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Background National treatment guidelines of China evolving necessitates population-level surveillance of transmitted drug resistance (TDR) to inform or update HIV treatment strategies. Methods We analyzed the demographic, clinical, and virologic data obtained from people with HIV (PWH) residing in 31 provinces of China who were newly diagnosed between 2018 and 2023. Evidence of TDR was defined by the World Health Organization list for surveillance of drug resistance mutations. Results Among the 22 124 PWH with protease and reverse transcriptase sequences, 965 (4.36%; 95% CI, 4.1–4.63) had at least 1 TDR mutation. The most frequent TDR mutations were nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) mutations (2.39%; 95% CI, 2.19%–2.59%), followed by nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor mutations(1.35%; 95% CI, 1.2%–1.5%) and protease inhibitor mutations (1.12%; 95% CI,.98%–1.26%). The overall protease and reverse transcriptase TDR increased significantly from 4.05% (95% CI, 3.61%–4.52%) in 2018 to 5.39% (95% CI, 4.33%–6.57%) in 2023. A low level of integrase strand transfer inhibitor TDR was detected in 9 (0.21%; 95% CI,.1%–.38%) of 4205 PWH. Conclusions Presently, the continued use of NNRTI-based first-line antiretroviral therapy regimen for HIV treatment has been justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In 2016, China has implemented the World Health Organization's "treat all" policy. We aimed to assess the impact of significant improvements in the 95-95-95 targets on population-level human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission dynamics and incidence. Methods We focused on 3 steps of the HIV care continuum: diagnosed, on antiretroviral therapy, and achieving viral suppression. The molecular transmission clusters were inferred using HIV-TRACE. New HIV infections were estimated using the incidence method in the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control HIV Modelling Tool. Results Between 2004 and 2023, the national HIV epidemiology database recorded 2.99 billion person-times of HIV tests and identified 1 976 878 new diagnoses. We noted a roughly "inverted-V" curve in the clustering frequency, with the peak recorded in 2014 (67.1% [95% confidence interval, 63.7%–70.5%]), concurrent with a significant improvement in the 95-95-95 targets from 10-13-<71 in 2005 to 84-93-97 in 2022. Furthermore, we observed a parabolic curve for a new infection with the vertex occurring in 2010. Conclusions In general, it was suggested that the improvements in the 95-95-95 targets were accompanied by a reduction in both the population-level HIV transmission rate and incidence. Thus, China should allocate more effort to the first "95" target to achieve a balanced 95-95-95 target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Early and accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is crucial for initiating timely treatment and preventing new infections. In this study, we introduced the iFIND TBR assay, an automated all-in-one tuberculosis detection approach that simultaneously detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and rifampicin (RIF) resistance. Methods: The limits of detection (LOD), sensitivity, specificity, and RIF-R rpoB mutation detection of the iFIND TBR were tested on Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA or sputum samples spiked with known numbers of M.tuberculosis H37Rv. Frozen clinical samples from patients suspected of having TB were also tested. Results: The LOD of the iFIND TBR for MTB detection were 13.34 CFU/ml (95% CI, 11.71-16.47), and for RIF resistance was 109.79CFU/mL (95% CI, 95-138.19). The iFIND TBR assay accurately distinguish MTB strains from non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) without any cross reactivity. Testing on 157 clinical sputum samples, compared with the bacteriologically TB standard, the overall sensitivity and specificity of the iFIND TBR was 100% (95%CI, 94.64, 100) and 85.29% (95% CI, 74.61, 92.72), respectively. When assessing RIF susceptibility, the iFIND TBR achieved a sensitivity of 98.15% (95% CI, 90.11–99.95) and a specificity of 85.71% (95% CI, 67.33–95.97), compared with phenotypic drug susceptibility testing. Discordant RIF susceptibility results were more frequently observed in samples exhibiting heteroresistance. Discussion: These findings demonstrate that iFIND TBR assay performs well in detecting TB and RIF resistance, and shows promise as a point-of-care tool in resource-limited areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Furfural, as a significant platform chemical, has established a unique connection between lignocellulosic biomass and the industry. Five types of nano metal oxide (MgO, TiO2, SiO2, ZrO2 and Al2O3) supported Ni catalysts were prepared by facile incipient-wetness impregnation and evaluated for liquid-phase furfural hydrogenation to high-value furfuryl alcohol. Among these catalysts, Ni/MgO exhibited superior performance with a furfural conversion rate of up to 97.7% and a furfuryl alcohol selectivity of 94.7% after 2 h at 200 °C. Compared to other metal oxides, catalytic characterization results indicate that when MgO is used as the support, a NiO–MgO solid solution is formed and partially reduced by H2 at 600 °C, resulting in highly dispersed amorphous Ni on the support surface. These factors limit the hydrogenation of the furan ring on the Ni active sites, which contributes to the high selectivity of furfuryl alcohol. Additionally, a slight decrease in catalytic activity of Ni/MgO may be attributed to formation of Mg(OH)2 in cyclic utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increased demands of energy density boosting the electrochemical performance of the rechargeable alkali metal ion batteries, the safe operation of second batteries is attracting much attention and needs to be especially considered during their further development, which is essential in view of the well‐known fire incidents of the lithium‐ion batteries. These dangerous events in the lithium‐ion batteries are as a consequence of the exothermic chemical reactions between the flammable carbonate‐based solutions and the electrode active material under the terrible working conditions. Under this circumstance, some series of flame‐retardant organic liquid‐based solutions have demonstrated the potential towards safer rechargeable batteries with the minimal injurious or the advantageous effect on the batteries' performance. This article reviews the flame‐retardant organic liquid‐based solutions for the rechargeable batteries, providing the reader with an overview of the safe solutions with flame‐retardant additive/co‐solvent involving trimethyl phosphate and its derivative, P‐containing amide/phosphazene, all fluorinated solvent, and ionic liquids, in which the method of adapting concentrated and locally concentrated electrolyte solution are merged in the text content. Moreover, the functionality and purpose of the constituents in some flame‐retardant mixtures are discussed and many flame‐retardant electrolyte solutions are displayed to offer improved cycling and rate performance of different electrodes compared to traditional electrolyte solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the effects of copper and zinc addition on the microstructure and indentation creep behaviors of SnSb8Cu4 Babbitt alloy were systematically investigated. An indentation creep testing device with a flat tip indenter was used to characterize the creep behaviors of the Babbitt alloys at ~100°C with different loads. By increasing the copper content from 4wt% to 8wt%, coarser and shorter Cu6Sn5 dendrites with larger volume fraction were observed. The corresponding Brinell hardness increased from 21.9 to 28.1 at room temperature. However, the improvement in creep resistance was not obvious. After adding 0.72 wt% zinc, large number of small-sized SnSb particles precipitated along the grain boundaries of tin matrix. The total volume fraction of intermetallics, i.e., Cu6Sn5 and SnSb particles, increased from 15.1% to 20.9%. Although, the increment of Brinell hardness was not remarkable at room temperature, dramatic improvement in creep resistance was observed. The addition of zinc caused the decrement of the solid solubility of Sb in tin matrix, while more network-like SnSb particles precipitating in tin matrix were found, giving rise to the pinning effect against grain boundary sliding during creep deformation. However, increment of copper content showed no obvious effect on the solid solubility of Sb in tin matrix. Meanwhile, an exponential relationship between indentation creep rate and indentation stress at the steady creep stage was found. Based on the measured data, the indentation stress exponent of SnSb8Cu4, SnSb8Cu8 and SnSb8Cu4Zn was deduced to be 2.949, 2.865 and 2.743, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to monitor the diversity and evolution of HIV-1 genotypes, especially in some remote and undeveloped regions in China where the diversity and distribution of HIV-1 genotypes are not fully clear. To investigate the genotypes and distribution of HIV-1 in far Northwestern Gansu Province of China, we selected 220 HIV-1-positive plasma samples from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Gansu from January 2016 to December 2018. The viral load of inclusion samples were over 1,000 copies per milliliter. The gag, pol, and env gene of HIV-1 were amplified by nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction kit, sequenced, and then identified genotypes using HIV-BLAST tool and the neighbor-joining method. One hundred fifty of 220 inclusion samples were successfully determined HIV-1 genotypes. Our results show that circulating recombinant forms (CRF) 07_BC and CRF01_AE are predominant and accounted for 46.7% and 28.0%, respectively. Other HIV-1 subtypes and genotypes included B/B' (6.0%), CRF08_BC (4.0%), and C (1.3%). In addition, we reported CRF65_cpx and CRF55_01B subtypes in Gansu for the first time. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the sequences of different samples are scattered in different genotype groups, and no obvious aggregation occurs. Our results indicate the genetic variety and complexity of HIV-1 and provide critical information for HIV/AIDS control and prevention in Gansu Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Mesna is an FDA-approved chemotherapeutic adjuvant and an antioxidant based largely on its antioxidative properties, kinetic and mechanistic studies of its redox reactions are limited. A kinetic analysis of the reduction processes of cis-diamminetetrachloroplatinum(IV) (cis-[Pt(NH3)2Cl4], a cisplatin Pt(IV) prodrug) by thiol-containing compounds Mesna, thioglycolic acid (TGA), and DL-thiolactic acid (TLA) was carried out in this work at 25.0°C and 1.0 M ionic strength. The reduction processes were followed under pseudo-first-order conditions and were found to strictly obey overall second-order kinetics; the observed second-order rate constant k′ versus pH profiles were established in a wide pH range. A general reaction stoichiometry of Δ[Pt(IV)] : Δ[Thiol]tot = 1 : 2 was revealed for all the thiols; the thiols were oxidized to their corresponding disulfides which were identified by mass spectrometry. Reaction mechanisms are proposed which involves all the prololytic species of the thiols attacking the Pt(IV) prodrug in parallel, designating as the rate-determining steps. Transient species chlorothiol and/or chlorothiolate are formed in these steps; for each particular thiol, these transient species can be trapped rapidly by another thiol molecule which is in excess in the reaction mixture, giving rise to a disulfide as the oxidation product. The rate constants of the rate-determining steps were elucidated, revealing reactivity enhancements of (1.4–8.9) × 105 times when the thiols become thiolates. The species versus pH and reactivity of species versus pH distribution diagrams were constructed, demonstrating that the species ‒SCH2CH2SO3‒ of Mesna largely governs the total reactivity when pH > 5; in contrast, the form of Mesna per se (mainly as HSCH2CH2SO3‒) makes a negligible contribution. In addition, a well-determined dissociation constant for the Mesna thiol group (pKa2 = 8.85 ± 0.05 at 25.0°C and μ = 1.0 M) is offered in this work, which was determined by both kinetic approach and spectrophotometic titration method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since 1981, an increasing trend in HIV has been observed for transmission via injection drug users (IDUs), sexual transmission and mother-to-child transmission. The IDUs are blamed for early increases in HIV-positive cases in China., Objective: HIV genotypes of IDUs were comprehensively analysed to trace the source and relationships of the AIDS epidemic in China., Methods: Relevant databases written in English and Chinese were searched. Overall, 7,149 publications were identified in six databases. After screening 7,104 articles according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 45 studies consisting of 2,765 cases were finally identified. A meta-analysis was conducted using R MATLAB software, RevMan and SPSS. Subgroup analyses focused on time frame, region, and location of different genotypes of IDUs in China., Results: There were five dominant HIV-1 genotypes among the 2,765 IDU cases. The proportions of CRF07&#95;BC, CRF01&#95;AE, CRF08&#95;BC, subtype B/B', and subtype C were 45.18% (95% CI: 33.55-57.08%), 16.00% (95% CI: 9.39-23.82%), 13.43% (95% CI: 7.32-20.84%), 3.58% (95% CI: 1.52-6.24%), and 0.90% (95% CI: 0.04-2.43%), respectively. HIV genotypes transmitted among IDUs in China are primarily CRF07-BC, followed by CRF01-AE and CRF08-BC. Across the different time frames and regions, CRF07&#95;BC was the most prevalent HIV-1 genotype among IDUs, while CRF08&#95;BC was the most prevalent genotype in the southwest region., Conclusion: Our study reveals that CRF07-BC was the dominant prevalent strain among IDUs from 1991 to 2015 in China, while CRF08-BC was the dominant prevalent strain among IDUs in southwestern China. This systematic review and meta-analysis shows evidence of the comprehensive prevalence of different genotypes, data and characteristics of HIV among IDUs in China., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Implantation of a scaffold into the body in a safe and convenient manner remains a challenge in the repair of patient bone defect. In the present study, a strategy for fabrication of the redox-sensitive nanofibers with a core-shell structure that can deliver the growth factors in a tunable manner is presented. Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) forms the inner core region, and a mixture of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and redox-responsive c-6A PEG-PCL nanogel with -S-S- bond forms the outer shell. The redox-sensitive shell of the nanofibers can respond the change of the GSH (glutathione) concentration and thus regulate the BMP-2 release behavior in vitro and in vivo. In vitro cytotoxicity results indicated that the redox-sensitive nanofiber had good osteoinduction. The in vivo results demonstrated that the nanofibers exhibited a capacity of prompting new bone generation in the bone defect. Therefore, the redox-responsive nanofiber in the present study may be of great potential for application in bone reconstruction.