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Collaboration between cancer treatment and inflammation management has emerged as an integral facet of comprehensive cancer care. Nevertheless, the development of interventions concurrently targeting both inflammation and cancer has encountered significant challenges stemming from various external factors. Herein, a bioactive agent synthesized by genetically engineering melanin‐producing Bacillus thuringiensis (B. thuringiensis) bacteria, simultaneously achieves eco‐friendly photothermal agent and efficient reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (RONS) scavenger benefits, perfectly tackling present toughies from inflammation to cancer therapies. The biologically derived melanin exhibits exceptional photothermal‐conversion performance, facilitating potent photonic hyperthermia that effectively eradicates tumor cells and tissues, thereby impeding tumor growth. Additionally, the RONS‐scavenging properties of melanin produced by B. thuringiensis bacteria contribute to inflammation reduction, augmenting the efficacy of photothermal tumor repression. This study presents a representative paradigm of genetic engineering in B. thuringiensis bacteria to produce functional agents tailored for diverse biomedical applications, encompassing inflammation and cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many catalytic reactions suffer from product inhibition, which especially hard to control in homogeneous hydrogenation due to the scaling relation between the inhibited and active states of the catalyst. We recently reported one such pathway in Mn(I) hydrogenation and demonstrated that addition of alkoxide bases could affect the thermodynamic favorability of this reaction and selectively suppress the product inhibition. Since external reaction promotors are formally not involved in reaction thermodynamics, we set to investigate the explicit molecular interactions behind these apparently environmental effects. Herein, we reveal that the thermodynamic landscape of the inhibitory process exhibits a non‐monotonic dependence on the base concentration. This study related this phenomenon to the presence of two dominant mechanisms operating at different base concentrations. Specifically, the base additives can enhance the ionic strength and lower the free energy of the inhibited state at low promotor concentration. At high base concentrations this study suggested the formation of highly labile alcohol‐alkoxide clusters which stabilize the free alcohol and make its addition to the catalyst unfavourable, thereby suppressing the inhibition. While relatively weak, such noncovalent interactions between reactants and reaction environment can cause substantial perturbations to the free energy of catalytic process, ultimately deciding its fate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prior studies suggested that neuromuscular factors might be involved in the pathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is the important pivot where the nervous system interacts with muscle fibers, but it has not been well characterized in the paraspinal muscles of AIS. This study aims to perform the quantitative morphological analysis of NMJs from paraspinal muscles of AIS. Methods: AIS patients who received surgery in our center were prospectively enrolled. Meanwhile, age‐matched congenital scoliosis (CS) and non‐scoliosis patients were also included as controls. Fresh samples of paraspinal muscles were harvested intraoperatively. NMJs were immunolabeled using different antibodies to reveal pre‐synaptic neuronal architecture and post‐synaptic motor endplates. A confocal microscope was used to acquire z‐stack projections of NMJs images. Then, NMJs images were analyzed on maximum intensity projections using ImageJ software. The morphology of NMJs was quantitatively measured by a standardized 'NMJ‐morph' workflow. A total of 21 variables were measured and compared between different groups. Results: A total of 15 AIS patients, 10 CS patients and 5 normal controls were enrolled initially. For AIS group, NMJs in the convex side of paraspinal muscles demonstrated obviously decreased overlap when compared with the concave side (34.27% ± 8.09% vs. 48.11% ± 10.31%, p = 0.0036). However, no variables showed statistical difference between both sides of paraspinal muscles in CS patients. In contrast with non‐scoliosis controls, both sides of paraspinal muscles in AIS patients demonstrated significantly smaller muscle bundle diameters. Conclusions: This study first elucidated the morphological features of NMJs from paraspinal muscles of AIS patients. The NMJs in the convex side showed smaller overlap for AIS patients, but no difference was found in CS. This proved further evidence that neuromuscular factors might contribute to the mechanisms of AIS and could be considered as a novel potential therapeutic target for the treatment of progressive AIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To analyze and summarize the clinicopathological features, risk factors for cervical nodal metastasis, and prognostic factors of malignant sublingual gland tumors (MSLGT). Methods: Patients diagnosed with MSLGT were retrospectively reviewed from January 2005 to December 2017 at Shanghai Ninth Hospital. The clinicopathological features were summarized, and the correlations between clinicopathological parameters, cervical nodal metastasis, and local–regional recurrence were evaluated using the Chi‐square test. Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression analysis were performed to assess the survival and independent prognostic factors. Results: Seventy‐nine patients were included, and the 5‐year overall survival and disease‐free survival rates was 85.7% and 71.7%, respectively. Gender and clinical tumor stage were risk factors for cervical nodal metastasis. Tumor size and pathological lymph node (LN) stage were independent prognostic factors for adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the sublingual gland; while age, pathological LN stage, and distant metastasis were prognostic factors for patients with non‐ACC of the sublingual gland. Patients with higher clinical stage were more likely to undergo tumor recurrence. Conclusions: Malignant sublingual gland tumors are rare, and neck dissection should be performed in male MSLGT patients with higher clinical stage. Among patients with both ACC and non‐ACC MSLGT patients, pN+ indicate a poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To analyze the clinicopathological features, locoregional or distant metastasis, and prognosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma of submandibular gland (SMG‐AdCC). Methods: The clinicopathological data of 80 patients with SMG‐AdCC from January 2005 to December 2017 were analyzed retrospectively, and the relationships between different parameters of SMG‐AdCC and its locoregional or distant metastasis or prognosis were analyzed. Results: As of December 2019, 41 patients (51.25%) were tumor‐free, while 20 patients were found to be living with tumors. The locoregional metastasis rate of grade II‐III SMG‐AdCC were found to be significantly higher than that of grade I. The five‐year DFS and OS rates were 70.8% and 87.1%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that clinical size, extraglandular extension, pathological grade, pathological node (pN) status, and perineural invasion were correlated with DFS. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that pathological grade and extraglandular extension were independent prognostic factors for DFS; pN status and extraglandular extension were independent prognostic factors impacting OS. Conclusion: The pathological grade is a risk factor for locoregional metastasis of SMG‐AdCC. Pathological grade, pN status, and status of extraglandular extension are independent prognostic factors for DFS/OS in SMG‐AdCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of nitric oxide (NO) on the photosynthetic adaptation mechanisms of wheat plants in waterlogging during the flowering stage are poorly understood. Field and pot experiments using two cultivars were conducted with three treatments: waterlogging (WL), waterlogging plus NO donor sodium nitroprusside (WLsnp), and adequate water (CK). The results indicated that the WLsnp and CK treatments exhibited significantly higher 1000‐kernel weight and yield than the WL treatment because of high photosynthetic potential(P<0.05). We found that the photosynthetic performance, including photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), mesophyll conductance (gm), carbon dioxide concentration at the carboxylation site (Cc), maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax), maximum electron transfer rate (Jmax), actual electron transfer rate (J), actual PSII efficiency (ΦPSII) and potential maximum efficiency in PSII (Fv/Fm), was significantly improved in the WLsnp treatment compared to the WL treatment, both during waterlogging and after de‐waterlogging. Little difference was observed in the photosynthetic performance between the WLsnp and CK treatments during waterlogging for cultivar YM15 and after de‐waterlogging for cultivar YM24. Further analysis indicated that gs, gm and J were identified as key physiological indicators that synergistically regulate Pn of waterlogged wheat plants. Overall, the improvement of wheat's waterlogging resistance capacity after spraying NO is mainly related to high gs, great gm, and high J. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi‐aryl conjugated organic molecules have intrinsically poor compatibility with most polymers, although they can be dispersed into polymer matrices by solution casting film. This work proposes that this property can be used to obtain diverse dispersion states and realize unique room temperature phosphorescence (RTP). Herein, cyano‐ and amide‐containing N‐phenylcarbazoles (2Q5X, 2J5X) are doped into different polar and rigid PVA and PMMA. 2J5X/PVA emits blue and green RTP after 254 and 365 nm light excitation, respectively, whereas 2Q5X/PVA emits green RTP bearing excitation wavelength‐dependent blue‐emitting shoulder. When 2Q5X is doped into PMMA, this blue RTP becomes dominant due to the increase in molecular dispersion ratio. Combined with the investigations on RTP properties of low doping concentration polymers and crystalline and amorphous states, the blue RTP and green RTP are attributed to the emissions of the isolated molecule and the clustering molecules, respectively. This work reveals that regulating the dispersion of organic dopants in polymers can provide unique and diverse RTP properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhodamine derivatives are a class of common fluorescent dyes and are usually co‐doped with room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) polymers for tuning colors; here, their unusual luminescence properties in polyvinyl alcohol are first disclosed. The doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films are photo‐excited for 0.5‒1 min and emit orange and red afterglows with lifetimes of over 1 s at room temperature. More unexpectedly, the respective prompt and delayed room temperature emission colors and spectra are identical, and the red‐shifted afterglows are observed in liquid nitrogen, indicating that room temperature afterglow is thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). Their molecular structure features and quantum chemical calculations support this inference. Impressively, the room temperature afterglows are visible light excitable up to 540 nm since the maximal and strong absorption bands are in green regions. Hence, this work discloses unknown excitation and emission properties of rhodamine derivatives and provides the really visible light excited yet intrinsic red TADF afterglows for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The therapeutic regimen of submandibular gland carcinoma (SGC) has not reached consensus, especially for the neck treatment of patients with cN0. Materials and methods: Patients with SGC were identified from the medical database of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital. Kaplan–Meier analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression were employed to evaluate the survival and independent prognostic factors. Results: Two hundred and fifteen patients with SGC were retrospectively reviewed. The 5‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 71.5% and 77.8%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that histological grade, cT classification, cN classification, and perineural invasion (PNI) were independent prognostic factors for DFS, while histological grade, cT classification, cN classification, and age were those for OS. The neck dissection showed no significant survival benefit for patients with cN0. Lung was the most common site of distant metastasis (16.7%). Conclusions: Histological grade, cT classification, cN classification, age, and PNI were independent prognostic factors of patient with SGC, which should be the main considerations for making therapeutic regimens. Our study also verifies the neck dissection of patient with cN0 is unnecessary, and postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) is vital for patients with pN+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid organic/inorganic composites with the organic phase tailored to modulate local chemical environment at the Cu surface arise as an enchanting category of catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). A fundamental understanding on how the organics of different functionality, polarity, and hydrophobicity affect the reaction path is, however, still lacking to guide rational catalyst design. Herein, polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI) manifesting different Brønsted basicity are compared for their regulatory roles on the CO2RR pathways regarding *CO coverage, proton source and interfacial polarity. Concerted efforts from in situ IR, Raman and operando modelling unveil that at the PPy/Cu interface with limited *CO coverage, hydridic *H produced by the Volmer step favors the carbon hydrogenation of *CO to form *CHO through a Tafel process; Whereas at the PANI/Cu interface with concentrated CO2 and high *CO coverage, protonic H+ shuttled through the benzenoid ‐NH‐ protonates the oxygen of *CO, yielding *COH for asymmetric coupling with nearby *CO to form *OCCOH under favored energetics. As a result of the tailored chemical environment, the restructured PANI/Cu composite demonstrates a high partial current density of 0.41 A cm−2 at a maximal Faraday efficiency of 67.5 % for ethylene production, ranking among states of the art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid organic/inorganic composites with the organic phase tailored to modulate local chemical environment at the Cu surface arise as an enchanting category of catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). A fundamental understanding on how the organics of different functionality, polarity, and hydrophobicity affect the reaction path is, however, still lacking to guide rational catalyst design. Herein, polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI) manifesting different Brønsted basicity are compared for their regulatory roles on the CO2RR pathways regarding *CO coverage, proton source and interfacial polarity. Concerted efforts from in situ IR, Raman and operando modelling unveil that at the PPy/Cu interface with limited *CO coverage, hydridic *H produced by the Volmer step favors the carbon hydrogenation of *CO to form *CHO through a Tafel process; Whereas at the PANI/Cu interface with concentrated CO2 and high *CO coverage, protonic H+ shuttled through the benzenoid ‐NH‐ protonates the oxygen of *CO, yielding *COH for asymmetric coupling with nearby *CO to form *OCCOH under favored energetics. As a result of the tailored chemical environment, the restructured PANI/Cu composite demonstrates a high partial current density of 0.41 A cm−2 at a maximal Faraday efficiency of 67.5 % for ethylene production, ranking among states of the art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rigid yet polar polymers as matrices for organic‐doped room‐temperature phosphorescence (RTP) polymers are widely reported, but nonpolar rigid plastics such as polystyrene (PS) are thought to be ineffective matrix and rarely attempted. Herein, it is reported that PS–polyisoprene–PS (SIS) elastomer and rubber phase‐containing high‐impact PS (HIPS) can stabilize brighter and longer‐lived organic RTP than PS as matrix; moreover, photoactivation time for RTP production is also greatly shortened. Three N‐arylcarbazole derivatives are employed as dopants and afford the same regular results, and the afterglow lifetime of RTP elastomer is up to 1.22 s. Since the general rubbers such as polyisoprene are ineffective doping matrices and PS is not good matrix, the interface phase of polyphase polymers plays an important role in promoting and stabilizing triplet‐state emission. Based on the different confined environments in various phase regions for organic dopants, a new stabilizing RTP mechanism is discussed to understand the unique stabilizing RTP effect of multiphase matrices. This study not only develops a high‐performance RTP elastomer but also discloses a fresh strategy for enhancing RTP of organic‐doped polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon semiconductor functionalized with molecular catalysts emerges as a promising cathode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, the limited kinetics and stabilities remains a major hurdle for the development of such composites. We herein report an assembling strategy of silicon photocathodes via chemically grafting a conductive graphene layer onto the surface of n+‐p Si followed by catalyst immobilization. The covalently‐linked graphene layer effectively enhances the photogenerated carriers transfer between the cathode and the reduction catalyst, and improves the operating stability of the electrode. Strikingly, we demonstrate that altering the stacking configuration of the immobilized cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin (CoTPP) catalyst through calcination can further enhance the electron transfer rate and the PEC performance. At the end, the graphene‐coated Si cathode immobilized with CoTPP catalyst managed to sustain a stable 1‐Sun photocurrent of −1.65 mA cm−2 over 16 h for CO production in water at a near neutral potential of −0.1 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. This represents a remarkable improvement of PEC CO2RR performance in contrast to the reported photocathodes functionalized with molecular catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel host materials and their molecular design methods for phosphorescent materials are crucial for the application of phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (PhOLEDs), which require balanced carrier injection and sufficient triplet energy levels (ET). Herein, two host materials, namely PPI22PPPBO and PPI33PPPBO, are designed by varying the linkage of benzoxazole (PBO) and phenanthroimidazole (PPI) groups with appropriate ET for green, yellow, and red phosphors. The meta‐link PPI33PPPBO is not only of smaller π‐conjugation, but also of more ordered face‐to‐face stacking for enhanced and more balanced carrier mobility. As a result, the green, yellow, and red PhOLEDs utilizing PPI33PPPBO as host materials show low turn‐on voltages of 2.8 V. The maximum external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of the corresponding devices reaches 22.8%, 26.7%, and 17.6%, which is superior to that of the traditional host materials CBP and mCP, showing great application potential. More importantly, when the luminance is 1000 cd m−2, their EQE can still be as high as 21.9%, 25.5%, and 16.4%, corresponding to negligible efficiency roll‐offs of only 3.9%, 4.5%, and 6.8%. To the best of authors knowledge, it is the first time that PBO is applied to PhOLED host materials using a twisted connection method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since NKG2D ligands (NKG2DLs) are primarily overexpressed on multiple types of solid tumors but absent on most normal tissues, NKG2DLs could be optimal antigens for CAR‐T cells. To date, there have been two types of NKG2DL CARs: (i) the extracellular domain of NKG2D fused to the CD8a transmembrane domain, signaling domains of 4‐1BB and CD3ζ (NKBz) and (ii) full‐length NKG2D fused to the CD3ζ signaling domain (chNKz). Although NKBz‐ and chNKz‐engineered T cells both showed antitumor activities, a comparison of their functions has not been reported. In addition, use of the 4‐1BB signaling domain into the CAR construct could prolong the persistence and resistance to antitumor activities of CAR‐T cells, we designed a new NKG2DL CAR, full‐length NKG2D fused to the signaling domains of 4‐1BB and CD3ζ (chNKBz). Among the two types of NKG2DL CAR‐T cells reported in previous studies, we found that chNKz T cells had stronger antitumor ability than NKBz T cells in vitro, but their antitumor activity in vivo is similar. The chNKBz T cells showed antitumor activity superior to that of chNKz T cells and NKBz T cells in vitro and in vivo, providing a new option for the immunotherapy of NKG2DL‐positive tumor patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic and locoregional metastatic features of carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of submandibular gland (SMG‐CXPA) and improve the understanding of this uncommon condition. Patients and methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients who were diagnosed with SMG‐CXPA. The survival data of SMG‐CXPA patients were statistically analyzed using Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier method. The associations between cervical metastasis and clinicopathological parameters were evaluated using chi‐squared test. Additionally, two different histological categories (histological grade and invasiveness) and their combination were evaluated with the Kaplan–Meier method and receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: In total, 86 patients were diagnosed: 38 clinically node‐negative, 31 pathologically node‐negative, and 17 node‐positive patients. Clinical tumor stage and histological grade were two independent prognostic factors for SMG‐CXPA. There were significant correlations between sex, tumor size, clinical tumor stage, clinical lymph node stage, histological grade, invasiveness, malignant components, perineural invasion, and no specific criteria exist for the clinical outcome. Conclusion: SMG‐CXPA is a high‐grade malignancy with an unfavorable prognosis. Elective neck dissection should be performed in SMG‐CXPA patients with a risk of locoregional metastasis. Histological grade seems to be a more valuable predictor of lymph node involvement than invasiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High efficiency and luminance are critical for commercialized blue organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). Herein, a novel donor–acceptor (D–A) blue‐emissive molecule with a weak donor and acceptor is synthesized. The moderate hybrid local and charge transfer (HLCT) state character endows PPIBPO with blue fluorescence and high quantum efficiency. More importantly, the rigid, rod‐like molecular structure gives rise to the regularity of the stacking pattern of PPIBPO, which enables its extraordinary carrier mobilities in non‐doped OLED, the hole mobility and electron mobility are as high as 5.09 × 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1 and 3.22 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively. The non‐doped blue OLED of PPIBPO achieves a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 12.0% and a maximum luminance of 55023 cd m−2, which is one of the best values among the non‐doped blue OLEDs based on HLCT molecules. Furthermore, high‐efficiency two‐color hybrid warm white OLED with a maximum EQE up to 22.5% and maximum power efficiency of 87.0 lm W−1 is also achieved using PPIBPO as blue‐fluorophor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to analyze the prognostic determinants for re‐recurrence and malignant transformation of parotid recurrent pleomorphic adenoma (RPA). Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2020, all the cases of RPA of the parotid gland at our single institution were reviewed. Results: A total of 168 patients were included in this study, with a median age of 41.5 years, and 20 (11.9%) patients developed re‐recurrence during follow‐up. It has been evidenced that recurrence times (single or multiple) was an independent prognostic factor for recurrence‐free survival (p = 0.0264). A total of 26 (15.48%) patients experienced malignant transformation of parotid RPA, and older age (>45 year old), male sex, and higher clinical tumor staging (T3–T4) were significantly associated with malignant transformation of parotid RPA. Conclusions: Recurrence times was an independent prognostic factor for re‐recurrence of parotid RPA, and older male with high T‐stage may more easily develop malignant transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemoradiotherapy is the standard of care for the clinical treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancers. However, the combination of ion radiation with free chemotherapeutics yields unsatisfactory therapeutic output and severe side effects due to the nonspecific biodistribution of the anticancer drugs. Herein, a self‐cooperative prodrug nanovesicle is reported for highly tumor‐specific chemoradiotherapy. The nanovesicles integrating a prodrug of oxaliplatin (OXA) can passively accumulate at the tumor site and penetrate deep into the tumor mass via matrix metalloproteinase 2‐mediated cleavage of the polyethylene glycol corona. The OXA prodrug can be restored inside the tumor cells with endogenous glutathione to trigger immunogenic cell death (ICD) of the tumor cells and sensitize the tumor to ion radiation. The nanovesicles can be further loaded with the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib to abolish chemoradiotherapy‐induced programmed death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) upregulation on the surface of the tumor cells, thereby prompting chemoradiotherapy‐induced immunotherapy by blocking the interferon gamma‐Janus kinase‐signal transducer and activator of transcription axis. The prodrug nanoplatform reported herein might present a novel strategy to cooperatively enhance chemoradiotherapy of head and cancer and overcome PD‐L1‐dependent immune evasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver malignancy that can be developed from hepatitis B and cirrhosis. Many pathophysiological alterations, including hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA integration, oxidative stress, cytokine release, telomerase homeostasis, mitochondrial damage, epigenetic modification, and tumor microenvironment, are involved in the biological process from hepatitis B to cirrhosis and HCC. N6‐methyladenosine (m6A), as an epitranscriptomic modification of RNAs, can regulate the stability, splicing, degradation, transcription, and translation of downstream target RNAs in HBV and liver cancer cells. m6A regulators (writers, erasers, and readers) play an important role in the pathogenesis of HBV‐associated HCC by regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, autophagy, differentiation, inflammation, angiogenesis, and tumor microenvironment. This review summarizes the current progress of m6A methylation in the molecular mechanisms, biological functions, and potential clinical implications of HBV‐associated HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light and ambient high temperature (HT) have opposite effects on seed germination. Light induces seed germination through activating the photoreceptor phytochrome B (phyB), resulting in the stabilization of the transcription factor HFR1, which in turn sequesters the suppressor PIF1. HT suppresses seed germination and triggers protein S‐nitrosylation. Here, we find that HT suppresses seed germination by inducing the S‐nitrosylation of HFR1 at C164, resulting in its degradation, the release of PIF1, and the activation of PIF1‐targeted SOMNUS (SOM) expression to alter gibberellin (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) metabolism. Active phyB (phyBY276H) antagonizes HFR1 S‐nitrosylation and degradation by increasing S‐nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) activity. In line with this, substituting cysteine‐164 of HFR1 with serine (HFR1C164S) abolishes the S‐nitrosylation of HFR1 and decreases the HT‐induced degradation of HFR1. Taken together, our study suggests that HT and phyB antagonistically modulate the S‐nitrosylation level of HFR1 to coordinate seed germination, and provides the possibility to enhance seed thermotolerance through gene‐editing of HFR1. Synopsis: High temperature and photoreceptor phytochrome B antagonistically modulate the S‐nitrosylation level of HFR1 to coordinate seed germination. High temperature (HT) stimulates the S‐nitrosylation of HFR1 at C164 and its degradation, thereby releasing PIF1 to induce SOMNUS (SOM) expression and seed dormancy. Active phyB antagonizes HT‐induced S‐nitrosylation and degradation of HFR1 by increasing S‐nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) activity. Substituting cysteine‐164 of HFR1 with serine (HFR1C164S) abolishes the HT‐induced S‐nitrosylation of HFR1 and decreases its degradation, ultimately suppressing SOM expression to enhance seed thermotolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is universally acknowledged that highly photosensitive transistors are strongly dependent on the high carrier mobility of polymer‐based semiconductors. However, the polymer π–π stacking and aggregation, required to increase the charge mobility, conversely inhibit the dissociation of photogenerated charge carriers, in turn accelerating the geminate recombination of electron‐hole pairs. To explore the effects of charge mobility and polymer stacking on the photoresponsivity of the phototransistors, here, two alternating copolymers are synthesized, namely P‐PPAB‐IDT and P‐PPAB‐BDT, by palladium‐catalyzed Stille coupling of PPAB with indaceodithiophene (IDT) or benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl) (BDT) monomers. The polymer P‐PPAB‐IDT demonstrates a nearly 20 times enhancement in the hole mobility compared to P‐PPAB‐BDT. Yet, P‐PPAB‐IDT surprisingly shows no response to white light illumination, whereas P‐PPAB‐BDT exhibits a significant photoresponse to the same light source with a high light‐current/dark‐current (Ilight/Idark) ratio of 21.6 in the p‐type area and a low current ratio of just 5.2 in the n‐type area. It is believed that this work will provide an effective strategy to develop highly photosensitive polymer semiconductors by reducing polymer stacking and aggregation rather than improving the charge carrier mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current prevailing views are that carbazole derivatives without isomers show inferior room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and that N‐aryl carbazole derivatives exhibit no ultralong RTP in dilute film states since the distorted structures easily dissipate the excitation energy. In the current work, we present that doping N‐aryl carbazole derivatives with heteroatoms and/or heavy halogen into PMMA at the molecular level by thermoplasticizing solution‐cast films can achieve ultra‐long‐lived (>1 s) and highly‐efficient (>36%) molecular RTP without the need of crystallization and isomer doping. Unlike isomer‐doped crystals that almost all emit yellow RTP, the RTP colors of doped PMMA films depend on the molecular structures of carbazole derivatives. Also, we can realize highly efficient and long‐lived red fluorescence afterglow via persistent Förster resonance energy transfer from RTP emission to fluorescent emitter. These colorful afterglow polymer films exhibit an ultra‐long (>20 h) photo‐activation pattern memory effect. This work has challenged existing experimental results and relative RTP mechanisms, providing a reasonable processing strategy for manifesting and enhancing the deserved RTP properties of organic doped polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important issues of the organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) is the highly efficient blue‐emissive material, which demands both excellent photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) and balanced carrier mobilities. Herein, a series of blue‐emissive donor–π–acceptor (D–π–A) materials with fluorene π‐bridge and their D–A analogues are synthesized and discovered with a theoretical combined experimental method. Based on the excellent electron mobility of the oxadiazole (OXZ) acceptor, it is further proven that the insertion of the fluorene π‐bridge can not only contribute to the formation of hybrid local and charge‐transfer excited state with high PLQY, but also give rise to the hole mobilities by enhanced intermolecular face‐to‐face stacking. As a result, the non‐doped OLED of TPACFOXZ exhibits a high maximum external quantum efficiency approaching 10% with boosted and balanced hole and electron mobilities of 5.60 × 10−5 and 6.60 × 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively, which are among the best results of the non‐doped blue fluorescent OLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) polymers have advantages of strength, toughness, and processing and application flexibility over organic small molecular crystals, but the current RTP polymers are all from rigid plastics and involve chemical linkage and hydrogen and ionic bonds, and thermoplastic RTP elastomer has not been attempted and realized. Moreover, solution‐processed films by simply mixing polymers and organic RTP materials can only show weak and single blue RTP. Here it is presented that such elastomer films, once thermomechanically plasticized, can emit bright and long‐lived dual RTP. Moreover, they exhibit photo‐activation memory effect, variable RTP colors and dynamic deformation RTP response. These results reveal that thermoplasticizing has altered the dispersion states and micro‐environment of RTP molecules in matrix, and the cohesion of elastic polymer itself can also greatly restrict non‐radiative relaxations to boost both blue mono‐molecular and yellow micro‐crystalline RTP. This work provides an effective and versatile processing strategy for tuning and enhancing the RTP properties of doped RTP polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homogeneous hydrogenation catalysts based on metal complexes provide a diverse and highly tunable tool for the fine chemical industry. To fully unleash their potential, fast and effective methods for the evaluation of catalytic properties are needed. In turn, this requires changes in the experimental approaches to test and evaluate the performance of the catalytic processes. Design of experiment combined with statistical analysis can enable time‐ and resource‐efficient experimentation. In this work, we employ a set of different statistical models to obtain the detailed kinetic description of a highly active homogeneous Mn (I) ketone hydrogenation catalyst as a representative model system. The reaction kinetics were analyzed using a full second order polynomial regression model, two models with eliminated parameters and finally a model which implements "chemical logic". The coefficients obtained are compared with the corresponding high‐quality kinetic parameters acquired using conventional kinetic experiments. We demonstrate that various kinetic effects can be well captured using different statistical models, providing important insights into the reaction kinetics and mechanism of a complex catalytic reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to investigate the protective effects of Lepidium draba L. (L. draba) extract on oxymetholone (OM)‐induced testicular injury in rat. Six groups of n = 5 adult male rats were used as; 1: control, 2: OM (5 mg/kg OM orally), 3, 4 and 5: L. draba extract (100, 200 and 400 mg kg−1 day−1) +OM (5 mg kg−1 day−1 OM) and 6:400 mg/kg/d L. draba extract for 30 days. Serum testosterone (T), follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH), inflammatory cytokines (IL‐6, IL‐10, TNF‐α, IL‐1β), oxidative stress (OS) indicators [superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and nitric oxide (NO)], apoptotic related genes (Bcl‐2, p53, caspase‐3 (c3) and Bax) were investigated. OM significantly increased the serum levels of T, proinflammatory cytokines and pro‐apoptotic genes expression. Also, it decreased LH and FSH, sperm viability, count and motility. L. draba extract especially could markedly normalise the serum levels of LH and FSH, and T, restore serum antioxidant enzymes and suppressed the pro‐inflammatory cytokines. Also, germ cells apoptosis was inhibited against via downregulating the p53, c3, Bax and upregulating Bcl‐2. It concluded that L. draba extract could protect the function and structure of testis against OM‐induced testicular toxicity via its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current organic white light emission is unabiding and excited by UV light. This work presents the first ultralong organic room‐temperature white‐emitting crystal from 2,6‐di(carbazol‐9‐yl)benzonitrile that emits prompt blue light and delayed white light. Impressively, this white afterglow is nondiscoloring and exhibits high photoluminescence (PL) efficiency over 6% and ultralong lifetime over 900 ms and can be excited at wide wavelengths of 300–520 nm. Single‐crystal analysis and room‐ and low‐temperature PL reveal that this V‐type double D–A molecule can adopt different twisted conformations to pack together and form two kinds of ultralong room‐temperature afterglow crystals, and the vertical conformation can greatly reduce the energy gap between the lowest singlet and triplet states and prolong the reverse intersystem crossing to enable persistent and visible‐light excitable hybrid white‐emitting afterglow consisting of ultralong thermally activated delayed fluorescence and room‐temperature phosphorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA modifications, represented by 5‐methylcytosine (5mC), 5‐hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5‐formylcytosine (5fC), and 5‐carboxylcytosine (5caC), play important roles in epigenetic regulation of biological processes. The specific recognition of DNA modifications by the transcriptional protein machinery is thought to be a potential mechanism for epigenetic‐driven gene regulation, and many modified DNA‐specific binding proteins have been uncovered. However, the panoramic view of the roles of DNA modification readers at the proteome level remains largely unclear. Here, a recently developed concatenated tandem array of consensus transcription factor (TF) response elements (catTFREs) approach is employed to profile the binding activity of TFs at DNA modifications. Modified DNA‐binding activity is quantified for 1039 TFs, representing 70% of the TFs in the human genome. Additionally, the modified DNA‐binding activity of 600 TFs is monitored during the mouse brain development from the embryo to the adult stages. Readers of these DNA modifications are predicted, and the hierarchical networks between the transcriptional protein machinery and modified DNA are described. It is further demonstrated that ZNF24 and ZSCAN21 are potential readers of 5fC‐modified DNA. This study provides a landscape of TF–DNA modification interactions that can be used to elucidate the epigenetic‐related transcriptional regulation mechanisms under physiological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For polymer semiconductors, the backbone structure plays an essential role in determining their physicochemical properties and charge transport behaviors. In this work, two donor–acceptor‐type polymers (P‐BDF and P‐NDF) based on benzodifuranone (BDF) and naphthodifunarone (NDF) as electron‐deficient moieties and indaceno‐dithiophene as electron‐rich groups are designed, synthesized and, for the first time, applied in organic field‐effect transistor. P‐BDF and P‐NDF differ from their backbone structures while P‐BDF has a more planar backbone conformation due to its smaller conjugated core size and P‐NDF features a perpendicular‐extended main chain structure. As a result, P‐BDF polymer exhibits bathochromic optical absorption, deeper molecular orbital energy levels, and more importantly, closer π‐stacking and stronger aggregation in the solid state and thus affords a more promising hole mobility of up to 0.85 cm2 V−1 s−1 in OFET devices, while that of the P‐NDF‐based devices is only 0.55 cm2 V−1 s−1. The results suggest the great potential of BDF/NDF‐type chromophores in constructing novel organic semiconductors and also indicate that the main chain coplanarity of polymer semiconductors is more essential than the sole extension of π‐conjugations (especially at the perpendicular direction of polymer main chains) for the design of high‐performance OFET materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can systematically harm more aspects of human health than just the liver. In addition to the potential roles of the gut microbiota in NAFLD, commensal fungi can functionally replace intestinal bacteria in maintaining the host immune response in the gut by reversing disease susceptibility. Therefore, gut commensal fungi should be studied to help understand NAFLD.Methods: The fungal compositions of 79 patients with NAFLD and 34 matched healthy subjects were studied via internal transcribed spacer sequencing. In the NAFLD group, 32 patients underwent liver biopsies to evaluate the associations between gut fungi and NAFLD development.Results: The fungal microbiota distribution was skewed in the patients with NAFLD. The relative abundances of Talaromyces, Paraphaeosphaeria, Lycoperdon, Curvularia, Phialemoniopsis, Paraboeremia, Sarcinomyces, Cladophialophora, and Sordaria were higher in patients with NAFLD, whereas the abundances of Leptosphaeria, Pseudopithomyces, and Fusicolla were decreased. Patients with NAFLD exhibited more co-occurring fungal intrakingdom correlations. Several fungi were found to be associated with liver injury, lipid metabolism, and the development of NAFLD.Conclusions: This study found that gut fungi may play some roles in NAFLD development. Research on gut fungi may be of great value in diagnosing and monitoring NAFLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study aimed to investigate ethnic disparities in demographic, clinicopathologic, and biological behaviours of gastric cancer (GC) in a high GC incidence area of China. There were 5022 GC patients, including 3987 Han (79.4%) and 987 Hui (14.4%) patients from Northwest China. All patient data were retrieved from 2009 to 2017. Median survival was estimated using the Kaplan‐Meier method and compared using the log‐rank test. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the impact of covariates. Similarly, low 5‐year OS rates were observed in both the Hui and Han groups (23.8% and 24.2% respectively). Hui patients with stage T1 or N0 or with tumours <5 cm had 2.144‐fold, 1.426‐fold and 1.305‐fold increased risks of poor prognosis compared with Han patients with these characteristics respectively (all p < 0.05). Further, Hui patients had 1.265‐fold, 1.364‐fold and 1.401‐fold increased risks of poor prognosis compared with Han patients among those with high expression of Ki67, EGFR and VEGF respectively (all p < 0.05). There are ethnic disparities in the prognosis of GC patients in Northwest China. Understanding the effects of ethnicity on GC will guide reasonable evaluations of prognosis and future interventions to equalise access to high‐quality care for GC patients of different ethnicities in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Tumor cells could acquire drug resistance through cell autophagy. This study aimed to explore the role of SNHG16 in sorafenib‐resistant HCC cells and its mechanism with miR‐23b‐3p. Methods: The sorafenib‐resistant Hep3B cell model was established. The SNHG16 and miR‐23b‐3p gene expressions were determined in normal HCC and sorafenib‐resistant HCC tissues. Detection of the expression of SNHG16 and miR‐23b‐3p and its respective correlation with survival rate were performed. Target genes to SNHG16 and miR‐23b‐3p were predicted, and verified by dual‐fluorescent reporter assay. The effects of SNHG16 and miR‐23b‐3p on SNHG16, miR‐23b‐3p, EGR1 expression, viability, apoptosis as well as LC3II/LC3 expression in Hep3B and Hep3B/So cells were detected by qRT‐PCR, CCK‐8, flow cytometry, and western blot. In in vivo studies, the NOD/SCID mice model was established to explore the effects of Hep3B and Hep3B/So cells with inhibited SNHG16 or miR‐23b‐3p on tumor size, EGR1 expression, and autophagy. Results: High SNHG16 expression in HCC‐resistant tissues and low miR‐23b‐3p expression in all HCC tissues were detected, and the two were negatively correlated. Low SNHG16 and high miR‐23b‐3p were related to a high survival rate of HCC patients. Moreover, SNHG16 overexpression promoted Hep3B/So cell viability and autophagy, suppressed apoptosis by inhibiting miR‐23b‐3p expression through up‐regulating EGR1, however, the effect of si‐SNHG16 was opposite. In in vivo studies, miR‐23b‐3p inhibitor suppressed the high sorafenib sensitivity in Hep3B/So cells caused by SNHG16 silencing through promoting viability, autophagy, and suppressing apoptosis. Conclusion: SNHG16 promotes Hep3B/So cell viability, autophagy, and inhibits apoptosis to maintain its resistance to sorafenib through regulating the expression of miR‐23b‐3p via sponging EGR1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD44, a cell‐surface glycoprotein, functions as a receptor for hyaluronic acid. Our research group has previously shown that CD44 is a biomarker for the CD44hi cells (tumor‐initiating cells; TICs) in murine salivary gland tumors. However, little is known concerning the biological roles of CD44 in the tumorigenesis of pleomorphic adenoma. The present study is aimed to investigate the effects of CD44 on the proliferation, invasive capability, and apoptosis of TICs in vitro, as well as the tumorigenicity of TICs in vivo. The results demonstrated that knockdown of CD44 attenuated the malignant phenotype of TICs. Furthermore, in vivo xenograft studies indicated that CD44 knockdown inhibited tumorigenesis of pleomorphic adenoma. In addition, neither the CD44low cells nor the CD44‐modified CD44low cells developed neo‐tumors, which indicated that overexpression of CD44 did not enable the CD44low cells to be transformed into TICs. Taken together, these data demonstrate that CD44 not only acts as a biomarker, but also functions as a key player in the tumor‐initiating capacity of TICs. These results shed light on the pathogenesis of salivary gland tumors and provide a potential therapeutic target for treating pleomorphic adenoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An umpolung 1,4‐addition of aryl iodides to enals promoted by cooperative (terpy)Pd/NHC catalysis was developed that generates various bioactive β,β‐diaryl propanoate derivatives. This system is not only the first reported palladium‐catalyzed arylation of NHC‐bound homoenolates but also expands the scope of NHC‐induced umpolung transformations. A diverse array of functional groups such as esters, nitriles, alcohols, and heterocycles are tolerated under the mild conditions. This method also circumvents the use of moisture‐sensitive organometallic reagents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Bile acids (BAs) are important molecules in the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. This study aimed to investigate BA profile alterations in Chinese nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients.Methods: BA profiles in serum and liver tissues were determined by ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry in patients from two different clinical centers.Results: A total of 134 participants were enrolled in this study to serve as the training (n = 87) and validation (n = 47) cohorts. The ratio of circulating conjugated chenodeoxycholic acids to muricholic acids (P = 0.001) was elevated from healthy controls to non-NASH individuals to NASH individuals in a stepwise manner in the training cohort and was positively associated with the histological severity of NASH: steatosis (R2  = 0.12), lobular inflammation (R2  = 0.12), ballooning (R2  = 0.11), and fibrosis stage (R2  = 0.18). The ratio was elevated in the validation cohort of NASH patients (P < 0.001), and it was able to predict NASH (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 75%) and significant fibrosis (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 71%) in these two cohorts. Moreover, this elevated ratio and impaired farnesoid X receptor signaling were found in the NASH liver.Conclusions: Altered BA profile in NASH is closely associated with the severity of liver lesions, and it has the potential for predicting NASH development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: White light interferometry (WLI) is an effective and widely‐used technique for structured surface measurement. However, it requires multiframe interferograms with vertical scanning to realise large‐scale measurement, which is time consuming and computationally intensive. This paper proposes a rapid surface measurement method to realise surface recovery with a single interferogram by white light interferometry. First, the feasibility to solve the wrapped phase of a single white‐light interferogram by Hilbert transform is certified. Then, unwrapped phases against zero optical path difference position (OPD) are achieved by a zero optical path difference detection algorithm applied to unwrapping process, which provides efficient surface recovery. To ensure the accuracy of phase solution in the proposed method, the necessary number and width of the interference fringes in the interferogram are analysed and determined based on Hilbert transform and sampling analysis. Finally, measurement results of a standard step sample and a standard reticle template are presented, which prove the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. Lay Description: As an effective and widely‐used technique for structured surface measurement, white light interferometry (WLI) has the major advantage to measure noncontinuous surfaces using the short coherence length of a wide bandwidth source. However, frequently vertical scanning is required to get series of white light interferograms at different axial positions for surface recovery by recovered algorithms. The vertical scanning process is complicated and time consuming. This paper proposes a fast and efficient method to realise rapid surface measurement using only a single‐frame interferogram based on WLI. First, the feasibility of using only one single white light interferogram to solve wrapped phases by Hilbert transform (HT) is discussed. Next, unwrapping process and zero optical path difference（OPD） detection algorithms are combined to unwrap phases against zero OPD position, which makes the structured surface recovery much easier. After that, the feasible number and width of interference fringes are determined based on sampling analysis and HT to guarantee the reliability and accuracy of phase solution in the proposed method. Finally, the accuracy and efficiency of this method is verified by measurement experiments of a standard step sample and a standard reticle template. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic cancer (PanC) is one of the most lethal solid malignancies, and metastatic PanC is often present at the time of diagnosis. Although several high‐ and low‐penetrance genes have been implicated in PanC, their roles in carcinogenesis remain only partially elucidated. Because the nuclear factor erythroid2‐related factor2 (NRF2) signaling pathway is involved in human cancers, we hypothesize that genetic variants in NRF2 pathway genes are associated with PanC risk. To test this hypothesis, we assessed associations between 31 583 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 164 NRF2‐related genes and PanC risk using three published genome‐wide association study (GWAS) datasets, which included 8474 cases and 6944 controls of European descent. We also carried out expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis to assess the genotype‐phenotype correlation of the identified significant SNP using publicly available data in the 1000 Genomes Project. We found that three novel SNP (ie, rs3124761, rs17458086 and rs1630747) were significantly associated with PanC risk (P = 5.17 × 10−7, 5.61 × 10−4 and 5.52 × 10−4, respectively). Combined analysis using the number of unfavorable genotypes (NUG) of these three SNP suggested that carriers of two to three NUG had an increased risk of PanC (P < 0.0001), compared with those carrying zero to one NUG. Furthermore, eQTL analysis showed that both rs3124761 T and rs17458086 C alleles were associated with increased mRNA expression levels of SLC2A6 and SLC2A13, respectively (P < 0.05). In conclusion, genetic variants in NRF2 pathway genes could play a role in susceptibility to PanC, and further functional exploration of the underlying molecular mechanisms is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The cascaded reservoirs in the Upper Yangtze River Basin (UYRB) are subject to sediment inflow and deposition, resulting in reduction in their effective capacity. The sediment trap efficiency (TE) of the cascaded reservoirs was estimated using several empirical methods, and the factors affecting the TE also were analysed. A new empirical formula was obtained to calculate the TE of the small reservoirs (storage capacity C < 0.5 km3) in the UYRB. Further, four zones were partitioned to describe the relationship between the sediment trap effect and the service function of the reservoirs. The TEs of Xiluodu, Xiangjiaba and Ertan Reservoirs in the UYRB were investigated and compared between stand‐alone and combined operation modes, indicating the TE will be underestimated without considering the cumulative sediment trap of the cascaded reservoirs. Finally, the lifespan of the Xiluodu Reservoir, considering different water storage schemes and different capacity loss percentages, was estimated using the TE method and exhibited good agreement with the results calculated by the mathematical model. The derived TE calculation method under the combined operation of the cascaded reservoirs can be used to assess the sediment trap from the complex hydroelectric project system in the UYRB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, phosphine-catalyzed [3 + 3] annulation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates with C, N-cyclic azomethine imines has been achieved. The reaction worked smoothly under mild conditions to afford 4,6,7,11b-tetrahydro-1 H-pyridazino[6,1- a]isoquinoline derivatives in high yields with good to excellent diastereoselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) level and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in non-obese adults. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among 4098 adults, including 1936 non-obese and 2162 obese individuals. An additional 93 non-obese adults with biopsy-proven NAFLD were also included. Results The overall prevalence of NAFLD was 39.51% in the study group, and 14.88% in non-obese adults. The NAFLD patients had significantly higher SUA levels than controls in both men and women. The non-obese group had a higher NAFLD risk with increased SUA levels than the obese group, with odd ratios (95% confidence interval) of 2.559 (1.870-3.503) and 1.692 (1.371-2.087), respectively. In 93 non-obese adults with biopsy-proven NAFLD, SUA levels were significantly higher in those with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The prevalence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and lobule inflammation tended to increase to 57.58% and 66.67% as the SUA level increased to the fourth quartile. Subjects with hyperuricemia had significantly higher NAFLD activity scores and more serious lobule inflammation than the normal group. Conclusion Non-obese adults have higher NAFLD risk with increased SUA levels than obese individuals, and the inflammation progression of NAFLD is associated with increased SUA level in non-obese subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the use of a bifunctional chiral phosphine as the catalyst, the asymmetric [3+2] annulation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates with cyclic 1-azadienes proceeded smoothly under mild conditions to give various enantiomerically enriched cyclopentene derivatives bearing three consecutive tertiary stereocenters and a sulfamate moiety in moderate to excellent yields with moderate to excellent enantioselectivities and excellent diastereoselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multifunctional chiral phosphine-catalyzed enantioselective [3+2] annulation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates with barbiturate-derived alkenes has been achieved under mild conditions, providing a variety of chiral spirobarbiturate-cyclopentenes in moderate to excellent yields with moderate to excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Ultrasound strain imaging is a relatively low cost and portable modality for monitoring percutaneous thermal ablation of liver neoplasms. However, a 3D strain volume reconstruction from existing 2D strain images is necessary to fully delineate the thermal dose distribution. Tissue mimicking (TM) phantom experiments were performed to validate a novel volume reconstruction algorithm referred to as sheaf of ultrasound planes reconstruction (SOUPR), based on a series of 2D rotational imaging planes. Methods: Reconstruction using SOUPR was formulated as an optimization problem with constraints on data consistency with 2D strain images and data smoothness of the volume data. Reconstructed ablation inclusion dimensions, volume, and elastographic signal to noise ratio (SNRe) and contrast to noise ratio (CNRe) were compared with conventional 3D ultrasound strain imaging based on interpolating a series of quasiparallel 2D strain images with a wobbler transducer. Results: Volume estimates of the phantom inclusion were in a similar range for both acquisition approaches. SNRe and CNRe obtained with SOUPR were significantly higher on the order of 250% and 166%, respectively. The mean error of the inclusion dimension reconstructed with a wobbler transducer was on the order of 10.4%, 3.5%, and 19.0% along the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively, while the error with SOUPR was on the order of 2.6%, 2.8%, and 9.6%. A qualitative comparison of SOUPR and wobbler reconstruction was also performed using a thermally ablated region created in ex vivo bovine liver tissue. Conclusions: The authors have demonstrated using experimental evaluations with a TM phantom that the reconstruction results obtained with SOUPR were superior when compared with a conventional wobbler transducer in terms of inclusion shape preservation and detectability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]