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Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep–wake changes and depressive symptoms events among midlife women. We enrolled 1579 women aged 44–56 years who had no clinically relevant depressive symptoms at baseline. Depressive symptoms were assessed at each visit using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. At the third and fourth follow-up visits, women reported their sleep habits. The sleep midpoint was defined as the time to fall asleep plus one-half of the sleep duration. Sleep–wake changes were determined by the difference in the midpoint of sleep between the third and fourth visits, which were 1 year apart. The median follow-up time was 7 years (range 1–7 years). Cox proportional hazard models were fitted to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the incidence of depressive symptoms associated with sleep–wake changes. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of depressive symptoms for severe sleep midpoint changes was 1.51 (1.12, 2.05) compared with mild sleep midpoint changes. This relationship remained statistically significant and changed little when additionally controlling for sleep duration, sleep quality, insomnia symptoms, use of sleep medications, use of nervous medications, glucose, insulin, lipids, dietary energy intake, and C-reactive protein. Our findings indicate that exposure to long-term severe sleep–wake changes increases the risk of depressive symptoms in midlife women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with a range of adverse health outcomes, with pain being potentially one of them. This population-based cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the associations between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and pain in Chinese adults and evaluate whether physical activity and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics modify this associations. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), were utilized in this study. A total of 9923 respondents with information on 12 ACE indicators and 15 self-reported body pains were included. Logistic regression models were used to assess associations of the ACEs and pain. Modification of the associations by physical activity, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics was assessed by stratified analyses and tests for interaction. Results: Among the 9923 individuals included in the primary analyses, 5098 (51.4%) males and the mean (SD) age was 61.18 (10·.44) years. Compared with individuals with 0 ACEs, those who with ≥ 5 ACEs had increased risk of single pains and multiple pain. A dose–response association was found between the number of ACEs and the risk of pain (e.g. neck pain for ≥ 5 ACEs vs. none: OR, 1.107; 95% CI, 0.903–1.356; p < 0.001 for trend). In the associations of each body pain with each ACE indicator, most ACE indicators were associated with an increased risk of pain. In addition, physical activity, sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, such as age, sex, educational level, area of residence, childhood economic hardship, did not demonstrate a significant modify on the associations between ACEs and pain. Conclusions: These findings indicate that cumulative ACE exposure is associated with increased odds of self-reported pain in Chinese adults, regardless of adult physical activity, sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) are indispensable for the service of SiC‐based turbine engines. The Si‐bond coating is a critical layer that prevents oxidants from penetrating SiC substrates and determines the service lifetimes of EBCs. In this study, the oxidation behaviors and failure mechanisms of Si‐based bond coatings were reviewed. The large growth rate and phase transformation of thermally grown oxides (TGOs, SiO2) seriously deteriorate the service of Si‐bond coatings. The low melting point of Si further limits its application in next‐generation engines above 1 427°C. The results show that an isolated particle healing (IPH) treatment decreased the oxidation rate of the Si‐bond coating by ∼24% at 1 300°C. Moreover, the Si–HfO2 and Si‐stabilizer (Si–Al2O3 or Si‐mullite) composite/duplex bond coatings can eliminate SiO2 phase transitions, thus improving the service lifetime. In addition, rare earth silicide (RESi), SiC and SiO2–HfO2 composite show potential for use in next‐generation EBCs above 1 427°C. This review provides guidance for designing Si‐based bond coatings with improved service lifetime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the application effectiveness and value of combining problem-based learning (PBL) and case-based learning (CBL) in clinical electroencephalography (EEG) education. METHODS: A total of 104 standardized training for residents and refresher physicians from the Neurology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Neurology Department of Chongqing Yubei Hospital, and Neurology Department of Banan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were enrolled. According to randomization principles, 52 participants were assigned into the PBL-CBL combination group and 52 subjects were assigned into the control group. We used statistical methods to compare the differences between the 2 groups in basic theory, case analysis, practical assessment scores, and teaching satisfaction. RESULTS: In terms of basic theory, case analysis, practical assessment scores, and teaching satisfaction, there were significant differences between the 2 groups, and the PBL-CBL combination group was superior to the control group (P <.05). CONCLUSION: In clinical EEG education, the teaching model of combining PBL and CBL has certain application effects and value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-assembled peptide-based nanobiomaterials exhibit promising prospects for drug delivery applications owing to their commendable biocompatibility and biodegradability, facile tissue uptake and utilization, and minimal or negligible unexpected toxicity. TFF3 is an active peptide autonomously secreted by gastric mucosal cells, possessing multiple biological functions. It acts on the surface of the gastric mucosa, facilitating the repair process of gastric mucosal damage. However, when used as a drug, TFF3 faces significant challenges, including short retention time in the gastric mucosal cavity and deactivation due to degradation by stomach acid. In response to this challenge, we developed a self−assembled short peptide hydrogel, Rqdl10, designed as a delivery vehicle for TFF3. Our investigation encompasses an assessment of its properties, biocompatibility, controlled release of TFF3, and the mechanism underlying the promotion of gastric mucosal injury repair. Congo red/aniline blue staining revealed that Rqdl10 promptly self-assembled in PBS, forming hydrogels. Circular dichroism spectra indicated the presence of a stable β-sheet secondary structure in the Rqdl10 hydrogel. Cryo-scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy observations demonstrated that the Rqdl10 formed vesicle-like structures in the PBS, which were interconnected to construct a three-dimensional nanostructure. Moreover, the Rqdl10 hydrogel exhibited outstanding biocompatibility and could sustainably and slowly release TFF3. The utilization of the Rqdl10 hydrogel as a carrier for TFF3 substantially augmented its proliferative and migratory capabilities, while concurrently bolstering its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic attributes following gastric mucosal injury. Our findings underscore the immense potential of the self-assembled peptide hydrogel Rqdl10 for biomedical applications, promising significant contributions to healthcare science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Skin mottling is a common manifestation of peripheral tissue hypoperfusion, and its severity can be described using the skin mottling score (SMS). This study aims to evaluate the value of the SMS in detecting peripheral tissue hypoperfusion in critically ill patients following cardiac surgery. Methods: Critically ill patients following cardiac surgery with risk factors for tissue hypoperfusion were enrolled (n = 373). Among these overall patients, we further defined a hypotension population (n = 178) and a shock population (n = 51). Hemodynamic and perfusion parameters were recorded. The primary outcome was peripheral hypoperfusion, defined as significant prolonged capillary refill time (CRT, > 3.0 s). The characteristics and hospital mortality of patients with and without skin mottling were compared. The area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) were used to assess the accuracy of SMS in detecting peripheral hypoperfusion. Besides, the relationships between SMS and conventional hemodynamic and perfusion parameters were investigated, and the factors most associated with the presence of skin mottling were identified. Results: Of the 373-case overall population, 13 (3.5%) patients exhibited skin mottling, with SMS ranging from 1 to 5 (5, 1, 2, 2, and 3 cases, respectively). Patients with mottling had lower mean arterial pressure, higher vasopressor dose, less urine output (UO), higher CRT, lactate levels and hospital mortality (84.6% vs. 12.2%, p < 0.001). The occurrences of skin mottling were higher in hypotension population and shock population, reaching 5.6% and 15.7%, respectively. The AUROC for SMS to identify peripheral hypoperfusion was 0.64, 0.68, and 0.81 in the overall, hypotension, and shock populations, respectively. The optimal SMS threshold was 1, which corresponded to specificities of 98, 97 and 91 and sensitivities of 29, 38 and 67 in the three populations (overall, hypotension and shock). The correlation of UO, lactate, CRT and vasopressor dose with SMS was significant, among them, UO and CRT were identified as two major factors associated with the presence of skin mottling. Conclusion: In critically ill patients following cardiac surgery, SMS is a very specific yet less sensitive parameter for detecting peripheral tissue hypoperfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is a complex biological process that is influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Recently, it has been discovered that reactive oxygen species can accelerate the aging process, leading to an increased incidence of age-related diseases that are characteristic of aging. This review aims to discuss the potential of mushrooms as a dietary intervention for anti-aging, focusing on their nutritional perspective. Mushrooms contain various bioactive compounds, including carbohydrates, bioactive proteins, fungal lipids, and phenolic compounds. These compounds have shown promising effectiveness in combating skin aging and age-related diseases. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that treatments with mushrooms or their extracts can significantly extend lifespan and improve health span. Furthermore, studies have aimed to elucidate the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms of action and the structure–activity relationship of mushroom bioactive compounds. These findings provide a strong basis for further research, including human clinical trials and nutritional investigations, to explore the potential benefits of mushrooms in real-life anti-aging practices. By exploring the anti-aging effects of mushrooms, this review aims to provide valuable insights that can contribute to the development of broader strategies for healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logistics services are integral to urban economic activity, and delving into the spatial distribution traits and evolutionary pathways of various kinds of logistics service node facilities (LSNF) is markedly valuable for understanding a city's functional spatial makeup and refining the spatial layout of logistics services. This study quantitatively and qualitatively analyzes the spatial congregation and spreading characteristics of diverse LSNFs in Wuhan in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2020, employing kernel density analysis, average nearest neighbor index, mean center, and distance distribution frequency, seeking to characterize the spatial evolution characteristics of LSNF, alongside examining the trends in distances to city cores, principal adjoining roads, and production and consumption sites. The following conclusions were made: (1) Between 2011 and 2020, various types of LSNFs in Wuhan experienced a pattern characterized by the noticeable coexistence of spatial expansion and agglomeration, particularly visible after 2014. The degree of agglomeration is classified in a descending order as follows: CWC, STN, PSN, and PDN. (2) An "absolute diffusion" phenomenon characterizes the distribution of distances between various kinds of LSNFs and city cores or neighboring roads, with the lion's share of high-frequency distribution zones spreading beyond city cores by 5–10 km, and a majority of the LSNFs being situated within 1 km from adjacent roads. (3) While the LSNF collective exhibits a stronger tendency towards the consumption facet, it reflects a surrounding of industrial production sites on the production facet and locations of manufactured goods consumption on the consumption facet, followed by locations of agricultural product consumption and comprehensive consumption sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the suitability of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for downscaling precipitation over East Africa in the context of seasonal forecasting. To achieve this, we design a set of experiments that compare different CNN configurations and deployed the best-performing architecture to downscale one-month lead seasonal forecasts of June–July–August–September (JJAS) precipitation from the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology Climate Forecast System version 1.0 (NUIST-CFS1.0) for 1982–2020. We also perform hyper-parameter optimization and introduce predictors over a larger area to include information about the main large-scale circulations that drive precipitation over the East Africa region, which improves the downscaling results. Finally, we validate the raw model and downscaled forecasts in terms of both deterministic and probabilistic verification metrics, as well as their ability to reproduce the observed precipitation extreme and spell indicator indices. The results show that the CNN-based downscaling consistently improves the raw model forecasts, with lower bias and more accurate representations of the observed mean and extreme precipitation spatial patterns. Besides, CNN-based downscaling yields a much more accurate forecast of extreme and spell indicators and reduces the significant relative biases exhibited by the raw model predictions. Moreover, our results show that CNN-based downscaling yields better skill scores than the raw model forecasts over most portions of East Africa. The results demonstrate the potential usefulness of CNN in downscaling seasonal precipitation predictions over East Africa, particularly in providing improved forecast products which are essential for end users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polygeneration system for power, heat, and refrigeration has been evaluated and optimized using exergy-based methods. CO2 is the working fluid. The study considered two environmental conditions for the potential implementation of the polygeneration system: cold (Casecold) and hot (Casehot). Aspen HYSYS® was used to perform steady-state simulations, Python was used for the automation of the process, and the connection of Aspen HYSYS® with Python was successfully applied for single-objective and multi-objective optimizations. A wide range of decision variables was implemented. The minimization of the average cost of a product per unit of exergy was the goal of single-objective optimization and was included in the multi-objective optimization in addition to the maximization of the overall exergy efficiency. Single-objective and multi-objective optimization were applied. Both optimization algorithms result in the necessity to increase the pinch temperature in the heat exchanger (ΔTpinch,HE), maintain the pinch temperature in the gas cooler (ΔTpinch,GC), and augment this value for the evaporator (ΔTpinch,EVAP). Notably, higher isentropic efficiency for turbomachinery correlates with improved optimization outcomes. These findings contribute to the applicability and performance of the polygeneration system, offering potential advancements in sustainable energy solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Existing therapies of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are efficacious only in certain patients. Developing new treatment methods is urgent. This meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low‐dose IL‐2 (LD‐IL‐2). Methods: According to published data from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, MEDLINE, MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane Library, and FDA.gov, eight trials were included. Results: After the LD‐IL‐2 treatment, 54.8% of patients had distinct clinical remission. The SRI‐4 response rates were 0.819 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.745–0.894), and the SELENA‐SLEDAI scores were significantly decreased (SMD = −2.109, 95% CI: [−3.271, −0.947], p <.001). Besides, the proportions of CD4+ T (SMD = 0.614, 95% CI: [0.250, 0.979], p =.001) and Treg cells (SMD = 1.096, 95% CI: [0.544, 1.649], p <.001) were increased dramatically after LD‐IL‐2 treatment, while there were no statistical differences in the proportions of CD8+ T cells, Th1 cells, Th2 cells, and Th17 cells (p >.05). Besides, the proportions of Th17 (SMD = 1.121, 95% CI: [0.709, 1.533], p <.001) and Treg (SMD = 0.655, 95% CI: [0.273, 1.038], p =.001) were significantly increased after receiving subcutaneously 0.5 million IU of LD‐IL‐2 treatment per day for 5 days, but there were no statistical differences in the proportions of Treg after receiving 1 million IU every other day subcutaneously of LD‐IL‐2 treatment. Injection site reaction and fever were common side effects of IL‐2, which occurred in 33.1% and 14.4% of patients. No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: LD‐IL‐2 was promising and well‐tolerated in treating SLE, which could promote Treg's proliferation and functional recovery. Injecting 0.5 million IU of IL‐2 daily can better induce the differentiation of Treg cells and maintain immune homeostasis than injecting 1 million IU every other day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although no study has directly shown the relationship between bacterial vaginosis (BV) and homocysteine (HCY), we still found some association between these two through extensive literature and data analysis. BV score was calculated by Nugent's method, less than equal to 6 is negative and greater than equal to 7 is positive. This article describes interrelationships we mined from data extracted by NHANES regarding BV and HCY under multiple covariates. We used two cycles of NHANES 2001–2002 and 2003–2004 in our study. We included 2398 participants in our study who recently completed the interview and the MEC tests. By investigating the relationship between BV and HCY under multivariate conditions, multiple linear regression analysis was performed. These factors may have influenced the results, such as ethnicity, age, education level, body mass index (BMI), etc. Serum vitamin B12, ferritin, percentage of segmented centrioles, and number of segmented centrioles were selected as potential covariates in our study. We observed that both the coarse model and the two adjusted models showed a high correlation between HCY and BV, and the correlation was positive. In the coarse model, OR = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10, 1.44, P = 0.0018); HCY was positively correlated with BV (OR = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05, 1.34, P = 0.0121). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the connection between BV and HCY under multivariate settings. The results of this study indicate that HCY is positively associated with the prevalence of BV and may play an important role in the prevention and management of BV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The usage of weakly bonded ultra-high strength (WBUHS) rebars has emerged as a promising approach to enhance the resilience of concrete components due to their remarkable mechanical properties. To promote the application of WBUHS rebars, this paper presented an investigation on the seismic behavior of circular concrete columns reinforced with squarely arranged WBUHS rebars and externally confined by bolted steel tubes. Eight columns, including two reinforced with normal strength (NS) rebars and six reinforced with WBUHS rebars, were fabricated and tested under reversed cyclic lateral loading. Experimental results showed that the columns reinforced with WBUHS rebars exhibited remarkable drift-hardening capacity up to the drift of at least 5% as well as significantly reduced residual deformation even when subjected to relatively high axial compression with an axial load ratio of 0.33 in comparison to the traditional ductile columns reinforced with NS rebars. Notably, the precast columns reinforced with WBUHS rebars, with an embedment length of 20 times their diameter, behaved nearly identically in terms of resilience as cast-in-place columns. Additionally, a numerical analysis was performed to assess the hysteretic performance, and the analytical results, with consideration for the slippage of WBUHS rebars, were capable of capturing the hysteretic performance of test columns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite major advances in cancer therapeutics, the therapeutic options of Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LSCC)-specific remain limited. Furthermore, the current staging system is imperfect for defining a prognosis and guiding treatment due to its simplicity and heterogeneity. We sought to develop prognostic decision tools for individualized survival prediction and treatment optimization in elderly patients with LSCC. Methods: Clinical data of 4564 patients (stageIB-IIIB) diagnosed from 2010 to 2015 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for prognostic nomograms development. The proposed models were externally validated using a separate group consisting of 1299 patients (stage IB-IIIB) diagnosed from 2012–2015 in China. The prognostic performance was measured using the concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, the average time-dependent area under the receiver operator characteristic curves (AUC), and decision curve analysis. Results: Eleven candidate prognostic variables were identified by the univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis. The calibration curves showed satisfactory agreement between the actual and nomogram-estimated Lung Cancer-Specific Survival (LCSS) rates. By calculating the c-indices and average AUC, our nomograms presented a higher prognostic accuracy than the current staging system. Clinical usefulness was revealed by the decision curve analysis. User-friendly online decision tools integrating proposed nomograms were created to estimate survival for patients with different treatment regimens. Conclusions: The decision tools for individualized survival prediction and treatment optimization might facilitate clinicians with decision-making, medical teaching, and experimental design. Online tools are expected to be integrated into clinical practice by using the freely available website (https://loyal-brand-611803.framer.app/). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common age-related chronic and neurodegenerative disease that has become a global health problem. AD pathogenesis is complex, and the clinical efficacy of commonly used anti-AD drugs is suboptimal. Recent research has revealed a close association between AD-induced damage and the activation of ferroptosis signaling pathways. Chrysophanol (CHR) the principal medicinal component of Rhubarb, has been reported to have anti-AD effects and can reduce ROS levels in AD-damaged models. AD has been linked to the activation of ferroptosis signaling pathways, which has an important feature of higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, the present study explored whether CHR had an anti-AD effect by regulating the ferroptosis levels in AD injury models. Morris water maze, novel object recognition test, Y-maze test, Hematoxylin–eosin (H&E) staining, western blotting, ROS measurement, GPx activity measurement, LPO measurement, transmission electron microscopy, live/dead cell staining were used to investigate the changes in spatial memory level and ferroptosis level in AD model, and the intervention effect of CHR. CHR improved the spatial memory level of AD rat models, reduced the level of hippocampal neuron damage, and improved the survival rate of PC12 cells damaged by β-amyloid (Aβ). Meanwhile, CHR increased glutathione peroxidase-4 (GPX4) protein expression, GPx activity, and GSH, decreased ROS and LPO levels in AD rat models and Aβ-damaged PC12 cells, and improved mitochondrial pathological damage. Our findings suggest that CHR may play a protective role in AD injury by lowering ferroptosis levels, which may provide a potential pathway for developing drugs for AD. However, the mechanism of CHR's role requires further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2014 Mw 6.2 Ludian earthquake exhibited a structurally complex source rupture process and an unusual spatial distribution pattern of co-seismic landslides. In this study, we constructed a spatial database consisting of 1470 co-seismic landslides, each exceeding 500 m2. These landslides covered a total area of 8.43 km2 and were identified through a comprehensive interpretation of high-resolution satellite images taken before and after the earthquake. It is noteworthy that the co-seismic landslides do not exhibit a linear concentration along the seismogenic fault; instead, they predominantly extend along major river systems with an NE–SW trend. Moreover, the southwest-facing slopes have the highest landslide area ratio of 1.41. To evaluate the susceptibility of the Ludian earthquake-triggered landslides, we performed a random forest model that considered topographic factors (elevation, slope, aspect, distance to rivers), geological factors (lithology), and seismic factors (ground motion parameters, epicentral distance, distance to the seismogenic fault). Our analysis revealed that the distance to rivers and elevation were the primary factors influencing the spatial distribution of the Ludian earthquake-triggered landslides. When we considered the directional variation in ground motion parameters, the AUC of the model slightly decreased. However, incorporating this variation led to a significant reduction in the proportion of areas classified as "high" and "very high" landslide susceptibility. Moreover, SEDd emerged as the most effective ground motion parameter for interpreting the distribution of the co-seismic landslides when compared to PGAd, PGVd, and Iad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The type and placement of chest tube for patients undergoing uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of a novel technique in which a pigtail catheter was used alone as the chest tube and placed near the incision for chest drainage after uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy and extended lymphadenectomy. Methods: A total of 217 patients undergoing uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy were retrospectively reviewed and divided into two groups. In group A, a 12‐Fr pigtail catheter with several side ports was placed next to the uniportal wound. In group B, a conventional 20‐Fr chest tube was placed through the uniportal wound itself. Postoperative complications related to chest tube placement and patients' subjective satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Postoperative pain management effect and other clinical outcomes such as duration of chest drainage and postoperative stay were also compared. Results: There were 112 patients in group A and 105 patients in group B. A significantly lower incidence of wound complications was found in group A postoperatively (p = 0.034). The pain score on coughing in group A was significantly lower than that in group B on postoperative day two (POD2) (p = 0.021). There was no significant difference of other clinical outcomes such as duration of chest drainage and postoperative stay as well as major complications between the two groups. Conclusion: Placing a 12‐Fr pigtail catheter alone next to the uniportal wound for chest drainage might be effective and safe after uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy and extended lymphadenectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Our study identified the primary expression of PD-L1 in vascular endothelial cells that correlated with the expression of the mesenchymal markers YKL-40 and Vim and poor patient survival. YKL-40 induced VE-cad expression, which interacted with and upregulated PD-L1, leading to vascular immune escape. In addition, upregulated VE-cad drove CCR5-mediated tumor vascularization. These data may offer solid evidence to decipher molecular mechanisms that contribute to the rigorous resistance of mesenchymal GBM to single anti-immune or angiogenic therapies. Therefore, our findings suggest a novel therapeutic strategy that combines treatments targeting both YKL-40 and VE-cad/or PD-L1 facilitates the blockade of anti-vascular immune evasion and tumor angiogenesis, benefiting patients with mesenchymal GBM. The mesenchymal subtype of glioblastoma (mGBM), which is characterized by rigorous vasculature, resists anti-tumor immune therapy. Here, we investigated the mechanistic link between tumor vascularization and the evasion of immune surveillance. Clinical datasets with GBM transcripts showed that the expression of the mesenchymal markers YKL-40 (CHI3L1) and Vimentin is correlated with elevated expression of PD-L1 and poor disease survival. Interestingly, the expression of PD-L1 was predominantly found in vascular endothelial cells. Orthotopic transplantation of glioma cells GL261 over-expressing YKL-40 in mice showed increased angiogenesis and decreased CD8+ T cell infiltration, resulting in a reduction in mouse survival. The exposure of recombinant YKL-40 protein induced PD-L1 and VE-cadherin (VE-cad) expression in endothelial cells and drove VE-cad-mediated nuclear translocation of β-catenin/LEF, where LEF upregulated PD-L1 expression. YKL-40 stimulated the dissociation of VE-cad from PD-L1, rendering PD-L1 available to interact with PD-1 from CD8+-positive TALL-104 lymphocytes and inhibit TALL-104 cytotoxicity. YKL-40 promoted TALL-104 cell migration and adhesion to endothelial cells via CCR5-dependent chemotaxis but blocked its anti-vascular immunity. Knockdown of VE-cad or the PD-L1 gene ablated the effects of YKL-40 and reinvigorated TALL-104 cell immunity against vessels. In summary, our study demonstrates a novel vascular immune escape mechanism by which mGBM promotes tumor vascularization and malignant transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Philippines is highly vulnerable to multiple climate-related hazards due to its geographical location and weak adaptation measures. Floods are the most catastrophic hazards that impact lives, livelihoods, and, consequently, the economy at large. Understanding the ability of the general circulation models to simulate the observed rainfall using the latest state-of-the-art model is essential for reliable forecasting. Based on this background, this paper objectively aims at assessing and ranking the capabilities of the recent Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models in simulating the observed rainfall over the Philippines. The Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) v2.3 was used as a proxy to gauge the performance of 11 CMIP6 models in simulating the annual and rainy-season rainfall during 1980–2014. Several statistical metrics (mean, standard deviation, normalized root means square error, percentage bias, Pearson correlation coefficient, Mann–Kendall test, Theil–Sen slope estimator, and skill score) and geospatial measures were assessed. The results show that that CMIP6 historical simulations exhibit satisfactory effectiveness in simulating the annual cycle, though some models display wet/dry biases. The CMIP6 models generally underestimate rainfall on the land but overestimate it over the ocean. The trend analysis shows that rainfall over the country is insignificantly increasing both annually and during the rainy seasons. Notably, most of the models could correctly simulate the trend sign but over/underestimate the magnitude. The CMIP6 historical rainfall simulating models significantly agree on simulating the mean annual cycle but diverge in temporal ability simulation. The performance of the models remarkably differs from one metric to another and among different time scales. Nevertheless, the models may be ranked from the best to the least best at simulating the Philippines' rainfall in the order GFDL, NOR, ACCESS, ENS, MRI, CMCC, NESM, FIO, MIROC, CESM, TAI, and CAN. The findings of this study form a good basis for the selection of models to be used in robust future climate projection and impact studies regarding the Philippines. The climate model developers may use the documented shortcoming of these models and improve their physical parametrization for better performance in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthracnose is a common disease found in Camellia oleifera producing areas across China, whose primary pathogen is Colletotrichum fructicola. We previously revealed that autophagy is essential for the pathogenicity of C. fructicola. However, the function of ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS), which is a parallel protein degradation pathway to autophagy, remains elusive. Here, we report that CfRad6, an E2 conjugating enzyme in UPS, interacts with three putative E3 ubiquitin ligases, namely CfRad18, CfUbr1, and CfBre1. Importantly, we presented evidence showing that CfRad6 negatively regulates autophagy, revealing the first link between UPS and autophagy in pathogenic fungi. Targeted gene deletion showed that CfRad6 is involved in growth and conidiation. We further found that the ΔCfrad6 mutant is defective in appressoria formation and responses to environmental stresses. These combined effects, along with the abnormal autophagy level, lead to the pathogenicity defects of the ΔCfrad6 mutant. Taken together, our study indicates the pleiotropic functions of CfRad6 in the development and pathogenicity of C. fructicola. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The choice of anastomosis technique after esophagectomy is closely associated with the postoperative complications. Whether circular stapled or linear stapled anastomosis is the optimal technique has not been established. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to show the latest and most comprehensive published assessment of circular stapled anastomosis in comparison with linear stapled anastomosis in postoperative complications. Methods: Databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of science, Cochrane Library) were searched for all randomized controlled trials and comparative studies comparing circular stapled anastomosis with linear stapled anastomosis after esophagectomy. The odd ratio and mean difference with 95% confidence interval were calculated. We used the Higgins I² statistics to assess the statistical heterogeneity between studies. Review manager (version 5.4) software was used in this analysis. Results: Sixteen studies with 2322 patients were included in our study. The study demonstrated that the use of linear stapled technique after esophagectomy could reduce the risk of both anastomotic leakage (P = 0.0003) and stricture (P < 0.00001) compared with circular stapled technique. Stratification by anastomotic site showed that no matter what kind of anastomotic site (cervical or thoracic anastomosis) was used, linear stapled anastomosis could effectively reduce the anastomotic stricture in comparison with circular stapled anastomosis. Moreover, linear stapled anastomosis could decrease the risk of thoracic anastomotic leakage. There were no significant differences between circle stapled anastomosis and linear stapled anastomosis in reflux esophagitis (P = 0.17), pneumonia (P = 0.91), operation time (P = 0.41) and hospital stay (P = 0.38). Conclusions: The study suggested that linear stapled anastomosis could be considered to be an optimal treatment associated with a reduced risk of anastomotic leakage and stricture in comparison with circular stapled anastomosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role played by serum folate in the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of serum folate with NAFLD and advanced liver fibrosis (AHF). We conducted a cross-sectional study with 5417 participants using 2011–2018 NHANES data. Multiple logistic regression analysis and propensity score matching analysis were used to investigate the association of serum folate with NAFLD and AHF. In the completely adjusted model, participants in the high serum folate group had a 27% (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.62, 0.87, p = 0.0003) and 53% (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.35, 0.63, p < 0.0001) lower odds of suffering from NAFLD and AHF, respectively, compared to the low serum folate group. The similar results in propensity score matching further validated the above association. Stratified analysis showed that the negative correlation of serum folate with NAFLD and AHF demonstrated a broad consistency across populations. The results of this study indicate that higher serum folate level was associated with lower odds of NAFLD and AHF among US adults. Further prospective studies are necessary due to the limitations of cross-sectional studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is one of the most common infections among women of reproductive age and accounts for 15–50% of infections globally. The role played by folate in the pathogenesis and progression of BV is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between serum folate, red blood cell (RBC) folate, and BV in American women. Methods: 1,954 participants from the 2001-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) program were included in this study. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association between serum folate, RBC folate, and BV, and covariates including race, age, education level, and body mass index were used to construct adjusted models. Stratified analysis was used to explore the stability of the above associations in different populations. Results: In the present cross-sectional study, we found that serum folate and RBC folate were inversely associated with the risk of BV. In the fully adjusted model, the risk of BV was reduced by 35% (OR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.51~0.83, p=0.0007) in the highest serum folate group and 32% (OR=0.68, 95% CI: 0.53~0.87, p=0.0023) in the highest RBC folate group compared to the lowest group. Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that serum folate and RBC folate were inversely associated with the risk of BV folate supplementation may play an important role in the prevention and management of BV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Motor imagery brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) is a classic and potential BCI technology achieving brain computer integration. In motor imagery BCI, the operational frequency band of the EEG greatly affects the performance of motor imagery EEG recognition model. However, as most algorithms used a broad frequency band, the discrimination from multiple sub-bands were not fully utilized. Thus, using convolutional neural network (CNNs) to extract discriminative features from EEG signals of different frequency components is a promising method in multisubject EEG recognition. Methods: This paper presents a novel overlapping filter bank CNN to incorporate discriminative information from multiple frequency components in multisubject motor imagery recognition. Specifically, two overlapping filter banks with fixed low-cut frequency or sliding low-cut frequency are employed to obtain multiple frequency component representations of EEG signals. Then, multiple CNN models are trained separately. Finally, the output probabilities of multiple CNN models are integrated to determine the predicted EEG label. Results: Experiments were conducted based on four popular CNN backbone models and three public datasets. And the results showed that the overlapping filter bank CNN was efficient and universal in improving multisubject motor imagery BCI performance. Specifically, compared with the original backbone model, the proposed method can improve the average accuracy by 3.69 percentage points, F1 score by 0.04, and AUC by 0.03. In addition, the proposed method performed best among the comparison with the state-of-the-art methods. Conclusion: The proposed overlapping filter bank CNN framework with fixed low-cut frequency is an efficient and universal method to improve the performance of multisubject motor imagery BCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Although the benefits outweigh the risks, COVID-19 vaccines have been associated with an increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis. This report is based on a national US veteran population with confirmed myocarditis/pericarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccines according to the near real-time active surveillance program of Veterans Affairs. Methods This study is based on a cohort evaluation of all adults administered ≥1 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, including boosters, in the Veterans Health Administration between 14 December 2020 and 9 October 2022. ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes were used to identify potential safety signals in near real time through a database analysis. All potential cases of myocarditis/pericarditis identified in the database analysis underwent in-depth chart review and case validation by a team of pharmacists and expert clinicians. Our main outcome was the incidence rate of confirmed myocarditis/pericarditis among vaccine recipients (overall and those aged 18–39 years) within 21 days of a first, second, or booster dose of a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. We calculated the ratio of observed events among COVID-19 vaccine recipients over expected events from historical vaccine recipient controls (2015–2020) in the Veterans Health Administration. We used confirmed cases to calculate incidence rates and 95% CIs. Results Through 9 October 2022, 3 877 453 doses of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and 4 221 397 doses of mRNA-1273 (Moderna) were administered as first or second dose across Veterans Affairs, and 1 012 561 BNT162b2 and 1 156 160 mRNA-1273 booster doses were administered. Among all doses, the rapid cycle analysis identified 178 potential cases of myocarditis/pericarditis among vaccinees of any age and 22 potential cases among those aged 18–39 years. Of these, 33 cases, including 6 among those 18–39 years old, were confirmed after in-depth chart review and validation, corresponding with an overall incidence rate per million ranging from 0.46 (95% CI,.01–2.55) for Moderna dose 1 to 6.91 (95% CI, 2.78–14.24) for Pfizer booster. Among those aged 18–39, incidence rates ranged from 7.1 (95% CI,.18–39.56) for Moderna dose 2 to 19.76 (95% CI, 5.38–50.58) for Pfizer dose 2. Patients with confirmed cases were hospitalized for a mean 4.1 days (range, 1–15). The final disposition for 32 (97%) of 33 cases was discharge to home. Conclusions This report is a real-world demonstration of the Veterans Affairs' active surveillance system for vaccines. Although the rapid cycle analysis initially identified 178 potential cases of myocarditis/pericarditis, only 1 of 5 cases was confirmed to be related to a COVID-19 vaccine after chart review. These findings highlight the paramount importance of active surveillance and chart validation for rare but serious adverse events related to COVID-19 vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction skill for the seasonal tropical cyclone (TC) activity in the Northern Hemisphere is investigated using the coupled climate forecast system (version 1.0) of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST-CFS1.0). This assessment is based on the seven-month (May to November) hindcasts consisting of nine ensemble members during 1982–2019. The predictions are compared with the Japanese 55-year Reanalysis and observed tropical storms in the Northern Hemisphere. The results show that the overall distributions of the TC genesis and track densities in model hindcasts agree well with the observations, although the seasonal mean TC frequency and accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) are underestimated in all basins due to the low resolution (T106) of the atmospheric component in the model. NUIST-CFS1.0 closely predicts the interannual variations of TC frequency and ACE in the North Atlantic (NA) and eastern North Pacific (ENP), which have a good relationship with indexes based on the sea surface temperature. In the western North Pacific (WNP), NUIST-CFS1.0 can closely capture ACE, which is significantly correlated with the El Niño—Southern Oscillation (ENSO), while it has difficulty forecasting the interannual variation of TC frequency in this area. When the WNP is further divided into eastern and western subregions, the model displays improved TC activity forecasting ability. Additionally, it is found that biases in predicted TC genesis locations lead to inaccurately represented TC—environment relationships, which may affect the capability of the model in reproducing the interannual variations of TC activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) closely associates with numerous biological processes, and with many diseases. Therefore, lncRNA-disease association prediction helps obtain relevant biological information and understand pathogenesis, and thus better diagnose preventable diseases. Results: Herein, we offer the LDAF_GAN method for predicting lncRNA-associated disease based on association filtering and generative adversarial networks. Experimentation used two types of data: lncRNA-disease associated data without lncRNA sequence features, and fused lncRNA sequence features. LDAF_GAN uses a generator and discriminator, and differs from the original GAN by the addition of a filtering operation and negative sampling. Filtering allows the generator output to filter out unassociated diseases before being fed into the discriminator. Thus, the results generated by the model focuses only on lncRNAs associated with disease. Negative sampling takes a portion of disease terms with 0 from the association matrix as negative samples, which are assumed to be unassociated with lncRNA. A regular term is added to the loss function to avoid producing a vector with all values of 1, which can fool the discriminator. Thus, the model requires that generated positive samples are close to 1, and negative samples are close to 0. The model achieved a superior fitting effect; LDAF_GAN had superior performance in predicting fivefold cross-validations on the two datasets with AUC values of 0.9265 and 0.9278, respectively. In the case study, LDAF_GAN predicted disease association for six lncRNAs-H19, MALAT1, XIST, ZFAS1, UCA1, and ZEB1-AS1-and with the top ten predictions of 100%, 80%, 90%, 90%, 100%, and 90%, respectively, which were reported by previous studies. Conclusion: LDAF_GAN efficiently predicts the potential association of existing lncRNAs and the potential association of new lncRNAs with diseases. The results of fivefold cross-validation, tenfold cross-validation, and case studies suggest that the model has great predictive potential for lncRNA-disease association prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries, P2–Na 0.67 Ni 0.33 Mn 0.67 O 2 has the characteristics of high capacity and high working voltage. However, the application is strongly limited because of the rapidly deteriorated electrochemical performances during cycling. Therefore, we present in this study the optimization of the cycling stability of P2–Na 0.67 Ni 0.33 Mn 0.67 O 2 through proper Co doping and Al 1.8 Co 0.2 O 3 surface coating. Without Co doping and Al 1.8 Co 0.2 O 3 coating, the initial specific discharge capacity of P2–Na 0.67 Ni 0.33 Mn 0.67 O 2 in the voltage range of 2–4.3 V is 154.7 mAh·g−1, and the capacity retention rate after 100 cycles is 26.4%. Co doping can improve the cycling stability and rate capability. However, the initial capacity also reduces with the Co doping amount. Furthermore, Al 1.8 Co 0.2 O 3 coating can improve the cycle stability with a reduced capacity. The coated sample exhibits a retention rate of 84.8% after 100 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post‐ischemic stroke executive impairment (PISEI) is a serious obstacle for patients to returning to their society and is currently difficult to screen early and clinically ineffective. Aim: The aim of the study was to clarify whether functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can be used as a rapid screening tool for PISEI and to explore the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in PISEI patients and the changes in brain function. Methods: A single‐blind, randomized controlled study design was used to detect hemodynamic differences by fNIIRS in 16 PISEI patients and 16 healthy subjects during the resting state and Stroop task, respectively. After 3 days, all subjects received a single TMS intervention and underwent simultaneous fNIRS testing for the Stroop task before and 3 days after the TMS intervention. Results: PISEI patients had significantly higher HbO2 content in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the right pre‐motor cortex (PMC) and the right primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1) during the Stroop task compared to the resting state (F = 141.966, p < 0.001), but significantly lower than healthy subjects (T = −3.413, p = 0.002). After TMS intervention, PISEI patients' time and error number scores on the Stroop test were significantly enhanced, and the functional activity of the above‐mentioned brain regions was significantly more active than at baseline, while the strength of their functional connections with each other was markedly increased. Conclusions: fNIRS helped screen and diagnose PISEI. A single TMS session benefited PISEI patients with effects lasting 3 days, which may be attributed to activation of the left DLPFC, right PMC and right SM1 brain regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been nearly 200 years since the Daodejing and Daoist thought was first introduced to Russia in the first half of the 19th century. Although the study of Daoist philosophy and Laozi in Russia started relatively late, the Daodejing has been the most translated classic of Chinese culture in Russia. The early dissemination of the Daodejing in Russia was deeply influenced by the government and religion, and there were some controversial and neglected materials that were difficult to verify due to the lack of documents and manuscripts. For example, the first translation manuscript of the Daodejing in Russia has almost become a rare book that is nearly impossible to find and inconvenient to read; the authorship of the first article introducing Laozi's thought in Russia remains a mystery; the first complete translation was completed by a Japanese theologian living in Russia, but it has not received enough research attention. The insufficient research on the early dissemination of Laozi studies in Russia has had a negative impact on the studies of Laozi in Russia. Therefore, this paper, on the basis of various documentary and manuscript references, aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of the early dissemination of Laozi studies in Russia, paying particular attention to the three early Russian documents in the 19th century about the Daodejing, namely, the first translation manuscript of the Daodejing, the first article introducing Laozi's thought in Russia, and the first complete Russian translation of the Daodejing. A detailed review of these three documents can help to correct some misconceptions and misunderstandings of the early dissemination of the Daodejing in Russia, and, to some extent, reveal the early dissemination characteristics of Laozi studies in Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tea, the second largest consumer beverage in the world after water, is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas. However, the effect of environmental factors on the distribution of wild tea plants is unclear. Results: A total of 159 wild tea plants were collected from different altitudes and geological types of the Guizhou Plateau. Using the genotyping-by-sequencing method, 98,241 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified. Genetic diversity, population structure analysis, principal component analysis, phylogenetic analysis, and linkage disequilibrium were performed. The genetic diversity of the wild tea plant population from the Silicate Rock Classes of Camellia gymnogyna was higher than that from the Carbonate Rock Classes of Camellia tachangensis. In addition, the genetic diversity of wild tea plants from the second altitude gradient was significantly higher than that of wild tea plants from the third and first altitude gradients. Two inferred pure groups (GP01 and GP02) and one inferred admixture group (GP03) were identified by population structure analysis and were verified by principal component and phylogenetic analyses. The highest differentiation coefficients were determined for GP01 vs. GP02, while the lowest differentiation coefficients were determined for GP01 vs. GP03. Conclusions: This study revealed the genetic diversity and geographical distribution characteristics of wild tea plants in the Guizhou Plateau. There are significant differences in genetic diversity and evolutionary direction between Camellia tachangensis with Carbonate Rock Classes at the first altitude gradient and Camellia gymnogyna with Silicate Rock Classes at the third altitude gradient. Geological environment, soil mineral element content, soil pH, and altitude markedly contributed to the genetic differentiation between Camellia tachangensis and Camellia gymnogyna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress granules (SGs) are non-enveloped structures formed primarily via protein and RNA aggregation under various stress conditions, including hypoxia and viral infection, as well as oxidative, osmotic, and heat-shock stress. SGs assembly is a highly conserved cellular strategy to reduce stress-related damage and promote cell survival. At present, the composition and dynamics of SGs are well understood; however, data on the functions and related mechanisms of SGs are limited. In recent years, SGs have continued to attract attention as emerging players in cancer research. Intriguingly, SGs regulate the biological behavior of tumors by participating in various tumor-associated signaling pathways, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis, chemotherapy resistance, radiotherapy resistance, and immune escape. This review discusses the roles and mechanisms of SGs in tumors and suggests novel directions for cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article mainly studied the transmission synchronization of multiple memristor chaotic circuits by using a single input controller strategy. For transmission synchronization model, the definition of synchronization is established, and based on the stability of minimum phase system, the sufficient conditions of system stability are obtained to ensure that the system error curves of multiple memristor chaotic circuits can maintain asymptotical synchronization. Furthermore, the results of synchronization circuit experiment illustrate that the designed controller works well for the synchronization of multiple memristor chaotic circuits. Finally, the results of secure communication experiment based on transmission synchronization show that the scheme is feasible. • A transmission synchronization scheme is investigated by a single input control method. • The circuit of transmission synchronization is implemented. • An encryption technique illustrates the effectiveness of secure communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a risk factor for suicide. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of NSSI and professional psychological help-seeking status and influencing factors among left-behind children (LBC) in China. Methods: We implemented a population-based cross-sectional study in participants aged 10–18 years. Sociodemographic characteristics, NSSI, help-seeking status and coping style were measured by self-reported questionnaires. A total of 16,866 valid questionnaires were collected, including 6096 LBC. Binary logistic regression models were used to analyze the factors influencing NSSI and professional psychological help-seeking. Results: The incidence of NSSI among LBC was 4.6%, significantly higher than that of non-left-behind children (NLBC). This incidence was higher among girls. Moreover, 53.9% of LBC with NSSI did not receive any treatment and only 22.0% sought professional psychological help. LBC often adopt emotion-oriented coping styles, specifically, those with NSSI. LBC with NSSI who seek professional help tend to adopt problem-oriented coping styles. Logistic regression analysis revealed that girls, learning stage, single-parent, remarried families, patience, and emotional venting were risk factors for NSSI in LBC, while problem-solving and social support seeking were protective factors. Moreover, problem-solving was also a predictor for seeking professional psychological help, patience will prevent it. Limitations: This was an online survey. Conclusions: The prevalence of NSSI in LBC is high. Gender, grade, family structure, and coping style affect the occurrence of NSSI among LBC. Only a few LBC with NSSI seek professional psychological help, while the coping style will affect the help-seeking behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Co-modified alkalinized g-C3N4 (named Co-CNK-OH) was prepared for the Fenton-like photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) via a simple yet effective calcination–impregnation method. In all samples of CNK-OH with different Co2+ loadings, Co-CNK-OH catalyst with the optimal content (9%) exhibited the highest catalytic activity, with 87.1% tetracycline removal and 50% removal efficiency of the total organic carbon (TOC). Mechanism studies revealed that the 9%Co-CNK-OH catalyst had the lower electrical resistance after alkalization treatment and Co2+ modification, leading to a significantly accelerated interfacial charge transfer to the electron acceptor as well as effectively separating electrons and holes. The intermediates generated during the TC degradation in the photo-Fenton process were detected by HPLC-MS, which proved that the holes, superoxide radicals, and singlet oxygen are the key reactive species in the Fenton-like photocatalysis. This study provides a new option for the treatment of TC in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of closure measures in 2020, population mobility and human activities have decreased, which has seriously impacted atmospheric quality. Huaibei City is an important coal and chemical production base in East China, which faces increasing environmental problems. The impact of anthropogenic activities on air quality in this area was investigated by comparing the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 with the normal situation in 2021. Tropospheric NO2, HCHO and SO2 column densities were observed by ground-based multiple axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS). In situ measurements for PM2.5, NO2, SO2 and O3 were also taken. The observation period was divided into four phases, the pre-lockdown period, phase 1 lockdown, phase 2 lockdown and the post-lockdown period. Ground-based MAX-DOAS results showed that tropospheric NO2, HCHO and SO2 column densities increased by 41, 14 and 14%, respectively, during phase 1 in 2021 vs. 2020. In situ results showed that NO2 and SO2 increased by 59 and 11%, respectively, during phase 1 in 2021 vs. 2020, but PM2.5 and O3 decreased by 15 and 17%, respectively. In the phase 2 period, due to the partial lifting of control measures, the concentration of pollutants did not significantly change. The weekly MAX-DOAS results showed that there was no obvious weekend effect of pollutants in the Huaibei area, and NO2, HCHO and SO2 had obvious diurnal variation characteristics. In addition, the relationship between the column densities and wind speed and direction in 2020 and 2021 was studied. The results showed that, in the absence of traffic control in 2021, elevated sources in the Eastern part of the city emitted large amounts of NO2. The observed ratios of HCHO to NO2 suggested that tropospheric ozone production involved NOX-limited scenarios. The correlation analysis between HCHO and different gases showed that HCHO mainly originated from primary emission sources related to SO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the connection between classical and quantum worlds, quantum measurements play a unique role in the era of quantum information processing. Given an arbitrary function of quantum measurements, how to obtain its optimal value is often considered as a basic yet important problem in various applications. Typical examples include but are not limited to optimizing the likelihood functions in quantum measurement tomography, searching the Bell parameters in Bell-test experiments, and calculating the capacities of quantum channels. In this work, we propose reliable algorithms for optimizing arbitrary functions over the space of quantum measurements by combining the so-called Gilbert's algorithm for convex optimization with certain gradient algorithms. With extensive applications, we demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithms with both convex and nonconvex functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The host–guest inclusion strategy has the potential to surpass the limitations of energy density and suboptimal performances of single explosives. The guest molecules can not only enhance the detonation performance of host explosives but also can enhance their stability. Therefore, a deep analysis of the role of guest influence on the pyrolysis decomposition of the host–guest explosive is necessary. The whole decomposition reaction stage of CL-20/H2O, CL-20/CO2, CL-20/N2O, CL-20/NH2OH was calculated by ReaxFF-MD. The incorporation of CO2, N2O and NH2OH significantly increase the energy levels of CL-20. However, different guests have little influence on the initial decomposition paths of CL-20. The Ea1 and Ea2 values of CL-20/CO2, CL-20/N2O, CL-20/NH2OH systems are higher than the CL-20/H2O system. Clearly, incorporation of CO2, N2O, NH2OH can inhibit the initial decomposition and intermediate decomposition stage of CL-20/H2O. Guest molecules become heavily involved in the reaction and influence on the reaction rates. k1 of CL-20/N2O and CL-20/NH2OH systems are significantly larger than that of CL-20/H2O at high temperatures. k1 of CL-20/CO2 system is very complex, which can be affected deeply by temperatures. k2 of the CL-20/CO2, CL-20/N2O systems is significantly smaller than that of CL-20/H2O at high temperatures. k2 of CL-20/NH2OH system shows little difference at high temperatures. For the CL-20/CO2 system, the k3 value of CO2 is slightly higher than that for CL-20/H2O, CL-20/N2O, CL-20/NH2OH systems, while the k3 values of N2 and H2O are slightly smaller than that for the CL-20/H2O, CL-20/N2O, CL-20/NH2OH systems. For the CL-20/N2O system, the k3 value of CO2 is slightly smaller than that for CL-20/H2O, CL-20/CO2, CL-20/NH2OH systems. For the CL-20/NH2OH system, the k3 value of H2O is slightly larger than that for CL-20/H2O, CL-20/CO2, CL-20/N2O systems. These mechanisms revealed that CO2, N2O and NH2OH molecules inhibit the early stages of the initial decomposition of CL-20 and play an important role for the decomposition subsequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence has demonstrated the pivotal roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the modulation of malignancy and pathological progression among multiple human cancers. Glucose metabolism reprogramming is a widely identified characteristic for contributing to facilitate tumorigenesis. Nonetheless, their contributions to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell glycolysis remain to be further elucidated. Herein, we aim to investigate the role of circRNA, hsa_circ_0018180 (also named as circPARD3) in HNSCC. Expression patterns of circPARD3 in HNSCC tissues and different cell lines were determined by qRT-PCR assay, as well as its correlation with the prognosis of survival. CCK-8, EdU incorporation, and transwell assays were carried out to assess the cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion, respectively. Glucose uptake and lactate production were evaluated by preforming glycolysis. Mechanistically, the circPARD3/miR-5194/ENO1 axis was verified by RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and luciferase reporter assays. Western blot analysis was employed to measure the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated biomarkers. Upregulated circPARD3 observed in HNSCC tissues and cell lines indicated the poor prognosis of patients. Stable knockdown of circPARD3 dramatically exerted the suppressive effects on cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as glucose uptake and lactate production. Mechanistically, circPARD3 harbored miR-5194, serving as a miRNA sponge, thereby increasing ENO1 expression. Moreover, ENO1 evidently reversed miR-5194-mediated attenuated malignant behaviors. Collectively, our study identified an oncogenic role of circPARD3 in HNSCC through a novel machinery of circPARD3/miR-5194/ENO1 and provided a promising therapeutic target for HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Many researchers used machine learning (ML) to predict the prognosis of breast cancer (BC) patients and noticed that the ML model had good individualized prediction performance. Objective: The cohort study was intended to establish a reliable data analysis model by comparing the performance of 10 common ML algorithms and the the traditional American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, and used this model in Web application development to provide a good individualized prediction for others. Methods: This study included 63145 BC patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Results: Through the performance of the 10 ML algorithms and 7th AJCC stage in the optimal test set, we found that in terms of 5-year overall survival, multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) had the highest area under the curve (AUC) value (0.831) and F1-score (0.608), and both sensitivity (0.737) and specificity (0.772) were relatively high. Besides, MARS showed a highest AUC value (0.831, 95%confidence interval: 0.820–0.842) in comparison to the other ML algorithms and 7th AJCC stage (all P < 0.05). MARS, the best performing model, was selected for web application development (https://w12251393.shinyapps.io/app2/). Conclusions: The comparative study of multiple forecasting models utilizing a large data noted that MARS based model achieved a much better performance compared to other ML algorithms and 7th AJCC stage in individualized estimation of survival of BC patients, which was very likely to be the next step towards precision medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laryngeal squamous cell cancer (LSCC) is a common malignant tumor with a high degree of malignancy, and its etiology remains unclear. Therefore, screening potential biomarkers is necessary to facilitate the treatment and diagnosis of LSCC. Robust rank aggregation (RRA) analysis was used to integrate two gene expression datasets of LSCC patients from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between LSCC and nonneoplastic tissues. A gene coexpression network was constructed using weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) to explore potential associations between the module genes and clinical features of LSCC. Combining differential gene expression analysis and survival analysis, we screened potential hub genes, including CDK1, SPC24, HOXB7, and SELENBP1. Subsequently, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to test the protein levels in clinical specimens to verify our findings. Finally, four candidate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers (CDK1, SPC24, HOXB7, and SELENBP1) were identified. We propose, for the first time, that SPC24 is a gene that may associate with LSCC malignancy and is a novel therapeutic target. These findings may provide important mechanistic insight of LSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interactions between El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are known to have great implications for global climate variability and seasonal climate predictions. Observational analysis suggests that the ENSO–IOD inter‐basin connection is time‐varying and related to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) with weakened ENSO–IOD relationship corresponding to AMO warm phases. A suite of Atlantic pacemaker simulations successfully reproduces the decadal fluctuations in ENSO–IOD relationship and its link to the AMO. The warm sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with the AMO drive a series of Indo‐Pacific mean climate changes through tropical‐wide teleconnections, including the La Niña‐like mean SST cooling over the central Pacific and the deepening of mean thermocline depth in the eastern Indian Ocean. By modulating ocean–atmosphere feedback strength, those mean state changes decrease both ENSO amplitude and the Indian Ocean sensitivity to ENSO forcing, therefore decoupling the IOD from ENSO. Plain Language Summary: The El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are two most important interannual climate signals exciting world‐wide climate and socioeconomic impacts. Their interactions are known to have great implications for global climate variability and seasonal climate predictions. However, the ENSO–IOD relationship is time‐varying and show prominent decadal fluctuations. Such changes in ENSO–IOD relationship are associated with the decadal variation in IOD teleconnections and predictability. The prediction skill of IOD is high when the ENSO–IOD relationship is strong, and vice versa. But it remains unknown what controls the decadal modulation of Indo‐Pacific inter‐basin connection. Our findings suggest that the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) may modulate the ENSO–IOD inter‐basin connection. The AMO sea surface temperature anomalies drive a series of Indo‐Pacific mean climate changes through tropical‐wide teleconnections. Those mean state changes further influence both ENSO amplitude and the Indian Ocean sensitivity to ENSO forcing, thereby modulating the ENSO–IOD relationship. This study advances our understandings on inter‐basin and cross‐scale interactions in the climate system. Key Points: The inter‐basin connection between El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole is time‐varying and controlled by the remote Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)The AMO sea surface temperature anomalies drive a series of Indo‐Pacific mean climate changes through tropical‐wide teleconnectionsThe AMO induced mean state changes influence both ENSO amplitude and the Indian Ocean sensitivity to ENSO forcing [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the Arctic is undergoing a significant warming, which has exerted widespread impacts on global climate. Although many mechanisms responsible for the Arctic warming have been proposed, the impacts of the multi‐decadal change of tropical sea surface temperature receive little attention. Here we use numerical experiments to elucidate that the Indian Ocean (IO) warming may contribute to the Arctic warming. Through enhancing the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the IO warming remotely induces more ocean heat transport from the North Atlantic to the Arctic. The resulted upper ocean warming dominates the surface warming in the Arctic. Additionally, despite the net negative contribution of the atmospheric heat transport, more warm air is conveyed into the Kara Seas, North Eurasia, and North America sectors, contributing to the local warming. The results propose a new mechanism to interpret the Arctic warming and indicate the important remote impacts of the tropical IO warming. Plain Language Summary: The Arctic warming is a significant phenomenon in the context of global warming, which not only impacts the local ecosystem but also influences global climate. Improved understanding of its causes is important to the protection of the Arctic ecosystem and the forecast of global climate. Although many previous studies have proposed various mechanisms to interpret the Arctic warming, its causes are still not fully understood. In this study, we find that the Indian Ocean (IO) warming is also a possible contributor to the Arctic warming. Through enhancing the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the IO warming remotely induces more ocean heat transport from the North Atlantic to the Arctic and then contributes to the Arctic warming. Additionally, the southerly winds in the high latitudes in response to the IO warming, transport more warm air into the Kara Seas, North Eurasia and North America and contributes to the local warming. The present study indicates the IO warming may also contribute to the Arctic warming. A better understanding of the remote impacts of tropical oceans may foster the comprehensive understanding of the complicated reasons for the Arctic warming. Key Points: Rapid warming in the Indian Ocean (IO) may contribute to the Arctic warming through both oceanic and atmospheric pathwaysMore ocean heat is transported from the North Atlantic to the Arctic due to enhanced Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in response to the IO warmingSoutherly winds in the high latitudes in response to the IO warming convey more warm air into parts of the Arctic [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing air temperatures, retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) have become more common on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), but their inventory, frequency, and initiation have not been fully investigated. In satellite imagery for the period 2018–2020, 2669 active RTSs were identified in permafrost regions of the QTP. Most of the RTSs occur in regions with elevations ranging from 4,600 to 5,100 m along north‐facing slopes varying from 3° to 8°. The number of RTSs and their affected areas increased by 4 and 6 times, respectively, in three densely distributed RTS regions from 2008/2013 to 2021. This increase in the RTS occurrence mainly occurred during the warm season in 2010 and 2016 and is likely due to high air temperatures during the thawing season, which induced the massive occurrence of active‐layer detachment slides. Another intensification of RTS occurrences may appear when higher anomaly air temperatures are observed. Plain Language Summary: Climate warming has induced the thawing of permafrost (frozen ground), which increases the probability of retrogressive thaw slump (RTS) occurrence in permafrost regions of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). A total of 2669 active RTSs were identified on the entire QTP based on satellite imagery interpretation. These RTSs are mainly distributed in areas with higher elevations and gentle and shady slopes. To determine how these RTSs change over time, we compared satellite imagery from 2008/2013 to 2021 in three densely distributed RTS regions. We observed that the number and areas of RTSs significantly increased during the last 12 years. We also determined that such increases mainly occurred in 2010 and 2016 when the air temperature was extremely high. Anomalously high air temperatures during the thawing season might be the main reason for the recent RTS acceleration on the QTP. Key Points: Two thousand six hundred and sixty nine active retrogressive thaw slumps (RTSs) were identified in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai–Tibet PlateauRTSs significantly increased in number and area, mainly in 2010 and 2016 when summer temperatures were extremely highIntensification of RTSs could occur in the future in association with higher air temperatures appear in thawing season [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The balance between M1 and M2 macrophage polarization is involved in the regulation of pulmonary inflammation. Nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (Nfe2l2, also known as Nrf2), a nuclear transcription factor, is reported to play protective roles in acute lung injury (ALI) and inflammation, and increasing evidence indicates that the protective effects of Nrf2 are closely related to autophagy. This study aimed to explore whether Nrf2 is involved in sepsis-induced acute pulmonary injury and inflammation and in the role of macrophage polarization in the process. In the present study, sepsis patients, an Nrf2 knockout mouse that underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated macrophage cell lines were employed to investigate the potential functions of Nrf2 in sepsis-induced lung injury and the underlying mechanisms. Clinical studies showed that the NRF2 mRNA level was inversely correlated with pulmonary inflammation and disease severity in patients with sepsis. Analyses in a CLP-treated Nrf2 knockout mouse model indicated that an Nrf2 deficiency promoted a CLP-induced increase in M1 macrophage polarization and apoptosis and inhibited CLP-induced upregulation of the autophagy level in lung tissues. Experiments in RAW264.7 cells revealed that Nrf2 overexpression inhibited M1 macrophage polarization but promoted M2 macrophage polarization by improving the autophagy, and Nrf2 overexpression promoted PPARγ but inhibited NF-κB nuclear translocation. In conclusion, these results indicate that Nrf2 plays a protective role in sepsis-induced pulmonary injury and inflammation through the regulation of autophagy- and NF-κB/PPARγ-mediated macrophage polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the expansion of cucumber cultivation, many growers continue to experience extreme weather and environmental issues. This study aimed to examine and model the effects of low temperature (LT) and poor light (PL) stresses on cucumber growth. The experiment was designed as an orthogonal experiment that analyzed temperature, light, and duration. The daily maximum/minimum temperatures of the experiment were set as per the following four levels: 13 °C/3 °C, 16 °C/6 °C, 19 °C/9 °C, 22 °C/12 °C, and the control at 28 °C/18 °C. The light was divided into two levels: 200 μmol∙m−2∙s−1 and 400 μmol∙m−2∙s−1, with 800 μmol∙m−2∙s−1 as the control. Treatment duration was set at 2, 5, 8, and 11 days. Stress with different LT, PL, and duration was expressed using the stress effect (0–1), which decreased with an increase in stress level. Meanwhile, treatment with a temperature of 3 °C and light of 400 μmol∙m−2∙s−1 for 11 days had the smallest effect on stress, which was only 67% of that of the control following 50 days of recovery, and had the most severe effect on cucumber growth. The proportion of dry weight allocated to leaves and stems decreased with increasing low temperatures and poor light stress, but the proportion allocated to fruit increased. The highest percentage of fruit distribution was found in the treatment with temperature of 9 °C, light of 200μmol∙m−2∙s−1, and 11 days duration, being 3.57 times higher than the control. In order to better investigate the effects of LT and PL stress on cucumber growth, light and temperature effect (LTE), growing degree days (GDD), and product of thermal effectiveness and PAR (TEP) models were developed based on temperature and light. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the LTE model was found to be 4.214 g∙plant−1, 36.3% of that of the GDD model and 78.8% of that of the TEP model, better simulating the above-ground dry weight of cucumber plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The white yak, a type of unique and valuable farm animals on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, are mainly distributed in Tianzhu (County of Gansu Province), Menyuan, Huzhu and Ledu (three Counties of Qinghai Province) in China. In the present study, the Y-chromosomal genetic diversity, differentiation and phylogeny of three Chinese white yak breeds/populations (Tianzhu, Huzhu and Menyuan) were comprehensively explored using five Y-SNPs (SRY4, USP9Y, UTY19, AMELY3 and OFD1Y10) and one Y-STR (INRA189) markers. The results showed that six Y-haplotypes (H1Y1, H9Y1, H10Y1, H11Y2, H12Y2 and H13Y2) were identified in 97 male yak from three white yak breeds/populations. Among these haplotypes, H1Y1, H10Y1 and H11Y2 were shared by all of breeds/populations and H12Y2 was shared by Tianzhu and Huzhu populations. However, H9Y1 and H13Y2 haplotypes were only detected in Menyuan and Tianzhu white yak populations, respectively. The Y-haplotype diversity was maximum in Huzhu white yak (0.7500 ± 0.0349), the medium in Tianzhu white yak (0.6881 ± 0.0614) and the lowest in Menyuan white yak (0.5720 ± 0.0657). The total Y-haplotype diversity of three white yak breeds/populations was 0.7567 ± 0.0233, indicating rich paternal genetic diversity in white yak. The FST values showed a moderate differentiation between Tianzhu and Menyuan (FST = 0.0763, P < 0.05) populations, but a weak differentiation between Huzhu and Tianzhu white yak breeds/populations (FST = 0.0186, P > 0.05) and Huzhu and Menyuan (FST = − 0.005, P > 0.05) populations. The clustering analysis revealed a close genetic relationship between Huzhu and Menyuan white yak, both were far from Tianzhu white yak breed. The phylogenetic analyses showed that white yak had two Y-haplogroups/lineages (Y1 and Y2) with two potential paternal origins. The findings of present study provide new insight into the basic information for the formulation of molecular breeding programs of white yak. Moreover, it also contributes to the conservation and utilization of this special animal genetic resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Newer glucose-lowering drugs, including sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and GLP-1 agonists, have a key role in the pharmacologic management of type 2 diabetes. No studies have measured primary nonadherence for these two drug classes, defined as when a medication is prescribed for a patient but ultimately not dispensed to them. Objective: To describe the incidence and predictors of primary nonadherence to SGLT2i (canagliflozin, empagliflozin) or GLP-1 agonists (dulaglutide, liraglutide, semaglutide) using a dataset that links electronic prescribing with health insurance claims. Design and Participants: A retrospective cohort design using data of adult patients from a large health system who had at least one prescription order for a SGLT2i or GLP-1 agonist between 2012 and 2019. We used mixed-effects multivariable logistic regression to determine associations between sociodemographic, clinical, and provider variables and primary nonadherence. Main Measures: Primary medication nonadherence, defined as no dispensed claim within 30 days of an electronic prescription order for any drug within each medication class. Key Results: The cohort included 5146 patients newly prescribed a SGLT2i or GLP-1 agonist. The overall incidence of 30-day primary medication nonadherence was 31.8% (1637/5146). This incidence rate was 29.8% (n = 726) and 33.6% (n = 911) among those initiating a GLP-1 agonist and SGLT2i, respectively. Age ≥ 65 (aOR 1.37 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.72)), Black race vs White (aOR 1.29 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.62)), diabetic nephropathy (aOR 1.31 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.68)), and hyperlipidemia (aOR 1.18 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.39)) were associated with a higher odds of primary nonadherence. Female sex (aOR 0.86 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.99)), peripheral artery disease (aOR 0.73 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.94)), and having the index prescription ordered by an endocrinologist vs a primary care provider (aOR 0.76 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.95)) were associated with lower odds of primary nonadherence. Conclusions: One third of patients prescribed SGLT2i or GLP-1 agonists in this sample did not fill their prescription within 30 days. Black race, male sex, older age, having greater baseline comorbidities, and having a primary care provider vs endocrinologist prescribe the index drug were associated with higher odds of primary nonadherence. Interventions targeting medication adherence for these newer drugs must consider primary nonadherence as a barrier to optimal clinical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. YuPingFeng Granules (YPFGs) is an herbal formula clinically used in China for more than 100 years to treat pneumonia. Nevertheless, the mechanism of YPFG in pneumonia treatment has not been established. This network pharmacology-based strategy has been performed to elucidate active compounds as well as mechanisms of YPFG in pneumonia treatment. Methods. First, active compounds of YPFG were identified in the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology (TCMSP) database, and then the targets related to the active compounds were obtained from TCMSP and Swiss Target Prediction databases. Next, using DisGeNET, DrugBank, and GeneCards databases, we got therapeutic targets of pneumonia and common targets between pneumonia targets and YPFG. After that, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of pneumonia composed of common targets was built to analyze the interactions among these targets, which focused on screening for hub targets by topology. Then, online software and the ClusterProfiler package were utilized for the enrichment analysis of gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) data. Finally, the visualization software of Autodock was used for molecular docking among the hub target proteins. Results. 10 hub genes were selected by comparing the GO and KEGG functions of pneumonia targets with those of the common targets of YPFG and pneumonia. By using molecular docking technology, a total of 3 active ingredients have been verified as being able to combine closely with 6 hub targets and contribute to their therapeutic effects. Conclusion. This research explored the multigene pharmacological mechanism of action of YPFG against pneumonia through network pharmacology. The findings present new ideas for studying the mechanism of action of Chinese medicine against pneumonia caused by bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The RuM (M=Ni, Co) porous nanorods are prepared as efficient electrocatalysts for the HER. [Display omitted] • The RuM (M = Ni, Co) HNRs were synthesized via wet-chemical method and cation-etching approach. • The hollow nanorod structures effectively enriched the active sites with easy accessibility. • Ni/Co-doping optimized the electronic structure of Ru. • The RuM (M = Ni, Co) HNRs exhibited excellent HER catalytic performance and high stability. The development of efficient and stable nanomaterial electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of great significance for renewable energy conversion via water electrolysis. Herein, we have developed a novel class of bimetallic RuM (M = Ni, Co) hollow nanorods (HNRs) through a facile Fe3+ etching strategy, as electrocatalysts for enhancing the HER. Morphological physical characterization and electrochemical tests demonstrated that RuM (M = Ni, Co) HNRs with hollow structures can effectively enhance electrocatalytic activity due to their high specific surface areas. Impressively, the RuNi HNRs exhibited superior HER performance with an overpotential of merely 25.6 mV in 1 M KOH solution at 10 mA cm−2, which is significantly lower than that of commercial Pt/C (44.7 mV). Moreover, the as prepared RuNi HNRs showed excellent stability and could continuously work at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for 40 h with a negligible increase in potential. The Ru-based HNRs also showed high HER activity in an acidic solution. This study paves a new way for the universal fabrication of bimetallic hollow structured nanomaterials as efficient electrocatalysts for boosting the HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]