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To analyze the value of the combined test of the cardiac color Doppler ultrasound, the serum middle receptor pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-ProANP) and the N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP) in forecasting the hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and left heart failure (LHF). All patients were subjected to cardiac color Doppler ultrasound examination to obtain left atrium volume index (LAVI), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), early-diastolic peak flow velocity (E), early-diastolic mean flow velocity (e'), early-diastolic peak flow velocity/early-diastolic mean flow velocity (E/e') and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Biomarkers were performed to obtain serum MR-ProANP and NT-ProBNP concentrations, and statistical analysis was performed. The LVEF was obviously lower than that in the control group ( P <0.01). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) values of LVEF, E/e', serum MR-ProANP and NT-ProBNP alone were in the range of 0.7-0.8. The AUC, sensitivity and specificity of LVEF and E/e' combined with MR-ProANP and NT-ProBNP to diagnose hypertensive LVH and LHF were 0.892, 89.14% and 78.21%, which were higher than those of single diagnosis. In the heart failure group, LVEF was negatively correlated with serum MR-ProANP and NT-ProBNP concentrations ( P <0.05), and E/e' was positively correlated with serum MR-ProANP and NT-ProBNP concentrations ( P <0.05). Pump function and ventricular remodeling in patients with hypertensive LVH and LHF are closely related to serum MR-ProANP and NT-ProBNP levels. Combination of the two testing can improve the prediction and diagnostic efficacy of LHF.

Phase junctions exhibit great potential in photocatalytic energy conversion, yet the narrow light response region and inefficient charge transfer limit their photocatalytic performance. Herein, an anatase/rutile phase junction modified by plasmonic TiN and oxygen vacancies (TiN/(A-R-TiO 2 -Ov)) is prepared through an in-situ thermal transformation from TiN for efficient photothermal-assisted photocatalytic hydrogen production for the first time. The content of TiN, oxygen vacancies, and phase components in TiN/(A-R-TiO 2 -Ov) hybrids can be well-adjusted by tuning the heating time. The as-prepared photocatalysts display a large specific area and wide light absorption due to the synergistic effect of plasmonic excitation, oxygen vacancies, and bandgap excitations. Meanwhile, the multi-interfaces between TiN, anatase, and rutile provide built-in electric fields for efficient separation of photoinduced carriers and hot electron injection via ohmic contact and type-Ⅱ band arrangement. As a result, the TiN/(A-R-TiO 2 -Ov) photocatalyst shows an excellent photocatalytic hydrogen generation rate of 15.07 mmol/g/h, which is 20.6 times higher than that of titanium dioxide P25. Moreover, temperature-dependent photocatalytic tests reveal that the excellent photothermal conversion caused by plasmonic heating and crystal lattice vibrations in TiN/(A-R-TiO 2 -Ov) has about 25 % enhancement in photocatalysis (18.84 mmol/g/h). This work provides new inspiration for developing high-performance photocatalysts by optimizing charge transfer and photothermal conversion., 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 Inc.)

Anisotropic nanostructures with tunable optical properties induced by controllable size and symmetry have attracted much attention in many applications. Herein, we report a controlled synthesis of symmetrically branched AuCu alloyed nanocrystals. By varying Au:Cu atom ratio in precursor, Y-shaped tripods with three-fold symmetry and star-shaped pentapods with five-fold symmetry are synthesized, respectively. The growth mechanism of AuCu tripods from icosahedral seeds and AuCu pentapods from decahedral seeds is revealed. Aiming to excellent photocatalytic performance, CdS nanocrystals are controlled grown onto the sharp tips of AuCu tripods and pentapods. In addition, a carrier-selective blocking layer of Ag 2 S is introduced between AuCu and CdS, for achieving effective charge separation in AuCu-Ag 2 S-CdS nanohybrids. Through evaluating the photocatalytic performance by hydrogen generation experiments, the AuCu-Ag 2 S-CdS tripod nanocrystals exhibit an optimized hydrogen evolution rate of 2182 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 . These findings will contribute greatly to the understanding of complex nanoparticle growth mechanism and provide a strategy for the design of anisotropic nanoalloys for widely photocatalytic applications., 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 Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The effect of solamargine on lung adenocarcinoma and its effect on STAT1 signaling pathway mediated immune escape were studied through network pharmacology and in vitro and in vivo experiments., Methods: The solamargine targets were screened using the TCMSP and the LUAD targets were screened using the GeneCard, OMIM, PharmGkb, TTD and DrugBank databases. PPI network analysis and target prediction were performed using GO and KEGG. Colony formation assay, EDU staining, wound healing, transwell assay, Hoechst and flow cytometry were used to detect the effects of solamargine on the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of LUAD. Western blotting (WB) and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to detect P-STAT1 and PD-L1 expression. And immunofluorescence was used to detect P-STAT1 expression. In vivo experiments, C57BL/6 mice were divided into control group, low concentration group, high concentration group, positive control group and combination group. Every other day, following seven consecutive doses, the size of the tumor was assessed. Finally, the expressions of P-STAT1, STAT1, PD-L1 and apoptosis index proteins were detected by WB., Results: The anti-LUAD effect of solamargine was found by wound healing, colony formation assay, transwell assay, hoechst and EdU staining. The results of network pharmacological analysis showed that solamargine could suppress STAT1 expression level. Further enrichment assay of STAT1 showed that STAT1 was associated with immune-related pathways. In addition, molecular signal analysis by WB and RT-qPCR indicated that solamargine could reduce the expression levels of P-STAT1 and PD-L1 in a concentration-dependent manner. According to the results of in vivo assays, combination of solamargine and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) durvalumab could significantly inhibit the growth of Lewis transplanted tumors in C57BL/6 mice, and no toxic side effect was recoded., Conclusion: These results indicated that solamargine could inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of LUAD. It also could reduce the expression level of P-STAT1 protein and inhibit the expression level of PD-L1. At the same time, the combination with the ICIs can better block the expression of PD-L1 in cells, thereby inhibiting the immune escape pathway of tumor cells and achieving anti-tumor effects. This study proposed a novel combined therapeutic approach, involving the inhibition of STAT1 by solamargine in conjunction with ICIs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Nanogap-based plasmonic metal nanocrystals have been applied in surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection, while the closed and insufficient electromagnetic fields as well as the nonreproducible Raman signal of the substrate greatly restrict the actual application. Herein, a highly uniform Au/AgAu monolayer with abundant nanogaps and huge electromagnetic enhancement is prepared, which shows ultrasensitive and reproducible SERS detection. Au/AgAu with an inner nanogap is first prepared based on Au nanotriangles, and the nanogap is opened from the three tips via a subsequent etching process. The open-gap Au/AgAu displays much higher SERS efficiency than Au and Au/AgAu with an inner nanogap on detecting crystal violet due to the open-gap induced electromagnetic enhancement and improved molecular absorption. Furthermore, the open-gap Au/AgAu monolayer is prepared via interfacial self-assembly, which shows further improved SERS due to the dense and strong hotspots in the nanocavities induced by the electromagnetic coupling between adjacent open gaps. The monolayer possesses excellent signal stability, uniformity, and reproducibility. The analytic enhancement factor and relative standard deviation reach to 2.12 × 10 8 and 4.65% on detecting crystal violet, respectively. Moreover, the monolayer achieves efficient detection of thiram in apple juice, biphenyl-4-thiol, 4-mercaptobenzoic, melamine, and a mixed solution of four different molecules, showing great promise in practical detection.

Maternal exposure to glucocorticoids has been associated with adverse outcomes in offspring. However, the consequences and mechanisms of gestational exposure to prednisone on susceptibility to osteoporosis in the offspring remain unclear. Here, we found that gestational prednisone exposure enhanced susceptibility to osteoporosis in adult mouse offspring. In a further exploration of myogenic mechanisms, results showed that gestational prednisone exposure down-regulated FNDC5/irisin protein expression and activation of OPTN-dependent mitophagy in skeletal muscle of adult offspring. Additional experiments elucidated that activated mitophagy significantly inhibited the expression of FNDC5/irisin in skeletal muscle cells. Likewise, we observed delayed fetal bone development, downregulated FNDC5/irisin expression, and activated mitophagy in fetal skeletal muscle upon gestational prednisone exposure. In addition, an elevated total m6A level was observed in fetal skeletal muscle after gestational prednisone exposure. Finally, gestational supplementation with S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), an inhibitor of m6A activity, attenuated mitophagy and restored FNDC5/irisin expression in fetal skeletal muscle, which in turn reversed fetal bone development. Overall, these data indicate that gestational prednisone exposure increases m6A modification, activates mitophagy, and decreases FNDC5/irisin expression in skeletal muscle, thus elevating osteoporosis susceptibility in adult offspring. Our results provide a new perspective on the earlier prevention and treatment of fetal-derived osteoporosis., 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.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Lizhong decoction (LZD), a classical herbal prescription recorded by Zhang Zhongjing in Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases, has been extensively used to treat ulcerative colitis (UC) in clinical practice for thousands of years. However, its material basis and underlying mechanism are not yet clear., Aim of the Study: This study aims to explore the material basis and potential mechanism of LZD against UC based on the spectrum-effect relationship and network pharmacology., Materials and Methods: First, LZD was extracted by a systematic solvent extraction method into four parts. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) technique was used to identify the compounds from different polar parts, and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model was used to evaluate the efficacy of each fraction. Then, the spectrum-effect analyses of compounds and efficacy indicators were established via grey relational analysis (GRA), bivariate correlation analysis (BCA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR). Finally, the potential mechanism of LZD for UC therapy was explored by network pharmacology, and the results were further verified by molecular docking and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR)., Results: 66 chemical components of LZD were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS technology. The pharmacodynamic results showed that extraction parts of LZD had different therapeutic effects on UC, among which ethyl acetate and n-butanol extracts had significant anti-colitis effects, which might be the main effective fractions of LZD. Furthermore, the spectrum-effect analyses indicated that 21 active ingredients such as liquiritin apioside, neolicuroside, formononetin, ginsenoside Rg1, 6-gingesulfonic acid, licoricesaponin A3, liquiritin, glycyrrhizic acid were the main material basis for LZD improving UC. Based on the above results, network pharmacology suggested that the amelioration of LZD on UC might be closely related to the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Additionally, molecular docking technology and RT-qPCR further verified that LZD could markedly inhibit the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway., Conclusion: Overall, our study first identified the chemical compositions of LZD by using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Furthermore, the material basis and potential mechanism of LZD in improving UC were comprehensively elucidated via spectrum-effect relationships, network pharmacology, molecular docking and experimental verification. The proposed strategy provided a systematic approach for exploring how herbal medicines worked. More importantly, it laid the solid foundation for further clinical application and rational development of LZD., 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.)

As the most common nonlinear optical process, second harmonic generation (SHG) has important application value in the field of nanophotonics. With the rapid development of metal nanomaterial processing and chemical preparation technology, various structures based on metal nanoparticles have been used to achieve the enhancement and modulation of SHG. In the field of nonlinear optics, plasmonic metal nanostructures have become potential candidates for nonlinear optoelectronic devices because of their highly adjustable physical characteristics. In this article, first, the basic optical principles of SHG and the source of surface symmetry breaking in metal nanoparticles are briefly introduced. Next, the related reports on SHG in metal nanostructures are reviewed from three aspects: the enhancement of SHG efficiency by double resonance structures, the SHG effect based on magnetic resonance and the harmonic energy transfer. Then, the applications of SHG in the sensing, imaging and in situ monitoring of metal nanostructures are summarized. Future opportunities for SHG in composite systems composed of metal nanostructures and two-dimensional materials are also proposed.

Background: Exposure to di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) can cause neurotoxicity but the mechanism is not clear. Blood brain barrier (BBB) is one of the most important tissues to protect the brain. However, whether DEHP can disrupt the BBB or not remains unclear. The objective of this study is to investigate the potential effects of subchronic DEHP exposure on BBB integrity and discuss the role of BBB in DEHP inducible neurotoxicity with an emphasis on neuroinflammatory responses. Male adult C57BL/6J mice were orally administered with vehicle or 200 or 750 mg/kg/day DEHP for 90 days. Subchronic exposure to high-dose DEHP increased water intake but decreased body weight and brain weight. The concentrations of DEHP metabolites increased in serum from all DEHP-exposed groups while increased in brain only from the high-dose group. DEHP induced neurobehavioural alterations and damaged hippocampal neurons. DEHP increased BBB permeability by Evans blue (EB) extravasation and decreased tight junction proteins (ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-5) while presenting a neuroinflammatory feature characterized by the upregulated inflammatory mediators TNF-α and the NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β inflammasome pathway. Our data provide new insights into neurotoxicity caused by subchronic DEHP exposure, which is probably involved in BBB dysfunction and neuroinflammatory responses., 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.)

The global incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been surging in recent years, however, no drug is currently approved to treat this disease. Quercetin, a natural flavonoid abundant in plants and fruits, has been reported to alleviate NAFLD, however, the exact molecular mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to further elucidate its potential mechanism of action. The beneficial effects and the underlying mechanism of quercetin in alleviating NAFLD were explored both in vitro and in vivo, by employing chemical inhibitors of autophagosomes (3-methyladenine, 3-MA), autolysosomes (chloroquine, CQ), AMPK (Compound C, CC) and SIRT1 (selisistat, EX-527). The levels of intracellular lipids, reactive oxygen species, mitochondria function, autophagy, and mitophagy were assessed by fluorescent labeling and examined using flow cytometry or confocal microscopy. Key protein expressions of autophagy, mitophagy, and inflammation were also determined. In vivo, quercetin was shown to dose-dependently effectively alleviate NAFLD, but intraperitoneal injection of 3-MA could block the beneficial effects of quercetin on body weight, liver weight, serum ALT/AST, hepatic ROS and inflammation. In vitro, quercetin could reduce intracellular lipids (Nile Red staining) and ROS/DHE accumulation, which could be also blocked by 3-MA or CQ. Furthermore, we found that CC could abrogate the protective effects of quercetin on lipid and ROS accumulation in vitro. Also, CC abolished the proautophagic and anti-inflammatory effects of quercetin, as shown by western blot determination and Lyso-Tracker labeling. Importantly, mitophagy, a specific form of mitochondria-targeted autophagy, was enhanced by quercetin, as demonstrated by PINK1/Parkin protein variation and immunofluorescence colocalization of autophagosomes and mitochondria, which could also be blocked by the intervention of CC. This study demonstrates that quercetin prevents NAFLD through AMPK-mediated mitophagy and suggests that promoting mitophagy via an upregulation of AMPK may be a promising therapeutic strategy against NAFLD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Heterocrystals consisting of multiple species have received wide attention owing to the advantage of the cooperative effect contributed by different functional counterparts; therefore, a controlled growth strategy is highly desired. Herein, we report an effective method to synthesize dumbbell-like Au-PtCu solid and hollow nanorods, regulated by the unique surface capping and oxidation etching roles of copper ions. Dumbbell-like nanorods are prepared through site-selective co-deposition of platinum and copper on both tips of gold nanorods assisted by the capping effect of the CTAB-Cu + complex to passivate the side surface. On the other hand, hollow dumbbell-like Au-PtCu nanorods are formed through triggering the etching effect of copper ions by increasing the reaction temperature to 80 °C. The manipulation of the morphology and extinction properties of the trimetallic Au-PtCu nanorods is demonstrated by adjusting the concentration of copper ions. Under excitation with a near-infrared 808 nm laser, the dumbbell-like Au-PtCu nanorods show excellent photothermal conversion, with a 3.1 times temperature increment (Δ T ) compared to bare Au nanorods, while the hollow dumbbell-like Au-PtCu NRs demonstrate improved photocatalytic activity under xenon lamp irradiation.

Plasmonic hybrids are regarded as promising candidates for water purification due to their structure-dependent photocatalysis and photothermal performance. It remains a challenge to develop materials that possess these two characteristics for efficient water purification. Herein, plasmonic Ti 3 C 2 T x /Bi 2 S 3 two-dimensional (2D)/2D hybrids were prepared for efficient solar-driven water purification via the combination of photothermal conversion and photocatalysis. Benefitting from broad light absorption, large 2D/2D interfaces, and efficient charge transfer, the binary hybrids showed high-efficiency photothermal conversion and photothermal-assisted photocatalytic activity. By depositing these 2D/2D hybrids on a hydrophilic and porous cotton piece, the Ti 3 C 2 T x /Bi 2 S 3 membrane displayed a high water evaporation rate and solar-to-vapor efficiency under one-sun irradiation. The solar-driven evaporation of seawater, heavy metal ion solution, and dye solution jointly indicated that the plasmonic membrane shows great potential for drinkable water generation and industrial wastewater treatment. Most importantly, the synergistic effect of photothermal evaporation and photocatalysis of the Ti 3 C 2 T x /Bi 2 S 3 membrane on water purification was demonstrated. The polluted water can not only be treated by evaporation, but also be degraded via photocatalysis under solar light irradiation. This work provides new insight into designing functional materials for water purification based on the combination of photothermal conversion and photocatalysis.

mPGES-1 is an enzyme, which, when activated by inflammatory factors, can cause prostaglandin E synthesis. Traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are capable of inhibiting prostaglandin production, yet they can also cause gastrointestinal reactions and coagulation disorders. mPGES-1, the enzyme at the conclusion of prostaglandin production, does not cause any adverse reactions when inhibited. Numerous studies have demonstrated that mPGES-1 is more abundant in cancerous cells than in healthy cells, indicating that decreasing the expression of mPGES-1 could be a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer. Consequently, the invention of mPGES-1 inhibitors presents a fresh avenue for the treatment of inflammation and cancer. Incorporating a database of TCM compounds, we collected a batch of compounds that had an inhibitory effect on mPGES-1 and possessed IC50 value. Firstly, a pharmacophore model was constructed, and the TCM database was screened, and the compounds with score cut-off values of more than 1 were retained. Then, the compounds retained after being screened via the pharmacodynamic model were screened for docking at the mPGES-1 binding site, followed by high-throughput virtual screening [HTVS] and standard precision [SP] and super-precision [XP] docking, and the compounds in the top 20% of the XP docking score were selected to calculate the total free binding energy of MM-GBSA. The best ten compounds were chosen by comparing their score against the reference ligand 4U9 and the MM-GBSA&#95;dG&#95;Bind score. ADMET analysis resulted in the selection of ten compounds, three of which had desirable medicinal properties. Finally, the binding energy of the target protein mPGES-1 and the candidate ligand compound was analyzed using a 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation of the reference ligand 4U9 and three selected compounds. After a gradual screening study and analysis, we identified a structure that is superior to the reference ligand 4U9 in all aspects, namely compound 15643. Taken together, the results of this study reveal a structure that can be used to inhibit mPGES-1 compound 15643, thereby providing a new option for anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor drugs.

Background: Perturbation of macrophage homeostasis is one of the key mechanisms of airway inflammation in asthma. However, the exact mechanisms remain poorly understood. Objectives: We sought to examine the role of histone deacetylase (HDAC) 10 as an epigenetic regulator that governs macrophage M2 program and promotes airway inflammation in asthma, and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Peripheral blood and airway biopsies were obtained from healthy individuals and asthmatic patients. Asthma was induced by exposure to allergen in mice with myeloid-specific deletion of Hdac10 ( Hdac10 fl/fl - LysMCre ) mice. HDAC10 inhibitor Salvianolic acid B (SAB), STAT3 selective agonist Colivelin, and the specific PI3K/Akt activator 1,3-Dicaffeoylquinic acid (DA) were also used in asthmatic mice. For cell studies, THP1 cells, primary mouse bone marrow derived macrophage (BMDMs) were used and related signaling pathways was investigated. Results: HDAC10 expression was highly expressed by macrophages and promoted M2 macrophage activation and airway inflammation in asthmatic patients and mice. Hdac10 fl/fl - LysMCre mice were protected from airway inflammation in experimental asthma model. Hdac10 deficiency significantly attenuated STAT3 expression and decreased M2 macrophage polarization following allergen exposure. Mechanistically, HDAC10 directly binds STAT3 for deacetylation in macrophages, by which it promotes STAT3 expression and activates the macrophage M2 program. Importantly, we identified SAB as a HDAC10 inhibitor that had protective effects against airway inflammation in mice. Conclusions: Our results revealed that HDAC10-STAT3 interaction governs macrophage polarization to promote airway inflammation in asthma, implicating HDAC10 as a therapeutic target., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Background: To reveal the key genes involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway, which ultimately governs the fragrance of Rhododendron fortunei, we performed a comprehensive transcriptome and metabolomic analysis of the petals of two different varieties of two alpine rhododendrons: the scented R. fortunei and the unscented Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla'., Results: Our transcriptomic and qRT-PCR data showed that nine candidate genes were highly expressed in R. fortunei but were downregulated in Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla'. Among these genes, EGS expression was significantly positively correlated with various volatile benzene/phenylpropanoid compounds and significantly negatively correlated with the contents of various nonvolatile compounds, whereas CCoAOMT, PAL, C4H, and BALDH expression was significantly negatively correlated with the contents of various volatile benzene/phenylpropanoid compounds and significantly positively correlated with the contents of various nonvolatile compounds. CCR, CAD, 4CL, and SAMT expression was significantly negatively correlated with the contents of various benzene/phenylpropanoid compounds. The validation of RfSAMT showed that the RfSAMT gene regulates the synthesis of aromatic metabolites in R. fortunei., Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that key candidate genes and metabolites involved in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway may govern the fragrance of R. fortunei. This lays a foundation for further research on the molecular mechanism underlying fragrance in the genus Rhododendron., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

A large number of epidemics, including COVID-19 and SARS, quickly swept the world and claimed the precious lives of large numbers of people. Due to the concealment and rapid spread of the virus, it is difficult to track down individuals with mild or asymptomatic symptoms with limited human resources. Building a low-cost and real-time epidemic early warning system to identify individuals who have been in contact with infected individuals and determine whether they need to be quarantined is an effective means to mitigate the spread of the epidemic. In this paper, we propose a smartphone-based zero-effort epidemic warning method for mitigating epidemic propagation. Firstly, we recognize epidemic-related voice activity relevant to epidemics spread by hierarchical attention mechanism and temporal convolutional network. Subsequently, we estimate the social distance between users through sensors built-in smartphone. Furthermore, we combine Wi-Fi network logs and social distance to comprehensively judge whether there is spatiotemporal contact between users and determine the duration of contact. Finally, we estimate infection risk based on epidemic-related vocal activity, social distance, and contact time. We conduct a large number of well-designed experiments in typical scenarios to fully verify the proposed method. The proposed method does not rely on any additional infrastructure and historical training data, which is conducive to integration with epidemic prevention and control systems and large-scale applications., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

There is currently no consensus about the impact of prenatal phthalate exposure on blood pressure and glycolipids in children. Few studies consider the health effects as an integrated indicator. The combined effect of multiple phthalate exposures is often ignored. Based on the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort, 2298 woman-child pairs were included in this study. Maternal urine was collected in each trimester to analyze 6 phthalate metabolites. The overall cardiometabolic risk (CMR) score was calculated based on serum glycolipids and blood pressure for children aged 4-7 years. A higher score represents a less favorable CMR profile. The restricted cubic spline model was used to explore the relationship between prenatal phthalate exposure and childhood CMR score. In addition, the quantile g-computation and the Bayesian kernel machine regression were used to evaluate the combined effect. The MBP exposure in the 1st trimester (MBP-1st) and the MEP-2nd were non-linearly associated with the CMR score (F nonlinear  = 3.28 and 5.60, P nonlinear  = 0.0378 and 0.0038, respectively). The MBP-3rd (F linear  = 5.31, P linear  = 0.0012) and the ∑LMWP-3rd (F linear  = 4.37, P linear  = 0.0045) were negatively associated with the score in a linear manner. The phthalate mixture in the 2nd trimester increased the score (psil = 0.1747, 95% CI = 0.0077-0.3416), with the MEP being the most common [weights = 0.5290; posterior inclusion probability (PIP) = 0.40]. The phthalate mixture in the 3rd trimester decreased the score (psil = -0.2024, 95% CI = -0.4097－0.0048), with the MEHP (weights = -0.5101; PIP = 0.14) and the MBP (weights = -0.3993, PIP = 1.00) being the greatest contributors. In conclusion, the MBP-1st and the MEP-2nd are non-linearly associated with the cardiometabolic risk in children. The MBP-3rd and the ∑LMWP-3rd decrease the childhood risk. The combined exposure to phthalate mixture in the second and third trimester elevates and decreases the risk of childhood cardiometabolism, respectively., 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. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Surface plasmons usually take two forms: surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) and localized surface plasmons (LSP). Recent experiments demonstrate an interesting plasmon mode within plasmonic gaps, showing distinct characters from the two usual forms. In this investigation, by introducing a fundamental concept of SPP standing wave and an analytical model, we reveal the nature of the recently reported plasmon modes. The analytical model includes SPP propagating and SPP reflection within a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) cavity, which is rechecked and supplemented by numerical simulations. We systematically analyze SPP standing waves within various nanocavities. During the discussion, some unusual phenomena have been explained. For example, the hot spot of a nanodimer could be off-tip, depending on the order of standing wave mode; and that a nanocube on metal film can be viewed as a nanocube dimer with the same separation. And many other interesting phenomena have been discussed, such as dark mode of SPP standing wave and extraordinary optical transmission. The study gives a comprehensive understanding of SPP standing waves, and may promote the applications of cavity plasmons in ultrasensitive bio-sensings.

Whilst certain environmental organochlorine pesticide exposure may still pose significant burden, the associations between dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) remain disputable notwithstanding the potentially inaccurate disease definition between age groups. National DDT exposure burden atlas was depicted from 92,061 participants by measuring their serum concentrations of DDT congeners and major metabolite in the US from 1999 to 2016. Temporal analyses of these toxicant exposure suggested that although serum DDT concentrations exhibited recent decline, the detection rates remain up to 99.8% every year, posing great concern for exposure risk. A total of 3,039 US adults were further included from these participants demonstrating the weighted CKD prevalence of 40.2% using the new age-adapted CKD-EPI40 model compared to 28.0% using the current CKD-EPI method. After adjustment for covariates, logistic regression model results showed individual metabolites and total DDT burden were positively, yet monotonically, associated with risk of CKD incidence (P-trend for all < 0.05), particularly among adults 40 years of age and older. Much heightened renal disease risk was also observed with high DDT exposure (OR, 1.55; 95 % CI, 1.11-2.15) in those who were hypertensive (P for heterogeneity < 0.001) but not with diabetes. The current high DDT exposure risk combined with elevated probability for CKD incidence call for health concerns and management for the environmentally persistent pollutants., 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 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Few studies have investigated the associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and placental structure and function with inconsistent conclusions., Methods: Nested on the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort study, 2723 women provided spot urine samples during the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy to analyze six phthalate metabolites. The outcomes of interest were placental weight, efficiency (birth weight/placental weight), chorionic disc area and disc eccentricity. The relationships of prenatal exposure to a single phthalate with placental measures were analyzed. The associations between prenatal phthalate mixture exposure and placental measures were also evaluated., Results: Most phthalate metabolites were significantly associated with placental weight, efficiency and chorionic disc area during the whole gestation and in each trimester of pregnancy, with different directions of relationships. Sensitivity analyses revealed similar findings, indicating the robustness of the statistical results. Furthermore, inverted U-shaped nonlinear relationships of prenatal exposure to some phthalate metabolites with placental weight, efficiency and chorionic plate area were observed. However, quantile g-computation mixture models did not reveal any association between maternal combined exposure to the total phthalate metabolites and placental measures., Conclusions: Maternal exposure to most phthalates and their metabolites was associated with placental weight, efficiency and chorionic plate area in both a linear manner and an inverted U-shaped nonlinear manner. However, the mixture of multiple phthalate metabolites was not observed to be associated with any placental measure., 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.)

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) vascular hyperintensities (FVHs) and the clinical-radiological correlation in transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients., Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of TIA patients who had undergone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within 24 h of symptom onset. Two independent neuroradiologists investigated the presence of FVHs, large-artery severe stenosis or occlusion (LASO) in magnetic resonance angiograms, and the nature of factors associated with FVH., Results: A total of 207 patients were enrolled in this study. FVHs were detected in 42 (20.3%) patients, in whom atrial fibrillation (AF) was confirmed in 25 (59.5%) cases and LASO was confirmed in 30 (71.4%) cases. The corresponding figures were 33 (20.0%) and 10 (6.1%), respectively, for the 165 FVH-negative patients. Logistic regression analysis showed that time from symptom onset to MRI (odds ratio [OR] = 0.82, 95% CI 0.76-0.97, p = 0.042), previous stroke (OR = 2.95, 95% CI 1.58-6.74, p = 0.002), AF (OR = 5.83, 95% CI 2.24-9.46, p < 0.001), and LASO (OR = 4.28, 95% CI 2.96-10.28, p < 0.001) were independently associated with FVH. Overall, the sensitivity and specificity of FVH for predicting LASO were 0.75 and 0.93, respectively, and the positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 0.71, 0.94, and 0.89, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.839. FVH-positive TIA patients with LASO had less AF (14 [46.7%] versus 11 [91.7%], p = 0.019) and longer times from symptom onset to MRI (6.8 ± 2.8 h versus 4.8 ± 1.3 h, p = 0.004) than those without LASO., Conclusion: The presence of FVH could be an important marker in TIA patients. Many factors, including LASO, AF, and time from symptom onset to MRI, are associated with the detection of FVH., Competing Interests: The authors have no financial and/or non-financial conflicts of interest., (© 2022 Zeng et al.)

The orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light offers a new degree of freedom for light-matter interactions, yet how to control such interactions with this physical dimension remains open. Here, by developing a numerical method enabling optical OAM simulations, we provide insights into complex plasmon behaviors with the physical dimension of OAM, and we prove in theory that plasmonic nanostructures can function as efficient antennas to intercept and directionally reradiate the power of OAM beams. The interplay between optical OAM and spin angular momentum (SAM) generates novel particle polarizations and radiations, which were inaccessible before. For arrayed nanoparticles, coherent surface plasmons with specific phase retardations determined by OAM of the beams enable directional power radiations, making a phased array antenna. These findings expand our knowledge of nanoplasmonics in the OAM area and are promising for quantum information processing and dynamic sensing of ultraweak biosignals.

Background: CDK4/6 (Cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6) are the key promoters of cell cycle transition from G1 phase to S phase. Thus, selective inhibition of CDK4/6 is a promising cancer treatment., Methods: A total of 52,765 marine natural products were screened for CDK4/6. To screen out better natural compounds, pharmacophore models were first generated, then the absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity (ADMET) were tested, followed by molecular docking. Finally, molecular dynamics simulation was carried out to verify the binding characteristics of the selected compounds., Results: Eighty-seven marine small molecules were screened based on the pharmacophore model. Then, compounds 41369 and 50843 were selected according to the ADMET and molecular docking score for further kinetic simulation evaluation. Finally, through molecular dynamics analysis, it was confirmed that compound 50843 maintained a stable conformation with the target protein, so it has the opportunity to become an inhibitor of CDK4/6., Conclusion: Through structure-based pharmacophore modeling, ADMET, the molecular docking method and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, marine natural compound 50843 was proposed as a promising marine inhibitor of CDK4/6.

Mangrove secondary metabolites have many unique biological activities. We identified lead compounds among them that might target KRAS G12C . KRAS is considered to be closely related to various cancers. A variety of novel small molecules that directly target KRAS are being developed, including covalent allosteric inhibitors for KRAS G12C mutant, protein-protein interaction inhibitors that bind in the switch I/II pocket or the A59 site, and GTP-competitive inhibitors targeting the nucleotide-binding site. To identify a candidate pool of mangrove secondary metabolic natural products, we tested various machine learning algorithms and selected random forest as a model for predicting the targeting activity of compounds. Lead compounds were then subjected to virtual screening and covalent docking, integrated absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) testing, and structure-based pharmacophore model validation to select the most suitable compounds. Finally, we performed molecular dynamics simulations to verify the binding mode of the lead compound to KRAS G12C . The lazypredict function package was initially used, and the Accuracy score and F1 score of the random forest algorithm exceeded 60%, which can be considered to carry a strong ability to distinguish the data. Four marine natural products were obtained through machine learning identification and covalent docking screening. Compound 44 and compound 14 were selected for further validation after ADME and toxicity studies, and pharmacophore analysis indicated that they had a favorable pharmacodynamic profile. Comparison with the positive control showed that they stabilized switch I and switch II, and like MRTX849, retained a novel binding mechanism at the molecular level. Molecular dynamics analysis showed that they maintained a stable conformation with the target protein, so compound 44 and compound 14 may be effective inhibitors of the G12C mutant. These findings reveal that the mangrove-derived secondary metabolite compound 44 and compound 14 might be potential therapeutic agents for KRAS G12C .

Competing Interests: None

Prenatal DEHP exposure can cause offspring neurodevelopmental toxicity, but the persistent effects of such exposure window are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the lasting neurobehavioral impact of DEHP on offspring following early exposure from GD9.5 (fetal neural tube closure) to GD16.5 (fetal thyroxin, TH, synthesis). Data showed maternal exposure to DEHP during the thyroid hormone-dependent stage induced a range of neurobehavioral phenotypic changes in adult and middle-aged mice, including anxiety, depression and cognitive impairment. Significant reductions in free TH, TH transporters, and TH metabolic enzyme deiodinase II (D2) were observed in the fetal brain, whereas D3 was elevated, indicating that TH signaling disruption was caused by in utero exposure. Gene expression analyses suggested the expression levels of the TH receptors Trα1, Trβ1 and their downstream target, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, were significantly attenuated, which may partially explain the mechanisms of neurodevelopmental impairment. This study provides new evidence of the persistent effects of sex-specific neurodevelopmental impairment due to in utero DEHP exposure, possibly through damage to the fetal brain TH signaling systems that causes lifelong brain damage. These results further suggest a profound neurobehavioral toxicity of DEHP that may be programmed during early developmental stage exposure and manifested later in life., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: A few studies have reported phthalate exposure as a risk factor for depressive symptoms, but the results have been inconsistent. Whether chronic inflammation mediates the relationship between phthalates (PAEs) and depressive symptoms remains unclear. In this study, we establish mediating models of inflammatory factors and explore the mediating role of chronic inflammation in the association between PAEs exposure and depressive symptoms., Methods: The sample included 989 participants from the Study on Health and Environment of the Elderly in Lu'an City, Anhui Province. Geriatric depression scale (GDS-30) was used to screen depressive symptoms of the elderly. The levels of seven kinds of PAEs in urine samples and four inflammatory factors in serum of the elderly were measured. To establish the mediating effect of inflammatory factors to explore the potential effect of PAEs exposure on the increased odds of depressive symptoms., Results: Adjusted for multiple variables, the highest tertiles of Mono (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) (95%CI = 1.051-2.112), Mono benzyl phthalate (MBzP) (95%CI = 1.016-2.082) and Mono butyl phthalate (MBP) (95%CI = 1.102-2.262) were positively correlated with depressive symptoms. The mediating effect of IL-6 and generalized inflammation factor between MEHP exposure and depressive symptoms were 15.96% (95%CI=0.0288-0.1971) and 14.25% (95%CI = 0.0167-0.1899)., Conclusions: High levels of MEHP, MBzP and MBP increased the odds of depressive symptoms in the elderly, and chronic inflammation had a partial mediating effect on the increased odds of depressive symptoms due to MEHP exposure., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Di (2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a widely used plasticizer. Maternal DEHP exposure inhibits cell proliferation and reduces placentas size, which associates with fetal growth restriction and adulthood diseases. However, the mechanism of placental cell proliferation inhibition by DEHP remains elusive. This study investigated the effect of DEHP on placental cell proliferation from cell cycle arrest. Utilizing in vitro and in vivo experiments, we investigated cell cycle arrest, DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, genotoxic stress response, and micronuclei formation. Most DEHP metabolizes to mono (2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) and distributes to organs quickly, so MEHP and DEHP were used in cultured cell and animal experiments, respectively. Here, a double blocking mode for the proliferation inhibition of the placental cell was revealed. One is that the classical DSB repair pathways were suppressed, which arrested the cell cycle at the G2/M phase. The other is that DEHP stimulated an elevated level of progesterone, which blocked the cell cycle at metaphase by disrupting chromosome arrangement. These two sets of events facilitated micronuclei formation and resulted in cell proliferation inhibition. This findings provide a novel mechanistic understanding for DEHP to inhibit placental cell proliferation., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Colloidal metal nanocrystals (NCs) show great potential in plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy owing to their attractive and structure-depended plasmonic properties. Herein, unique Au rod-cup NCs, where Au nanocups are embedded on the one or two ends of Au nanorods (NRs), are successfully prepared for the first time via a controllable wet-chemistry strategy. The Au rod-cup NCs possess multiple plasmon modes including transverse and longitudinal electric dipole (TED and LED), magnetic dipole (MD), and toroidal dipole (TD) modulated LED resonances, producing large extinction cross-section and huge near-field enhancements for plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy. Particularly, Au rod-cup NCs with two embedded cups show excellent surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) performance than Au NRs (75.6-fold enhancement excited at 633 nm) on detecting crystal violet owing to the strong electromagnetic hotspots synergistically induced by MD, LED, and TED-based plasmon coupling between Au cup and rod. Moreover, the strong TD-modulated dipole-dipole double-resonance and MD modes in Au rod-cup NCs bring a 37.3-fold enhancement of second-harmonic generation intensity compared with bare Au NRs, because they can efficiently harvest photoenergy at fundamental frequency and generate large near-field enhancements at second-harmonic wavelength. These findings provide a strategy for designing optical nanoantennas for plasmon-enhanced applications based on multiple plasmon modes., Electronic Supplementary Material: Supplementary material (SEM image of Au rod-one-cup NCs; TEM image of Au/PbS hybrids; SEM image of Au rod-two-cup NCs; low-amplification SEM image of Au rod-two-cup NCs; experimental extinction and calculated electric field distributions of Au NR excited at different wavelengths; calculated absorption and scattering spectra of Au rod-one-cup NCs; schematic illustration of the cut plane and the corresponding magnetic field distribution under L3 excitation; Raman spectra of CV (10 -6 M) adsorbed on Au rod-cup NCs with different cup sizes; calculated magnetic field distribution of Au rodcup NCs excited at 532 and 633 nm; calculated electric field distributions of Au rod-one-cup NC excited at 600 nm along TE and LE; the models of Au rod-cup NCs used in the simulations) is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s12274-022-4562-5., (© Tsinghua University Press 2022.)

Background: In the past decade, several antibodies directed against the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction have been approved. However, therapeutic antibodies also exhibit some shortcomings. Using small molecules to regulate the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway may be another way to mobilize the immune system to fight cancer., Method: 52,765 marine natural products were screened against PD-L1(PDBID: 6R3K). To identify natural compounds, a structure-based pharmacophore model was generated, following by virtual screening and molecular docking. Then, the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) test was carried out to select the most suitable compounds. Finally, molecular dynamics simulation was also performed to validate the binding property of the top compound., Results: Initially, 12 small marine molecules were screened based on the pharmacophore model. Then, two compounds were selected for further evaluation based on the molecular docking scores. After ADME and toxicity studies, molecule 51320 was selected for further verification. By molecular dynamics analysis, molecule 51320 maintains a stable conformation with the target protein, so it has the chance to become an inhibitor of PD-L1., Conclusions: Through structure-based pharmacophore modeling, virtual screening, molecular docking, ADMET approaches, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, the marine natural compound 51320 can be used as a small molecule inhibitor of PD-L1.

Neuroradiological methods play important roles in neurology, especially in cerebrovascular diseases. Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) vascular hyperintensity (FVH) is frequently encountered in patients with acute ischemic stroke and significant intracranial arterial stenosis or occlusion. The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and the clinical implications of FVH have been a matter of debate. FVH is associated with large-vessel occlusion or severe stenosis, as well as impaired hemodynamics. Possible explanations suggested for its appearance include stationary blood and slow antegrade or retrograde filling of the leptomeningeal collateral circulation. However, the prognostic value of the presence of FVH has been controversial. FVH can also be observed in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA), which may have different pathomechanisms. Its presence can help clinicians to identify patients who have a higher risk of stroke after TIA. In this review article, we aim to describe the mechanism and influencing factors of FVH, as well as its clinical significance in patients with cerebrovascular disease., 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 Zeng, Chen, Liao, Wang, Xie and Wu.)

The cooperation of magnetic and electric plasmon resonances in cup-shaped metallic nanostructures exhibits significant capability for second-harmonic generation (SHG) enhancement. Herein, we report an approach for synthesizing Au open nanoshells with tunable numbers and sizes of openings on a template of six-pointed PbS nanostars. The morphology of Au nanoshells is controlled by adjusting the amount of HAuCl 4 , and the characteristic shapes of pointed nanocaps, open nanoshells, and hollow nanostars are obtained. Owing to the collaboration of electric and magnetic plasmon resonance modes, the Au nanoshells exhibit significantly broadened and highly tunable optical responses. Furthermore, the morphology-dependent SHG of the Au nanoshells shows two maximal SHG intensities, corresponding to four-opening and one-opening Au nanoshells with appropriate opening sizes. Ag/Au and AuAg/Ag/Au open nanoshells were further investigated to achieve enhanced SHG. By adjusting the thickness of the Ag shell, the SHG intensity of Ag/Au open nanoshells reaches a maximum due to the gradient field at the AuAg bimetallic interface. After replacing the Ag shells with Au shells, the SHG intensity of AuAg/Ag/Au open nanoshells reaches a maximum due to further symmetry breaking. These findings provide a strategy to prepare colloidal metal nanocrystals with prospective applications ranging from nonlinear photonic nanodevices to biospectroscopy and photocatalysis.

A phase junction fabricated by two crystalline phases of the same semiconductor is a promising photocatalyst with efficient charge transfer and separation. However, the weak light absorption and uncontrolled phase junction interface limit the generation and separation of photogenerated carriers. Herein, a two-dimensional (2D)/2D phase junction was prepared by growing orthorhombic WO 3 ultrathin nanosheets on hexagonal WO 3 nanosheets through a one-step hydrothermal method. The orthorhombic/hexagonal WO 3 possesses large-area phase junction interfaces, rich reactive sites, and built-in electric field, which greatly accelerate the photogenerated charge separation and transfer. Thus, the orthorhombic/hexagonal WO 3 displayed excellent photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity from water splitting under light irradiation (λ > 420 nm), which is 2.16 and 2.85 times those of orthorhombic and hexagonal WO 3 phase components. Furthermore, Au nanoparticles (about 4.5 nm in diameter) were deposited on both orthorhombic and hexagonal WO 3 nanosheets to form a plasmon-mediated phase junction. The hybrids exhibit prominent visible-light absorption and efficient charge transfer, leading to a further improved photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity. Further characterization studies demonstrate that superior photoactivity arises from the excellent visible-light-harvesting ability, appropriate band structure, and high-efficiency and multichannel transferring processes of photogenerated carriers.

Flower-like metallic nanocrystals have shown great potential in the fields of nanophononics and energy conversion owing to their unique optical properties and particular structures. Herein, colloid Au nanoflowers with different numbers of petals were prepared by a steerable template process. The structure-adjustable Au nanoflowers possessed double plasmon resonances, tunable electric fields, and greatly enhanced SERS and photocatalytic activity. In the extinction spectra, Au nanoflowers had a strong electric dipole resonance located around 530 to 550 nm. Meanwhile, a longitudinal plasmon resonance (730~760 nm) was obtained when the number of petals of Au nanoflowers increased to two or more. Numerical simulations verified that the strong electric fields of Au nanoflowers were located at the interface between the Au nanosphere and Au nanopetals, caused by the strong plasmon coupling. They could be further tuned by adding more Au nanopetals. Meanwhile, much stronger electric fields of Au nanoflowers with two or more petals were identified under longitudinal plasmon excitation. With these characteristics, Au nanoflowers showed excellent SERS and photocatalytic performances, which were highly dependent on the number of petals. Four-petal Au nanoflowers possessed the highest SERS activity on detecting Rhodamine B (excited both at 532 and 785 nm) and the strongest photocatalytic activity toward photodegrading methylene blue under visible light irradiation, caused by the strong multi-interfacial plasmon coupling and longitudinal plasmon resonance.

The quantum behavior of surface plasmons has received extensive attention, benefiting from the development of exquisite nanotechnology and the diverse applications. Blueshift, redshift, and nonshift of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) have all been reported as the particle size decreases and enters the quantum size regime, but the underlying physical mechanism to induce these controversial size dependences is not clear. Herein, we propose an improved semiclassical model for modifying the dielectric function of metal nanospheres by combining the intrinsic quantized electron transitions and surface electron injection or extraction to investigate the plasmon shift and LSPR size dependence of the charged Au nanoparticles. We experimentally observe that the nonmonotonic blueshift of LSPRs with size for Au nanoparticles is turned into an approximately monotonic blueshift by increasing the electron donor concentration in the reduction solution, and it can also be transformed to an approximately monotonic redshift after surface passivation by ligand molecules. Moreover, we demonstrate controlled blueshift and redshift for the electron and hole plasmons in Cu&#95;{2-x}S@Au core-shell nanoparticles by injecting electrons. The experimental observations and the theoretical calculations clarify the controversial size dependences of LSPR reported in the literature, reveal the critical role of surface electron injection or extraction in the transformation between the different size dependences of LSPRs, and are helpful for understanding the nature of surface plasmons in the quantum size regime.

Background: Biomonitoring studies have demonstrated extensive exposure of infants, children, and pregnant women to phthalates, but data on phthalate exposure and their determinants in Chinese older adults remain insufficient. This study aims to assess urinary phthalate metabolite levels, individual and cumulative exposure risk, and their determinants in Chinese community-dwelling older adults., Methods: A total of 987 individuals aged 60 years or over were included in this study. The urinary levels of seven phthalate metabolites were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI) of phthalates were calculated based on urinary metabolite levels. The associations between phthalate metabolite levels and potential determinants were examined using multiple linear regressions., Results: Detection rates of seven phthalate metabolites from the study population ranged from 63.83% to 99.39%. The highest median concentration was 43.64 μg/L (42.59 μg/g creatinine) for mono-butyl phthalate (MBP). The highest median EDI was 1.55 μg/kg-bw/day for diethyl phthalate (DBP). Nearly 5% of participants had high HI values exceeding 1, mainly attributed to DBP and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Furthermore, we found that females, higher body mass index (BMI), smoking, having two or more chronic diseases, and vegetable-based diets were significantly associated with higher levels of parts of phthalate metabolites. More interestingly, higher urine levels of high-molecular-weight (HMW) phthalate metabolites and lower urine levels of low-molecular-weight (LMW) phthalate metabolites were found in rural older adults than in urban older adults., Conclusions: Chinese community-dwelling older adults are extensively exposed to phthalates, especially to DBP and DEHP. More attention should be paid to urban-rural differences in exposure to HMW and LMW phthalates and to phthalate exposure among older adults with overweight/obesity, females, and individuals who are current heavy smokers, have two or more chronic diseases, and consume vegetable-based diets., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Percutaneous computed tomography (CT)-guided transthoracic needle biopsy (TTNB) is a valuable procedure for obtaining tissue or cells for diagnosis, which is especially indispensable in thoracic oncology. Pneumothorax and hemoptysis are the most common complications of percutaneous needle biopsy of the lung. According to reports published over the past decades, pneumothorax incidence in patients who underwent TTNB greatly varies. The morbidity of pneumothorax after CT-guided TTNB depends on several factors, including size and depth of lesions, emphysema, the number of pleural surfaces and fissure crossed, etc. Attention to biopsy planning and technique and post-biopsy precautions help to prevent or minimize potential complications. Many measures can be taken to help prevent the progression of a pneumothorax, which in turn might reduce the number of pneumothoraces requiring chest tube placement. A multitude of therapeutic options is available for the treatment of pneumothorax, varying from observation and oxygen treatment, simple manual aspiration, to chest tube placement. When a pneumothorax develops during the biopsy procedure, it can be manually aspirated after the needle is retracted back into the pleural space or by inserting a separate needle into the pleural space. Biopsy side down positioning of the patient after biopsy significantly reduces the incidence of pneumothorax and the requirement of chest tube placement. Aspiration in biopsy side down position is also recommended for treating pneumothorax when simple manual aspiration is unsuccessful or delayed pneumothorax occurred. Chest tube placement is an important treatment strategy for patients with a large or symptomatic pneumothorax. Clinicians are encouraged to understand the development, prevention, and treatment of pneumothorax. Efforts should be made to reduce the incidence of pneumothorax in biopsy planning and post-biopsy precautions. When pneumothorax occurs, appropriate treatment should be adopted to reduce the risk of worsening pneumothorax., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no potential conflicts of interest for this work., (© 2021 Zeng et al.)

Fucosterol, a sterol isolated from brown algae, has been demonstrated to have anti-cancer properties. However, the effects and underlying molecular mechanism of fucosterol on non-small cell lung cancer remain to be elucidated. In this study, the corresponding targets of fucosterol were obtained from PharmMapper, and NSCLC related targets were gathered from the GeneCards database, and the candidate targets of fucosterol-treated NSCLC were predicted. The mechanism of fucosterol against NSCLC was identified in DAVID6.8 by enrichment analysis of GO and KEGG, and protein-protein interaction data were collected from STRING database. The hub gene GRB2 was further screened out and verified by molecular docking. Moreover, the relationship of GRB2 expression and immune infiltrates were analyzed by the TIMER database. The results of network pharmacology suggest that fucosterol acts against candidate targets, such as MAPK1, EGFR, GRB2, IGF2, MAPK8, and SRC, which regulate biological processes including negative regulation of the apoptotic process, peptidyl-tyrosine phosphorylation, positive regulation of cell proliferation. The Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway initiated by GRB2 showed to be significant in treating NSCLC. In conclusion, our study indicates that fucosterol may suppress NSCLC progression by targeting GRB2 activated the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, which laying a theoretical foundation for further research and providing scientific support for the development of new drugs.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) had demonstrated effectiveness in the prevention and control of COVID-19. Statistics showed that Ephedra and Glycyrrhiza were frequently used in the treatment of COVID-19. We hypothesized that the Ephedra-Glycyrrhiza drug pair is a potential choice for the treatment of COVID-19. Here, 112 active compounds were identified from Ephedra-Glycyrrhiza via network pharmacology approach. Ephedra-Glycyrrhiza pair enrichment analysis demonstrated that these compounds might participate in the cAMP, PI3K-Akt, JAK-STAT and chemokine signaling pathways, which had a high correlation with respiratory, nervous, blood circulation and digestive system-related diseases. Pathway analysis between Ephedra-Glycyrrhiza and COVID-19 showed that the key targets were TNF-α, IL2, FOS, ALB, and PTGS2. They might control PI3K-Akt signaling pathway to exert immune regulation, organ protection and antiviral effects. Molecular docking results showed that the active compounds from the Ephedra-Glycyrrhiza pair bound well to COVID-19 related targets, including the main protease (Mpro, also called 3CLpro), the spike protein (S protein), and the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The Molecular dynamics simulation was analyzed for the stability and flexibility of the complex. In conclusion, our study elucidated the potential pharmacological mechanism of Ephedra-Glycyrrhiza in the treatment of COVID-19 through multiple targets and pathways.

Purpose: Shenfu decoction has outstanding curative effects in the treatment of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore the material basis and molecular mechanism of Shenfu Decoction through network pharmacology and molecular mechanisms, to provide a research basis for clinical medication and clues for subsequent research., Methods: The active components and targets of Shenfu decoction were searched in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), and the COVID-19-associated genes were collected using the Gene Cards platform. The target protein-protein interaction network map was constructed by mapping two genes, and the 'drug-active ingredient-target' network was constructed using Cytoscape software. The Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment of the mapping targets were analyzed., Result: Based on Traditional Chinese medicine, Shenfu Decoction can take effect in the lung, spleen, kidney and heart. Considering oral bioavailability (OB) ≥ 30% and drug-like (DL) ≥ 0.18 as the standard, 43 active compounds were screened and 114 Shenfu decoction action targets were collected. The key targets were CASP3, MAPK8, PTGS2, IL1B, PPARG, ICAM1, IFNG, RELA, NOS2, NOS3, HMOX1, CASP8, STAT1, and TGFB1. According to the standard of p  < .05, GO function was enriched in 108 biological processes, 16 cell processes and 27 molecular processes. Sixty-three signaling pathways were enriched by KEGG, which can be divided into four types: viral infection pathways, signal pathways, biological process pathways and different disease pathways. The comparison of negative and positive prescriptions further reflects the positive effect of Shenfu decoction against COVID-19. Finally, the effective ingredients with the high degree were molecular docked with Mpro, Rdrp and Spro proteins to further confirm the intervention effect of Shenfu Decoction on COVID-19., Conclusion: Shenfu decoction played an important role in regulating the anti-virus process, regulating immunity, inhibiting inflammation and regulating apoptosis through the interrelated regulation mechanism of multi-components and multi-targets, to treat patients with severe COVID-19.

The self-assembly process of metal nanoparticles has aroused wide attention due to its low cost and simplicity. However, most of the recently reported self-assembly systems only involve two or fewer metals. Herein, we first report a successful synthesis of self-assembled Ag@AuCu trimetal nanoplates in aqueous solution. The building blocks of multibranched AuCu alloy nanocrystals were first synthesized by a chemical reduction method. The growth of Ag onto the AuCu nanocrystals in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) induces a self-assembly process and formation of Ag@AuCu trimetal nanoplates. These nanoplates with an average side length of over 2 μm show a porous morphology and a very clear boundary with the branches of the as-prepared AuCu alloy nanocrystals extending out. The shape and density of the Ag@AuCu trimetal nanoplates can be controlled by changing the reaction time and the concentration of silver nitrate. The as-assembled Ag@AuCu nanoplates are expected to have the potential for wide-ranging applications in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and catalysis owing to their unique structures.

Background: Few epidemiological studies on the correlation between phthalate exposure and elderly obesity in China are available. The purpose of the present study is to assess phthalate exposure levels and explore the connections between exposure to phthalates and obesity using a sample of Chinese community-dwelling elderly individuals., Methods: Data were acquired from the baseline survey of the Cohort of Health of Elderly and Controllable Factors of Environment, which was established in Lu'an, Anhui province, China, from June to September in 2016. Urine samples were obtained to analyze the concentrations of seven phthalate metabolites, utilizing a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. General obesity was determined based on body mass index, and abdominal obesity based on waist circumference. Binary logistic regression models were utilized to analyze the associations of creatinine-corrected phthalate metabolite concentrations (categorized into quartiles) with general and abdominal obesity in elderly people. Moreover, a stratified analysis was performed to explore the difference between genders., Results: Of 942 elderly individuals, 52.9% were defined as generally obese and 75.5% as abdominally obese. The detection rates of seven phthalate metabolites ranged from 90.07% to 99.80%. The highest median concentration was 44.08 μg/l (for MBP), and the lowest was 0.55 μg/l (for MEHP). The level of exposure to LMW(low-molecular-weight) PAEs is higher than that to HMW(high-molecular-weight) PAEs. After adjustment for confounding variables, we found a significant association between urinary MEOHP (mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate), MEHP (mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate), MBP (mono-n-butyl phthalate), MEP (mono-ethyl phthalate), and MMP (mono-methyl phthalate) levels and general obesity. MBP levels were also correlated with abdominal obesity. When stratified by gender, higher urinary levels of MEOHP, MBP, MEP, and MMP were associated with general obesity in males, whereas MBP and MMP levels were eminently correlated with general obesity in females. Higher urinary MBP levels were associated with increased abdominal obesity rates in males, but not in females., Conclusions: In conclusion, higher phthalate metabolite concentrations were correlated with obesity in the elderly. Moreover, a gender difference was observed in these associations., 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 © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The epidemic of pneumonia (COVID-19) caused by novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been listed as a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), and its harm degree is defined as a global "pandemic". At present, the efforts of various countries focus on the rapid diagnosis and isolation of patients, as well as to find a treatment that can combat the most serious impact of the disease. The number of reported COVID-19 virus infections is still increasing. Unfortunately, no drugs or vaccines have been approved for the treatment of human coronaviruses, but there is an urgent need for in-depth research on emerging human infectious coronaviruses. Clarification transmission routes and pathogenic mechanisms, and identification of potential drug treatment targets will promote the development of effective prevention and treatment measures. In the absence of confirmed effective treatments, due to public health emergencies, it is essential to study the possible effects of existing approved antivirals drugs or Chinese herbal medicines for SARS-CoV-2. This review summarizes the epidemiological characteristics, pathogenesis, virus structure and targeting strategies of COVID-19. Meanwhile, this review also focus on the re-purposing of clinically approved drugs and Chinese herbal medicines that may be used to treat COVID-19 and provide new ideas for the discovery of small molecular compounds with potential therapeutic effects on novel COVID-19., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There is no conflict of interest associated with this article., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

During pregnancy, fetal thyroid hormones (THs) are dependent on maternal placental transport and their physiological level is crucial for normal fetal neurodevelopment. Earlier research has shown that Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) disrupts thyroid function and THs homeostasis in pregnant women and fetuses, and affects placental THs transport. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. The present study, therefore, aimed to systematically investigate the potential mechanisms of DEHP-induced disruption in the placental THs transport using two human placental trophoblastic cells, HTR-8/SVneo cells and JEG-3 cells. While the exposure of DEHP at the doses of 0-400 μM for 24 h did not affect cell viability, we found reduced consumption of T 3 and T 4 in the culture medium of HTR-8/Svneo cells treated with DEHP at 400 μM. DEHP treatment did not affect T 3 uptake and the expression of monocarboxylate transporters 8 (MCT8) and organic anion transporters 1C1 (OATP1C1). However, DEHP significantly inhibited transthyretin (TTR) internalization, down-regulated TTR, deiodinase 2 (DIO2), and thyroid hormone receptors mRNA expression and protein levels, and up-regulated deiodinase 3 (DIO3) protein levels in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that DEHP acts on placental trophoblast cells, inhibits its TTR internalization, down-regulates TTR expression and affects the expression of DIO2, DIO3, and thyroid hormone receptor. These may be the mechanisms by which PAEs affects THs transport through placental., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

To determine the influence of puncture site on aspiration in dealing with pneumothorax following CT-guided lung biopsy.Two hundred thirty-six pneumothorax patients after CT guided lung biopsies were retrospective analyzed from January 2013 to December 2018. Patients with minor asymptomatic pneumothorax were treated conservatively with monitoring of vital signs and follow-up CT to confirm stability. Ninety of the 236 pneumothorax patients, who underwent manual aspiration, were included in this analysis. In first manual aspiration, the needle from the lesion was retracted back into the pleural space after biopsy, and then aspiration treatment was performed. If the treatment is of unsatisfied result, a second attempt aspiration treatment, which puncture site away from initial biopsy one, was conducted. The efficacy of simple manual aspiration and the new method, changing puncture site for re-aspiration was observed.Immediate success was obtained in 62 out of the 90 patients in the first attempt. The effective rate and failure rate were 68.9% (62/90) and 31.1% (28/90), respectively. Twenty-eight patients in whom first attempt simple aspiration were unsuccessful underwent a second attempt aspiration, which puncture site away from initial biopsy one, was successful in 13 patients with 15 patients undergoing chest tube placement. The effective rate and failure rate were 46.4% (13/28) and 53.6% (15/28), respectively. Applying the modified procedure, total effective rate of aspiration elevated significantly from 68.9% (62/90) to 83.3% (75/90) (P < .05). No serious side effects were detected in the period of aspiration procedure.Manual aspiration with puncture site away from initial biopsy one is worth trying to deal with post-biopsy pneumothorax. This modified procedure improved the efficiency of treatment significantly, and reduced the rate of pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement.

A simple method for the controllable synthesis of Au nanocrystals-metal selenide hybrid nanostructures via amino acid guiding strategy is proposed. The results show that the symmetric overgrowth mode of PbSe shells on Au nanorods can be precisely manipulated by only adjusting the initial concentration of Pb 2+ . The shape of Au-PbSe hybrids can evolve from dumbbell-like to yolk-shell. Interestingly, the plasmonic absorption enhancement could be tuned by the symmetry of these hybrid nanostructures. This provides an effective pathway for maneuvering plasmon-induced energy transfer in metal-semiconductor hybrids. In addition, the photoactivities of Au-PbSe nanorods sensitized TiO 2 electrodes have been further evaluated. Owing to the synergism between effective plasmonic enhancement effect and efficient interfacial charge transfer in these hybrid nanostructures, the Au-PbSe yolk-shell nanorods exhibit an outstanding photocurrent activity. Their photocurrent density is 4.38 times larger than that of Au-PbSe dumbbell-like nanorods under light irradiation at λ > 600 nm. As a versatile method, the proposed strategy can also be employed to synthesize other metal-selenide hybrid nanostructures (such as Au-CdSe, Au-Bi 2 Se 3 and Au-CuSe).

Optical excitation, subsequent energy transfer, and emission are fundamental to many physical problems. Optical antennas are ideal candidates for manipulating these processes. We extend energy transfer to second- and third-harmonic (SH and TH) fields through the collaborative susceptibility χ ( n ) ( n = 1, 2, 3) resonances of nonlinear optical antennas. Hollow gold stars, with a broadband response covering the fundamental, SH, and TH frequencies, are synthesized as nonlinear antennas. Harmonic resonance energy transfer through a χ (3) → χ (1) collaboration is revealed. A χ (3) → χ (2) collaboration is uncovered, with largely enhanced SH radiation demonstrated by exciting the three resonances at the fundamental, SH, and TH frequencies. A theoretical model of the effective nonlinear susceptibilities is proposed to calculate the efficiencies of the two nonlinear energy transfer processes.

The metal-semiconductor heterostructure is an important candidate for photocatalysis due to its efficient charge transport and separation. A controllable morphology and ideal interfaces are critically significant for improving the heterostructure photocatalytic performance. By controlling the concentration of Cd 2+ to control the reaction environment (pH value) and reaction rate, the CdSe nanocrystal is overgrown on the side or tip of the Au nanorods, which leads to a strong interaction between the excitons of CdSe nanocrystals and the plasmons of Au nanorods. Both kinds of Au-CdSe heterorods exhibit good hydrogen productivity. Particularly, the lateral Au-CdSe heterorods exhibit excellent photocatalytic efficiency due to the larger contact interface of Au and CdSe and the strong local field of the CdSe nanocrystals grown on one side of the Au nanorods being enhanced by the transverse plasmon resonance in the visible region. We provide an approach to modulate the combination of the asymmetric metal nanoparticle and the semiconductor shell; these core-semishell heterostructures have potential applications ranging from photocatalysis to photonic nanodevices.