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The alignment of multiple multi-relational networks, such as knowledge graphs, is vital for many AI applications. In comparison with existing GCNs which cannot fully utilize relational information of multiple types, we propose a relation-aware graph convolutional network (ERGCN), which is equipped with both entity convolution and relation convolution to learn the entity embeddings and relation embeddings simultaneously. The role discrimination and translation property of knowledge graphs are adopted in the entity convolutional process to incorporate the relation information. To facilitate the relation convolution, we construct quadruples to model the connection between a pair of relations thus to determine their neighborhood, which also enables the relation convolution to be conducted in an efficient way. Thereafter, AERGCN, the alignment framework based on ERGCN, is developed for multi-relational network alignment tasks. Anchors are used to supervise the objective function, which aims at minimizing the distances between anchors and to generate new cross-network triplets to build a bridge between different knowledge graphs at the level of triplet to improve the performance of alignment. Experiments on real-world datasets show that the proposed solutions outperform the competitive baselines in terms of link prediction, entity alignment, and relation alignment.

The infection-prone wound pathology microenvironment leads to ulceration and difficult healing of diabetic wounds, which seriously affects the quality of survival of patients. In this study, natural polymer materials gelatin and polylysine were used as substrates. By introducing iron/tannic acid (Fe

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Amylose-oleic acid complexes (AOA) were exposed to microwave heat-moisture treatment (M-HMT) with different moisture content (MC), and the variations in structures and digestibility were investigated. M-HMT caused the dissociation of helical structures and destruction of short-range molecular order of AOA. Meanwhile, the molecules of amylose and oleic acid rearranged and more amylose-oleic acid complexes were formed during M-HMT, the complexing index of AOA was increased from 25.41 % to 41.20 % when treating at 35 % MC. Moreover, the relative content of single helix increased with increasing MC, resulting in higher V-type relative crystallinity. With ≥30 % MC, the treated complexes showed greater thermostability than that of original AOA. The treatment increased the enzymatic digestibility of AOA, and sample treated with 35 % MC had the highest resistant starch content of 82.33 %, which was 17.96 % higher than that of native AOA. The improved enzyme resistance should be correlated to increased molecular interplay and formation of amylose-oleic acid complexes.

The congenital factor VII deficiency (FVIID) is a rare autosomal recessive haemorrhagic disease caused by mutations in the F7 gene. The aim of this study was to identify the mutations causing FVII deficiency and explain the genotype-phenotype association in two unrelated Chinese patients. Mutation detection was conducted by sequencing the whole F7 gene coding exons, exon-intron boundaries and the untranslated regions of 3' and 5'. Then, the genetic information was analyzed to predict the structures of the mutated proteins. A total of four different mutations were detected, including three missense mutations (c.64GA, c.286AG, and c.722CA, predicting p.Gly22Ser, p.Arg96Gly, p.Thr241Asn, respectively) and one insertion mutation (c.204_205insCGGC, predicting p. Leu68Argfs ∗ 37), among which two were reported for the first time (p.Arg96Gly, p.Leu68Argfs ∗ 37). Multiple sequence alignments of FVII protein revealed that the residues p.Arg96 and p.Thr241 were highly conserved. The novel missense mutation p.Arg96Gly was determined as damaging with online software Polyphen-2 and SIFT. We investigated two asymptomatic patients diagnosed with severe FVII deficiency and identified two novel mutations (the mutation p.Arg96Gly and p.Leu68Argfs ∗ 37). Identification of the F7 mutations was important for genetic counseling and accurate prediction of the inheritance pattern.

Three new double corundum derived compounds, Fe3-xInSnxO6, (x = 0. 0.25, 0.5) were synthesized at high pressure and temperature (6 GPa, 1400-1450 C) All the compounds order antiferromagnetically well above room temperature, TN = 608 K, 532K, and 432 K for x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, respectively. The x = 0 phase crystalizes as centrosymmetric R3c, but increasing the substitution of closed-shell d10 Sn4+ induces x = 0.25 and 0.5 to crystallize as noncentrosymmetric R3c. Microprobe measurements indicate that for x = 0.25, 0.5, the substitution of Sn4+ is not compensated for by vacancies, which implies the presence of Fe2+, as corroborated by X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray structure refinements. Neutron powder diffraction experiments on x = 0.5 indicate that, these compounds are canted A-type antiferromagnets which, like Fe2O3 and InFeO3, consist of ferromagnetic layers that stack antiferromagnetically with a single magnetic transition. Weak ferromagnetic interactions persist to very high temperatures. Temperature dependent second harmonic generation measurements on x = 0.25 and 0.5 show SHG response with ferroelectric-like hysteretic maxima that correspond with the respective magnetic transitions, which suggest coupling of the magnetic and polarization order. These new compounds provide more information on fine-tuning the electronic, magnetic and structural properties of corundum derived mutlferroics in the search for tunable high temperature magnetoelectric materials.

Cu

A polycrystalline iridate Li8IrO6 material was prepared via heating Li2O and IrO2 starting materials in a sealed quartz tube at 650 °C for 48 h. The structure was determined from Rietveld refinement of room-temperature powder neutron diffraction data. Li8IrO6 adopts the nonpolar space group R3 with Li atoms occupying the tetrahedral and octahedral sites, which is supported by the electron diffraction and solid-state 7Li NMR. This results in a crystal structure consisting of LiO4 tetrahedral layers alternating with mixed IrO6 and LiO6 octahedral layers along the crystallographic c-axis. The +4 oxidation state of Ir4+ was confirmed by near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. An in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction study of Li8IrO6 indicates that the sample is stable up to 1000 °C and exhibits no structural transitions. Magnetic measurements suggest long-range antiferromagnetic ordering with a Neel temperature (TN) of 4 K, which is corroborated by heat capacity measurements. The localized effective moment μeff (Ir) = 1.73 μB and insulating character indicate that Li8IrO6 is a correlated insulator. First-principles calculations support the nonpolar crystal structure and reveal the insulating behavior both in paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic states.

For any [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text], let [Formula: see text] be the Lüroth expansion of [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we study the relative convergence speed of its convergents [Formula: see text] to the rate of growth of digits in the Lüroth expansion of an irrational number. For any [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text], the sets [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are proved to be of same Hausdorff dimension [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, for any [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], the Hausdorff dimension of the set [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] is proved to be either [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] according as [Formula: see text] or not.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is one of the most effective approaches for the minimally invasive treatment of early gastrointestinal cancers. Submucosal injections help safely and successfully remove lesions during ESD by elevating the mucosa and separating the submucosal muscle layer. Herein, we report dynamic injectable sodium alginate hydrogels (ISAHs) with shear-thinning for ESD surgery, which were easily fabricated by the sulfhydryl group of GSH-modified sodium alginate (SA-GSH) reacting with the aldehyde group of oxidized sodium alginate (OSA) at room temperature. ISAHs have advantageous self-healing abilities and antioxidant activity. Additionally, according to an in vitro test on porcine colorectal submucosal lifting, the submucosal elevation heights created by ISAHs were 13 % -18 % greater than those created by commercial ESD solutions (0.4 w/v% sodium hyaluronate). These properties and biocompatibility were confirmed in vitro and in vivo experiments. ISAHs will hopefully become a novel submucosal injectable hydrogel to assist ESD surgery.

Polycrystalline LiMo

Cutaneous wound management remains a major concern due to uncontrolled inflammation and bacterial infection in clinical care. A desirable hydrogel dressing with antibacterial and antioxidative properties can drive wound healing by inhibiting infection and inflammation. Herein, a multifunctional hydrogel based on polylysine-graft-cysteine (EPL-SH)/oxidized dextran (ODex) was fabricated for promoting skin tissue regeneration. The engineered hydrogel possessed versatile properties including tunable gelation time (60-300 s), typical rheological behavior, suitable swelling and degradation progress, injectable and self-healing ability. The unique hydrogels also displayed promising tissue adhesiveness, high cell affinity, excellent antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, the in vivo full-thickness skin defect experiment demonstrated the simple-to-implement injectable hydrogels could significantly promoting wound healing by improving the collagen deposition and angiogenesis. The manufacture of our multifunctional hydrogels dressing affords a new strategy for improving efficacy of cutaneous wound treatment.

Novel resources of very small granular starch are of great interests to food scientists. We previously found Chlorella sp. MBFJNU-17 contained small granular starch but whether the MBFJNU-17 was a novel resource of very small granular starch remained unresolved. This study isolated and characterized the starch from MBFJNU-17 in comparison with quinoa starch (a typical very small granular starch), and discussed whether the MBFJNU-17 could be a resource of very small granular starch. Results showed that chlorella starch displayed a smaller size (1024 nm) than quinoa starch did (1107 nm), suggesting MBFJNU-17 was a good resource of very small granular starch. Additionally, chlorella starch had less amylose, higher proportion of long amylopectin branches, more ordered structures, thinner amorphous lamellae, better paste thermostability, and slower enzymatic digestion than quinoa starch did. These findings indicated that Chlorella sp. MBFJNU-17 was a novel resource of very small granular starch with desirable thermostability and nutritional attributes.

OBJECTIVE There has been an increase in use of autologous costal cartilage for nasal tip shaping material. However, there are deficiencies in using this plastic material, such as a hard nasal tip, poor nasal tip elasticity and mobility postoperatively, and some nasal tip skin thinning that allows the shape of the cartilage grafts to be felt on the surface of the nasal tip skin. To address these problems, we have combined autologous nasal septum cartilage and conchal cartilage as nasal tip graft materials, which achieve a natural shape and realistic touch postoperatively. METHODS From January 2017 to September 2019, a total of 47 patients with nasal septal cartilage combined with conchal cartilage transplantation for nasal tip plasty were screened for a retrospective study. They were followed up and evaluated for 6 to 25 months postoperatively. The operation was performed through an incision in the nose. During the operation, a piece of septal cartilage was cut to make a columella strut. Using one side of the cavitas conchae and cymba conchae cartilage as the graft material, 2 long strips of cartilage were excised for the septum extension graft, and a piece of cap cartilage was transplanted to the top of the nasal tip cartilage scaffold. RESULTS The time between the operation and follow-up was greater than 6 months, with the range of follow-up and evaluation being from 6 to 25 months. Forty-six patients were satisfied with the shape of the nose. One patient complained that the nasal tip was round and large after 1 month postoperatively, but after 6 months, he was satisfied with the shape of the nasal tip after daily use of a nasal clip. In one male case, the implant was removed more than 7 months postoperatively because of hematoma and infection secondary to nasal trauma. There were 2 cases of nasal tip numbness, both of which recovered spontaneously after 12 months. After the operation, the shape of the nasal tip was round, no cartilage contour was seen on the surface, no collapse of upper nasal tip, no obvious deviation of the nasal dorsum and columella, and no deformation and displacement of the nasal tip cartilage scaffold. At the 6-month follow-up visit, each patient palpated the nasal tip for evaluation. Most patients felt their nose felt realistic and that they had good nasal tip motion. Only 1 patient felt that the nasal tip and the nasal dorsum were moving together when the tip of the nose was being pushed. CONCLUSIONS Nasal septum cartilage and conchal cartilage can be combined as a graft material for reconstruction of the nasal tip. This technique uses different characteristics of each of the 2 cartilages to achieve a more realistic and esthetic outcome.

Schisandra chinensis polysaccharide (SCP) is an experimental therapeutic for the treatment of intestinal injury. Selenium nanoparticle modification can improve the bioactivity of polysaccharides. In this study, SCP was firstly extracted and purified by a DEAE-52 column, then SCP-Selenium nanoparticles (SCP-Se NPs) were prepared, and the procedure was optimized. Thereafter, the obtained SCP-Se NPs were characterized by transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The influence of different storage environments on the stability of colloidal SCP-Se NPs was also investigated. Finally, the therapeutic effects of SCP-Se NPs on LPS-induced intestinal inflammatory injuries in mice were evaluated. Results showed that the optimized SCP-Se NPs were amorphous, uniform, spherical particles with a diameter of 121 nm, and the colloidal solution was stable at 4 °C for at least 14 d. Moreover, SCP-Se NPs could more effectively alleviate LPS-induced diarrhea, intestinal tissue injury, and tight junction destruction and decrease the elevated expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 compared with SCP. These results demonstrate that SCP-Se NPs may alleviate LPS-induced enteritis through their anti-inflammatory effects, indicating that SCP-Se NPs can serve as a good candidate for preventing and treating enteritis in the livestock and poultry industry.

Reconstruction of total facial deformities and defects has been a major challenge of reconstructive surgery. Allotransplantation is limited by the number of donors and the need for life-long immunosuppression. Autotransplantation, where multiple autogenous tissue grafts from various donor sites are used to repair facial defects, inevitably leaves conspicuous patchwork scars. A prefabricated monoblock flap, although the preferred treatment modality, is limited by insufficient blood supply and the large size of the flap. In the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery (2014;25:21-25), Li et al applied the technique of flap prefabrication and stem cell-assisted tissue expansion to reconstruct total facial injuries, but the operations were complicated and the final expanded flap area was also uncertain. This article introduces an approach to reconstruct total facial injuries with a prefabricated expanded thoracic flap combined with an expanded scalp flap (called combined flaps), which not only solves the limitations of blood supply and expanded volume but also reduces patchwork scars. The approach is a simple, feasible, and effective surgical method for total face resurfacing.

A bio-fabricated nanocomposite hydrogel can catalyze excessive ROS into needed O2 and neutralize hypernomic MMPs in the pathological environment to promote diabetic wound healing.

Adhesives for gastric hemorrhage are of great clinical significance. However, it remains a major challenge in clinics due to its poor stability under acidic environments and low adhesion to wet tissues. Herein, inspired by the high adhesiveness of the ascidian secretory protein, we designed a series of aciduric bionic hydrogel adhesives (PDTAs) based on poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) and tannic acid (TA). The formation of hydrogel adhesives was attributed to the abundant hydrogen bonds between amide groups of PGA-DA and polyphenol groups of TA. These hydrogel adhesives exhibited enhanced wet tissue adhesion (400%), higher stretchability (800% elongation), and aciduric stability (7 days) compared with commercial fibrin glue. Rodent wound models indicated that the hydrogel adhesives demonstrated significant healing promotion due to ameliorating collagen deposition and angiogenesis. These hydrogel adhesives show great potential in treating gastric hemorrhages and promoting wound healing.

Asiatic acid can attenuate osteoporosis through suppressing adipogenic differentiation and osteoclastic differentiation. Oxidative stress enhances osteoclastic differentiation but represses osteogenic differentiation to promote osteoporosis. However, the role and mechanism of asiatic acid in osteoporosis have not been reported. Firstly, mice were fed with high-fat-diet (HFD) with or without asiatic acid for 16 weeks. Data from an automatic biochemical analyzer showed that HFD induced down-regulation of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and an increase of serum levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). However, asiatic acid administration attenuated the decrease of HDL and increase of serum TG, TC and LDL in osteoporotic mice. Secondly, HFD induced high levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), low levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in osteoporotic mice. However, the levels of MDA, ROS, SOD and GSH-Px in osteoporotic mice were reversed by asiatic acid administration. (this section is unclear and requires revision) Asiatic acid administration reduced expression of c-telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX-1), enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) in HFD-induced osteoporotic mice. (this section is unclear and requires revision) Thirdly, asiatic acid promoted calcium deposition in bone marrow cells and osteogenic differentiation in osteoporotic mice, but decreased ALP in bone marrow cells. Lastly, asiatic acid enhanced SIRT1 and nuclear FOXO1 (Nu-FOXO1) expression, while it reduced Acetyl FOXO1 (Ac-FOXO1) in osteoporotic mice. In conclusion, asiatic acid might inhibit oxidative stress and promote osteogenic differentiation through activating SIRT1/FOXO1 to attenuate HFD-induced osteoporosis in mice.

The study aimed to investigate whether specific medications used in the treatment chronic diseases affected either the development and/ or severity of COVID-19 in a cohort of 610 COVID-19 cases and 48,667 population-based controls from Zheijang, China. Using a cohort of 578 COVID-19 cases and 48,667 population-based controls from Zheijang, China we tested the role of usage of cardiovascular, antidiabetic and other medications on risk and severity of COVID 19. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex and BMI and for presence of relevant comorbidities. Individuals with hypertension taking calcium channel blockers had significantly increased risk [odds ratio (OR)= 1.73 (95% CI 1.2-2.3)] of manifesting symptoms of COVID-19 whereas those taking angiotensin receptor blockers and diuretics had significantly lower disease risk (OR=0.22; 95%CI 0.15-0.30 and OR=0.30; 95%CI 0.19-0.58 respectively). Among those with type 2 diabetes, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (OR= 6.02; 95% CI 2.3-15.5) and insulin (OR= 2.71; 95% CI 1.6-5.5) were more and glucosidase inhibitors were less prevalent (OR= 0.11; 95% CI 0.1-0.3) among with COVID-19 patients.Drugs used in the treatment of hypertension and diabetes influence the risk of development of COVID-19, but, not its severity.Study highlightsWhat is the current knowledge on the topic?Cardiovascular disease and Diabetes have been highlighted as comorbidities contributing to a more severe form of COVID-19 and medication to treat them may also influence the risk of COVID-19 and its clinical outcomes.What question did this study address?Does specific medications used in the treatment of chronic diseases influence the risk for the susceptibility to SARS CoV-2 infection of severity of COVID-19?What does this study add to our knowledge?The study confirms that higher BMI, diabetes and cardio/ cerebrovascular disease as independent risk factors for the development of COVID-19. Angtiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) and diuretics were associated with reduced risk and Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs) with increased risk of developing COVID-19. Among those with type 2 diabetes, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 and were associated with increased and glucosidase inhibitors with reduced risk development of COVID-19. None of the antihypertensive or anti-diabetic drugs were associated with increased risk of severe or critical form of the infection.Drugs used in the treatment of hypertension and diabetes influence the risk of development of COVID-19, but are not associated with severity of the disease.How might this change clinical pharmacology or translational science?Findings from the current large case-control study confirmed no evidence to alter ARBs or ACEIs therapy in the context of COVID-19 severity in clinical practice. Hypertension significantly increases the risk of severe or critical SARS-CoV-2 infection indicating that carefully controlled blood pressure should be a priority to reduce the healthcare burden of COVID-19.

The mineral Zlatogorite, CuNiSb2, was synthesized in the laboratory for the first time by annealing elements at ambient pressure (CuNiSb2-AP). Rietveld refinement of synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data indicates that CuNiSb2-AP crystallizes in the NiAs-derived structure (P3m1, #164) with Cu and Ni ordering. The structure consists of alternate NiSb6 and CuSb6 octahedral layers via face-sharing. The formation of such structure instead of metal disordered NiAs-type structure (P63/mmc, #194) is validated by the lower energy of the ordered phase by first-principle calculations. Interatomic crystal orbital Hamilton population, electron localization function, and charge density analysis reveal strong Ni-Sb, Cu-Sb, and Cu-Ni bonding and long weak Sb-Sb interactions in CuNiSb2-AP. The magnetic measurement indicates that CuNiSb2-AP is Pauli paramagnetic. First-principle calculations and experimental electrical resistivity measurements reveal that CuNiSb2-AP is a metal. The low Seebeck coefficient and large thermal conductivity suggest that CuNiSb2 is not a potential thermoelectric material. Single crystals were grown by chemical vapor transport. The high pressure sample (CuNiSb2-8 GPa) was prepared by pressing CuNiSb2-AP at 700 °C and 8 GPa. However, the structures of single crystal and CuNiSb2-8 GPa are best fit with a disordered metal structure in the P3m1 space group, corroborated by transmission electron microscopy.

Although mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) encapsulated with bionic scaffolds have been widely used in treating trauma induced cartilage defects, challenges still persist for these hydrogel scaffolds to create suitable shelters for the MSCs and guide their behaviors. In this work, novel biomimetic hydrogel scaffolds were prepared by thiol-ene Michael addition between glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)-modified poly (γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA-GMA) and DL-1,4-Dithiothreitol (DTT) for cartilage tissue engineering. Sodium tetraborate decahydrate was added into the system to connect with DTT through hydrogen-bond interaction and served as catalyst for thiol-ene Michael addition to strengthen the intensity of the hydrogel. The hydrogels could be compressed to nearly a 90% strain, with 0.95 MPa compression stresses which was better than that of most hydrogels in mechanical property. Additionally, this hydrogel has other properties: fast and controlled gel-forming speed, adjustable swelling ration, suitable interior structure and so on. Above all, hydrogels have excellent cyto/tissue-compatibility. Cells cultured in hydrogels in vitro exhibited good proliferation and adhesion abilities and the hydrogels scaffolds contained stem cells immensely accelerated the regeneration of auricular cartilage of rabbits in vivo versus control group. The overall results approved that this bionic hydrogel may be a promising biomaterial for cartilage regeneration in the future.

A new polar and magnetic oxide, LuCrWO6, was synthesized under high pressure (6 GPa) and high temperature (1673 K). LuCrWO6 is isostructural with the previously reported polar YCrWO6 (SG: Pna21, no. 33). The ordering of CrO6 and WO6 octahedra in the edge-shared dimers induce the polar structure. The effective size of rare earth, Ln cation does not seem to affect the symmetry of LnCrWO6. Second harmonic generation measurements of LuCrWO6 confirmed the noncentrosymmetric character and strong piezoelectric domains are observed from piezoresponse force microscopy at room temperature. LuCrWO6 exhibits antiferromagnetic behavior, TN, of ∼18 K with a Weiss temperature of -30.7 K.

While peptide-directed scaffolds now serve as well-established platforms for biomimetic three-dimensional (3D) extracellular matrices (ECM), challenges still remain for chondrogenesis through direct mediation of stem cells. Here, biocompatible poly (γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA) hydrogels with robust mechanical properties were developed based on methacrylate-γ-PGA (γ-PGA-GMA) and cysteamine functionalized γ-PGA (γ-PGA-SH) for cartilage regeneration. The γ-PGA hydrogels demonstrated good self-crosslinking property as well as tunability through conjugation between active thiol groups of γ-PGA-SH and methacrylate moieties of γ-PGA-GMA. The mechanical property, porous structure, swelling, and degradation process of the hydrogels could be controlled by adjusting modified γ-PGA polymers component. The rheological behavior and compression test of γ-PGA hydrogels illustrated a wide processing range in addition to superb mechanical properties. These γ-PGA hydrogels showed excellent elasticity as well as toughness, withstanding more than 70% of mechanical strain. Meanwhile, the stress modulus of γ-PGA hydrogels could be up to 749 kPa. We also studied γ-PGA hydrogels as scaffolds for the 3D culture and chondrogenesis differentiation of rabbit bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vitro. In a rabbit auricular cartilage defect model, BMSCs-laden hydrogel effectively promoted chondrogenesis. Based on these findings, biomimetic γ-PGA-based hydrogels hold promising application as favorable scaffold biomaterials for cartilage tissue regeneration.

FeAs2−xSex (x = 0.30–1.0) samples were synthesized as phase pure powders by conventional solid-state techniques and as single crystals (x = 0.50) from chemical vapor transport. The composition of the crystals was determined to be Fe1.025(3)As1.55(3)Se0.42(3), crystallizing in the marcasite structure type, Pnnm space group. FeAs2−xSex (0 < x < 1) was found to undergo a marcasite-to-arsenopyrite (P21/c space group) structural phase transition at x ∼ 0.65. The structures are similar, with the marcasite structure best described as a solid solution of As/Se, whereas the arsenopyrite has ordered anion sites. Magnetic susceptibility and thermoelectric property measurements from 300–2 K were performed on single crystals, FeAs1.50Se0.50. Paramagnetic behavior is observed from 300 to 17 K and a Seebeck coefficient of −33 μV K−1, an electrical resistivity of 4.07 mΩ cm, and a very low κl of 0.22 W m−1 K−1 at 300 K are observed. In order to determine the impact of the structural transition on the high-temperature thermoelectric properties, polycrystalline FeAs2−xSex (x = 0.30, 0.75, 0.85, 1.0) samples were consolidated into dense pellets for measurements of thermoelectric properties. The x = 0.85 sample shows the best thermoelectric performance. The electronic structure of FeAsSe was calculated with DFT and transport properties were approximately modeled above 500 K.

Background and AimsEmergency endoscopy is recommended for patients with acute esophageal variceal bleeding (EVB) and their prognosis has improved markedly over past decades due to the increased specialization of endoscopic practice. The study aimed to compare outcomes following emergency endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) and endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) in cirrhotic patients with acute EVB.MethodsCirrhotic patients with acute EVB who underwent emergency endoscopy were retrospectively enrolled from 2013 to 2020 across 34 university hospitals from 30 cities. The primary outcome was the incidence of 5-day rebleeding after emergency endoscopy. Subgroup analysis was stratified by Child-Pugh class and bleeding history. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed.ResultsA total of 1,017 and 382 patients were included in EIS group and EVL group, respectively. The 5-day rebleeding incidence was similar between EIS group and EVL group (4% vs. 5%, P = 0.45). The result remained the same after PSM (P = 1.00). Among Child-Pugh class A, B and C patients, there were no differences in the 5-day rebleeding incidence between the two groups after PSM (P = 0.25, 0.82, and 0.21, respectively). As for the patients with or without bleeding history, the differences between EIS group and EVL group were not significant after PSM (P = 1.00 and 0.26, respectively).ConclusionThe nationwide cohort study indicates that EIS and EVL are both efficient emergency endoscopic treatment strategies for acute EVB. EIS should not be dismissed as an economical and effective emergency endoscopic treatment strategy of acute EVB. ClincialTrials.gov number NCT04307264.

A polycrystalline iridate Li

The clinical acceleration of skin autogenous healing remains a great challenge, especially in the early stage after injury. In this work, a novel directly injectable hydrogel with high self-adaptability is designed as a provisional matrix to close the apposition of wound edges, using carboxymethyl cellulose and poly (γ-glutamic acid) through Schiff-base reaction. Benefiting from the dynamic covalent cross-linking structure, the functional biodegradable hydrogels are easy to prepare (gel time 5-180 s), demonstrating adequate mechanical strength (40-120 kPa), anti-fatigue abilities, and rapid self-healing (5-10 min at skin defect). Furthermore, the hydrogels exhibit biocompatibility and proliferation-promoting activity with murine fibroblasts. In the full-thickness dermal animal models, it significantly promoted collagen deposition, skin-function restoration, and VEGF expression. This hydrogel shows potential as a dressing available for skin regeneration during the healing of dermal injuries.

Traditional hydrogels often fail to match the dynamic interactions between mechanical and cellular behaviors exhibited by the natural cartilage extracellular matrix. In this research, we constructed a novel hybrid hydrogels system based on sodium alginate and polyglutamic acid. By controlling the grafting rate and concentration of polymer, the gelation time and mechanical strength can be adjusted between range of 8–28 s and 60–144 kPa. By adding microcrystalline cellulose into the system, so that the degradation time was prolonged (125%) and the swelling rate was reduced (470%). Additionally, the presence of hydrazone bonds gives the system some dynamic response characteristics, and the hydrogel exhibits excellent self healing and injectable ability. It was found that the system had positive cytocompatibility (80%), which accelerated regulatory gene expression in cartilage tissue. In conclusion, this injectable hydrogel with self-healing and customizable mechanical strength will have broad application prospects in future biomedical engineering.

For thin women with little subcutaneous fat and micromastia, they could not obtain ideal results by choosing autologous fat breast augmentation or prosthesis-only breast augmentation. To address these problems, we combined autologous fat and prosthesis for breast augmentation, and the clinical results were satisfactory.Eleven cases of composite breast augmentation from 2014 to 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. Postoperative follow-up and evaluation were completed. The operations were performed through a subaxillary incision, and the round, high-convex breast prostheses were implanted into the retropectoralis major space. Autologous fat was injected into subcutaneous, retromammary, and prepectoralis layers to cover the whole breast before and after implanting the prosthesis.The mean follow-up period was 16 months (range, 6-36 months). All patients were satisfied with the size of their breasts. Postoperative complications such as infection, vascular embolism, delayed healing incision, hematoma, and seroma were not detected. In 1 case, the sensation of a unilateral nipple-areola was decreased initially but recovered after 4 months. Long-term complications such as capsular contracture, palpable nodules, double-bubble deformity, asymmetry, poor handling, implant edge visibility, and palpability also did not occur.Breast augmentation combining autologous fat and prosthesis was safe and could achieve aesthetically satisfactory results.

Polycrystalline samples of Cs1.17In0.81Cl3 were prepared by annealing a mixture of CsCl, InCl, and InCl3, stoichiometric for the targeted CsInCl3. Synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction refinement and chemical analysis by energy dispersive X-ray indicated that Cs1.17In0.81Cl3, a tetragonal distorted perovskite derivative (I4/m), is the thermodynamically stable product. The refined unit cell parameters and space group were confirmed by electron diffraction. In the tetragonal structure, In+ and In3+ are located in four different crystallographic sites, consistent with their corresponding bond lengths. In1, In2, and In3 are octahedrally coordinated, whereas In4 is at the center of a pentagonal bipyramid of Cl because of the noncooperative octahedral tilting of In4Cl6. The charged-ordered In+ and In3+ were also confirmed by X-ray absorption and Raman spectroscopy. Cs1.17In0.81Cl3 is the first example of an inorganic halide double perovskite derivative with charged-ordered In+ and In3+. Band structure and optical conductivity calculations were carried out with both generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) approach; the GGA calculations estimated the band gap and optical band gap to be 2.27 eV and 2.4 eV, respectively. The large and indirect band gap suggests that Cs1.17In0.81Cl3 is not a good candidate for photovoltaic application.