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Although facets play an important role in catalysis, the relationship between facets and the active site has rarely been reported. Herein, Pd-loaded C3N4photocatalysts with different exposed metal Pd facets were synthesized by controlling the flow-rate of the precursor. The influence of facets on active site in photocatalytic methanol reforming was monitored through an nuclear magnetic resonance molecular probe. The catalyst prepared at a low flow rate (Pd–C3N4-7.5) exhibited both Pd(111) and (100) facets, whereas that prepared at a high flow rate (Pd–C3N4-150) predominantly had Pd(100) facets. Furthermore, different crystal facets exhibited different active-site locations. The oxidation sites were dispersed over the entire surface (Pd, C3N4surface, and Pd/C3N4interface) of the catalysts with only Pd(100) facets. In contrast, they were mainly located on the metal Pd(111) surface and the Pd/C3N4interface for catalysts with both Pd(111) and (100) facets. We believe this study would improve our understanding of the relationship between facet and active site.

With the capability of controlling the wireless channels and alleviating multiplicative fading effects, active reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) can enhance the spectral efficiency (SE) and energy efficiency (EE) of user-centric (UC) networks. This work formulates the SE maximization problem for active RIS-aided UC networks considering the connecting capability of the access points (APs) and the quality of service (QoS) of the users. Due to the non-convexity of the problem, we divide it into three subproblems and propose a joint optimization framework for optimizing the user association, the precoding of the APs, and the reflection coefficients of the active RIS. For the user association subproblem, we propose a gradually approaching upper bound (GAUB) algorithm to construct a moderate and efficient association. Besides, the subproblems with respect to the transmit precoding and reflection coefficients optimization are solved by the fractional programming and Taylor approximation. Compared with existing benchmark schemes, simulation results show that the proposed joint optimization framework for active RIS-aided UC networks can obtain good SE and high EE.

Survival is one of the most important endpoints in cancer therapy, and parametric survival analysis could comprehensively reveal the overall result of disease progression, drug efficacy, toxicity as well as their interactions. In this study we investigated the efficacy and toxicity of dexamethasone (DEX) combined with gemcitabine (GEM) in pancreatic cancer xenograft. Nude mice bearing SW1990 pancreatic cancer cells derived tumor were treated with DEX (4 mg/kg, i.g.) and GEM (15 mg/kg, i.v.) alone or in combination repeatedly (QD, Q3D, Q7D) until the death of animal or the end of study. Tumor volumes and net body weight (NBW) were assessed every other day. Taking NBW as a systemic safety indicator, an integrated pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model was developed to quantitatively describe the impact of tumor size and systemic safety on animal survival. The PK/PD models with time course data for tumor size and NBW were established, respectively, in a sequential manner; a parametric time-to-event (TTE) model was also developed based on the longitudinal PK/PD models to describe the survival results of the SW1990 tumor-bearing mice. These models were evaluated and externally validated. Only the mice with good tumor growth inhibition and relatively stable NBW had an improved survival result after DEX and GEM combination therapy, and the simulations based on the parametric TTE model showed that NBW played more important role in animals’ survival compared with tumor size. The established model in this study demonstrates that tumor size was not always the most important reason for cancer-related death, and parametric survival analysis together with safety issues was also important in the evaluation of oncology therapies in preclinical studies.

Hydraulic oscillation is a common phenomenon in pumped storage power stations (PSPS). The presence of hydraulic oscillation can induce fluctuations throughout the PSPS system. When the disturbance frequency approaches the system's natural frequency, external excitation may trigger structural resonance, posing a serious threat to the safe and stable operation of the PSPS. Forced oscillation analysis aims to evaluate the system's performance under persistent disturbance sources. However, existing forced oscillation models face several numerical issues, including the overdetermined problem at the excitation source, unclosed boundary conditions, and poor computational efficiency. Several simplifications have been employed to address these numerical challenges, but they lack technological rigor. In response to these issues, this study proposes two one-dimensional (1D) forced oscillation analysis models based on time-domain and frequency-domain methods, respectively. The excitation source is constructed by adding an extra source term to the continuity equation of the fluid. The proposed models are validated through comparison with the 1D3D coupling model established in previous research. The performance of PSPS under forced oscillation conditions is analyzed using data from an actual PSPS. The results indicate that the proposed forced oscillation models effectively address the previous numerical issues and exhibit excellent computational efficiency, making them suitable for forced oscillation analysis of PSPS, hydropower plants, and other hydraulic systems.

In this paper, a silica-based D-shaped circular photonic crystal fiber Bragg grating sensor for refractive index sensing is proposed theoretically. D-shaped fiber construction can effectively enhance the coupling effect between the guiding mode and external liquid analyte, which then causes a distinct shift in the typical reflection spectrum as the refractive index of the analyte varies. This design exhibits highly improved sensitivity of 487 nm/RIU in a large refractive index range from 1.30 to 1.40 compared with the previous fiber grating sensors. Study of the dependence of sensing performance on the structure parameters suggests that the resonance peak shifts towards longer wavelengths with the increased air-hole diameter of fiber, while it is almost immobile as the hole spacing and the number of air-hole layers change in a certain range. For the influence of the Bragg grating structure, results show that the resonance peak is not sensitive to the grating length, but linearly increases as the grating period expands. The effects of polishing depth and fiber preparation error on the sensor are also discussed in detail. This high-sensitivity sensor based on a D-shaped photonic crystal fiber and Bragg grating has great potential in biochemical detection, environmental monitoring, and medical sensing.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women, mainly due to metastasis, which is strongly associated with cancer stemness. Our previous studies showed that the eradication of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) may be related to the activation of dopamine D1 receptor (D1DR). This study aimed to explicitly demonstrate the target-role of D1DR activation in antimetastatic therapy and to investigate the potential efficacy and the underlying D1DR-related mechanisms of QAP14, a new oral compound. 4T1, MDA-MB-231, and D1DR-knockout 4T1 (4T1-D1DR) cells were selected for in vitro study, while 4T1 and 4T1-D1DR cells were further used to establish a mouse allograft model for in vivo study. Our results showed that D1DR is abundantly expressed in both 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 cells and that knocking out D1DR in 4T1 cells accelerated migration and invasion in vitro as well as lung metastasis in vivo. QAP14 inhibited colony formation, cell motility, mammosphere formation and CSC frequency, induced CSC apoptosis and D1DR expression, and increased cAMP/cGMP levels. Additionally, QAP14 showed inhibitory effects on tumor growth and lung metastasis with acceptable safety in vivo. Knocking out D1DR almost completely abolished the efficacy, confirming that QAP14 exhibits its anti-CSC and antimetastatic effects through D1DR activation. The underlying mechanisms involved suppression of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway and consequent downregulation of both epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and cancer stemness. In summary, our findings suggest a potential candidate compound, QAP14, as well as a potential target, D1DR, for metastatic breast cancer therapy.

Sliding ferroelectricity is a recently observed polarity existing in two-dimensional materials. However, due to the weak polarization and poor electrical insulation in these materials, existing experimental evidences are indirect and mostly based on nanoscale transport properties or piezoresponse force microscopy. We report the direct observation of sliding ferroelectricity, using a high-quality amphidynamic single crystal (15-crown-5)Cd3Cl6, which possesses a large bandgap and so allows direct measurement of polarization–electric field hysteresis. This coordination polymer is a van der Waals material, which is composed of inorganic stators and organic rotators as determined by X-ray diffraction and NMR characterization. From density functional theory calculations, we find that after freezing the rotators, an electric dipole is generated in each layer driven by the geometric mechanism, while a comparable ferroelectric polarization originates from the interlayer sliding. The net polarization of these two components can be directly measured and manipulated. Our finding provides insight into low-dimensional ferroelectrics, especially control of the synchronous dynamics of rotating molecules and sliding layers in solids.

The development of an efficient and durable photocatalyst is the key to the degradation of tetracycline (TC). However, the ability to monitor the concentration of TC accurately remains a significant challenge. The present work addresses this issue by applying an operando 1H NMR spectroscopy technology for monitoring the TC concentration using TiO2photocatalysts with different oxygen vacancy concentrations. The application of operando NMR spectra compensates for the experimental error inherent in UV–vis spectrophotometry analyses caused by the destruction of the chromogenic group and thereby can accurately reflect the true degree of degradation. The TC degradation performances of the photocatalysts are evaluated systematically, and the obtained benzene ring concentrations are observed to contrast sharply with the corresponding TC concentration results obtained by UV–vis spectrophotometry. This research increases the availability, reliability, and accuracy of the test methods employed in TC degradation research and provides an experimental reference for the design of high-efficiency catalysts.

Methylammonium lead bromine (MAPbBr3) perovskites have shown great potential for a wide variety of optoelectronic applications. However, the structural and dynamic properties of MAPbBr3have been typically probed in the absence of illumination. The present study addresses this issue by applying in situsolid-state 2H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to investigate the rotational dynamics and orientations of MA cations in the different phase structures of MAPbBr3in detail. The results indicate that the orientations of the MA cations in MAPbBr3are widely distributed and that illumination induces changes in the rotational dynamics of the MA cations, while the apparent distribution of their orientations remains nearly unchanged. These results are expected to provide a useful viewpoint for understanding the molecular factors affecting the optoelectronic properties of MAPbBr3.

Recently the high strength steel has been applied in the automotive more and more widely. In this study, the effect of blank shape on the formability of an automotive part was analyzed. The three kinds of blank shapes were chosen, including a rectangular shaped blank, a blank with two corners cut straightly and a blank with two corners cut in curve. The effect of the variable blank holder force on the formability was studied. The four kinds of variable blank holder force were applied. The blank shape in this part is the blank with two corners cut curve. The results show that the blank with two corners curve is the most suitable. And the blank holder force from 1000 kN to 1500 kN is the most useful for the formability.

ABSTRACTIncreasing evidence has confirmed the vital roles of circular RNAs (CircRNAs) in the drug resistance of breast cancer (BC). Herein, we intended to study the effect of circular RNA FAT atypical cadherin 1 (circFAT1) on BC oxaliplatin (OX) resistance and find out the potential molecular mechanism in it. In this study, mRNA and protein levels of genes were measured by RT-qPCR and western blotting, respectively. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed the relationship between microRNA-525-5p (miR-525-5p) and circFAT1 or spindle and kinetochore-associated complex subunit 1 (SKA1). CCK-8, transwell, and flow cytometry experiments were utilized to investigate the chemosensitivity, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of BC cells. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was applied to discover possible pathways related to SKA1. It was uncovered that circFAT1 was overexpressed in OX-resistant BC tissues and cells. Functional experiments showed that circFAT1 depletion reduced the level of chemoresistance-related genes. Moreover, circFAT1 knockdown remarkably facilitated apoptosis and decreased OX (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) IC50value, migration, and invasion in OX-resistant BC cells. It was identified that miR-525-5p directly targeted circFAT1 and SKA1. Besides, rescue assays exhibited that circFAT1 promoted OX resistance in BC cells via the miR-525-5p/SKA1 regulatory network. Furthermore, GSEA and western blotting identified that SKA1 activated the Notch and Wnt pathway in OX-resistant BC cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that circFAT1 conferred OX resistance in BC by regulating the miR-525-5p/SKA1 via the Notch and Wnt pathway, providing a potential therapeutic target for patients with OX-resistant BC.

Hybrid perovskites are outstanding candidates for use in optoelectronic devices. Nonetheless, hybrid perovskites present numerous fundamental issues that are not yet fully understood. This study seeks to address this problem by reporting on the occurrence of ultraslow dynamic orientation changes in the methylammonium (MA) cations and the corresponding changes in the inorganic lattice of MAPbI3perovskite crystals occurring over a time scale of 100 s under continuous illumination based on in situsingle-crystal 2H nuclear magnetic resonance and in situX-ray diffraction results. The demonstrated ultraslow dynamic changes in MAPbI3are far slower than elementary molecular motions typically having time scales of femtoseconds and picoseconds and have never been reported previously. The ultraslow dynamic changes have been correlated with the reduction of band gap and the increase of absorption coefficient of MAPbI3, providing the molecular origins of the stabilization process in the photoresponse of the MAPbI3device.

The identification of viability-associated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is a means of uncovering therapeutic approaches for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, aberrant genome-wide hypomethylation has been implicated in HCC initiation and progression. However, the relationship between lncRNA dysregulation and genome-wide hypomethylation in hepatocarcinogenesis has not been fully elucidated. A novel lncRNA named LINC00662 was previously demonstrated to play a role in gastrointestinal cancer. In this study, we demonstrated that this lncRNA was correlated with survival and exhibited oncogenic properties, both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we determined that LINC00662 could lead to genome-wide hypomethylation and alter the genomic methylation profile by synchronously reducing the S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) level and enhancing the S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) level. Mechanistically, LINC00662 was determined to regulate the key enzymes influencing SAM and SAH levels, namely, methionine adenosyltransferase 1A (MAT1A) and S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (AHCY), by RNA–RNA and RNA–protein interactions. In addition, we demonstrated that some SAM-dependent HCC-promoting genes could be regulated by LINC00662 by altering the methylation status of their promoters via the LINC00662-coupled axes of MAT1A/SAM and AHCY/SAH. Taken together, the results of this this study indicate that LINC00662 could be a potential biomarker for HCC therapy. More importantly, we proposed a new role of lncRNA in regulating genomic methylation to promote oncogene activation.

Deep learning algorithm based on convolutional neural network has been widely used in the field of computer vision. A method based on deep convolution neural network is proposed for face recognition under low illumination. Firstly, the multi-scale retinex is used to enhance the face image in low-light imaging. Then the processed signal is input into the four-layer depth convolution neural network. The classification model is generated by the iterative training of the neural network. Finally, the input face image is classified based on the classification model. Multi-scale retinex utilises the principle of human eye perception of object brightness. Convolutional neural network can achieve better convergence rate and accuracy in classification and recognition of face images. Experiments on YaleB dataset show that the proposed algorithm and network model have better recognition performance.

Through a combination of operando nuclear magnetic resonance and gas chromatography, the effects of Pd nanoparticles with different crystal planes and sizes on the reduction and oxidation reaction parts of the photocatalytic reaction were studied in detail. The results show that the oxidation production selectivity of the catalyst is more affected by the crystal planes, and the reaction activity is more affected by the size.

The design of efficient semiconductor photocatalysts to promote solar-to-chemical conversion remains a tremendous challenge. The present study addresses this issue by loading Ag9(H2MSA)7and Ag32(MPG)19nanoclusters (NCs) onto graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) using a simple impregnation method to form Ag9NCs/g-CN and Ag32NCs/g-CN hybrid nanocomposites. The performance of the prepared photocatalyst samples investigated for the photocatalytic reduction of aqueous Cr(vi) to Cr(iii) under visible-light irradiation is systematically investigated. The proposed nanocomposites exhibit excellent optical absorption properties and efficient separation and migration of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. As a result, the Ag9NCs/g-CN and Ag32NCs/g-CN nanocomposites provide improved photocatalytic performances relative to that of pristine g-CN photocatalysts with reduction rate constants that are greater than that of pristine g-CN by factors of 2.3 and 2.0, respectively. Furthermore, we for the first time demonstrate the viability of employing operandolow-field NMR relaxometry for monitoring the photocatalytic Cr(vi) reduction performance by quantifying the concentration of paramagnetic Cr(iii) ions in solution using the transverse relaxation times determined from the Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill pulse sequence. Our study provides new insights for the rational design of high efficiency visible-light photocatalysts, and develops a more efficient method for quantifying the photocatalytic performance of catalysts for transforming heavy metal ions.

Previous studies show that dopamine D2-like receptor (D2DR) antagonist sulpiride (SUL) enhances the antitumor efficacy of dexamethasone (DEX) in drug-resistant breast cancer involving cancer stem-like cells (CSCs). In this study, we investigated the pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of SUL in nude mice and developed a semi-mechanism PK/PD model to quantitatively characterize the synergistic effect of DEX and SUL in preclinical breast cancer xenografts. After nude mice received oral administration of a single dose of SUL (50 mg/kg, ig), plasma concentrations were assessed using LC-MS/MS. A two-compartment model with double first-order absorption rate was developed to describe the PK profiles of SUL. The pharmacodynamic (PD) study was conducted in nude mice bearing human breast cancer MCF-7/Adr xenografts, which received oral administration of DEX (1, 8 mg·kg−1·d−1) or SUL (25, 50 mg·kg−1·d−1) alone or in various combination. Tumor volumes were measured every other day. The PK model of SUL as well as that of DEX with a time-dependent clearance were integrated into the final PK/PD model both using Hill’s function, where DEX exerted its antitumor efficacy by inhibiting the proliferation of tumor cells, and SUL enhanced DEX responses by decreasing the sensitivity parameter EC50. The PK/PD model was evaluated and subjected external validation. Finally, simulations were performed to predict the antitumor efficacy of DEX combined with SUL under various dose regimens, where changing dosing frequency of SUL had little effect, while the antitumor efficacy was predicted to be improved when DEX was given more frequently. The established PK/PD model in this study quantitatively characterizes the antitumor efficacy of the DEX combined with SUL as well as their synergism, and the simulations could provide reference for dose optimization of the combination in future studies.

Colitis is often accompanied with reduced intestinal α1,2-fucosylation. D-serine has been reported to prevent chronic colitis and upregulate the α1,2-fucosylation levels of intestinal epithelial cells in vitro.However, the role of D-serine in acute colitis and whether α1,2-fucosylation regulation is involved in the process remains unclear. In this study, D-serine alleviated body weight loss, colon shortening, and intestinal barrier damage in mice with acute colitis. Additionally, D-serine helped maintain gut microbiota balance by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacterium, and decreasing the harmful bacteria, such as Escherichia. Shigella. Furthermore, untargeted metabolomics showed that D-serine can modify the metabolism of cecal microbiota by decreasing concentrations of colitis-associated metabolites. Nevertheless, inhibiting α1,2-fucosylation impaired D-serine-mediated alleviation of colitis, highlighting the importance of α1,2-fucosylation upregulation in this process. D-serine significantly increased the trans-epithelial resistance of normal colonic epithelial cells, which was impaired by α1,2-fucosylation inhibition. Additionally, D-serine enhanced α1,2-fucosylation of macrophages (RAW264.7 cells) and reduced the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α. The higher expression of the serine uptake gene Slc3a5in type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) suggested that D-serine may regulate intestinal α1,2-fucosylation by affecting IL-22 secretion of ILC3s. Taken together, our study showed that D-serine alleviates acute colitis by regulating α1,2-fucosylation of intestinal epithelial cells and macrophages. These findings suggest that regulating intestinal α1,2-fucosylation could be a potential strategy for the treatment of colitis.

Diatomic-site catalysts (DASCs) inherit the excellent performance of single-atom catalysts (SACs) by utilizing two adjacent atomic metal species to achieve functional complementarity and synergistic effects that improve the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) and H2evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. Herein, we report a method to further improve the catalytic efficiency of Pt by using Pt and Ru single atoms randomly anchored on a g-C3N4surface, yielding partial Pt–Ru dimers. The synthesized catalyst exhibits extraordinary photocatalytic activity and stability in both the CO2RR and HER processes. In-depth experimentation, the pH-dependent chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method, and theoretical analyses reveal that the excellent performance is attributed to orbital coupling between the Pt atoms and the neighboring Ru atoms (mainly dxyand dxz), which decreases the orbital energy levels and weakens the bond strength with intermediates, resulting in improved CO2RR and HER performance. This study successfully applies the pH-dependent CEST imaging NMR method to catalytic reactions, and CO2adsorption is directly observed using CEST 2D imaging maps. This work presents significant potential for a variety of catalytic reaction applications by systematically designing bimetallic dimers with higher activity and stability.

In this work, we demonstrate that a deliberately designed annealing process can induce formation of defects in polyether/Li+complex crystals. The Li+concentration diffusion in the complex crystals and the amorphous structures is considered to play a critical role in the formation of crystal defects. The 13C 2D exchange NMR shows that the annealing-induced crystal defects can greatly enhance the segmental mobility in the polyether/Li+complex crystals. The rate of helical jump motions in the deliberately annealed polyether/Li+complex crystals is ∼100 times higher than those reported in the literature. This work deepens our understanding of the defect formation in polyether/Li+complex crystals and has important implications on the ionic conduction enhancement of polyether-based crystalline polymer electrolytes.

Two perovskite-type compounds, (MA)2[B′Co(CN)6] (MA = methylammonium, B′ = K(I) and Na(I)), have very similar structures, but exhibit marked differences in the phase and dielectric transitions. Solid state 2H NMR studies reveal the detailed dynamic changes of the caged methylammonium (MA) cations before and after the phase transitions, which are correlated with the different dielectric states of the compounds. Using solid state 59Co NMR, the dynamic changes of the host lattices before and after the transitions, which accompany the changes in the dynamics of the caged MA cations, are unveiled, demonstrating the intriguing interplay between the MA cations and the host lattices. On the basis of these observations, the molecular origins of the dielectric transitions are discussed in detail.

Abnormal gut microbiome has been associated with depression. The mechanism of probiotics against depression remains unclear. This study aimed to determine whether Clostridium butyricum(Cb) could attenuate chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depressive-like behavior and its possible mechanisms. Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) and were treated with Cb. Depressive-like behavior was evaluated by a series of behavioral tests. The levels of cerebral 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor and intestinal were measured. Cb treatment significantly improved CUMS-induced depressive-like behavior in mice. Meanwhile, Cb treatment exhibited prominent effects, increasing 5-HT and GLP-1 and upregulating BDNF expression. Furthermore, Cb-treated mice showed increased secretion of GLP-1 and upregulated GLP-1R expression. Taken together, our results demonstrate an antidepressive effect of Cb in CUMS mice partially attributed to stimulation of intestinal GLP-1 secretion and activation of cerebral GLP-1R.

Core-shell Fe3O4@C@MnO2 microspheres were fabricated using multi-step solution-phase interface deposition. Fe3O4 nanoparticles were coated with SiO2 via the Stober method and further covered with resorcinol and formaldehyde (RF) resins. Fe3O4@C nanoparticles with inter-lamellar void were obtained by carbonizing RF under N2, and etching SiO2 with NaOH. These nanoparticles served as template and were further coated with MnO2 shell to prepare Fe3O4@C@MnO2 microspheres. The resultant composites showed a typical core-shell structure with distinct magnetite core, 10 nm inter-lamellar void, a 30 nm thick carbon layer in the middle layer, and a 50 nm thick MnO2 shell at the outer layer. Fe3O4@C@MnO2 microspheres served as supercapacitor electrode materials. The electrochemical performance of the Fe3O4@C@MnO2 electrode was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge-discharge. Fe3O4@C@MnO2 electrode showed a specific capacitance of 158 F g[?]1 at 0.5 A g[?]1 and outstanding cycle stability with 89.7% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles. By contrast, the specific capacitance of Fe3O4@C electrode was 117 F g[?]1 at 0.5 A g[?]1 exhibited and only 75.2% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles. Thus, Fe3O4@C@MnO2 microspheres had great potential in supercapacitor applications in the future.

Histological low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion/cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 (LSIL/CIN1) preceded by normal or mildly abnormal cytology is recommended for conservative follow-up, with no separated management. In this study, we assessed the triage value of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16/18 genotyping in 273 patients with LSIL/CIN1. HPV16/18 genotyping was performed at baseline and follow-up was at 6-monthly intervals for up to 2 years. At each follow-up, women positive for cytology or high-risk HPV (hrHPV) were referred for colposcopy. Enrollment cytology, HPV16/18 genotyping, and questionnaire-obtained factors were linked to the 2-year cumulative progression rate. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed taking into account time-to-event with Cox proportional hazard regression. The results showed that 190 cases (69.6%) regressed, 37 (13.6%) persisted, and 46 (16.8%) progressed. HPV16/18 positivity (hazard ratio (HR), 2.708; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.432–5.121; P=0.002) is significantly associated with higher 2-year cumulative progression rate. Sub-analysis by enrollment cytology and age restricted the positive association among patients preceded by mildly abnormal cytology and aged 30 years or older. Immediate treatment is a rational recommendation for the high-risk subgroup, when good compliance is not assured.

Cytology triage has been generally recommended for human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive women, but is highly dependent on well-trained cytologists. The present study was designed to explore whether HPV E6/E7 mRNA detection in cervical exfoliated cells can be a potential triage for HPV-positive women from a clinic-based population. Both the primary HPV testing and Papanicolaou (Pap) test were performed on all eligible HPV-positive women. HPV E6/E7 mRNA was detected by QuantiVirus®HPV E6/E7 mRNA assay in cervical exfoliated cells. All HPV-positive women underwent colposcopy and further biopsy if indicated. The data were assessed by Pearson’s Chi-squared test and the receiver operating characteristic curve. A total of 404 eligible HPV-positive women were enrolled. Positive rate of E6/E7 mRNA in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) cases was higher than that in low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) or normal cases. There was no statistical difference found between mRNA and cytological testing with sensitivity (89.52% vs. 86.67%, P=0.671), specificity (48.96% vs. 48.96%, P=1.000), positive predictive value (39.00% vs. 38.24%, P=1.000), and negative predictive value (92.76% vs. 90.97%, P=0.678) for detecting ≥HSIL. HPV E6/E7 mRNA detection in cervical exfoliated cells shows the same performance as Pap triage for HSIL identification for HPV-positive women. Detection of HPV E6/E7 mRNA may be used as a new triage option for HPV-positive women.

Wearable devices could provide unparalleled human-machine interaction, but their reliable powering has become a bottleneck in their widespread adoption due to requirements for uninterrupted data-intensive sensing and transmission. The current battery-free solutions cannot function with a minuscule voltage and are unable to cope with an unstable power supply. Here, we report an uninterrupted, data-intensive, and battery-free wearable multi-source power management system. The system can be charged with an intermittent ultra-low voltage (<60 mV), supporting DC and AC power from green energy sources. First, we demonstrate that by using body heat at a temperature difference of 3 K between the human skin and the environment, the system can reliably function transmitting data within a period as short as 2.25 s. Then, we show that ultra-low voltage energy harvesting driven by human motion can also power the system. The proposed power management system enables reliable battery-free uninterrupted monitoring for self-contained wearable devices.

Exploring suitable electrode materials with high specific capacity and high-rate capability is a challenging goal for the development of Na-ion batteries. Here, we report a NASICON-structured compound, Ca0.5Ti2(PO4)3, with respect to its synthesis and electrochemical properties. The electrode is found to enable fast Na+ion diffusion owing to the rich crystallographic vacancies, affording a reversible capacity of 264 mA h g–1between 3.0 and 0.01 V. In particular, the hybrid Ca0.5Ti2(PO4)3@carbon exhibits remarkable rate performance with a discharge capacity of nearly 45 mA h g–1at a current density of 20 A g–1, which is attributed to the pseudocapacitive effect.