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Upon the study of powerful insecticidal and fungicidal properties of 1-phenylcarbamoyl-2-pyrazolines and 1,2,4-triazoles compounds, a variety of novel 4-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-pyrazolines and their derivatives were prepared in good yields. The structures of these compounds were confirmed with 1H NMR, MS, IR and elemental analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lipid rafts are required for activation of PI3K/Akt signaling both at early and late stages of CA16 infection. • Lipid raft-associated PI3K/Akt plays critical roles in mediating SREBP1 maturation during late stage of CA16 infection. • This finding of lipid raft-associated PI3K/Akt/SREBP1 will deepen our understanding mechanism of CA16 infection. Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) is one of predominant Enterovirus that possesses high pathogenicity. Lipid rafts, as cholesterol - and sphingolipid - enriched membrane nanodomains, are involved into many aspects of the virus life cycle. Our previous study found that lipid rafts integrity was essential for CA16 replication, but how lipid rafts regulate CA16 replication through activating downstream signaling remains largely unknown. Thus, in this study, we revealed that lipid rafts were required for activation of PI3K/Akt signaling at early stage of CA16 infection. Treatment with wortmannin significantly reduced the expression of virus protein, indicating PI3K/Akt signaling was beneficial for early stage of virus infection. In addition, lipid rafts integrity was also indispensable for PI3K/Akt activation during the late stage of CA16 infection, which played critical functions in mediating sterol regulatory element-binding proteins 1 (SREBP1) maturation. Whereas, over-expression of SREBP1 exhibited inhibition on virus replication, suggesting that PI3K/Akt signaling and SREBP1 might positively and negatively influence virus replication in two different stages of infection, respectively. Taken together, our study demonstrates an important role of the lipid raft-associated PI3K/Akt/SREBP1 signaling in modulating CA16 replication, which will deepen our understanding mechanism of CA16 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an integrated chip of a resonant cavity light emitter and photon detector (RCLEPD) to address the requirements of wearable optical medical devices for compact size, high efficiency, and interference resistance sensors. The optical radiation pattern and light extraction efficiency of the resonant cavity light emitting diode (RCLED) as well as the optical absorption spectrum of the resonant cavity enhanced photon detector (RCEPD) are theoretically simulated. Additionally, the wavelength selectivity of the RCEPD absorption spectrum is analyzed. Material epitaxial growth of RCLEPD was performed using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and an integrated sensing chip with an area of 2 × 2 mm 2 was fabricated. Experimental results demonstrate that RCLED achieves a maximum external quantum efficiency of 10.206%, consistent with the simulation results, while maintaining a peak wavelength at 677.5 nm within a current range of 0-20 mA. Furthermore, the RCEPD exhibits a peak response wavelength at 678 nm, matching that of the RCLED. Utilizing RCLEPD as the sensor, photoplethysmography (PPG) signals are collected from the human wrist under different RCLED driving currents resulting in an average period of 977 ms which aligns with a human pulse frequency of 61 beats/min. With further processing techniques applied to PPG signals, RCLEPD is expected to be used as a sensor in wearable blood pressure and glucose monitoring devices.

The global aging demographic trend has led to an increased demand for home care services among older people. We measured the preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) of older adults in China for home care services using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) design. A total of 496 valid responses from older adults were included. The analysis was performed using conditional logit and mixed logit models to estimate utility parameters, WTP, and uptake rates. The attributes for home care services included the following: home care service content, service quality, supervision, and feedback collection during service provision, and out-of-pocket payment. The findings indicated that respondents were willing to pay RMB 197.487 more per month for medical care services, RMB 76.227 more per month for higher quality services, and RMB 134.397 more for services with supervision. Improving these attributes could increase the likelihood of older adults using home care services by 29.33%. Policymakers should reduce the economic burden on older adults, enhancing service content as well as supervision and quality to improve the acceptability and sustainability of home care services., (© 2025 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

An MXene material absorbs visible and IR light which makes a MXene-based solar absorber an ideal absorber. Here, we propose a high-absorption broadband absorber based on an array of MXene composite cylinder ring structures. The structure designed in this article fully utilizes the MXene material's large surface area to volume ratio, and in the wavelength range of 300-5000 nm, the average absorption efficiency is as high as 98.44%, and the energy absorption rate in the AM 1.5 solar radiation spectrum is 98.76%. The absorption characteristics of the absorber are analyzed by using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The electric and magnetic field patterns indicate that the high absorption performance is attributed to the coupling effect of surface plasmon resonance and gap surface plasmon resonance. Furthermore, the absorber exhibits insensitivity to the polarization angle and demonstrates high absorption efficiency even at large incidence angles. Within a certain manufacturing tolerance range, the absorber can still maintain its broadband absorption characteristics. The absorber also shows a high thermal emissivity of 98.5% when the temperature is 1750 K. The findings offer a theoretical foundation for the development of absorption metamaterials for solar energy harvesting elements.

In this paper, we propose a borophene-based grating structure (BBGS) to realize multi-band plasmon-induced absorption. The coupling of two resonance modes excited by upper borophene grating (UBG) and lower borophene grating (LBG) leads to plasmon-induced absorption. The coupled-mode theory (CMT) is utilized to fit the absorption spectrum. The simulated spectrum fits well with the calculated result. We found the absorption peaks exhibit a blue shift with an increase in the carrier density of borophene grating. Further, as the coupling distance D increases, the first absorption peak shows a blue shift, while the second absorption peak exhibits a red shift, leading to a smaller reflection window. Moreover, the enhancement absorption effect caused by the bottom PEC layer is also analyzed. On this basis, using a three-layer borophene grating structure, we designed a three-band perfect absorber with intensities of 99.83%, 99.45%, and 99.96% in the near-infrared region. The effect of polarization angle and relaxation time on the absorption spectra is studied in detail. Although several plasmon-induced absorption based on two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene, black phosphorus, and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), have been previously reported, this paper proposes a borophene-based metamaterial to achieve plasmon-induced perfect absorption since borophene has some advantages such as high surface-to-volume ratios, mechanical compliance, high carrier mobility, excellent flexibility, and long-term stability. Therefore, the proposed borophene-based metamaterial will be beneficial in the fields of multi-band perfect absorber in the near future.

Background: To investigate the dynamic changes in high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with different severities in different disease stages., Methods: We retrospectively collected the clinical and imaging data of 96 patients in Yunnan Province, China, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 22 and March 15, 2020. Based on disease severity, the COVID-19 patients were classified into four types: mild (n=15), moderate (n=59), severe (n=19), and critical (n=3). Based on hospital stay and number of computed tomography (CT) scans, the clinical/disease course was divided into four stages, including stage 1 (days 0-4), stage 2 (days 5-9), stage 3 (days 10-14), and stage 4 (days 15-19). The HRCT findings, CT value, and lesion volume were analyzed for each stage and compared among the four stages of COVID-19 patients., Results: CT findings were negative over the four stages for all mild COVID-19 patients. More lesions were found in the peripheral lung fields than in peripheral + central fields (P<0.05), and the number of negative patients in stage 4 were more than those in stages 1-3 (P<0.05). The left and right lower lobe were the most frequently affected lobes (P<0.05). In moderate patients, round ground glass opacities (GGOs) decreased from stage 1 to stage 4; partial consolidation peaked in stage 2 and then decreased in stages 3-4; fibrous stripes and subpleural lines increased from stage 1 and peaked in stage 4. Partial consolidation and consolidation were more common in severe patients than in moderate patients over the disease course (P<0.05). Critical patients showed significant partial consolidation and consolidation; The CT value, lesion volume and lesion volume percentage significantly decreased from stages 1-2 to stage 4 (all P<0.05)., Conclusions: The dynamic changes in lung HRCT images are clinically related to the disease course of COVID-19.

Mesothelial cells (MCs) form a single layer of the mesothelium and cover the liver surface. A previous study demonstrated that, upon liver injury, MCs migrate inward from the liver surface and give rise to hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in biliary fibrosis induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) or myofibroblasts in CCl4-induced fibrosis. The present study analyzed the role of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling in mesothelial-mesenchymal transition (MMT) and the fate of MCs during liver fibrosis and its regression. Deletion of TGF-β type II receptor (Tgfbr2) gene in cultured MCs suppressed TGF-β-mediated myofibroblastic conversion. Conditional deletion of Tgfbr2 gene in MCs reduced the differentiation of MCs to HSCs and myofibroblasts in the BDL and CCl4 models, respectively, indicating that the direct TGF-β signaling in MCs is responsible to MMT. After BDL and CCl4 treatment, MC-derived HSCs and myofibroblasts were distributed near the liver surface and the thickness of collagen was increased in Glisson's capsule beneath the liver surface. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis revealed that MC-derived HSCs and myofibroblasts store little vitamin A lipids and have fibrogenic phenotype in the fibrotic livers. MCs contributed to 1.4 and 2.0% of activated HSCs in the BDL and CCl4 models, respectively. During regression of CCl4-induced fibrosis, 20% of MC-derived myofibroblasts survived in the liver and deactivated to vitamin A-poor HSCs. Our data indicate that MCs participate in capsular fibrosis by supplying vitamin A-poor HSCs during a process of liver fibrosis and regression., (Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.)

Until the recent emergence/re-emergence of human-pathogenic viruses in ticks, tick-borne viruses have been neglected as causative agents of human disease (particularly in China). To gain insight into the diversity of tick-borne viruses in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (northwestern China), we conducted illumina deep sequencing-based screening for virus-derived small RNAs in field-collected Ixodes persulcatus ticks. We found 32, 631 unique virus-matched reads. In particular, 77 reads mapped to the tick-borne group within the genus of Flavivirus, and covered 3.8%-2.4% viral genomes. In addition, 32 unique reads were specific to the Siberian subtype of tick-borne encephalitis viruses (TBEV-Sib) which have never been reported in Chinese TBE loci. We confirmed the potential existence of TBEV-Sib by amplification (using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) of genomic fragments from the envelope gene or 3' genomic terminus from the pools of examined ticks. Both sequences demonstrated high homology to TBEV-Sib strains attached geographically to southern Siberia with nucleotide identity of 97.2%-95.5% and aminoacid identity of 99.4%-98.3%, respectively. In conclusion, we report, for the first time, detection of TBEV-Sib in the natural TBE loci of China. These novel data may provide genetic information for further isolation and epidemiologic investigation of TBEV-Sib.

Mesothelial cells (MCs) form a single squamous epithelial cell layer and cover the surfaces of the internal organs, as well as the walls of cavities. The isolation of MCs is of great importance to study their function and characteristics for the understanding of physiology and pathophysiology of the liver. Glycoprotein M6a (GPM6A) was originally identified as a cell surface protein expressed in neurons and recently its expression was reported in epicardium and liver MCs (Wu et al ., 2001; Bochmann et al ., 2010; Li et al ., 2012). Here we describe a method to isolate MCs from the adult mouse liver with anti-GPM6A antibodies. Under the low glucose and serum concentration, primary MCs grow and form epithelial colonies (Figure 1).

Objective: To investigate the pathogenicity of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) to monocytes and its proliferation characteristics., Methods: After being infected with TBEV, the cytopathic effect of monocyte cell line THP-1 was observed and viral titers were evaluated. Cell culture supernatants at different time points after infection were collected and the nucleic acids of TBE virus and the infection percentage were tested by using Real-time RT-PCR and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS); the survival rate of THP-1 after TBEV infection was detected by Dimethylthiazol-carboxymethoxyp- henyl-Sulfophenyl-2H-tetrazolium inner salt (MTS)., Results: Real-time RT-PCR and cytopathic assay both demonstrated that TBE virus could replicate in monocytes. The virus particles could be detected and visualized by FACS. In addition, monocyte viability was significantly decreased 5 days after infection with TEBV., Conclusion: TBEV can efficiently replicate and proliferate inTHP-1 cells, indicating that monocytes may play an important role in the process of TBEV spreading to various tissues and organs after infection.

The identity and activity of several anti-HIV soluble factor(s) secreted by CD8 and CD4 T lymphocytes have been determined; however, some of them still await definition. We have established an HIV-1-resistant, transformed CD4 T cell line that secretes HIV-1 resistance protein(s). Our studies indicate that this protein(s), called HIV-1 resistance factor (HRF), inhibits transcription of the virus by interfering with the activity of NF-kappaB. In the present report we identified the site at which HRF exerts this inhibition by evaluating a set of discrete events in NF-kappaB action. We tested the kappaB oligonucleotide binding activity in nuclei of resistant cells, nuclear translocation and binding to the HIV-1 long terminal repeat of p65 and p50 proteins from susceptible cells after exposure to HRF, and the binding of recombinant p50 to the kappaB oligonucleotide in vitro as affected by prior or simultaneous exposure to HRF. The results of this experimental schema indicate that HRF interacts with p50 after it enters the nucleus, but before its binding to DNA and that this interaction impedes the formation of an NF-kappaB-DNA complex required for the promotion of transcription. These findings suggest that HRF mediates a novel innate immune response to virus infection.