Elevated circulating BMP9 aggravates pulmonary angiogenesis in hepatopulmonary syndrome rats through ALK1-Endoglin-Smad1/5/9 signalling.

BACKGROUND: Bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9) is a hepatokine that plays a pivotal role in the progression of liver diseases. Moreover, an increasing number of studies have shown that BMP9 is associated with hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS), but its role in HPS is unclear. Here, we evaluated the influence of CBDL on BMP9 expression and investigated potential mechanisms of BMP9 signalling in HPS. METHODS: We profiled the circulating BMP9 levels in common bile duct ligation-induced HPS rat model, and then investigated the effects and mechanisms of HPS rat serum on pulmonary vascular endothelial dysfunction in rat model, as well as in primarily cultured rat pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells. RESULTS: Our data revealed that circulating BMP9 levels were significantly increased in the HPS rats compared to control group. Besides, the elevated BMP9 in HPS rat serum was not only crucial for promoting endothelial cell proliferation and tube formation through the activin receptor-like kinase1 (ALK1)-Endoglin-Smad1/5/9 pathway, but also important for accumulation of monocytes. Treatments with ALK1-Fc or silencing ALK1 expression to inhibit the BMP9 signalling pathway effectively eliminated these effects. In agreement with these observations, increased circulating BMP9 was associated with an increase in lung vessel density and accumulation of pro-angiogenic monocytes in the microvasculature in HPS rats. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided evidence that elevated circulating BMP9, secreted from the liver, promote pulmonary angiogenesis in HPS rats via ALK1-Endoglin-Smad1/5/9 pathway. In addition, BMP9-regulated pathways are also involved in accumulation of pro-angiogenic monocytes in the pulmonary microvasculature in HPS rats.

Basal actomyosin pulses expand epithelium coordinating cell flattening and tissue elongation.

Actomyosin networks constrict cell area and junctions to alter cell and tissue shape. However, during cell expansion under mechanical stress, actomyosin networks are strengthened and polarized to relax stress. Thus, cells face a conflicting situation between the enhanced actomyosin contractile properties and the expansion behaviour of the cell or tissue. To address this paradoxical situation, we study late Drosophila oogenesis and reveal an unusual epithelial expansion wave behaviour. Mechanistically, Rac1 and Rho1 integrate basal pulsatile actomyosin networks with ruffles and focal adhesions to increase and then stabilize basal area of epithelial cells allowing their flattening and elongation. This epithelial expansion behaviour bridges cell changes to oocyte growth and extension, while oocyte growth in turn deforms the epithelium to drive cell spreading. Basal pulsatile actomyosin networks exhibit non-contractile mechanics, non-linear structures and F-actin/Myosin-II spatiotemporal signal separation, implicating unreported expanding properties. Biophysical modelling incorporating these expanding properties well simulates epithelial cell expansion waves. Our work thus highlights actomyosin expanding properties as a key mechanism driving tissue morphogenesis.

An effective strategy for assembling the sex-limited chromosome.

BACKGROUND: Most currently available reference genomes lack the sequence map of sex-limited (such as Y and W) chromosomes, which results in incomplete assemblies that hinder further research on sex chromosomes. Recent advancements in long-read sequencing and population sequencing have provided the opportunity to assemble sex-limited chromosomes without the traditional complicated experimental efforts. FINDINGS: We introduce the first computational method, Sorting long Reads of Y or other sex-limited chromosome (SRY), which achieves improved assembly results compared to flow sorting. Specifically, SRY outperforms in the heterochromatic region and demonstrates comparable performance in other regions. Furthermore, SRY enhances the capabilities of the hybrid assembly software, resulting in improved continuity and accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Our method enables true complete genome assembly and facilitates downstream research of sex-limited chromosomes.

Activation of farnesoid X receptor enhances the efficacy of normothermic machine perfusion in ameliorating liver ischemia-reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: The shortage of transplant organs remains a severe global issue. Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) has the potential to increase organ availability, yet its efficacy is hampered by the inflammatory response during machine perfusion. METHODS: Mouse liver IRI models, discarded human liver models, and porcine marginal liver transplantation models were utilized to investigate whether FXR activation could mitigate inflammation-induced liver damage. FXR expression levels before and after reperfusion were measured. Gene editing and co-immunoprecipitation techniques were employed to explore the regulatory mechanism of FXR in inflammation inhibition. RESULTS: The expression of FXR correlates with the extent of liver damage after reperfusion. Activation of FXR significantly suppressed the inflammatory response triggered by IRI, diminished the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and improve liver function recovery during NMP, assisting discarded human livers to reach transplant standards. Mechanistically, FXR disrupts the interaction between p65 and p300, thus inhibiting modulating the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway, a key instigator of inflammation. CONCLUSION: Our research across multiple species confirms that activating FXR can optimize NMP by attenuating IRI-related liver damage, thereby improving the utilization of marginal livers for transplantation.

Generation and characterization of the iPS cell line (SYSUSHi001-A) derived from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of a 33-year-old patient with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

We successfully developed an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line, SYSUSHi001-A, from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of a patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, harboring two genetic mutations (XPO1: c.591-4_591-3dupTT; PALB2: c.3296C > T; p.T1099M). This iPSC line was facilitated through the use of episomal plasmids encoding OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, L-MYC, and human miR-302. The SYSUSHi001-A iPSC line exhibited characteristic embryonic stem cell-like morphology, maintained the XPO1 and PALB2 mutations, expressed key pluripotency markers, preserved a normal karyotype (46, XY), and demonstrated the ability to differentiate into cells from all three germ layers in vitro.

Contemporary strategies and approaches for characterizing composition and enhancing biofilm penetration targeting bacterial extracellular polymeric substances.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) constitutes crucial elements within bacterial biofilms, facilitating accelerated antimicrobial resistance and conferring defense against the host's immune cells. Developing precise and effective antibiofilm approaches and strategies, tailored to the specific characteristics of EPS composition, can offer valuable insights for the creation of novel antimicrobial drugs. This, in turn, holds the potential to mitigate the alarming issue of bacterial drug resistance. Current analysis of EPS compositions relies heavily on colorimetric approaches with a significant bias, which is likely due to the selection of a standard compound and the cross-interference of various EPS compounds. Considering the pivotal role of EPS in biofilm functionality, it is imperative for EPS research to delve deeper into the analysis of intricate compositions, moving beyond the current focus on polymeric materials. This necessitates a shift from heavy reliance on colorimetric analytic methods to more comprehensive and nuanced analytical approaches. In this study, we have provided a comprehensive summary of existing analytical methods utilized in the characterization of EPS compositions. Additionally, novel strategies aimed at targeting EPS to enhance biofilm penetration were explored, with a specific focus on highlighting the limitations associated with colorimetric methods. Furthermore, we have outlined the challenges faced in identifying additional components of EPS and propose a prospective research plan to address these challenges. This review has the potential to guide future researchers in the search for novel compounds capable of suppressing EPS, thereby inhibiting biofilm formation. This insight opens up a new avenue for exploration within this research domain.

Different effects of TCBPA exposure on liver cancer cells and liver cells: two sides of the coin.

Tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA), widely used as a substitute for tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), has been detected in various environmental media. Therefore, a detailed evaluation of the toxicological properties of TCBPA is necessary. In this study, we used hepatoma and normal liver cell models in vitro to investigate the effects of TCBPA. Our findings indicate that TCBPA promotes the proliferation of liver cancer cells, as evidenced by MTT and EdU assays, and enhances the expression levels of molecules related to hepatoma proliferation. Further investigation into the molecular mechanism revealed that TCBPA-induced hepatoma proliferation is regulated by an NLRP3-mediated inflammatory process. Additionally, TCBPA was found to promote the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in liver cancer cells. Conversely, TCBPA inhibited the proliferation of normal liver cells. Mechanistic studies showed that TCBPA induced cell pyroptosis in normal liver cells by evaluating a series of related markers, including NLRP3, IL-1ß, ASC, GASDMD, and Caspase 1. In vivo models further showed that TCBPA causes liver tissue damage. In summary, this study demonstrates that TCBPA has a dual effect: promoting the occurrence and development of liver tumor cells in vitro, while inhibiting the proliferation of normal liver cells, like two sides of a coin. These opposite cellular outcomes are regulated by NLRP3-mediated inflammatory processes, providing valuable insights for evaluating the potential health impacts of TCBPA.

Detection of CD40 Protein-Umbelliferone Interaction via Differential Scanning Fluorescence.

The investigation of interactions between different molecules is a crucial aspect of understanding disease pathogenesis and screening for drug targets. Umbelliferone, an active ingredient in Tibetan medicine Vicatia thibetica, exhibits an immunomodulatory effect with an unknown mechanism. The CD40 protein is a key target in the immune response. Therefore, this study employs the principle of differential scanning fluorescence technology to analyze the interactions between CD40 protein and umbelliferone using fluorescent enzyme markers. Initially, the stability of the protein fluorescent orange dye was experimentally verified, and the optimal dilution ratio of 1:500 was determined. Subsequently, it was observed that the temperature melting (Tm) value of CD40 protein tended to decrease with an increase in concentration. Interestingly, the interaction between CD40 protein and umbelliferone was found to enhance the thermal stability of CD40 protein. This study represents the first attempt to detect the binding potential of small molecule compounds and proteins using fluorescence microplates and fluorescent dyes. The technique is characterized by high sensitivity and accuracy, promising advancements in the fields of protein stability, protein structure, and protein-ligand interactions, thus facilitating further research and exploration.

Superhydrophobic Bulgy Windmill for Synchronous Efficient Fog Collection and Power Generation.

The shortage of freshwater resources is a serious problem faced by mankind in the 21st century. To maximize the acquisition of freshwater resources, numerous fog collectors have been constructed. In the process of fog collection accompanied by the movement of the wind, the mechanical energy brought about by the wind is often ignored. Based on this, inspired by beetles and origami art, we designed a windmill installation with a bump on the edge. Droplets nucleate at the windmill bulge and accelerate the transport process under the action of centrifugal force. This leads to quick fog collection and reduces the secondary evaporation rate of freshwater resources. The fog collection efficiency can reach 2.8 times that of the original sample. Moreover, the windmill can convert mechanical energy into electricity while collecting fog, and the operating voltage of a single windmill can reach 0.85 V. After the array, the amount of fog collected by the windmill and the power generation voltage can be increased by multiple times, which realizes the efficient use of energy and provides a new idea for the design of an efficient fog collector in the future.

Rhodiola crenulata alleviates hypobaric hypoxia-induced brain injury by maintaining BBB integrity and balancing energy metabolism dysfunction.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Rhodiola crenulata (Hook. f. et Thoms.) H. Ohba (R. crenulate), a famous and characteristic Tibetan medicine, has been demonstrated to exert an outstanding brain protection role in the treatment of high-altitude hypoxia disease. However, the metabolic effects of R. crenulate on high-altitude hypoxic brain injury (HHBI) are still incompletely understood. Herein, the anti-hypoxic effect and associated mechanisms of R. crenulate were explored through both in vivo and in vitro experiments. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: The mice model of HHBI was established using an animal hypobaric and hypoxic chamber. R. crenulate extract (RCE, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg) and salidroside (Sal, 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) was given by gavage for 7 days. Pathological changes and neuronal apoptosis of mice hippocampus and cortex were evaluated using H&E and TUNEL staining, respectively. The effects of RCE and Sal on the permeability of blood brain barrier (BBB) were detected by Evans blue staining and NIR-II fluorescence imaging. Meanwhile, the ultrastructural BBB and cerebrovascular damages were observed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The levels of tight junction proteins Claudin-1, ZO-1 and occludin were detected by immunofluorescence. Additionally, the metabolites in mice serum and brain were determined using UHPLC-MS and MALDI-MSI analysis. The cell viability of Sal on hypoxic HT22 cells induced by CoCl2 was investigated by cell counting kit-8. The contents of LDH, MDA, SOD, GSH-PX and SDH were detected by using commercial biochemical kits. Meanwhile, intracellular ROS, Ca2+ and mitochondrial membrane potential were determined by corresponding specific labeled probes. The intracellular metabolites of HT22 cells were performed by the targeted metabolomics analysis of the Q300 kit. The cell apoptosis and necrosis were examined by YO-PRO-1/PI, Annexin V/PI and TUNEL staining. In addition, mitochondrial morphology was tested by Mito-tracker red with confocal microscopy and TEM. Real-time ATP production, oxygen consumption rate, and proton efflux rate were measured using a Seahorse analyzer. Subsequently, MCU, OPA1, p-Drp1ser616, p-AMPKα, p-AMPKß and Sirt1 were determined by immunofluorescent and western blot analyses. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that R. crenulate and Sal exert anti-hypoxic brain protection from inhibiting neuronal apoptosis, maintaining BBB integrity, increasing tight junction protein Claudin-1, ZO-1 and occludin and improving mitochondrial morphology and function. Mechanistically, R. crenulate and Sal alleviated HHBI by enhancing the tricarboxylic acid cycle to meet the demand of energy of brain. Additionally, experiments in vitro confirmed that Sal could ameliorate the apoptosis of HT22 cells, improve mitochondrial morphology and energy metabolism by enhancing mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis. Meanwhile, Sal-mediated MCU inhibited the activation of Drp1 and enhanced the expression of OPA1 to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis, as well as activation of AMPK and Sirt1 to enhance ATP production. CONCLUSION: Collectively, the findings suggested that RCE and Sal may afford a protective intervention in HHBI through maintaining BBB integrity and improving energy metabolism via balancing MCU-mediated mitochondrial homeostasis by activating the AMPK/Sirt1 signaling pathway.

Network evolution of core symptoms after lung cancer thoracoscopic surgery:A dynamic network analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate relationships between various symptoms occurring 1-2 and 5-6 days following days after thoracoscopic surgery, to identify core symptoms, and to monitor changes in core symptoms over time following lung cancer thoracoscopic surgery. METHODS: We evaluated symptoms using the Anderson Symptom Scale (Chinese version) and the Lung Cancer-Specific Symptoms Template in 214 lung cancer patients hospitalized in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of a provincial hospital in Jiangsu Province from March 2023 to September 2023. Data was collected at 1-2 days and 5-6 days postoperatively. Symptom networks were constructed for each time point, and centrality indicators were analyzed to identify core symptoms while controlling for influencing factors. RESULTS: According to the network analysis, fatigue (rs = 26.00、rc = 0.05、rb = 1.02) had the highest strength, closeness, and betweenness in the symptom network 1-2 days after lung cancer surgery. At 5-6 days after surgery, shortness of breath (rs = 27.00) emerged as the symptom with the highest strength, fatigue (rc = 0.04) had the highest closeness, and cough (rb = 1.08) ranked highest in betweenness within the symptom network. CONCLUSION: Fatigue stands out as the most core symptom in the network 1-2 days after lung cancer surgery. Shortness of breath, fatigue and cough are the most core symptoms in the symptom network 5-6 days after surgery. Therefore, clinical staff can improve the postoperative symptom experience of lung cancer patients by developing symptom management programmes tailored to these core symptoms.

5G Indoor Positioning Error Correction Based on 5G-PECNN.

With the development of the mobile network communication industry, 5G has been widely used in the consumer market, and the application of 5G technology for indoor positioning has emerged. Like most indoor positioning techniques, the propagation of 5G signals in indoor spaces is affected by noise, multipath propagation interference, installation errors, and other factors, leading to errors in 5G indoor positioning. This paper aims to address these issues by first constructing a 5G indoor positioning dataset and analyzing the characteristics of 5G positioning errors. Subsequently, we propose a 5G Positioning Error Correction Neural Network (5G-PECNN) based on neural networks. This network employs a multi-level fusion network structure designed to adapt to the error characteristics of 5G through adaptive gradient descent. Experimental validation demonstrates that the algorithm proposed in this paper achieves superior error correction within the error region, significantly outperforming traditional neural networks.

Genomic insights into the origin and evolution of spelt (Triticum spelta L.) as a valuable gene pool for modern wheat breeding.

Spelt (T. aestivum ssp. spelta) is an important wheat subspecies mainly cultivated in Europe before the 20th century, which has contributed to modern wheat breeding as a valuable genetic resource. However, the origin and maintenance of spelt populations remain elusive. Here, based on a resequencing dataset of 416 worldwide wheat accessions, including representative spelt wheat, we demonstrated that European spelt emerged when primitive hexaploid wheat spread to the west and hybridized with pre-settled domesticated emmer, the putative maternal donor. Genomic introgression regions from domesticated emmer confer spelt's primitive morphological characters used for species taxonomy, such as tenacious glumes and later flowering. We further propose the haplotype-based 'spelt index' to identify spelt-type wheat varieties and to quantify the utilization of the spelt gene pool in modern wheat cultivars. This study deciphered the genetic basis underlying the establishment of spelt wheat subspecies in a specific ecological niche and revealed the vital role of spelt gene pool as a unique germplasm resource in contributing to modern wheat breeding.

Wood-inspired metamaterial catalyst for robust and high-throughput water purification.

Continuous industrialization and other human activities have led to severe water quality deterioration by harmful pollutants. Achieving robust and high-throughput water purification is challenging due to the coupling between mechanical strength, mass transportation and catalytic efficiency. Here, a structure-function integrated system is developed by Douglas fir wood-inspired metamaterial catalysts featuring overlapping microlattices with bimodal pores to decouple the mechanical, transport and catalytic performances. The metamaterial catalyst is prepared by metal 3D printing (316 L stainless steel, mainly Fe) and electrochemically decorated with Co to further boost catalytic functionality. Combining the flexibility of 3D printing and theoretical simulation, the metamaterial catalyst demonstrates a wide range of mechanical-transport-catalysis capabilities while a 70% overlap rate has 3X more strength and surface area per unit volume, and 4X normalized reaction kinetics than those of traditional microlattices. This work demonstrates the rational and harmonious integration of structural and functional design in robust and high throughput water purification, and can inspire the development of various flow catalysts, flow batteries, and functional 3D-printed materials.

Knittable Electrochemical Yarn Muscle for Morphing Textiles.

Morphing textiles, crafted using electrochemical artificial muscle yarns, boast features such as adaptive structural flexibility, programmable control, low operating voltage, and minimal thermal effect. However, the progression of these textiles is still impeded by the challenges in the continuous production of these yarn muscles and the necessity for proper structure designs that bypass operation in extensive electrolyte environments. Herein, a meters-long sheath-core structured carbon nanotube (CNT)/nylon composite yarn muscle is continuously prepared. The nylon core not only reduces the consumption of CNTs but also amplifies the surface area for interaction between the CNT yarn and the electrolyte, leading to an enhanced effective actuation volume. When driven electrochemically, the CNT@nylon yarn muscle demonstrates a maximum contractile stroke of 26.4%, a maximum contractile rate of 15.8% s-1, and a maximum power density of 0.37 W g-1, surpassing pure CNT yarn muscles by 1.59, 1.82, and 5.5 times, respectively. By knitting the electrochemical CNT@nylon artificial muscle yarns into a soft fabric that serves as both a soft scaffold and an electrolyte container, we achieved a morphing textile is achieved. This textile can perform programmable multiple motion modes in air such as contraction and sectional bending.

Olink proteomics analysis uncovers inflammatory proteins in patients with different states of bipolar disorder.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study. BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the relationship between different states of bipolar disorder (BD) and plasma inflammatory proteins, which may be used as their biomarkers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We totally collected admission plasma from 16 healthy subjects and 32 BD patients, including 16 patients with BD manic episodes (BD-M) and 16 patients with BD depressive episodes (BD-D). Ten samples in each group were analyzed by proximity extension assays of 92 inflammation-related proteins, and all samples were verified by ELISA. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to identify the diagnostic ability and cut-off values of potential biomarkers. RESULTS: Our findings showed that BD patients had significantly higher levels of IL6, MCP-1, TGF-α, IL8, and IL10-RB in comparison with healthy subjects, and their cut-off values were 0.531 pg/ml, 0.531 pg/ml, 0.469 pg/ml, 0.406 pg/ml, and 0.406 pg/ml, respectively. The levels of IL6, MCP-1, TGF-α, and IL8 in BD-M patients were significantly greater than in healthy individuals, and their cut-off values were 0.813 pg/ml, 0.688 pg/ml, 0.438 pg/ml, and 0.625 pg/ml, respectively. Moreover, we found cut-off values of 0.500 pg/mL and 0.688 ng/mL for TGF-α and ß-NGF, respectively, even though the levels in the BD-D group were much higher than in the control group. Furthermore, BD-M patients had significantly higher levels of IL6, FGF-19, IFN-γ, and IL-17C in comparison with BD-D patients. Likewise, 0.687 pg/ml, 0.500 pg/ml, 0.438 pg/ml, and 0.375 pg/ml were their cut-off values, respectively. Our findings also showed that the combination of these proteins had the highest diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that plasma inflammatory proteins were related to BD and its subtypes, which may be utilized as potential biomarkers of different stages of BD. Furthermore, we also found their cut-off values and their combinations to have the highest diagnostic accuracy, providing clinicians with a new method to rapidly differentiate BD and its subtypes and manage early targeted interventions.

Nature-Inspired Molecular-Crowding Enabling Wide-Humidity Range Applicable, Anti-Freezing, and Robust Zwitterionic Hydrogels for On-Skin Electronics.

Hydrogels are currently in the limelight for applications in soft electronics but they suffer from the tendency to lose water or freeze when exposed to dry environments or low temperatures. Molecular crowding is a prevalent occurrence in living cells, in which molecular crowding agents modify the hydrogen bonding structure, causing a significant reduction in water activity. Here, a wide-humidity range applicable, anti-freezing, and robust hydrogel is developed through the incorporation of natural amino acid proline (Pro) and conductive MXene into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel networks. Theoretical calculations reveal that Pro can transform "free water" into "locked water" via the molecular-crowding effect, thereby suppressing water evaporation and ice forming. Accordingly, the prepared hydrogel exhibits high water retention capability, with 77% and 55% being preserved after exposure to 20 °C, 28% relative humidity (RH) and 35 °C, 90% RH for 12 h. Meanwhile, Pro lowers the freezing temperature of the hydrogel to 34 °C and enhances its stretchability and strength. Finally, the PVA/Pro/MXene hydrogels are assembled as multifunctional on-skin strain sensors and conductive electrodes to monitor human motions and detect tiny electrophysiological signals. Collectively, this work provides a molecular crowding strategy that will motivate researchers to develop more advanced hydrogels for versatile applications.

Comparison of the safety and efficacy of the wild-type and lpxL/lpxM mutant inactivated vaccine against the avian pathogenic Escherichia coli O1, O2, and O78 challenge.

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is primarily responsible for causing septicemia, pneumonitis, peritonitis, swollen head syndrome, and salpingitis in poultry, leading to significant losses in the poultry sector, particularly within the broiler industry. The removal of the lpxL and lpxM genes led to an eightfold decrease in the endotoxin levels of wild APEC strains. In this study, mutant strains of lpxL/lpxM and their O1, O2, and O78 wild-type strains were developed for an inactivated vaccine (referred to as the mutant vaccine and the wild-type vaccine, respectively), and the safety and effectiveness of these two prototype vaccines were assessed in white Leghorn chickens. Findings indicated that chickens immunized with the mutant vaccine showed a return of appetite sooner post-immunization and experienced earlier disappearance of nodules at the injection site compared to those immunized with the wild-type vaccine. Pathological examinations revealed that lesions were still present in the liver, lung, and injection site in chickens vaccinated with the wild-type vaccine 14 days post-vaccination (dpv), whereas no lesions were found in chickens vaccinated with the mutant vaccine at 14 dpv. There were no significant differences in antibody levels on the challenge day or in mortality or lesion scores between challenged birds immunized with either the mutant vaccine or the wild-type vaccine at the same dose. In this study, the safety of a single dose or overdose of the mutant vaccine and its efficacy at one dose were evaluated in broilers, and the results showed that the mutant vaccine had no adverse effects on or protected vaccinated broilers from challenge with the APEC O1, O2, or O78 strains. These results demonstrated that the mutant polyvalent inactivated vaccine is a competitive candidate against APEC O1, O2, and O78 infection compared to the wild-type vaccine.

A dendrite-free Zn anode enabled by PEDOT:PSS/MoS2 electrokinetic channels for aqueous Zn-ion batteries.

Notorious Zn dendrites and severe parasitic side reactions severely disrupt the anode-electrolyte interface during Zn plating/stripping, resulting in uncontrollable Zn deposition and limiting the application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Although the construction of an artificial interface is a highly desirable strategy, it is often limited by slow Zn2+ transport kinetics. To address these issues, we present a bifunctional polymer coating (PEPM) constructed from highly conductive PEDOT:PSS and monolayer MoS2, where the introduced PEDOT plays an important role in driving the fast Zn ion transfer kinetics as a zincophilic site and 2D MoS2 acts as a buffer layer to induce uniform Zn nucleation. With this corrosion inhibition and nucleation-oriented coating, the mobility of Zn2+ flux and the uniformity of Zn deposition were significantly improved, resulting in a stable plating/stripping performance at an ultra-low overpotential (<50 mV) of 2000 h and a high average coulombic efficiency (>99.4%) of 1000 cycles without significant dendrite formation. The proposed strategy provides a cost-efficient remedy and opens a new avenue for the development of dendrite-free zinc anodes.

Radiotherapy is superior to transarterial chemoembolization as adjuvant therapy after narrow-margin hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A single-center prospective randomized study.

BACKGROUND: This study was recruited to compare the efficacy and safety of radiotherapy (RT) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as postoperative adjuvant therapy after narrow-margin hepatectomy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. METHODS: This single-center prospective randomized study was conducted in the Cancer Hospital, Guang Xi Medical University, Nanning. A total of 72 patients who received treatment in this hospital between August 2017 and July 2019 were included and randomly allocated to TACE group (n = 48) and RT group (n = 24). Next, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates, recurrence patterns, financial burden, and safety were evaluated. RESULTS: The difference between the RT and TACE groups was not significant in one-, three-, and five-year OS (87.5%, 79.0%, and 62.5% vs. 93.8%, 75.9%, and 63.4%, respectively, P = 0.071) and PFS rates (79.0%, 54.2%, and 22.6% vs. 75.0%, 47.9%, and 32.6%, respectively, P = 0.071). Compared to the TACE group, the RT group had significantly lower intrahepatic recurrence rate (20.8% vs. 52.1%, P = 0.011), higher extrahepatic recurrence rate (37.5% vs. 14.6%, P = 0.034), and no marginal and diffuse recurrences (0% vs. 16.7%, P < 0.05). The mean overall treatment cost was higher (¥62,550.59 ± 4397.27 vs. ¥40,732.56 ± 9210.54, P < 0.01), the hospital stay (15.1 ± 3.7 vs. 11.8 ± 4.1 days, P < 0.01) was longer, and the overall treatment stay (13.3 ± 5.3 vs. 41.29 ± 12.4 days, P < 0.01) was shorter in the TACE group than in the RT group. Besides, both groups did not exhibit significant differences in the frequency and severity of adverse events. CONCLUSION: Both adjuvant TACE and RT can better the OS and PFS of patients with HCC. However, RT has a significantly better performance than TACE in terms of improving intrahepatic recurrence rate, treatment cost and hospital stay.