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Abstract We propose a hetero-nano-fin structure to further improve the efficiency of Pancharatnam–Berry phase metasurfaces. Two hetero-nano-fin types, MgF2/GaN and MgF2/Nb2O5, were investigated. The overall polarization conversion efficiency (PCE) improved from 52.7 to 54% for the MgF2/GaN nano-fin compared with the bare GaN nano-fin. The overall PCE of the Nb2O5 nano-fin was 1.7 times higher than that of the GaN nano-fin. The overall PCE improved from 92.4% up to 96% after the application of MgF2 antireflection. Moreover, the antireflection improves efficiency by an average of 4.3% in wavelengths from 450 to 700 nm. Although the increment of energy seems minimal, antireflection is crucial for a metasurface, not only enhancing efficiency but also reducing background signal of a meta-device.

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) conducted in a flow‐based device exhibits a substantial enhancement in Faradaic efficiency and catalytic current density compared to a conventional H‐type configuration. This highlights the distinct catalytic environment and behavior inherent in flow cells as opposed to H cells. To investigate the authentic properties of a catalyst within a flow‐based device, customized flow cells have been specifically devised for operando techniques during CO2RR and CORR, rather than resorting to an in‐situ three‐electrode H‐type configuration with its disparate catalytic environment and performance. This approach ensures a catalytic environment identical to that employed in electrochemical measurements. This review delineates the disparities between H‐type and flow‐based cells as well as the operando techniques tailored for flow‐based devices, including X‐ray absorption spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, preserving a consistent catalytic environment. It also compiles recent findings on copper‐based systems using operando flow‐based devices. The operando insights reveal a significant augmentation in catalytic current density, impacting both chemical properties and crystal structures. Furthermore, the observation of various catalytic intermediates enriches our comprehension. In essence, the application of operando techniques to flow‐based devices furnishes a comprehensive understanding of the catalytic behavior exhibited by diverse systems, propelling progress toward achieving Net Zero emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing ruthenium‐based heterogeneous catalysts with an efficient and stable interface is essential for enhanced acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we report a defect‐rich ultrathin boron nitride nanosheet support with relatively independent electron donor and acceptor sites, which serves as an electron reservoir and receiving station for RuO2, realizing the rapid supply and reception of electrons. Through precisely controlling the reaction interface, a low OER overpotential of only 180 mV (at 10 mA cm−2) and long‐term operational stability (350 h) are achieved, suggesting potential practical applications. In situ characterization and theoretical calculations have validated the existence of a localized electronic recycling between RuO2 and ultrathin BN nanosheets (BNNS). The electron‐rich Ru sites accelerate the adsorption of water molecules and the dissociation of intermediates, while the interconnection between the O‐terminal and B‐terminal edge establishes electronic back‐donation, effectively suppressing the over‐oxidation of lattice oxygen. This study provides a new perspective for constructing a stable and highly active catalytic interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the phase modulation ability of a dielectric Pancharatnam–Berry (PB) phase metasurface, consisting of nanofins, is theoretically analyzed. It is generally considered that the optical thickness of the unit cell of a PB-phase metasurface is λ/2, i.e., a half-waveplate for polarization conversion. It is found that the λ/2 is not essential for achieving a full 2π modulation. Nevertheless, a λ/2 thickness is still needed for a high polarization conversion efficiency. Moreover, a gradient phase metasurface is designed. With the help of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method, the wavefront errors of the gradient phase metasurface are reduced by fine-tuning the rotation angle of the nanofins. The diffraction efficiency of the gradient phase metasurface is thus improved from 73.4% to 87.3%. This design rule can be utilized to optimize the efficiency of phase-type meta-devices, such as meta-deflectors and metalenses.

The controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) measurement obtained from FibroScan® is a low-risk method of assessing fatty liver. This study investigated the association between the FibroScan® CAP values and nine anthropometric indicators, including the abdominal volume index (AVI), body fat percentage (BFP), body mass index (BMI), conicity index (CI), ponderal index (PI), relative fat mass (RFM), waist circumference (WC), waist–hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (fatty liver). We analyzed the medical records of adult patients who had FibroScan® CAP results. CAP values <238 dB/m were coded as 0 (non- fatty liver) and ≥238 dB/m as 1 (fatty liver). An individual is considered to have class 1 obesity when their body mass index (BMI) ranges from 30 kg/m2 to 34.9 kg/m2. Class 2 obesity is defined by a BMI ranging from 35 kg/m2 to 39.9 kg/m2, while class 3 obesity is designated by a BMI of 40 kg/m2 or higher. Out of 1763 subjects, 908 (51.5%) had fatty liver. The BMI, WHtR, and PI were found to be more strongly correlated with the CAP by the cluster dendrogram with correlation coefficients of 0.58, 0.54, and 0.54, respectively (all p < 0.0001). We found that 28.3% of the individuals without obesity had fatty liver, and 28.2% of the individuals with obesity did not have fatty liver. The BMI, CI, and PI were significant predictors of fatty liver. The BMI, PI, and WHtR demonstrated better predictive ability, indicated by AUC values of 0.72, 0.68, and 0.68, respectively, a finding that was echoed in our cluster group analysis that showed interconnected clustering with the CAP. Therefore, of the nine anthropometric indicators we studied, the BMI, CI, PI, and WHtR were found to be more effective in predicting the CAP score, i.e., fatty liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is now the most frequently diagnosed malignancy, and metastasis remains the leading cause of death in breast cancer. However, little is known about the dynamic changes during the evolvement of dissemination. In this study, 65 968 cells from four patients with breast cancer and paired metastatic axillary lymph nodes are profiled using single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) and spatial transcriptomics. A disseminated cancer cell cluster with high levels of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), including the upregulation of cytochrome C oxidase subunit 6C and dehydrogenase/reductase 2, is identified. The transition between glycolysis and OXPHOS when dissemination initiates is noticed. Furthermore, this distinct cell cluster is distributed along the tumor's leading edge. The findings here are verified in three different cohorts of breast cancer patients and an external scRNA‐seq dataset, which includes eight patients with breast cancer and paired metastatic axillary lymph nodes. This work describes the dynamic metabolic evolvement of early disseminated breast cancer and reveals a switch between glycolysis and OXPHOS in breast cancer cells as the early event during lymph node metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the mass vaccination project in Taiwan, the prevalence of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection for the college-aged population of 18 to 21 years is uncertain. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B markers in different birth cohorts. A total of 38,075 students in universities in Kaohsiung area undergoing entrance examinations between July 2006 to September 2020 were included. Seroprevalence of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) status and laboratory data were collected. The seropositive rate of HBsAg was less than 1% for students born after 1991. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), were significantly higher, and body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower in HBV carriers compared to those who were not carriers (all p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that age, male, higher BMI, and positive HBsAg were risk factors of abnormal ALT value. A decrease in the positive rate of anti-HBs which was significantly higher in the cohort of plasma-derived vaccines than recombinant vaccines was found. We concluded that there were decreasing trends in seropositive rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs for students of the college-aged population in the Kaohsiung area. The status of HBsAg was a predictive factor of abnormal ALT levels. The period effect on anti-HBs seropositivity for DNA recombinant vaccine somehow existed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi-manual therapy (BT), mirror therapy (MT), and robot-assisted rehabilitation have been conducted in hand training in a wide range of stages in stroke patients; however, the mechanisms of action during training remain unclear. In the present study, participants performed hand tasks under different intervention conditions to study bilateral sensorimotor cortical communication, and EEG was recorded. A multifactorial design of the experiment was used with the factors of manipulating objects (O), robot-assisted bimanual training (RT), and MT. The sum of spectral coherence was applied to analyze the C3 and C4 signals to measure the level of bilateral corticocortical communication. We included stroke patients with onset <6 months (n = 6), between 6 months and 1 year (n = 14), and onset >1 year (n = 20), and their Brunnstrom recovery stage ranged from 2 to 4. The results showed that stroke duration might influence the effects of hand rehabilitation in bilateral cortical corticocortical communication with significant main effects under different conditions in the alpha and beta bands. Therefore, stroke duration may influence the effects of hand rehabilitation on interhemispheric coherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is known and objectives: Augmented renal clearance (ARC) is characterized by enhanced renal clearance, which leads to insufficient vancomycin exposure and treatment failure. In haematologic malignancy patients, determination of optimal vancomycin dosage is essential because of high stake of life‐threatening bacterial infection and increased clearance. The aim of this study was to describe vancomycin pharmacokinetic parameters in haematologic malignancy with augmented renal clearance children and define the appropriate dosing regimen to achieve an AUC0‐24h/MIC ≥400. Methods: Hematologic malignancy with ARC children was enrolled in this retrospective study. The vancomycin PPK model was established by non‐linear mixed‐effects modelling programme. Goodness‐of‐fit (GOF) plots, non‐parametric bootstrap, normalized prediction distribution error (NPDE) and visual predictive checks (VPCs) were carried out for internal evaluation of the final model. Monte Carlo simulation method was used to stimulate the optimal dosage regimens. Results: Fifty‐three patients with 106 samples were included. A one‐compartment model with first‐order elimination was developed, and the final model was as follows: CL (L/h) = 6.32×（WT/70）0.75 × e0.0467; V(L) = 39.6×(WT/70), where WT denotes weight (kg). The internal validation of the model showed a good prediction performance. Monte Carlo simulation results showed that when MIC was 0.5 mg/L or 1 mg/L, the recommended doses to achieve a target of AUC0‐24h/MIC ≥400 were 25 to 40 and 50 to 75 mg/kg/d, respectively. With decreasing weight, the recommended dosage to achieve an AUC0‐24h/MIC ≥400 increased. What is new and conclusion: A one‐compartment vancomycin PPK model was established in haematologic malignancy with augmented renal clearance children with weight with allometric scaling as a significant covariate. When MIC was 1 mg/L, current recommended paediatric dosages were insufficient in haematologic malignancy with augmented renal clearance children and should be increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune response and immunotherapy play important roles in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, it is difficult to judge whether cancer is "immune-inactivated" or "immune-activated" by the carcinoma itself. The immune reaction of the microenvironment or the host to the tumor might be more informative. We assumed that clinically enlarged but pathologically negative regional lymph nodes served as an indicator for early immune response to tumors. First, we identified women with pN0 breast cancer disease from the current Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, and we compared the cN1 patients of breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) with cN0 patients. Then, we extracted total RNA from 36 paired large (defined as minimum diameter more than 15 mm in size) and small lymph nodes (defined as maximum diameter less than 5 mm in size) from 12 TNBC, 12 HER2-enriched, and 12 luminal-like patients and performed RNA sequencing to explore the gene expression and cellular landscape of large nodes compared to small ones. Among 692 women with pathologically confirmed node-negative disease, cN1 patients unexpectedly had a better BCSS compared with cN0 in TNBC (adjusted hazard ratio 0.148, 95% CI, 0.040–0.546, P = 0.004) but not in other subtypes. Further transcriptome sequencing of 12 paired enlarged and small negative nodes from TNBC patients revealed that increased immune activation signaling (e.g., interferon-gamma response pathways) and abundant immune cells (activated dendritic cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells) were more frequently observed in enlarged nodes. Our data implied that early immune activation in regional lymph nodes in TNBC might affect survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The full-length cDNA sequences of ClJHAMT and ClJHE were obtained. • Juvenile hormone could regulate the reproduction of Cyrtorhinus lividipennis. • Imidacloprid induced the reproduction of C. lividipennis via juvenile hormone. • The finding could improve the integration of C. lividipennis and insecticides. The Hemipteran predator, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis , feeds on the eggs and nymphs of rice planthoppers and leafhoppers. We previously demonstrated that sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid stimulated the reproduction of C. lividipennis. Considering the essential roles of juvenile hormone (JH) in insect reproduction, we speculated that sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid may stimulate the reproduction of C. lividipennis by regulating JH level. To test this, we cloned C. lividipennis JH acid methyl transferase (ClJHAMT) and JH esterase (ClJHE), which are responsible for JH biosynthesis and degradation genes, respectively. We then knocked down ClJHAMT by injecting dsRNA into C. lividipennis nymphs and found that emerging female adults exhibited 88.8% lower expression of the vitellogenin gene (ClVg) and the number of eggs was reduced by 41.5% as compared with controls. Silencing ClJHE increased ClVg mRNA expression by 275.0% but did not affect fecundity. A sublethal concentration of imidacloprid (LC 20) increased the JH titer in females by 35.3% and 60.6% at 24 and 48 h post-emergence, respectively. In treatments containing both imidacloprid and dsJHAMT, the silencing of CLJHAMT reduced the number of eggs produced by adult females by 21.4% as compared to the control (imidacloprid + dsGFP). Our results indicated that sublethal concentration of imidacloprid may induce C. lividipennis reproduction by upregulating JH level via JHAMT. The finding could provide valuable information for improved integration of C. lividipennis and insecticides in pest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a worldwide health problem, leading to high morbidity and mortality, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered a risk factor for CKD. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and identify possible risk factors related to the NFS among Taiwanese subjects. Subjects were enrolled from the database of the Department of Preventive Medicine of Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital. The eGFR was calculated according to the Taiwanese Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (TMDRD) equation, and the NFS was employed to evaluate the fibrotic level. In total, 11,376 subjects were enrolled in this study, with a mean age of 52.0 ± 6.81 years, including 4529 (39.8%) males. A fasting sugar level ≥100 mg/dL (OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.52–1.87) and an abnormal waist circumference (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.65–1.99) were significant factors associated with NFS (p < 0.05). Trends of a decreasing TMDRD score and an increasing NFS with increasing age were noted (p < 0.05). The NFS was significantly negatively correlated with the TMDRD score (standard coefficients: −0.067, p < 0.001). A higher NFS is associated with an impaired eGFR in Taiwanese subjects. Controlling risk factors, especially fasting sugar level and waist circumference, may be useful in preventing NFS deterioration, which is negatively correlated with the eGFR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Chronic stress can provoke depressive-like behaviors through activation of inflammation and apoptosis, leading to a reduction of neurons. Antidepressant therapy may contribute to inhibiting inflammation responses and have neuroprotective effects. Baicalin (BA) has an antidepressant effect in the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) animal model and exerts anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, as well as neuroprotective effects in many central nervous system (CNS)-related diseases. But the effects of BA on neuroprotection, apoptosis, and neuroinflammation and the potential mechanisms in depression are unclear. Here, we focused on examining the therapeutic effects of BA in CUMS-induced depression rats and investigating the molecular mechanisms. Results showed that administration of BA improved depressive-like behaviors and significantly increased the levels of doublecortin (DCX), Neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in hippocampus. Furthermore, administration of BA increased the cell survival by reducing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and increasing the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Finally, administration of BA significantly decreased CUMS-induced apoptosis and inflammatory cytokines (caspase-1 and IL-1β) in hippocampus. These responses were mediated by Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) β/Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/Nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat, pyrin domain containing protein 3 (NLRP3) signal pathway. Taken together, these results indicate that BA could promote neuronal maturation and rescue neurons from apoptosis via inhibiting activation of GSK3β/NF-κB/NLRP3 signal pathway that is known to be associated with inflammation, thus exerting neuroprotective effects and preventing CUMS-induced depressive-like behaviors. Highlights • CUMS procedure was used to establish a rat depression model. • Administration of BA improved the depressive-like behaviors. • Administration of BA protected hippocampal neurons. • Administration of BA decreased apoptosis and protected cells from oxidative stress. • BA ameliorated CUMS-induced neuroinflammation via inhibiting activation of GSK3β/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several γ-glutamyl compounds are known to have favorable features for a variety of biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications. However, so far only a limited number of γ-glutamyl compounds have been synthesized through γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT). With the help of thin layer chromatography and computer-assisted image analysis techniques, we performed an enzymatic method involving Bacillus licheniformis GGT (BlGGT) for the synthesis of γ-glutamyl-L-leucine (γ-Glu- Leu). The optimum conditions for a biocatalytic synthesis of γ- Glu-Leu were determined to be 200 mM glutamine, 200 mM leucine, 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH 9.0), and BlGGT at a working concentration of 2.0 U/mL. Upon a 5-h incubation of the reaction mixture at 50°C, the product yield could reach approximately 52%. The preparative synthesis of γ-Glu-Leu by BlGGT was done under optimal conditions at millimol scale level. The reaction products were subjected to mass spectrometry/nuclear magnetic resonance analyses to ensure the successful synthesis of γ-Glu-Leu. Taken together, the present study demonstrates the high potentiality of BlGGT-catalyzed reaction in the synthesis of γ-glutamyl compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]