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This study aimed to identify factors that affect the prognosis of children with pulmonary valve atresia and intact ventricular septum treated with transthoracic balloon dilation of the pulmonary valve. The study included 148 participants who were followed up for 5 years. Of these, 10 died, while 138 survived. Independent sample t-test and χ2 test were used to analyze clinical data of children in the death and survival groups. It was found that height, weight, body surface area, arterial oxygen saturation, degree of tricuspid regurgitation, pulmonary valve cross valve pressure difference, ICU length of stay, length of stay, reoperation intervention, and complications were statistically significant (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis of the measurement indicators with statistically significant differences showed that height, weight, body surface area, arterial oxygen saturation, ICU length of stay, and length of stay had AUCs ranging from 0.723 to 0.870. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the degree of tricuspid regurgitation, pulmonary valve cross valvular pressure difference, ICU length of stay, reoperation intervention, and complications were independent risk factors that affect the prognosis of patients with PA/IVS undergoing transthoracic balloon dilation of pulmonary valve. The study proposed a nomogram prediction model using R language software 4.0 "rms" package, which was validated using calibration curve and decision curve. The model had a C-index of 0.667 (95% CI: 0.643-0.786) and high degree of fit. This study provides clinicians with a prediction model to identify children with poor prognosis after treatment with transpulmonary valve balloon dilatation.           .

Cryptomonad phycoerythrin 545 (PE545) is an important type of phycobiliprotein in basic research and technological innovations. Herein, we report a minimalistic hydrophobic chromatography method for its purification. High purity was achieved, with a purity ratio (A 545 /A 280 ) of 13.66 and a recovery ratio of 78.63 %. Following SDS-PAGE, Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining revealed three bands at 9 kDa, 10 kDa, and 20 kDa, corresponding to α 1 , α 2 and β subunits. Multiple spectral characteristics were analyzed to ensure that optical activity was consistent with that of the natural protein. Absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies of purified PE545 displayed a strong absorption peak at 545 nm, a shoulder peak at 564 nm, and a fluorescence emission peak at 587 nm, which confirmed unchanged energy transfer properties. Furthermore, the structural and functional integrity, especially the existence of strongly coupled central chromophore pairs with excitation delocalization, was verified by circular dichroism and ultrafast absorption spectroscopy. From the studies of ultrafast absorption spectroscopy of excitation energy transfer (EET) of PE545, four decay components with lifetimes at 0.5 ps, 2.2 ps, 63 ps, and 3000 ps were obtained. In addition, the dynamics of these components confirmed the EET pathways from the central PEB chromophore pairs to the peripheral pigments and localized in the lowest state. Our work will be of considerable value for both fundamental research and applications of PE545., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: As a non-invasive coronary functional examination, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) showed predictive value in several non-cardiac surgeries. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of CT-FFR in lung cancer surgery., Method: We retrospectively collected 227 patients from January 2017 to June 2022 and used machine learning-based CT-FFR to evaluate the stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients undergoing lung cancer surgery. The major adverse cardiac event (MACE) was defined as perioperative myocardial injury (PMI), myocardial infarction, heart failure, atrial and ventricular arrhythmia with hemodynamic disorder, cardiogenic shock and cardiac death. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for MACE and PMI. The discriminative capacity, goodness-of-fit, and reclassification improvement of prediction model were determined before and after the addition of CT-FFR≤0.8., Results: The incidence of MACE was 20.7 % and PMI was 15.9 %. CT-FFR significantly outperformed CCTA in terms of accuracy for predicting MACE (0.737 vs 0.524). In the multivariate regression analysis, CT-FFR≤0.8 was an independent risk factor for both MACE [OR=10.77 (4.637, 25.016), P<0.001] and PMI [OR=8.255 (3.372, 20.207), P<0.001]. Additionally, we found that the performance of prediction model for both MACE and PMI improved after the addition of CT-FFR., Conclusions: CT-FFR can be used to assess the risk of perioperative MACE and PMI in patients with stable CAD undergoing lung cancer surgery. It adds prognostic information in the cardiac evaluation of patients undergoing lung cancer surgery., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We study monolayer WSe 2 using ultrafast electron diffraction. We introduce an approach to quantitatively extract atomic-site-specific information, providing an element-specific view of incoherent atomic vibrations following femtosecond excitation. Via differences between W and Se vibrations, we identify stages in the nonthermal evolution of the phonon population. Combined with a calculated phonon dispersion, this element specificity enables us to identify a long-lasting overpopulation of specific optical phonons and to interpret the stages as energy transfer processes between specific phonon groups. These results demonstrate the appeal of resolving element-specific vibrational information in the ultrafast time domain.

Objective: To verify the administration of a new nano delivery system coated with Tirofiban on preventing early thrombosis in vein graft., Methods: Forty New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into five groups with eight rabbits in each group. The rabbits of all groups underwent jugular vein transplantation, except group I with only neck opening and closing operation. Vein grafts of group II were preprocessed by intravenous injection of normal saline; group III were preprocessed by tirofiban alone; group IV were preprocessed by unloaded nanoparticles of PLGA-PEG; group V were preprocessed by PLGA-PEG coated with tirofiban. Coagulation and platelet function of peripheral and vein graft blood were detected at 1, 2, 4, 12 h and 1, 3, 7, 10, 14 days after operation. Patency rate of vein graft and blood flow index were measured by vascular ultrasound at third, seventh, 10th, and 14th days after operation; two rabbits in each group were randomly sacrificed at the corresponding time of detection. Pathological differences of vein grafts were observed by HE stainin., Results: The patency rate of vein grafts in group V was significantly higher than that in group II to IV. The platelet and platelet aggregation rate in group V were inhibited in vein graft blood significantly. The post-operative PT and APTT in vein graft blood in group V were increased obviously while the FBG, D-dimer and FDP were significantly inhibited. Except group I, the lumen loss rate of vein grafts in group V was significantly lower than that in other groups, and vein graft blood in group V had a significant lower expression of platelet P-selectin and GP IIb/IIIa receptor than that in other groups., Conclusion: This study proves that PEG-PLGA coated with tirofiban can effectively prevent early vein graft stenosis from thrombosis by inhibition of platelet function, coagulation function., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Under the current pandemic of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), The relationship between fatigue and COVID-19 has been found. Infection with COVID-19 is associated with fatigue long after the acute phase of COVID-19. Understanding the association of thyroid hormones levels with post-COVID condition, such as fatigue, is necessary to improve quality of life., Methods: This population-based cohort study was conducted in Dalian, China, from December 2022, to March 2023, using a Yidu Core platform in the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, that integrates medical records, laboratory tests, and all diagnosis and treatment information based on patients in hospital. Eligible individuals were 40 patients with COVID-19, Divided them into fatigue group and non-fatigue group following up by telephone using the FS-14 scale after 6 months. The primary outcomes were the diagnoses of fatigue. The association between thyroid hormones levels and post-COVID condition, such as fatigue, was assessed using logistic regression analysis., Results: Compared with the non-fatigue group, the FT 3 level in fatigue group was lower ( p <0.05). FT 3 was negatively correlated with fatigue after 6 months ( OR 0.257, p <0.05). After adjusting for confounding factors such as age and gender, low FT 3 was a risk factor for fatigue in patients with COVID-19, ( OR 0.225, p <0.05). And the FT 3 is less than 2.47 mol/L, it is the best critical value for predicting long-term fatigue, with a sensitivity of 92.3% and a specificity of 48.1%., Conclusions: Most people still have fatigue 6 months after COVID-19 infection. FT 3 serves as the important index to predict fatigue in patients with COVID-19. it should be closely monitored during infection., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Dong, Ding, Wang, Liu, Bai, Liu, Zhao, Zhu, Liu, Liu and Xing.)

The topology of the electronic band structure of solids can be described by its Berry curvature distribution across the Brillouin zone. We theoretically introduce and experimentally demonstrate a general methodology based on the measurement of energy- and momentum-resolved optical transition rates, allowing to reveal signatures of Berry curvature texture in reciprocal space. By performing time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of atomically thin WSe 2 using polarization-modulated excitations, we demonstrate that excitons become an asset in extracting the quantum geometrical properties of solids. We also investigate the resilience of our measurement protocol against ultrafast scattering processes following direct chiroptical transitions.

Background: The mechanism of improvement of type 2 diabetes after duodenal-jejunal bypass (DJB) surgery is not clear., Aim: To study the morphological and functional changes in adipose tissue after DJB and explore the potential mechanisms contributing to postoperative insulin sensitivity improvement of adipose tissue in a diabetic male rat model., Methods: DJB and sham surgery was performed in a-high-fat-diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model. All adipose tissue was weighed and observed under microscope. Use inguinal fat to represent subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and mesangial fat to represent visceral adipose tissue. RNA-sequencing was utilized to evaluate gene expression alterations adipocytes. The hematoxylin and eosin staining, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to study the changes. Insulin resistance was evaluated by immunofluorescence., Results: After DJB, whole body blood glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue improved. Fat cell volume in both visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and SAT increased. Compared to SAT, VAT showed more significantly functional alterations after DJB and KEGG analysis indicated growth hormone (GH) pathway and downstream adiponectin secretion were involved in metabolic regulation. The circulating GH and adiponectin levels and GH receptor and adiponectin levels in VAT increased. Cytological experiment showed that GH stimulated adiponectin secretion and improve insulin sensitivity., Conclusion: GH improves insulin resistance in VAT in male diabetic rats after receiving DJB, possibly by increasing adiponectin secretion., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

The booming development of rare earth industry and the extensive utilization of its products accompanied by urban development have led to the accelerated accumulation of rare earth elements (REEs) as emerging pollutants in atmospheric environment. In this study, the variation of REEs in PM 2.5 with urban (a non-mining city) transformation was investigated through five consecutive years of sample collection. The compositional variability and provenance contribution of REEs in PM 2.5 were characterized, and the REEs exposure risks of children and adults via inhalation, ingestion and dermal absorption were also evaluated. The results showed an increase in the total REEs concentration from 46.46 ± 35.16 mg/kg (2017) to 81.22 ± 38.98 mg/kg (2021) over the five-year period, with Ce and La making the largest contribution. The actual increment of industrial and traffic emission source among the three pollution sources was 1.34 ng/m 3 . Coal combustion source displayed a downward trend. Ingestion was the main exposure pathway for REEs in PM 2.5 for both children and adults. Ce contributed the most to the total intake of REEs in PM 2.5 among the population, followed by La and Nd. The exposure risks of REEs in PM 2.5 in the region were relatively low, but the trend of change was of great concern. It was strongly recommended to strengthen the concern about traffic-related non-exhaust emissions of particulate matter., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Aim: Periodontitis is a prevalent oral immunoinflammatory condition that is distinguished by the compromised functionality of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs). Bomidin, a new recombinant antimicrobial peptide (AMP), exhibits antibacterial properties and modulates immune responses. Nevertheless, the precise anti-inflammatory impact of bomidin in periodontitis has yet to be fully elucidated. Thus, the study aimed to clarified the role of bomidin in modulating inflammation and its underlying mechanisms., Methods: TNF-α was applied to treating PDLSCs for establishing a cell model of periodontitis. Bomidin, RSL3, ML385 and cycloheximide were also used to treat PDLSCs. Transcriptome sequencing, RT-qPCR, western blot, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, Fe 2+ detection probe, molecular docking, Co-IP assay, ubiquitination assay and murine models of periodontitis were used., Results: Our study demonstrated that bomidin effectively suppressed inflammation in PDLSCs stimulated by TNF-α, through down-regulating the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. Furthermore, bomidin exerted inhibitory effects on ferroptosis and activated the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway in the TNF-α group. There is a strong likelihood of bonding bomidin with Keap1 protein, which facilitated the degradation of Keap1 protein via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, leading to an enhanced translocation of Nrf2 protein to the nucleus., Conclusions: Bomidin can directly bond to Keap1 protein, resulting in the degradation of Keap1 through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, thereby further activating the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway. The upregulation of the Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway was found to contribute to the suppression of ferroptosis, ultimately alleviating inflammation in treatment of periodontitis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Water scarcity and water pollution have become increasingly severe, and therefore, the purification of water resources has recently garnered increasing attention. Given its position as a major water resource, the efficient purification of drinking water is of crucial importance. In this study, we adopted a phase transition method to prepare ZrO 2 /BCM (bamboo cellulose membranes), after which we developed IP-ZrO 2 /BC-NFM (bamboo cellulose nanofiltration membranes) through interfacial polymerization using piperazine (PIP) and tricarbonyl chloride (TMC). Subsequently, we integrated these two membranes to create a combined "ultrafiltration + nanofiltration" membrane process for the treatment of drinking water. The membrane combination process was conducted at 25 °C, with ultrafiltration at 0.1 MPa and nanofiltration at 0.5 MPa. This membrane combination, featuring "ultrafiltration + nanofiltration," had a significant impact on reducing turbidity, consistently maintaining the post-filtration turbidity of drinking water at or below 0.1 NTU. Furthermore, the removal rates for COD MN and ammonia nitrogen reached 75% and 88.6%, respectively, aligning with the standards for high-quality drinking water. In a continuous 3 h experiment, the nanofiltration unit exhibited consistent retention rates for Na 2 SO 4 and bovine serum protein (BSA), with variations of less than 5%, indicating exceptional separation performance. After 9 h of operation, the water flux of the nanofiltration unit began to stabilize, with a decrease rate of approximately 25%, demonstrating that the "ultrafiltration + nanofiltration" membrane combination can maintain consistent performance during extended use. In conclusion, the "ultrafiltration + nanofiltration" membrane combination exhibited remarkable performance in the treatment of drinking water, offering a viable solution to address issues related to water scarcity and water pollution.

Metastable phases present a promising route to expand the functionality of complex materials. Of particular interest are light-induced metastable phases that are inaccessible under equilibrium conditions, as they often host new, emergent properties switchable on ultrafast timescales. However, the processes governing the trajectories to such hidden phases remain largely unexplored. Here, using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we investigate the ultrafast dynamics of the formation of a hidden quantum state in the layered dichalcogenide 1 T -TaS 2 upon photoexcitation. Our results reveal the nonthermal character of the transition governed by a collective charge-density-wave excitation. Using a double-pulse excitation of the structural mode, we show vibrational coherent control of the phase-transition efficiency. Our demonstration of exceptional control, switching speed, and stability of the hidden state are key for device applications at the nexus of electronics and photonics.

mRNA vaccines encoding a single spike protein effectively prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants leads to a wide range of immune evasion. Herein, a unique trivalent mRNA vaccine based on ancestral SARS-CoV-2, Delta, and Omicron variant spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) mRNAs was developed to tackle the immune evasion of the variants. First, three RBD mRNAs of SARS-CoV-2, Delta, and Omicron were coencapsulated into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) by using microfluidic technology. After that, the physicochemical properties and time-dependent storage stability of the trivalent mRNA vaccine nanoformulation were tested by using dynamic light scattering (DLS). In vitro , the trivalent mRNA vaccine exhibited better lysosomal escape ability, transfection efficiency, and biocompatibility than did the commercial transfection reagent Lipo3000. In addition, Western blot analyses confirmed that the three RBD proteins can be detected in cells transfected with the trivalent mRNA vaccine. Furthermore, ex vivo imaging analysis indicated that the livers of BALB/c mice had the strongest protein expression levels after intramuscular (IM) injection. Using a prime-boost strategy, this trivalent vaccine elicited robust humoral and T-cell immune responses in both the high-dose and low-dose groups and showed no toxicity in BALB/c mice. Three specific IgG antibodies in the high-dose group against SARS-CoV-2, Delta, and Omicron variants approached ∼1/1,833,333, ∼1/1,866,667, and ∼1/925,000, respectively. Taken together, two doses of inoculation with the trivalent mRNA vaccine may provide broad and effective immunization responses against SARS-CoV-2 and variants.

κ-Carrageenan is a linear sulfated polysaccharide extracted from the cell wall of marine red algae, and its enzymatically digested oligosaccharides (KOS) can inhibit microglial hyperactivation. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common chronic neurodegenerative disease, characterized by cognitive and memory impairment accompanied by nerve cell damage. Microglia activation causing enhancement of proinflammatory effects and neurotoxicity is one of the early events in AD disease. In this study, whether KOS have therapeutic or preventive effects in the AD model prepared from APP/PS1 transgenic mice was determined. Learning and memory of AD mice were detected by water maze experiments, and microglial activation-related protein expression and deposition of APP and Aβ 1-42 in the brain were examined. The effects of KOS on expressed inflammatory factors and inflammation-related proteins by microglia were tested by cell experiments. Transwell coculture was used to investigate the effect of microglia on neural cell activity after KOS treatment. The results showed that KOS could relieve the clinical symptoms in AD mice, and a decrease in the expression of inflammatory factors and inflammation-related proteins in brain tissue was detected. KOS alleviated nerve cell apoptosis by inhibiting the overactivation of microglia, thus exhibiting neuroprotective effects. Exploring the protective effect of KOS inhibition of microglia inflammation is expected to provide a theoretical basis for KOS as a therapeutic drug for neurodegenerative diseases.

Soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is an important source of plant protein, the nutritional quality of which is considerably affected by the content of the sulfur-containing amino acid, methionine (Met). To improve the quality of soybean protein and increase the Met content in seeds, soybean cystathionine γ-synthase 2 ( GmCGS2 ), the first unique enzyme in Met biosynthesis, was overexpressed in the soybean cultivar "Jack", producing three transgenic lines (OE3, OE4, and OE10). We detected a considerable increase in the content of free Met and other free amino acids in the developing seeds of the three transgenic lines at the 15th and 75th days after flowering (15D and 75D). In addition, transcriptome analysis showed that the expression of genes related to Met biosynthesis from the aspartate-family pathway and S-methyl Met cycle was promoted in developing green seeds of OE10. Ultimately, the accumulation of total amino acids and soluble proteins in transgenic mature seeds was promoted. Altogether, these results indicated that GmCGS2 plays an important role in Met biosynthesis, by providing a basis for improving the nutritional quality of soybean seeds.

Atomically thin layered van der Waals heterostructures feature exotic and emergent optoelectronic properties. With growing interest in these novel quantum materials, the microscopic understanding of fundamental interfacial coupling mechanisms is of capital importance. Here, using multidimensional photoemission spectroscopy, we provide a layer- and momentum-resolved view on ultrafast interlayer electron and energy transfer in a monolayer-WSe 2 /graphene heterostructure. Depending on the nature of the optically prepared state, we find the different dominating transfer mechanisms: while electron injection from graphene to WSe 2 is observed after photoexcitation of quasi-free hot carriers in the graphene layer, we establish an interfacial Meitner-Auger energy transfer process following the excitation of excitons in WSe 2 . By analysing the time-energy-momentum distributions of excited-state carriers with a rate-equation model, we distinguish these two types of interfacial dynamics and identify the ultrafast conversion of excitons in WSe 2 to valence band transitions in graphene. Microscopic calculations find interfacial dipole-monopole coupling underlying the Meitner-Auger energy transfer to dominate over conventional Förster- and Dexter-type interactions, in agreement with the experimental observations. The energy transfer mechanism revealed here might enable new hot-carrier-based device concepts with van der Waals heterostructures., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes affect osteoblast function, leading to abnormal bone metabolism and implant failure. Adequate bone volume surrounding an implant is essential for osseointegration, which can be improved by implant surface modifications. In this study, titanium surfaces were hydrothermally treated with a mixture of phytic acid (PA) and calcium hydroxide to produce a calcium-decorated surface. The control group comprised pure titanium with a sandblasted/acid-etched (SLA) surface. The elemental composition, hydrophilicity, surface roughness, and morphology of the titanium surfaces were examined. Evaluation of in vitro osteogenic differentiation ability in a high-glucose environment using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, ALP activity assays, Alizarin Red S staining, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and immunofluorescence staining revealed that Ca-PA-modified SLA titanium surfaces can promote osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs). Evaluation of oxidative stress and aging using reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and β-galactosidase staining revealed that Ca-PA-modified SLA titanium surfaces can reduce ROS production and ameliorate oxidative stress damage in hBMSCs. In vivo assessment of osteogenesis in a diabetic rat model revealed that Ca-PA coating promotes peri-implant osseointegration. Ca-PA-modified SLA titanium surface is a candidate for improving implant osseointegration in patients with diabetes.

We performed spin-, time- and angle-resolved extreme ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy of excitons prepared by photoexcitation of inversion-symmetric 2H-WSe&#95;{2} with circularly polarized light. The very short probing depth of XUV photoemission permits selective measurement of photoelectrons originating from the top-most WSe&#95;{2} layer, allowing for direct measurement of hidden spin polarization of bright and momentum-forbidden dark excitons. Our results reveal efficient chiroptical control of bright excitons' hidden spin polarization. Following optical photoexcitation, intervalley scattering between nonequivalent K-K^{'} valleys leads to a decay of bright excitons' hidden spin polarization. Conversely, the ultrafast formation of momentum-forbidden dark excitons acts as a local spin polarization reservoir, which could be used for spin injection in van der Waals heterostructures involving multilayer transition metal dichalcogenides.

mRNA vaccines have emerged as a highly promising approach for preventing cancer and infectious diseases, attributed to their superior immunogenicity, rapid development speed, and quality-controlled scale production. While homologous mRNA vaccine administration is currently the most prevalent method employed in clinical settings, heterologous administration is a promising avenue worth exploring. In this report, two types of mRNA vaccine formulations for SARS-CoV-2 infection were developed based on different lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery systems, and heterologous and homologous mRNA vaccinations were administered to explore the levels of immune responses comparatively. First, five novel H-series ionizable lipids were synthesized and confirmed by NMR and MS. Subsequently, six SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) mRNA-encapsulated LNP formulations were prepared using a microfluidic mixer based on H-series and MC3 lipids. These formulations exhibited spherical structures with an average diameter ranging from 90-140 nm, as characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The safety of these formulations was confirmed in vitro by the cytotoxicity assay. Moreover, transfection assay, lysosomal escape test, and western blot, and in vivo biodistribution analyses collectively demonstrated that lipids H03 and MC3 exhibited superior in vitro and in vivo delivery efficacy in comparison to other H-series lipids. Notably, H03-Fluc mRNA exhibited an approximately 2.2-fold higher in vivo bioluminescence signal intensity than MC3-Fluc mRNA. Additionally, evaluation of humoral immunity demonstrated that homologous H03-mRNA vaccination elicited an immune response that was approximately 3-fold higher than that of homologous MC3-mRNA vaccination. More significantly, the heterologous H03-mRNA/MC3-mRNA vaccination elicited an immune response that was approximately 2-3-fold higher than that of homologous H03-mRNA vaccination and 6-9-fold higher than that of homologous MC3-mRNA vaccination, without any observable adverse effects. These results suggest that heterologous mRNA vaccination is superior to homologous mRNA vaccination and may be attributed to differences in LNP carriers. Therefore, our research may inspire further exploration of different delivery systems to enhance mRNA-based therapeutics.

Background: Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a common congenital heart disease with high mortality. However, the medical imageology and liquidbiopsy techniques present certain limitations. Thus, this study investigated the plasma metabolic profiles to distinguish key metabolites for early diagnosis of TOF., Methods: In total, 69 patients with TOF and 43 normal controls were enrolled for targeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS). Absolute quantification of metabolites was performed using our standard database. The differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were screened by fold change (FC), VIP value and pearson correlation coefficient of OPLS-DA model. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate predictive ability of DEMs., Results: Different metabolic profiles were presented between TOF and Normal.The pathway analysis showed that significantly changed metabolites were enriched in nicotinamide and purine metabolism. Many intermediatesproductof purine and amido acid were higher in TOF than in Normal group, while energy substrates and electron carriers were lower in TOF than in Normal group. ROC analysis revealed a high diagnostic value of plasma FAD for differentiating TOF from Normal (AUC = 1)., Conclusion: Our study quantitatively characterized plasma metabolites in patients with TOF and may help to develop reliable biomarkers that contribute to the early TOF screening., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs)-based mRNA vaccines have shown great potential in the fight against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. However, it remains still a challenge to improve the delivery efficiency of LNPs and the long-term stability of their mediated mRNA vaccines. Herein, a novel ionizable lipid 2-hexyldecyl 6-(ethyl(3-((2-hexyldecyl)oxy)-2-hydroxypropyl)amino)hexanoate (HEAH) derived LNPs were developed for delivering the receptor binding domain (RBD) mRNAs. In vitro cell assays confirmed that the ionizable lipid HEAH with one ether bond and one ester bond derived LNPs possessed higher mRNA delivery efficiency compared with the approved ALC-0315 with two ester bonds used in the BNT162b2 vaccine. Notably, the HEAH-derived LNPs powder lyophilized did not significantly change for 30 days after storage at 37 °C indicating good thermostability. After two RBD mRNAs of Delta and Omicron variants were encapsulated into the HEAH-derived LNPs, a bivalent mRNA vaccine was obtained as a nanoparticle formulation. Importantly, the bivalent mRNA vaccine not only resisted Delta and Omicron and also generated protective antibodies against ancestral SARS-CoV-2. The HEAH-mediated bivalent vaccine induced stronger humoral and cellular immunity than those of the ALC-0315 group. Taken together, the ionizable lipid HEAH-derived LNPs show outstanding potential in improving the delivery efficiency of mRNA and the stability of mRNA vaccine., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Antimony (Sb) in PM 2.5 has attracted close attention as a new air pollutant due to its extensive use in daily life. The identification of antimony sources in PM 2.5 by scientific methods is important to control its pollution. In this study, the Sb and other elements concentrations and Pb isotopic compositions in PM 2.5 and possible pollution sources (soil, road dust, traffic emission, coal-fired fly ash, local factory emission dust and cement dust) were analyzed. The results showed that the Sb in the PM 2.5 samples had seasonal change. The enrichment factors of Sb in PM 2.5 samples were all above 100 in four seasons, which indicated anthropogenic pollution. The average value of potential ecological risk index was at extremely high-risk level greater than 320. Based on Pearson correlation coefficient and hierarchical cluster analysis results, the pollution sources of antimony and lead in PM 2.5 samples were highly consistent which means that Pb isotopes might be a new and feasible tracer for Sb pollution in air. The sources analysis results based on Pb isotopes indicated that the proportion of Pb and Sb from coal-fired fly ash was the highest in winter (47.7%) and inclined to road dust in spring (34.5%), but it was mainly from traffic emissions in summer and autumn (34.2% and 32.8%). This study showed that Pb isotope tracing can be applied to predict the potential pollution sources, and it was also a feasible substitute for tracing Sb pollution in PM 2.5 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The outcomes after septal myectomy in young children and infants with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) are not clear. The study sought to report the outcomes after septal myectomy in young children and infants and identify the mechanisms of residual or recurrent obstruction after surgery., Methods: The authors performed an observational cohort study of children and infants under the age of 14 who underwent septal myectomy for HCOM from January 2013 to December 2020. Mean follow-up among 94.3% ( n =50) of hospital survivors was 42.09±24.38 months., Results: In total, 56 children and infants [mean (SD) age, 5.38 (3.78) years; 29 (58.1%) were male] underwent septal myectomy for HOCM. Cumulative survival was 100, 96.6, 93.0, and 81.4% at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years, respectively, among hospital survivors. The incidence of residual and recurrent obstruction was 14.3% (8/56) and 13.0% (6/46), respectively. The mechanisms of residual obstruction were identified as subaortic obstruction caused by inadequacy of previous septal excision in two patients, midventricular obstruction caused by inadequacy of septal excision in five patients, and untreated abnormal papillary muscles in one patient. Recurrent obstruction was caused by isolated midventricular obstruction ( n =4) and newly emerged systolic anterior motion (SAM)-related subaortic obstruction combining abnormal mitral valve apparatus ( n =2). Residual or recurrent obstruction was associated with age less than 2 years at surgery (OR=6.157, 95% CI: 1.487-25.487, P =0.012) and biventricular outflow obstruction (OR=6.139, 95% CI: 1.292-29.172, P =0.022). Recurrent obstruction was associated with age less than 2 years at surgery (OR=6.976, 95% CI: 1.233-39.466, P =0.028)., Conclusions: Septal myectomy is still effective and safe in young children and infants. The rate of residual or recurrent obstruction with diverse causes is relatively high, which is more likely to occur in children aged less than 2 years at surgery and those with biventricular obstruction., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Macrophages are an integral part of the innate immune response in periodontal tissue and play a crucial role in the progression of periodontitis. Here we reported that macrophages also provoke periodontitis-induced gingival destruction through Piezol-mediated collagen degradation. We discovered that the PIEZO1 expression was markedly elevated in patients with periodontitis through transcriptomic profiling. Moreover, Piezo1 promoted macrophage polarization toward the M1 type in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and induced production of proinflammatory cytokines, which in turn stimulated production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) leading to collagen degradation. Our study suggests that Piezol might be a potential therapeutic target for treating periodontitis-induced gingival destruction., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhao, Chu, Chu, Dong, Li, Wu and Tang.)

A taxonomic revision of the genus Trichohoplorana Breuning, 1961 is presented. A junior synonym of Trichohoplorana , Ipochiromima Sama & Sudre, 2009, syn. nov. , is proposed. A junior synonym of T.dureli Breuning, 1961, I.sikkimensis (Breuning, 1982), syn. nov. , is proposed. Trichohoplorana is newly recorded from Vietnam. A new species, T.nigeralba sp. nov. is described from Vietnam. Trichohoploranaluteomaculata Gouverneur, 2016 is newly recorded from China and Vietnam. Hind wings and male terminalia of T.luteomaculata are described for the first time. Trichohoplorana is redescribed, and a key to Trichohoplorana species is presented., (Gui-Qiang Huang, Dong-Shuo Liu, Rong-Chuan Xiong.)

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) has emerged as a powerful tumor treatment option by inducing the imbalance of redox homeostasis in cancer cells. Nevertheless, the therapeutic outcomes were greatly limited because of insufficient endogenous H 2 O 2 and upregulated cellular antioxidant defense in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, a liposome-incorporated in-situ alginate hydrogel locoregional treatment strategy was developed, which involves using hemin-loaded artesunate dimer liposomes (HAD-LP) as redox-triggered self-amplified C-center free radical nanogenerator to enhance CDT. First, HAD-LP based on artesunate dimer glycerophosphocholine (ART-GPC) was prepared by a thin film method. Their spherical structure was manifested by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The generation of C-center free radicals from HAD-LP was carefully evaluated by using methylene blue (MB) degradation method. The results suggested that the hemin was reduced to heme under the action of glutathione (GSH), which could catalyze the breakage of endoperoxide of ART-GPC derived dihydroartemisinin (DHA) to generate toxic C-centered free radicals in a H 2 O 2 and pH-independent manner. Moreover, the change of intracellular GSH and free radical level was monitored through ultraviolet spectroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). It was revealed that the hemin reduction induced GSH depletion and elevated free radical level, disrupting cellular redox homeostasis. After co-incubation with MDA-MB-231 or 4 T1 cells, HAD-LP was found to be highly cytotoxic. In order to prolong retention and improve antitumor efficacy, HAD-LP was mixed with alginate and injected intratumorally into 4 T1 tumor bearing mice. The injected HAD-LP and alginate mixture formed in-situ hydrogel and achieved best antitumor effect with the growth inhibition rate of 72.6%. Together, the hemin-loaded artesunate dimer liposome-incorporated alginate hydrogel possessed effective antitumor activity through redox-triggered C-center free radical generation induced apoptosis in a H 2 O 2 and pH-independent manner, which might be a promising candidate in the application of chemodynamic anti-tumor therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Singlet fission 1-13 may boost photovoltaic efficiency 14-16 by transforming a singlet exciton into two triplet excitons and thereby doubling the number of excited charge carriers. The primary step of singlet fission is the ultrafast creation of the correlated triplet pair 17 . Whereas several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this step, none has emerged as a consensus. The challenge lies in tracking the transient excitonic states. Here we use time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to observe the primary step of singlet fission in crystalline pentacene. Our results indicate a charge-transfer mediated mechanism with a hybridization of Frenkel and charge-transfer states in the lowest bright singlet exciton. We gained intimate knowledge about the localization and the orbital character of the exciton wave functions recorded in momentum maps. This allowed us to directly compare the localization of singlet and bitriplet excitons and decompose energetically overlapping states on the basis of their orbital character. Orbital- and localization-resolved many-body dynamics promise deep insights into the mechanics governing molecular systems 18-20 and topological materials 21-23 ., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The main purpose of this study was to determine the natural radioactivity level of raw radionuclides in the metal tailings of a mine in Lhasa, Tibet, and to conduct sampling and detection in 17 typical metal tailing mines in Lhasa, Tibet. The specific activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K in the samples were calculated. The total αβχγ radiation, radon concentration, and outdoor absorbed dose rate in the air 1.0 m above the ground were measured. The γ radiation levels affecting miners and their surrounding residents were assessed. The results show that the radiation dose ranges from 0.08 μSv/h to 0.26 μSv/h, and the radon concentration ranges from 10.8 Bq/m 3 to 29.6 Bq/m 3 , which does not exceed the national radiation-related standards, and the environmental hazard risk is low. The specific activity concentration of 226 Ra ranged from 8.91 Bq/kg to 94.61 Bq/kg, the specific activity concentration of 232 Th ranged from 2.90 Bq/kg to 89.62 Bq/kg, and the specific activity concentration of 40 K was less than MDA to 762.89 Bq/kg. The average absorbed dose rate (DO) of the 17 mining areas was 39.82 nGy/h, the average annual effective dose rate (EO) was 0.057 mSv/y. The average external risk index of the 17 mining areas was 0.24, the average internal risk index was 0.34, and the average γ index was 0.31, all of which were less than the maximum permissible limit. This means that the metal tailings from all 17 mining areas were within the limit for γ radiation and, therefore, can be used in bulk as major building materials without posing a significant radiation threat to the residents of the study area.

Hybrid plasmonic devices involve a nanostructured metal supporting localized surface plasmons to amplify light-matter interaction, and a non-plasmonic material to functionalize charge excitations. Application-relevant epitaxial heterostructures, however, give rise to ballistic ultrafast dynamics that challenge the conventional semiclassical understanding of unidirectional nanometal-to-substrate energy transfer. Epitaxial Au nanoislands are studied on WSe 2 with time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and femtosecond electron diffraction: this combination of techniques resolves material, energy, and momentum of charge-carriers and phonons excited in the heterostructure. A strong non-linear plasmon-exciton interaction that transfers the energy of sub-bandgap photons very efficiently to the semiconductor is observed, leaving the metal cold until non-radiative exciton recombination heats the nanoparticles on hundreds of femtoseconds timescales. The results resolve a multi-directional energy exchange on timescales shorter than the electronic thermalization of the nanometal. Electron-phonon coupling and diffusive charge-transfer determine the subsequent energy flow. This complex dynamics opens perspectives for optoelectronic and photocatalytic applications, while providing a constraining experimental testbed for state-of-the-art modelling., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Diabetes is often accompanied by chronic non-healing wounds, and vascularendothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) is crucial in the treatment of chronic diabetic wounds. However, the application of VEGF-A protein in clinic is limited due to poor absorption and short half-life of protein macromolecule. Herein, we employed an emerging protein replacement therapy by delivering VEGF-A mRNA into the body to express the desired protein to accelerate diabetic wound healing. Primarily, VEGF-A mRNA was synthesized by an in vitro transcription (IVT) method and encapsulated with an ionizable lipid-mediated nanoparticles (LNP) delivery system via a microfluidic method. The resultant LNP/VEGF-A mRNA were characterized by using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscope(TEM). The nanoparticles have regular spherical morphology with an average particle size of 101.17 nm, a narrow polydispersity (PDI) of 0.17 and negative Zeta potential of -3.05 mV. The bioactivities of the nanoparticles formulation were evaluated against HUVEC cells through cell proliferation, migration and tube formation assays. It was found that the LNP/VEGF-A mRNA nanoparticles could promote endothelial cell proliferation. In addition, they exhibited successful mRNA delivery and high VEGF-A protein expression in vitro and in vivo by means of Western Blot assay and in vivo imaging system (IVIS). Finally, C57BL/6 diabetic mice model was established and intradermally treated with the LNP/VEGF-A mRNA nanoparticles. It was found that the LNP/VEGF-A mRNA treated wounds were almost healed after 14 days with an average wound area of 2.4 %, compared with the PBS group of 21.4 %. Apparently, the nanoparticles formulation was able to significantly expedite diabetic wound healing. The histological analysis containing H&E, Masson's trichrome staining and CD31 further confirmed the healing efficacy and low toxicity of the formulation. Taken together, the LNP/VEGF-A mRNA nanoparticles can be taken up by cells to express protein effectively and improve diabetic wound healing, which might have potential application in the treatment of chronic diabetic wounds as a protein replacement therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) plays an important role in the healing of skin wound. However, the application of VEGFA protein in clinic is limited because of its high cost manufacturing, complicated purification and poor pharmacokinetic profile. Herein, we developed nucleoside-modified mRNA encoding VEGFA encapsulated ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNP) to improve angiogenesis and increase wound healing rate. First, VEGFA mRNA was synthesized by an in vitro transcription (IVT) method. After that, VEGFA mRNA-LNP was prepared by encapsulating mRNA in ionizable lipid based nanoparticles via a microfluidic mixer. The physicochemical properties of VEGFA mRNA-LNP were investigated via dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the VEGFA mRNA-LNP possessed regular spherical morphology with an average size of 112.67 nm and a negative Zeta potential of -3.43 mV. The LNP delivery system had excellent lysosome escape capability and high transfection efficiency. ELISA and Western Blot analysis indicated that the mRNA-LNP could express VEGFA protein in Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Besides, endothelial tube formation, cell proliferation and scratch assays were performed. The results revealed VEGFA mRNA-LNP boosted angiogenesis, cell proliferation and cell migration by expressing VEGFA protein. Finally, C57BL/6 mouse model of skin wound was established and intradermally treated with VEGFA mRNA-LNP. The VEGFA mRNA-LNP treated wounds were almost healed with an average wound size of 1.56 mm 2 compared with the blank of 18.66 mm 2 after 9 days. The results indicated that the VEGFA mRNA-LNP was able to significantly expedite wound healing. Histological analysis further demonstrated tissue epithelialization, collagen deposition and enhancement of vascular density after treatment. Taken together, VEGFA mRNA-LNP can be uptaken by cells to express protein effectively and promote wound healing, which may provide a promising strategy for clinical remedy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The electronic band structure and crystal structure are the two complementary identifiers of solid-state materials. Although convenient instruments and reconstruction algorithms have made large, empirical, crystal structure databases possible, extracting the quasiparticle dispersion (closely related to band structure) from photoemission band mapping data is currently limited by the available computational methods. To cope with the growing size and scale of photoemission data, here we develop a pipeline including probabilistic machine learning and the associated data processing, optimization and evaluation methods for band-structure reconstruction, leveraging theoretical calculations. The pipeline reconstructs all 14 valence bands of a semiconductor and shows excellent performance on benchmarks and other materials datasets. The reconstruction uncovers previously inaccessible momentum-space structural information on both global and local scales, while realizing a path towards integration with materials science databases. Our approach illustrates the potential of combining machine learning and domain knowledge for scalable feature extraction in multidimensional data., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Protein kinase N3 (PKN3), by virtue of its abnormal expression in prostate cells, has been widely used as a target of RNAi (shRNA, siRNA, miRNA) therapy. The major challenges of PKN3 RNAi therapy lie in how to design effective interference sequences and delivery systems. Herein, new PKN3 shRNA sequences (shPKN3-2459 and shPKN3-3357) were designed, and bioreducible, biodegradable, ionizable lipid-based nanoparticles were developed for shPKN3 delivery. First, an ionizable lipid (DDA-SS-DMA) bridged with disulfide bond and ester bonds was synthesized by a three-step reaction and confirmed by MS, 1 H NMR, and 13 C NMR. The ionizable lipid was mixed with cholesterol, DSPC, PEG-lipid, and shPKN3 by a microfluidic mixer to prepare lipid nanoparticles (LNP-shPKN3) which were characterized by DLS and TEM. Afterward, the pH and glutathione (GSH)-responsiveness of the DDA-SS-DMA based LNP delivery system were investigated by lysosome escape and gel electrophoresis assays. Compared with the commercial transfection reagent Lipo2000, the DDA-SS-DMA based delivery system showed higher transfection efficiency and lower toxicity. Western blot analysis, invasion tests, and migration assays were performed to evaluate the silencing effect of shPKN3 in vitro . In in vivo studies, high tumor suppression (65.8%) and treatment safety were evident in the LNP-shPKN3-2459 treatment group. Taken together, the DDA-SS-DMA based delivery system encapsulating shPKN3-2459 showed significant antitumor efficacy and might be a promising formulation for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Accessing freshwater resources for agriculture becomes more complex due to increasing demands and declining water quality. Alternative water sources, such as saline water, require ad hoc solutions. Therefore, understanding roots' response to saline water is crucial for future agriculture. We examined the response of three grapevine rootstocks (Paulsen 1103, Richter 110 and SO4) to salt stress. The rootstocks were subjected to two salinity treatments: 10 mM and 30 mM NaCl (EC = 2 and 4 ds/m, respectively). Root and shoot samples were taken at the end of the experiment for morphologic and ionomic analyses. The specific root area (SRA) increased in response to salinity for all three rootstocks due to root tissue density and average root diameter reductions. Salinity also led to increased root Na + and Cl - contents and reduced root K + /Na + ratio, parallel to increased leaf Cl - but not Na + contents. SO4 showed improved chloride and sodium exclusion, concomitant with its highest SRA, resulting from the increase in its thin roots' contribution to the total root system surface area. We suggest that enhanced SRA combined with decreased root tissue density and diameter may improve grapevines' salt exclusion by less salt uptake from the soil., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Protein kinase N3 (PKN3), an AGC-family member, is often overexpressed in breast tumor cells. RNAi therapy is a promising approach to inhibit tumor growth by reducing the expression of PKN3. In this report, lipid nanoparticles encapsulated with new shRNA PKN3 (SS-LNP/shPKN3) with redox-responsiveness were developed in order to specifically down-regulate the expression of PKN3 for breast cancer treatment. The SS-LNP/shPKN3 was prepared by microfluidic method using disulfide bonds based ionizable lipid as main component. The as-prepared SS-LNP/shPKN3 lipid nanoparticles were characterized via using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicated that the obtained SS-LNP/shPKN3 exhibited uniform particle size and regular spherical morphology. Moreover, glutathione (GSH) triggered release of shPKN3 confirmed the redox-responsiveness of the SS-LNP/shPKN3. Finally, the anti-tumor effect of SS-LNP/shPKN3 was evaluated against MDA-MB-231 cells and derived xenograft tumor bearing mice. It was found that the SS-LNP/shPKN3-2 had the highest PKN3 protein inhibition rate of 60.8% and tumor inhibition rate of 62.3%. Taken together, the SS-LNP/shPKN3 might be a potential therapeutic strategy for breast cancer., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Two-dimensional quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulators are a promising material class for spintronic applications based on topologically protected spin currents in their edges. Yet, they have not lived up to their technological potential, as experimental realizations are scarce and limited to cryogenic temperatures. These constraints have also severely restricted characterization of their dynamical properties. Here, we report on the electron dynamics of the novel room-temperature QSH candidate bismuthene after photoexcitation using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We map the transiently occupied conduction band and track the full relaxation pathway of hot photocarriers. Intriguingly, we observe photocarrier lifetimes much shorter than those in conventional semiconductors. This is ascribed to the presence of topological in-gap states already established by local probes. Indeed, we find spectral signatures consistent with these earlier findings. Demonstration of the large band gap and the view into photoelectron dynamics mark a critical step toward optical control of QSH functionalities.

Background: This study investigated a 2-stage arterial switch operation (ASO) to treat transposition of the great arteries (TGA) with intact ventricular septum (TGA-IVS) in late referral patients., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with TGA-IVS or TGA with restricted ventricular septal defects who had undergone 2-stage ASO at our institution from February 2007 to August 2018. Included were 41 patients: 21 (51.2%) who had undergone long-term 2-stage ASO and 20 (48.8%) who had undergone rapid 2-stage ASO., Results: The long-term 2-stage group was older at ASO (3.5 vs 25 months; P < .001). Results were more satisfactory in the long-term group than in the rapid group for intensive care unit time (P = .004), mechanical ventilation time (P = .004), and length of stay (P = .007). No in-hospital death occurred in the long-term group, and the postoperative course was more manageable in the long-term group than in the rapid group. However, the risk of significant neoaortic regurgitation was lower in the rapid group, which also had a better left ventricular ejection fraction., Conclusions: The long-term group achieved better early-term outcomes than the rapid group. However, a high risk of neoaortic regurgitation and myocardial dysfunction was also noted., (Copyright © 2022 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Dimeric artesunate phospholipid (ART-GPC), an amphiphilic derivative of artemisinin dimer reported in our previous work, can be applied to treat malaria effectively. The objective of this study is to develop a facile method for the industrial production of ART-GPC liposomes. Conventional methods including thin film hydration (TFH), ethanol injection (EI), and freeze drying (FD) were used to prepare ART-GPC liposomes, and the resultants presented poor physicochemical properties. Fortunately, a modified thin film hydration method (MTFH) by forming thin film of ART-GPC composed of fine lipid bilayer structure in the vials showed promise for the liposomes production. A quality design strategy (solvents, pressure, hydration time, and temperature) was performed to obtain optimal physicochemical characteristics and production conditions. Thereafter, ART-GPC liposomes are produced under GMP conditions with the size of 176.32 nm, PDI of 0.17, zeta potential of -25.79 mV, and osmotic pressure of 297.33 mOsm/kg, confirming the scalability and reproductivity of the MTFH technology. It is the first report that the MTFH method allows liposomes to be preserved in a dry film state and in-situ hydrated in injection vials with excellent performance. Conclusively, the MTFH method is a promising technology for the large-scale production of ART-GPC liposomes., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this research we used data collected with psychological autopsy method to compare 392 suicides with 416 living controls among adolescents and young adults in rural China. Informants were asked whether the subjects in the study believed in a religion (and which religion) and whether they believed in a life after death. For the suicides, 7.8% believed in a religion compared to 5.8% of the living controls. For the suicides, 11.2% believed in a life after death compared to 8.4% of the controls. Suicide was predicted by the presence of a mental illness, a history of suicide in the family, poor social support, low status (power) in the family, and less education. Belief in a life after death did not contribute to the prediction of suicide in men or in women, but belief in a religion did predict suicide for the men. The relatively uncommon belief in a religion meant that the impact of Christianity versus Buddhism is less likely to be studied. Suggestions were made for future research.

Cells of bacterial strains G9 T and 7MK23 T , isolated from forest soil samples collected from the Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve, Guangdong Province, PR China, were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic and rod-shaped. Strain G9 T was motile with single polar flagellum and grew at 12-37 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 4.5-8.0 (optimum, pH 6.0-7.5) and in the presence of 0-3.5 % NaCl (optimum, 1.5%, w/v); while strain 7MK23 T was non-motile and grew at 12-42 °C (optimum, 28-33 °C), pH 2.5-8.5 (optimum, pH 4.5-6.5) and NaCl levels of 0-1.0 % (optimum, 0-0.5 %, w/v). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that both isolates fell within the cluster of the genus Dyella . The closely related species (with a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity >98.65%) of strain G9 T were Dyella terrae JS14-6 T (99.0 %), D . kyungheensis THG-B117 T (98.8 %) and D . amyloliquefaciens DHC06 T (98.7 %) while that of strain 7MK23 T were D . mobilis DHON07 T (99.2 %) and D . flava DHOC52 T (99.1 %), but the average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between strains G9 T , 7MK23 T and the closely related Dyella species listed above were in the ranges of 77.5-83.8 % and 22.0-27.0 %, much lower than the species demarcation lines of 95.5 and 70 %, respectively. Phylogenomic analyses using UBCG and Phylophlan also supported that these two strains represent two novel species of Dyella . The major fatty acids of strain G9 T were iso-C 15 : 0 , iso-C 17 : 1  ω 9 c and iso-C 17 : 0 while that of strain 7MK23 T were iso-C 15 : 0 and anteiso-C 15 : 0 . Ubiquinone-8 was the only respiratory quinone detected in both strains. The polar lipids of strain G9 T consisted of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and several unknown phospholipids, aminophospholipids, aminolipids and lipid while strain 7MK23 T contained phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine and several unknown phospholipids and aminophospholipids. The DNA G+C contents of strains G9 T and 7MK23 T were 64.7 and 63.4 mol%, respectively. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses as well as phenotypic data obtained, we propose that strains G9 T and 7MK23 T represent two novel species of the genus Dyella , for which the names Dyella telluris sp. nov. (type strain G9 T =KACC 21725 T =GDMCC 1.2132 T ) and Dyella acidiphila sp. nov. (type strain 7MK23 T =KCTC 62739 T =GDMCC 1.1446 T ) are proposed.

Background: Insomnia is one of the common problems in patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). Previous studies have reported the beneficial effects of auricular acupressure (AA) for insomnia in patients with MHD. This study aimed to critically evaluate the efficacy and safety of AA for insomnia in patients with MHD. Methods: Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Database, Wanfang Data, Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were systematically searched from inception to April 30, 2020, to identify any eligible randomized controlled trials. MHD patients with insomnia were included regardless of age, gender, nationality, or race. The experimental interventions included AA alone or AA combined with other therapies. The control interventions included placebo, no treatment, or other therapies. The primary outcome was sleep quality measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RevMan 5.3 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: Eight studies involving 618 participants were included for statistical analysis. A meta-analysis showed no significant difference of PSQI global score after 8 weeks of AA treatment compared with estazolam ( p = 0.70). Other narrative analyses revealed that PSQI global score was significantly attenuated after AA treatment in comparison with mental health education ( p = 0.03, duration of 4 weeks; p = 0.02, duration of 8 weeks), AA plus routine nursing care compared with routine nursing care alone ( p < 0.0001), and AA plus footbath compared with footbath alone ( p = 0.01), respectively. A meta-analysis showed that AA could significantly increase the response rate (reduction of PSQI global score by 25% and more) in comparison with estazolam ( p = 0.01). Other narrative analyses reported that the response rate was significantly increased after AA treatment compared with sham AA ( p = 0.02), AA compared with mental health education ( p = 0.04), and AA plus routine nursing care compared with routine nursing care alone ( p = 0.0003), respectively. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that AA may be an alternative treatment for insomnia in patients with MHD. However, more large-scale, high-quality trials are still warranted to confirm these outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Pei, Chen, Dong, Yang, Yang, Wei, Zhai and Yang.)

Background: Cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) is one of the most common birth anomalies, in which chronic hypoxia is the basic pathophysiological process., Methods: To investigate the heart's metabolic remodeling to hypoxia, we performed an untargeted metabolomic analysis of cardiac tissue from 20 CCHD patients and 15 patients with acyanotic congenital heart disease (ACHD)., Results: A total of 71 (63%) metabolites from 113 detected substances in cardiac tissue differed between the CCHD and ACHD groups. A partial least squares discriminant analysis showed separation between the CCHD and ACHD groups. A pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the most enriched metabolic pathways were amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism. Eleven amino acids were increased in CCHD patients, indicating that protein synthesis was down-regulated. Most of the metabolites in Krebs circle were increased in CCHD patients, suggesting down regulation of aerobic energy metabolism. Hierarchical cluster analysis showed that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) was clustered with Krebs cycle related substrates and its level was significantly higher in CCHD than that in ACHD patients. These analyses suggest that NAD might play an important role in response to hypoxia in CCHD patients., Conclusion: Our data showed a significantly different metabolic profile in CCHD patients compared to ACHD patients, including reduced protein synthesis and aerobic energy production, and the increased level of NAD in the myocardium may be a response mechanism to hypoxia., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2021.)

Background: Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder with increasing incidence. At present, the global incidence of the disease is on the rise, and the cause is unknown. There is no specific treatment for this disease at present, mainly education and training. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment has a certain effect on the improvement of the symptoms of the disease. The treatment methods are mainly oral Chinese medicine and acupuncture, but children are often not easy to cooperate. As a safe and effective green therapy, massage is easy to be accepted by children., Methods: We will search the following electronic databases for randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy in treating autism spectrum disorders: Wanfang and PubMed Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Excerpta Medica database. Each database will be searched from inception to March 2021. The entire process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and meta-analyses., Results: This proposed study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy for patients with autism spectrum disorders. The outcomes will include changes in autism spectrum disorder relief and adverse effect., Conclusion: This proposed systematic review will evaluate the existing evidence on the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy for patients with autism spectrum disorders., Dissemination and Ethics: The results of this review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication. Because all of the data used in this systematic review and meta-analysis have been published, this review does not require ethical approval. Furthermore, all data will be analyzed anonymously during the review process., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Fermi surface is at the heart of our understanding of metals and strongly correlated many-body systems. An abrupt change in the Fermi surface topology, also called Lifshitz transition, can lead to the emergence of fascinating phenomena like colossal magnetoresistance and superconductivity. While Lifshitz transitions have been demonstrated for a broad range of materials by equilibrium tuning of macroscopic parameters such as strain, doping, pressure, and temperature, a nonequilibrium dynamical route toward ultrafast modification of the Fermi surface topology has not been experimentally demonstrated. Combining time-resolved multidimensional photoemission spectroscopy with state-of-the-art TDDFT+ U simulations, we introduce a scheme for driving an ultrafast Lifshitz transition in the correlated type-II Weyl semimetal T d -MoTe 2 We demonstrate that this nonequilibrium topological electronic transition finds its microscopic origin in the dynamical modification of the effective electronic correlations. These results shed light on a previously unexplored ultrafast scheme for controlling the Fermi surface topology in correlated quantum materials., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY).)

Characterization of the electronic band structure of solid state materials is routinely performed using photoemission spectroscopy. Recent advancements in short-wavelength light sources and electron detectors give rise to multidimensional photoemission spectroscopy, allowing parallel measurements of the electron spectral function simultaneously in energy, two momentum components and additional physical parameters with single-event detection capability. Efficient processing of the photoelectron event streams at a rate of up to tens of megabytes per second will enable rapid band mapping for materials characterization. We describe an open-source workflow that allows user interaction with billion-count single-electron events in photoemission band mapping experiments, compatible with beamlines at 3 rd and 4 rd generation light sources and table-top laser-based setups. The workflow offers an end-to-end recipe from distributed operations on single-event data to structured formats for downstream scientific tasks and storage to materials science database integration. Both the workflow and processed data can be archived for reuse, providing the infrastructure for documenting the provenance and lineage of photoemission data for future high-throughput experiments.

Background: Thoracic facet joint disorder is a common thoracic disorder in clinic, inducing pain and discomfort at the dislocated thoracic vertebrae, radiating to pain of the neck and back. The incidence of thoracic facet joint disorder is higher than the facet disorder of the cervical and lumbar vertebrae. Therefore, an ideal strategy to relieve thoracic facet joint disorder is urgently needed. In recent years, massage therapy has been increasingly accepted by thoracic facet joint disorder patients due to its lower costs, fewer unwanted side effects and safety for clinical use. In this systematic review, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy for patients with thoracic facet joint disorder., Methods: We will search the following electronic databases for randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of massage therapy in treating thoracic facet joint disorder: Wanfang and PubMed Database, CNKI, CENTRAL, CINAHL and EMBASE. Each database will be searched from inception to October 2020. The entire process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment and meta-analyses., Results: This proposed study will evaluate the effectiveness of massage therapy for patients with thoracic facet joint disorder., Conclusions: This proposed systematic review will evaluate the existing evidence on the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy for patients with thoracic facet joint disorder., Dissemination and Ethics: The results of this review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication. Because all of the data used in this systematic review and meta-analysis has been published, this review does not require ethical approval. Furthermore, all data will be analyzed anonymously during the review process., Osf Registration Number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/XMEJD.

Background: Metatarsalgia refers to localized or generalized forefoot pain in the region of the metatarsal heads. Often this pain is plantar, beneath the metatarsal heads, and arises from either mechanical or iatrogenic causes. The treatment of metatarsalgia remains controversial. A thorough understanding of the biomechanics of the forefoot and the underlying pathology of the particular type of metatarsalgia affecting the patient is a prerequisite to selecting the proper treatment. In recent years, massage therapy has been increasingly accepted by patients due to its lower costs, fewer unwanted side effects, and safety for clinical use. In this systematic review, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy for patients with metatarsal pain., Methods: We will search the following electronic databases for randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy in treating metatarsal pain: Wanfang and PubMed Database, CNKI, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and EMBASE. Each database will be searched from inception to October 2020. The entire process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and meta-analyses., Results: This proposed study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy for patients with metatarsal pain. The outcomes will include changes in metatarsal pain relief and adverse effect., Conclusions: This proposed systematic review will evaluate the existing evidence on the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy for patients with metatarsalgia., Dissemination and Ethics: The results of this review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication. Because all of the data used in this systematic review and meta-analysis has been published, this review does not require ethical approval. Furthermore, all data will be analyzed anonymously during the review process., Osf Registration Number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/C6KFJ.

Background: Postprandial distress syndrome (PDS), characterized by the presence of prevalently meal-related early satiation and fullness, is a highly prevalent condition with major socioeconomic and healthcare impact. To date, there is a lack of pharmacological treatment proven value for PDS. Therefore, an ideal strategy to relieve PDS is urgently needed. In recent years, massage therapy has been increasingly accepted by PDS patients due to its lower costs, fewer unwanted side effects and safety for clinical use. In this systematic review, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy for patients with postprandial distress syndrome., Methods: We will search the following electronic databases for randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy in treating postprandial distress syndrome: Wanfang and Pubmed Database, CNKI, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and EMBASE. Each database will be searched from inception to October 2020. The entire process will include study selection, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and meta-analyses., Results: This proposed study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy for patients with postprandial distress syndrome. The outcomes will include changes in PDS relief and adverse effect., Conclusions: This proposed systematic review will evaluate the existing evidence on the effectiveness and safety of massage therapy for patients with postprandial distress syndrome., Dissemination and Ethics: The results of this review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication. Because all of the data used in this systematic review and meta-analysis has been published, this review does not require ethical approval. Furthermore, all data will be analyzed anonymously during the review process., Osf Registration Number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/9WRX8.