Filling metal-organic framework mesopores with TiO2 for CO2 photoreduction.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)1-3 are known for their specific interactions with gas molecules4,5; this, combined with their rich and ordered porosity, makes them promising candidates for the photocatalytic conversion of gas molecules to useful products6. However, attempts to use MOFs or MOF-based composites for CO2 photoreduction6-13 usually result in far lower CO2 conversion efficiency than that obtained from state-of-the-art solid-state or molecular catalysts14-18, even when facilitated by sacrificial reagents. Here we create 'molecular compartments' inside MOF crystals by growing TiO2 inside different pores of a chromium terephthalate-based MOF (MIL-101) and its derivatives. This allows for synergy between the light-absorbing/electron-generating TiO2 units and the catalytic metal clusters in the backbones of MOFs, and therefore facilitates photocatalytic CO2 reduction, concurrent with production of O2. An apparent quantum efficiency for CO2 photoreduction of 11.3 per cent at a wavelength of 350 nanometres is observed in a composite that consists of 42 per cent TiO2 in a MIL-101 derivative, namely, 42%-TiO2-in-MIL-101-Cr-NO2. TiO2 units in one type of compartment in this composite are estimated to be 44 times more active than those in the other type, underlining the role of precise positioning of TiO2 in this system.

Life strategies and metabolic interactions of core microbes during thiosulphate-based denitrification.

Sulphur-driven denitrification is a low-cost process for the treatment of nitrate-contaminated water. However, a comprehensive understanding of core populations and microbial interactions of a sulphur-based denitrifying system is lacking. This study presents results from three replicated denitrifying systems amended with thiosulphate and operated under a low C/N ratio. Amplicon sequencing revealed gradual enrichments of a few abundant denitrifiers. Based on genome-centred metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, a core set of microbes was identified in the systems, with Pseudomonas 1 and Thauera 2 being the most abundant ones. Although the replicates showed different enrichments, generalized observations were summarized. Most core populations conserved energy from denitrification coupled with sulphur. Pseudomonas 1 and Thauera 2 were able to finish complete denitrification. Surprisingly, they were also able to synthesize almost all amino acids and vitamins. In contrast, less abundant members, including Pseudomonas 2, were relatively auxotrophic and required an exogenous supply of amino acids and vitamins. The high expression of enzymes involved in biosynthesis and transport systems indicated their syntrophic relationships. The genomic findings suggested life strategies and interactions of the core thiosulphate-based denitrifying microbiome, with implications for nitrate-polluted water remediation.

Effects of dexmedetomidine administration on outcomes in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury: A propensity score-matching analysis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on outcomes of critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database (MIMIC III). Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis (1 : 3), Cox proportional hazards model, linear regression and logistic regression model were used to assess the effect of DEX on clinical outcomes. RESULTS: After PSM, 324 pairs of patients were matched between the patients with DEX administration and those without. DEX administration was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 0.287; 95% CI 0.151 - 0.542; p < 0.001) and 90-day mortality (HR 0.344; 95% CI 0.221 - 0.534; p < 0.001), and it was also associated with reduced length of stay (LOS) in ICU (4.54 (3.13,7.72) vs. 5.24 (3.15,10.91), p < 0.001) and LOS in hospital (11.63 (8.02,16.79) vs 12.09 (7.83,20.44), p = 0.002). Subgroup analysis showed that the above associations existed only in the mild and moderate AKI subgroups, but not in the severe AKI subgroup. Nevertheless, DEX administration was not associated with recovery of renal function (HR 1.199; 95% CI 0.851 - 1.688; p = 0.300). CONCLUSION: DEX administration improved outcomes in critically ill patients with mild and moderate AKI and could be a good choice of sedation.

Molecular Compartments Created in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Visible-Light-Driven CO2 Overall Conversion.

We report the construction of molecular compartments by the growth of narrow-band semiconductor nanoparticles, tungsten oxide and its hydrate, in the mesopores of a metal-organic framework (MOF), MIL-100-Fe. The location of these nanoparticles in pores and their spatial arrangement across the MOF crystal are unveiled by powder X-ray diffraction and small-angle neutron scattering, respectively. Such a composition with pore-level precision leads to efficient overall conversion of gas-phase CO2 and H2O to CO, CH4, and H2O2 under visible light. When WO3·H2O nanoparticles are positioned in 2.5 nm mesopores with 24 wt %, the resulting composite, namely, 24%-WO3·H2O-in-MIL-100-Fe, exhibits a CO2 reduction rate of 0.49 mmol·g-1·h-1 beyond 420 nm and an apparent quantum efficiency of 1.5% at 420 nm. These performances stand as new benchmarks for visible-light-driven CO2 overall conversion. In addition to the size and location of semiconductor nanoparticles, the coordinated water species in the crystal are found critical for high catalytic activity, an aspect usually overlooked.

Facile Fabrication of Highly Quantum Dot/AuNP-Loaded Tags for a Dual-Modal Colorimetric/Reversed Ratiometric Fluorescence Immunochromatographic Assay.

Developing an easily-prepared, sensitive, and accurate point-of-need immunochromatographic assay (ICA) is significant in food safety screening, clinical diagnosis, and environmental monitoring. However, the current single-modal ICAs are limited in certain instinct drawbacks that restrict analytical performances. Herein, we introduce an ultrasensitive dual-modal colorimetric/reversed ratiometric fluorescence ICA based on facilely prepared immunoprobes with a high loading capacity of red quantum dots and AuNPs. By smartly integrating these red-colored/fluorescent signal probes with an immobilized green quantum dot antigen on the test lines, discrete "turn-on" visual inspection and reversed ratiometric quantification via a portable smartphone-based analyzer were accomplished. As an application, this method was employed to detect 11 phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in health foods with ultralow detection limits (0.0028-0.045 ng/mL), high repeatability (coefficient of variations of 0.3-1.91%), and reasonable accuracy (recoveries of 86.6-107%). The proposed method was further validated by the authorized liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method in actual sample detection. This new assay format can be extended to ultrasensitive flexible detection of other food contaminants, environmental pollutants, or tumor biomarkers within minutes, and it just requires simply prepared signal reporters, easy-to-operate procedures, and a low-cost miniaturized analyzer.

Research progress on neural crest cells and neurocristopathies and its pathogenesis.

Neural crest cells (NCCs) are multipotent progenitor cells unique to vertebrates, and they have the ability to differentiate into a variety of cells, such as chondrocytes, neurons, and melanocytes. The formation, migration, and differentiation of NCCs are tightly regulated, and the disruption of NCC development results in abnormal embryo development. Neurocristopathies (NCPs) refer to a group of diseases that develop in response to abnormal development of NCCs. NCPs are of various types and exhibit complex phenotypes, which can affect many parts of the human body, such as the craniofacial structure, heart, intestine, and skin. NCPs negatively impact the physical function and mental health of the affected patients. NCPs account for one third of the defects in children with birth defects. Genetic factors are the main risk factors for NCPs, but environmental factors and abnormal gene-environment interactions can also lead to the development of NCPs. In this review, we introduce NCCs, NCPs, and their pathogenesis, so as to provide a reference point for a systematic understanding of NCPs and NCC development, and to provide scientific support for understanding the etiology of NCPs and their effective prevention and control.

Transfer learning radiomics based on multimodal ultrasound imaging for staging liver fibrosis.

OBJECTIVES: To propose a transfer learning (TL) radiomics model that efficiently combines the information from gray scale and elastogram ultrasound images for accurate liver fibrosis grading. METHODS: Totally 466 patients undergoing partial hepatectomy were enrolled, including 401 with chronic hepatitis B and 65 without fibrosis pathologically. All patients received elastography and got liver stiffness measurement (LSM) 2-3 days before surgery. We proposed a deep convolutional neural network by TL to analyze images of gray scale modality (GM) and elastogram modality (EM). The TL process was used for liver fibrosis classification by Inception-V3 network which pretrained on ImageNet. The diagnostic performance of TL and non-TL was compared. The value of single modalities, including GM and EM alone, and multimodalities, including GM + LSM and GM + EM, was evaluated and compared with that of LSM and serological indexes. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to calculate the optimal area under the curve (AUC) for classifying fibrosis of S4, ≥ S3, and ≥ S2. RESULTS: TL in GM and EM demonstrated higher diagnostic accuracy than non-TL, with significantly higher AUCs (all p < .01). Single-modal GM and EM both performed better than LSM and serum indexes (all p < .001). Multimodal GM + EM was the most accurate prediction model (AUCs are 0.950, 0.932, and 0.930 for classifying S4, ≥ S3, and ≥ S2, respectively) compared with GM + LSM, GM and EM alone, LSM, and biomarkers (all p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Liver fibrosis can be staged by a transfer learning modal based on the combination of gray scale and elastogram ultrasound images, with excellent performance. KEY POINTS: • Transfer learning consists in applying to a specific deep learning algorithm that pretrained on another relevant problem, expected to reduce the risk of overfitting due to insufficient medical images. • Liver fibrosis can be staged by transfer learning radiomics with excellent performance. • The most accurate prediction model of transfer learning by Inception-V3 network is the combination of gray scale and elastogram ultrasound images.

Metal-Organic Frameworks for the Exploitation of Distance between Active Sites in Efficient Photocatalysis.

Discoveries of the accurate spatial arrangement of active sites in biological systems and cooperation between them for high catalytic efficiency are two major events in biology. However, precise tuning of these aspects is largely missing in the design of artificial catalysts. Here, a series of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were used, not only to overcome the limit of distance between active sites in bio-systems, but also to unveil the critical role of this distance for efficient catalysis. A linear correlation was established between photocatalytic activity and the reciprocal of inter active-site distance; a smaller distance led to higher activity. Vacancies created at selected crystallographic positions of MOFs promoted their photocatalytic efficiency. MOF-525-J33 with 15.6 Šinter active-site distance and 33 % vacancies exhibited unprecedented high turnover frequency of 29.5 h-1 in visible-light-driven acceptorless dehydrogenation of tetrahydroquinoline at room temperature.

Structures and Structural Evolution of Sublayer Surfaces of Metal-Organic Frameworks.

The structural characterization of sublayer surfaces of MIL-101 is reported by low-dose spherical aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The state-of-the-art microscopy directly images atomic/molecular configurations in thin crystals from charge density projections, and uncovers the structures of sublayer surfaces and their evolution to stable surfaces regulated by inorganic Cr3 (µ3 -O) trimers. This study provides compelling evidence of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) crystal growth via the assembly of sublayer surfaces and has important implications in understanding the crystal growth and surface-related properties of MOFs.

Comparative study of PM10-bound heavy metals and PAHs during six years in a Chinese megacity: Compositions, sources, and source-specific risks.

To comparatively analyze source-specific risks of atmospheric particulate matter (PM), PM10-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (HMs) were synchronously detected in a megacity (Chengdu, China) from 2009 to 2016. Non-cancer risk (assessed by hazard quotient, HQ) of PAHs and HMs was within the acceptable level, while cancer risk (assessed by incremental life cancer risk (ILCR), R) of PAHs and HMs were 1.01 × 10-4 and 9.40 × 10-5 in DP and WP, which showed low risk. HMs dominated cancer (92.12%) and non-cancer (99.99%) risks. An advanced method named as joint source-specific risk assessment of HMs and PAHs (HP-SRA model) was developed to assess comprehensive source-specific risks. Gasoline combustion (contributed 9.6% of PM10, 0.3% of HQ and 10.0% of R), diesel combustion (6.2% of PM10, 0.2% of HQ and 10.7% of R), coal combustion (17.5% of PM10, 1.8% of HQ and 13.4% of R), industrial source (9.1% of PM10, 80.7% of HQ and 35.0% of R), crustal dust (28.1% of PM10, 9.0% of HQ and 1.6% of R), nitrate (7.5% of PM10, 1.1% of HQ and 6.2% of R) and sulphate & secondary organic carbon & adsorption (SSA, 19.6% of PM10, 6.9% of HQ and 23.1% of R) were identified as main sources. For cancer risk, industrial sources and SSA posed the highest proportion. Higher levels of Co and Ni generated from industrial sources and Cr (Ⅵ), Cd and Ni absorbed in the SSA can result in high-risk contributions. Thus, controlling HMs levels in industrial emissions is essential to protecting human health.

Gene Expression Profile of Hypertrophic Chondrocytes Treated with H2O2: A Preliminary Investigation.

Objective To identify the osteogenesis genes whose expression is altered in hypertrophic chondrocytes treated with H2O2. Methods Murine chondrogenitor cells (ATDC5) were differentiated into hypertrophic chondrocytes by Insulin-Transferrin-Selenium (ITS) treatment, and then treated with H2O2. Suitable conditions (concentration, time) were determined by using the MTT assay. After total RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis, the levels of 84 genes were determined using the PCR array, whereas quantitative RT-PCR was carried out to validate the PCR array data. Result We identified 9 up-regulated genes and 12 down-regulated genes, encoding proteins with various functions, such as collagen proteins, transcription factors, proteins involved in skeletal development and bone mineral metabolism, as well as cell adhesion molecules. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the altered expression of 5 down-regulated genes (Smad2, Smad4, transforming growth factor $\beta$ receptor 1, transforming growth factor $\beta$ receptor 3, and matrix metalloproteinase 10). Conclusions H2O2 significantly changed the expression of several genes involved in a variety of biological functions. Because of the link between oxidative damage and Kashin-Beck disease, these genes may also be involved in the deep-zone necrosis of the cartilage observed in Kashin-Beck disease.

Beneficial Effect of Educational and Nutritional Intervention on the Nutritional Status and Compliance of Gastric Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Randomized Trial.

Surgery combined with chemotherapy is the standard treatment for gastric cancer (GC); however, chemotherapy-relative adverse effects are common and result in malnutrition and a poor prognosis. In addition, compliance to postoperative chemotherapy remains a problem. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the effect of educational and nutritional interventions on the nutritional status and compliance of GC patients undergoing postoperative chemotherapy. A total of 144 GC patients were randomized into an intervention group that received intensive individualized nutritional and educational interventions during the entire course of chemotherapy and control group that received basic nutrition care and health education during hospitalization. The nutritional status and compliance between the two groups were compared. The interventions significantly improved calorie and iron intake within 24 h after the first chemotherapy session, and improved patients' weight, hemoglobin, total serum protein, and albumin levels during the entire course of chemotherapy. The compliance rate with chemotherapy was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (73.61% vs. 55.56%, P = 0.024). A combination of nutritional and educational interventions provided beneficial effect on the nutrition status and compliance of gastric patients undergoing postoperative chemotherapy, which is worthy of clinical application.

Effects of cow's milk beta-casein variants on symptoms of milk intolerance in Chinese adults: a multicentre, randomised controlled study.

BACKGROUND: A major protein component of cow's milk is ß-casein. The most frequent variants in dairy herds are A1 and A2. Recent studies showed that milk containing A1 ß-casein promoted intestinal inflammation and exacerbated gastrointestinal symptoms. However, the acute gastrointestinal effects of A1 ß-casein have not been investigated. This study compared the gastrointestinal effects of milk containing A1 and A2 ß-casein versus A2 ß-casein alone in Chinese adults with self-reported lactose intolerance. METHODS: In this randomised, crossover, double-blind trial, with a 3-day dairy washout period at baseline, subjects were randomised to consume 300 mL of milk containing A1 and A2 ß-casein (ratio 58:42; conventional milk) or A2 ß-casein alone; subjects consumed the alternative product after a 7-day washout period. Urine galactose was measured at baseline after a 15 g lactose load. Subjects completed 9-point visual analogue scales for gastrointestinal symptoms (borborygmus, flatulence, bloating, abdominal pain, stool frequency, and stool consistency) at baseline and at 1, 3, and 12 h after milk consumption. RESULTS: A total of 600 subjects were included. All six symptom scores at 1 and 3 h were significantly lower after consuming A2 ß-casein versus conventional milk (all P<0.0001). At 12 h, significant differences remained for bloating, abdominal pain, stool frequency, and stool consistency (all P<0.0001). Symptom scores were consistently lower with A2 ß-casein in both lactose absorbers (urinary galactose ≥0.27 mmol/L) and lactose malabsorbers (urinary galactose <0.27 mmol/L). CONCLUSION: Milk containing A2 ß-casein attenuated acute gastrointestinal symptoms of milk intolerance, while conventional milk containing A1 ß-casein reduced lactase activity and increased gastrointestinal symptoms compared with milk containing A2 ß-casein. Thus, milk-related gastrointestinal symptoms may result from the ingestion of A1 ß-casein rather than lactose in some individuals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02878876 , registered August 16, 2016. Retrospectively registered.

Corrigendum: Intelligent diagnosis of the severity of disease conditions in COVID-19 patients based on the LASSO method.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1302256.].

Research on the Asymmetric Phenomenon of Voltage Polarity Based on Dielectric Wetting.

The present research investigated the voltage polarity asymmetry phenomenon based on dielectric wetting. In an ITO-hydrophobic layer-droplet setup, three reagents with different pH values (3.96, 7.0, and 10.18), two types of hydrophobic materials (AF1601 and 6%T6), and two different thicknesses (340 nm and 2.5 µm) of each material were systematically investigated. The results show that the thickness of the hydrophobic dielectric layer and the pH of the droplets had a significant impact on the droplet contact angle variation with the voltage. The contact angle on the thick hydrophobic dielectric layer followed the Lippmann-Young equation as the voltage changed. The angle of the thin hydrophobic dielectric layer was affected by its own properties and the type of droplet, which led to the occurrence of voltage polarity asymmetry of the electrowetting phenomenon. After further investigation of this phenomenon, it was found that it mainly accounted for the decrease in electric field strength at both ends of the droplet, which was caused by electrochemical reactions and changes in circuit resistance. The leakage current is an important indicator, and this phenomenon can be prevented by increasing the thickness of the hydrophobic dielectric layer.

Intelligent diagnosis of the severity of disease conditions in COVID-19 patients based on the LASSO method.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop an intelligent diagnosis model based on the LASSO method to predict the severity of COVID-19 patients. Methods: The study uses the clinical data of 500 COVID-19 patients from a designated hospital in Guangzhou, China, and selects eight features, including age, sex, dyspnea, comorbidity, complication, lymphocytes (LYM), CRP, and lung injury score, as the most important predictors of COVID-19 severity. The study applies the LASSO method to perform feature selection and regularization, and compares the LASSO method with other machine learning methods, such as ridge regression, support vector machine, and random forest. Results: The study finds that the ridge regression model has the best performance among the four models, with an AUROC of 0.92 in the internal validation and 0.91 in the external validation. Conclusion: The study provides a simple, robust, and interpretable model for the intelligent diagnosis of COVID-19 severity, and a convenient and practical tool for the public and the health care workers to assess COVID-19 severity. However, the study also has some limitations and directions for future research, such as the need for more data from different sources and settings, and from prospective, longitudinal, multi-class classification models. The study hopes to contribute to the prevention and control of COVID-19, and to the improvement of the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Exploring the effect of high pressure in the denaturation of casein micelles by in-situ SERS.

To investigate the structural changes of casein in response to the pressurization process under varying pressure levels, this study carried out both ex-situ and in-situ high-pressure experiments. In the in-situ experiments, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique was combined with a diamond anvil cell (DAC). The high-pressure experiments indicated that significant dissociation of casein occurred at 200 MPa. Over the range of 0-302 MPa, casein exhibited both dissociation and aggregation behaviors. However, casein tended towards aggregation at pressures of 302-486 MPa, with a further increase observed beyond 486 MPa.

Comprehensive investigation of pressure-induced gelatinization of starches using in situ and ex-situ technical analyses.

The pressure-induce gelatinization of pea starch, potato starch and corn starch was investigated by a combination of in situ and ex-situ technical analyses. According to in-situ observation of gelatinization process and the analysis of granular morphology by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), the pressure that caused potato starch gelatinization was the highest at 600 MPa. This was followed by pea starch, and the pressure that caused the gelatinization of corn starch was the lowest at 400 MPa. In situ Raman spectral analysis revealed the molecular mechanism of starch gelatinization. This indicated that high pressure treatment resulted in the modification of the structure of the double helical polymers and the degree of a double helix of the starch crystalline varied as well. This study dynamically monitors the starch gelatinization process, aiming to better understand the gelatinization mechanism and provide a theoretical basis for the application of pressure in the starch field.

Unveiling the impact of cryptic plasmids curing on Escherichia coli Nissle 1917: massive increase in Ag43c expression.

Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is an important chassis strain widely used for the development of live biotherapeutic products (LBPs). EcN strain naturally harbors two cryptic plasmids with unknown function. During the development of LBPs using EcN strain, the cryptic plasmids were cured usually to avoid plasmid incompatibility or alleviate metabolic burdens associated with these cryptic plasmids. While the cryptic plasmids curing in EcN may appear to be a routine procedure, the comprehensive impact of cryptic plasmids curing on the EcN strain remains incompletely understood. In the present study, the effects of cryptic plasmids curing on EcN were investigated using transcriptome sequencing. The results revealed that only a small number of genes showed significant changes in mRNA levels after cryptic plasmid curing (4 upregulated and 6 downregulated genes), primarily involved in amino acid metabolism. Furthermore, the flu gene showed the most significant different expression, encoding Antigen 43 (Ag43) protein, a Cah family adhesin. Mass spectrometry analysis further confirmed the significant increase in Ag43 expression. Ag43 is commonly present in Escherichia coli and mediates the bacterial autoaggregation. However, despite the upregulation of Ag43 expression, no Ag43-mediated cell self-sedimentation was observed in the cured EcN strain. These findings contribute to making informed decisions regarding the curing of the cryptic plasmids when Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 is used as the chassis strain.