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Transition metal alloys have emerged as promising catalysts for oxygen reduction/evolution reactions (ORR/OER) because of their intermetallic synergy and tunable redox properties. However, for alloy nanoparticles, it is quite challenging to suppress the self-aggregation and promote the bifunctional activity. Anchoring alloys in heteroatoms-doped carbon matrix with excellent electro-conductibility is a powerful strategy to form strongly-coupled alloy-carbon nanohybrids. Here, highly-dispersed NiFe alloys are evenly in-situ anchored on the surface of Co, N co-doped carbon nanotubes (NiFe/Co-N@CNTs) via a gravity-guided chemical vapor deposition and self-assembly strategy. Stably-structured NiFe/Co-N@CNTs possesses a tubular skeleton with diameters of 80-100 nm and a hydrophilic surface. For ORR, half-wave potential of NiFe/Co-N@CNTs (0.87 V vs RHE) is higher than that of Pt/C (0.85 V). Strong synergies between NiFe alloys and Co-N

The research on the structure of advanced electrode materials is significant in the field of supercapacitors. Herein, for the first time, we propose a novel 3D/3D composite structure by a multi-step process, in which 3D hollow NiCo LDH nanocages are immobilized on 3D sea urchin-like CoO microspheres. Results show that the 3D CoO acts as an efficient and stable channel for ion diffusion, while the hollow NiCo LDH provides abundant redox-active sites. The calculated results based on density function theory (DFT) show that the CoO@NiCo LDH heterostructure has an enhanced density of states (DOS) near the Fermi level and strong adsorption capacity for OH

Damages of sensory hair cells (HCs) are mainly responsible for sensorineural hearing loss, while the pathological mechanism remains not fully understood due to the many potential deafness genes unidentified. Ftr82, a member of the largely TRIMs family in fish, has been found specifically expressed in the otic vesicle while its function is still unclear. Here, we investigated the roles of ftr82 in HC development and hearing function utilizing the zebrafish model. The results of in situ hybridization illustrated that ftr82 was always restricted to localize in otic vesicles at different stages. The defects of HCs were observed both in ftr82 morphants and mutants, including significantly decreased crista HCs, shortened cilia as well as remarkably reduced functional HCs in neuromasts, which could be successfully rescued by co-injection of exogenous ftr82 mRNA. The behavior assay of startle response indicated that larvae lacking of ftr82 exhibited lower sensitivity to external sound stimuli. Further research revealed that the loss of HCs was mainly caused by cell apoptosis mediated by caspase-3 activation. Our study demonstrates that ftr82 is a crucial hearing-related gene that regulates the HC morphogenesis and auditory function performing, which provides new insight into the rapid identification of the deafness gene.

Biotite plays an important role in controlling Nb/Ta fractionation during subduction-related, dehydration reactions. It is probable that Nb–Ta-bearing minerals and Nb–Ta oxides could form from Nb–Ta-rich biotite as a result of fluid-aided alteration. However, the mechanism by how this alteration occurs is not well understood. In this study, a Nb-rich, Li-bearing biotite (up to 1232 ppm Nb) with REE-bearing inclusions (e.g., bastnäsite) is altered using pure H2O, as well as HCl-, NaOH-, NaF-, KF-, and MnF2-bearing solutions in a rapid-quench, cold-seal pressure vessel at 200 MPa, and 300 to 600 °C. A set of Nb-Ta-Ti alteration products (titanomagnetite, ilmenite, Nb-rutile, fergusonite, and aeschynite) formed successively over a series of temperatures, i.e., Nb-rutile + aeschynite formed first at 600 °C, followed by fergusonite + titanomagnetite ± ilmenite at 400 to 500 °C, and lastly titanomagnetite at 300 °C. The results from this study indicate that Nb–Ta-bearing oxides (titanomagnetite and ilmenite) and Nb–Ta oxides (Nb-rutile, fergusonite and aeschynite) can form via metasomatic reactions between Nb-rich, Li-bearing biotite and a variety of low pH, high pH, and F-bearing fluids. The formation of Nb-rutile with much higher Nb/Ta ratios (76.60) compared with Nb-rich, Li-bearing biotite (Nb/Ta: 24.79 in average), provides new insight into explaining the “missing high Nb/Ta reservoir”. Formation of Nb-rutile (Nb2O5: up to 31.71 wt%), fergusonite (Nb2O5: up to 42.62 wt%), and aeschynite (Nb2O5: up to 36.48 wt%) from Nb-bearing biotite indicates that metasomatic processes can lead to Nb mineralization in the form of oxides.

The poor solubility, instability and low absorption rate obstruct the bioavailability of polyphenols isolated from Malus baccata (MBP) during gastrointestinal digestion. In order to solve the limitable problems, the food-grade nanoparticles were fabricated by mucin (MC) and Hohenbuehelia serotina polysaccharides (HSP) for delivery of MBP (MBP-NPs). The physicochemical properties and morphology of MBP-NPs prepared by different condition were respectively characterized. During gastrointestinal digestion in vitro, the release characteristic and variation in phenolic composition of MBP-NPs were evaluated. The results showed that MBP-NPs formed by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction possessed the regularly spherical shapes and smooth surfaces and semi-crystalline properties. Moreover, MBP-NPs presented the excellent physicochemical stability. During simulated gastrointestinal digestion in vitro, MBP-NPs exhibited the sustained release characteristics of phenolic compounds, which were confirmed by SDS-PAGE measurement. Compared with that of unencapsulated MBP, the significant variation was occurred in the phenolic composition of MBP-NPs, indicating that MBP-NPs could prevent the degradation and transformation of phenolic compounds. This study provides a novel strategy to improve the bioavailability of polyphenols.

The present study investigated the impact of splenomegaly on the treatment outcomes of blunt splenic injury patients.All blunt splenic injury patients were enrolled between 2010 and 2018. The exclusion criteria were age less than 18 years, missing data, and splenectomy performed at another hospital. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of splenomegaly, defined as a spleen length over 9.76 cm on axial computed tomography. The primary outcome was the need for hemostatic interventions.A total of 535 patients were included. Patients with splenomegaly had more high-grade splenic injuries (p = 0.007). Hemostatic treatments (p 0.001) and transarterial embolization (p = 0.003) were more frequently required for patients with splenomegaly. Multivariate analysis showed that male sex (p = 0.023), more packed red blood cell transfusions (p = 0.001), splenomegaly (p = 0.019) and grade 3-5 splenic injury (p 0.001) were predictors of hemostatic treatment. The failure rate of transarterial embolization was not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.180). The sensitivity and specificity for splenomegaly in predicting hemostatic procedures were 48.8% and 66.5%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 62.8% and 52.9%, respectively. The overall mortality rate was 3.7%.Splenomegaly is an independent predictor for the requirement of hemostatic treatments in blunt splenic injury patients, especially transarterial embolization. Transarterial embolization is as effective for blunt splenic injury patients with splenomegaly as it is for those with a normal spleen.

Background Whole-body metabolism is emerging as a critical player in the pathophysiology of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). However, the vital metabolic signatures for IA risk stratification and its potential biological underpinnings remain elusive. Therefore, our study aimed to develop an early diagnosis model and rupture classification model by analyzing plasma metabolic profiles of IA patients. Methods Plasma samples from a cohort of 105 participants, including 75 patients with IAs in ruptured and unruptured statuses and 30 control participants, were collected for analysis. A pseudotargeted metabolomics strategy based on LC-MS/MS was applied for integration analyses of plasma samples, and significant differential metabolites were identified through univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Furthermore, an integrated machine learning strategy based on LASSO, random forest and logistic regression were used for feature selection and model construction. Results The composition of metabolites changed significantly with the severity of IA. Among them, glutathione metabolism and bile acid metabolism may play a crucial role. Two sets of biomarker panels (M6 & M5) were defined to discriminate IA and its rupture with the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.843 and 0.929 on the validation sets, respectively. Conclusion The present study comprehensively characterizes plasma metabolites in different statuses of IA and demonstrates the potential of metabolic markers as non-invasive risk diagnostic tools for IA.

Traditional synthesis methodologies for fuel cell catalyst production involve long reactions and uncontrollable reaction processes. Synthesis methods for the production of catalysts typically have difficulties to achieve catalysts materials with consistency, high activity, and durability. In this study, a fast, simple, and suitable continuous pipeline microwave method for catalyst mass production was developed, with the carbon carrier being treated at different temperatures simultaneously. The method herein developed resulted in carbon-supported platinum (Pt) catalysts with high activity and high durability. In addition, the half-wave potential of the catalyst exceeded 0.9 V, the electrochemical active surface area reached 85.7 m

Cardiac injury and dysfunction following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) negatively impact the neurological outcomes. This study aimed to determine the association between N-terminal pro-brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) levels at admission and neurological outcomes at six months in aSAH patients following endovascular treatment. Patients diagnosed with aSAH who underwent NT-pro BNP measurement at admission at our department between January 2018 and April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Neurological outcomes were evaluated based on the six-month modified Rankin Scale score. The associations between admission NT-pro BNP levels and neurological outcomes were investigated. In total, 471 patients were included in the analysis. The serum NT-pro BNP levels were significantly lower in patients with a favorable outcome than those with an unfavorable outcome. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of NT-pro BNP was 0.687. The optimal cutoff value of serum NT-pro BNP level as a predictor of unfavorable outcome was 253.4 pg/mL. Multivariate analysis revealed that admission NT-pro BNP level of253.4 pg/mL was significantly associated with unfavorable outcomes. After propensity score-matching, admission NT-pro BNP level of253.4 pg/mL was an independent predictor of unfavorable outcomes. Admission NT-pro BNP level added a slight value to other clinical variables for the prediction of unfavorable outcomes (0.877 vs 0.871 in AUC, respectively; p = 0.084). In conclusion, higher admission NT-pro BNP levels were independently associated with six-month unfavorable outcomes in aSAH patients treated with endovascular treatment. However, it added only minor prognostic value to clinical information alone.

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) accumulation is associated with the progression of atrial fibrillation. However, the histological features of EATs are poorly defined and their correlation with atrial fibrosis is unclear.The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize EAT subgroups in the persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF) cohorts.EATs and the corresponding left atrial appendage samples were obtained from patients with PeAF via surgical intervention. Adipocyte markers, that is, Uncoupling Protein 1, Transcription Factor 21, and CD137, were examined. On the basis of expression of adipocyte markers, patients with PeAF were categorized into subgroups by using unsupervised clustering analysis. Clinical characteristics, histological analyses, and outcomes were subsequently compared across the clusters. External validation was performed in a validation cohort.The ranking of feature importance revealed that the 3 adipocyte markers were the most relevant factors for atrial fibrosis compared with other clinical indicators. On the k-medoids analysis, patients with PeAF could be categorized into 3 clusters in the discovery cohort. The histological studies revealed that patients in cluster 1 exhibited statistically larger size of adipocytes in EATs and severe atrial fibrosis in left atrial appendages. Findings were replicated in the validation cohort, where severe atrial fibrosis was noted in cluster 1. Moreover, in the validation cohort, there was a high degree of overlap between the supervised classification results and the unsupervised cluster results from the k-medoids method.Machine learning-based cluster analysis could identify subtypes of patients with PeAF having distinct atrial fibrosis profiles. Additionally, EAT whitening (increased proportion of white adipocytes) may be involved in the process of atrial fibrosis.

Recently, outbreaks of duck circovirus (DuCV) are frequently occurring worldwide due to secondary infections caused by post infection-induced immunosuppression. Due to a lack of preventive drugs and vaccines, the waterfowl industry losses are ever increasing. In this study, we extracted Astragalus polysaccharides (APS), pine pollen polysaccharides (PPPS), Aloe vera polysaccharides (AVE), and Ficus carica polysaccharides (FCPS) from Astragalus, pine pollen, aloe, and F. carica leaves, respectively. We randomly divided 150 one-day-old Cherry Valley ducks into five groups, which were inoculated with the DuCV solution and orally administered APS, PPPS, AVE, FCPS, and phosphate buffer saline (PBS), respectively. We collected the duck immune organs and serum samples at 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, and 48 days post-infection (dpi). Using clinical symptom analysis, molecular biology experiments, and serological experiments, we proved that plant polysaccharides could (a) improve the duck immunity, (b) reduce the viral load, and (c) mitigate DuCV-induced damage to immune organs, with both APS and PPPS having significant effects. Moreover, we detected viral load and cytokines within the first 8 dpi. Since the body's innate immunity could inhibit viral replication within five days of virus infection, 1-5 dpi was the best treatment time. Among the four polysaccharides showing in vitro anti-apoptotic activity, APS and PPPS significantly inhibited the DuCV infection-induced apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocytes. Overall, since our findings show APS and PPPS having significant anti-DuCV effects both in vivo and in vitro, they can be promising candidates for preventing DuCV infection in ducks.