or without them (siCtrl group) were subjected to RNA sequencing; differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and AS events were discovered and then the AS ratio was validated using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). RESULTS: High LGALS1 expression indicates poor overall survival (OS), first progression (FP) and post-progression survival (PPS). A total of 225 DEGs were identified, including 81 downregulated and 144 upregulated in the siLGALS1 group compared to the siCtrl group. Differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in interaction-related Gene Ontology (GO) terms and involved in cGMP-protein kinase G (PKG) and calcium signaling pathways. The RT-qPCR validation showed that the expressions of ELMO1 and KCNJ2 were upregulated, while HSPA6 was downregulated after LGALS1 silencing. The expressions of KCNJ2 and ELMO1 were upregulated to a peak at 48 h after LGALS1 knockdown, while HSPA6 expression decreased, after which their expressions returned to baseline. The overexpression of LGALS1 rescued the elevation in KCNJ2 and ELMO1 expression, and decrease in HSPA6 expression induced by siLGALS1. A total of 69,385 LGALS1-related AS events were detected, which produced 433 upregulated and 481 downregulated AS events after LGALS1 silencing. The LGALS1-related AS genes were mainly enriched in the apoptosis and ErbB signaling pathways. The LGALS1 silencing led to a decrease in the AS ratio of BCAP29 and an increase in CSNKIE and MDFIC. CONCLUSIONS: We characterized the transcriptomic landscape and profiled AS events in A549 cells following LGALS1 silencing. Our study provides abundant candidate markers and new insights into NSCLC.

A highly sensitive and anti-freezing conductive strain sensor based on polypyrrole/cellulose nanofiber crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel for human motion detection.

Electro-conductive hydrogels emerge as a stretchable conductive materials with diverse applications in the synthesis of flexible strain sensors. However, the high-water content and low cross-links density cause them to be mechanically destroyed and freeze at subzero temperatures, limiting their practical applications. Herein, we report a one-pot strategy by co-incorporating cellulose nanofiber (CNF), Poly pyrrole (PPy) and glycerol with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to prepare hydrogel. The addition of PPy endowed the hydrogel with good conductivity (∼0.034 S/m) compared to the no PPy@CNF group (∼0.0095 S/m), the conductivity was increased by 257.9 %. The hydrogel exhibits comparable ionic conductivity at -18 °C as it does at room temperature. It's attributed to the glycerol as a cryoprotectant and the formation of hydrated [Zn(H2O)n]2+ ions via strong interaction between Zn2+ and water molecules. Moreover, the cellulose nanofiber intrinsically assembled into unique hierarchical structures allow for strong hydrogen bonds between adjacent cellulose and PPy polymer chains, greatly improve the mechanical strength (stress∼0.65 MPa, strain∼301 %) and excellent viscoelasticity (G'max âˆ¼ 82.7 KPa). This novel PPy@CNF-PVA hydrogel exhibits extremely high Gauge factor (GF) of 2.84 and shows excellent sensitivity, repeatability and stability. Therefore, the hydrogel can serve as reliable and stable strain sensor which shows excellent responsiveness in human activities monitoration.

Nebulized inhalation of LPAE-HDAC10 inhibits acetylation-mediated ROS/NF-κB pathway for silicosis treatment.

Silicosis is a serious silica-induced respiratory disease for which there is currently no effective treatment. Irreversible pulmonary fibrosis caused by persistent inflammation is the main feature of silicosis. As an underlying mechanism, acetylation regulated by histone deacetylases (HDACs) are believed to be closely associated with persistent inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis. However, details of the mechanisms associated with the regulation of acetylated modification in silicosis have yet to be sufficiently established. Furthermore, studies on the efficient delivery of DNA to lung tissues by nebulized inhalation for the treatment of silicosis are limited. In this study, we established a mouse model of silicosis successfully. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the lung tissues of silicosis and control mice were identified based on transcriptomic analysis, and HDAC10 was the only DEG among the HDACs. Acetylomic and combined acetylomic/proteomic analysis were performed and found that the differentially expressed acetylated proteins have diverse biological functions, among which 12 proteins were identified as the main targets of HDAC10. Subsequently, HDAC10 expression levels were confirmed to increase following nebulized inhalation of linear poly(ß-amino ester) (LPAE)-HDAC10 nanocomplexes. The levels of oxidative stress, the phosphorylation of IKKß, IκBα and p65, as well as inflammation were inhibited by HDAC10. Pulmonary fibrosis, and lung function in silicosis showed significant improvements in response to the upregulation of HDAC10. Similar results were obtained for the silica-treated macrophages in vitro. In conclusion, HDAC10 was identified as the main mediator of acetylation in silicosis. Nebulized inhalation of LPAE-HDAC10 nanocomplexes was confirmed to be a promising treatment option for silicosis. The ROS/NF-κB pathway was identified as an essential signaling pathway through which HDAC10 attenuates oxidative stress, inflammation, and pulmonary fibrosis in silicosis. This study provides a new theoretical basis for the treatment of silicosis.

A retrospective cohort study on the significance of preoperative radiological evaluation of lumbar degenerative diseases for surgical reference.

Background: Radiography has low radiation exposure and the ability to acquire information. Due to its cost-effectiveness and availability, preoperative radiographic imaging examination is considered to be a valuable method to evaluate the condition of patients with spinal disease. The aim of this cohort study is to analyze the impact of evaluating preoperative X-rays on the surgical management of lumbar degenerative diseases (LDD). Methods: We reviewed 49 patients with LDD underwent single-level posterior instrumented lumbar fusion (PILF) between November 2017 and October 2022 in this cohort study. The median iliac angle (MIA), iliac crest height, intervertebral facet joint degeneration, lumbosacral angle (LSA), L5/S1 intervertebral space angle (ISA), intervertebral foramen height (IFH) and intervertebral space height (ISH) were measured on preoperative radiographs. In addition, operative time, intraoperative blood loss and postoperative complications were used to evaluate the surgical management. Correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between preoperative radiographic presentation and surgical managements. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used for determination of risk factors for surgical management. Results: Correlation analysis showed that the median iliac angle, height of iliac crest, lumbosacral angle and intervertebral facet joint degeneration were significantly correlated with surgical managements (P<0.05). Height of iliac crest, intervertebral facet joint degeneration and lumbosacral angle were positively correlated with surgical management. Meanwhile, MIA was negatively correlated with surgical management. No significant difference was found between the IFH, ISA, ISH and surgical managements in posterior lumbar surgery (P>0.05). After multiple linear regression analysis, height of iliac crest, median iliac angle and intervertebral facet joint degeneration were independent influence factors for the single-level lumbar surgical managements. Conclusions: Some variables measured in radiograph shows that height of iliac crest, median iliac angle and intervertebral facet joint degeneration have a potential influence on surgical managements. The lumbosacral angle was positively associated with surgical management, but it was not statistically significant in multiple linear regression analysis (P>0.05). The above measurements in plain film can reflect the surgical procedure and have some guiding implications for the operation.

Research on highly sensitive quantitative detection of aflatoxin B2 solution based on THz metamaterial enhancement.

Food such as cereal crops, oil crops and dairy products are very easy to produce highly toxic and carcinogenic aflatoxins during inappropriate storage. Therefore, it is of great significance to achieve rapid, non-destructive and highly sensitive detection of aflatoxin. A terahertz metamaterial sensor with "X" compound double-peak structure is designed based on electromagnetic theory to realize highly sensitive detection of aflatoxin B2 solution. It is found that the amplitude of the transmission peak of the terahertz transmission spectrum of aflatoxin B2 (AFB2) solution around 1.2 THz and 2.0 THz gradually decreased with the increase of the concentration of aflatoxin B2 solution, and the frequency of the transmission peak gradually shifted to high frequency with the increase of the concentration of aflatoxin B2 solution, hence a full concentration model was established. And a strategy of first classifying concentration intervals and then building a grouped quantitative model was proposed. The Limit of Detection (LOD) of the interval sub-model of low and medium concentration of aflatoxin B2 solution has been greatly improved with the LOD of the optimal grouping model was 7.28 × 10-11 mg/ml, 4.19 × 10-9 mg/ml and 1.22 × 10-7 mg/ml, respectively. This research verifies the feasibility of terahertz metamaterial sensor based on "X" composite double-peak structure combined with THz-TDS technology for highly sensitive detection of aflatoxin B2 solution. And it provides a new rapid, non-destructive and highly sensitive detection of aflatoxin in food.

Retrospective cohort study of pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with connective tissue disease effect on patients' prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are to clarify clinical characteristics and recognize prognostic factors of CTD-PAH patients. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients with documented CTD-PAH diagnosis from Jan 2014 to Dec 2019 was conducted, the ones who have other comorbid conditions that cause PH were excluded. Survival functions were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis was applied to determine the survival-related factors. RESULTS: In 144 patients with CTD-PAH analyzed, the median sPAP value was 52.5 (44.0, 71.0) mmHg, the overall targeted drug usage rate was 55.6%, and only 27.5% patients were given combination. Twenty-four non-PAH-CTD patients with sPAP value were included as the control group. Compared with non-PAH-CTD groups, CTD-PAH patients had worse cardiac function, higher NT-pro BNP and γ-globulin level, and lower PaCO2 level. Compared with the mild PAH group, the moderate-severe PAH group had worse cardiac function; increased Hb, HCT, and NP-pro BNP level; and decreased PaO2. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significant difference for survival among non-PAH-CTD, mild CTD-PAH, and moderate-severe CTD-PAH groups. The univariate analyses showed that Hb, pH, and Ln (NT-pro BNP) were identified as factors significantly associated with survival, and Hb and pH showed significant association with risk of death in the multivariate model. Kaplan-Meier analysis also showed that Hb > 109.0 g/L and pH > 7.457 affected CTD-PAH patients' survival significantly. CONCLUSIONS: PAH is not rare in CTDs patients; PAH affects CTD patients' prognosis significantly. Higher Hb and pH were associated with an increased risk of death. Key Points • Pulmonary arterial hypertension affects connective tissue disease patients' prognosis significantly. • The significantly factors associated with survival is hemoglobin, pH, and Ln (NT-pro BNP).

A meta-analysis of prognostic factors in surgical treatment of foot drop due to lumbar degenerative diseases.

Objective: Lumbar decompression surgery is an effective treatment for foot drop caused by LDD, but there is controversy about the prognostic factors affecting its efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the surgical outcome of foot drop due to LDD. Methods: A systematic database search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Clinical Trials was performed for relevant articles published until May 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated the quality of the studies based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and STATA 16.0 software was used for meta-analysis. Results: A total of 730 relevant articles were initially identified and 9 articles were finally included in this study for data extraction and mea-analysis. The results of metaanalysis showed that patients with preoperative moderate muscle strength (2-3/5 on the Medical Research Council scale) had better prognosis compared to those with severe muscle weakness. Additionally, the presence of diabetes mellitus was associated with a poorer prognosis for patients with foot drop due to LDD. The OR values (95%CI) of these two factors were 5.882 (4.449, 7.776) and 5.657 (2.094,15.280) respectively. Conclusions: Patients with moderate muscle strength have a better prognosis compared to those with severe muscle weakness. The presence of diabetes mellitus is associated with a poorer prognosis for patients with foot drop due to LDD. These factors should be considered when predicting the surgical outcome of foot drop due to LDD.

A meta-analysis of risk factors for non-superficial surgical site infection following spinal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common complications in spinal surgery. In SSI, non-superficial surgical site infections are more likely to result in poor clinical outcomes. It has been reported that there are multiple factors contributing to postoperative non-superficial SSI, but still remains controversial. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis is to investigate the potential risk factors for non-superficial SSI following spinal surgery. METHODS: A systematic database search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Clinical Trials was performed for relevant articles published until September 2022. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two evaluators independently conducted literature screening, data extraction and quality evaluation of the obtained literature. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) score was used for quality evaluation, and meta-analysis was performed by STATA 14.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 3660 relevant articles were initially identified and 11 articles were finally included in this study for data extraction and meta-analysis. The results of meta-analysis showed that the diabetes mellitus, obesity, using steroids, drainage time and operative time were related to the non-superficial SSI. The OR values (95%CI) of these five factors were 1.527 (1.196, 1.949); 1.314 (1.128, 1.532); 1.687(1.317, 2.162); 1.531(1.313, 1.786) and 4.255(2.612, 6.932) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes mellitus, obesity, using steroids, drainage time and operative time are the current risk factors for non-superficial SSI following spinal surgery. In this study, operative time is the most important risk factor resulting in postoperative SSI.

A retrospective study on application of a classification criterion based on relative intervertebral tension in spinal fusion surgery for lumbar degenerative diseases.

BACKGROUND: As an important part of spinal fusion procedure, the selection of fusion cage size is closely related to the curative effect of the surgery. It mainly depends on the clinical experience of surgeons, and there is still a lack of objective standards. The purpose of this study is to propose the concept of relative intervertebral tension (RIT) for the first time and its grading standards to improve the surgical procedures of lumbar interbody fusion. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted from January 2018 to July 2019. A total of 83 eligible patients including 45 men and 38 women with lumbar degenerative disease underwent transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) were included in this study. A total of 151 fusion segments were divided into group A, group B and group C according to the grading standards of RIT. In addition, parameters of intervertebral space angle (ISA), intervertebral space height (ISH), intervertebral space foramen (IFH), fusion rates, cage-related complications and cage heights were also compared among the three groups. RESULTS: The ISA in group A was the smallest among three groups in contrast with group C with largest ISA at the final follow-up(P < 0.05). The group A presented the smallest ISH and IFH values(P < 0.05), compared with group B with the largest ISH and IFH values(P < 0.05). These two parameters in the group C were in-between. The fusion rates of group A, group B and group C were 100%, 96.3% and 98.8% at the final follow-up, respectively. No statistical difference in fusion rates and cage-related complications occurred among the three groups(P > 0.05), and a certain correlation between ISH and RIT was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: The concept of RIT and the application of its clinical grading standards could simplify the surgical procedures of spinal fusion and reduce cage-related complications.

Genetic polymorphisms in CYP4F2 may be associated with lung cancer risk among females and no-smoking Chinese population.

Background: Our study aimed to explore the potential association of CYP4F2 gene polymorphisms with lung cancer (LC) risk. Methods: The five variants in CYP4F2 were genotyped using Agena MassARRAY in 507 cases and 505 controls. Genetic models and haplotypes based on logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the potential association between CYP4F2 polymorphisms and LC susceptibility. Results: This study observed that rs12459936 was linked to an increased risk of LC in no-smoking participants (allele: OR = 1.38, p = 0.035; homozygote: OR = 2.00, p = 0.035; additive: OR = 1.40, p = 0.034) and females (allele: OR = 1.64, p = 0.002; homozygote: OR = 2.57, p = 0.006; heterozygous: OR = 2.56, p = 0.001; dominant: OR = 2.56, p < 0.002; additive: OR = 1.67, p = 0.002). Adversely, there was a significantly decreased LC risk for rs3093110 in no-smoking participants (heterozygous: OR = 0.56, p = 0.027; dominant: OR = 0.58, p = 0.035), rs3093193 (allele: OR = 0.66, p = 0.016; homozygote: OR = 0.33, p = 0.011; recessive: OR = 0.38, p = 0.021; additive: OR = 0.64, p = 0.014), rs3093144 (recessive: OR = 0.20, p = 0.045), and rs3093110 (allele: OR = 0.54, p = 0.010; heterozygous: OR = 0.50, p = 0.014; dominant: OR = 0.49, p = 0.010; additive: OR = 0.54, p = 0.011) in females. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that CYP4F2 variants were associated with LC susceptibility, with evidence suggesting that this connection may be affected by gender and smoking status.

A meta-analysis of risk factors for cage migration after lumbar fusion surgery.

Objective: Cage migration is a rare complication after lumbar fusion surgery, and it is also the cause of lumbar revision surgery. Previous studies have reported that many influencing factors can increase the incidence of cage migration. However, there still remains controversial. The current study was conducted to investigate the risk factors influencing incidence of cage migration. Methods: A systematic database search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Clinical Trials was performed for relevant articles published until July 2022. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two evaluators independently conducted literature screening, data extraction and quality evaluation of the obtained literature. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) score was used for quality evaluation, and meta-analysis was performed by STATA 16.0 software. Results: A total of 2126 relevant articles were initially identified, and 7 articles were finally included in this study for data extraction and meta-analysis. The results of meta-analysis showed that the bony endplate injury, pear-shaped disc, and screw loosening are significantly correlated with cage migration. The OR values (95%CI) of the three factors were 7.170 (3.015, 17.051), 8.056 (4.050, 16.023), and 12.840 (3.570, 46.177) respectively. Conclusion: Bony endplate injury, pear-shaped disc, and screw loosening are the current risk factors for cage migration postoperatively.

Mechanism of Aspirin oxidative stress regulating interleukin-induced apoptosis in nucleus pulposus cells in a rat model of intervertebral disc degeneration.

Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is an important cause of low back pain. Increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS), overexpression of inflammatory factors, and loss of extracellular matrix are important factors in the pathological changes of IDD. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism of action of Aspirin regulating oxidative stress in IDD, so as to propose new treatment. Methods: Nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) were isolated from the caudal intervertebral discs of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats under sterile conditions. The expression of ROS and inflammatory factors was detected sequentially, and the degree of degeneration of nucleus pulposus cells was observed by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and cell immunofluorescence staining. In vivo, the caudal disc puncture model was used to induce degeneration, and a local injection of 10 or 100 µg/mL Aspirin was performed. The rats were sacrificed 1 week later, and the disc specimens of the tail vertebrae were collected for imaging, histomorphology, and immunohistochemical analysis. Results: In vitro experiments showed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could significantly induce oxidative stress in NPCs and stimulate NPCs to secrete a large amount of ROS and inflammatory factors, which eventually leads to the reduction of collagen type II and polyglycoprotein gene expression in NPCs and the high expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP). Consequently, NPCs degeneration occurs. Conclusions: Our results clarified the important role of oxidative stress in IDD and proved that LPS can be used as a drug to alleviate oxidative stress and intervene in the IDD process.

Circ-N4BP2L2 enhances mitochondrial function in non-small cell lung cancer cells through regulating the miR-135a-5p/ARL5B axis.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the main histological subtype of lung cancer with a high incidence and mortality. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) exert vital functions in various cancers by acting as a sponge of miRNAs to abolish their inhibitory effect on target genes. This study aims to explore the biological function of circRNA NEDD4 binding protein 2 like 2 (circ-N4BP2L2) in NSCLC. We found that circ-N4BP2L2 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cells by using RT-qPCR. A549 cells were transfected with pcDNA-circN4BP2L2 or sh-circN4BP2L2 to obtain circN4BP2L2-overexpressed or -silenced cells, and then cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis were determined. The results showed that knockdown of circ-N4BP2L2 repressed cell proliferation, invasion as well as mitochondrial function, and promoted cell apoptosis; while overexpression of circ-N4BP2L2 resulted in the opposite results. Mechanistically, the targeting correlations between miR-135a-5p and circ-N4BP2L2 or ADP-ribosylation factorlike 5B (ARL5B) were confirmed by using dual luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. In addition, we found that circ-N4BP2L2 could promote the expression of ARL5B by serving as a sponge of miR-135a-5p. Moreover, rescue assays revealed that silencing miR-135a-5p or overexpressing ARL5B was able to abate the effects of circ-N4BP2L2 knockdown on malignant phenotypes and mitochondrial function of A549 cells. Finally, tumorigenicity assay demonstrated that circ-N4BP2L2 facilitated NSCLC tumor growth in vivo. Taken together, circ-N4BP2L2 enhanced NSCLC progression via the miR-135a-5p/ARL5B axis, which may provide a novel therapeutic target of NSCLC.

A predictive model for frequent exacerbator phenotype of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: The frequent exacerbator phenotype of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is characterized by experiencing at least two exacerbations per year, leading to a significant economic burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Although several biomarkers have been shown to be effective in assessing AECOPD severity in recent years, there is a lack of studies on markers to predict the frequent exacerbator phenotype of AECOPD. The current study aimed to develop a new predictive model for the frequent exacerbator phenotype of AECOPD based on rapid, inexpensive, and easily obtained routine markers. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study that enrolled a total of 2,236 AECOPD patients. The participants were divided into two groups based on the frequency of exacerbations: infrequent group (n=1,827) and frequent group (n=409). They underwent a complete blood count, as well as blood biochemistry, blood lipid and coagulation testing, and general characteristics were also recorded. Univariate analysis and binary multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to explore independent risk factors for the frequent exacerbator phenotype of AECOPD, which could be used as components of a new predictive model. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the predictive value of the new model, which consisted of all significant risk factors predicting the primary outcome. The nomogram risk prediction model was established using R software. Results: Age, gender, length of stay (LOS), neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, direct bilirubin (DBil), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and the glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio (GLR) were independent risk factors for the frequent exacerbator phenotype of AECOPD. The area under the curve (AUC) of the new predictive model was 0.681 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.653-0.708], and the sensitivity was 63.6% (95% CI: 58.9-68.2%) and the specificity was 65.0% (95% CI: 60.3-69.6%). Conclusions: A new predictive model based on demographic characteristics and blood parameters can be used to predict the frequency of acute exacerbations in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Study on the Identification and Detection of Walnut Quality Based on Terahertz Imaging.

OBJECTIVE: Walnuts have rich nutritional value and are favored by the majority of consumers. As walnuts are shelled nuts, they are prone to suffer from defects such as mildew during storage. The fullness and mildew of the fruit impose effects on the quality of the walnuts. Therefore, it is of great economic significance to carry out a study on the rapid, non-destructive detection of walnut quality. METHODS: Terahertz spectroscopy, with wavelengths between infrared and electromagnetic waves, has unique detection advantages. In this paper, the rapid and nondestructive detection of walnut mildew and fullness based on terahertz spectroscopy is carried out using the emerging terahertz transmission spectroscopy imaging technology. First, the normal walnuts and mildewed walnuts are identified and analyzed. At the same time, the image processing is carried out on the physical samples with different kernel sizes to calculate the fullness of the walnut kernels. The THz image of the walnuts is collected to extract the spectral information in different regions of interest. Four kinds of time domain signals in different regions of interest are extracted, and three qualitative discrimination models are established, including the support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and k-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithms. In addition, in order to realize the visual expression of walnut fullness, the terahertz images of the walnut are segmented with a binarization threshold, and the walnut fullness is calculated by the proportion of the shell and kernel pixels. RESULTS: In the frequency domain signal, the amplitude intensity from high to low is the mildew sample, walnut kernel, and walnut shell, and the distinction between walnut kernel, shell samples, and mildew samples is high. The overall identification accuracy of the aforementioned three models is 90.83%, 97.38%, and 97.87%, respectively. Among them, KNN has the best qualitative discrimination effect. In a single category, the recognition accuracy of the model for the walnut kernel, walnut shell, mildew sample, and reference group (background) reaches 94%, 100%, 97.43%, and 100%, respectively. The terahertz transmission images of the five categories of walnut samples with different kernel sizes are processed to visualize the detection of kernel fullness inside walnuts, and the errors are less than 5% compared to the actual fullness of walnuts. CONCLUSION: This study illustrates that terahertz spectroscopy detection can achieve the detection of walnut mildew, and terahertz imaging technology can realize the visual expression and fullness calculation of walnut kernels. Terahertz spectroscopy and imaging provides a non-destructive detection method for walnut quality, which can provide a reference for the quality detection of other dried nuts with shells, thus having significant practical value.

Comparison of metagenomic next-generation sequencing using cell-free DNA and whole-cell DNA for the diagnoses of pulmonary infections.

Although the fast-growing metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has been used in diagnosing infectious diseases, low detection rate of mNGS in detecting pathogens with low loads limits its extensive application. In this study, 130 patients with suspected pulmonary infections were enrolled, from whom bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were collected. The conventional tests and mNGS of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and whole-cell DNA (wcDNA) using BALF were simultaneously performed. mNGS of cfDNA showed higher detection rate (91.5%) and total coincidence rate (73.8%) than mNGS of wcDNA (83.1% and 63.9%) and conventional methods (26.9% and 30.8%). A total of 70 microbes were detected by mNGS of cfDNA, and most of them (60) were also identified by mNGS of wcDNA. The 31.8% (21/66) of fungi, 38.6% (27/70) of viruses, and 26.7% (8/30) of intracellular microbes can be only detected by mNGS of cfDNA, much higher than those [19.7% (13/66), 14.3% (10/70), and 6.7% (2/30)] only detected by mNGS of wcDNA. After in-depth analysis on these microbes with low loads set by reads per million (RPM), we found that more RPM and fungi/viruses/intracellular microbes were detected by mNGS of cfDNA than by mNGS of wcDNA. Besides, the abilities of mNGS using both cfDNA and wcDNA to detect microbes with high loads were similar. We highlighted the advantage of mNGS using cfDNA in detecting fungi, viruses, and intracellular microbes with low loads, and suggested that mNGS of cfDNA could be considered as the first choice for diagnosing pulmonary infections.