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To explore the association between fluoride exposure and depression / anxiety in adults, the 1,169 participants were recruited. The demographic information of participants was obtained through questionnaire survey and physical measurements. Morning urine samples were collected, and urinary fluoride (UF) level was determined. Changes in depression and anxiety levels were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and General Anxiety Disorder-2 scales. The association between psychiatric disorders and UF levels was analyzed. In the total population, the prevalence of depression and anxiety were 3.17% and 4.19%, respectively. These results showed no significant association between depression / anxiety scale scores and UF levels. Logistic regression suggested no significant association between depression / anxiety levels, and UF levels, but there was an interaction between UF and income on depression. Our findings highlighted the interaction between fluoride exposure and monthly income, which may affect depression in adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the outcomes of type II pediatric phalangeal neck fractures (PPNFs) treated with closed reduction and cast immobilization (CRCI) versus closed reduction percutaneous pinning (CRPP), and evaluated the clinical efficacy of conservative versus surgical treatment of type II PPNFs via meta-analysis. Methods: Patients aged ≤ 14 years with type II PPNFs were divided into conservative (CRCI) and operative (CRPP) groups. Radiographs measured angulation and translation; hand function was assessed with total active range of motion (TAM) and Quick-DASH. Complication rates were also compared between the groups. A meta-analysis of conservative versus operative treatment confirmed the clinical results. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 and R studio 3.0 with two-tailed, chi-squared, and Mann–Whitney U or t-tests, P < 0.05. Meta-analysis used fixed or random effects models, calculating mean differences and odds ratios for outcomes, and assessing heterogeneity with I2 and Q tests. Results: Final angulation (3.4° ± 3.7° and 4.9° ± 5.4° vs. 3.6° ± 3.7° and 4.2° ± 4.3°) and displacement (6.3% ± 5.8% and 5.7% ± 4.7% vs. 5.8% ± 5.5% and 3.2% ± 4.2%) in the coronal and sagittal planes were not different statistically between the conservative and surgical groups (P > 0.05), but improved significantly compared to preoperative values (P < 0.05). Although Quick-DASH scores were comparable in both groups (P = 0.105), conservatively treated patients had a significantly better TAM at the last follow-up visit (P = 0.005). The complication rates were 24.2% and 41.7% in the surgical and conservatively treated groups respectively (P = 0.162). However, the latter primarily experienced imaging-related complications, whereas the former experienced functional complications (P = 0.046). Our meta-analysis (n = 181 patients) also showed comparable functional (P = 0.49) and radiographic (P = 0.59) outcomes and complication rates (P = 0.21) between the surgical (94 patients) and conservative (87 patients) groups. Conclusions: Conservative and surgical treatments are both reliable and safe approaches for managing type II PPNF in children. However, conservatively treated patients generally experience similar radiographic outcomes, lower complication rates, and better functional outcomes than surgically treated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor growth is closely linked to the activities of various cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), particularly immune cells. During tumor progression, circulating monocytes and macrophages are recruited, altering the TME and accelerating growth. These macrophages adjust their functions in response to signals from tumor and stromal cells. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), similar to M2 macrophages, are key regulators in the TME. Methods: We review the origins, characteristics, and functions of TAMs within the TME. This analysis includes the mechanisms through which TAMs facilitate immune evasion and promote tumor metastasis. Additionally, we explore potential therapeutic strategies that target TAMs. Results: TAMs are instrumental in mediating tumor immune evasion and malignant behaviors. They release cytokines that inhibit effector immune cells and attract additional immunosuppressive cells to the TME. TAMs primarily target effector T cells, inducing exhaustion directly, influencing activity indirectly through cellular interactions, or suppressing through immune checkpoints. Additionally, TAMs are directly involved in tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Summary: Developing innovative tumor-targeted therapies and immunotherapeutic strategies is currently a promising focus in oncology. Given the pivotal role of TAMs in immune evasion, several therapeutic approaches have been devised to target them. These include leveraging epigenetics, metabolic reprogramming, and cellular engineering to repolarize TAMs, inhibiting their recruitment and activity, and using TAMs as drug delivery vehicles. Although some of these strategies remain distant from clinical application, we believe that future therapies targeting TAMs will offer significant benefits to cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avian influenza is an infectious viral disease caused by type A virus, which occurs frequently around the world and causes serious economic losses. Therefore, the adaptive control problem is explored in this paper for an avian influenza model in consideration of slaughtering to poultry, educational campaigns to the susceptible human and treatment to the infected human. First, by analyzing the transmission mechanism of avian influenza, a nonlinear adaptive control problem of avian influenza model is formulated, where some errors between model parameters and real values are allowed. Then, the parameters are estimated by constructing adaptive laws, which can be effectively used to design the applicative controllers to achieve the control goals. Besides, the stability of controlled model is analyzed with the aid of Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, numerical examples are proposed to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the designed controllers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing ion‐selective membranes with anti‐biofouling property and biocompatibility is highly crucial in harvesting osmotic energy in natural environments and for future biomimetic applications. However, the exploration of membranes with these properties in osmotic energy conversion remain largely unaddressed. Herein, a tough zwitterionic gradient double‐network hydrogel membrane (ZGDHM) with excellent biofouling resistance and cytocompatibility for sustainable osmotic energy harvesting is demonstrated. The ZGDHM, composed of negatively charged 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) as the first scaffold network and zwitterionic sulfobetaine acrylamide (SBAA) as the second network, is prepared by a two‐step photopolymerization, thus creating continuous gradient double‐network nanoarchitecture and then remarkably enhanced mechanical properties. As verified by the experiments and simulations, the gradient nanoarchitecture endows the hydrogel membrane with apparent ionic diode effect and space‐charge‐governed transport property, thus facilitating directional ion transport. Consequently, the ZGDHM can achieve a power density of 5.44 W m−2 by mixing artificial seawater and river water, surpassing the commercial benchmark. Most importantly, the output power can be promoted to an unprecedented value of 49.6 W m−2 at the mixing of salt‐lake water and river water, nearly doubling up most of the existing nanofluidic membranes. This study paves a new avenue toward developing ultrahigh‐performance osmotic energy harvesters for biomimetic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi2Te3 − xSex photoconductive detectors are attractive due to their linear photo-response (LPR), potential in ultrabroadband photo-detection, and compatibility with CMOS technology. However, as a fundamental issue for photo-detectors, the weak-light photo-response of Bi2Te3 − xSex detectors was covered by the bolometric response, the photo-thermoelectric effect, and the 300 K background black-body radiation from the optical window. Here, using a window-less system, we systematically measure the weak-light photo-response of a Bi2Te3 photoconductive detector. The bolometric response and photo-thermoelectric effect are carefully excluded. It shows that LPR can persist to a small light power density of P < 10−8 W/cm2. Meanwhile, the response is maximized at ∼80 K temperature. We suggest that the LPR is rooted in the unique carrier recombination configuration of Bi2Te3, which can result in a constant lifetime for light-generated carriers. The concerned trap level is manifested by a negative photo-response under reduced light intensity. The signature of surface state related signal is presented as a photo-response with the maximum at ∼10 K temperature, which is fragile under increased light intensity. Although the window-less photo-response measurement is at its early stage, it provides a perspective which is different from that of the traditional optical-window based measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasicon powders of nominal composition Na 3 Zr 2 Si 2 PO 12 were hot-pressed at temperatures of 1150, 1200 and 1250 °C. At room temperature a total conductivity of 4.2 × 10−3 S/cm was exhibited, approaching bulk conductivity values (5–6 × 10−3 S/cm). The results of impedance spectroscopy combined with microstructural examination and analytical electron microscopy suggested that the high conductivity is a result of the applied stress during hot-pressing. It is believed that the applied stress at high temperatures causes expulsion of molten glass, thereby reducing the thickness of the high resistance glassy phase along Nasicon grain boundaries. This leads to reduced grain boundary resistance and hence, a higher total conductivity than that observed for sintered samples, where no applied stress is present. • Na 3 Zr 2 Si 2 PO 12 powders were hot-pressed to near theoretical density. • As the hot-pressing temperature increased the amount of the glass phase decreased. • Stress during hot-pressing reduced the thickness of the glassy grain boundary phase. • Low grain boundary resistance resulted in total conductivities of 4.2 × 10−3 S/cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Congenital diaphragmatic defects are rare, with most cases presenting in childhood. Diagnosis in adulthood is usually incidental or when symptoms develop. We present a case of a strangulated Bochdalek hernia complicated by possible tension pneumothorax and iatrogenic bowel injury in a healthy young male. Case presentation: A 23-year-old Chinese man initially presented with complaints of mild back pain and was discharged with symptomatic treatment. He presented again 3 days later, with dyspnea and left upper back pain and was haemodynamically unstable and hypoxic. A chest x-ray was reported as a moderately large left-sided pneumothorax with herniation of bowel into the left hemithorax. Needle decompression resulted in feculent fluid being aspirated with no resolution of symptoms. The patient required an immediate transfer to the operating theatre for surgical intervention of his left diaphragmatic rupture, complicated by visceral herniation and left tension pneumothorax, with accidental puncture of the herniated bowel. He underwent an emergent laparotomy with requirements for rapid lung isolation and continued aggressive resuscitation. Conclusions: Patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernias may present in adulthood, either incidentally or emergently. In the well adult patient with good reserves, these initial symptoms may be mild, and may be symptomatically treated with no further workup. However, patients may deteriorate rapidly once their compensatory mechanisms are exhausted. This is the first reported case of a patient with diaphragmatic rupture and bowel herniation, complicated by iatrogenic tension pneumothorax. This rare case illustrates the speed at which a diaphragmatic rupture may progress, possible pitfalls and offers insights on how a misdiagnosis may be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effect of carotenoids on the risk of preeclampsia (PE) is uncertain. We aimed to examine the associations between the intake of dietary carotenoids and related compounds by pregnant women in China, and the risk of their developing PE.Methods: Four hundred and forty PE cases and 440 age- (± 3 years), gestational age- (± 1 weeks) and gestational diabetes mellitus status- (yes/no) matched healthy controls were recruited from March 2016 to June 2019. Dietary intake of carotenoids was assessed using a 79-item validated food-frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using conditional logistic regression.Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that the intake of total carotenoids, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, and lutein and zeaxanthin (lut-zea) were negatively associated with the odds of developing PE. Compared with the lowest quartile intake, the multivariate-adjusted OR (95% CI) of the highest quartile intake was 0.29 (0.16-0.54, Ptrend <  0.001) for total carotenoids, 0.31 (0.16-0.58, Ptrend <  0.001) for β-carotene, 0.50 (0.27-0.90, Ptrend = 0.007) for β-cryptoxanthin, 0.55 (0.30-0.99, Ptrend = 0.04) for lycopene and 0.32 (0.17-0.61, Ptrend = 0.001) for lut-zea. However, no significant associations were observed between the risk of developing PE and α-carotene intake (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.41-1.36, Ptrend = 0.28). Moreover, similar negative associations were found for every one-standard-deviation increase in the intake of total carotenoids, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lut-zea.Conclusion: These results indicate that a high intake of total carotenoids, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lut-zea may be associated with a low risk of developing PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfide and persulfide are chemically different and one might expect persulfide to be more effective in mediating sulfur signaling because persulfide can directly modify protein cysteine residue. However, rapid scrambling, and interconversions occur among sulfur species. Then there is the question of whether the chemical reactivity differences between sulfide and persulfide would translate into pharmacological differences. Utilizing a delivery system to generate pure hydrogen sulfide (H2S), hydrogen persulfide (H2S2), and N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine persulfide (N‐CysSSH), we examined the activities of sulfide and persulfide in vitro and in vivo. Persulfide prodrugs exhibited increased activities compared to the H2S prodrug. In particular, the H2S2 prodrug offers much‐elevated analgesic effects compared to the H2S prodrug in vivo. Persulfide prodrugs also possess a reduced level of toxicity compared to the H2S prodrug in vivo, indicating persulfide might represent a better therapeutic paradigm than H2S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfide and persulfide are chemically different and one might expect persulfide to be more effective in mediating sulfur signaling because persulfide can directly modify protein cysteine residue. However, rapid scrambling, and interconversions occur among sulfur species. Then there is the question of whether the chemical reactivity differences between sulfide and persulfide would translate into pharmacological differences. Utilizing a delivery system to generate pure hydrogen sulfide (H2S), hydrogen persulfide (H2S2), and N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine persulfide (N‐CysSSH), we examined the activities of sulfide and persulfide in vitro and in vivo. Persulfide prodrugs exhibited increased activities compared to the H2S prodrug. In particular, the H2S2 prodrug offers much‐elevated analgesic effects compared to the H2S prodrug in vivo. Persulfide prodrugs also possess a reduced level of toxicity compared to the H2S prodrug in vivo, indicating persulfide might represent a better therapeutic paradigm than H2S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orthodontic tooth movement is a mechanobiological reaction induced by appropriate forces, including bone remodeling. The mechanosensitive Piezo channels have been shown to contribute to bone remodeling. However, information about the pathways through which Piezo channels affects osteoblasts remains limited. Thus, we aimed to investigate the influence of Piezo1 on the osteogenic and osteoclast factors in osteoblasts under mechanical load. Cyclic stretch (CS) experiments on MC3T3-E1 were conducted using a BioDynamic mechanical stretching device. The Piezo1 channel blocker GsMTx4 and the Piezo1 channel agonist Yoda1 were used 12 h before the application of CS. MC3T3-E1 cells were then subjected to 15% CS, and the expression of Piezo1, Piezo2, BMP-2, OCN, Runx2, RANKL, p-p65/p65, and ALP was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blot, alkaline phosphatase staining, and immunofluorescence staining. CS of 15% induced the highest expression of Piezo channel and osteoblast factors. Yoda1 significantly increased the CS-upregulated expression of Piezo1 and ALP activity but not Piezo2 and RANKL. GsMTx4 downregulated the CS-upregulated expression of Piezo1, Piezo2, Runx2, OCN, p-65/65, and ALP activity but could not completely reduce CS-upregulated BMP-2. The appropriate force is more suitable for promoting osteogenic differentiation in MC3T3-E1. The Piezo1 channel participates in osteogenic differentiation of osteoblasts through its influence on the expression of osteogenic factors like BMP-2, Runx2, and OCN and is involved in regulating osteoclasts by influencing phosphorylated p65. These results provide a foundation for further exploration of osteoblast function in orthodontic tooth movement. • 15% cyclic stretch is optimal for MC3T3 to express Piezo and osteoblast markers. • Piezo1 and Piezo2 channels were upregulated by cyclic stretch stimuli in MC3T3. • Blocking/activating Piezo1 regulates Piezo2. • Blocking/activating Piezo1 regulates BMP-2, OCN, Runx2, P-P65/P65, ALP activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was aimed o investigate the application value and diagnostic effect of dark-lumen magnetic resonance imaging (dark-lumen MRI) based on artificial intelligence algorithm on colon cancer. A total of 98 patients with ulcerated colon cancer were selected as the study subjects. All patients underwent colonic endoscopy. The patients were divided into algorithm group (artificial intelligence algorithm processing image group) and control group (conventional method processing image group) according to different dark-lumen MRI processing methods. The detection efficiency of colon cancer was compared between the two groups. It showed that the diagnostic effect of dark-lumen MRI based on artificial intelligence algorithm was significant. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the control group was 0.92 ± 0.14 mm2/s (minimum: 0.74, maximum: 1.30), ADC in the algorithm group was 1.55 ± 0.31 mm2/s (minimum: 1.22, maximum: 2.42). The ADC of patients in algorithm group was significantly higher than that of patients in control group, with statistical difference (t = 7.827, P < 0.001). The correct number of cases was 46 and the diagnostic error number was 3 in algorithm group, with accuracy of 93%. The correct number of cases was 41 and the diagnostic error number was 8 in control group, with accuracy of 83%. In comparison, the correct rate was 10% higher in algorithm group, indicating that the diagnostic effect was better in algorithm group. The mean value of invasion depth was 10.42 in the algorithm group and 5.27 in the control group, indicating that the algorithm group was more accurate in the judgment of invasion depth, had a good prospect of clinical application, and had guiding significance for the diagnosis of colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between serum uric acid (SUA) and all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients is controversial. Therefore, we aimed to determine the relationship between SUA and all-cause and CVD mortality in PD patients. Method: Web of Science, EMBASE, PubMed and the Cochrane Library databases were searched from their inception to 7 April 2021. Effect estimates were presented as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and pooled using random effects model. Result: Thirteen cohort studies with 22418 patients were included in this systematic review, of which 9 were included in the meta-analysis. Before switching the reference group, pooled result for the highest SUA category was significantly greater than the median for all-cause mortality (HR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.37–4.26). After switching the reference group, the highest SUA category did not demonstrate an increased all-cause (HR = 1.40, 95% CI: 0.95–2.05) or CVD (HR = 1.30, 95% CI: 0.72–2.34) mortality compared with the lowest SUA category. Dose-response analysis suggested a nonlinear association between SUA and all-cause mortality risk (Pnonlinearity = 0.002). Conclusion: This meta-analysis didn't find the relationship between SUA levels and all-cause and CVD mortality risk in PD patients. More rigorously designed studies are warranted in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectiveMethodsResultsDiscussionConclusionAmatoxin-containing mushroom poisoning is a significant threat to public health worldwide. We report a mass poisoning of Galerina sulciceps-like mushrooms (Galerina cf. sulciceps) in Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China, aiming to offer insights for future prevention and treatment strategies.We performed a retrospective survey of mass mushroom poisoning patients admitted to our hospital. The demographic data, clinical presentations, laboratory findings, therapeutic measures and prognostic information were collected and analyzed. We used the 2020 Chinese consensus on the clinical diagnosis and treatment of amatoxin-containing mushroom poisoning to assess the severity of poisoning. Mushrooms were examined through morphological analysis, molecular biology identification, and toxin detection.Our patient cohort consisted of nine males and six females, with mean (±SD) age of 34.9 ± 13.0 years. Gastrointestinal symptoms were the first to manifest, with mean (±SD) latency period of 13.4 ± 3.9 h. The majority of patients (86.7%) experienced nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Liver dysfunction was noted in 66.7% of patients, and thrombocytopenia was present in 26.7% of patients. In terms of the severity of poisoning, there were 10 mild cases and 5 severe cases. The mushrooms were provisionally labeled as Galerina cf. sulciceps, containing the toxins α-amanitin, β-amanitin, and γ-amanitin. All patients eventually recovered.We report what appears to be a new type of mushroom that is morphologically and phylogenetically similar to the known Galerina sulciceps, but further study is required to determine if it represents a distinct species.This poisoning event was caused by unintentional ingestion of Galerina cf. sulciceps, an amatoxin-containing mushroom. Early symptoms are primarily gastrointestinal, with acute liver damage and coagulopathy being the main toxic effects. Thrombocytopenia is also prominent, particularly in severe cases. Accurate assessment and prompt, individualized, and intensive treatment are crucial for managing patients with acute Galerina cf. sulciceps poisoning effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A class of time-varying delay impulsive reaction–diffusion tree–grass–water–nitrogen system driven by Lévy jump process is considered. First, we prove the existence and uniqueness of the global positive solution of the model by constructing the Lyapunov function. Secondly, several sufficient conditions for finite-time stability are given by using comparison theorem and mean impulse interval method. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dynamic behaviors are studied for a stochastic delayed avian influenza model with mutation and temporary immunity. First, we prove the existence and uniqueness of the global positive solution for the stochastic model. Second, we give two different thresholds ℛ 0 1 s and ℛ 0 2 s , and further establish the sufficient conditions of extinction and persistence in the mean for the avian-only subsystem and avian-human system, respectively. Compared with the corresponding deterministic model, the thresholds affected by the white noises are smaller than the ones of the deterministic system. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to support our theoretical results. It is concluded that the vaccination immunity period can suppress the spread of avian influenza during poultry and human populations, while prompt the spread of mutant avian influenza in human population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which is spreading all over the world and causing huge human and economic losses. For these reasons, we study the adaptive control problem of COVID-19 in consideration of media campaigns and treatment in this paper. Firstly, a novel compartment model is constructed by analysing the spread mechanism of COVID-19 and a nonlinear adaptive control problem is established. Then, using the estimation of parameters updated by adaptive laws, the controllers are designed to achieve the control goals. Finally, numerical examples are presented to illustrate the control capability to the outbreak of COVID-19. • A COVID-19 model with media campaigns and treatment is established. • The adaptive control problem of COVID-19 model is proposed. • The controllers are designed by using estimated parameters to reach control goals. • The phenomenon of secondary or even multiple outbreaks of COVID-19 is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-dependent evolution experiments were performed by intercepting intermediate products at different reaction stages to reveal the formation mechanism of novel core/shell-structured Cu 2 O@CuO mesocrystals (Cu 2 O@CuO MC) with hexapod morphology. • Novel core/shell-structured Cu 2 O@CuO mesocrystals (Cu 2 O@CuO MC) were synthesized. • The formation mechanism of Cu 2 O@CuO MC is revealed. • The Cu 2 O@CuO MC exhibit much-enhanced catalytic property. As compared with conventional nanocrystal systems, Cu-based mesocrystals have demonstrated distinct advantages in catalytic applications. Here, we report the preparation of a novel architectural Cu 2 O@CuO catalyst system integrated with the core/shell and mesocrystal structures (Cu 2 O@CuO MC) via a facile solvothermal process followed by calcination. The formation mechanism of the Cu 2 O@CuO MC with hexapod morphology was deciphered based on a series of time-dependent experiments and characterizations. When applied as a Cu-based catalyst to produce trichlorosilane (TCS) via Si hydrochlorination reaction, the Cu 2 O@CuO MC exhibited a much higher Si conversion, TCS selectivity, and stability than the catalyst-free industrial process and the Cu 2 O@CuO catalyst with a core-shell nanostructure. The enhanced catalytic efficiency of the former is attributed to the collective effects from its quite rough surface for providing abundant adsorption sites, the ordered nanoparticle arrangement in the core and shell for generating strong synergistic effects, and the micrometer size for the improved structural stability. This work demonstrates a practical route for designing sophisticated architectural structures that combine several structural functions within one catalyst system and their catalysis applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By weak bonding method, the first organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) display with 620°C low‐temperature poly‐silicon (LTPS) thin film transistor (TFT) and touch sensor, without polyimide (PI) substrate, formed on glass substrates is transferred to non‐PI flexible substrates. After transfer, the display image is free from defect, and touch sensor functions normally. Compared with device made on PI substrate, the advantages of device stability and pitch variation by transferring are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Point-of-care bedside lung ultrasound is a diagnostic adjunct in the management of respiratory diseases. We describe the clinical progress and lung ultrasound findings of a Singaporean COVID-19 intensive care unit patient who was diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. Methods: The clinical course of one COVID-19 patient managed in the intensive care unit was traced. The patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 virus infection and intubated after developing respiratory failure. Serial point-of-care bedside lung ultrasound was performed by the managing intensivist daily, and correlated with the clinical progress and chest X-ray imaging done for the patient. Results: The patient exhibited lung ultrasound findings consistent with that described for viral pneumonias. This included numerous B-lines and subpleural consolidations with disrupted pleural lines distributed symmetrically, predominantly in bilateral upper BLUE points, and lower BLUE points bilaterally. Coalescing B-lines leading on to the development of bilateral "white lung" were associated with worsening acute respiratory distress syndrome. An increased density or reduction of the B-lines was associated with clinical improvement or deterioration, respectively. Conclusions: Trained clinicians, who are familiar with point-of-care lung ultrasonography, may consider point-ofcare bedside ultrasound as an important adjunct to history and physical examination for the diagnosis and management of COVID-19 when advanced imaging is not available because of logistical reasons or infectious control. This applies in particular to cases where resources are limited, and patient transfers to facilities offering such services may prove hazardous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Arsenic sulfide was found to have potential anti-cancer activities, especially in gastric cancer. However, the underlying mechanism need to be further explored. This study was aimed to investigate the mechanism of arsenic compounds on gastric cancer. Methods: Gastric cancer cell lines were infected with lentiviral vector carrying shNFATc3 and/or treated with arsenic sulfide. MTT assay were performed to assess cell growth. Flow cytometer assays were used to detect cell cycle and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level of gastric cancer cells. Western blot was carried out to detect nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 3 (NFATc3), cell cycle markers, DNA damage pathway protein expression as well as other protein expression in gastric cancer cell lines. The expression of recombination activating gene 1 (RAG1) in gastric cancer cell lines was determined by RNA-sequencing analyses and Real-Time qPCR. The effect of NFATc3 on RAG1 were determined by CHIP-qPCR assay. The effect of arsenic sulfide on AGS cells was evaluated in vivo. Results: We show that arsenic sulfide as well as knockdown of NFATc3 resulted in increased double-strand DNA damage in gastric cancer cells by increasing the expression of RAG1, an endonuclease essential for immunoglobulin V(D) J recombination. Overexpression of NFATc3 blocked the expression of RAG1 expression and DNA damage induced by arsenic sulfide. Arsenic sulfide induced cellular oxidative stress to redistribute NFATc3, thereby inhibiting its transcriptional function, which can be reversed by N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). We show that NFATc3 targets the promoter of RAG1 for transcriptional inhibition. We further showed that NFATc3 upregulation and RAG1 downregulation significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. Our in vivo experiments further confirmed that arsenic sulfide exerted cytotoxic activity against gastric cancer cells through inhibiting NFATc3 to activate RAG1 pathway. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that arsenic sulfide targets NFATc3 to induce double strand DNA break (DSB) for cell killing through activating RAG1 expression. Our results link arsenic compound to the regulation of DNA damage control and RAG1 expression as a mechanism for its cytotoxic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A series of neural adversarial learning methods are proposed for speaker recognition. • Deep learning is implemented for PLDA speaker recognition with i -vectors. • Adversarial manifold learning is proposed to build a subspace model with neighbor embeddings in latent variables. • Multiobjective learning is performed for minimax optimization. • Adversarial augmentation learning is proposed to compensate the imbalanced data problem in speaker recognition. This paper presents the adversarial learning approaches to deal with various tasks in speaker recognition based on probabilistic discriminant analysis (PLDA) which is seen as a latent variable model for reconstruction of i -vectors. The first task aims to reduce the dimension of i -vectors based on an adversarial manifold learning where the adversarial neural networks of generator and discriminator are merged to preserve neighbor embedding of i -vectors in a low-dimensional space. The generator is trained to fool the discriminator with the generated samples in latent space. A PLDA subspace model is constructed by jointly minimizing a PLDA reconstruction error, a manifold loss for neighbor embedding and an adversarial loss caused by the generator and discriminator. The second task of adversarial learning is developed to tackle the imbalanced data problem. A PLDA based generative adversarial network is trained to generate new i -vectors to balance the size of training utterances across different speakers. An adversarial augmentation learning is proposed for robust speaker recognition. In particular, the minimax optimization is performed to estimate a generator and a discriminator where the class conditional i -vectors produced by generator could not be distinguished from real i -vectors via discriminator. A multiobjective learning is realized for a specialized neural model with the cosine similarity between real and fake i -vectors as well as the regularization for Gaussianity. Experiments are conducted to show the merit of adversarial learning in subspace construction and data augmentation for PLDA-based speaker recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indium-rich AlInN are grown by metal-organic (MO) chemical vapor deposition using trimethylaluminum, trimethylindium, and ammonia. Under the conservation of MO influx, the effects of gas flow in the MO route on AlInN growth and Al-related parasitic reaction are investigated. With an increase in this gas flow, the suppression of Al-related parasitic reaction, i.e., enhancement in Al content incorporation and improvement of crystalline quality, is satisfactorily shown until the occurring of severe phase separation. Accordingly, Al content x in AlxIn1-xN can be tuned from x=0.02 to 0.26. The Raman spectra of those AlInN samples with phase separation are analyzed by the resonant excitation effect and two-mode behavior for A1(LO). Finally, we propose a phase diagram to interpret the phase separation and Al content evolution under the influence of gas flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For 3.3-nm thick gate oxide n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors subject to a stress gate voltage of 5.5 V, three distinct events are encountered in the time evolution of the gate current: stress-induced leakage current (SILC), soft breakdown (SBD), and hard breakdown (HBD). The localization of SBD and HBD paths, as well as their developments with the time, is determined electrically, showing random distribution in nature. At several stress times, we interrupt the stressing to measure the drain current low-frequency noise power S[sub id]. As expected, S[sub id] follows up the spontaneous changes at the onset of SBD and HBD. The S[sub id] spectra measured in fresh and SILC mode are reproduced by a literature model accounting for the carrier number and surface mobility fluctuations in the channel, and, as a result, both preexisting and newly generated trap densities are assessed. The post-SBD S[sub id] does originate from current fluctuations in the SBD percolation paths, which can couple indirectly to drain via underlying channel in series, or directly to drain if the SBD path is formed close to drain extension. In particular, a fluctuation in S[sub id] itself in the whole SBD duration is observed. This phenomenon is very striking since it indeed evidences the dynamic percolation origin concerning the trapping-detrapping processes in and around the SBD paths. The subsequent HBD duration remarkably features a flat S[sub id], indicating the set-up of a complete conductive path prevailing over the trapping-detrapping processes. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The aim of this paper is to construct a numerical method to preserve positivity and mean-square dissipativity of stochastic age-dependent capital system with Poisson jumps. We use the balanced implicit numerical techniques to maintain the nonnegative path of the exact solution. It is proved that the balanced implicit method(BIM) preserves positivity and converges with order 1 2 under given conditions. In addition, some sufficient conditions are obtained for ensuring the system and the balanced implicit method(BIM) are mean-square dissipative. Finally, a numerical example is simulated to illustrate the efficiency of theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential risk of arsenic‐related neurodegeneration has been a growing concern. Arsenic exposure has been reported to disrupt neurite growth and neuron body integrity in vitro; however, its underlying mechanism remains unclear. Previously, we showed that arsenic sulfide (AS) exerted cytotoxicity in gastric and colon cancer cells through regulating nuclear factor of the activated T cells (NFAT) pathway. The NFAT pathway regulates axon path finding and neural development. Using neural crest cell line PC12 cells as a model, here we show that AS caused mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, reactive oxygen species production, and cytochrome c release, leading to mitochondria‐mediated apoptosis via the AKT/GSK‐3β/NFAT pathway. Increased glycogen synthase kinase‐3 beta (GSK‐3β) activation leads to the inactivation of NFAT and its antiapoptotic effects. Through inhibiting GSK‐3β activity, both nerve growth factor (NGF) and Tideglusib, a GSK‐3β inhibitor partially rescued the PC12 cells from the AS‐induced cytotoxicity and restored the expression of NFATc3. In addition, overexpression of NFATc3 stimulated neurite outgrowth and potentiated the effect of NGF on promoting the neurite outgrowth. Collectively, our results show that NFATc3 serves as the downstream target of NGF and plays a key role in preventing AS‐induced neurotoxicity through regulating the AKT/GSK‐3β/NFAT pathway in PC12 cells. AS caused mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, reactive oxygen species production, and cytochrome c release, leading to mitochondria‐mediated apoptosis via AKT/glycogen synthase kinase‐3 beta (GSK‐3β)/nuclear factor of the activated T cells (NFAT) pathway in PC12 cells. NFATc3 serves as the downstream target of nerve growth factor and plays a key role in preventing AS‐induced neurotoxicity through regulating the AKT/GSK‐3β/NFAT pathway in PC12 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, we analyze mean-square dissipativity of numerical methods applied to a class of stochastic age-dependent (vintage) capital system with fractional Brownian motion (fBm) and Poisson jumps. Some sufficient conditions are obtained for ensuring the underlying systems are mean-square dissipative. It is shown that the mean-square dissipativity is preserved by the compensated split-step backward Euler method and compensated backward Euler method without any restriction on stepsize, while the split-step backward Euler method and backward Euler method could reproduce mean-square dissipativity under a stepsize constraint. Those results indicate that compensated numerical methods achieve superiority over non-compensated numerical methods in terms of mean-square dissipativity. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient urban environmental design considers appropriate thermal comfort condition, shaded space, and activity intensity. Physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) and visible sky, i.e., the sky view factor (SVF), are usually used as indicators to determine the outdoor thermal comfort and amount of shaded space, respectively. The activity intensity in urban parks, which is dependent on culture and micrometeorological conditions, was represented inappropriately by attendance density in Taiwan. To optimize the park design and improve the park utilization rate in Taiwan, several environmental factors such as sound pressure levels and numbers of park visitors were measured, and PET values and SVF values were calculated from primary micrometeorological data such as wind speed and globe temperature. This study proposed equivalent continuous sound pressure level (Leq) as a novel indicator to represent park activity intensity and investigated the correlation between Leq and SVF at different PET values. Leq was more appropriate than was attendance density in representing the park activity intensity in Taiwan. In addition, Leq was highly negatively correlated with SVF when visitors felt that the outdoor thermal comfort condition was hot or very hot. In other words, a lower degree of shading in the park resulted in lower activity intensity. Park visitors tended to engage in activities in the shaded regions because of more favorable thermal comfort conditions (i.e., neutral PET). The established quantitative relationships among Leq, PET, and SVF can serve as a reference for park planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Tetranuclear rhombus-shaped 1 -Dy 4 cluster display single molecule magnet behavior, while 2 -Gd 4 cluster show magnetic refrigeration. Abstract Two new LnIII 4 clusters, namely, [Dy 4 (μ 3 -OH) 2 L 6 (beac) 4 ] (1) and [Gd 4 (μ 3 -OH) 2 L 6 (acac) 4 ]·4CH 3 CN (2), (HL = 5-(4-o-hydroxybenzylidene)-8-hydroxylquinoline; Hbeac = 1-benzoylacetone and Hacac = acetylacetone), were successfully obtained and structurally characterized. The X-ray structural analysis show that clusters 1 and 2 contain one Ln 4 center with rhombus-shaped arrangement, and the four 8-coordinate central Ln(III) ion of them are located in a distorted square-antiprismatic coordination sphere. Magnetic measurements reveal that 1 displays slow magnetic relaxation behavior with energy barrier (Δ E / k B) of 83.38 K and τ 0 = 1.51 × 10−7 s; while 2 shows magnetic refrigeration (−Δ S m = 19.65 J kg−1 K−1 for Δ H = 7.0 T at 2.0 K). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy offer new paradigm-shifting therapeutic options for combating cancer. Personalized therapeutic anti-cancer vaccines training T cells to directly fight against tumor cells endogenously offer tremendous benefits in working synergistically with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Biomimetic nanotechnology offers a versatile platform to boost anticancer immunity by efficiently co-delivering optimized immunogenic antigen materials and adjuvants to antigen presenting cells (APC). Necroptotic tumor cells can release danger associated molecule patterns (DAMPs) like heat shock proteins, being more immunogenic than naïve tumor cells. Here, nano-size “artificial necroptotic cancer cell” (αHSP70p-CM-CaP) composing of phospholipid bilayer and a phosphate calcium core was designed as a flexible vaccine platform for co-delivering cancer membrane proteins (CM), DAMPs signal-augmenting element α-helix HSP70 functional peptide (αHSP70p) and CpG to both natural killer (NK) cells and APC. Mechanically, immunogenic B16OVA tumor cells membrane-associated antigens and αHSP70p were reconstituted in artificial outer phospholipid bilayer membrane via one-step hydration and CpG encapsulated in the phosphate calcium core. The resulted αHSP70p-CM-CaP exhibited 30 nm in diameter with the immunogenic membrane proteins reserved in the particles to produce synergistic effect on bone marrow derived dendritic cells maturation and antigen-presentation. Following αHSP70p-CM-CaP vaccination, efficient lymph node trafficking and multi-epitope-T cells response was observed in mice. Vitally, αHSP70p-CM-CaP was also able to induce expansion of IFN-γ-expressing CD8 + T cells and NKG2D + NK cells subsets. Most promisingly, αHSP70p-CM-CaP vaccination led to the killing of target cells and tumor regression in vivo when combined with anti-PD-1 antibody treatment on mice B16OVA melanoma models. Altogether, we demonstrated proof-of-concept evidence for the feasibility, capability and safety of a nanovaccine platform towards efficient personalized anticancer application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is a common disorder causing ear pressure, pain, and hearing loss. Balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET) is an emerging technique for dilating the Eustachian tube and treating ETD. Whether adding myringotomy improves BET efficacy is controversial. Methods: This retrospective study included 95 ETD patients undergoing BET alone (n = 44) or BET with myringotomy (BET + M; n = 51) between June 2020 and August 2021 at a single medical center. The primary outcome was the change in ETDQ-7 symptom scores from baseline to 6 months after treatment. Secondary outcomes included audiometry, endoscopy, Valsalva maneuver, and complications. Results: The ETDQ-7 scores improved significantly after treatment in both groups (p < 0.001), without significant between-group differences (p = 0.417). No significant differences occurred in the audiometry, endoscopy, and Valsalva results or in most complications between groups. One BET + M patient had a persistent tympanic membrane perforation. Conclusions: Both BET alone and BET + M effectively and safely improved the subjective and objective ETD outcomes. However, adding myringotomy did not further improve the outcomes over BET alone, while it incurred risks such as persistent perforation. BET alone may sufficiently treat ETD without requiring myringotomy in this cohort. Further randomized controlled trials should identify optimal candidates for BET alone versus combined approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic disease characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling. It refers to the abnormal proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), and hypoxia is an important risk factor for this progression. The present study aims to investigate the role of YTHDF1 in the regulation of hypoxic PASMC proliferation and the underlying mechanism. Human PASMCs were transfected with si-YTHDF1/2/3 followed by treatment of hypoxia, and the PASMC proliferation and Foxm1 expression were detected. Through RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, and protein synthesis assay, the mechanism of YTHDF1 regulating Foxm1 was explored. Next, Foxm1 was inhibited by thiostrepton, and cell proliferation was detected. In vivo , mice received a tail vein injection of adenovirus containing si-YTHDF1 and were exposed to hypoxia treatment. Pulmonary vascular changes, right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), and genes involving proliferation were analyzed. YTHDF1 silencing reduced more hypoxic PASMC proliferation and Foxm1 protein level than YTHDF2/3 silencing. Mechanical results showed that YTHDF1 interacted with Foxm1 mRNA and up-regulated Foxm1 protein level by enhancing the translation efficiency in an m6A-dependent manner. Furthermore, YTHDF1 facilitated hypoxic PASMC proliferation and proliferation marker expressions through up-regulation of Foxm1 in an m6A-dependent manner. In vivo , the YTHDF1 silencing alleviated pulmonary vascular changes and fibrosis, reduced RVSP, inhibited the interaction of YTHDF1 and Foxm1, and reduced proliferation marker levels, as compared to the PAH group. In conclusion, YTHDF1 silencing inhibits hypoxic PASMC proliferation by regulating Foxm1 translation in an m6A-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The morning heart rate surge (MHRS) and morning blood pressure surge (MBPS) may be responsible for the high prevalence of cardiovascular events during the morning period. The clinical significance of the MBPS has been well established, but that of the MHRS remains unclear. Thus, we evaluated the association between the MHRS and target organ damage (TOD).Methods: A cross-sectional study of 580 hypertensive patients was performed. MHRS and heart rate variability (HRV) were analyzed by 24 h electrocardiogram. TOD was assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and left ventricular mass index.Results: The prevalence of TOD tended to decrease with sleep-trough MHRS (first to fourth quartiles: 71%, 70.3%, 58.6%, and 52.7%, respectively) or prewaking MHRS quartiles (first to fourth quartiles: 65.3%, 73.6%, 61.4%, and 54.2%, respectively), whereas the opposite trend was observed for standard deviation of all normal NN intervals (SDNN). Moreover, sleep-trough MHRS, prewaking MHRS, SDNN, and SDNN index were significantly lower in patients with TOD than in those without TOD. According to four logistic regression models, the associations of prewaking MHRS, SDNN, and SDNN index with TOD were lost after adjustment for age and BP. Patients in the first (≤11.125 bpm) and second sleep-trough MHRS quartiles (11.125–15.75 bpm) had a 1.95–2.06-fold increased risk of TOD compared with those in the fourth quartile (p< 0.05).Conclusion: A blunted sleep-trough MHRS, which may serve as a surrogate marker for autonomic imbalance, was independently associated with TOD in primary hypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The pathological and physiological barriers of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) lead to insufficient extravasation and penetration of nano-sized therapeutics. As the main driver of interstitial fluid pressure-related drug efflux, the aberrant extracellular matrix (ECM) appears to be a valuable target that plays a crucial role in forming pathological barriers of GBM. Herein, a new Ft peptide was synthesized by coupling FHK and tLyp-1 sequence together via a cysteine to synergistically target glioma-associated tenascin C (extracellular matrix component) and neuropilin-1 on neovasculature and glioma cells to enable specific penetration of nanoparticles for anti-glioblastoma treatment. In vitro , Ft peptide-functionalization not only enabled the internalization of poly (ethyleneglycol)-poly (lactic acid) nanoparticulate system in 2D U87 MG cells and HUVEC cells but also facilitated its deep penetration in 3D glioma spheroids. Similarly, in vivo real-time 2D and 3D imaging clearly showed a substantial accumulation of the Ft-functionalized nanoparticles (Ft-NP) in the glioma foci of intracranial U87 glioma-bearing mice. Glioma distribution assay demonstrated a tenascin C-mediated accumulation in glioma foci and neuropilin-1-mediated transportation through glioma cells. Paclitaxel-loaded Ft-NP (Ft-NP-PTX) induced higher cytotoxic effect and apoptosis rate compared with FHK or tLyp-1-modified ones. The highest anti-glioma efficacy was also achieved following the i.v. administration of Ft-NP-PTX, with a median survival promotion of 269% than that of the saline-treated mice, while only limited life span promotion was obtained after the treatment of other formulations (31.3%, 59.4%, 134.4% and 109.3% respectively for Taxol ® , NP-PTX, tLyp-1-NP-PTX and FHK-NP-PTX). In conclusion, all these evidences together verified the improved therapeutic effect of Ft-NP-PTX for anti-glioma drug delivery via neuropilin-1- and tenascin C-mediated specific penetration of nanoparticles in to glioma parenchyma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing envelope configurations of office building with the low construction cost and energy consumption is a discrete optimization problem. The configuration is currently determined merely on architects’ experiences resulting in an inefficient expense or by building energy performance simulation which is time-intensive and involves complex processes. Based on an efficient regression equation to substitute complex energy simulators, this study developed an Office Building envelope Energy performance and configuration Model (OBEM) to provide envelope configurations, including construction material, sunshade type, sunshade length, window number, and window length and width for architects’ reference. Also, Tabu search, which is effective in solving discrete optimization problems, was integrated with OBEM into an Optimal OBEM decision support system (OPOBEM). The OPOBEM was applied to a real office building construction for optimizing its envelope configuration at minimum construction budget under the energy conservation regulations of green buildings. The result shows that the optimized installation of sunshade type efficiently reduces solar heat gain according to the high variation of the sunshade coefficient, thus achieves the goal of energy conservation and reduces the envelope costs. Compared with architects’ manual estimation, the optimized envelope design realizes nearly 41% budget savings, thus demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed OPOBEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To be better used as implant materials in bone regeneration, bioactivity and osteogenesis of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based bone cement need to be further enhanced. In this study, bioactive hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticle decorated with polydopamine (pDA) and BMP2 mimicking peptide (serine-serine-valine-proline-threonine, SSVPT) was incorporated into PMMA-based cement (p x -HA/PMMA). The presence of pDA layer on HA surface could keep the mechanical property of p x -HA/PMMA cements comply with the requirement of clinical application. More importantly, the p x -HA/PMMA cement exhibited excellent biomechanical property with enhanced interfacial adhesion between cement and swine femur. Biomineralization and cell experiment in vitro showed that the incorporation of pDA-coated HA and SSVPT can synergistically enhance the bioactivity of p x -HA/PMMA cement for regeneration and provide an attractive strategy to reconstruction of load-bearing bone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dyslipidemia increases the risks for atherosclerosis in part by impairing endothelial integrity. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are thought to contribute to endothelial recovery after arterial injury. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) can induce EPC dysfunction, but the underlying mechanism is not well understood. Human EPCs were cultured in endothelial growth medium supplemented with VEGF (10 ng/mL) and bFGF (10 ng/mL). The cells were treated with ox-LDL (50 µg/mL). EPC proliferation was assayed by using CCK8 kits. Expression and translocation of nuclear factor-kabba B (NF-κB) were evaluated. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells was measured using H2DCF-DA as a fluorescence probe. The activity of NADPH oxidase activity was determined by colorimetric assay. Ox-LDL significantly decreased the proliferation, migration, and adhesion capacity of EPCs, while significantly increased ROS production and NADPH oxidase expression. Ox-LDL induced NF-κB P65 mRNA expression and translocation in EPCs. Thus ox-LDL can induce EPC dysfunction at least by increasing expression and translocation of NF-κB P65 and NADPH oxidase activity, which represents a new mechanism of lipidemia-induced vascular injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of p-type polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) piezoresistance in a full-bridge circuit is proposed for the application of surface stress sensors. With a simple four-point bending technique, the longitudinal and transverse gauge factors (GFs) of p-type polysilicon are determined to be 35 and −10, respectively. Further, the full-bridge circuit composed of longitudinal and transverse piezoresistors can improve the sensing sensitivity through a p-type shear piezoresistive coefficient. Then, the full-bridge voltage noise spectra show that the 1/ f form is the dominant noise source in low-frequency regimes. From the linear relationship between the low-frequency 1/ f noise and full-bridge excitation voltages, a low Hooge constant α H of 6 × 10 −5 is obtained. An increase in the offset voltage with an increase in temperature is measured from the output signal at a balanced full-bridge circuit, which can be attributed to the mismatch of the temperature coefficient of the sensing piezoresistors. Finally, under the needle force probing in the surface stress sensor platform, the piezoresistive responses of the full-bridge output voltage as a function of time are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen Persulfide Prodrug, Hydrogen Sulfide Prodrug, Sulfur Chemistry, Sulfur Species Keywords: Hydrogen Persulfide Prodrug; Hydrogen Sulfide Prodrug; Sulfur Chemistry; Sulfur Species EN Hydrogen Persulfide Prodrug Hydrogen Sulfide Prodrug Sulfur Chemistry Sulfur Species 1 1 1 05/05/22 20220509 NES 220509 B A series of sulfur species prodrugs b (reactive sulfur species in a capsule) that can release pure hydrogen sulfide (H SB 2 sb S) and hydrogen persulfide (H SB 2 sb S SB 2 sb ) was used by Bowen Ke et al. in their Communication (e202201668) to compare the pharmacological differences between sulfide and persulfide. Cover Picture: Prodrugs of Persulfide and Sulfide: Is There a Pharmacological Difference between the Two in the Context of Rapid Exchanges among Various Sulfur Species In Vivo?. [Extracted from the article]

Eine Serie von Schwefel‐Prodrugs (verkapselte reaktive Schwefelspezies), die reinen Schwefelwasserstoff (H2S) und Persulfidwasserstoff (H2S2) freisetzen können, wurde von Bowen Ke et al. in ihrer Zuschrift (e202201668) verwendet, um die pharmakologischen Unterschiede zwischen Sulfid und Persulfid zu untersuchen. Das H2S2‐Prodrug weist im Vergleich zum H2S‐Prodrug eine höhere Aktivität und geringere Toxizität in vivo auf, was darauf hindeutet, dass Persulfid ein besseres therapeutisches Agens darstellen könnte als H2S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen Persulfide Prodrug, Hydrogen Sulfide Prodrug, Sulfur Chemistry, Sulfur Species Das H SB 2 sb S SB 2 sb -Prodrug weist im Vergleich zum H SB 2 sb S-Prodrug eine höhere Aktivität und geringere Toxizität in vivo auf, was darauf hindeutet, dass Persulfid ein besseres therapeutisches Agens darstellen könnte als H SB 2 sb S. B Photokatalyse b In ihrer Zuschrift (e202202079) verwenden Masaichi Saito, Stephan Kupfer, Benjamin Dietzek-Ivansi'c, Wolfgang Weigand et al. einen edelmetallfreien Photokatalysator bestehend aus einem Mimetikum der [FeFe]-Hydrogenase für die Wasserstoffentwicklung unter sichtbarem Licht. Keywords: Hydrogen Persulfide Prodrug; Hydrogen Sulfide Prodrug; Sulfur Chemistry; Sulfur Species EN Hydrogen Persulfide Prodrug Hydrogen Sulfide Prodrug Sulfur Chemistry Sulfur Species 1 1 1 05/05/22 20220509 NES 220509 B Eine Serie von Schwefel-Prodrugs b (verkapselte reaktive Schwefelspezies), die reinen Schwefelwasserstoff (H SB 2 sb S) und Persulfidwasserstoff (H SB 2 sb S SB 2 sb ) freisetzen können, wurde von Bowen Ke et al. in ihrer Zuschrift (e202201668) verwendet, um die pharmakologischen Unterschiede zwischen Sulfid und Persulfid zu untersuchen. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: A major cross-cutting problem for glioma therapy is the poor extravasation and penetration of the payload drug in target glioma parenchyma. Here, to overcome these obstacles, a tumor vessel recognizing and tumor penetrating system is developed by functionalizating the poly (ethyleneglycol)-poly (l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles with an iNGR moiety (iNGR-NP). The nanoparticulate formulation is expected to achieve specific deep penetration in the tumor tissue by initially binding to aminopeptidase N, with iNGR proteolytically cleaved to CRNGR, and then bind with neuropilin-1 to mediate deep penetration in the tumor parenchyma. iNGR-NP exhibits significantly enhanced cellular uptake in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, improves the anti-proliferation and anti-tube formation abilities of paclitaxel in vitro. Following intravenous administration, iNGR-NP present favorable pharmacokinetic and tumor homing profiles. Glioma distribution and penetration assays confirm that iNGR-NP achieve the highest accumulation and deepest penetration at the glioma sites. The anti-glioma efficacy of paclitaxel-loaded iNGR-NP is verified by its improved anti-angiogenesis activity and the significantly prolonged survival time in mice bearing intracranial glioma. These evidences highlight the potential of iNGR-decorated nanoparticles in overcoming the leading edge problem in anti-glioma drug delivery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Enhanced Seebeck coefficient for a compressive n-type polysilicon film is proposed. [•] A higher S of 260μV/K for a polysilicon film fabricated on a gate oxide is found. [•] Mechanical strain can improve the thermoelectric performance of a polysilicon film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] CO2 sensor made of PEDOT and BPEI composite film was fabricated by in situ polymerization. [•] BPEI layer can be used to react with CO2 to give the detection signals. [•] The reusability test shows there was no obvious decay in response during the repeated uses. [•] In comparison with O2, the sensor possesses a higher sensitivity to CO2 rather than to O2. [•] The recovery time can be shortened to as good as nearly 10min. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Geriatric Influenza Death (GID) score was developed to help decision making in older patients with influenza in the emergency department (ED), but external validation is unavailable. Thus, we conducted a study was to fill the data gap. We recruited all older patients (≥65 years) who visited the ED of three hospitals between 2009 and 2018. Demographic data and clinical characteristics were retrospectively collected. Discrimination, goodness of fit, and performance of the GID score were evaluated. Of the 5,508 patients (121 died) with influenza, the mean age was 76.6±7.4 (standard deviation) years, and 49.3% were males. The GID score was higher in the mortality group (1.7±1.1 vs. 0.8±0.8, p <0.01). With 0 as the reference, the odds ratio for morality with score of 1, 2 and ≥3 was 3.08 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.66–5.71), 6.69 (95% CI: 3.52–12.71), and 23.68 (95% CI: 11.95–46.93), respectively. The area under the curve was 0.722 (95% CI: 0.677–0.766), and the Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness of fit test was 1.000. The GID score had excellent negative predictive values with different cut-offs. The GID score had good external validity, and further studies are warranted for wider application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cisplatin is a widely used standard chemotherapy for various cancers. However, cisplatin treatment is associated with severe ototoxicity. Fucoidan is a complex sulfated polysaccharide mainly derived from brown seaweeds, and it shows multiple bioactivities such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant activities. Despite evidence of the antioxidant effects of fucoidan, research on its otoprotective effects remains limited. Therefore, the present study investigated the otoprotective effects of fucoidan in vitro using the mouse cochlear cell line UB/OC-2 to develop new strategies to attenuate cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. We quantified the cell membrane potential and analyzed regulators and cascade proteins in the apoptotic pathway. Mouse cochlear UB/OC-2 cells were pre-treated with fucoidan before cisplatin exposure. The effects on cochlear hair cell viability, mitochondrial function, and apoptosis-related proteins were determined via flow cytometry, Western blot analysis, and fluorescence staining. Fucoidan treatment reduced cisplatin-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species production, stabilized mitochondrial membrane potential, inhibited mitochondrial dysfunction, and successfully protected hair cells from apoptosis. Furthermore, fucoidan exerted antioxidant effects against oxidative stress by regulating the Nrf2 pathway. Therefore, we suggest that fucoidan may represent a potential therapeutic agent for developing a new otoprotective strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication therapy (HPE) is recommended for patients with unexplained immune thrombocytopenia (ITP); however, the role of HPE in preventing ITP in patients with HP infection remains unclear. Therefore, this study was designed to clarify it. Methods: This study was conducted at a tertiary medical center and included all adult patients with HP infection between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018. We compared the risk of developing ITP between patients with and without HPE. All patients were followed up until December 31, 2020. Results: After excluding patients with thrombocytopenia, 1995 adult patients with HP infection, including 1188 patients with HPE and 807 patients without HPE, were included in this study. The mean age of the patients with HPE was 57.9 years, whereas that of those without HPE was 61.6 years. The percentage of males was 56% in patients with HPE and 59% in those without HPE. Patients without HPE had a higher risk of ITP than those with HPE after adjusting for age, sex, the Charlson Comorbidity Index, and comorbidities [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.76; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16–2.68]. Stratified analyses showed that the higher risk was found only in males (adjusted OR: 1.70; 95% CI 1.03–2.80). In addition to HPE, male sex and anemia were independent predictors of ITP in patients with HP infection. Conclusion: This study showed that adult patients with HP infection not receiving HPE had a higher risk of developing ITP. We suggest that HPE should be considered, particularly in males and those who have anemia, to prevent ITP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]