Substitutional doping of MoTe2/ZrS2 heterostructures for sustainable energy related applications.

Stacking and/or substitutional doping are effective strategies to tune two-dimensional materials with desired properties, greatly extending the applications of the pristine materials. Here, by employing first-principles calculations, we propose that a pristine MoTe2/ZrS2 heterostructure is a distinguished lithium-ion battery anode material with a low Li diffusion barrier (∼0.26 eV), and it has a high maximum Li storage capacity (476.36 mA h g-1) and a relatively low open-circuit voltage (0.16 V) at Li4/MoTe2/Li/ZrS2/Li4. The other heterostructures with different types can be achieved by substitutional doping and their potential applications in sustainable energy related areas are further unraveled. For instance, a type-II TeMoSe/ZrS2 heterostructure could be a potential direct Z-scheme photocatalyst for water splitting with a high solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 17.62%. The TeMoSe/SZrO heterostructure is predicted to be a potential candidate for application in highly efficient solar cells. Its maximum power conversion efficiency can be as high as 19.21%, which is quite promising for commercial applications. The present results will shed light on the sustainable energy applications of pristine or doped MoTe2/ZrS2 heterostructures in the future.

Analysis of the impact of health management measures for entry personnel on imported Dengue fever in Guangdong Province, 2020-2022 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To explore the impact of health management measures for entry personnel (entry management measures) against COVID-19 on the epidemiological characteristics of imported Dengue fever in Guangdong Province from 2020 to 2022. Methods: Data of imported Dengue fever from January 1, 2016 to August 31, 2022, mosquito density surveillance from 2016 to 2021, and international airline passengers and Dengue fever annual reported cases from 2011 to 2021 in Guangdong were collected. Comparative analysis was conducted to explore changes in the epidemic characteristics of imported Dengue fever before the implementation of entry management measures (from January 1, 2016 to March 20, 2020) and after the implementation (from March 21, 2020 to August 31, 2022). Results: From March 21, 2020, to August 31, 2022, a total of 52 cases of imported Dengue fever cases were reported, with an imported risk intensity of 0.12, which were lower than those before implementation of entry management measures (1 828, 5.29). No significant differences were found in the characteristics of imported cases before and after implementation of entry management measures, including seasonality, sex, age, career, and imported countries (all P>0.05). 59.62% (31/52) of cases were found at the centralized isolation sites and 38.46% (20/52) at the entry ports. However, before implementation of entry management measures, 95.08% (1 738/1 828) of cases were found in hospitals. Among 51 cases who had provided entry dates, 82.35% (42/51) and 98.04% (50/51) of cases were found within seven days and fourteen days after entry, slightly higher than before implementation [(72.69%(362/498) and 97.59% (486/498)]. There was significant difference between the monthly mean values of Aedes mosquito larval density (Bretto index) from 2020 to 2021 and those from 2016 to 2019 (Z=2.83, P=0.005). There is a strong positive correlation between the annual international airline passengers volume in Guangdong from 2011 to 2021 and the annual imported Dengue fever cases (r=0.94, P<0.001), and a positive correlation also existed between the international passenger volume and the annual indigenous Dengue fever cases (r=0.72, P=0.013). Conclusions: In Guangdong, the entry management measures of centralized isolation for fourteen days after entry from abroad had been implemented, and most imported Dengue fever cases were found within fourteen days after entry. The risk of local transmission caused by imported cases has reduced significantly.

[Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy in the treatment of adjacent segment lumbar disc herniation after lumbar fusion].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical effect of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy in the treatment of adjacent segment lumbar disc herniation after lumbar fusion. METHODS: From February 2010 to June 2018, 64 patients with adjacent segment lumbar disc herniation after lumbar fusion were retrospectively analyzed and divided into observation group and control group. In observation group, there were 23 males and 10 females performed with percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy, including 27 cases of single segment fusion and 6 cases of double segment fusion, aged from 55 to 83 years old with an average of (65.7±7.4) years old. In control group, there were 22 males and 9 females performed with traditional open fusion revision, including 25 cases of single-segment fusion and 6 cases of double segment fusion, aged from 51 to 78 years old with an average of(64.8±7.8) years old. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, fluoroscopy times, postoperative ambulation time and length of postoperative hospital stay were recorded. The clinical efficacy was evaluated by visual analogue scale(VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index(ODI). The complications between two groups were observed. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for at least 2 years. The observation group patients were followed up with an average of (2.4±0.5) years. The control group patients were followed up with an average of(2.6±0.7) years. Compared with control group, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative ambulation time and length of postoperative hospital stay of the observation group were significantly reduced (P<0.05), and the fluoroscopy times of observation group were significantly increased compared with control group(P<0.05). The VAS of low back and lower limb, and ODI at the latest follow-up between two groups were all significantly improved compared to those of pre-operation (P<0.05). The VAS of low back at each point and ODI at 1, 3 months after operation in observation group was significantly reduced compared with control group(P<0.05), however there was no significant difference in VAS for lower limb between two groups (P>0.05). The difference of complications between two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Compared with traditional open fusion revision surgery, percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy for the treatment of adjacent segment lumbar disc herniation after lumbar fusion has the advantages of reducing operation time and intra-operative blood loss, shortening ambulation time and the length of postoperative hospital stay, and promoting pain and functional improvement, and decrease incidence of complications. However, long-term clinical efficacy needs further study.

Brain Dynamics Altered by Photic Stimulation in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Repetitive photic stimulation (PS) is commonly used in routine electroencephalogram (EEG) examinations for rapid assessment of perceptual functioning. This study aimed to evaluate neural oscillatory responses and nonlinear brain dynamics under the effects of PS in patients with mild AD, moderate AD, severe AD, and MCI, as well as healthy elderly controls (HC). EEG power ratios during PS were estimated as an index of oscillatory responses. Multiscale sample entropy (MSE) was estimated as an index of brain dynamics before, during, and after PS. During PS, EEG harmonic responses were lower and MSE values were higher in the AD subgroups than in HC and MCI groups. PS-induced changes in EEG complexity were less pronounced in the AD subgroups than in HC and MCI groups. Brain dynamics revealed a "transitional change" between MCI and Mild AD. Our findings suggest a deficiency in brain adaptability in AD patients, which hinders their ability to adapt to repetitive perceptual stimulation. This study highlights the importance of combining spectral and nonlinear dynamical analysis when seeking to unravel perceptual functioning and brain adaptability in the various stages of neurodegenerative diseases.

Preliminary exploration of the mechanism of Qingfei Paidu decoction against novel coronavirus pneumonia based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology / 药学学报

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) network pharmacology and molecular docking technology were applied to explore the mechanism of anti-coronavirus pneumonia (coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19) of Qingfei Paidu decoction. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 edition) and Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP), OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man), GeneCard, STRING, and others online databases are used for building a series of network, and selecting the core target and analyzing the signal pathway. Finally, we make molecular docking predictions for the important compounds. The results showed that the Qingfei Paidu decoction compound-pneumonia target network contained 292 compounds and 214 corresponding targets, and the core targets involved AKT1 (AKT serine/threonine kinase 1), IL6 (interleukin 6), MAPK8 (mitogen-activated protein kinase 8), MAPK1 (mitogen-activated protein kinase 1), and JUN (jun proto-oncogene). GO (Gene Ontology) function enrichment analysis yielded 858 GO entries, and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment screening yielded 122 related pathways, including hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and Toll-like receptor (TLRs) signaling pathways related to pneumonia, as well as T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathway related to lung injury protection. The molecular docking results showed that some core compounds of the Chinese herbal medicine of Qingfei Paidu decoction have a certain degree of affinity for 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) main protease (3C-like protease, 3CLpro) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). In this paper, we preliminarily explored the potential therapeutic mechanism for Qingfei Paidu decoction to against COVID-19 and predicted the active ingredients. We hope that the results will help to the further study on the active ingredients and mechanism of Qingfei Paidu decoction to COVID-19.

Successful medical drainage and surgical treatment for vertebral osteomyelitis and bilateral psoas abscess with gas formation caused by klebsiella pneumoniae in a diabetic patient.

OBJECTIVE: We describe the case of a diabetic patient who developed vertebral osteomyelitis and bilateral psoas abscess with gas formation due to klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS: A 64-year-old woman with a 4-year history of type-2 diabetes mellitus was admitted to the Emergency Department. The subject had a 2-day history of high-grade fever associated with chills and a 5-hour history of consciousness. She received empirical treatment with febrifuge, after which her fever decreased. RESULTS: Her fever recurred after an interval of three hours. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed vertebral osteomyelitis and bilateral psoas muscle abscess with gas formation. Blood culture and purulent fluid described the growth of the Klebsiella pneumoniae. The patient received antibiotic therapy and bilateral drainage therapy after the drainage catheter was placed into the abscess cavity by CT-guidance. Due to the serious damage to the vertebral column and permanent pain, the patient underwent minimally invasive internal spinal fixation and recovered successfully. CONCLUSION: A case of vertebral osteomyelitis and bilateral psoas abscess with gas formation caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae in a diabetic patient. Antibiotic therapy, drainage, and minimally invasive internal spinal fixation were performed, which enabled a good outcome.

Successful medical drainage and surgical treatment for vertebral osteomyelitis and bilateral psoas abscess with gas formation caused by klebsiella pneumoniae in a diabetic patient

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: We describe the case of a diabetic patient who developed vertebral osteomyelitis and bilateral psoas abscess with gas formation due to klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS: A 64-year-old woman with a 4-year history of type-2 diabetes mellitus was admitted to the Emergency Department. The subject had a 2-day history of high-grade fever associated with chills and a 5-hour history of consciousness. She received empirical treatment with febrifuge, after which her fever decreased. RESULTS: Her fever recurred after an interval of three hours. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed vertebral osteomyelitis and bilateral psoas muscle abscess with gas formation. Blood culture and purulent fluid described the growth of the Klebsiella pneumoniae. The patient received antibiotic therapy and bilateral drainage therapy after the drainage catheter was placed into the abscess cavity by CT-guidance. Due to the serious damage to the vertebral column and permanent pain, the patient underwent minimally invasive internal spinal fixation and recovered successfully. CONCLUSION: A case of vertebral osteomyelitis and bilateral psoas abscess with gas formation caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae in a diabetic patient. Antibiotic therapy, drainage, and minimally invasive internal spinal fixation were performed, which enabled a good outcome.

RESUMO OBJETIVO: Descrever o caso de uma paciente diabética que desenvolveu osteomielite vertebral e abcesso bilateral do psoas com formação de gás causada por klebsiella pneumoniae. MÉTODOS: Uma mulher de 64 anos de idade, com 4 anos de histórico de diabetes mellitus tipo 2, foi admitida no Serviço de Emergência. A paciente apresentava um quadro de dias de febre alta acompanhada de calafrios e um histórico de 5 horas de consciência. Ela recebeu tratamento empírico com antitérmico, após o qual a febre diminuiu. RESULTADOS: A febre retornou após um intervalo de três horas. Uma tomografia computadorizada do abdome revelou osteomielite vertebral e abcesso bilateral do músculo psoas com formação de gás. A cultura do sangue e o fluido purulento revelaram o crescimento de Klebsiella pneumoniae. A paciente recebeu antibióticos e terapia de drenagem bilateral após o cateter de drenagem ser posicionado na cavidade do abscesso com auxílio de TC. Devido a sérios danos à coluna vertebral e a dor permanente, a paciente foi submetida à fixação vertebral interna minimamente invasiva e recuperou-se com sucesso. CONCLUSÃO: Um caso de osteomielite vertebral e abscesso do psoas bilateral com a formação de gás causada por Klebsiella pneumoniae em uma paciente diabética. Antibioticoterapia, drenagem e fixação vertebral interna minimamente invasiva foram realizadas, o que permitiu um bom resultado.

Advances and applications of lysine acetylation / 药学学报

Protein acetylation is a process of adding an acetyl group to a protein lysine residue with the help of acetyltransferase, which is a pivotal protein post-translational modification linking acetyl-CoA metabolism and cell signal transduction. Recently, the development of mass spectrometry has deepened our understanding of lysine acetylation. Lysine acetylation is involved in many processes such as gene transcription, protein degradation, cellular metabolism, and stress response, which affects biological processes by regulating protein interactions, activity, stability and localization. Protein acetylation is widely happened and plays important regulatory roles in a diversity of human diseases such as metabolic diseases, tumors and cardiovascular diseases. Besides, deacetylase inhibitors have displayed a great potential in the treatment of various diseases especially tumors and metabolic associated diseases. In this review, we summarized the advances and application of acetylation, and discussed the remaining problems in this area.

Strain-Tunable Electronic Properties and Band Alignments in GaTe/C2N Heterostructure: a First-Principles Calculation.

Recently, GaTe and C2N monolayers have been successfully synthesized and show fascinating electronic and optical properties. Such hybrid of GaTe with C2N may induce new novel physical properties. In this work, we perform ab initio simulations on the structural, electronic, and optical properties of the GaTe/C2N van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure. Our calculations show that the GaTe/C2N vdW heterostructure is an indirect-gap semiconductor with type-II band alignment, facilitating an effective separation of photogenerated carriers. Intriguingly, it also presents enhanced visible-UV light absorption compared to its components and can be tailored to be a good photocatalyst for water splitting at certain pH by applying vertical strains. Further, we explore specifically the adsorption and decomposition of water molecules on the surface of C2N layer in the heterostructure and the subsequent formation of hydrogen, which reveals the mechanism of photocatalytic hydrogen production on the 2D GaTe/C2N heterostructure. Moreover, it is found that in-plane biaxial strains can induce indirect-direct-indirect, semiconductor-metal, and type II to type I or type III transitions. These interesting results make the GaTe/C2N vdW heterostructure a promising candidate for applications in next generation of multifunctional optoelectronic devices.

Relationship of Serum Neutrophil Gelatinase-associated Lipocalin Levels with Stroke Attack and Renal Dysfunction in Patients / 现代检验医学杂志

Objective To explore the correlations of neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) with cerebral stroke attack and renal dysfunction of patients.Methods 63 patients with first-diagnosed hemorrhagic stroke (HS),233 patients with first diagnosed ischemic stroke (IS) and 293 healthy controls were randomly selected.Their age,gender and clinical his tory of hypertension,diabetes,coronary heart disease and hyperuricemia were recorded at admission,and their serum levels of kidney function/injury biomarkers (NGAL,Cr,Urea,CysC and eGFR) were measured at the next day.According to KDIGO guidelines standards,all subjects were divided into four groups on behalf of their renal damage degree:AKI,CKD,transient or no kidney injury,and control group.And then,the relations of these indicators with stroke attack and renal function of HS and IS patients were analyzed.Results The medians of serum NGAL levels in the patients with HS and IS were 160.0 and 142.9 μg/L,their difference had no statistical significance (Z=2.332,P＞0.05),but were higher than healthy controls (Z =12.621,9.189,all P＜0.05).The levels of serum NGAL in AKI,CKD,transient or no renal dysfunction,and control groups were 375.3,228.6,141.6 and 103.8 μg/L respectively,which had statistically significant differences between each other (Z=3.661～11.237,all P＜0.05).NGAL level was positively related to HS attack (rp=0.423,P＜0.001),IS attack (rp =0.231,P＜0.001) and renal dysfunction in both HS and IS patients (rp=0.429,0.289,all P＜0.001).Its partial cor relation coefficient was only lower than hypertension within HS stroke attack,and lower than coronary heart disease and diabetes within IS stroke attack,but the highest within renal function of either HS or IS patients.For assessing HS and IS attack,NGAL levels play a limited role (OR=1.044,0.974,allP＜0.001),in contrary to NGAL abnormity (OR =27.841,15.411,all P＜0.001).Conclusion Elevated NGAL levels may be a risk factor for stroke,suggesting that kidney injury or renal dysfunction may be associated with stroke,and the prevention and treatment of stroke should pay attention to the change of NGAL.

Toxic effects of strychnine and strychnine N-oxide on zebrafish embryos / 中国天然药物

AIM@#The application of strychnine (S) is limited due to its toxicity; strychnine N-oxide (SNO) is a derivative of strychnine. The aim was to employ zebrafish embryos to investigate and compare the developmental toxicity induced by S and SNO.@*METHODS@#The toxicity of S and SNO was examined through the hatching rate and survival rate. Morphological changes of the zebrafish were observed with a dissecting microscope. Apoptosis was detected through acridine orange (AO) staining and flow cytometry. Apoptotic genes were measured by RT-PCR.@*RESULTS@#Embryo malformation was observed in the embryos exposed to S at 200 μmol·L(-1). When SNO concentration was increased to 1 mmol·L(-1), scoliolosis, and pericardial edema could be seen in some embryos. Results from fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis showed that S at 200 μmol·L(-1) induced apoptosis, whereas the apoptotic rate in the SNO-treated group (200 μmol·L(-1)) was much lower than that in the S group. RT-PCR analysis showed that p53 mRNA expression and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 in the S group were significantly altered compared with the control group (*P < 0.05). Moreover, Bax mRNA expression in both S and SNO group were significantly different from that in the control group (**P < 0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#These results lead to the conclusion that SNO has significantly lower toxicity than S in zebrafish embryos.