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Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses cause high mortality rates in wild birds and farmed poultry, and their potential for adaptation to humans remains a major pandemic threat (2). In [...]

An integrated and projected‐based laboratory course was described, integrating interconnected knowledge points and biochemistry and molecular biology techniques on a research project‐based system. The program, which served as an essential extension of theoretical courses to practice, was conducted with a sophomore of basic medical science who had completed the course in medical biochemistry and molecular biology. This course engaged students in learning "genetic manipulation" and "recombinant DNA technology" to understand the target gene's role in disease mechanics, thus altering evaluation and treatment for clinical disease. Students could master applied and advanced techniques, such as cell culture, transfection, inducing exogenous fusion protein expression, purifying protein and its concentration assay, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and western bot analysis. This laboratory exercise links laboratory practices with the methods of current basic research. Students need to complete the experimental design report and laboratory report, which could be advantageous for improving their ability to write lab summaries and scientific papers in the future. The reliability and validity analyses were conducted on the questionnaire, and we examined students' satisfaction with the course and their gains from the course. The student feedback was generally positive, indicating that the exercise helped consolidate theoretical knowledge, increase scientific research enthusiasm, and provide a powerful tool to be a better person and make informed decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a serious threat to public health and is accompanied by increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. Neuronal PAS domain protein2 (NPAS2) has been confirmed as an oncogene in LUAD; however, little is known about its molecular mechanism. Here, the expression level of NPAS2 was detected in LUAD cell lines and 16HBE cells. Gain‐ and loss‐of‐function experiments were performed. Cell Counting Kit‐8, colony formation, flow cytometry, wound‐healing and Transwell assays were conducted to assess cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion, respectively. Reprogramming of glucose metabolism was evaluated via oxygen consumption rate (OCR), complexes activities, lactic production and glucose consumption. The expression of critical proteins was examined by western blot. We demonstrated aberrant upregulation of NPAS2 and β‐arrestin‐1 (ARRB1) in LUAD cell lines. ARRB1 was found to be a critical transcription factor of NPAS2 with binding sites within the promoter region of NPAS2, thereby causing its transcriptional activation. Functional experiments revealed that NPAS2 depletion significantly inhibited the malignant behaviours of A549 cells by suppressing cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition and promoting cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, NPAS2 depletion increased OCR and activities of complexes (I, II, III and V), and reduced lactic acid production and glucose uptake in A549 cells, indicating that NPAS2 depletion inhibited aerobic glycolysis, accompanied by reduced expression of glycolytic enzymes. However, the changes caused by NPAS2 knockdown were partly restored by ARRB1 overexpression. In conclusion, our study suggests that ARRB1 could transcriptionally activate NPAS2, facilitating malignant activities and glycolysis, and ultimately promoting the progression of LUAD, proving a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High specific capacity and long cycle life are the key to high-performance lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries, but they are hard to achieve simultaneously due to the notorious polysulfide shuttle effect. Transition metal oxide nanocatalysts are expected to help address the above issue, but their low conductivity and cumbersome synthesis process limit their application. Here, we propose a defect engineering strategy to induce electron rearrangement by heteroatom doping. Boron-doped spinel-type oxide (B-ZnCo2O4‑x) is synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method for separator modification. The boron-produced oxygen vacancy (OV) increases unsaturated sites by changing the electron cloud density, and therefore, the B-ZnCo2O4‑x nanocatalyst can reduce the reaction energy barrier and accelerate the nucleation and activation rate of Li2S. Meanwhile, the unique pore defects effectively increase the Li+ flux and ensure battery performance at a high rate and high sulfur loading. The battery equipped with a B-ZnCo2O4‑x-modified separator delivered an initial specific capacity of 1108 mAh g–1 at 0.2 C and a capacity retention rate of 80.4% at 0.5 C after 200 cycles. In particular, at a high sulfur loading of 10.0 mg cm–2, the battery yielded a first-cycle capacity of 1321.9 mAh g–1. This work demonstrates that boron-doping-enabled defect engineering is an effective strategy to improve the catalytic activity of transition metal oxides for application in Li–S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes a large burden of respiratory illness globally. It has two subtypes, RSV A and RSV B, but little is known regarding the predominance of these subtypes during different seasons and their impact on morbidity and mortality. Using molecular methods, we quantified RSV A and RSV B RNA in wastewater solids across multiple seasons and metropolitan areas to gain insight into the predominance of RSV subtypes. We determined the predominant subtype for each group using the proportion of RSV A to total RSV (RSV A + RSV B) in each wastewater sample ( P A,WW ) and conducted a comparative analysis temporally, spatially, and against clinical specimens. A median P A,WW of 0.00 in the first season and 0.58 in the second season indicated a temporal shift in the predominant subtype. Spatially, while we observed dominance of the same subtype, P A,WW was higher in some areas ( P A,WW = 0.58-0.88). The same subtype predominated in wastewater and clinical samples, but clinical samples showed higher levels of RSV A (RSV A positivity in clinical samples = 0.79, median P A,WW = 0.58). These results suggest that wastewater, alongside clinical data, holds promise for enhanced subtype surveillance.IMPORTANCERespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes a large burden of respiratory illness globally. It has two subtypes, RSV A and RSV B, but little is known regarding the predominance of these subtypes during different seasons and their impact on morbidity and mortality. The study illustrates that information on subtype predominance can be gleaned from wastewater. As a biological composite sample from the entire contributing population, wastewater monitoring of RSV A and B can complement clinical surveillance of RSV., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The severe shuttle effect of polysulfides (LiPSs) and the slow liquid-solid phase conversion are the main obstacles hindering the practical application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Separator modification with a high-activity catalyst can boost LiPSs conversion and suppress their shuttle effect. In this work, multi-heterostructured MXene/NiS 2 /Co 3 S 4 with rich S-vacancies was constructed facilely with a hydrothermal and high-temperature annealing strategy for separator modification. The MXene sheet not only provides a physical barrier but also ensures a high conductivity and adsorption capacity of the catalyst; the dual active centers of NiS 2 and Co 3 S 4 catalyze LiPSs conversion. In addition, the vacancies and heterostructures can modulate the electronic structure of the catalyst, improve its intrinsic activity, and reduce the polysulfides reaction barrier, thus facilitating ion/electron transport and inhibiting the shuttle effect. Benefiting from these advantages, the Li-S battery with MXene/NiS 2 /Co 3 S 4 modified separator exhibits exciting discharge capacities (1495.4 mAh g -1 at 0.1C and 549.0 mAh g -1 at 6C) and an excellent ultra-long cycle life (average capacity decay rate of 0.026% for 2000 cycles at 2C); at a high sulfur loading of 10.0 mg cm -2 , the battery operates for nearly 80 cycles at 0.2C, giving a capacity retention rate of 75.76%. This work provides a high-activity catalyst for Li-S batteries.

Despite having high analytical sensitivities and specificities, qualitative SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) cannot distinguish infectious from non-infectious virus in clinical samples. In this study, we determined the highest cycle threshold (Ct) value of the SARS-CoV-2 targets in the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2/Flu/RSV (Xpert 4plex) test that corresponded to the presence of detectable infectious SARS-CoV-2 in anterior nasal swab samples. A total of 111 individuals with nasopharyngeal swab specimens that were initially tested by the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test were enrolled. A healthcare worker subsequently collected anterior nasal swabs from all SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals, and those specimens were tested by the Xpert 4plex test, viral culture, and laboratory-developed assays for SARS-CoV-2 replication intermediates. SARS-CoV-2 Ct values from the Xpert 4plex test were correlated with data from culture and replication intermediate testing to determine the Xpert 4plex assay Ct value that corresponded to the presence of infectious virus. Ninety-eight of the 111 (88.3%) individuals initially tested positive by the Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test. An anterior nasal swab specimen collected from positive individuals a median of 2 days later (range, 0-9 days) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by the Xpert 4plex test in 39.8% (39/98) of cases. Of these samples, 13 (33.3%) were considered to contain infectious virus based on the presence of cultivable virus and replication intermediates, and the highest Ct value observed for the Xpert 4plex test in these instances was 26.3. Specimens that yielded Ct values of ≤26.3 when tested by the Xpert 4plex test had a likelihood of containing infectious SARS-CoV-2; however, no infectious virus was detected in specimens with higher Ct values.IMPORTANCEUnderstanding the correlation between real-time PCR test results and the presence of infectious SARS-CoV-2 may be useful for informing patient management and workforce return-to-work or -duty. Further studies in different patient populations are needed to correlate Ct values or other biomarkers of viral replication along with the presence of infectious virus in clinical samples., Competing Interests: R.F.R. received research funding from Cepheid; K.V.B. works for Becton, Dickinson and Company; D.Y. works for DH Diagnostics LLC, a Danaher company; B.A.P. received research funding from Cepheid; M.J.L. works for Cepheid.