Short-Term Effects of Extreme Meteorological Factors on Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Infection During 2010-2017 in Jiangsu, China: A Distributed Lag Non-Linear Analysis.

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is an infectious disease that primarily affects young children. In densely populated Jiangsu Province in China, the impact of extreme meteorological factors on HFMD is a concern. We aimed to examine the association between extreme meteorological variables and HFMD infection risk using daily HFMD infections and meteorological data from 2010 to 2017 in Jiangsu Province. We used distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) to analyze the data, which can effectively capture the nuanced non-linear dynamics and lag effects in the relationship between HFMD and extreme meteorological factors. Comparing the 10th and 90th percentiles of meteorological variables with their respective median values, our results showed that extremely low temperatures and high humidity were significantly associated with increased HFMD infection risk. The greatest effect of extremely low temperatures was observed at a lag of 1-2 days, elevating the risk by 18 âˆ¼ 33% (RR = 1.18 âˆ¼ 1.33). Extremely high humidity was found to increase the risk of infection, starting at a lag of 4 days. In contrast, extremely high temperatures, low humidity, and high wind speed were associated with reduced risk of infection at lag of 0-12 days, with the range of RR values being 0.60-0.98 for extremely high temperatures, 0.69-0.89 for extremely low humidity, and 0.84-0.98 for extremely high wind speed respectively. Our findings suggest that extreme meteorological factors can significantly impact the incidence of HFMD in Jiangsu Province, and highlight the need for effective public health protection measures during the periods of extreme meteorological condition, particularly for vulnerable populations.

Enhancement of NiTiO3 piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution by doping with large radius elements.

Piezocatalysis is a direct method for converting mechanical vibration into chemical energy. Herein, NiTiO3 is used in the piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution field for the first time. The noncentral symmetry of NiTiO3 is enhanced by doping with large radius elements. It is demonstrated that when a metal element replaces the sites of nickel, it results in lattice distortion and a higher piezoelectric response. In particular, Cd-doped NiTiO3 exhibits the highest H2 generation rate (1.52 mmol g-1 h-1), which is 13 times that of original NiTiO3.

Maternal factor Trim75 contributes to zygotic genome activation program in mouse early embryos.

BACKGROUND: Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is an important event in the early embryo development, and human embryo developmental arrest has been highly correlated with ZGA failure in clinical studies. Although a few studies have linked maternal factors to mammalian ZGA, more studies are needed to fully elucidate the maternal factors that are involved in ZGA. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, we utilized published single-cell RNA sequencing data from a Dux-mediated mouse embryonic stem cell to induce a 2-cell-like transition state and selected potential drivers for the transition according to an RNA velocity analysis. CONCLUSIONS: An overlap of potential candidate markers of 2-cell-like-cells identified in this research with markers generated by various data sets suggests that Trim75 is a potential driver of minor ZGA and may recruit EP300 and establish H3K27ac in the gene body of minor ZGA genes, thereby contributing to mammalian preimplantation embryo development.

[Spatial Distribution Characteristics of PM2.5 and O3 in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region Based on Time Series Decomposition].

Notably, clear spatial differences occur in the distribution of air pollution among cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) Region. Clarifying the concentration distribution of PM2.5 and O3 at different time scales is helpful to formulate scientific and effective pollution prevention and control measures. Here, the concentrations of PM2.5 and O3 were decomposed using a seasonal-trend decomposition procedure based on the loess (STL) method; their long-term, seasonal, and short-term components were obtained; and their temporal and spatial distribution characteristics were studied. The results showed that the decrease in PM2.5 concentration in the BTH Region from 2017 to 2021 was higher than that of O3. There was a positive correlation between PM2.5 and O3 concentrations in spring and summer and a negative correlation in autumn and winter. The short-term component and seasonal component had the greatest contribution to PM2.5 and O3 concentrations, respectively. There were two principal components in the seasonal and short-term components of PM2.5 and the long-term and short-term components of O3, corresponding to the central and southern part of Hebei Province and the northern part of the BTH Region. Sub-regional distribution of PM2.5 and O3 in the BTH Region at different time scales were found. Compared with that in the original series, the long-term component could better reflect the evolution trend of PM2.5 and O3 concentrations, and the standard deviation (SD) of the seasonal component and short-term component could be used to measure the fluctuation in PM2.5 and O3 concentrations in various cities. The SD of the seasonal and short-term components of the PM2.5 concentration in every city in front of Taihang Mountain was higher, and the SD of the short-term component of the O3 concentration in Tangshan was the highest.

Altered Functional Connectivity of the Multisensory Vestibular Cortex in Patients with Chronic Unilateral Vestibulopathy.

Background: Chronic unilateral vestibulopathy (CUVP) is a common chronic vestibular syndrome; the mechanisms of central vestibular compensation in CUVP are rarely studied. Methods: This study analyzed the data of 18 patients with CUVP and 18 healthy controls (HCs) and used seed-based functional connectivity (FC) and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) analyses to explore the FC alterations. Results: Compared with HCs, patients with CUVP showed decreased FC between the left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus and the right hippocampus; the left middle frontal gyrus and the right posterior cingulate gyrus, the right hippocampus, the right parahippocampal gyrus. There is also a reduction in FC between the left and right insula. There was enhanced FC between the left supplementary motor area (SMA) and the bilateral superior occipital gyrus, the left hippocampus and the left posterior cingulate gyrus, as well as a the left middle temporal gyrus (p = 0.03). Additionally,VMHC was decreased between the bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus, the bilateral precentral gyrus, and the bilateral postcentral gyrus (p = 0.001). The zVMHC values in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus and the precentral gyrus were both negatively corrected with the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) score.well as Conclusions: Altered FC in regions of bilateral multisensory vestibular cortex existed in patients with CUVP. Decreased FC and VMHC in the bilateral multisensory vestibular cortex may affect vestibular information integration, thus affecting self-motion perception, spatial orientation, and postural control.

Theoretical Study on Ion Diffusion Mechanism in W-Doped K3SbS4 as Solid-State Electrolyte for K-Ion Batteries.

The development of a solid-state electrolyte (SSE) is crucial for overcoming the side reactions of metal potassium anodes and advancing the progress of K-ion batteries (KIBs). Exploring the diffusion mechanism of the K ion in SSE is important for deepening our understanding and promoting its development. In this study, we conducted static calculations and utilized deep potential molecular dynamics (DeepMD) to investigate the behavior of cubic K3SbS4. The original K3SbS4 exhibited poor ionic conductivity, but we discovered that introducing heterovalent tungsten doping created vacancies, which significantly reduced the activation energy to 0.12 eV and enhanced the ionic conductivity to 1.80 × 10-2 S/cm. The diffusion of K-ions in K3SbS4 primarily occurs through the exchange of positions with K vacancies. This research provides insights into the design of SSE with high ionic conductivity. Furthermore, it highlights the effectiveness of DeepMD as a powerful tool for studying the SSE.

Functional Plasmonic Microscope: Characterizing the Metabolic Activity of Single Cells via Sub-nm Membrane Fluctuations.

Metabolic abnormalities are at the center of many diseases, and the capability to film and quantify the metabolic activities of a single cell is important for understanding the heterogeneities in these abnormalities. In this paper, a functional plasmonic microscope (FPM) is used to image and measure metabolic activities without fluorescent labels at a single-cell level. The FPM can accurately image and quantify the subnanometer membrane fluctuations with a spatial resolution of 0.5 µm in real time. These active cell membrane fluctuations are caused by metabolic activities across the cell membrane. A three-dimensional (3D) morphology of the bottom cell membrane was imaged and reconstructed with FPM to illustrate the capability of the microscope for cell membrane characterization. Then, the subnanometer cell membrane fluctuations of single cells were imaged and quantified with the FPM using HeLa cells. Cell metabolic heterogeneity is analyzed based on membrane fluctuations of each individual cell that is exposed to similar environmental conditions. In addition, we demonstrated that the FPM could be used to evaluate the therapeutic responses of metabolic inhibitors (glycolysis pathway inhibitor STF 31) on a single-cell level. The result showed that the metabolic activities significantly decrease over time, but the nature of this response varies, depicting cell heterogeneity. A low-concentration dose showed a reduced fluctuation frequency with consistent fluctuation amplitudes, while the high-concentration dose showcased a decreasing trend in both cases. These results have demonstrated the capabilities of the functional plasmonic microscope to measure and quantify metabolic activities for drug discovery.

A Multidrug-Resistant Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)-Producing Enterobacter hormaechei Strain from Mixed Sprouts.

Fresh vegetables can harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales. Enterobacter hormaechei is a bacterium belonging to the Enterobacterales order and the most commonly identified nosocomial pathogen of Enterobacter cloacae complex. The purpose of this study was to characterize a multi-drug resistant ESBL-producing E. hormaechei strain isolated from a sample of mixed sprouts. Vegetable samples were pre-enriched in buffered peptone water, followed by enrichment in Enterobacteria Enrichment Broth, and isolation on Chromagar™ ESBL plates. One isolate from a sprout sample was confirmed to produce both ESBL and AmpC ß-lactamases through the combination disk diffusion assay using antibiotic disks containing cefotaxime and ceftazidime with or without clavulanate, and with or without cloxacillin, respectively. The isolate was also resistant to multiple antibiotics, including cefotaxime, ceftazidime, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, gentamicin, ampicillin, and amoxicillin-clavulanate, as determined by antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Through whole genome sequencing, the isolate was identified as E. hormaechei 057-E1, which carried multiple antibiotic resistance (AR) genes and a sul2-aph(3″)-Ib-aph(6)-Id-blaTEM-1-ISEcp1 -blaCTX-M-15 gene cluster. Our results further demonstrate the important role of fresh vegetables in AR and highlight the need to develop strategies for AR mitigation in fresh vegetables.

Insight into the humification and carbon balance of biogas residual biochar amended co-composting of hog slurry and wheat straw.

The impact of biogas residual biochar (BRB) on the humification and carbon balance process of co-composting of hog slurry (HGS) and wheat straw (WTS) was examined. The 50-day humification process was significantly enhanced by the addition of BRB, particular of 5% BRB, as indicated by the relatively higher humic acid content (67.28 g/kg) and humification ratio (2.31) than other treatments. The carbon balance calculation indicated that although BRB addition increased 22.16-46.77% of C lost in form of CO2-C, but the 5% BRB treatment showed relatively higher C fixation and lower C loss than other treatments. In addition, the BRB addition reshaped the bacterial community structure during composting, resulting in increased abundances of Proteobacteria (25.50%) during the thermophilic phase and Bacteroidetes (33.55%) during the maturation phase. Combined these results with biological mechanism analysis, 5% of BRB was likely an optimal addition for promoting compost humification and carbon fixation in practice.

Influence of transcatheter arterial embolization on symptom distress and fatigue in liver cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent malignancy, and transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) has emerged as a pivotal therapeutic modality. However, TAE may induce symptom distress and fatigue, adversely affecting the quality of life of patients. AIM: To investigate symptom distress, fatigue, and associated factors in HCC patients undergoing TAE. METHODS: We used a cross-sectional design and purposive sampling to enroll HCC patients who underwent TAE at our institution from January to December 2022. Questionnaires were utilized to collect data on symptom distress and fatigue scores from the first to the third day after TAE. RESULTS: Our study revealed a significant reduction in fatigue and symptom distress among patients after TAE. Pain, fatigue, insomnia, fever and abdominal distension were the most common symptoms troubling patients during the first 3 d post-TAE. Marital status, presence of family support, physical functional status, age, and symptom distress were identified as predictors of fatigue in patients. CONCLUSION: Healthcare professionals should educate HCC patients on symptom distress and fatigue, offering personalized relief strategies to lessen their psychological burden.

Dietary salt promotes cognition impairment through GLP-1R/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway.

Dietary salt has been associated with cognitive impairment in mice, possibly related to damaged synapses and tau hyperphosphorylation. However, the mechanism underlying how dietary salt causes cognitive dysfunction remains unclear. In our study, either a high-salt (8%) or normal diet (0.5%) was used to feed C57BL/6 mice for three months, and N2a cells were cultured in normal medium, NaCl medium (80 mM), or NaCl (80 mM) + Liraglutide (200 nM) medium for 48 h. Cognitive function in mice was assessed using the Morris water maze and shuttle box test, while anxiety was evaluated by the open field test (OPT). Western blotting (WB), immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry were utilized to assess the level of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) and mTOR/p70S6K pathway. Electron microscope and western blotting were used to evaluate synapse function and tau phosphorylation. Our findings revealed that a high salt diet (HSD) reduced the level of synaptophysin (SYP) and postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95), resulting in significant synaptic damage. Additionally, hyperphosphorylation of tau at different sites was detected. The C57BL/6 mice showed significant impairment in learning and memory function compared to the control group, but HSD did not cause anxiety in the mice. In addition, the level of GLP-1R and autophagy flux decreased in the HSD group, while the level of mTOR/p70S6K was upregulated. Furthermore, liraglutide reversed the autophagy inhibition of N2a treated with NaCl. In summary, our study demonstrates that dietary salt inhibits the GLP-1R/mTOR/p70S6K pathway to inhibit autophagy and induces synaptic dysfunction and tau hyperphosphorylation, eventually impairing cognitive dysfunction.

Efficacy and safety of lenalidomide in the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The combination of rituximab and chemotherapy is a first-line treatment for patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Lenalidomide is an immunomodulatory drug that has shown promising properties and activity in a variety of hematological malignancies. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of lenalidomide-based regimens in the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. METHODS: The PubMed, Science Direct, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant studies published up to May 2022. Studies with patients diagnosed with non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma, who were randomly assigned to a lenalidomide treatment group or a non-lenalidomide control group were considered for inclusion in this review and meta-analysis. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the time-to-event outcomes and risk ratios (RRs) with 95% CIs of dichotomous data were estimated. RESULTS: A total of 3593 patients from 10 studies were evaluated. The results of the pooled analysis indicated that the lenalidomide-based regimen was associated with prolonged overall survival (HR, 0.85; 95% CI 0.74-0.97; P = 0.02) and progression-free survival (HR, 0.70; 95% CI 0.57-0.88; P = 0.002). Significant differences were found in the overall response rate (RR, 1.18; 95% CI 1.04-1.33; P = 0.01) and complete response rate (RR, 1.18; 95% CI 1.00-1.39; P = 0.05) between the treatment and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Lenalidomide appears to be a promising therapeutic agent that offers the possibility of a novel combination of chemotherapy free regimen for patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Effects of dietary forage neutral detergent fiber and rumen degradable starch ratios on chewing activity, ruminal fermentation, ruminal microbes and nutrient digestibility of Hu sheep fed a pelleted total mixed ration.

Pelleted total mixed ration (P-TMR) feeding, which has become a common practice in providing nutrition for fattening sheep, requires careful consideration of the balance between forage neutral detergent fiber (FNDF) and rumen degradable starch (RDS) to maintain proper rumen functions. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the dietary FNDF/RDS ratio (FRR) on chewing activity, ruminal fermentation, ruminal microbes, and nutrient digestibility in Hu sheep fed a P-TMR diet. This study utilized eight ruminally cannulated male Hu sheep, following a 4 × 4 Latin square design with 31 d each period. Diets consisted of four FRR levels: 1.0 (high FNDF/RDS ratio, HFRR), 0.8 (middle high FNDF/RDS ratio, MHFRR), 0.6 (middle low FNDF/RDS ratio, MLFRR), and 0.4 (low FNDF/RDS ratio, LFRR). Reducing the dietary FRR levels resulted in a linear decrease in ruminal minimum pH and mean pH, while linearly increasing the duration and area of pH below 5.8 and 5.6, as well as the acidosis index. Sheep in the HFRR and MHFRR groups did not experience subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA), whereas sheep in another two groups did. The concentration of total volatile fatty acid and the molar ratios of propionate and valerate, as well as the concentrate of lactate in the rumen linearly increased with reducing dietary FRR, while the molar ratio of acetate and acetate to propionate ratio linearly decreased. The degradability of NDF and ADF for alfalfa hay has a quadratic response with reducing the dietary FRR. The apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber linearly decreased when the dietary FRR was reduced. In addition, reducing the dietary FRR caused a linear decrease in OTUs, Chao1, and Ace index of ruminal microflora. Reducing FRR in the diet increased the percentage of reads assigned as Firmicutes, but it decreased the percentage of reads assigned as Bacteroidetes in the rumen. At genus level, the percentage of reads assigned as Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Succinivibrio, and Butyrivibrio linearly decreased when the dietary FRR was reduced. The results of this study demonstrate that the dietary FRR of 0.8 is crucial in preventing the onset of SARA and promotes an enhanced richness of ruminal microbes and also improves fiber digestibility, which is a recommended dietary FRR reference when formulating P-TMR diets for sheep.

Forage neutral detergent fiber (FNDF) and rumen degradable starch (RDS) are key components of carbohydrates in the diet for ruminants, which would reflect saliva secretion and the acid production potential of feed. However, appropriate FNDF to RDS ratios (FRR) applicable to ruminants under the condition of pelleted total mixed ration (P-TMR) feeding have not been reported. In this study, we investigated the effects of the dietary FRR on chewing activity, ruminal fermentation, ruminal microbial communities, and nutrient digestibility of Hu sheep under P-TMR feeding. The results indicate that reducing dietary FRR levels would induce acidosis in sheep, which negatively affected fiber utilization and ruminal bacterial communities. The FRR of 0.8 was a recommended dietary FRR when formulating a P-TMR diet for fattening sheep, as indicated by decreased ruminal acidosis risk and increased richness of ruminal microbes in the rumen as well as nutrient digestibility.

Single-cell systems pharmacology identifies development-driven drug response and combination therapy in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Leukemia can arise at various stages of the hematopoietic differentiation hierarchy, but the impact of developmental arrest on drug sensitivity is unclear. Applying network-based analyses to single-cell transcriptomes of human B cells, we define genome-wide signaling circuitry for each B cell differentiation stage. Using this reference, we comprehensively map the developmental states of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), revealing its strong correlation with sensitivity to asparaginase, a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. Single-cell multi-omics analyses of primary B-ALL blasts reveal marked intra-leukemia heterogeneity in asparaginase response: resistance is linked to pre-pro-B-like cells, with sensitivity associated with the pro-B-like population. By targeting BCL2, a driver within the pre-pro-B-like cell signaling network, we find that venetoclax significantly potentiates asparaginase efficacy in vitro and in vivo. These findings demonstrate a single-cell systems pharmacology framework to predict effective combination therapies based on intra-leukemia heterogeneity in developmental state, with potentially broad applications beyond B-ALL.

Ethanol as Solvent Additives with Competitive Effect for High-Stable Aqueous Zinc Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are emerging as promising sustainable energy-storage devices. However, their cyclic stability is still a great challenge due to the inevitable parasitic reaction and dendrite growth induced by water. Herein, a cosolvent strategy based on competitive effect is proposed to address the aforementioned challenges. Ethanol with a higher Gutmann donor number demonstrates lower polarity and better wettability on the Zn surface compared with water, which endows ethanol with the ability of minimizing water activity by weakening H bonds and preferentially adsorbing on the Zn electrode. The above competitive advantages synergistically contribute to inhibiting the decomposition of free water and dendrite growth. Besides, an organic-inorganic hybrid solid-electrolyte interphase layer is in situ built based on ethanol additives, where organic matrix suppresses water corrosion while inorganic fillers promote fast Zn2+ diffusion. Consequently, the electrolyte with ethanol additives boosts a high reversibility of Zn deposition, long-term durability, as well as superior Zn2+ diffusibility in both Zn half-cells (Zn||Cu and Zn||Zn batteries) and Zn full cells (Zn||PTCDA and Zn||VO2 batteries). This work sheds light on a universal strategy to design a high-reversible and dendrite-free Zn anode for stable aqueous batteries.

Comparative analysis of the intestinal flora of BmNPV-resistant and BmNPV-sensitive silkworm varieties.

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a very common and infectious virus that affects silkworms and hinders silk production. To investigate the intestinal flora of BmNPV-resistant and BmNPV-sensitive silkworm varieties, 16 S rDNA high-throughput sequencing was performed. The results of the cluster analysis showed that the intestinal flora of the resistant silkworm variety was more abundant than that of the sensitive silkworm variety. This was found even when infection with BmNPV caused a sharp decline in the number of intestinal floral species in both resistant and sensitive silkworm varieties. The abundances of the intestinal flora, including Aureimonas, Ileibacterium, Peptostreptococcus, Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, and Halomonas, in the resistant variety were considerably greater after infection with BmNPV than those in the sensitive variety. After infection with BmNPV, four kinds of important intestinal bacteria, namely, f_Saccharimonadaceae, Peptostreptococcus, Aureirmonas, and f_Rhizobiaceae, were found in the resistant silkworm variety. In the sensitive silkworm variety, only Faecalibaculum was an important intestinal bacterium. The differential or important bacteria mentioned above might be involved in immunoreaction or antiviral activities, especially in the intestines of BmNPV-resistant silkworms. By conducting a functional enrichment analysis, we found that BmNPV infection did not change the abundance of important functional components of the intestinal flora in resistant or sensitive silkworm varieties. However, some functional factors, such as the biosynthesis, transport, and catabolism of secondary metabolites (e.g., terpenoids and polyketides) and lipid transport and metabolism, were more important in the resistant silkworm variety than in the sensitive variety; thus, these factors may increase the resistance of the host to BmNPV. To summarize, we found significant differences in the composition, abundance, and function of the intestinal flora between resistant and sensitive silkworm varieties, especially after infection with BmNPV, which might be closely related to the resistance of resistant silkworm varieties to BmNPV.

Prenatal co-exposure to diisodecyl phthalate and ozone contribute to depressive behavior in offspring mice through oxidative stress and TWIST1 participation.

Exposure to diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP) during early pregnancy may be a risk factor for depressive behavior in offspring. While ozone (O3) exposure also raises the probability of depressive behavior during the preceding DIDP-induced process. In the present study, we investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to DIDP and O3 on the development of depressive-like behavior in offspring mice. The study found that prenatal exposure to both DIDP and O3 significantly increased depressive-like behavior in the offspring mice compared to either DIDP or O3 alone. Prenatal exposure to DIDP and O3 obviously increased the levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol, and decreased the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) in the brain tissues of offspring mice. Transcriptome analysis further revealed significant alterations in genes related to oxidative stress and TWIST1 (a helix-loop-helix transcription factor) in response to the combined exposure to DIDP and O3. HPA axis activation, dysregulation of neurodevelopmental factors, oxidative stress and TWIST1 involvement, collectively contributed to the development of depression-like behaviors in offspring mice following prenatal exposure to DIDP and O3. Moreover, the study also verified the potential role of oxidative stress using vitamin E as an antioxidant. The findings provide valuable evidence for the relationship between co-exposure to DIDP and O3 and depression, highlighting the importance of considering the combined effects of multiple environmental pollutants in assessing their impact on mental health outcomes.

Ferroptosis: An important mechanism of disease mediated by the gut-liver-brain axis.

AIMS: As a unique iron-dependent non-apoptotic cell death, Ferroptosis is involved in the pathogenesis and development of many human diseases and has become a research hotspot in recent years. However, the regulatory role of ferroptosis in the gut-liver-brain axis has not been elucidated. This paper summarizes the regulatory role of ferroptosis and provides theoretical basis for related research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched PubMed, CNKI and Wed of Science databases on ferroptosis mediated gut-liver-brain axis diseases, summarized the regulatory role of ferroptosis on organ axis, and explained the adverse effects of related regulatory effects on various diseases. KEY FINDINGS: According to our summary, the main way in which ferroptosis mediates the gut-liver-brain axis is oxidative stress, and the key cross-talk of ferroptosis affecting signaling pathway network is Nrf2/HO-1. However, there were no specific marker between different organ axes mediate by ferroptosis. SIGNIFICANCE: Our study illustrates the main ways and key cross-talk of ferroptosis mediating the gut-liver-brain axis, providing a basis for future research.

Mechanical Mapping of Nanoblisters Confined by Two-Dimensional Materials Reveals Complex Ridge Patterns.

Understanding the mechanics of blisters confined by two-dimensional (2D) materials is of great importance for either fundamental studies or for their practical applications. In this work, we investigate the mechanical properties of nanoscale 2D material blisters using contact-resonance atomic force microscopy (CR-AFM). From the measurement results at the blister centers, the blisters' internal pressures are characterized, which are shown to be inversely proportional to the blisters' sizes. Our measurements agree considerably well with values predicted by theoretical mechanic analyses of the blisters. In addition, high-resolution mechanical mapping with CR-AFM reveals fine, complex ridge patterns of the blisters' confining membranes, which can hardly be distinguished from their topographies. The pattern complexity of a blister system is shown to increase with an increase in its bendability.

Design of Solid Polycationic Electrolyte to Enable Durable Chloride-Ion Batteries.

The high energy density and cost-effectiveness of chloride-ion batteries (CIBs) make them promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. However, the development of CIBs is greatly restricted by the lack of compatible electrolytes to support cost-effective anodes. Herein, we present a rationally designed solid polycationic electrolyte (SPE) to enable room-temperature chloride-ion batteries utilizing aluminum (Al) metal as an anode. This SPE endows the CIB configuration with improved air stability and safety (i.e. free of flammability and liquid leakage). A high ionic conductivity (1.3×10-2 S cm-1 at 25 °C) has been achieved by the well-tailored solvation structure of the SPE. Meanwhile, the solid polycationic electrolyte ensures stable electrodes|electrolyte interfaces, which effectively inhibit the growth of dendrites on the Al anodes and degradation of the FeOCl cathodes. The Al|SPE|FeOCl chloride-ion batteries showcased a high discharge capacity around 250 mAh g-1 (based on the cathodes) and extended lifespan. Our electrolyte design opens a new avenue for developing low-cost chloride-ion batteries.