Marinobacter qingdaonensis sp. nov., a moderately halotolerant bacterium isolated from intertidal sediment.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and halotolerant bacterium, designated as strain ASW11-75T, was isolated from intertidal sediments in Qingdao, PR China, and identified using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Growth of strain ASW11-75T occurred at 10-45 °C (optimum, 37 °C), pH 6.5-9.0 (optimum, pH 8.0) and 0.5-18.0 % NaCl concentrations (optimum, 2.5 %). Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and 1179 single-copy orthologous clusters indicated that strain ASW11-75T is affiliated with the genus Marinobacter. Strain ASW11-75T showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to 'Marinobacter arenosus' CAU 1620T (98.5 %). The digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values between strain ASW11-75T and its closely related strains (Marinobacter salarius R9SW1T, Marinobacter similis A3d10T, 'Marinobacter arenosus' CAU 1620T, Marinobacter sediminum R65T, Marinobacter salinus Hb8T, Marinobacter alexandrii LZ-8T and Marinobacter nauticus ATCC 49840T) were 19.8-24.5 % and 76.6-80.7 %, respectively. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C16 : 0, C18 : 1 ω9c and C16 : 0 N alcohol. The polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, one unidentified aminophospholipid and two unidentified lipids. The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-9. The genomic DNA G+C content was 62.2 mol%. Based on genomic and gene function analysis, strain ASW11-75T had lower protein isoelectric points with higher ratios of acidic residues to basic residues and possessed genes related to ion transport and organic osmoprotectant uptake, implying its potential tolerance to salt. The results of polyphasic characterization indicated strain ASW11-75T represents a novel Marinobacter species, for which the name Marinobacter qingdaonensis sp. nov. with the type strain ASW11-75T is proposed. The type strain is ASW11-75T (=KCTC 82497T=MCCC 1K05587T).

Use of 3D echocardiography facilitates analysis of thrombolytic efficacy in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

ABSTRACT: This study seeks to identify the anticoagulant efficacy of rivaroxaban treatment on thrombi detected using echocardiography of the left atrial appendage in 275 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). During follow-up after 9 to 24 weeks of Rivaroxaban treatment, patients were divided into 'effective group' (n = 143) and 'ineffective group' (n = 132) according to the thrombolytic effect of the drug. Left atrial diameter (LAD), left atrial ejection fraction (LAEF), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), mean diameter of left atrial appendage (LAADmean), angle between left atrial appendage and left atrial (LAA-A), velocity of blood flow in left atrial appendage (LAA-v) and thrombus size were compared before and after drug administration. Following treatment, LAEF, LVEF and LAA-v values were greater and LAD and LAADmean values were lower in the effective (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed significant correlations of LAD, LAEF, LVEF, LAA-A and LAA-v with anticoagulant efficacy (P<0.05). The efficacy of Rivaroxaban in treatment of left atrial auricular thrombosis in patients with persistent AF was correlated with LAD, LAEF, LVEF, LAA-A and LAA-v. Multivariate logistic regression analysis further revealed LAEF (OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.45-16.9, P=0.008), 3D-EF (OR 6.4, 95% CI 1.06-16.9, P=0.039), and left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) (OR 18.0, 95% CI 1.38-35.68, P=0.028) as factors related to left atrial appendage thrombus. Echocardiography with global longitudinal strain assessment could be effectively utilized to evaluate the functional parameters of LAA and thus aid in predicting the safety of Rivaroxaban as an anticoagulation agent.

Characterization of type II IFNs and their receptors in a cyprinid fish, the blunt snout bream Megalobrama amblycephala.

Type II interferons (IFNs) are a key class of molecules regulating innate and adaptive immunity in vertebrates. In the present study, two members of the type II IFNs, IFN-γ and IFNγ-rel, were identified in the blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala). The open reading frame (ORF) of IFN-γ and IFNγ-rel was found to have 564 bp and 492 bp, encoding 187 and 163 amino acids, with the first 26 and 24 amino acids being the signal peptide, respectively. IFN-γ and IFNγ-rel genes showed a high degree of similarity to their zebrafish homologues, being 76.9 % and 58.9 %, respectively. In the phylogenetic tree, IFN-γ and IFNγ-rel were clustered with homologous genes in cyprinids. In blunt snout bream, IFN-γ and IFNγ-rel were constitutively expressed in trunk kidney, head kidney, spleen, liver, heart, muscle, gill, intestine and brain and were significantly up-regulated by poly (I:C) induction in head kidney, spleen, liver, gill and intestine. Using recombinant proteins of IFN-γ and IFNγ-rel, the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) results showed that IFN-γ was bound to CRFB6, CRFB13 and CRFB17, but mainly to CRFB6 and CRFB13, whereas IFN-γrel bound mainly to CRFB17 and had no affinity with CRFB6. These results contribute to a better understanding on type II IFNs and their receptor usage in teleost fish.

Fatal swine acute diarrhoea syndrome caused by an HKU2-related coronavirus of bat origin.

Cross-species transmission of viruses from wildlife animal reservoirs poses a marked threat to human and animal health 1 . Bats have been recognized as one of the most important reservoirs for emerging viruses and the transmission of a coronavirus that originated in bats to humans via intermediate hosts was responsible for the high-impact emerging zoonosis, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) 2-10 . Here we provide virological, epidemiological, evolutionary and experimental evidence that a novel HKU2-related bat coronavirus, swine acute diarrhoea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV), is the aetiological agent that was responsible for a large-scale outbreak of fatal disease in pigs in China that has caused the death of 24,693 piglets across four farms. Notably, the outbreak began in Guangdong province in the vicinity of the origin of the SARS pandemic. Furthermore, we identified SADS-related CoVs with 96-98% sequence identity in 9.8% (58 out of 591) of anal swabs collected from bats in Guangdong province during 2013-2016, predominantly in horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus spp.) that are known reservoirs of SARS-related CoVs. We found that there were striking similarities between the SADS and SARS outbreaks in geographical, temporal, ecological and aetiological settings. This study highlights the importance of identifying coronavirus diversity and distribution in bats to mitigate future outbreaks that could threaten livestock, public health and economic growth.

Alteromonas arenosi sp. nov., a novel bioflocculant-producing bacterium, isolated from intertidal sand.

A novel Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic and bioflocculant-producing bacterium, designated as ASW11-36T, was isolated from an intertidal sand collected from coastal areas of Qingdao, PR China. Growth occurred at 15-40 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 7.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.5) and with 1.5-7.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.5-3.0%). In the whole-cell fatty acid pattern prevailed C16:0 and summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c and/or C16:1 ω6c). The major isoprenoid quinone was determined to be Q-8 and the major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), one unidentified aminolipid (AL), one unidentified glycolipid (GL), and two lipids (L1, L2). Based on the phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences and 618 single-copy orthologous clusters, strain ASW11-36T could represent a novel member of the genus Alteromonas and was closely related to Alteromonas flava P0211T (98.4%) and Alteromonas facilis P0213T (98.3%). The pairwise average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values of the ASW11-36T genome assembly against the closely related species genomes were 71.8% and 21.7%, respectively, that clearly lower than the proposed thresholds for species. Based on phenotypic, phylogenetic, and chemotaxonomic analyses, strain ASW11-36T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Alteromonas, for which the name Alteromonas arenosi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ASW11-36T (= KCTC 82496T = MCCC 1K05585T). In addition, the strain yielded 65% of flocculating efficiency in kaolin suspension with CaCl2 addition. The draft genome of ASW11-36T shared abundant putative CAZy family related genes, especially involved in the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides, implying its potential environmental and biological applications.

Differences in clinical characteristics of early-onset and late-onset severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections in neonates.

Differences in clinical characteristics of early-onset and late-onset severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in neonates remain unclear. This study aimed to determine whether there are differences in the main clinical, radiological, and laboratory features of early-onset and late-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections in neonates. This single-center, prospective cohort study enrolled neonates with SARS-CoV-2 infection from December 7, 2022, to January 3, 2023, and evaluated their clinical characteristics during hospitalization. All neonates (N = 58) infected with SARS-CoV-2 within 28 days of birth who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Taizhou Hospital were included. These neonates were classified into the early-onset (diagnosed within 7 days of birth) and late-onset (diagnosed more than 7 days after birth) groups. The symptoms, treatment, and prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection were the main study outcomes. The incidence of hospitalization attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection was 10.6% (58 of 546 neonates) in Linhai. Sixteen (28%) of the 58 SARS-CoV-2 infections were early-onset cases, and 42 (72%) were late-onset cases. The common symptoms among the late-onset group were fever (p < 0.001) and cough (p < 0.001). Neonates with late-onset SARS-CoV-2 infection (p < 0.001) were significantly more likely to develop pneumonia.  Conclusion: The clinical symptoms and rates of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection in neonates differed between the early-onset and late-onset groups. Different clinical management is necessary for neonates with early-onset and late-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections. What is Known: • Neonates are susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). • Differences in clinical characteristics of early-onset and late-onset SARS-CoV-2 infections in neonates remain unclear. What is New: • Fever and cough were the most common symptoms among neonates with late-onset infection. • Neonates with late-onset SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to develop pneumonia.

Clinical application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in improving functional impairments post-stroke: review of the current evidence and potential challenges.

In recent years, the stroke incidence has been increasing year by year, and the related sequelae after stroke, such as cognitive impairment, motor dysfunction, and post-stroke depression, seriously affect the patient's rehabilitation and daily activities. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), as a safe, non-invasive, and effective new rehabilitation method, has been widely recognized in clinical practice. This article reviews the application and research progress of rTMS in treating different functional impairments (cognitive impairment, motor dysfunction, unilateral spatial neglect, depression) after stroke in recent years, and preliminary summarized the possible mechanisms. It has been found that the key parameters that determine the effectiveness of rTMS in improving post-stroke functional impairments include pulse number, stimulated brain areas, stimulation intensity and frequency, as well as duration. Generally, high-frequency stimulation is used to excite the ipsilateral cerebral cortex, while low-frequency stimulation is used to inhibit the contralateral cerebral cortex, thus achieving a balance of excitability between the two hemispheres. However, the specific mechanisms and the optimal stimulation mode for different functional impairments have not yet reached a consistent conclusion, and more research is needed to explore and clarify the best way to use rTMS. Furthermore, we will identify the issues and challenges in the current research, explore possible mechanisms to deepen understanding of rTMS, propose future research directions, and offer insightful insights for better clinical applications.

Diagnostic Value of Transabdominal Ultrasonography in Gastrointestinal Malignant Tumors.

Objective: To explore the application value of transabdominal ultrasonography in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal malignant tumors. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the transabdominal ultrasound imaging data of 284 patients with gastrointestinal tumors admitted to our hospital from April 2019 to March 2022 and assessed the accuracy of transabdominal ultrasound in diagnosing different types of gastrointestinal tumor diseases. The diagnostic accuracy of transabdominal ultrasonography for TNM staging of gastrointestinal malignancies was calculated. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of transabdominal ultrasonography in the diagnosis of gastric cancer were (82.40% and 83.72%, respectively), colon cancer (77.78% and 88.35%, respectively), gastric stromal tumor (95.45% and 93.65%, respectively), gastric lymphoma (72.22% and 94.66%, respectively), colorectal lymphoma (80.00% and 95.42%, respectively), gastric mucosal hypertrophy (85.71% and 96.69%, respectively), and pyloric hypertrophy (92.59% and 97.79%, respectively). Among the 284 patients included, 152 patients had malignant tumors, including 34 patients with stage I, 30 patients with stage II, 51 patients with stage III, and 37 patients with stage IV. The accuracy of transabdominal ultrasonography for TNM staging of gastrointestinal malignancies was 85.53% (130/152). Conclusion: Transabdominal ultrasonography shows promise as a diagnostic tool for gastrointestinal malignant tumors; however, it is recommended to be used in conjunction with other detection methods such as fibrous gastrointestinal tract examination to minimize the risk of missed diagnoses and misdiagnoses. The study highlights the potential of transabdominal ultrasonography as a non-invasive and accessible diagnostic method for gastrointestinal malignancies. Further research and advancements in imaging technologies are crucial for enhancing diagnostic capabilities and improving patient outcomes in the future.

Exosomes derived from ovarian cancer cells regulate proliferation and migration of cancer-associated fibroblasts.

Cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) is an essential risk factor for ovarian cancer. Exosomes can mediate cellular communication in the tumour microenvironment, but the interaction of tumour cell exosomes with CAF is less studied in Ovarian cancer. This study identified H19/miR-29c-3p/LOXL2-COL1A1 as a ceRNA regulatory network involved in regulating tumour matrix-associated signaling pathways associated with CAF. Cellular assays demonstrated that exosomes from ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 significantly promoted the proliferation and migration of CAF. The results of mixed transplantation tumour experiments in nude mice showed that exosomes of SKOV3 significantly promoted tumour growth. Ovarian cancer tumour-derived exosomes can regulate CAF proliferation and migration through H19/miR-29c-3p/LOXL2-COL1A1. This study reveals the regulatory role of tumour exosomes on CAF, which may provide a theoretical basis for the development of therapeutic regimens targeting fibroblasts in ovarian cancer.

Long-term outcomes of vulvar or vaginal cancer patients undergoing laparoendoscopic single-site inguinal lymphadenectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoendoscopic single-site inguinal lymphadenectomy (LESS-IL), a minimally invasive technique, has been reported in patients with vulvar or vaginal cancer regarding its safety and feasibility. However, the long-term outcomes, especially oncologic outcomes, are still lacking. We aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of LESS-IL to confirm its safety further. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were prospectively collected from patients with vulvar or vaginal cancer who underwent LESS-IL at our institution between July 2018 and June 2021. The patients were followed up for at least 12 months. All procedures were performed according to treatment standards. Short- and long-term complications and oncologic outcomes were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 16 patients undergoing 28 LESS-IL procedures were identified, amongst whom 4 underwent unilateral LESS-IL. The median numbers of excised groin lymph nodes were 9.0 (6.5-11.8) and 10.5 (8.3-12.0) in each left and right groin, respectively. Short-term complications occurred in 4 (25%) patients, including 18.7% lymphocele and 6.3% wound infection. Long-term complications regarding lower-limb lymphoedema appeared in 6 (37.5%) patients. Most short- and long-term complications were Clavien-Dindo 1 or 2, accounting for 90% of all post-operative issues. After a median follow-up of 27 (21.3-35.8) months, only 1 (6.3%) patient had isolated inguinal recurrence at 13 months postoperatively. No local or distant recurrence occurred. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that LESS-IL is associated with little incidence of complications and promising oncologic outcomes, further demonstrating the safety and feasibility of the LESS-IL technique in patients requiring IL.

piSTING: A Pocket-Independent Agonist Based on Multivalency-Driven STING Oligomerization.

The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is a potent therapeutic target for innate immunity. Despite the efforts to develop pocket-dependent small-molecule STING agonists that mimic the endogenous STING ligand, cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP), most of these agonists showed disappointing results in clinical trials owing to the limitations of the STING pocket. In this study, we developed novel pocket-independent STING-activating agonists (piSTINGs), which act through multivalency-driven oligomerization to activate STING. Additionally, a piSTING-adjuvanted vaccine elicited a significant antibody response and inhibited tumour growth in therapeutic models. Moreover, a piSTING-based vaccine combination with aPD-1 showed remarkable potential to enhance the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy. In particular, piSTING can strengthen the impact of STING pathway in immunotherapy and accelerate the clinical translation of STING agonists.

Non-local and non-Hermitian acoustic metasurfaces.

Acoustic metasurfaces are at the frontier of acoustic functional material research owing to their advanced capabilities of wave manipulation at an acoustically vanishing size. Despite significant progress in the last decade, conventional acoustic metasurfaces are still fundamentally limited by their underlying physics and design principles. First, conventional metasurfaces assume that unit cells are decoupled and therefore treat them individually during the design process. Owing to diffraction, however, the non-locality of the wave field could strongly affect the efficiency and even alter the behavior of acoustic metasurfaces. Additionally, conventional acoustic metasurfaces operate by modulating the phase and are typically treated as lossless systems. Due to the narrow regions in acoustic metasurfaces' subwavelength unit cells, however, losses are naturally present and could compromise the performance of acoustic metasurfaces. While the conventional wisdom is to minimize these effects, a counter-intuitive way of thinking has emerged, which is to harness the non-locality as well as loss for enhanced acoustic metasurface functionality. This has led to a new generation of acoustic metasurface design paradigm that is empowered by non-locality and non-Hermicity, providing new routes for controlling sound using the acoustic version of 2D materials. This review details the progress of non-local and non-Hermitian acoustic metasurfaces, providing an overview of the recent acoustic metasurface designs and discussing the critical role of non-locality and loss in acoustic metasurfaces. We further outline the synergy between non-locality and non-Hermiticity, and delineate the potential of using non-local and non-Hermitian acoustic metasurfaces as a new platform for investigating exceptional points, the hallmark of non-Hermitian physics. Finally, the current challenges and future outlook for this burgeoning field are discussed.

Rational Design of T-Cell- and B-Cell-Based Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines.

Cancer vaccines provide an efficient strategy to enhance tumor-specific immune responses by redeploying immune systems. Despite the approval of the first cancer vaccine (Sipuleucel-T) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010, most therapeutic cancer vaccines fail in clinical trials. Basically, tumor-specific immune responses rely on not only T-cell but also B-cell immunity, which indicates that cancer vaccines should leverage both arms of the adaptive immune system. For example, CD8+ T cells activated by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) recognize and directly kill tumor cells via peptide-bound major histocompatibility complex (pMHC). B cells recognize antigen with no need of pMHC and require CD4+ T cells for sufficient activation and antibody generation, enabling antibody-mediated nondirect killing on tumor cells. Considering the different mechanisms of T-cell and B-cell activation, the rational design of therapeutic cancer vaccines should consider several factors, including antigen selection and recognition, immune activation, vaccine delivery, and repeatable vaccination, which can be advanced by chemical strategies.In this Account, we summarize our recent contributions to the development of effective T-cell- and B-cell-based therapeutic cancer vaccines. For T-cell-based vaccines, we focus on adjuvants as the key component for controllable APC activation and T-cell priming. Not only synthetic molecular agonists of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) but also adjuvant nanomaterials were explored to satisfy diversiform vaccine designs. For example, a type of natural cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) that was chemically modified with fluorination and ipsilateral phosphorothioation to activate the stimulator of interferon gene (STING) was found to mediate antitumor responses. It retains structural similarity to the parent CDN scaffold but possesses increased stability, cellular uptake, and immune activation for antitumor treatment. It also facilitates facile conjugation with other agonists, which not only enhances APC-targeting delivery but also balances cellular and humoral antitumor responses. We also explored the intrinsic properties of nanomaterials that allow them to serve as adjuvants. A black phosphorus nanosheet-based nanovaccine was constructed and found to strongly potentiate antigen-specific T-cell antitumor immune responses through multiple immune-potentiating properties, leading to a highly integrated nanomaterial-based adjuvant design. For B-cell-based vaccines, multicomponent and multivalent strategies were applied to improve the immunogenicity. A multicomponent linear vaccine conjugate coordinates helper T (Th) cells and APCs to proliferate and differentiates B cells for enhanced antitumor immunoglobulin G antibody responses. To further improve antigen recognition, clustered designs on a multivalent epitope were applied by generating various structures, including branched lysine-based peptides, natural multivalent scaffold molecules, and self-assembled nanofibers. We also engineered nano- and microvaccine systems to optimize systemic and localized vaccination. A multilayer-assembled nanovaccine successfully integrated antigens and multiple agonists to modulate APC activation. A DNA hydrogel contributed to the control of APC's immune behaviors, including cell recruitment, activation, and migration, and induced robust antitumor responses as an all-in-one designable platform. In this Account, by summarizing strategies for both T-cell- and B-cell-based vaccine design, we not only compare the differences but also address the intrinsic uniformity between such vaccine designs and further discuss the potential of a combined T-cell- and B-cell-based vaccine, which highlights the applicability and feasibility of chemical strategies.

Realization of a Z-Classified Chiral-Symmetric Higher-Order Topological Insulator in a Coupling-Inverted Acoustic Crystal.

Higher-order topological band theory has transformed the landscape of topological phases in quantum and classical systems. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a two-dimensional higher-order topological phase, referred to as the multiple chiral topological phase, which is protected by a multipole chiral number (MCN). Our realization differs from previous higher-order topological phases in that it possesses a larger-than-unity MCN, which arises when the nearest-neighbor couplings are weaker than long-range couplings. Our phase has an MCN of 4, protecting the existence of 4 midgap topological corner modes at each corner. The multiple topological corner modes demonstrated here could lead to enhanced quantum-inspired devices for sensing and computing. Our study also highlights the rich and untapped potential of long-range coupling manipulation for future research in topological phases.

Local-Nonlinearity-Enabled Deep Subdiffraction Control of Acoustic Waves.

Diffraction sets a natural limit for the spatial resolution of acoustic wave fields, hindering the generation and recording of object details and manipulation of sound at subwavelength scales. We propose to overcome this physical limit by utilizing nonlinear acoustics. Our findings indicate that, contrary to the commonly utilized cumulative nonlinear effect, it is in fact the local nonlinear effect that is crucial in achieving subdiffraction control of acoustic waves. We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate a deep subwavelength spatial resolution up to λ/38 in the far field at a distance 4.4 times the Rayleigh distance. This Letter represents a new avenue towards deep subdiffraction control of sound, and may have far-reaching impacts on various applications such as acoustic holograms, imaging, communication, and sound zone control.

Excitation-Wavelength-Dependent Luminescence of Chemically and Physically Mixed Europium and Terbium Phosphonates: Color-Tunable Luminescence, Near-White-Light Emission, and Selective Fe3+ Detection.

Molecular lanthanide phosphonates [Ln2 (H3 tpmm)2 (H2 O)6 ] ⋅ xH2 O (Ln=Eu, EuP; Ln=Tb, TbP) were synthesized. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction confirmed that EuP has a sandwich-like dinuclear structure, in which the Eu(III) center adopts a {EuO8 } distorted dodecahedral geometry. XRPD patterns prove that TbP and EuP are isomorphous and isostructural. EuP and TbP are highly thermally stable approaching 450 °C and exhibit red- and green-light emissions from the characteristic 4 f-4 f transition of the Eu3+ and Tb3+ , respectively. Interestingly, luminescence modulation is achieved for the chemically mixed Eu/Tb phosphonate analogues, c-Eux Tb2 -x P (x=1.5, 1, 0.5), and physically mixed Eu/Tb phosphonate materials, p-yEuP : zTbP (y : z=3 : 1, 1 : 1, 1 : 3), with varying the excitation wavelength. Of particular note, near-white-light emission is also achieved for c-EuTbP, p-EuP : TbP, and p-EuP : 3TbP when excited at 365 nm. Therefore, these dinuclear molecular lanthanide phosphonates emitting excitation wavelength and Eu3+ : Tb3+ ratio dependent luminescence might be potential candidates for color-tunable luminescence materials and white-light-emitting materials. On the other hand, the bright green-light emission makes TbP to be an excellent reusable luminescence sensor for selective detection of Fe3+ with Stern-Volmer quenching constant (KSV ) of 9.66×103  M-1 and detection limit (DL) of 0.42 µM through absorption competition caused luminescence quenching effect.

Both epilepsy and anti-seizure medications affect bone metabolism in children with self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes.

OBJECTIVE: Bone metabolism can be influenced by a range of factors. We selected children with self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS) and lifestyles similar to those of healthy children to control for the confounding factors that may influence bone metabolism. We aimed to identify the specific effects of epilepsy and/or anti-seizure medications (ASMs) on bone metabolism. METHODS: Patients with SeLECTS were divided into an untreated group and a monotherapy group, and the third group was a healthy control group. We determined the levels of various biochemical markers of bone metabolism, including procollagen type I nitrogenous propeptide (PINP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OC), collagen type I cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTX), calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and vitamin D3 (VD3 ). RESULTS: A total of 1487 patients (from 19 centers) were diagnosed with SeLECTS; 1032 were analyzed, including 117 patients who did not receive any ASMs (untreated group), 643 patients who received only one ASM (monotherapy group), and 272 children in the healthy control group. Except for VD3 , other bone metabolism of the three groups were different (p < .001). Bone metabolism was significantly lower in the untreated group than the healthy control group (p < .05). There were significant differences between the monotherapy and healthy control group in the level of many markers. However, when comparing the monotherapy and untreated groups, the results were different; oxcarbazepine, levetiracetam, and topiramate had no significant effect on bone metabolism. Phosphorus and magnesium were significantly lower in the valproic acid group than the untreated group (adjusted p < .05, Cliff's delta .282-.768). CTX was significantly higher in the lamotrigine group than in the untreated group (adjusted p = .012, Cliff's delta = .316). SIGNIFICANCE: Epilepsy can affect many aspects of bone metabolism. After controlling epilepsy and other confounders that affect bone metabolism, we found that the effects of ASMs on bone metabolism differed. Oxcarbazepine, levetiracetam, and topiramate did not affect bone metabolism, and lamotrigine corrected some of the abnormal markers of bone metabolism in patients with epilepsy.

Limimaricola litoreus sp. nov., isolated from intertidal sand of the Yellow Sea.

A novel species of the genus Limimaricola, designated ASW11-118T, was isolated from an intertidal sand sample of the Yellow Sea, PR China. Growth of strain ASW11-118T occurred at 10-40 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 5.5-8.5 (optimum, pH 7.5) and with 0.5-8.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.5%). Strain ASW11-118T has the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Limimaricola cinnabarinus LL-001T (98.8%) and 98.6 % to Limimaricola hongkongensis DSM 17492T. Phylogenetic analysis based on genomic sequences indicated that strain ASW11-118T belongs to the genus Limimaricola. The genome size of strain ASW11-118T was 3.8 Mb and DNA G+C content was 67.8 mol%. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain ASW11-118T and other members of the genus Limimaricola were below 86.6 and 31.3 %, respectively. The predominant respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. The predominant cellular fatty acid was C18 : 1 ω7c. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and one unknown aminolipid. On the basis of the data presented, strain ASW11-118T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Limimaricola, for which the name Limimaricola litoreus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ASW11-118T (=MCCC 1K05581T=KCTC 82494T).

Zinc(II)-Based Ring-and-Rod Coordination Layer as an Excitation-Wavelength-dependent Dual-Emissive Chemosensor for Discriminating Fe3+, Cr3+, and Al3+ in Water.

The reactions of Zn(NO3)2, 3,6-bis(pyridin-3-yl)-9H-carbazole (bpycz), and 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid (H4dhbdc) or 2-bromoterephthalic acid (Br-1,4-H2bdc) under hydro(solvo)thermal conditions yielded corresponding coordination polymers (CPs) {[Zn(H2dhbdc)(bpycz)]•0.5H2O}n (1) and [Zn(Br-1,4-bdc)(bpycz)]•2DMAc•H2O (2), respectively, with high thermal stability approaching 350 °C. CP 1 adopts a ring-and-rod layer structure, which is topologically described as a 4-connected net with the point symbol of 2•65. Two layers are interpenetrated in parallel interlocking mode to form a double 2D → 2D polyrotaxane entanglement with extra-framework void space of 19.6%. CP 2 has a non-interpenetrating ring-and-rod layer structure of 4-connected 2•65 net topology, with extra-framework void space of 16.6%. Thermally activated 1 and 2 revealed CO2 uptakes of 101.1 and 98.6 cm3 g-1, respectively, at P/P0 = 1 and 195 K. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) patterns confirmed that 1 and 2 both possessed high chemical stability in H2O, CH3OH, acetone, and DMF, and framework stability during gas adsorption-desorption. The H2O suspension of 1 displayed excitation-dependent dual-emissive properties, appearing at 432 nm upon excitation at 300 nm and at 528 nm upon excitation at 365 nm. Of note, 1 was capable of detection of Fe3+, Cr3+, and Al3+ ions in H2O, showing good anti-interference ability, excellent selectivity, and high sensitivity. More interesting, the dual-emissive properties make 1 to be an excellent luminescence chemosensor to screen Fe3+, Cr3+, and Al3+ from a pool of metal ions in H2O upon excitation at 300 nm via luminescence quenching effect and then discriminate Fe3+, Cr3+, and Al3+ upon excitation at 365 nm via luminescence quenching, unaltered, and enhancement responses, respectively. On the other hand, the H2O suspension of 2 demonstrated an excitation-independent emission appearing at around 430 nm, which could be utilized to sensitively detect Fe3+ and Cr3+ ions with good anti-interference ability and excellent selectivity via luminescence quenching effect. Further, 1 and 2 were recyclability and possessed cycling stability. The plausible sensing mechanisms for 1 and 2 toward Fe3+, Cr3+, and Al3+ were also explored in detail.

Persulfate promoted carbamoylation of N-arylacrylamides and N-arylcinnamamides with 4-carbamoyl-Hantzsch esters.

Carbamoyl-Hantzsch esters were used as carbamoyl radical precursors for oxidative carbamoylation of N-arylacrylamides and N-arylcinnamamides in the presence of inexpensive persulfates. This protocol can be applied to a broad range of substrates with various functional groups, providing a variety of 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles and 3,4-disubstituted dihydroquinolin-2(1H)-ones in moderate to good yields via an intermolecular addition/cyclization process.