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Variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continue to emerge and evade immunity, resulting in breakthrough infections in vaccinated populations. There is an urgent need for the development of vaccines with broad protective effects. In this study, we selected hotspot mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) that contribute to immune escape properties and integrated them into the original RBD protein to obtain a complex RBD protein (cRBD), and we found cRBDs have broad protective effects against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Three cRBDs were designed in our study. Compared with the BA.1 RBD protein, the cRBDs induced the production of higher levels of broader-spectrum neutralizing antibodies, suggesting stronger and broader protective efficacy. In viral challenge experiments, cRBDs were more effective than BA.1 RBD in attenuating lung pathologic injury. Among the three constructs, cRBD3 showed optimal broad-spectrum and protective effects and is a promising candidate for a broad-spectrum SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. In conclusion, immunization with cRBDs triggered immunity against a wide range of variants, including those that emerged after we had completed designing the cRBDs. This study preliminarily explores and validates the feasibility of incorporating hotspot mutations that contribute to immune evasion into the RBD to expand the activity spectrum of antigen-induced antibodies., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Li-rich layered oxide (LLO) is regarded as one of the most promising candidates for the next-generation batteries. At present, most of the research studies are focusing on the normal electrochemical properties of LLOs, while safety issues of the cells are neglected. To address this problem, this article systematically investigates the thermal runaway (TR) process of the pouch cell based on LLOs and elucidates how different activation degrees influence the thermal stability of the cathode material and cell, through various thermal analysis methods. Results prove that for the cell with higher activation degrees, more vulnerable solid electrolyte interfaces (SEI) are formed, leading to the occurrence of a self-heat process at lower temperatures. Then, more exothermic reactions are strengthened due to the weakened stability of the cathode material, releasing more heat and triggering TR processes at lower temperatures. Finally, during the period of uncontrolled TR, more oxidative O 2 is released, responsible for the intensified exothermic redox reactions. Therefore, moderate activation of LLOs should be a reasonable and practical application strategy, considering the balance between the high energy density and safety of the cells., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The longitudinal relaxation time (T 1 ) of noble gas nuclear spins is a critical parameter for evaluating the performance of an atomic comagnetometer, significantly influencing the signal-to-noise ratio of the system. Traditional measurement techniques, such as the free induction decay method combined with the spin growth technique (FIDSG), are time-consuming for gases with extended T 1 durations, such as 21 Ne, and are prone to substantial environmental variability. Here, we propose the transverse low-frequency square-wave magnetic field modulation (LSMM) method for the rapid measurement of T 1 . The experiment indicates that the LSMM significantly condenses the measurement time to 19.2% of the original, thereby diminishing the robustness demands of the system. Although a minor discrepancy of up to 3 min (or 1.3%) exists between LSMM and FIDSG results, the LSMM method provides strong support for calibrating the performance of comagnetometer cells and conducting various nuclear spin polarization experiments, thereby improving efficiency and reducing energy loss.

Purpose: The fibroblast activation protein inhibitor-04 (FAPI-04) specifically binds to the FAP of activated myocardial fibroblasts, which makes 68 Ga-labelled FAPI-04 ( 68 Ga-FAPI-04) positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) a new potential imaging technique for the evaluation of myocardial fibrosis. This study aimed to evaluate the potential value of 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR in assessing and predicting changes in renal function in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)., Methods: Thirty-three patients with STEMI were included in this study. 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR and cardiac magnetic resonance were performed before discharge in all patients. Worsening renal function(WRF) was defined as ≥20% decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR) from baseline to 12 months., Results: The WRF group demonstrated higher 68 Ga-FAPI-04 uptake volume (UV) at baseline than the non-WRF group(P = 0.009). 68 Ga-FAPI-04 UV at baseline was correlated with follow-up eGFR (r = -0.493, P = 0.004). 68 Ga-FAPI-04 UV at baseline was a significant predictor of WRF (OR = 1.014, P = 0.029) at 12 months after STEMI., Conclusions: As an effective tool to non-invasively quantify myocardial fibroblast activation, 68 Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR has potential value for assessing and predicting worsening renal function in patients with STEMI., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) is upregulated in glioblastoma (GBM) and associated with temozolomide (TMZ) resistance. However, the mechanisms underlying HOTAIR-mediated TMZ resistance remains poorly understood. HOTAIR expression in glioma-related public datasets and drug response estimation were analyzed using bioinformatics. These findings were verified by overexpressing HOTAIR in TMZ-sensitive U251 cells and/or silencing HOTAIR in resistant U251 cells (U251R). The cytotoxic effects were evaluated using cell viability assay and flow cytometry analysis of cell cycle and apoptosis. In this study, we found that HOTAIR was upregulated in TMZ-resistant GBM cell lines and patients with high HOTAIR expression responded poorly to TMZ therapy. HOTAIR knockdown restored TMZ sensitivity in U251R cells, while HOTAIR overexpression conferred TMZ resistance in U251 cells. Wnt/β-catenin signaling was enriched in patients with high HOTAIR expression; consistently, HOTAIR positively regulated β-catenin expression in U251 cells. Moreover, HOTAIR-mediated TMZ resistance was associated with increased MGMT protein level, which resulted from the HOTAIR/miR-214-3p/β-catenin network. Besides, GBM with high HOTAIR expression exhibited sensitivity to methotrexate. Methotrexate enhanced TMZ sensitivity in U251R cells, accompanied by reduced expression of HOTAIR and β-catenin. Thus, we conlcude that HOTAIR is a risk factor for TMZ resistance and methotrexate may represent a potential therapeutic drug for patients with high HOTAIR expression level., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Human activities, intensified urbanization and climate changes altered source and quantity of dissolved organic matter (DOM), complicating its interaction with phytoplankton in aquatic ecosystems. However, relationship between DOM and phytoplankton in urban lakes strongly disturbed by human activities was still unclear. Thus, a whole-year sampling campaign was conducted in the Tangxun Lake, China's largest urban lake, to reveal the interaction between DOM and phytoplankton. Results indicated that trophic state in the Tangxun Lake varied from mesotrophic to moderately eutrophic. Parallel factor analysis method combined with excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that DOM in the Tangxun Lake consisted of three components, two protein-like components (C1, C3), and one humic-like component (C2). Protein-like components occupied 80% ± 11% of total CDOM pool, mainly due to urbanization driving DOM to be more protein-like, less humic-like. Besides, DOM in the Tangxun Lake was mainly autochthonous input and more recently formed. Furthermore, a total of 129 phytoplankton species were identified, belonging to 78 genera and 7 phyla. Tangxun Lake's phytoplankton community structure was dominated by the Chlorophyta-Bacillariophyta-Cyanophyta type. The temporal succession of phytoplankton varied significantly. It was found that the abundance of Cryptophyta and Cyanophyta were predominant in the mesotrophic state, while Cyanophyta and Bacillariophyta were prevailing in the eutrophic and middle-eutrophic states. As for the interaction between DOM and phytoplankton, results demonstrated that phytoplankton biomass was significantly positively correlated with a (254), a proxy of DOM abundance. Moreover, phytoplankton abundance and biomass significantly positively correlated with autochthonous and freshly released DOM, indicating that the more autochthonous and freshly released DOM, the higher phytoplankton abundance and biomass. Overall, this study provides profound environmental implications for aquatic ecosystem management, especially those strongly affected by human activities., 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 Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Heavy metals (HMs) present in the natural aquatic environment can form a ternary aggregate of "EPS-DOM-HMs" with the prevalent microalgae extracellular polymers substances (EPS) and macromolecular dissolved organic matters (DOMs), which show special molecular structure and biological interaction. This study reveals the formation of "EPS-TA-HMs" and the mechanism of their physiological and metabolic effects on Raphidocelis subcapitata. Results indicate that TA-Cr(III) can bind to EPS to form ternary aggregates with substances coexisting large and small hydrodynamic diameters and that the interactions are dominated by hydrophobic interactions of the protein binding to the pyrrole ring of the polyphenol and hydrogen bonding interactions formed by OC-(N R O). The protein structure of EPS has the largest proportion of proline, glycine, aspartic acid, and tryptophan. These interactions promoted the secretion of EPS components and reduced the growth inhibition of Raphidocelis subcapitata by 45.9 % compared with Cr(III) exposure. TEM analysis combined with EDS analysis indicated that Cr(III) was taken intracellularly and TA-Cr(III) was not. In addition, metabolomics analyses revealed that microalgae initiate adaptive mechanisms via the activation of a two-component system (i.e., maintenance of high metabolic activity). This study underscored the morphology of HMs in real aquatic environments and the mechanisms of metabolic effects on aquatic organisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that we have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Conflict of interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is one of the most common causes of anterior knee pain encountered in the outpatient setting. The purpose of this study was to compare the lower limb biomechanical differences during anticipated and unanticipated side-cutting in athletes with PFPS., Methods: Fifteen male basketball players diagnosed with PFPS were enrolled in the study. Participants executed both anticipated and unanticipated 45-degree side-cutting tasks. Motion analysis systems, force plates, and electromyography (EMG) were used to assess the lower limb joint angles, joint moments, joint stiffness, and patellofemoral joint contact forces. Analyzed biomechanical data were used to compare the differences between the two circumstances., Results: Unanticipated side-cutting resulted in significantly increased ankle plantarflexion and dorsiflexion angles, knee abduction and internal rotation angles, and hip abduction angles, as well as heightened knee adduction moments. Additionally, patellofemoral joint contact forces and stress increased, while contact area decreased during unanticipated tasks., Conclusions: Unanticipated movement raises the demands for joint stability and neuromuscular control, increasing injury risks in athletes with PFPS. These findings have practical implications for developing targeted rehabilitation programs and injury prevention strategies.

Telmisartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) blocker, exhibits broad anti-tumor activity. However, in vitro, anti-proliferative effects are shown at doses far beyond the therapeutic plasma concentration. Considering the role of tumor microenvironment in glioma progression, glioma-astrocyte co-cultures were employed to test the anti-tumor potential of low-dose telmisartan. When a high dose was required for a direct anti-proliferative effect on glioma cell lines, a low dose significantly inhibited glioma cell proliferation and migration in the co-culture system. Under co-culture conditions, upregulated IL-6 expression in astrocytes played a critical role in glioma progression. Silencing IL-6 in astrocytes or IL-6R in glioma cells reduced proliferation and migration. Telmisartan (5 μM) inhibited astrocytic IL-6 expression, and its anti-tumor effects were reversed by silencing IL-6 or IL-6R and inhibiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activity in glioma cells. Moreover, the telmisartan-driven IL-6 downregulation was not imitated by losartan, an AT1R blocker with little capacity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) activation, but was eliminated by a PPARγ antagonist, indicating that the anti-glioma effects of telmisartan rely on its PPARγ agonistic activity rather than AT1R blockade. This study highlights the importance of astrocytic IL-6-mediated paracrine signaling in glioma growth and the potential of telmisartan as an adjuvant therapy for patients with glioma, especially those with hypertension., 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 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Current evidence is insufficient to support specific tools for screening Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Early detection of subthreshold depression (SD) is crucial in preventing its progression to MDD. This study aims to develop nomograms that visualize the weights of predictors to improve the performance of screening tools., Methods: Participants were recruited from Peking University Sixth Hospital and Beijing Physical Examination Center between October 2022 and April 2024. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 5.0.0 was employed as the diagnostic gold standard, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were employed to assess anxiety, depression, and sleep state. The nomograms were constructed by incorporating optimal predictors, selected through the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), into a multivariate logistic regression model to estimate the probability of MDD and SD., Results: After matching age and education, 164 participants were included in each group for analysis. Both nomograms demonstrated superior discrimination, calibration, and clinical applicability compared to PHQ-9. Anxiety emerged as a most significant predictor for SD, while sleep problems exhibited high rankings for both SD and MDD. The two predictors subsequently affect concentration and daytime functioning., Limitations: With a lack of external validation data, the performance of nomograms may be overestimated., Conclusions: This study is the first attempt to develop a nomogram for predicting SD, while also providing a nomogram for MDD. The crucial predictors offer valuable insights into potential variables for clinical intervention., 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. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by lipid accumulation and foam cell formation in the arterial wall. Promoting macrophage autophagy has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy against atherosclerosis. Dipsacoside B (DB) is an oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpenoid saponin extracted from Lonicerae flos with potential anti-atherosclerotic properties. In this study, we investigated the effects of DB on atherosclerosis progression in ApoE -/- mice fed a high-fat diet and explored the underlying mechanisms in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced foam cells. DB treatment significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesion size, improved plaque stability, and regulated lipid metabolism without impairing liver and kidney function in ApoE -/- mice. In vitro studies revealed that DB dose-dependently inhibited ox-LDL internalization and intracellular lipid accumulation in RAW264.7 macrophages. Mechanistically, DB induced autophagy, as evidenced by increased autophagosome formation and upregulated expression of autophagy markers LC3-II and p62 both in vivo and in vitro. Inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine abolished the antiatherosclerotic and pro-autophagic effects of DB. Furthermore, DB treatment increased LC3-II and p62 mRNA levels, suggesting transcriptional regulation of autophagy. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that DB exerts anti-atherosclerotic effects by inhibiting foam cell formation via autophagy induction, providing new insights into the pharmacological actions of DB and its potential as a therapeutic agent against atherosclerosis.

With the rising popularity of smart homes, there is an urgent need for devices that can perform real-time online detection of ammonia (NH 3 ) concentrations for food quality measurement. In addition, timely warning is crucial to preventing individual deaths from NH 3 . However, few studies can realize continuous monitoring of NH 3 with high stability and subsequent application validation. Herein, we report on an integrated device equipped with a nitrogen-doped Ti 3 C 2 T x gas sensor that shows great potential in detecting food spoilage and NH 3 leakage. The nitrogen doping results in the lattice misalignment of Ti 3 C 2 T x , subsequently realizing effective barrier height modulation and enhanced charge transfer efficiency of nitrogen-doped Ti 3 C 2 T x . Density functional theory calculations confirm the greatly enhanced adsorption of NH 3 on nitrogen-doped Ti 3 C 2 T x . Our work can inspire the design of efficient gas sensors for real-time and wireless detection of food spoilage and NH 3 leakage.

The real-time and room-temperature detection of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) holds significant importance for environmental monitoring. However, the performance of NO 2 sensors has been hampered by the trade-off between the high sensitivity and stability of conventional sensitive materials. Here, we present a novel fully flexible paper-based gas sensing structure by combining a homogeneous screen-printed titanium carbide (Ti 3 C 2 T x ) MXene-based nonmetallic electrode with a MoS 2 quantum dots/Ti 3 C 2 T x (MoS 2 QDs/Ti 3 C 2 T x ) gas-sensing film. These precisely designed gas sensors demonstrate an improved response value (16.3% at 5 ppm) and a low theoretical detection limit of 12.1 ppb toward NO 2 , which exhibit a remarkable 3.5-fold increase in sensitivity compared to conventional Au interdigital electrodes. The outstanding performance can be attributed to the integration of the quantum confinement effect of MoS 2 QDs and the conductivity of Ti 3 C 2 T x , establishing the main active adsorption sites and enhanced charge transport pathways. Furthermore, an end-sealing effect strategy was applied to decorate the defect sites with naturally oxygen-rich tannic acid and conductive polymer, and the formed hydrogen bonding network at the interface effectively mitigated the oxidative degradation of the Ti 3 C 2 T x -based gas sensors. The exceptional stability has been achieved with only a 1.8% decrease in response over 4 weeks. This work highlights the innovative design of high-performance gas sensing materials and homogeneous gas sensor techniques.

We report results from an analysis aimed at detecting the trispectrum of the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ) effect by combining data from the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and Herschel-SPIRE experiments over a 100  deg^{2} field. The SPT observations combine data from the previous and current surveys, namely SPTpol and SPT-3G, to achieve depths of 4.5, 3, and 16  μK-arcmin in bands centered at 95, 150, and 220 GHz. For SPIRE, we include data from the 600 and 857 GHz bands. We reconstruct the velocity-induced large-scale correlation of the small-scale kSZ signal with a quadratic estimator that uses two cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature maps, constructed by optimally combining data from all the frequency bands. We reject the null hypothesis of a zero trispectrum at 10.3σ level. However, the measured trispectrum contains contributions from both the kSZ and other undesired components, such as CMB lensing and astrophysical foregrounds, with kSZ being sub-dominant. We use the agora simulations to estimate the expected signal from CMB lensing and astrophysical foregrounds. After accounting for the contributions from CMB lensing and foreground signals, we do not detect an excess kSZ-only trispectrum and use this nondetection to set constraints on reionization. By applying a prior based on observations of the Gunn-Peterson trough, we obtain an upper limit on the duration of reionization of Δz&#95;{re,50}<4.5 (95% confidence level). We find these constraints are fairly robust to foregrounds assumptions. This trispectrum measurement is independent of, but consistent with, Planck's optical depth measurement. This result is the first constraint on the epoch of reionization using the non-Gaussian nature of the kSZ signal.

Background: The global prevalence of Dengue virus (DENV) infection poses a significant health risk, urging the need for effective vaccinations. Peptide vaccines, known for their capacity to induce comprehensive immunity against multiple virus serotypes, offer promise due to their stability, safety, and design flexibility. Spherical nucleic acid (SNA), particularly those with gold nanoparticle cores, present an attractive avenue for enhancing peptide vaccine efficacy due to their modularity and immunomodulatory properties., Methods: The spherical nucleic acid-TBB (SNA-TBB), a novel nanovaccine construct, was fabricated through the co-functionalization process of SNA with epitope peptide, targeting all four serotypes of the DENV. This innovative approach aims to enhance immunogenicity and provide broad-spectrum protection against DENV infections. The physicochemical properties of SNA-TBB were characterized using dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurement, and transmission electron microscopy. In vitro assessments included endocytosis studies, cytotoxicity evaluation, bone marrow-dendritic cells (BMDCs) maturation and activation analysis, cytokine detection, RNA sequencing, and transcript level analysis in BMDCs. In vivo immunization studies in mice involved evaluating IgG antibody titers, serum protection against DENV infection and safety assessment of nanovaccines., Results: SNA-TBB demonstrated successful synthesis, enhanced endocytosis, and favorable physicochemical properties. In vitro assessments revealed no cytotoxicity and promoted BMDCs maturation. Cytokine analyses exhibited heightened IL-12p70, TNF-α, and IL-1β levels. Transcriptomic analysis highlighted genes linked to BMDCs maturation and immune responses. In vivo studies immunization with SNA-TBB resulted in elevated antigen-specific IgG antibody levels and conferred protection against DENV infection in neonatal mice. Evaluation of in vivo safety showed no signs of adverse effects in vital organs., Conclusion: The study demonstrates the successful development of SNA-TBB as a promising nanovaccine platform against DENV infection and highlights the potential of SNA-based peptide vaccines as a strategy for developing safe and effective antiviral immunotherapy., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2024 Zhao et al.)

Hydrogel-based tissue clearing technologies have shown significant promise for deep-tissue imaging and subcellular-level optical 3D reconstruction of whole organs. This study proposes a novel approach utilizing a deep eutectic solvent (DES) formulated with glucose and m-xylylene-diamine (MXDA) to create a highly efficient tissue-clearing hydrogel system named the passive hydrogel clearing system (PHCS). PHCS achieved efficient tissue clearing through a single-step tissue gelation process. The resulting hydrogel-tissue complex exhibited thermoreversible properties, transitioning into a sol state upon heating and vice versa upon cooling. Notably, PHCS enabled media embedding, facilitating immunofluorescence histopathology. Additionally, the system demonstrated compatibility with various fluorescent probes, particularly lipophilic dyes. Our study successfully employed PHCS for the reconstruction of vascular structures within the intestine, enabling the generation of a 3D pathology model. These findings suggest that PHCS is a promising novel method for fabricating hydrogels for tissue clearing and holds great potential for application as a mounting medium for morphological imaging., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests of personal relationships that could have appeared to influence in the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: During brain aging, disturbances in neuronal phospholipid metabolism result in impaired cognitive function and dysregulation of neurological processes. Mutations in iPLA2β are associated with neurodegenerative conditions that significantly impact brain phospholipids. iPLA2β deficiency exacerbates mitochondrial dysfunction and abnormal mitochondrial accumulation. We hypothesized that iPLA2β contributes to age-related cognitive decline by disrupting neuronal mitophagy., Methodology: We used aged wild-type (WT) mice and iPLA2β -/- mice as natural aging models to assess cognitive performance, iPLA2β expression in the cortex, levels of chemokines and inflammatory cytokines, and mitochondrial dysfunction, with a specific focus on mitophagy and the mitochondrial phospholipid profile. To further elucidate the role of iPLA2β, we employed adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated iPLA2β overexpression in aged mice and re-evaluated these parameters., Results: Our findings revealed a significant reduction in iPLA2β levels in the prefrontal cortex of aged brains. Notably, iPLA2β-deficient mice exhibited impaired learning and memory. Loss of iPLA2β in the PFC of aged mice led to increased levels of chemokines and inflammatory cytokines. This damage was associated with altered mitochondrial morphology, reduced ATP levels due to dysregulation of the parkin-independent mitophagy pathway, and changes in the mitochondrial phospholipid profile. AAV-mediated overexpression of iPLA2β alleviated age-related parkin-independent mitophagy pathway dysregulation in primary neurons and the PFC of aged mice, reduced inflammation, and improved cognitive function., Conclusions: Our study suggests that age-related iPLA2β loss in the PFC leads to cognitive decline through the disruption of mitophagy. These findings highlight the potential of targeting iPLA2β to ameliorate age-related neurocognitive disorders., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The epitaxial growth of wafer-scale two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (STMDCs) single crystals is the key premise for their applications in next-generation electronics. Despite significant advancements, some fundamental factors affecting the epitaxy growth have not been fully uncovered, e.g., interface coupling strength, adlayer-substrate lattice matching, substrate step-edge-guiding effects, etc. Herein, we develop a model system to tackle these issues concurrently, and realize the epitaxial growth of wafer-scale monolayer tungsten disulfide (WS 2 ) single crystals on the Au(111) substrate. This epitaxial system is featured with good adlayer-substrate lattice matching, obvious step-edge-guiding effect for the unidirectionally aligned nucleation/growth, and relatively weaker interfacial interaction than that of monolayer MoS 2 /Au(111), as evidenced by the evolution of a uniform Moiré pattern and an intrinsic band gap, according to on-site scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) characterizations and density functional theory calculations. Intriguingly, the unidirectionally aligned monolayer WS 2 domains along the Au(111) steps can behave as ultrasensitive templates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of organic molecules, due to the obvious charge transfer occurred at substrate step edges. This work should hereby deepen our understanding of the epitaxy mechanism of 2D STMDCs on single-crystal substrates, and propel their wafer-scale production and applications in various cutting-edge fields.

Background: Observational studies have suggested that plasma lipidome play a pivotal role in the occurrence of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, it remains unknown which lipids among plasma lipidome affect PD and how they exert their influence. Clarity is lacking regarding the causal relationship between plasma lipidome and PD, as well as whether circulating inflammatory proteins serve as mediators., Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with 179 plasma lipidome were selected as instrumental variables to assess their causal impact on PD. PD data, serving as the outcome, were sourced from the International Parkinson's Disease Genomics Consortium, which boasts the largest sample size to date. The inverse variance weighted (IVW), Weighted median method, MR-Egger method, Simple mode method, Weighted mode method and MR-PRESSO were employed to evaluate the influence of the 179 plasma lipidome on PD. Heterogeneity, pleiotropy tests, and reverse causality analyses were conducted accordingly. Additionally, we analyzed the causal relationship between 91 circulating inflammatory proteins and PD, exploring whether these proteins serve as mediators in the pathway from plasma lipidome to PD., Results: Among the 179 plasma lipidome, three were found to be associated with a reduced risk of PD: Phosphatidylcholine (14:0&#95;18:2) (IVW, OR = 0.877; 95%CI, 0.787-0.978; p = 0.018), Phosphatidylcholine (16:0&#95;16:1) levels (IVW, OR = 0.835; 95%CI, 0.717-0.973; p = 0.021), and Phosphatidylcholine (O-17:0&#95;17:1) levels (IVW, OR = 0.854; 95%CI, 0.779-0.936; p = 0.001). Meanwhile, Sphingomyelin (d38:1) was linked to an increased risk of PD (IVW, OR = 1.095; 95%CI, 1.027-1.166; p = 0.005). Among the 91 circulating inflammatory proteins, three were associated with a lower PD risk: Fibroblast growth factor 21 levels (IVW, OR = 0.817; 95%CI, 0.674-0.990; p = 0.039), Transforming growth factor-alpha levels (IVW, OR = 0.825; 95%CI, 0.683-0.998; p = 0.048), and Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 9 levels (IVW, OR = 0.846; 95%CI, 0.744-0.963; p = 0.011). Two were associated with a higher risk of PD: Interleukin-17A levels (IVW, OR = 1.285; 95%CI, 1.051-1.571; p = 0.014) and TNF-beta levels (IVW, OR = 1.088; 95%CI, 1.010-1.171; p = 0.026). Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between Phosphatidylcholine (14:0&#95;18:2) levels and Fibroblast growth factor 21 levels (IVW, OR = 1.125; 95%CI, 1.006-1.257; p = 0.038), suggesting that Fibroblast growth factor 21 levels may serve as a mediating factor in the pathway between Phosphatidylcholine (14.0&#95;18.2) levels and PD. The mediation effect was estimated to be -0.024, accounting for approximately 18% of the total effect., Conclusion: Both plasma lipidome and circulating inflammatory proteins demonstrate a causal relationship with PD. Additionally, circulating inflammatory proteins may serve as mediators in the pathway from plasma lipidome to PD. These findings may contribute to the prediction and diagnosis of PD and potentially pave the way for targeted therapies in the future., 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 Qin, Wang, Song, Quan, Xu and Chen.)

The impact of acupuncture on knee function and pain intensity following knee replacement remains controversial. Therefore, we categorized the postsurgery recovery period into 3 phases: short-term (≤2 weeks), intermediate-term (2 weeks-3 months), and long-term (>3 months), and then assessed the effectiveness of acupuncture in improving function and alleviating pain at different stages following knee replacement. This meta-analysis included randomized controlled trials that compared acupuncture intervention with either no treatment or a sham group after knee replacement. Six databases were searched from inception to December 31, 2023, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and 2 Chinese databases (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and WanFang Data). A total of 23 studies comprising 1,464 participants were included. Significant improvement of active range of motion was observed on day 7 and week 2 after operation. Lower pain intensity at rest was noted in patients receiving acupuncture in short-term periods after operation (12 hours, day 1, day 2, day 5, and week 2). A reduction in pain intensity during movement with acupuncture was observed on postoperative day 1 and day 7. Auricular acupuncture did not show not significant effectiveness in improving range of motion and pain intensity. For conventional acupuncture, the combination of distal and local point selection was found to be the most effective. Early application of acupuncture, in conjunction with physical therapy, starting before postoperative day 1 or day 2, was recommended. Further high-quality researches are warranted to validate the findings in this meta-analysis. PERSPECTIVE: This article demonstrates that acupuncture has short-term effects (≤2 weeks) on improving active range of motion and reducing pain during rest and during movement following knee replacement surgery. The findings support the early application of acupuncture in hospital settings after knee replacement. REGISTRATION ID: The study was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024503479)., (Copyright © 2024 United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the present study, an acid catalyst (UiO-66-SO 3 H) with Brønsted and Lewis acid sites was synthesised for the preparation of highly efficient biodiesel from oleic acid and methanol using chlorosulphonic acid sulfonated metal-organic frameworks (UiO-66) prepared with acetic acid as a moderator. The prepared catalysts were characterised using XRD, SEM, FT-IR and BET. The catalytic efficiency of the sulfonated catalysts was significantly improved and successful sulfonation was demonstrated by characterisation techniques. Biodiesel was synthesised by the one-pot method and an 85.0% biodiesel yield was achieved under optimum conditions of the reaction. The esterification reaction was determined to be consistent with a proposed primary reaction and the kinetics of the reaction was investigated. A reusability study of the catalyst (UiO-66-SO 3 H) was also carried out with good reproducibility. In conclusion, the present study provides some ideas for the synthesis of catalysts with high catalytic activity for the application in the catalytic preparation of biodiesel.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between circulating levels of B cell activating factor (BAFF) and the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in humans, as its biological functions in this context remain unclear., Methods: Serum BAFF levels were measured in a cohort of 723 patients undergoing angiography, including 204 patients without CAD (control group), 220 patients with stable CAD (CAD group), and 299 patients with AMI (AMI group). Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between BAFF and CAD or AMI., Results: Significantly elevated levels of BAFF were observed in patients with CAD and AMI compared to the control group. Furthermore, BAFF levels exhibited a positive correlation with the SYNTAX score (r = 0.3002, P < 0.0001) and the GRACE score (r = 0.5684, P < 0.0001). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that increased BAFF levels were an independent risk factor for CAD (adjusted OR 1.305, 95% CI 1.078-1.580) and AMI (adjusted OR 2.874, 95% CI 1.708-4.838) after adjusting for confounding variables. Additionally, elevated BAFF levels were significantly associated with a high GRACE score (GRACE score 155 to 319, adjusted OR 4.297, 95% CI 1.841-10.030). BAFF exhibited a sensitivity of 75.0% and specificity of 71.4% in differentiating CAD patients with a high SYNTAX score, and a sensitivity of 75.5% and specificity of 72.8% in identifying AMI patients with a high GRACE score., Conclusion: Circulating BAFF levels serve as a valuable diagnostic marker for CAD and AMI. Elevated BAFF levels are associated with the presence and severity of these conditions, suggesting its potential as a clinically relevant biomarker in cardiovascular disease., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Depression is widely recognized as a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD). Across different studies, the reported prevalence of depression in PD varies widely, ranging from 2.7% to 90%, but it is unclear whether this association is due to genetic or acquired factors. Whether there is a causal relationship remains unknown. The aim of this study was to use a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate the causal effect of PD on depression., Methods: Analyses were conducted separately for individuals of European and East Asian ancestry using publicly available summary data from genome-wide association studies. Depression was divided into two categories: ever depressed for a whole week and major depressive disorder (MDD). PD data were used as the exposure and were obtained from the International Parkinson's Disease Genomics Consortium and the BioBank Japan PheWeb, while depression data were used as the outcome and were obtained from the ntegrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) Open GWAS Project(A public GWAS database） and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. The influence of PD on depression was assessed using inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, MR-Egger, and weighted mode methods. Heterogeneity and pleiotropy were tested, and the results were validated using FinnGen GWAS data from version R9., Results: In individuals of European ancestry, there was a causal relationship between PD and ever depressed for a whole week (IVW method, odds ratio [OR] = 0.990; 95% CI, 0.984-0.996; p = .002), but no causal relationship was observed between PD and MDD (IVW method, OR = 0.974; 95% CI, 0.942-1.009; p = .141). In individuals of East Asian ancestry, no causal relationship was observed between PD and ever depressed for a whole week (IVW method, OR = 1.001; 95% CI, 0.829-1.209; p = .990) and between PD and MDD (IVW method, OR = 1.017; 95% CI, 0.982-1.052; p = .342). The results of the three additional analysis methods were similar to those of the IVW method, and there was no heterogeneity according to Cochran's Q-test. There was no evidence of pleiotropy based on MR-Egger intercept test and MR-PRESSO. The FinnGen validation dataset supported these findings. The results are stable and reliable., Conclusion: The observed increase in depression among PD patients could potentially be attributed to modifiable acquired factors. Consequently, there is an urgent need to strengthen the management of PD patients in order to prevent the development of depression in the future., (© 2024 The Author(s). Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), a heterogeneous compound existed in processed foods, are related to chronic diseases when they are accumulated excessively in human organs. Protein-bound N ε -(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML) as a typical AGE, is widely determined to evaluate AGEs level in foods and in vivo. This study investigated the intestinal absorption of three protein-bound CML originated from main food raw materials (soybean, wheat and peanut). After in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, the three protein-bound CML digests were ultrafiltered and divided into four fractions: less than 1 kDa, between 1 and 3 kDa, between 3 and 5 kDa, greater than 5 kDa. Caco-2 cell monolayer model was further used to evaluate the intestinal absorption of these components. Results showed that the absorption rates of soybean protein isolate (SPI)-, glutenin (Glu)-, peanut protein isolate (PPI)-bound CML were 30.18%, 31.57% and 29.5%, respectively. The absorption rates of components with MW less than 5 kDa accounted for 19.91% (SPI-bound CML), 22.59% (Glu-bound CML), 23.64% (PPI-bound CML), respectively, and these samples were absorbed by paracellular route, transcytosis route and active route via PepT-1. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that all three protein-bound CML digests with different MW can be absorbed in diverse absorption pathways by Caco-2 cell monolayer model. This research provided a theoretical basis for scientific evaluation of digestion and absorption of AGEs in food., 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 Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ultrathin PtSe 2 ribbons can host spin-polarized edge states and distinct edge electrocatalytic activity, emerging as a promising candidate for versatile applications in various fields. However, the direct synthesis is still challenging and the growth mechanism is still unclear. Herein, the arrayed growth of ultrathin PtSe 2 ribbons on bunched vicinal Au(001) facets, via a facile chemical vapor deposition (CVD) route is reported. The ultrathin PtSe 2 flakes can transform from traditional irregular shapes to desired ribbon shapes by increasing the height of bunched and unidirectionally oriented Au steps (with step height h step ) is found. This crossover, occurring at h step ≈ 3.0 nm, defines the tailored growth from step-flow to single-terrace-confined modes, as validated by density functional theory calculations of the different system energies. On the millimeter-scale single-crystal Au(001) films with aligned steps, the arrayed ultrathin PtSe 2 ribbons with tunable width of ≈20-1000 nm, which are then served as prototype electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is achieved. This work should represent a huge leap in the direct synthesis and the mechanism exploration of arrayed ultrathin transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) ribbons, which should stimulate further explorations of the edge-related physical properties and practical applications., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Purpose: To compare changes in corneal endothelial parameters after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and conventional phacoemulsification surgery (CPS) in different corneal regions., Setting: Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan., Design: Single-center, retrospective., Methods: Before and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, specular microscopy was performed to measure endothelial cell density (ECD), corneal thickness, hexagonal cell rate (Hex), and coefficient of variation (CoV). Position 1 referred to the central cornea, position 2 was nearest to the main wound, and position 3 was at the peripheral zone diagonal to the main wound., Results: This study analyzed 96 eyes in the FLACS group and 110 eyes in the CPS group. Preoperatively, position 1 had lower ECD and CoV and higher Hex compared with the peripheral regions. FLACS patients had a significantly less phacoemulsification time and cumulative dissipated energy. At 1 month, FLACS patients showed a significantly smaller increase in corneal thickness at positions 1 and 2. At 3 months, FLACS patients had lower endothelial cell loss (ECL) at positions 1 and 3. ECL remained lower in FLACS patients at 6 months. The highest ECL was observed at position 2 in both groups and was progressive up to 6 months., Conclusions: After phacoemulsification, ECL varied in different corneal regions. At 3 months, the FLACS group exhibited significantly less ECL at the central cornea; however, the continued ECL at 6 months near the main wound suggested ongoing endothelial remodeling in the region., (Copyright © 2024 Published by Wolters Kluwer on behalf of ASCRS and ESCRS.)

Objective: Diagnosing juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is challenging. Our study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of anti-α-1,4-D-polygalacturonic acid (PGA) antibodies in JIA, focusing on their role in diagnosis and assessing disease activity., Methods: In this prospective case-control study, we examined variations in serum levels of PGA-IgA and PGA-IgG among children with different types of JIA and healthy controls. Serum PGA-IgA and PGA-IgG levels were assessed concurrently in children with active and inactive JIA., Results: This study included 126 patients diagnosed with JIA, 13 neonates, and 76 healthy children. Serum PGA-IgA and PGA-IgG levels were assessed, which revealed significant differences in PGA-IgA levels between various JIA subtypes and controls. An analysis of PGA-IgA levels in various JIA states revealed a statistically significant difference. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated the robust predictive capability of PGA-IgA, with an AUC of 0.879 (p < 0.001), along with a specificity of 0.842 and sensitivity of 0.848., Conclusion: Increased levels of anti-PGA antibodies, particularly PGA-IgA, were significantly associated with JIA. PGA-IgA may serve as a sensitive biomarker for disease activity in JIA and could potentially aid in the diagnosis of JIA. Key Points • This study found a significant correlation between blood levels of PGA-IgA and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), which may provide valuable diagnostic insights. • PGA-IgA shows potential as a sensitive biomarker for the assessment of disease activity in JIA patients, helping to determine disease activity., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The inhibitory effects of cold plasma-activated water (PAW) on the formation of AGEs and methylimidazoles in cookies was examined. The results showed that different PAW (parameters: 50 W-50 s, 50 W-100 s, 50 W-150 s, 100 W-50 s, 100 W-100 s, and 100 W-150 s) reduced the contents of AGEs and methylimidazoles, in which the maximum inhibition rates were 47.38% and 40.17% for free and bound AGEs and 44.16% and 40.31% for free and bound methylimidazoles, respectively. Moreover, the mechanisms associated with the elimination of carbonyl intermediates and free radicals was determined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet/visible absorption detector (HPLC-UV/Vis). The results showed the quenching of total free radicals, alkyl free radicals, and HO· by PAW, leading to the suppression of glyoxal and methylglyoxal intermediates. These findings support PAW as a promising agent to enhance the safety of cookies., 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 Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Drought stress restricts the growth, distribution and productivity of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). In order to study the response differences of alfalfa cultivars to drought stress, we previously carried out physiological and molecular comparative analysis on two alfalfa varieties with contrasting drought resistance (relatively drought-tolerant Longdong and drought-sensitive Algonquin). However, the differences in proteomic factors of the two varieties in response to drought stress still need to be further studied. Therefore, TMT-based quantitative proteomic analysis was performed using leaf tissues of the two alfalfa cultivars to identify and uncover differentially abundant proteins (DAPs)., Results: In total, 677 DAPs were identified in Algonquin and 277 in Longdong under drought stress. Subsequently, we conducted various bioinformatics analysis on these DAPs, including subcellular location, functional classification and biological pathway enrichment. The first two main COG functional categories of DAPs in both alfalfa varieties after drought stress were 'Translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis' and 'Posttranslational modification, protein turnover, chaperones'. According to KEGG database, the DAPs of the two alfalfa cultivars after drought treatment were differentially enriched in different biological pathways. The DAPs from Algonquin were enriched in 'photosynthesis' and 'ribosome'. The pathways of 'linoleic acid metabolism', 'protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum' and 'RNA transport' in Longdong were significantly enriched. Finally, we found significant differences in DAP enrichment and expression patterns between Longdong and Algonquin in glycolysis/glycogenesis, TCA cycle, photosynthesis, protein biosynthesis, flavonoid and isoflavonoid biosynthesis, and plant-pathogen interaction pathway after drought treatment., Conclusions: The differences of DAPs involved in various metabolic pathways may explain the differences in the resistance of the two varieties to drought stress. These DAPs can be used as candidate proteins for molecular breeding of alfalfa to cultivate new germplasm with more drought tolerance to adapt to unfavorable environments., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Significant challenges are posed by the limitations of gas sensing mechanisms for trace-level detection of ammonia (NH 3 ). In this study, we propose to exploit single-atom catalytic activation and targeted adsorption properties to achieve highly sensitive and selective NH 3 gas detection. Specifically, Ni single-atom active sites based on N, C coordination (Ni-N-C) were interfacially confined on the surface of two-dimensional (2D) MXene nanosheets (Ni-N-C/Ti 3 C 2 T x ), and a fully flexible gas sensor (MNPE-Ni-N-C/Ti 3 C 2 T x ) was integrated. The sensor demonstrates a remarkable response value to 5 ppm NH 3 (27.3%), excellent selectivity for NH 3 , and a low theoretical detection limit of 12.1 ppb. Simulation analysis by density functional calculation reveals that the Ni single-atom center with N, C coordination exhibits specific targeted adsorption properties for NH 3 . Additionally, its catalytic activation effect effectively reduces the Gibbs free energy of the sensing elemental reaction, while its electronic structure promotes the spill-over effect of reactive oxygen species at the gas-solid interface. The sensor has a dual-channel sensing mechanism of both chemical and electronic sensitization, which facilitates efficient electron transfer to the 2D MXene conductive network, resulting in the formation of the NH 3 gas molecule sensing signal. Furthermore, the passivation of MXene edge defects by a conjugated hydrogen bond network enhances the long-term stability of MXene-based electrodes under high humidity conditions. This work achieves highly sensitive room-temperature NH 3 gas detection based on the catalytic mechanism of Ni single-atom active center with N, C coordination, which provides a novel gas sensing mechanism for room-temperature trace gas detection research., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Aims: Bladder cancer (BCa) is a highly aggressive malignancy of the urinary system. Timely detection is imperative for enhancing BCa patient prognosis., Materials and Methods: This study introduces a novel approach for detecting long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Mitochondrial RNA Processing Endoribonuclease (RMRP) in urine exosomes from BCa patients using the reverse transcription recombinase-aided amplification (RT-RAA) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and associated Cas12a proteins (CRISPR/Cas12a) technique. Various statistical methods were used to evaluate its diagnostic value for BCa., Results: The specificity of urine exosomal RMRP detection for BCa diagnosis was enhanced by using RT-RAA combined with CRISPR/Cas12a. The testing process duration was reduced to 30 min, which supports rapid detection. Moreover, this approach allows the identification of target signals in real-time using blue light, facilitating immediate detection. In clinical sample analysis, this methodology exhibited a high level of diagnostic efficacy. This was evidenced by larger area under the curve values with receiver operating characteristic curve analysis compared with using traditional RT-qPCR methods, indicating superior diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity. Furthermore, the combined analysis of RMRP expression in urine exosomes detected by RT-RAA-CRISPR/Cas12a and NMP-22 expression may further enhance diagnostic accuracy., Conclusions: The RT-RAA-CRISPR/Cas12a technology is a swift, sensitive, and uncomplicated method for nucleic acid detection. Because of its convenient and non-invasive sampling approach, user-friendly operation, and reproducibility, this technology is very promising for automated detection and holds favorable application possibilities within clinical environments., 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.)

Real-time and accurate biomarker detection is highly desired in point-of-care diagnosis, food freshness monitoring, and hazardous leakage warning. However, achieving such an objective with existing technologies is still challenging. Herein, we demonstrate a wireless inductor-capacitor (LC) chemical sensor based on platinum-doped partially deprotonated-polypyrrole (Pt-PPy + and PPy 0 ) for real-time and accurate ammonia (NH 3 ) detection. With the chemically wide-range tunability of PPy in conductivity to modulate the impedance, the LC sensor exhibits an up-to-180% improvement in return loss (S11). The Pt-PPy + and PPy 0 shows the p-type semiconductor nature with greatly-manifested adsorption-charge transfer dynamics toward NH 3 , leading to an unprecedented NH 3 sensing range. The S11 and frequency of the Pt-PPy + and PPy 0 -based sensor exhibit discriminative response behaviors to humidity and NH 3 , enabling the without-external-calibration compensation and accurate NH 3 detection. A portable system combining the proposed wireless chemical sensor and a handheld instrument is validated, which aids in rationalizing strategies for individuals toward various scenarios., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In recent years, most studies on the gut microbiome have primarily focused on feces samples, leaving the microbial communities in the intestinal mucosa relatively unexplored. To address this gap, our study employed shotgun metagenomics to analyze the microbial compositions in normal rectal mucosa and matched feces from 20 patients with colonic polyps. Our findings revealed a pronounced distinction of the microbial communities between these two sample sets. Compared with feces, the mucosal microbiome contains fewer genera, with Burkholderia being the most discriminating genus between feces and mucosa, highlighting its significant influence on the mucosa. Furthermore, based on the microbial classification and KEGG Orthology (KO) annotation results, we explored the association between rectal mucosal microbiota and factors such as age, gender, BMI, and polyp risk level. Notably, we identified novel biomarkers for these phenotypes, such as Clostridium ramosum and Enterobacter cloacae in age. The mucosal microbiota showed an enrichment of KO pathways related to sugar transport and short chain fatty acid metabolism. Our comprehensive approach not only bridges the knowledge gap regarding the microbial community in the rectal mucosa but also underscores the complexity and specificity of microbial interactions within the human gut, particularly in the Chinese population., Importance: This study presents a system-level map of the differences between feces and rectal mucosal microbial communities in samples with colorectal cancer risk. It reveals the unique microecological characteristics of rectal mucosa and its potential influence on health. Additionally, it provides novel insights into the role of the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer and paves the way for the development of new prevention and treatment strategies., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Hematology-oncology (HO) fellows receive limited instruction in the process of establishing a diagnosis for hematologic neoplasms, and learning neoplastic hematology often occurs in limited encounters. In the current study, we developed a web-based interactive pathology tutorial in neoplastic hematologic disorders for HO fellows to work up simulated cases and establish the diagnosis. An online system ("Pathology Playground") was utilized to load case materials including microscopic images and ancillary studies. Twelve high-yield simulated cases of common leukemias and lymphoma were included. At the beginning of each case, trainees review the clinical history and slide images, and then, they are given the option to request additional pathology work-up. Based on the results, they can enter their diagnostic impression. If the diagnosis is correct, the user is shown a short educational presentation. If the diagnosis is not correct, the user gets notified by the message "Incorrect." The tutorial was integrated in the educational curriculum of our HO fellowship program, and bimonthly teaching sessions were held to review two cases each time. During the sessions, trainees request ancillary studies to complete the diagnostic work-up using the software and interpret the findings. As the case is being worked up by the trainee, the hematopathologists and HO fellowship program director discuss the findings, the appropriate work-up tools, and the implications on management. All of our six HO fellows attended the sessions, and a survey from the trainees showed high ease of use of the system and they viewed it as a very useful educational tool. A pre-test and post-test were administered for one of the sessions, and the result showed improvement in the average from 62 to 73%. Expanding the use of this online interactive tutorial and incorporating additional cases would enhance its value as a learning resource., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to American Association for Cancer Education.)

This study aimed to improve the eating quality of yellow-feathered broiler chicks by feeding them corn-soybean meal diets supplemented with 250, 500, and 1,000 mg/kg quercetin. we examined the impact of varying doses of dietary quercetin on the sensory quality of chicken breast meat as well as on the antioxidant enzymes, antioxidant-related signaling molecules, structure and thermal stability of myofibrillar protein (MPs), and microstructure of myogenic fibers in the meat during 24 h of postslaughter aging. Additionally, we investigated the potential correlations among antioxidant capacity, MP structure, and meat quality parameters. The results indicated that dietary supplementations with 500 and 1,000 mg/kg quercetin improved the physicochemical properties and eating quality of yellow-feathered broiler chicken breast meat during 12 to 24 h postslaughter. Additionally, quercetin improved the postslaughter oxidative stress status and reduced protein and lipid oxidation levels. It also increased hydrogen bonding interactions and α-helix content during 6 to 12 h postslaughter and decreased β-sheet content during 12 to 24 h postslaughter in chicken breast MP. This resulted in improved postslaughter MP structure and thermal stability. The correlation results indicated that the enhancement of antioxidant capacity and MP structure enhanced the physicochemical and edible qualities of yellow-feathered broiler chicken breast meat. In conclusion, the current findings suggest that dietary supplementation with quercetin is an ideal approach for improving the eating quality of chicken meat, thereby broadening our understanding of theoretical and technological applications for improving the quality of chicken., Competing Interests: DISCLOSURES The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

As one of the most essential types of heterocyclic compounds, pyrazines have a characteristic smell and taste and have a wide range of commercial applications, especially in the food industry. With the development of the food industry, the demand for pyrazines has increased. Therefore, understanding the properties, functions, and synthetic pathways of pyrazines is one of the fundamental methods to produce, control, and apply pyrazines in food or medical systems. In this review, we provide an overview of the synthesis pathways and physiological or pharmacological functions of naturally occurring pyrazines. In particular, we focus on the biosynthesis and pharmacological effects of 2,3,5,6-Tetramethylpyrazine (TTMP), 2,5-Dimethylpyrazine (2,5-DMP), and 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (TMP). Furthermore, areas where further research on pyrazines is needed are discussed in this work.

Exploring emerging two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) semiconducting materials and precisely tuning their electronic properties at the atomic level have long been recognized as crucial issues for developing their high-end electronic and optoelectronic applications. As a III-VI semiconductor, ultrathin layered hexagonal GaTe ( h -GaTe) remains unexplored in terms of its intrinsic electronic properties and band engineering strategies. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of ultrathin h -GaTe layers on a selected graphene/SiC(0001) substrate, via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The widely tunable quasiparticle band gaps (∼2.60-1.55 eV), as well as the vdW quantum well states (QWSs) that can be strictly counted by the layer numbers, are well characterized by onsite scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), and their origins are clearly addressed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. More intriguingly, distinctive 8|8E and 4|4P (Ga) mirror twin boundaries (MTBs) are identified in the ultrathin h -GaTe flakes, which can induce decreased band gaps and prominent p-doping effects. This work should deepen our understanding on the electronic tunability of 2D III-VI semiconductors by thickness control and line defect engineering, which may hold promise for fabricating atomic-scale vertical and lateral homojunctions toward ultrascaled electronics and optoelectronics.

Most studies investigate the cyclable capacity fading mechanism of Li-rich layered oxides (LLOs) from the microscopic structure level, lacking discussions about how the structure degradation influences the performance of the pouch cell precisely and quantitatively. Based on the analysis of the evolution of key parameters during the whole cycling period, a new transition-type fading mechanism is proposed. From the early-to-middle stage of the cycling period, polarization increases, most of which is interface-related, causing about 67% of the whole capacity loss. From the middle-to-late stage of the cycling period, active material losses turn out to be the dominating factor, inducing about 61% of the total capacity loss. Diffusion-related polarization, replacing the interface type, is responsible for most of the increased overpotential. Relative analysis confirms that during the early stage, the increase of the charge transfer resistance, induced by CEI (cathode electrolyte interface) growth and initial surface layered-structure degradation, is the main source of interface polarization. As the cycling evolves to the late stage, severe bulky structure degradation, including lattice-oxygen release, Li/Ni mixture and generation of a new spinel phase, turns out to be the major factor, causing further capacity fading., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

We report a method to enhance the sensitivity of coherent population trapping (CPT) magnetometers using a combination of left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized light phase-delay detection and a differential detection scheme. The approach can achieve a four third-fold enhancement of the CPT dispersion signal slope and a three-fold reduction in noises. The proposed method experimentally exhibits a four third-fold magnetic field resolution enhancement in CPT open-loop measurements, and the differential method could achieve a sensitivity of 1  p T / H z at 10 Hz and a sensitivity of 0.4  p T / H z at 50-100 Hz in the CPT closed-loop measurement, which is a four-fold sensitivity enhancement compared to the single-transmitted CPT magnetometer.

Background: Multi-channel acquisition systems of brain neural signals can provide a powerful tool with a wide range of information for the clinical application of brain computer interfaces. High-throughput implantable systems are limited by size and power consumption, posing challenges to system design., Objective: To acquire more comprehensive neural signals and wirelessly transmit high-throughput brain neural signals, a FPGA-based acquisition system for multi-channel brain nerve signals has been developed. And the Bluetooth transmission with low-power technology are utilized., Methods: To wirelessly transmit large amount of data with limited Bluetooth bandwidth and improve the accuracy of neural signal decoding, an improved sharing run length encoding (SRLE) is proposed to compress the spike data of brain neural signal to improve the transmission efficiency of the system. The functional prototype has been developed, which consists of multi-channel data acquisition chips, FPGA main control module with the improved SRLE, a wireless data transmitter, a wireless data receiver and an upper computer. And the developed functional prototype was tested for spike detection of brain neural signal by animal experiments., Results: From the animal experiments, it shows that the system can successfully collect and transmit brain nerve signals. And the improved SRLE algorithm has an excellent compression effect with the average compression rate of 5.94%, compared to the double run-length encoding, the FDR encoding, and the traditional run-length encoding., Conclusion: The developed system, incorporating the improved SRLE algorithm, is capable of wirelessly capturing spike signals with 1024 channels, thereby realizing the implantable systems of High-throughput brain neural signals.

Three-dimensional human pose estimation focuses on generating 3D pose sequences from 2D videos. It has enormous potential in the fields of human-robot interaction, remote sensing, virtual reality, and computer vision. Existing excellent methods primarily focus on exploring spatial or temporal encoding to achieve 3D pose inference. However, various architectures exploit the independent effects of spatial and temporal cues on 3D pose estimation, while neglecting the spatial-temporal synergistic influence. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel 3D pose estimation method with a dual-adaptive spatial-temporal former (DASTFormer) and additional supervised training. The DASTFormer contains attention-adaptive (AtA) and pure-adaptive (PuA) modes, which will enhance pose inference from 2D to 3D by adaptively learning spatial-temporal effects, considering both their cooperative and independent influences. In addition, an additional supervised training with batch variance loss is proposed in this work. Different from common training strategy, a two-round parameter update is conducted on the same batch data. Not only can it better explore the potential relationship between spatial-temporal encoding and 3D poses, but it can also alleviate the batch size limitations imposed by graphics cards on transformer-based frameworks. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed method significantly outperforms most state-of-the-art approaches on Human3.6 and HumanEVA datasets.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: As a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, Glycyrrhiza., Uralensis: Fisch. (licorice root, chinese name: Gancao) has a variety of medicinal values and is widely used clinically. Its main active ingredient, glycyrrhizic acid (GA), is believed to have a neuroprotective effect. However, the underlying biological mechanisms of GA on stress-induced anxiety disorders are still unclear., Aim of the Study: To investigate the anti-anxiety effect of GA and its underlying mechanism., Methods: We selected the anxiety model induced by repeated chronic restraint stress (CRS) for 2 h on each of 7 consecutive days. GA (4, 20, 100 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally once daily for 1 week. The potential GA receptors were identified using whole-cell patches and computer-assisted docking of molecules. High-throughput RNA sequencing, adeno-associated virus-mediated gene regulation, Western blotting, and RT-qPCR were used to assess the underlying molecular pathways., Results: GA alleviate depression-like and anxiety-like behaviors in CRS mice. GA decreased synaptic transmission by facilitating glutamate reuptaking in mPFC. Meanwhile, long-term GA treatment increased the expression of clock genes Per1 and Per2. Suppressing both Per1 and Per2 abolished the anxiolytic effects of GA treatment., Conclusion: Our study suggests that GA may be developed for the treatment of stress-induced anxiety disorders, and its mechanism is related to GLT1 and Per1/2-dependent pathways. This presents a novel approach to discovering potent therapeutic drugs., 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.)

Kagome materials have recently garnered substantial attention due to the intrinsic flat band feature and the stimulated magnetic and spin-related many-body physics. In contrast to their bulk counterparts, two-dimensional (2D) kagome materials feature more distinct kagome bands, beneficial for exploring novel quantum phenomena. Herein, we report the direct synthesis of an ultrathin kagome-structured Co-telluride (Co 9 Te 16 ) via a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) route and clarify its formation mechanism from the Co-intercalation in the 1T-CoTe 2 layers. More significantly, we unveil the flat band states in the ultrathin Co 9 Te 16 and identify the real-space localization of the flat band states by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) combined with first-principles calculations. A ferrimagnetic order is also predicted in kagome-Co 9 Te 16 . This work should provide a novel route for the direct synthesis of ultrathin kagome materials via a metal self-intercalation route, which should shed light on the exploration of the intriguing flat band physics in the related systems.

This paper investigates the factors influencing the continuous use intention of AI-powered adaptive learning systems among rural middle school students in China. Employing a mixed-method approach, this study integrates Technology Acceptance Model 3 with empirical data collected from rural middle schools in western China. The main contributions of this study include identifying key determinants of usage intention, such as computer self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, system quality, and the perception of feedback. The findings provide insights into enhancing rural education through AI and suggest strategies for developing more effective and engaging adaptive learning systems. This research not only fills a significant gap in the understanding of AI in education but also offers practical implications for educators and policymakers aiming to improve learning outcomes in rural settings., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Jining Han reports travel and writing assistance were provided by iFLYTEK Intelligent Education AIED Qingteng Project (Grant Number: 01O20220509EBGZ003). Jining Han reports writing assistance was provided by the National Key Research and Development Program Project. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Funding : This study was financially supported by the iFLYTEK Intelligent Education AIED Qingteng Project "Research on AIED promotes students' math computing and intuitive imaginational literacy" under Grant "01O20220509EBGZ003", the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China project "The research on adaptive cognitive development assessment and human-machine collaborative diagnosis technology in Internet education applications" under Grant "2022YFC3303504", and the Southwest University Innovative Research 2035 project under Grant "SWUPilotPlan002"., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: During city running or marathon races, shifts in level ground and up-and-down slopes are regularly encountered, resulting in changes in lower limb biomechanics. The longitudinal bending stiffness of the running shoe affects the running performance., Purpose: This research aimed to investigate the biomechanical changes in the lower limbs when transitioning from level ground to an uphill slope under different longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) levels in running shoes., Methods: Fifteen male amateur runners were recruited and tested while wearing three different LBS running shoes. The participants were asked to pass the force platform with their right foot at a speed of 3.3 m/s ± 0.2. Kinematics data and GRFs were collected synchronously. Each participant completed and recorded ten successful experiments per pair of shoes., Results: The range of motion in the sagittal of the knee joint was reduced with the increase in the longitudinal bending stiffness. Positive work was increased in the sagittal plane of the ankle joint and reduced in the keen joint. The negative work of the knee joint increased in the sagittal plane. The positive work of the metatarsophalangeal joint in the sagittal plane increased., Conclusion: Transitioning from running on a level surface to running uphill, while wearing running shoes with high LBS, could lead to improved efficiency in lower limb function. However, the higher LBS of running shoes increases the energy absorption of the knee joint, potentially increasing the risk of knee injuries. Thus, amateurs should choose running shoes with optimal stiffness when running.

This study prepared sulfonated Camellia oleifera shell biochar using Camellia oleifera shell agricultural waste as a carbon source, and evaluated its performance as a catalyst for preparing biodiesel. The biochar obtained from carbonizing Camellia oleifera shells at 500 °C for 2 h serves as the carbon skeleton, and then the biochar is sulfonated with chlorosulfonic acid. The sulfonic acid groups are mainly grafted onto the surface of Camellia oleifera shell biochar through covalent bonding to obtain sulfonic acid type biochar catalysts. The catalysts were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Nitrogen adsorption-desorption Brunel-Emmett-Taylor Theory (BET), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The acid density of the sulfonated Camellia oleifera fruit shell biochar catalyst is 2.86 mmol/g, and the specific surface area is 2.67 m 2 /g, indicating high catalytic activity. The optimal reaction conditions are 4 wt% catalyst with a 6:1 alcohol to oil ratio. After esterification at 70 °C for 2 h, the yield of biodiesel was 91.4%. Under the optimal reaction conditions, after four repeated uses of the catalyst, the yield of biodiesel still reached 90%. Therefore, sulfonated Camellia oleifera shell biochar is a low-cost, green, non-homogeneous catalyst with great potential for biodiesel production by esterification reaction in future development.

Attoclock provides a powerful tool for probing the ultrafast electron dynamics in strong laser fields. However, this technique has remained restricted to single electron or sequential double ionized electron dynamics. Here, we propose a novel attoclock scheme with a polarization-gated few-cycle laser pulse and demonstrate its application in timing the correlated-electron emission in strong field double ionization of argon. Our experimental measurements reveal that the correlated-electron emission occurs mainly through two channels with time differences of 234±22 as and 1043±73 as, respectively. Classical model calculations well reproduce the experimental results and deepen our understanding of ultrafast electron correlation dynamics.

The fibers from four wheat varieties (FT, XW 26, XW 45, and KW 1701) were selected and chemically modified with NaOH, epichlorohydrin, and dimethylamine to improve the adsorption capacity for anionic dye. The structure of the fibers with or without modification was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. The modified products were studied from the aspects of adsorption capacities, adsorption kinetics, and thermodynamics to provide a reference for the utilization of wheat bran. By SEM, more porous and irregular structures were found on the modified fibers. The XRD results showed that the crystals from the original fibers were destroyed in the modification process. The changes in fibers' infrared spectra before and after modification suggested that quaternary ammonium salts were probably formed in the modification process. The maximum adsorption capacity of wheat bran fibers for Congo red within 120 min was 20 mg/g for the unmodified fiber (XW 26) and 93.46 mg/g for the modified one (XW 45). The adsorption kinetics of Congo red by modified wheat bran fiber was in accord with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model at 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C, indicating that the adsorption process might be mainly dominated by chemisorption. The adsorption was more consistent with the Langmuir isothermal adsorption model, implying that this process was monolayer adsorption. The thermodynamic parameters suggested that the adsorption occurred spontaneously, and the temperature increase was favorable to the adsorption. As mentioned above, this study proved that the wheat bran fiber could possess good adsorption capacities for anion dye after chemical modification.

Lonicera macranthoides , the main source of traditional Chinese medicine Lonicerae Flos, is extensively cultivated in Southwest China. However, the quality of L. macranthoides produced in this region significantly varies due to its wide distribution and various cultivation breeds. Herein, 50 Lonicerae Flos samples derived from different breeds of L. macranthoides cultivated in Southwest China were collected for quality evaluation. Six organic acids and three saponin compounds were quantitatively analyzed using HPLC. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of a portion of samples was conducted with 2,2'-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging experiments. According to the quantitative results, all samples met the quality standards outlined in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The samples from Guizhou, whether derived from unopened or open wild-type breeds, exhibited high quality, while the wild-type samples showed relatively significant fluctuation in quality. The samples from Chongqing and Hunan demonstrated similar quality, whereas those from Sichuan exhibited relatively lower quality. These samples demonstrated significant abilities in clearing ABTS and DPPH radicals. The relationship between HPLC chromatograms and antioxidant activity, as elucidated by multivariate analysis, indicated that chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid B, and isochlorogenic acid C are active components and can serve as Q-markers for quality evaluation.