Colloidal CsBr Nanocrystals Triggered Inorganic Cation and Anion Exchange Enables High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells.

Achieving longitudinal doping of specific ions by surface treatment remains a challenge for perovskite solar cells, which are often limited by dopant and solvent compatibility. Here, with the flowing environment created by CsBr colloidal nanocrystals, ion exchange is induced on the surface of the perovskite film to enable the homogeneous distribution of Cs+ and gradient distribution of Br- simultaneously at whole depth of the film. Meanwhile, assisted by long-chain organic ligands, the excess PbI2 on the surface of perovskite film is converted to a more stable quasi-2D perovskite, which realizes effective passivation of defects on the surface. As a result, the unfavorable n-type doping on the top surface is suppressed, so that the energy level alignment between perovskite and hole transport layer is optimized. On the basis of co-modification of the surface and the bulk, the PCE of champion device reaches 23.22% with enhanced VOC of 1.12 V. Device maintains 97.12% of the initial PCE in dark ambient air at 1% RH after 1056 h without encapsulation, and 91.56% of the initial PCE under light illumination of 1 sun in N2 atmosphere for more than 200 h. The approach demonstrated here provides an effective strategy for the nondestructive introduction of inorganic ions in perovskite film.

Hydrogel Based on Riclin Cross-Linked with Polyethylene Glycol Diglycidyl Ether as a Soft Filler for Tissue Engineering.

Hydrogels composed of natural polysaccharides have been widely used as filling materials, with a growing interest in medical cosmetology and skin care. However, conventional commercial dermal fillers still have limitations, particularly in terms of mechanical performance and durability in vivo. In this study, a novel injectable and implantable hydrogel with adjustable characteristics was prepared from succinoglycan riclin by introducing PEG diglycidyl ether as a cross-linker. FTIR spectra confirmed the cross-linking reaction. The riclin hydrogels exhibited shear-thinning behavior, excellent mechanical properties, and cytocompatibility through in vitro experiments. Furthermore, when compared with subcutaneous injection of a commercial hyaluronic acid hydrogel, the riclin hydrogels showed enhanced persistence and biocompatibility in Balb/c mice after 16 weeks. These results demonstrate the great potential of the riclin-based hydrogel as an alternative to conventional commercial soft tissue fillers.

Indium Tin Oxide Induced Internal Positive Feedback and Indium Ion Transport in Perovskite Solar Cells.

Stability is the most pressing challenge hindering the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), and previous efforts focused more on enhancing the resistance of PSCs to external stimulus. Here, we found that the indium tin oxide (ITO) will deteriorate the photovoltaic performance of PSCs through positive feedback cycles. Specifically, the perovskite degradation products will cross the electron transport layer to chemically etch the electrode ITO to generate In3+, which will migrate upwards into the perovskite film. Then, the reaction that corrodes ITO consumes the decomposition products of perovskite and shifts the balance of the perovskite decomposition reaction, further promoting the degradation and thus falling into a positive feedback cycle. Moreover, the In3+ in the perovskite film was found to accumulate at the upper surface, which would lead to n-type doping of perovskite film to form the energy barrier for interface carrier extraction. Subsequently, the chelating molecule ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA-2Na) was introduced onto ITO to firmly chelate the In3+ and prevent it from migrating upward, thus breaking this internal positive feedback cycle and significantly enhancing the efficiency and stability of PSCs. This work provides new perspectives for understanding the mechanism of photovoltaic performance loss and ionic transport in PSCs.

Distant metastasis without regional progression in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer: case report and pooled analysis of literature.

BACKGROUND: Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) represents the majority of bladder neoplasms. It is unusual for NMIBC metastasizing distantly without regional progression, namely metastatic NMIBC (mNMIBC), which is still poorly understood and easily omitted based on current management policies. So far, description of mNMIBC is limited to a few case reports. METHODS: We reported a 70-year-old man with NMIBC who suffered from cervical metastasis without pelvic recurrence at 41 months after initial diagnosis. Then we performed a collective analysis of this case together with published mNMIBC cases searched from PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, aiming to illustrate baseline clinicopathologic parameters, metastatic patterns, and treatment outcomes of these patients and analyze associated influencing factors. RESULTS: After scrupulous review, 45 cases previous reported and the one from our center were incorporated into the aggregated cohort of mNMIBC, including 34 males and 12 females. Primary tumors from 46.7% of patients were high-grade (HG) or grade 3 (G3) and 65.1% had T1 lesions. Aberrant biomarker expression was found in tumors of some cases. Most (40/46) metastases of mNMIBC occurred at a single site, mainly in lung, bone and lymph nodes. Apart from three cases of de novo mNMIBC, the mean metastasis-free survival (MFS) interval of metachronous mNMIBC was 42.5 months, which was obviously longer than conventional metastatic bladder cancer. Shortened MFS interval was associated with old age, T1 or HG/G3 primary tumors, and non-lung metastases. Systemic chemotherapy and metastasectomy or radiotherapy for oligometastatic lesion were main therapeutic approaches of mNMIBC, and immunotherapy was adopted for the case from our center. Lung and bone metastases correlated with relatively favorable and unfavorable survival outcomes, respectively. Compared with monotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy combined with local cytoreduction got more favorable outcomes. CONCLUSION: Although rare, mNMIBC occurs more in tumors with high-risk features. Usually, mNMIBC metastasizes later than conventional metastatic bladder cancer and manifests as solitary lesion. Outcomes of mNMIBC would be influenced by metastatic site and post-metastatic treatment. Systemic treatment combined with local cytoreduction may render survival benefit in selected patients.

Establishment and Validation of a New Analysis Strategy for the Study of Plant Endophytic Microorganisms.

Amplicon sequencing of bacterial or fungal marker sequences is currently the main method for the study of endophytic microorganisms in plants. However, it cannot obtain all types of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, etc., in samples, nor compare the relative content between endophytic microorganisms and plants and between different types of endophytes. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a better analysis strategy for endophytic microorganism investigation. In this study, a new analysis strategy was developed to obtain endophytic microbiome information from plant transcriptome data. Results showed that the new strategy can obtain the composition of microbial communities and the relative content between plants and endophytic microorganisms, and between different types of endophytic microorganisms from the plant transcriptome data. Compared with the amplicon sequencing method, more endophytic microorganisms and relative content information can be obtained with the new strategy, which can greatly broaden the research scope and save the experimental cost. Furthermore, the advantages and effectiveness of the new strategy were verified with different analysis of the microbial composition, correlation analysis, inoculant content test, and repeatability test.

Needle Adjustment Free (NAF) running suture technique (PAN suture) in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.

BACKGROUND: It is proposed a new running suture technique called Needle Adjustment Free (NAF) technique, or PAN suture. The efficiency and the safety were evaluated in laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. METHODS: This new running suture technique avoids the Needle Adjustment method used in traditional techniques. The new continuous suture technique (11 patients) was compared with the traditional continuous suture method (33 patients) used in both transperitoneal and retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) in terms of suture time (ST), warm ischemia time (WIT), blood loss (BL), open conversion rate and post-op discharge time, post-op bleeding, post-op DVT, ΔGFR (affected side, 3 months post-op). Differences were considered significant when P < 0.05. RESULTS: ST in the PAN suture group was 30.37 ± 16.39 min, which was significant shorter (P = 0.0011) than in the traditional technique group which was 13.68 ± 3.33 min. WIT in the traditional technique group was 28.73 ± 7.89 min, while in the PAN suture group was 20.64 ± 5.04 min, P = 0.0028. The BL in entirety in the traditional technique group was 141.56 ± 155.23 mL, and in the PAN suture group was 43.18 ± 31.17 mL (P = 0.0017). BL in patients without massive bleeding in the traditional technique group was significantly greater than in the PAN suture group at 101.03 ± 68.73 mL versus 43.18 ± 31.17 mL (P = 0.0008). The open conversion rate was 0 % in both groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups in postoperative discharge time, post-op bleeding, post-op DVT, ΔGFR (affected side, 3 months post-op). CONCLUSIONS: The NAF running suture technique, or PAN suture, leading to less ST, WIT and BL, which was shown to be more effective and safer than the traditional technique used for LPN. A further expanded research with larger sample size is needed.

Catalytic Boration of Alkyl Halides with Borane without Hydrodehalogenation Enabled by Titanium Catalyst.

An unprecedented and general titanium-catalyzed boration of alkyl (pseudo)halides (alkyl-X, X=I, Br, Cl, OMs) with borane (HBpin, HBcat) is reported. The use of titanium catalyst can successfully suppress the undesired hydrodehalogenation products that prevail using other transition-metal catalysts. A series of synthetically useful alkyl boronate esters are readily obtained from various (primary, secondary, and tertiary) alkyl electrophiles, including unactivated alkyl chlorides, with tolerance of other reducing functional groups such as ester, alkene, and carbamate. Preliminary studies on the mechanism revealed a possible radical reaction pathway. Further extension of our strategy to aryl bromides is also demonstrated.

Zirconium-Catalyzed Atom-Economical Synthesis of 1,1-Diborylalkanes from Terminal and Internal Alkenes.

A general and atom-economical synthesis of 1,1-diborylalkanes from alkenes and a borane without the need for an additional H2 acceptor is reported for the first time. The key to our success is the use of an earth-abundant zirconium-based catalyst, which allows a balance of self-contradictory reactivities (dehydrogenative boration and hydroboration) to be achieved. Our method avoids using an excess amount of another alkene as an H2 acceptor, which was required in other reported systems. Furthermore, substrates such as simple long-chain aliphatic alkenes that did not react before also underwent 1,1-diboration in our system. Significantly, the unprecedented 1,1-diboration of internal alkenes enabled the preparation of 1,1-diborylalkanes.

Lymph node dissection could bring survival benefits to patients diagnosed with clinically node-negative upper urinary tract urothelial cancer: a population-based, propensity score-matched study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the survival benefits that lymph node dissection (LND) brought to clinically node-negative upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients. METHODS: Non-metastatic node-negative UTUC patients were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. N0 patients were naturally divided as cN0-pNx group (clinically diagnosed as N0 without LND performed) and cNx-pN0 group (pathologically diagnosed as node-negative no matter what clinical node status they have). RESULTS: Of the 2731 patients included, 2240 and 491 cases were cN0-pNx and cNx-pN0, respectively. The overall survival (OS) of cNx-pN0 patients was significantly better than that of cNx-pN0 patients (p = 0.022). After propensity score matching, the survival of cNx-pN0 patients was still significantly better than cN0-pNx group. Besides, multivariate analyses showed cNx-pN0 (received LND) was an independent favorable prognostic factor for OS and CSS compared with cN0-pNx (no LND). Survival advantages of pN0 group were more significant in ≥ T2 patients and patients with tumor size ≤ 5 cm. Even in N0 patients who received adjuvant treatment, LND still brought obvious survival improvement (HRos = 0.565, p = 0.013; HRcss = 0.607, p = 0.046). CONCLUSION: LND could improve survival outcomes in patients with clinically node-negative UTUC, especially for those with muscle-invasive diseases (T2-4 stages) or smaller tumor size (≤ 5 cm). Adjuvant treatment after nephroureterectomy is incapable of replacing the therapeutic role of LND.

Pathologically examining a minimum of three lymph nodes could better determine node negativity in patients with non-metastatic chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic value of lymph node (LN) involvement for patients with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) and ascertain the minimum number of LNs that need to be pathologically examined to reliably diagnose a patient with node negative chRCC. METHODS: From 2004 to 2014, non-metastatic chRCC patients receiving radical nephrectomy together with lymphadenectomy were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-six patients received lymph node dissection during the surgery. Of the patients, 24 (10%) had pathologically confirmed positive LN. Multivariate Cox regression model showed that positive LN was an independent unfavorable predictor for OS (HR = 2.83, 95%CI = 1.14-6.98, P = 0.024). More importantly, LN(-) patients with at least three LNs dissected had significantly better OS compared with when 1-2 LNs were examined (P = 0.048). Multivariate analysis confirmed that in LN(-) patients, the examination of three or more LNs could independently predict better OS compared with patients with only 1-2 LNs dissected (HR≥3LNs = 0.362, 95% CI = 0.135-0.972, P = 0.044). Additionally, the likelihood of finding at least one positive LN was significantly higher on dissection of ≥3 LNs compared with examination of 1-2 LNs (15% vs 5%, P = 0.018). Decision curve analysis found a better clinical validity of the '3 LNs examined'-based classification compared with the traditional LN(-)/LN(+) classification. CONCLUSION: The proportion of positive LNs in chRCC was far from neglectable and LN metastasis could independently predict unfavorable OS. We recommended a minimum of three LNs should be pathologically examined in order to reliably determine node negative.

Effectiveness of urine fibronectin as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker in bladder cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous researches pointed out that the measurement of urine fibronectin (Fn) could be a potential diagnostic test for bladder cancer (BCa). We conducted this meta-analysis to fully assess the diagnostic value of urine Fn for BCa detection. METHODS: A systematic literature search in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and CBM was carried out to identify eligible studies evaluating the urine Fn in diagnosing BCa. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, and summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves were established. We applied the STATA 13.0, Meta-Disc 1.4, and RevMan 5.3 software to the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Eight separate studies with 744 bladder cancer patients were enrolled in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and DOR were 0.80 (95%CI = 0.77-0.83), 0.79 (95%CI = 0.73-0.84), and 15.18 (95%CI = 10.07-22.87), respectively, and the area under the curve (AUC) of SROC was 0.83 (95%CI = 0.79-0.86). The diagnostic power of a combined method (urine Fn combined with urine cytology) was also evaluated, and its sensitivity and AUC were significantly higher (0.86 (95%CI = 0.82-0.90) and 0.89 (95%CI = 0.86-0.92), respectively). Meta-regression along with subgroup analysis based on various covariates revealed the potential sources of the heterogeneity and the detailed diagnostic value of each subgroup. Sensitivity analysis supported that the result was robust. No threshold effect and publication bias were found in this meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Urine Fn may become a promising non-invasive biomarker for bladder cancer with a relatively satisfactory diagnostic power. And the combination of urine Fn with cytology could be an alternative option for detecting BCa in clinical practice. The potential value of urine Fn still needs to be validated in large, multi-center, and prospective studies.

Risk factors of atherosclerotic tissue types in single-vessel and intermediate coronary lesions: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Few data exist that correlate lesion-related risk factors such as conventional cardiovascular risks or lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) with tissue types within atherosclerotic plaques in patients with single-vessel and intermediate coronary lesions. METHODS: One hundred and ninety-two patients with single-vessel and intermediate coronary lesions were enrolled in a cross-sectional study and divided into two groups: stable angina pectoris (SAP) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) groups. Data regarding clinical characteristics and Lp-PLA2 mass were collected. Using iMAP-IVUS, lumen areas were manually traced to determine the minimum lumen area (MLA) at 1-mm intervals in diseased segments. At the minimum lumen lesion, areas of different types of atherosclerotic tissue [i.e., areas of fibrous plaque tissue (FP), fibro-fatty tissue (FF), dense calcium (DC) and necrotic core (NC)], vascular external elastic membrane (EEMCSA) and plaque and media (P&MCSA) were calculated using the built-in iMap algorithm. Plaque burden was computed as P&MCSA divided by EEMCSA. RESULTS: In a univariate analysis, glycosylated hemoglobin A1C (GHbA1C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), hypertension, Lp-PLA2 and a history of taking statins predicted the degree of FP and NC area, as well as plaque burden, but were not significant predictors of FF or DC area. In a multivariate analysis, Lp-PLA2 and HbA1c remained independent predictors of plaque burden, FP and NC area. However, the results of the regression analyses were not identical when the SAP and ACS groups were analyzed separately. Lp-PLA2, diabetes and NC area were significant predictors of acute coronary lesions, and the predictive value of Lp-PLA2 was confirmed by the finding of a high area-under-the-curve in a ROC analysis (0.837, 95% CI:0.778-0.895, P = 0.000), as well as by the reasonable sensitivity and specificity of cut-off values. CONCLUSIONS: GHbA1C and Lp-PLA2 were strong independent predictors of plaque burden and FP and NC area at the minimum lumen lesion in patients with single-vessel and intermediate coronary lesions. Furthermore, Lp-PLA2 has a certain predictive value for acute coronary lesions.

Targeting of mTORC2 may have advantages over selective targeting of mTORC1 in the treatment of malignant pheochromocytoma.

Recent studies have found that mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) is emerging as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of many human cancers. However, the effects of targeting of mTORC2 on malignant pheochromocytomas (PCC) and paragangliomas (PGL) have not been reported. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of targeting of mTORC2 on malignant PCC/PGL by comparing the inhibitory effects of targeting of mTORC2 with mTORC1 on pheochromocytoma PC12 cell in vitro and vivo. The expressions of regulatory-associated protein of mTOR (raptor) and rapamycin-insensitive companion of mTOR (rictor) were detected by immunohistochemistry in human tissues of malignant PCC. Targeting of mTORC1, mTORC2, and mTORC1/2 (mTORC1 and mTORC2) were performed by transfected with raptor, rictor, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) small interfering RNA (siRNA) in pheochromocytoma PC12 cell, respectively. MTT assay, apoptosis analysis, wound healing, and Transwell approach were performed. A tumor model in nude mice bearing PC12 cell xenografts, which were dosed with rapamycin or PP242, was established. The expression of raptor was frequently moderate positive, but the expression of rictor was frequently strong positive in malignant PCC. In vitro, although inhibition of mTORC1 was able to suppress PC12 cell proliferation, inhibition of mTORC2 more effectively suppressed cell proliferation. Inhibition of mTORC2 or mTORC1/2 more effectively prevented cell migration and invasion, and promoted cell apoptosis, while inhibition of mTORC1 only slightly prevented cell migration and invasion, and was not able to promoted apoptosis. Also, we found that mTOR downstream kinases were deregulated by targeting of mTORC2, but not mTORC1. In vivo, we found that PP242 was more potent than rapamycin in inhibiting tumor growth in tumor model. Our data suggest that targeting of mTORC2 may have advantages over selective targeting of mTORC1 in the treatment of malignant PCC/PGL. However, more clinical trials are needed to prove our findings.

Group transfer radical polymerization for the preparation of carbon-chain poly(α-olefins).

Radical polymerization is a powerful technique for producing a variety of polymeric materials. However, the chain transfer reaction impedes the formation of polymers from many common α-olefins such as propene and 1-butene using this method. Consequently, poly(α-olefins) are predominantly produced via coordination polymerization. To address this limitation, we have devised a strategy involving group transfer radical polymerization (GTRP) to facilitate the radical homopolymerization to access carbon-chain poly(α-olefins). This approach enables the precise construction of a diverse array of carbon-chain poly(α-olefins) with high molecular weights. Furthermore, by using nonconventional monomers, we extend the applicability of this technique to the copolymerization of α-olefins with acrylonitrile, paving the way for the synthesis of copolymers with different monomers. To investigate the properties of the polymers obtained by this method, one of the poly(α-olefins) is studied as an interphase layer material in anode-free Li metal batteries, and the results indicate the potential of the polymer in energy storage applications.

Hemoadhican-Based Bioabsorbable Hydrogel for Preventing Postoperative Adhesions.

Postoperative peritoneal adhesions are a prevalent clinical issue following abdominal and pelvic surgery, frequently resulting in heightened personal and societal health burdens. Traditional biomedical barriers offer limited benefits because of practical challenges for doctors and their incompatibility with laparoscopic surgery. Hydrogel materials, represented by hyaluronic acid gels, are receiving increasing attention. However, existing antiadhesive gels still have limited effectiveness or carry the risk of complications in clinical applications. Herein, we developed a novel hydrogel using polysaccharide hemoadhican (HD) as the base material and polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDE) as the cross-linking agent. The HD hydrogels exhibit appropriate mechanical properties, injectability, and excellent cytocompatibility. We demonstrate resistance to protein adsorption and L929 fibroblast cell adhesion to the HD hydrogel. The biodegradability and efficacy against peritoneal adhesion are further evaluated in C57BL/6 mice. Our results suggest a potential strategy for anti-postoperative tissue adhesion barrier biomaterials.

Cuproptosis gene-related, neural network-based prognosis prediction and drug-target prediction for KIRC.

BACKGROUND: Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), as a common case in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), has the risk of postoperative recurrence, thus its prognosis is poor and its prognostic markers are usually based on imaging methods, which have the problem of low specificity. In addition, cuproptosis, as a novel mode of cell death, has been used as a biomarker to predict disease in many cancers in recent years, which also provides an important basis for prognostic prediction in KIRC. For postoperative patients with KIRC, an important means of preventing disease recurrence is pharmacological treatment, and thus matching the appropriate drug to the specific patient's target is also particularly important. With the development of neural networks, their predictive performance in the field of medical big data has surpassed that of traditional methods, and this also applies to the field of prognosis prediction and drug-target prediction. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to screen for cuproptosis genes related to the prognosis of KIRC and to establish a deep neural network (DNN) model for patient risk prediction, while also developing a personalized nomogram model for predicting patient survival. In addition, sensitivity drugs for KIRC were screened, and a graph neural network (GNN) model was established to predict the targets of the drugs, in order to discover potential drug action sites and provide new treatment ideas for KIRC. METHODS: We used the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database, and DrugBank database for our study. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened using TCGA data, and then a DNN-based risk prediction model was built and validated using ICGC data. Subsequently, the differences between high- and low-risk groups were analyzed and KIRC-sensitive drugs were screened, and finally a GNN model was trained using DrugBank data to predict the relevant targets of these drugs. RESULTS: A prognostic model was built by screening 10 significantly different cuproptosis-related genes, the model had an AUC of 0.739 on the training set (TCGA data) and an AUC of 0.707 on the validation set (ICGC data), which demonstrated a good predictive performance. Based on the prognostic model in this paper, patients were also classified into high- and low-risk groups, and functional analyses were performed. In addition, 251 drugs were screened for sensitivity, and four drugs were ultimately found to have high sensitivity, with 5-Fluorouracil having the best inhibitory effect, and subsequently their corresponding targets were also predicted by GraphSAGE, with the most prominent targets including Cytochrome P450 2D6, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A, and Proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase receptor Ret. Notably, the average accuracy of GraphSAGE was 0.817 ± 0.013, which was higher than that of GAT and GTN. CONCLUSION: Our KIRC risk prediction model, constructed using 10 cuproptosis-related genes, had good independent prognostic ability. In addition, we screened four highly sensitive drugs and predicted relevant targets for these four drugs that might treat KIRC. Finally, literature research revealed that four drug-target interactions have been demonstrated in previous studies and the remaining targets are potential sites of drug action for future research.

Eliminating performance loss from perovskite films to solar cells.

Preoptimizing perovskite films may generally improve the performance of the final perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the research on whether the film optimization fully contributes to the enhancement of the final PSCs has been long neglected. We demonstrated that the preparation of metal electrodes by high-vacuum thermal evaporation, an unavoidable step in almost all device fabrication processes, will damage the surface of perovskite films, resulting in component escape, defect density rebound, carrier extraction barrier, and film stability deterioration. Therefore, the prepared perovskite film and the final film actually working in devices are not exactly the same, and the contribution of film optimization to the device improvement was weakened. We designed a bilayer structure composed of graphene oxide and graphite flakes to eliminate the unwanted film inconsistencies and thus save the film optimization loss. Therefore, the efficient PSCs with power conversion efficiency of 25.55% were obtained, which demonstrated negligible photovoltaic performance loss after operating for 2000 hours.

Quasi-type-II Cu-In-Zn-S/Ni-MOF heterostructure with prolonged carrier lifetime for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

Visible-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production using narrow-bandgap semiconductors has great potential for clean energy development. However, the widespread use of these semiconductors is limited due to problems such as severe charge recombination and slow surface reactions. Herein, a quasi-type-II heterostructure was constructed by combining bifunctional Ni-based metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF) nanosheets with BDC (1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid) linker coupled with Cu-In-Zn-S quantum dots (CIZS QDs). This heterostructure exhibited a prolonged charge carrier lifetime and abundant active sites, leading to significantly improved hydrogen production rate. The optimized rate achieved by the CIZS/Ni-MOF heterostructure was 2642 µmol g-1 h-1, which is 5.28 times higher than that of the CIZS QDs. This improved performance can be attributed to the quasi-type-II band alignment between the CIZS QDs and Ni-MOF, which facilitates effective delocalization of the photogenerated electrons within the system. Additional photoelectrochemical tests confirmed the well-maintained photoluminescence and prolonged charge carrier lifetime of the CIZS/Ni-MOF heterostructure. This study provides valuable insights into the use of multifunctional MOFs in the development of highly efficient composite photocatalysts, extending beyond their role in light harvesting and charge separation.

Prenatal chromosomal microarray analysis in a large Chinese cohort of fetuses with congenital heart defects: a single center study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Congenital heart defect (CHD) is one of the most common birth defects. The aim of this cohort study was to evaluate the prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities and the clinical utility of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in fetuses with different types of CHD, aiming to assist genetic counseling and clinical decision-making. METHODS: In this study, 642 fetuses with CHD were enrolled from a single center over a six-year period (2017-2022). Both conventional karyotyping and CMA were performed simultaneously on these fetuses. RESULTS: The diagnostic yield of CMA in fetuses with CHD in our study was 15.3% (98/642). Our findings revealed a significant increase in the diagnostic yield of CMA compared to karyotyping in fetuses with CHD. Among CHD subgroups, the diagnostic yields were high in complex CHD (34.9%), conotruncal defects (28.6%), right ventricular outflow tract obstructive defects (RVOTO) (25.9%), atrioventricular septal defects (AVSD) (25.0%) and left ventricular outflow tract obstructive defects (LVOTO) (24.1%), while those in other CHD (10.6%) and septal defects (10.9%) were relatively low. The overall detection rate of clinically significant chromosomal abnormalities was significantly higher in the non-isolated CHD group compared to the isolated CHD group (33.1% vs. 9.9%, P < 0.0001). Interestingly, numerical chromosomal abnormalities were more likely to occur in the non-isolated CHD group than in the isolated CHD group (20.3% vs. 2.0%, P < 0.0001). The rate of termination of pregnancy (TOP)/Still birth in the non-isolated CHD group was significantly higher than that in the isolated CHD group (40.5% vs. 20.6%, P < 0.0001). Compared to the isolated CHD group, the detection rate of clinically significant chromosomal abnormalities was significantly higher in the group of CHD with soft markers (35.6% vs. 9.9%, P < 0.0001) and in the group of CHD with additional structural anomalies (36.1% vs. 9.9%, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: CMA is a reliable and high-resolution technique that should be recommended as the front-line test for prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with CHD. The prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities varies greatly among different subgroups of CHD, and special attention should be given to prenatal non-isolated cases of CHD, especially those accompanied by additional structural anomalies or soft markers.

Exploring the mediating role of calcium homeostasis in the association between diabetes mellitus, glycemic traits, and vascular and valvular calcifications: a comprehensive Mendelian randomization analysis.

BACKGROUND: The interplay between diabetes mellitus (DM), glycemic traits, and vascular and valvular calcifications is intricate and multifactorial. Exploring potential mediators may illuminate underlying pathways and identify novel therapeutic targets. METHODS: We utilized univariable and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to investigate associations and mediation effects. Additionally, the multivariable MR analyses incorporated cardiometabolic risk factors, allowing us to account for potential confounders. RESULTS: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were positively associated with both coronary artery calcification (CAC) and calcific aortic valvular stenosis (CAVS). However, fasting glucose (FG) was only linked to CAVS and showed no association with CAC. Additionally, CAVS demonstrated a causal effect on FG. Calcium levels partially mediated the impact of T2DM on both types of calcifications. Specifically, serum calcium was positively associated with both CAC and CAVS. The mediation effects of calcium levels on the impact of T2DM on CAC and CAVS were 6.063% and 3.939%, respectively. The associations between T2DM and HbA1c with calcifications were influenced by body mass index (BMI) and smoking status. However, these associations were generally reduced after adjusting for hypertension. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a genetically supported causal relationship between DM, glycemic traits, and vascular and valvular calcifications, with serum calcium playing a critical mediating role.