Search

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the effects of tea green leafhopper damage on the sensory quality and metabolite composition of Oriental Beauty by using tea leaves from different varieties of tea plants and processing factories. The results indicated that tea green leafhopper damage could reduce bitterness and increase the level of fruity aroma, which was related to the content changes of catechin components and alcohol substances. Furthermore, the tea green leafhopper salivary treatment experiment revealed that the decrease of catechin content and increase of theaflavin content were mainly influenced by the action of saliva and mechanical injury, and changes in volatile components such as linalool oxidation were responsible for the alteration in aroma. These findings provide a theoretical reference for the aroma formation and quality improvement of Oriental Beauty.

Fast motion and high adaptability are crucial for the practical applications of miniature robots. However, combining these capabilities into a single robot skillfully is challenging, particularly in the domain of miniature structural design. Inspired by the amphibious motion of crocodiles in nature, a hollow piezoelectric miniature robot (HPMR) is proposed. The key benefit of the HPMR is to concurrently output the oscillating motion of the driving foot (oscillating mode) and the rotating motion of the internal rotor (rotating mode). That is, the mode of single‐energy‐input‐multimotion output allows the robot to balance the requirements of speed and adaptability. In the oscillating mode, HPMR can run at speeds of up to 12.3 BL s−1 and realize a displacement resolution of 0.3 μm. Following the conical rotor assembly, the rotor can operate at a speed of 890 rpm, with a displacement resolution of 7.28 mrad. In the rotating mode, the robot demonstrates its multitasking ability in moving amphibiously, carrying loads, running on surfaces with varying roughness, crossing obstacles, and resisting shocks. The results show that the HPMR is capable of fast, high‐resolution moving combined with high adaptability, opening up the possibility of using it for mobile detection tasks in real‐world settings.

Abstract Mounting evidence has demonstrated the considerable regulatory effects of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the tumorigenesis and progression of various carcinomas. LncRNA Semaphorin 3B (SEMA3B) antisense RNA 1 (SEMA3B‐AS1) has been found to be dysregulated in a few carcinomas recently. However, its potential function and mechanism in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) have not yet been examined. Here we show that SEMA3B‐AS1 acts as a crucial regulator of CRC progression. We found that SEMA3B‐AS1 expression was downregulated in CRC cell lines and tissues. Downregulation of SEMA3B‐AS1 was significantly associated with poor survival in CRC patients. Overexpression of SEMA3B‐AS1 reduced the cell growth and metastasis of CRC in vivo and in vitro. In addition, SEMA3B‐AS1 promoted the expression of its sense‐cognate gene SEMA3B, a member of the Semaphorin family (SEMAs), by recruiting EP300 to induce H3K9 acetylation at the SEMA3B promoter. Furthermore, we proved that SEMA3B‐AS1 suppressed CRC angiogenesis by affecting the vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway activation which was regulated by the SEMA3B‐NRP1 axis. Our work unravels a novel mechanism of SEMA3B‐AS1 in the inhibition of CRC malignant progression and highlights its probability as a new promising diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for CRC interventions.

Abstract Despite great advance has been made in multi‐modality treatments for HCC patients, the effectiveness is far from satisfactory with worse survival outcome, which may be partly explainable by the anti‐tumor deficiency of the immune system. It is necessary to clarify the molecular mechanism of HCC immunodeficiency. Here, we demonstrated that carbohydrate sulfotransferase 11 (CHST11) was upregulated in HCC and related to advanced TNM stage. HCC patients with TP53 mutation showed higher CHST11 expression. Survival analysis revealed that CHST11 was an independent prognostic biomarker in HCC. Cellular functional experiments indicated that knockdown of CHST11 in HCC inhibited cell proliferation and metastasis. Gene functional enrichment analyses indicated that CHST11 modulated pathways related to tumor growth, metastasis and immune regulation. Continuative immune‐related analyses revealed that CHST11 expression facilitated Tregs infiltration in HCC and promoted the expression of checkpoints PD‐L1/PD‐1, resulting in the immunosuppression of HCC. Targeting CHST11 may inhibit Tregs infiltration and enhance the antineoplastic effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors, which provides a novel insight into the combination immunotherapy with Treg‐modulating agents and PD‐L1/PD‐1 inhibitors.

Abstract Introduction Adiponectin is a potent vascular protective molecule. Recent findings have suggested adiponectin resistance during early diabetes. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible remain unidentified. Here, we took an unbiased approach to identify whether hyperlipidemic plasma molecules exist that bind and inhibit adiponectin function, contributing to adiponectin resistance and diabetic vascular injury. Methods Adult rats were randomly assigned to receive either a normal or a high‐fat diet for 8 weeks. Plasma was co‐immunoprecipitated with anti‐APN antibody and analyzed by mass spectrometry. The APN binding molecules and their effect upon APN biological activity were determined. Results As expected, the high‐fat‐diet increased plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low‐density lipoprotein. Importantly, the circulating APN level was significantly increased at this time point. Mass spectrometry identified 18 proteins with increased APN binding in hyperlipidemic plasma, among which four proteins critical in lipid metabolism, including apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1), APOA4, APOC1, and paraoxonase 1, were further investigated. Incubating recombinant APN with APOA1 markedly (P

Abstract In recent years, circular RNA (circRNA) has been found to be involved in a variety of cancer processes. More and more attention has been paid to the research of circRNA in lung cancer. This study aims to investigate whether circ_0000517 affected the physiology of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the underlying mechanism. The results demonstrated that circ_0000517 was highly expressed in lung cancer tissues and cells, and overexpression of circ_0000517 was negatively correlated with the prognosis of NSCLC patients. Silencing of circ_0000517 significantly inhibited the proliferation, glycolysis, and glutamine decomposition of NSCLC cells in vitro and repressed the growth of xenografted tumors in vivo. Moreover, knockdown of circ_0000517 attenuated the expression of PCNA, HK2, LDHA, ASCT2, and GLS1. Further study found that circ_0000517 targeted miR‐330‐5p and miR‐330‐5p targeted YY1. In addition, miR‐330‐5p inhibitor reversed inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, glycolysis, and glutamine decomposition induced by si‐circ_0000517. In conclusion, our study revealed that silencing of circ_0000517 improved the progression of NSCLC through regulating miR‐330‐5p/YY1 axis.

Background Nicorandil was reported to improve microvascular dysfunction and reduce reperfusion injury when administered before primary percutaneous coronary intervention. In this multicenter, prospective, randomized, double‐blind clinical trial (CHANGE [Effects of Nicorandil Administration on Infarct Size in Patients With ST‐Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention]), we investigated the effects of nicorandil administration on infarct size in patients with ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods and Results A total of 238 patients with ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction were randomized to receive intravenous nicorandil (n=120) or placebo (n=118) before reperfusion. Patients in the nicorandil group received a 6‐mg intravenous bolus of nicorandil followed by continuous infusion at a rate of 6 mg/h. Patients in the placebo group received the same dose of placebo. The predefined primary end point was infarct size on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging performed at 5 to 7 days and 6 months after reperfusion. CMR imaging was performed in 201 patients (84%). Infarct size on CMR imaging at 5 to 7 days after reperfusion was significantly smaller in the nicorandil group compared with the placebo (control) group (26.5±17.1 g versus 32.4±19.3 g; P=0.022), and the effect remained significant on long‐term CMR imaging at 6 months after reperfusion (19.5±14.4 g versus 25.7±15.4 g; P=0.008). The incidence of no‐reflow/slow‐flow phenomenon during primary percutaneous coronary intervention was much lower in the nicorandil group (9.2% [11/120] versus 26.3% [31/118]; P=0.001), and thus, complete ST‐segment resolution was more frequently observed in the nicorandil group (90.8% [109/120] versus 78.0% [92/118]; P=0.006). Left ventricular ejection fraction on CMR imaging was significantly higher in the nicorandil group than in the placebo group at both 5 to 7 days (47.0±10.2% versus 43.3±10.0%; P=0.011) and 6 months (50.1±9.7% versus 46.4±8.5%; P=0.009) after reperfusion. Conclusions In the present trial, administration of nicorandil before primary percutaneous coronary intervention led to improved myocardial perfusion grade, increased left ventricular ejection fraction, and reduced myocardial infarct size in patients with ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction. Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03445728.

Abstract Wavefront control lies at the heart of modern optics. Metasurfaces with specifically tailored resonators can encode different phases to two orthogonal polarization components, but suffer from wavelength‐dependent efficiency, sophisticated fabrication, and limited size. Liquid crystals, another excellent candidate for planar optics, are restricted to spin‐coupled conjugated phase modulations. Planar optics with spin‐decoupled functions is expected to release the multifunctionality of modern optics. Here, a spin‐decoupled transflective spatial light modulator is presented with a piecewise‐twisted anisotropic monolayer. The phases of reflected and transmitted light can be independently customized by preprogramming the initial orientations of the periodic helix and mirror‐symmetric dual‐twist configuration, respectively. A transflective orbital angular momentum encoder and decoder is demonstrated, which is simultaneously compatible with different multiplexing techniques. This work releases the multifunctionality of advanced planar optics and may upgrade existing devices in optical informatics.

Abstract Plasmonic metal electrodes with subwavelength nanostructures are promising for enhancing light harvesting in photovoltaics. However, the nonradiative damping of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) during coupling with sunlight results in the conversion of the excited hot‐electrons to heat, which limits the absorption of light and generation of photocurrent. Herein, an energy recycling strategy driven by hot‐electron emission for recycling the SPP energy trapped in the plasmonic electrodes is proposed. A transparent silver‐based plasmonic metal electrode (A‐PME) with a periodic hexagonal nanopore array is constructed, which is combined with a luminescent organic emitter for radiative recombination of the injected hot‐electrons. Owing to the suppressed SPP energy loss via broadband hot‐electron emission, the A‐PME achieves an optimized optical transmission with an average transmittance of over 80% from 380 to 1200 nm. Moreover, the indium‐tin‐oxide‐free organic solar cells yield an enhanced light harvesting with a power conversion efficiency of 16.1%.

Affected by confined aquifer, basal inrush accidents caused by excavation are common in foundation pits, and accurate estimation of the safety thickness of the base is a big concern of engineers. In this paper, a three-dimensional failure mechanism of base inrush was constructed for a rectangular foundation pit. In this mechanism, the strength of the soil mass was assumed to be nonhomogeneous along the depth, and the soil-mass failure satisfied the linear and nonlinear Mohr–Coulomb strength criteria. Then, based on the limit equilibrium theory, the prediction method for the safety thickness of the base against confined water inrush was deduced, and a comparison with existing research works was conducted. Furthermore, the influence laws of soil strength parameters, pit design parameters, and confined water pressure on the critical safety thickness were analyzed. The results show that the critical safety thickness of the base is positively correlated with nonlinear coefficient and confined water pressure but negatively correlated with cohesion, internal friction angle, nonhomogeneity coefficient, and unit weight. The soil strength is a key factor affecting the base safety thickness, which should be paid enough attention to in engineering design and construction. The research findings in this paper can provide a theoretical reference for the prevention and control of basal inrush accidents in confined water strata.

Brewing water plays a crucial role in flavor and potential healthy functions of tea infusion. In this study, seven water samples with different physicochemical properties were selected to brew green tea. Results showed that the brewing water with higher minerals level and pH value would reduce the yield of catechins in tea infusion, which in turn caused the decrease of antioxidant activity to a large extent. Besides, it was found that EGCG, as a major contributor to the antioxidant activity of green tea infusion, was influenced differently by different metal ions, among which Ca2+/Mg2+ could enhance the antioxidant activity of EGCG solutions with different concentration through synergistic effect, particularly Ca2+, and the effect was more markable at a higher EGCG concentration. These results offered theoretical direction to the selection of tea brewing water for consumers and gave a new sight to the effects of metal ions on the antioxidant capacity of EGCG.

Chronic pain patients often develop mental disorders, and anxiety disorders are common. We hypothesize that the comorbid anxiety results from an imbalance between the reward and antireward system due to persistent pain, which leads to the dysfunction of the pain and anxiety regulatory system. In this review, we will focus on changes in neuroplasticity, especially in neural circuits, during chronic pain and anxiety as observed in animal studies. Several neural circuits within specific regions of the brain, including the nucleus accumbens, lateral habenular, parabrachial nucleus, medial septum, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, will be discussed based on novel findings after chemogenetic or optogenetic manipulation. We believe that these animal studies provide novel insights into human conditions and can guide clinical practice.

In this paper, we review the current status of the phenomenological study of quarkonium production in high-energy collisions. After a brief introduction of several important models and effective field theories for quarkonium production, we discuss the comparisons between theoretical predictions and experimental measurements.

Abstract While tremendous progress has recently been made in perovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs), large‐area blue devices feature inferior performance due to uneven morphologies and vast defects in the solution‐processed perovskite films. To alleviate these issues, a facile and reliable interface engineering scheme is reported for manipulating the crystallization of perovskite films enabled by a multifunctional molecule 2‐amino‐1,3‐propanediol (APDO)‐triggered “anchoring effect” at the grain‐growth interface. Sky‐blue perovskite films with large‐area uniformity and low trap states are obtained, showing the distinctly improved radiative recombination and hole‐transport capability. Based on the APDO‐induced interface engineering, synergistical boost in device performance is achieved for large‐area sky‐blue PeLED (measuring at 100 mm2) with a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 9.2% and a highly prolonged operational lifetime. A decent EQE up to 6.1% is demonstrated for the largest sky‐blue device emitting at 400 mm2.

This paper is to elucidate the correlation between different symptoms of UTUC and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. The clinicopathological data of 700 consecutive patients with UTUC who were treated with radical nephroureterectomy were reviewed, and symptoms were categorized into three groups: S1-no direct symptoms, S2-local symptoms (including hematuria and flank pain) and S3-systemic symptoms. We found that the distributions of patients in the S1, S2 and S3 groups were 96 (13.7%), 601 (85.9%) and 3 (0.4%), respectively, and most patients in S1 were incidentally found to have abnormal findings on ultrasound during regular health examination. Altogether, 534 patients (76.3%) presented with gross hematuria, and 111 (15.9%) presented with flank pain. Patients in S1 had a higher rate of hydronephrosis (p

Abstract Organic photodetectors (OPDs) have attracted continuous attention due to their outstanding advantages, such as tunability of detecting wavelength, low‐cost manufacturing, compatibility with lightweight and flexible devices, as well as ease of processing. Enormous efforts on performance improvement and application of OPDs have been devoted in the past decades. In this Review, recent advances in device architectures and operation mechanisms of phototransistor, photoconductor, and photodiode based OPDs are reviewed with a focus on the strategies aiming at performance improvement. The application of OPDs in spectrally selective detection, wearable devices, and integrated optoelectronics are also discussed. Furthermore, some future prospects on the research challenges and new opportunities of OPDs are covered.

Abstract Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) provides great potential for the realization of efficient and stable organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, it is still challenging for blue TADF emitters to simultaneously achieve high efficiency, high brightness, and low Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) y coordinate (CIEy) value. Here, the design and synthesis of two new benzonitrile‐based TADF emitters (namely 2,6‐di(9H‐carbazol‐9‐yl)‐3,5‐bis(3,6‐diphenyl‐9H‐carbazol‐9‐yl)benzonitrile (2PhCz2CzBn) and 2,6‐di(9H‐carbazol‐9‐yl)‐3,5‐bis(3,6‐di‐tert‐butyl‐9H‐carbazol‐9‐yl)benzonitrile (2tCz2CzBn)) with a symmetrical and rigid heterodonor configuration are reported. The TADF OLEDs doped with both the emitters can achieve a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) over 20% and narrowband blue emission of 464 nm with a CIEy < 0.2. Moreover, the incorporation of a terminal tert‐butyl group can weaken the intermolecular π–π stacking in the nondoped TADF emitter, and thus significantly suppress self‐aggregation‐caused emission quenching for enhanced delayed fluorescence. A peak EQE of 21.6% is realized in the 2tCz2CzBn‐based nondoped device with an extremely low turn‐on voltage of 2.7 V, high color stability, a high brightness over 20 000 cd m−2, a narrow full‐width at half‐maximum of 70 nm, and CIE color coordinates of (0.167, 0.248).

Objective. To study the value of pain vision system in quantitative evaluation of chronic pain from the perspective of neuroelectrophysiology, as compared with VAS (visual analog scale). Methods. Seventy-one patients with chronic pain were randomly selected to receive pain treatments from August 1, 2018, to September 30, 2018, in the Pain Department of Li Zhuang Tongji Hospital. Among all patients, 26 had cervical spondylosis and 45 had lumbar disc herniation. Pain vision and visual analog scoring (VAS) were used to evaluate the degree of pain before and after treatment. The correlation between the pain vision system’s pain ratio (pain ratio) and the VAS score was analyzed. Results. Pain ratio and VAS scores were linearly correlated before and after treatment in patients with chronic pain (Pearson coefficient was 0.730 before treatment and 0.449 after treatment; P

Progranulin (PGRN), which plays an anti-inflammatory role in acute lung injury (ALI), is promising as a potential drug. Studies have shown that regulatory T cells (Tregs) and interleukin- (IL-) 10 can repress inflammation and alleviate tissue damage during ALI. In this study, we built a lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced ALI mouse model to illustrate the effect of PGRN on regulation of Treg differentiation and modulation of IL-10 promoting macrophage polarization. We found that the proportion of Tregs in splenic mononuclear cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells was higher after treatment with PGRN. The increased proportion of Tregs after PGRN intratracheal instillation was consistent with the decreased severity of lung injury, the reduction of proinflammatory cytokines, and the increase of anti-inflammatory cytokines. In vitro, the percentages of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Tregs from splenic naïve CD4+ T cells increased after PGRN treatment. In further research, it was found that PGRN can regulate the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 and affect the polarization of M1/M2 macrophages by upregulating IL-10. These findings show that PGRN likely plays a protective role in ALI by promoting Treg differentiation and activating IL-10 immunomodulation.

Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) is one of the most common complications of mechanical ventilation (MV), which strongly impacts the outcome of ventilated patients. Current evidences indicated that inflammation is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of VILI. Our results showed that MV induced excessive proinflammatory cytokine productions together with decreased CXCL14 and increased PKM2 expressions in injured lungs. In addition, CXCL14 overexpression downregulated PKM2 expression and attenuated VILI with reduced inflammation. Moreover, the overexpression of PKM2 markedly diminished the protective effects of CXCL14 against VILI as reflected by worsened morphology and increased cytokine production, whereas PKM2 knockdown decreased cytokine production and attenuated VILI. Collectively, these results suggested that CXCL14 overexpression attenuates VILI through the downregulation of PKM2-mediated proinflammatory cytokine production.

Abstract Inorganic mixed‐halide CsPbX3‐based perovskite solar cells (PeSCs) are emerging as one of the most promising types of PeSCs on account of their thermostability compared to organic–inorganic hybrid counterparts. However, dissatisfactory device performance and high processing temperature impede their development for viable applications. Herein, a facile route is presented for tuning the energy levels and electrical properties of sol–gel‐derived ZnO electron transport material (ETM) via the doping of a classical alkali metal carbonate Cs2CO3. Compared to bare ZnO, Cs2CO3‐doped ZnO possesses more favorable interface energetics in contact with the CsPbI2Br perovskite layer, which can reduce the ohmic loss to a negligible level. The optimized PeSCs achieve an improved open‐circuit voltage of 1.28 V, together with an increase in fill factor and short‐circuit current. The optimized power conversion efficiencies of 16.42% and 14.82% are realized on rigid glass substrate and flexible plastic substrate, respectively. A high thermostability can be simultaneously obtained via defect passivation at the Cs2CO3‐doped ZnO/CsPbI2Br interface, and 81% of the initial efficiency is retained after aging for 200 h at 85 °C.