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Nearly two hundred common-variant depression risk loci have been identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, the impact of rare coding variants on depression remains poorly understood. Here, we present whole-exome sequencing analyses of depression with seven different definitions based on survey, questionnaire, and electronic health records in 320,356 UK Biobank participants. We showed that the burden of rare damaging coding variants in loss-of-function intolerant genes is significantly associated with risk of depression with various definitions. We compared the rare and common genetic architecture across depression definitions by genetic correlation and showed different genetic relationships between definitions across common and rare variants. In addition, we demonstrated that the effects of rare damaging coding variant burden and polygenic risk score on depression risk are additive. The gene set burden analyses revealed overlapping rare genetic variant components with developmental disorder, autism, and schizophrenia. Our study provides insights into the contribution of rare coding variants, separately and in conjunction with common variants, on depression with various definitions and their genetic relationships with neurodevelopmental disorders., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Out-of-plane pressure and electron doping can affect interlayer interactions in van der Waals materials, modifying their crystal structure and physical and chemical properties. In this study, we used magnetic monolayer 1T/1T'-CrS 2 and high symmetry 2D-honeycomb material GeC to construct a GeC/CrS 2 /GeC triple layered van der Waals heterostructure (vdWH). Based on density functional theory calculations, we found that applying out-of-plane strain and doping with electrons could induce a 1T'-to-1T phase transition and consequently the ferromagnetic (FM)-to-antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition in the CrS 2 layer. Such a phase and magnetic transition arises from the pressure and electron-induced interlayer interaction enhancement. The electron doping can effectively decrease the critical compressive stress from ∼4.3 GPa (charge neutrality) to ∼664 MPa ( Q = 9 × 10 -3 e - per atom) for the FM-to-AFM transition. These properties could be used to fabricate and program the 2D lateral FM/AFM heterostructures for artificial controlled spin texture and miniaturized spintronic devices.

Measuring muscle fatigue involves assessing various components within the motor system. While subjective and sensor-based measures have been proposed, a comprehensive comparison of these assessment measures is currently lacking. This study aims to bridge this gap by utilizing three commonly used measures: participant self-reported perceived muscle fatigue scores, a sports physiotherapist's manual palpation-based muscle tightness scores, and surface electromyography sensors. Compensatory muscle fatigue occurs when one muscle group becomes fatigued, leading to the involvement and subsequent fatigue of other muscles as they compensate for the workload. The evaluation of compensatory muscle fatigue focuses on nine different upper body muscles selected by the sports physiotherapist. With a cohort of 30 male subjects, this study provides a valuable dataset for researchers and healthcare practitioners in sports science, rehabilitation, and human performance. It enables the exploration and comparison of diverse methods for evaluating different muscles in isometric contraction., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Lead-based perovskites are highly susceptible to environmental influences, and their application in analytical chemistry, especially in aqueous solution, has been reported rarely. All-inorganic lead-free metal halide perovskites have been considered as a substitute for lead-based perovskites. Herein, a Cs 2 RbTbCl 6 perovskite microcrystal (PMCs), which emits strong yellow-green fluorescence with a maximum emission wavelength at 547 nm, was for the first time  synthesized and characterized. The Cs 2 RbTbCl 6 PMCs could be well dispersed in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMF), and its fluorescence could be significantly enhanced by the addition of norfloxacin (NOR) in the aqueous solution. We found that the Cs 2 RbTbCl 6 PMCs can be used as fluorescent probes (excitation, 365 nm; emission, 547 nm) to selectively detect NOR in a concentration range from 10.0 to 200.0 μM with the limit of detection (LOD) being 0.04 μM. The Cs 2 RbTbCl 6 PMCs could also be adsorbed on filter paper to fabricate as a fluorescent test paper for visual detection of NOR under 365-nm ultraviolet (UV) lamp irradiation. The proposed method has the potential to establish a new analytical method to visualize the detection of NOR in aqueous environments and also promotes the application of all-inorganic lead-free perovskites for analytical detection in aqueous environments., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

As an excellent fluorescent material, cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) is rarely used for analytical purposes because the PNCs are unstable in polar solvents, especially water. Developing a new synthesis method to prepare water-stable PNCs makes it promising for the detection of analytes in aqueous solutions. Herein, by using the solubility difference of the precursors in different solvents, we successfully synthesized water-stable CsPbBr 3 PNCs by a dual-supersaturated recrystallization method at room temperature. We also found that the fluorescence of the as-prepared CsPbBr 3 PNCs could be quenched by some small organic molecules, such as folic acid (FA) and dopamine (DA). By using a chloride-induced anion exchange reaction method, the fluorescence emission peak of the CsPbBr 3 PNCs could be tuned from 518 to 418 nm and the emission color changed from green to blue. The blue emission chloride-exchanged PNCs have a good selectivity for only FA and a good linear relationship is established between the fluorescence quenching rate of the PNCs and concentration of FA from 10.0 to 140.0 μM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.9 μM. This work expanded the applications of PNCs in the field of analytical chemistry and also proposed a new strategy for improving selectivity by tuning the emission spectrum of a fluorescent probe., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease was proposed by international consensus to redefine the metabolic abnormal condition. However, its impact on liver transplant recipients with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma has not been explored., Methods: A two-center retrospective cohort study on liver transplant recipients with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma was performed to analyze the impact of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease on the clinicopathologic parameters and prognosis., Results: There were 201 liver transplant recipients enrolled from two hospitals in our study. The pre- and post-transplant prevalences of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease were 9.95% and 28.86%, respectively. The clinicopathological parameters revealed a similarity between patients with and without pre-transplant metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease. In contrast, the group with post-transplant metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease was linked with older age, a higher hepatitis recurrence rate and incidence of cardiovascular disease, usage of calcineurin inhibitors, a greater body mass index and waist circumference, lower albumin and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and poorer tumor-free survival and overall survival. The multivariate analysis showed the largest tumor size >4 cm (95% confidence intervals: 0.06~0.63, p = 0.006), microvascular invasion (95% confidence intervals: 1.61~14.92, p = 0.005), post-transplant metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (95% confidence intervals: 1.40~10.60, p = 0.009), and calcineurin inhibitors-based regimen (95% confidence intervals: 0.33~0.96, p = 0.036) were the independent risk factors for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma., Conclusions: Our study suggests that post-transplant metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease is more closely to metabolic abnormalities and that it can help identify liver transplant recipients at high risk of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: Ticks are disease vectors that are a matter of worldwide concern. Antibiotic treatments have been used to explore the interactions between ticks and their symbiotic microorganisms. In addition to altering the host microbial community, antibiotics can have toxic effects on the host., Results: In the tick Haemaphysalis longicornis, engorged females showed reproductive disruption after microinjection of tetracycline. Multi-omics approaches were implemented to unravel the mechanisms of tick reproductive inhibition in this study. There were no significant changes in bacterial density in the whole ticks on Day (D)2 or D4 after tetracycline treatment, whereas the bacterial microbial community was significantly altered, especially on D4. The relative abundances of the bacteria Staphylococcus, Bacillus and Pseudomonas decreased after tetracycline treatment, whereas the relative abundances of Coxiella and Rhodococcus increased. Ovarian transcriptional analysis revealed a cumulative effect of tetracycline treatment, as there was a significant increase in the number of differentially expressed genes with treatment time and a higher number of downregulated genes. The tick physiological pathways including lysosome, extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction, biosynthesis of ubiquinone and other terpenoids-quinones, insect hormone biosynthesis, and focal adhesion were significantly inhibited after 4 days of tetracycline treatment. Metabolite levels were altered after tetracycline treatment and the differences increased with treatment time. The differential metabolites were involved in a variety of physiological pathways; the downregulated metabolites were significantly enriched in the nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, galactose metabolism, and ether lipid metabolism pathways., Conclusions: These findings indicate that tetracycline inhibits tick reproduction through the regulation of tick bacterial communities, gene expression and metabolic levels. The results may provide new strategies for tick control. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Source-specific risk apportionment for soil potentially toxic metals (PTMs) is of great significance for contamination prevention and risk management in urban environments. Eighty-five urban soil samples were obtained from an oasis-tourist city, China and examined for eight PTMs (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn). The pollution levels, sources, and ecological risk of soil PTMs were quantified, and their source-specific ecological and human health effects were also estimated using the multi-proxy approaches. The results demonstrated that accumulation of Cd, Hg, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn in soils was observed compared to their background levels, and the soils experienced varying degrees of PTMs pollution, especially at sites with high-intensity anthropogenic activities. Natural sources, atmospheric deposition, industrial sources, vehicular emissions, and comprehensive inputs were the principal sources, with contributions of 29.28%, 25.86%, 20.13%, 16.50%, and 8.23%, respectively. The integrated ecological risks of PTMs in soils were moderate at most sites, with atmospheric deposition being the dominant contributor to ecological risks. Children exhibited pronounced non-cancer risks, but adults had no notable non-cancer risks. Moreover, there were potential carcinogenic risks for both children and adults within the study region. Non-cancer and carcinogenic risks were more significant for children than adults, and traffic emissions were the primary contributor to non-cancer risks (adults: 20.53%, children: 20.49%) and carcinogenic risks (adults: 22.95%, children: 22.08%). The industrial and traffic activities were considered as priority control sources for soil pollution control and risk management, with Hg, Cd, Zn, and Pb corresponding to the priority elements. This study highlights the source-specific ecological and human health effects of PTMs pollution in urban soils, thereby providing valuable information for targeted pollution control and priority source management., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Background: Radiotherapy (RT) is an effective and available local treatment for patients with refractory or relapsed (R/R) aggressive B-cell lymphomas. However, the value of hypofractionated RT in this setting has not been confirmed., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with R/R aggressive B-cell lymphoma who received hypofractionated RT between January 2020 and August 2022 at a single institution. The objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and acute side effects were analyzed., Results: A total of 30 patients were included. The median dose for residual disease was 36 Gy, at a dose per fraction of 2.3-5 Gy. After RT, the ORR and complete response (CR) rates were 90% and 80%, respectively. With a median follow-up of 10 months (range, 2-27 months), 10 patients (33.3%) experienced disease progression and three died. The 1-year OS and PFS rates for all patients were 81.8% and 66.3%, respectively. The majority (8/10) of post-RT progressions involved out-of-field relapses. Patients with relapsed diseases, no response to systemic therapy, multiple lesions at the time of RT, and no response to RT were associated with out-of-field relapses. PFS was associated with response to RT (P = 0.001) and numbers of residual sites (P < 0.001). No serious non-hematological adverse effects (≥ grade 3) associated with RT were reported., Conclusion: These data suggest that hypofractionated RT was effective and tolerable for patients with R/R aggressive B-cell lymphoma, especially for those that exhibited localized residual disease., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Uncertainty has been a central concept in psychological theories of anxiety. However, this concept has been plagued by divergent connotations and operationalizations. The lack of consensus hinders the current search for cognitive and biological mechanisms of anxiety, jeopardizes theory creation and comparison, and restrains translation of basic research into improved diagnoses and interventions. Drawing upon uncertainty decomposition in Bayesian Decision Theory, we propose a well-defined conceptual structure of uncertainty in cognitive and clinical sciences, with a focus on anxiety. We discuss how this conceptual structure provides clarity and can be naturally applied to existing frameworks of psychopathology research. Furthermore, it allows formal quantification of various types of uncertainty that can benefit both research and clinical practice in the era of computational psychiatry., (© 2024 The British Psychological Society.)

Pterostilbene, a derivative of resveratrol, is of increasing interest due to its increased bioavailability and potential health benefits. Sustainable production of pterostilbene is important, especially given the challenges of traditional plant extraction and chemical synthesis methods. While engineered microbial cell factories provide a potential alternative for pterostilbene production, most approaches necessitate feeding intermediate compounds. To address these limitations, we adopted a modular coculture engineering strategy, dividing the pterostilbene biosynthetic pathway between two engineered E. coli strains. Using a combination of gene knockout, atmospheric and room-temperature plasma mutagenesis, and error-prone PCR-based whole genome shuffling to engineer strains for the coculture system, we achieved a pterostilbene production titer of 134.84 ± 9.28 mg/L from glucose using a 1:3 inoculation ratio and 0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide supplementation. This represents the highest reported de novo production titer. Our results underscore the potential of coculture systems and metabolic balance in microbial biosynthesis.

By using the method of low-temperature crystallization, CsPbBr 3 perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) coated with trifluoroacetyl lysine (Tfa-Lys) and oleamine (Olam) were synthesized in aqueous solution. The structure of the CsPbBr 3 PNCs was characterized by many methods, such as ultraviolet (UV)-visible absorption spectrophotometer, fluorescence spectrophotometer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern. The fluorescence emission of the CsPbBr 3 PNCs is stable in water for about 1 day at room temperature. It was also found that the fluorescence of the PNCs could be obviously and selectively quenched after the addition of mercury ion (Hg 2+ ), allowing a visual detection of Hg 2+ by the naked eye under UV light illumination. The fluorescence quenching rate (I 0 /I) has a good linear relationship with the addition of Hg 2+ in the concentration range 0.075 to 1.5 mg/L, with a correlation coefficient (R 2 ) of 0.997, and limit of detection of 0.046 mg/L. The fluorescence quenching mechanism of the PNCs was determined by the fluorescence lifetime and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the PNCs. Overall, the synthesis method for CsPbBr 3 PNCs is simple and rapid, and the as-prepared PNCs are stable in water that could be conveniently used for selective detection of Hg 2+ in the water environment., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Developing efficient and safe antibacterial agents to inhibit pathogens including Physalospora piricola and Staphylococcus aureus is of great importance. Herein, a novel compound composed of Rosa roxburghii procyanidin, chitosan and selenium nanoparticle (RC-SeNP) was bio-synthesized, with the average diameter and zeta potential being 84.56 nm and -25.60 mV, respectively. The inhibition diameter of the RC-SeNP against P. piricola and S. aureus reached 18.67 mm and 13.13 mm, and the maximum scavenging activity against DPPH and ABTS reached 96.02% and 98.92%, respectively. Moreover, the RC-SeNP completely inhibited the propagation P. piricola and S. aureus on actual apples, suggesting excellent in vivo antimicrobial capacity. The transcriptome analysis and electron microscope observation indicated that the antibacterial activity would be attributed to adhering to and crack the cell walls as well as damage the cytomembrane and nucleus. Moreover, the RC-SeNP effectively maintained the vitamin C, total acid, and water contents of red bayberry, demonstrating potential application for fruit preservation. At last, the RC-SeNP showed no cell toxicity and trace selenium residual dose (0.03 mg/kg on apple, 0.12 mg/kg on red bayberry). This study would enlighten future development on novel nano-bioantibacterial agents for sustainable agriculture., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that no conflict of interest exits in the submission of this manuscript. We would like to declare that the work described is original research that has not been published previously, nor under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. All the listed authors and the responsible authorities have approved the enclosed work for publication., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is a rare gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumor with potential malignancy. Once the tumor ruptures, regardless of tumor size and mitotic number, it can be identified into a high-risk group. It is of great significance for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of GIST if non-invasive examination can be performed before surgery to accurately assess the risk of tumor., Aim: To identify the factors associated with GIST rupture and pathological risk., Methods: A cohort of 50 patients with GISTs, as confirmed by postoperative pathology, was selected from our hospital. Clinicopathological and computed tomography data of the patients were collected. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate factors associated with GIST rupture and pathological risk grade., Results: Pathological risk grade, tumor diameter, tumor morphology, internal necrosis, gas-liquid interface, and Ki-67 index exhibited significant associations with GIST rupture ( P < 0.05). Gender, tumor diameter, tumor rupture, and Ki-67 index were found to be correlated with pathological risk grade of GIST ( P < 0.05). Multifactorial logistic regression analysis revealed that male gender and tumor diameter ≥ 10 cm were independent predictors of a high pathological risk grade of GIST [odds ratio (OR) = 11.12, 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.81-68.52, P = 0.01; OR = 22.96, 95%CI: 2.19-240.93, P = 0.01]. Tumor diameter ≥ 10 cm, irregular shape, internal necrosis, gas-liquid interface, and Ki-67 index ≥ 10 were identified as independent predictors of a high risk of GIST rupture (OR = 9.67, 95%CI: 2.15-43.56, P = 0.01; OR = 35.44, 95%CI: 4.01-313.38, P < 0.01; OR = 18.75, 95%CI: 3.40-103.34, P < 0.01; OR = 27.00, 95%CI: 3.10-235.02, P < 0.01; OR = 4.43, 95%CI: 1.10-17.92, P = 0.04)., Conclusion: Tumor diameter, tumor morphology, internal necrosis, gas-liquid, and Ki-67 index are associated with GIST rupture, while gender and tumor diameter are linked to the pathological risk of GIST. These findings contribute to our understanding of GIST and may inform non-invasive examination strategies and risk assessment for this condition., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

CBP60b (CALMODULIN-BINDING PROTEIN 60b) is a member of the CBP60 transcription factor family. In Arabidopsis, At CBP60b not only regulates growth and development but also activates the transcriptions in immune responses. So far, CBP60b has only been studied extensively in the model plant Arabidopsis and rarely in crops. In this study, Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV)-mediated gene silencing (BPMV-VIGS) was used to silence GmCBP60b.1/2 in soybean plants. The silencing of GmCBP60b.1/2 resulted in typical autoimmunity, such as dwarfism and enhanced resistance to both Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) and Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea ( Psg ). To further understand the roles of Gm CBP60b in immunity and circumvent the recalcitrance of soybean transformation, we generated transgenic tobacco lines that overexpress GmCBP60b.1 . The overexpression of GmCBP60b.1 also resulted in autoimmunity, including spontaneous cell death on the leaves, highly induced expression of PATHOGENESIS-RELATED ( PR ) genes, significantly elevated accumulation of defense hormone salicylic acid (SA), and significantly enhanced resistance to Pst DC3000 ( Pseudomonas syrangae pv. tomato DC3000). The transient coexpression of a luciferase reporter gene driven by the promoter of soybean SYSTEMIC ACQUIRED RESISTANCE DEFICIENT 1 ( GmSARD1 ) ( ProGmSARD1::LUC ), together with GmCBP60b.1 driven by the 35S promoter, led to the activation of the LUC reporter gene, suggesting that Gm CBP60b.1 could bind to the core (A/T)AATT motifs within the promoter region of GmSARD1 and, thus, activate the expression of the LUC reporter. Taken together, our results indicate that Gm CBP60b.1/2 play both positive and negative regulatory roles in immune responses. These results also suggest that the function of CBP60b is conserved across plant species.

Background: Bilirubin has been widely reported to be a protective factor against diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in Asian populations. However, few large-sample analyses have been conducted in American populations. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum total bilirubin (STB) level and DKD in a US diabetic cohort., Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2018. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between STB level and DKD. Three models were conducted to control the potential confounding factors. Subgroup analysis was carried out for further validation., Results: Among the 5,355 participants, the median age [interquartile range (IQR)] was 62 [52-71] years; 2,836 (52.96%) were male, and 1,576 (29.43%) were diagnosed with DKD. In the entire cohort, no significant association between STB level and DKD was observed in any logistic regression models ( p > 0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed that, in U.S. diabetic males, STB levels > 11.98 µmol/L were associated with a nearly 30% lower risk of DKD than STB levels ≤ 8.55 µmol/L. Additionally, a moderate STB level (8.56-11.98 μmol/L) was found associated with a nearly 25% lower risk of DKD in U.S. diabetic patients over 65 years old., Conclusion: The association of STB level with DKD may depict differences across diverse populations, among which the impact of race, sex, and age requires thorough consideration and relevant inferences should be interpreted cautiously., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Lv, Shi, Ma, Chen, Fu, Liu and Fan.)

The extensive utilization of antibiotics in the field of animal husbandry gives rise to various concerns pertaining to the environment and human health. Here, we demonstrate that the administration of tetracycline impedes blood meal digestion in the tick Haemaphysalis longicornis. Tissue sectioning, 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, and transcriptome sequencing of the midgut were employed to elucidate the mechanism underlying tetracycline toxicity. The treatment group consisted of engorged female ticks that were subjected to tetracycline microinjections (75 µg per tick), whereas the control group received sterile water injections. On days 2 and 4 following the injections, the tick body weight changes were assessed and the midguts were dissected and processed. Change in tick body weight in tetracycline-treated group was less than in the control group. In tetracycline-treated ticks, midgut epithelial cells were loosely connected and blood meal digestion was impaired compared to the control group. There was no significant change in midgut bacterial diversity after tetracycline treatment. On day 2 following treatment, the relative abundance of Escherichia-Shigella was significantly decreased, whereas the relative abundance of Allorhizobium was significantly increased compared to the control group. On day 4 following treatment, the relative abundance of Escherichia-Shigella, Allorhizobium, Ochrobactrum, and Acidibacter decreased significantly, whereas the relative abundance of Paraburkholderia and Pelomonas increased significantly. Tetracycline treatment also affected midgut gene expression, producing a cumulative effect wherein the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mostly down-regulated. KEGG enrichment pathway analysis revealed that on day 2 the up-regulated DEGs were significantly enriched in 21 pathways, including apoptosis and phagosome. Comparatively, the down-regulated DEGs were significantly enriched in 26 pathways, including N-glycan biosynthesis, lysosome, and autophagy. In contrast, on day 4 the up-regulated DEGs were significantly enriched in 10 pathways including aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, ribosome biogenesis, RNA transport, and DNA replication, whereas the down-regulated differential genes were significantly enriched in 11 pathways including lysosome, peroxisome, N-glycan biosynthesis, and fatty acid synthesis. This indicates that tetracycline injection inhibited blood meal digestion by affecting midgut digestive cells, gut flora diversity, and gene expression. These findings could contribute to tick control by inhibiting blood meal digestion., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Layered thio- and seleno-phosphate ferroelectrics, such as CuInP 2 S 6 , are promising building blocks for next-generation nonvolatile memory devices. However, because of the low Curie point, the CuInP 2 S 6 -based memory devices suffer from poor thermal stability (<42 °C). Here, exploiting the electric field-driven phase transition in the rarely studied antiferroelectric CuCrP 2 S 6 crystals, we develop a nonvolatile memristor showing a sizable resistive-switching ratio of ~ 1000, high switching endurance up to 20,000 cycles, low cycle-to-cycle variation, and robust thermal stability up to 120 °C. The resistive switching is attributed to the ferroelectric polarization-modulated thermal emission accompanied by the Fowler-Nordheim tunneling across the interfaces. First-principles calculations reveal that the good device performances are associated with the exceptionally strong ferroelectric polarization in CuCrP 2 S 6 crystal. Furthermore, the typical biological synaptic learning rules, such as long-term potentiation/depression and spike amplitude/spike time-dependent plasticity, are also demonstrated. The results highlight the great application potential of van der Waals antiferroelectrics in high-performance synaptic devices for neuromorphic computing., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Autophagy plays a critical role in nutrient recycling/re-utilizing under nutrient deprivation conditions. However, the role of autophagy in soybeans has not been intensively investigated. In this study, the Autophay-related gene 7 ( ATG7 ) gene in soybeans (referred to as GmATG7 ) was silenced using a virus-induced gene silencing approach mediated by Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV). Our results showed that ATG8 proteins were highly accumulated in the dark-treated leaves of the GmATG7 -silenced plants relative to the vector control leaves (BPMV-0), which is indicative of an impaired autophagy pathway. Consistent with the impaired autophagy, the dark-treated GmATG7 -silenced leaves displayed an accelerated senescence phenotype, which was not seen on the dark-treated BPMV-0 leaves. In addition, the accumulation levels of both H 2 O 2 and salicylic acid (SA) were significantly induced in the GmATG7 -silenced plants compared with the BPMV-0 plants, indicating an activated immunity. Consistently, the GmATG7 -silenced plants were more resistant against both Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea ( Psg ) and Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) compared with the BPMV-0 plants. However, the activated immunity in the GmATG7 -silenced plant was not dependent upon the activation of MPK3/MPK6. Collectively, our results demonstrated that the function of Gm ATG7 is indispensable for autophagy in soybeans, and the activated immunity in the GmATG7 -silenced plant is a result of impaired autophagy.

Importance: Little is known about how COVID-19 affects the incidence or outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), and it is possible that more generalized factors beyond SARS-CoV-2 infection are primarily responsible for changes in OHCA incidence and outcome., Objective: To assess whether COVID-19 is associated with OHCA incidence and outcomes., Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in Seattle and King County, Washington. Participants included persons aged 18 years or older with nontraumatic OHCA attended by emergency medical services (EMS) between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021. Data analysis was performed from November 2022 to March 2023., Exposures: Prepandemic (2018-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) periods and SARS-CoV-2 infection., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were OHCA incidence and patient outcomes (ie, survival to hospital discharge). Mediation analysis was used to determine the percentage change in OHCA incidence and outcomes between prepandemic and pandemic periods that was attributable to acute SARS-CoV-2 infection vs conventional Utstein elements related to OHCA circumstances (ie, witness status and OHCA location) and resuscitation care (ie, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, early defibrillation, and EMS response intervals)., Results: There were a total of 13 081 patients with OHCA (7102 dead upon EMS arrival and 5979 EMS treated). Among EMS-treated patients, the median (IQR) age was 64.0 (51.0-75.0) years, 3864 (64.6%) were male, and 1027 (17.2%) survived to hospital discharge. The total number of patients with OHCA increased by 19.0% (from 5963 in the prepandemic period to 7118 in the pandemic period), corresponding to an incidence increase from 168.8 to 195.3 events per 100 000 person-years. Of EMS-treated patients with OHCA during the pandemic period, 194 (6.2%) were acutely infected with SARS-CoV-2 compared with 7 of 191 EMS-attended but untreated patients with OHCA (3.7%). In time-series correlation analysis, there was a positive correlation between community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and overall OHCA incidence (r = 0.27; P = .01), as well as OHCA incidence with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection (r = 0.43; P < .001). The survival rate during the pandemic period was lower than that in the prepandemic period (483 patients [15.4%] vs 544 patients [19.2%]). During the pandemic, those with OHCA and acute SARS-CoV-2 infection had lower likelihood of survival compared with those without acute infection (12 patients [6.2%] vs 471 patients [16.0%]). SARS-CoV-2 infection itself accounted for 18.5% of the pandemic survival decline, whereas Utstein elements mediated 68.2% of the survival decline., Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of COVID-19 and OHCA, a substantial proportion of the higher OHCA incidence and lower survival during the pandemic was not directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection but indirect factors that challenged OHCA prevention and treatment.

Stacking engineering in van der Waals (vdW) materials is a powerful method to control topological electronic phases for quantum device applications. Atomic intercalation into the vdW material can modulate the stacking structure at the atomic scale without a highly technical protocol. Here we report that lithium intercalation in a topologically structured graphene/buffer system on SiC(0001) drives dynamic topological domain wall (TDW) motions associated with stacking order change by using an in situ aberration-corrected low-energy electron microscope in combination with theoretical modelling. We observe sequential and selective lithium intercalation that starts at topological crossing points (AA stacking) and then selectively extends to AB stacking domains. Lithium intercalation locally changes the domain stacking order to AA and in turn alters the neighbouring TDW stacking orders, and continuous intercalation drives the evolution of the whole topological structure network. Our work reveals moving TDWs protected by the topology of stacking and lays the foundation for controlling the stacking structure via atomic intercalation. These findings open up new avenues to realize intercalation-driven vdW electronic devices., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

This review provides a critical analysis of shielding effects induced by an aromatic (indole) ring of small molecules mainly including three members of naturally occurring secondary metabolites asterric acid analogs, diketopiperazines (DKPs) possessing an aromatic or an indole ring, and rubrolides. Empirical rules about the shielding effects induced by an aromatic (indole) ring are classified, based on which some 1 H NMR chemical shift values in the A-ring and structures of asterric acid analogs are revised, and the relative configurations of some DKPs possessing an indole ring are also assigned or revised. The empirical rules could provide an efficient and convenient method for NMR data analysis and configuration determination for the three members of small molecules mentioned above.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal diseases among interventional surgeons in top three hospitals, and to provide suggestions for prevention of musculoskeletal diseases. Methods: In June 2022, a self-designed questionnaire was used to collect general information of doctors engaged in interventional surgery (121) and non-interventional surgery (124) in some top three hospitals in Tianjin. The standard version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to investigate information related to musculoskeletal diseases. The prevalence and risk factors of musculoskeletal diseases among interventional and non-interventional surgeons were analyzed. Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases among interventional surgeons and non-interventional surgeons was 59.50% (72/121) and 62.90% (78/124) . Compared with non-interventional surgeons, interventional surgeons had a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases in the shoulders and upper back, and a lower prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases in the waist. The differences were statistically significant ( P <0.05) . Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, weekly time of physical exercise, time of intervention operation, and wearing protective clothing were independent risk factors for musculoskeletal diseases ( P <0.05) . Conclusion: The prevalence rate of musculoskeletal diseases among doctors engaged in interventional surgery is relatively high in some top three hospitals in Tianjin, and proper enhancement of physical exercise and shortening of interventional time are conducive to reducing musculoskeletal diseases.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics, cytogenetics, molecular biology, treatment, and prognosis of patients with therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia (t-MDS/AML) secondary to malignancies. Methods: The clinical data of 86 patients with t-MDS/AML in West China Hospital of Sichuan University between January 2010 and April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics, primary tumor types, and tumor-related therapies were analyzed. Results: The study enrolled a total of 86 patients with t-MDS/AML, including 67 patients with t-AML, including 1 patient with M(0), 6 with M(1), 27 with M(2), 9 with M(3), 12 with M(4), 10 with M(5), 1 with M(6), and 1 with M(7). Sixty-two patients could be genetically stratified, with a median overall survival (OS) of 36 (95% CI 22-52) months for 20 (29.9%) patients in the low-risk group and 6 (95% CI 3-9) months for 10 (14.9%) in the intermediate-risk group. The median OS time was 8 (95% CI 1-15) months in 32 (47.8%) patients in the high-risk group. For patients with non-acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and AML, the median OS of the low-risk group was 27 (95% CI 18-36) months, which was significantly longer than that of the non-low-risk group ( χ (2)=5.534, P =0.019). All 9 APL cases were treated according to the initial treatment, and the median OS was not reached, and the 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates were 100.0%, (75.0±6.2) %, and (75.0±6.2) % respectively. Of the 58 patients with non-APL t-AML (89.7%), 52 received chemotherapy, and 16 achieved complete remission (30.8%) after the first induction chemotherapy. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates of the non-APL t-AML group were (42.0 ± 6.6) %, (22.9±5.7) %, and (13.4±4.7) %, respectively. The median OS of patients who achieved remission was 24 (95% CI 18-30) months, and the median OS of those who did not achieve remission was 6 (95% CI 3-9) months ( χ (2)=10.170, P =0.001). Bone marrow CR was achieved in 7 (53.8%) of 13 patients treated with vineclar-containing chemotherapy, with a median OS of 12 (95% CI 9-15) months, which was not significantly different from that of vineclar-containing chemotherapy ( χ (2)=0.600, P =0.437). In 19 patients with t-MDS, the 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates were (46.8±11.6) %, (17.5±9.1) %, and (11.7±9.1) % with a median OS of 12 (95% CI 7-17) months, which was not significantly different from that in t-AML ( χ (2)=0.232, P =0.630) . Conclusions: Breast cancer, bowel cancer, and other primary tumors are common in patients with t-MDS/AML, which have a higher risk of adverse genetics. Patients with APL had a high induction remission rate and a good long-term prognosis, whereas patients without APL had a low remission rate and a poor long-term prognosis.

An electrical-biased or mechanical-loaded scanning probe written on the ferroelectric surface can generate programmable domain nanopatterns for ultra-scaled and reconfigurable nanoscale electronics. Fabricating ferroelectric domain patterns by direct-writing as quickly as possible is highly desirable for high response rate devices. Using monolayer α-In 2 Se 3 ferroelectric with ≈1.2 nm thickness and intrinsic out-of-plane polarization as an example, a writing-speed dependent effect on ferroelectric domain switching is discovered. The results indicate that the threshold voltages and threshold forces for domain switching can be increased from -4.2 to -5 V and from 365 to 1216 nN, respectively, as the writing-speed increases from 2.2 to 10.6 µm s -1 . The writing-speed dependent threshold voltages can be attributed to the nucleations of reoriented ferroelectric domains, in which sufficient time is needed for subsequent domain growth. The writing-speed dependent threshold forces can be attributed to the flexoelectric effect. Furthermore, the electrical-mechanical coupling can be employed to decrease the threshold force, achieving as low as ≈189±41 nN, a value smaller than those of perovskite ferroelectric films. Such findings reveal a critical issue of ferroelectric domain pattern engineering that should be carefully addressed for programmable direct-writing electronics applications., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Post-stroke depression, a common complication after stroke, severely affects the recovery and quality of life of patients with stroke. Owing to its complex mechanisms, post-stroke depression treatment remains highly challenging. Hippocampal synaptic plasticity is one of the key factors leading to post-stroke depression; however, the precise molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Numerous studies have found that neurotrophic factors, protein kinases and neurotransmitters influence depressive behaviour by modulating hippocampal synaptic plasticity. This review further elaborates on the role of hippocampal synaptic plasticity in post-stroke depression by summarizing recent research and analysing possible molecular mechanisms. Evidence for the correlation between hippocampal mechanisms and post-stroke depression helps to better understand the pathological process of post-stroke depression and improve its treatment., (© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience published by Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Allogeneic blood vessels are regarded as one of the best natural substitutes for diseased blood vessels due to their good vascular compliance and histocompatibility. Since the supply and demand of allograft blood vessels do not always match in time and space, a good preservation scheme for isolated blood vessels is essential. The abdominal aortas of 110 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups, including cold storage group (4°C) (CSG), frozen storage group (FSG) and ambient storage group (25 ± 2°C) (ASG). Seven time points of preservation for 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 30 and 90 days were set for detection. The changes in vascular physiological function were evaluated by MTT test and vasoconstriction ability detection, and the changes in vascular wall structure were evaluated by the tension tolerance test and pathological staining. The vascular function of CSG was better than FSG within first the 7 days, but the result was opposite since the 14th day. The vascular wall structure, collagen and elastic fibres of vessels, in CSG, showed oedema within 30 days, and continuous disintegration and rupture at 90 days. The vessel wall structure of FSG remained intact within 90 days. The tensile strength of the vessels in CSG was better than that in FSG within 5 days, and there was no statistical difference between the two groups between the 7th and 30th day, and then, the FSG was higher than CSG on the 90th day. Both cold storage and frozen storage could be applied as safe and effective preservation schemes for isolated rat artery within first 30 days. Cold storage is recommended when the storage time is <14 days, and then, frozen storage is better., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Physiological changes with the assist role of soluble microbial products (SMP) of preserved denitrifying sludge (DS) undergoing long-term stress of starvation under different storage temperature is extremely important. In this study, SMP extracted from DS were added into DS in starvation condition under room temperature (15-20 °C), 4 °C and -20 °C with three different bio-augmentation phases of 10, 15 and 30 days. Experimental results showed that added SMP in room temperature was optimal for preservation of DS under starvation stress with optimized dosage of 2.0 mL mL -1 sludge and bio-augmentation phase of 10 d. SMP was more effective in maintaining the specific denitrification activity of DS, and it was nearly boosted to 94.1 % of control one due to assist of 2 times SMP addition with 10 days interval of each. Under assist of SMP, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secretion was enhanced as the defense layer to withstand starvation stress, and the protein may be utilized as an alternative substrate to gain energy, accelerate electron transport and transfer during denitrification process. This investigation revealed the feasibility of SMP as an economical and robust strategy for preservation of DS., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work. There is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the view of, the manuscript entitled: Evaluation the role of soluble microbial products for denitrification sludge under starvation and lower temperature stress., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A novel iminodisuccinate modified chitin (ICH) was prepared using crab shells via a one-step facile procedure. The ICH with grafting degree of 1.46 and deacetylation degree of 47.68 % possessed maximum adsorption capacity of 2572.41 mg/g for silver ions (Ag(I)).The ICH also exhibited good selectivity and reusability. The adsorption followed better with the Freundlich isotherm model, while fitted well with both the Pseudo-first-order and Pseudo-second-order kinetics models. The characteristical results showed that the excellent Ag(I) adsorption capability of ICH should be attributed to both looser porous microstructure as well as additional functional groups-grafting molecular. Moreover, the Ag-loaded ICH (ICH-Ag) showed remarkable antibacterial properties against six typical pathogenic bacteria strains (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes), with the corresponding 90 % minimal inhibitory concentrations ranged 0.426-0.685 mg/mL. Further study on the silver release, microcell morphology, and metagenomic analysis suggested that many Ag nanoparticles were formed after the Ag(I) adsorption, and the antibacterial mechanisms of the ICH-Ag involved both cell membranes destruction and intracellular metabolism disturbing. This research presented a coupling solution of crab shell wastes treatment with chitin-based bioadsorbents preparation, metal removal and recovery, as well as antibacterial agent production., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Natural gas reservoirs usually contain considerable amounts of nitrogen (N 2 ). Methane (CH 4 ) as the main component in natural gas must be purified before transferring to the pipeline or storing as liquified natural gas (LNG). Currently, energy-intensive cryogenic distillation is the only industrial approach for N 2 rejection in natural gas. The adsorption process based on a N 2 -selective adsorbent can minimize the separation cost. However, the search for an adsorbent that can selectively reject N 2 in natural gas has lasted for decades. Here, we report a microporous zeolite called NaZSM-25 capable of adsorbing N 2 over CH 4 with an exceptional selectivity of 47 at room temperature that outperforms all previously known N 2 -selective adsorbents. At 295 K and 100 kPa, the N 2 and CH 4 uptakes on NaZSM-25 were 0.25 and 0.005 mmol g -1 , respectively. CH 4 showed negligible external surface adsorption in the whole temperature range of 273-323 K. Theoretical studies through replica exchanged Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics, and ab initio density functional theory (DFT) proved the diffusion limitation of CH 4 as a result of 8-membered ring (8MR) pore opening deformation by Na + cation. The DFT results showed the diffusion energy barriers of 63 and 96 kJ mol -1 for N 2 and CH 4 , respectively, when passing an 8MR occupied with a Na + . NaZSM-25 is a promising adsorbent to be utilized in a pressure swing adsorption process at room temperature to minimize the energy consumption in N 2 rejection units.

Context: Paragangliomas located within the pericardium represent a rare yet challenging clinical situation., Objective: The current analysis aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of cardiac paragangliomas, with emphasis on the diagnostic approach, genetic background, and multidisciplinary management., Methods: Twenty-four patients diagnosed with cardiac paraganglioma (PGL) in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China, between 2003 and 2021 were identified. Clinical data was collected from medical record. Genetic screening and succinate dehydrogenase subunit B immunohistochemistry were performed in 22 patients., Results: The median age at diagnosis was 38 years (range 11-51 years), 8 patients (33%) were females, and 4 (17%) had familial history. Hypertension and/or symptoms related to catecholamine secretion were present in 22 (92%) patients. Excess levels of catecholamines and/or metanephrines were detected in 22 (96%) of the 23 patients who have completed biochemical testing. Cardiac PGLs were localized with 131 I-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy in 11/22 (50%), and 99m Tc-hydrazinonicotinyl-tyr3-octreotide scintigraphy in 24/24 (100%) patients. Genetic testing identified germline SDHx mutations in 13/22 (59%) patients, while immunohistochemistry revealed succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) deficiency in tumors from 17/22 (77%) patients. All patients were managed by a multidisciplinary team through medical preparation, surgery, and follow-up. Twenty-three patients received surgical treatment and perioperative death occurred in 2 cases. Overall, 21 patients were alive at follow-up (median 7.0 years, range 0.6-18 years). Local recurrence or metastasis developed in 3 patients, all of whom had SDH-deficient tumors., Conclusion: Cardiac PGLs can be diagnosed based on clinical manifestations, biochemical tests, and appropriate imaging studies. Genetic screening, multidisciplinary approach, and long-term follow-up are crucial in the management of this disease., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society.)

State-of-the-art ion-selective membranes with ultrahigh precision are of significance for water desalination and energy conservation, but their development is limited by the lack of understanding of the mechanisms of ion transport at the subnanometer scale. Herein, we investigate transport of three typical anions (F - , Cl - , and Br - ) under confinement using in situ liquid time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry in combination with transition-state theory. The operando analysis reveals that dehydration and related ion-pore interactions govern anion-selective transport. For strongly hydrated ions [(H 2 O) n F - and (H 2 O) n Cl - ], dehydration enhances ion effective charge and thus the electrostatic interactions with membrane, observed as an increase in decomposed energy from electrostatics, leading to more hindered transport. Contrarily, weakly hydrated ions [(H 2 O) n Br - ] have greater permeability as they allow an intact hydration structure during transport due to their smaller size and the most right-skewed hydration distribution. Our work demonstrates that precisely regulating ion dehydration to maximize the difference in ion-pore interactions could enable the development of ideal ion-selective membranes.

Aims: To investigate the correlation and predictive value of left atrial diameter and blood uric acid levels with the occurrence of left atrial thrombus or dense spontaneous echo contrast in atrial fibrillation patients with low to moderate CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc scores., Methods and Results: A total of 849 inpatients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation who had low to moderate CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc scores and complete transesophageal echocardiography were included in this study. Among them, 66 patients had left atrial thrombus or dense spontaneous echo contrast. When different models were used to correct other known risk factors, acid levels and abnormal left atrial diameter were identified as additional risk factors for left atrial thrombus or dense spontaneous echo contrast. The incidence of left atrial thrombus or dense spontaneous echo contrast was higher in patients with abnormal serum uric acid levels than in the control group (12.4% vs. 5.6%, p  < 0.05), and this difference persisted after correcting the baseline data with propensity score matching (10.6% vs. 4.1%, p  < 0.05). Abnormal left atrial diameter was another risk factor suggested by regression analysis, with an increased incidence of left atrial thrombus or dense spontaneous echo contrast in the abnormal left atrial diameter group compared to the control group, both before (18.0% vs. 3.5%, p  < 0.05) and after (15.5% vs. 5.2%, p  < 0.05) propensity score matching. The best predictive value was obtained by adding both abnormal serum uric acid levels and abnormal left atrial diameter., Conclusion: Left atrial enlargement and high uric acid levels increase the risk of left atrial thrombus or dense spontaneous echo contrast in atrial fibrillation patients with low to moderate CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc scores., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Tan, Liu, Zheng, Li and Zhou.)

Surface electromyography (sEMG) sensor measures the user's muscle activities by noninvasively placing electrodes on the surface of the user's skin. It has been widely used in monitoring various human movements. Recently a wearable and flexible epidermal sensor system called Electronic Tattoo (E-Tattoo) has been developed to enable intimate attachment of electrodes on the skin, improving long-term comfort. In order to make the E-Tattoo usable in monitoring muscle activities, it is always connected with a connector and signal processing blocks to collect and process the measured sEMG signals. We call it an integrated system. This paper investigates the usability of a prototype of the integrated system developed in the laboratory for monitoring muscle activities by testing its comfort with user experience surveys and comparing the quality of the sEMG signals by widely used performance metrics. Two typical movements, maximum voluntary isometric and non-isometric contractions, are considered for the experiments. Our preliminary results on five subjects demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed integrated system. This system showed a comparable signal quality for these two movements as the commercial product with a much better comfort feeling from the user. It is also interesting to note that this prototype shows a much better signal-to-motion artifact ratio (SMR), which reflects the ability to measure muscle activities during active movements, compared with the commercial product, showing the potential of using this integrated system in monitoring sEMGs during active and dynamic movements.

Ion adsorption within nanopores is involved in numerous applications. However, a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental relationship between in-pore ion concentration and pore size, particularly in the sub-2 nm range, is scarce. This study investigates the ion-species-dependent concentration in multilayered graphene membranes (MGMs) with tunable nanoslit sizes (0.5-1.6 nm) using nuclear magnetic resonance and computational simulations. For Na + -based electrolytes in MGMs, the concentration of anions in graphene nanoslits increases in correlation with their chaotropic properties. As the nanoslit size decreases, the concentration of chaotropic ion (BF 4 - ) increases, whereas the concentration of kosmotropic ions (Cit 3- , PO 4 3- ) and other ions (Ac - , F - ) decreases or changes slightly. Notably, anions remain more concentrated than counter Na + ions, leading to electroneutrality breakdown and unipolar anion packing in MGMs. A continuum modeling approach, integrating molecular dynamic simulation with the Poisson-Boltzmann model, elucidates these observations by considering water-mediated ion-graphene non-electrostatic interactions and charge screening from graphene walls.

Compelling evidence suggests that human cognitive function is strongly influenced by genetics. Here, we conduct a large-scale exome study to examine whether rare protein-coding variants impact cognitive function in the adult population (n = 485,930). We identify eight genes (ADGRB2, KDM5B, GIGYF1, ANKRD12, SLC8A1, RC3H2, CACNA1A and BCAS3) that are associated with adult cognitive function through rare coding variants with large effects. Rare genetic architecture for cognitive function partially overlaps with that of neurodevelopmental disorders. In the case of KDM5B we show how the genetic dosage of one of these genes may determine the variability of cognitive, behavioral and molecular traits in mice and humans. We further provide evidence that rare and common variants overlap in association signals and contribute additively to cognitive function. Our study introduces the relevance of rare coding variants for cognitive function and unveils high-impact monogenic contributions to how cognitive function is distributed in the normal adult population., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

We present the case of a 37-year-old premenopausal woman, who presented with fatigue, weakness, pallor, and myalgias. She was on treatment for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, iron deficiency anemia, deficiency of vitamin D and B12. Further diagnostic workup revealed her anemia was attributed to a long history of menorrhagia, deficiency of vitamin D and B12 which was attributed to Celiac disease. Her overall health improved with daily medication and by being around the biophoton generators, a device-generated biophoton field. Supplemental exposure to biophoton energy stabilized her blood component levels and improved the functional and energetic conditions of all her organs and systems., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: James Liu reports a relationship with Tesla Biohealing, Inc. That includes: employment., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Amethystoidesic acid ( 1 ), a triterpenoid with an unprecedented 5/6/6/6 tetracyclic skeleton, and six undescribed diterpenoids, amethystoidins A-F ( 2 - 7 ), were isolated from the rhizomes of Isodon amethystoides along with 31 known di- and triterpenoids ( 8 - 38 ). Their structures were fully elucidated via extensive spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D NMR, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS), and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. Compound 1 is the first example of a triterpenoid possessing a rare ring system (5/6/6/6) derived from a contracted A-ring and the 18,19- seco -E-ring of ursolic acid. Compounds 6 , 16 , 21 , 22 , 24 , and 27 significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, which could be partly mediated by the downregulation of LPS-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression.

The relationship between the genera Colasia Koch, 1965 and Belousovia Medvedev, 2007 within the tribe Blaptini is discussed, and a new synonymy is proposed: Belousovia Medvedev, 2007, syn. nov. of Colasia Koch, 1965. As a result, three new combinations are established: Colasiahelenae (Medvedev, 2007), comb. nov. , C.kabakiintermedia (Medvedev, 2007), comb. nov. , and C.kabakikabaki (Medvedev, 2007), comb. nov. Colasiaakisoides Koch, 1965 is redescribed, and a lectotype is designated. Three new species of the genus Colasia are described and illustrated from China: C.bijica sp. nov. (Guizhou), C.medvedevi sp. nov. (Yunnan), and C.pilosa sp. nov. (Yunnan). A distribution map and a key to species of the revised genus Colasia are presented., (Xing-Long Bai, Jing-Ze Liu, Guo-Dong Ren.)

To analyze the pollution characteristics and source apportionment of heavy metal pollution in soil of farmland surrounding the Gangue Heap of Coal Mine in Nanchuan, Chongqing, the Nemerow pollution index and Muller index were used. Meanwhile, to investigate the sources and contribution rate of heavy metals in the soil, absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression receptor modeling (APCS-MLR) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) were employed. The results showed higher amounts of Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in the downstream area than those in the upstream area, and only Cu, Ni, and Zn showed significantly higher amounts in the downstream area than those in upstream area ( P <0.05). The comprehensive Nemerow pollution index was as follows:downstream area (1.22)>upstream area (0.95), and the degree of heavy metal pollution was:Cd>Cu>Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Ni, and Zn. The Muller pollution index showed:Cd>As>Cu=Hg>Ni>Zn=Cr>Pb. The pollution source analysis showed that Cu, Ni, and Zn were mainly affected by mining activities such as long-term accumulation of the gangue heap of coal mine, with the contribution rates of APCS-MLR being 49.8%, 94.5%, and 73.2%, respectively. Additionally, PMF contribution rates were 62.8%, 62.2%, and 63.1%, respectively. Cd, Hg, and As were mainly affected by agricultural activities and transportation activities, with APCS-MLR contribution rates of 49.8%, 94.5%, and 73.2% and PMF contribution rates of 62.8%, 62.2%, and 63.1%, respectively. Further, Pb and Cr were mainly affected by natural factors, with APCS-MLR contribution rates of 66.4% and 94.7% and PMF contribution rates of 42.7% and 47.7%, respectively. The results of source analysis were basically consistent between the APCS-MLR and PMF receptor models.

Combined with the inherent spin-orbital coupling effect, the elemental ferroelectricity of monolayer Bi (bismuthene) is the critical property that renders this system a 2D ferroelectric topological insulator. Here, using first-principles calculations, we systematically investigate the ferroelectric polarization in bismuthene nanoribbons and discover the width size limiting effect arising from the edge effects. The decreasing width led to the spontaneous transformation of the zigzag (ZZ) and armchair (AC) paired Bi nanoribbons into newly discovered high-symmetric nonpolarized nanoribbons. For ZZ-paired nanoribbons, the driving force of the phase transition is attributed to the depolarization field, similar to the conventional perovskite ferroelectric thin films. Instead, edge stress as a novel mechanism played a major role in the phase transition of AC-paired nanoribbons. Inspired by such a revealed mechanism, the phase transition and related ultrahigh piezoelectricity can be achieved by strain engineering in Bi nanoribbons, which could enable new applications for 2D ferroelectric devices.

Background and Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for anastomotic lesions is technically challenging due to severe fibrosis, deformity, staples, and limited space for procedure. We aimed to characterize the clinicopathological characteristics, feasibility, and effectiveness of ESD for anastomotic lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract., Methods: We retrospectively investigated 43 patients with lesions involving the anastomoses of the upper GI tract who underwent ESD from April 2007 to February 2021. We collected clinicopathological characteristics, procedure‑related parameters and outcomes, and follow‑up data and analyzed the impact of anastomotic involvement., Results: The median duration from previous upper GI surgery was 60 months and the median procedure duration was 30 min. The rate of en bloc resection and en bloc with R0 resection was 90.7% and 81.4%, respectively. Two patients (4.7%) experienced major adverse events, including delayed bleeding and febrile episode. During a median follow-up of 80 months, 3 patients had local recurrence and 4 patients had metastases. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 89.6% and 95.1%, respectively. Compared with the unilaterally involving group, the straddling anastomosis group had significantly longer procedure duration, larger specimen, lower rates of en bloc resection and en bloc with R0 resection, and shorter DFS and OS (all P < 0.05). However, rates of adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups., Conclusions: The short‑ and long-term outcomes of ESD for upper GI anastomotic lesions were favorable. Although with technically challenging, ESD could be performed safely and effectively for anastomotic lesions., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is life-threatening due to its malignant progression. Considerable evidence demonstrates that circular RNA (circRNA) regulates PTC development. This study aims to explore the mechanism of circ&#95;0000644 modulating PTC malignant progression., Methods: The RNA levels of circ&#95;0000644, microRNA-671-5p (miR-671-5p) and annexin A2 (ANXA2) were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Western blot was performed to check protein expression. Cell proliferation and cell apoptosis were investigated by 5-ethynyl-29-deoxyuridine and flow cytometry. Angiogenic capacity, migration and invasion were analyzed by tube formation assay and transwell assay. The interaction between miR-671-5p and circ&#95;0000644 or ANXA2 was identified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Xenograft mouse model assay was performed to analyze the effect of circ&#95;0000644 on tumor formation in vivo., Results: Circ&#95;0000644 and ANXA2 expression was significantly upregulated, while miR-671-5p was downregulated in PTC tissues and cells when compared with control groups. Circ&#95;0000644 knockdown inhibited PTC cell proliferation, tube formation, migration, and invasion, but induced apoptosis in vitro. Moreover, circ&#95;0000644 knockdown led to delayed tumorigenesis in vivo. In addition, circ&#95;0000644 acted as a miR-671-5p sponge and mediated PTC cell tumor properties through miR-671-5p. ANXA2 was identified as a target gene of miR-671-5p, and its overexpression relieved miR-671-5p-induced effects in PTC cells. Furthermore, circ&#95;0000644 depletion inhibited ANXA2 production by combining with miR-671-5p., Conclusion: Circ&#95;0000644 depletion repressed PTC cell tumor properties through the miR-671-5p/ANXA2 axis., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE).)

This study researches the impact of terrain factors on chlorine gas diffusion processes based on SLAB model. Simulating the law of wind speed changing with altitude by calculating the real-time speed with vertical height combing actual terrain data, and integrating the influence of terrain on wind speed by using Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes (RANS) algorithm, K-turbulence model, and standard wall functions, then plotting the gas diffusion range in the map with terrain data according to the Gaussian-Cruger projection algorithm and dividing the hazardous areas according to the public exposure guidelines (PEG). The accidental chlorine gas releases near Lishan Mountain, Xi'an City, were simulated by the improved SLAB model. The results show that there are obvious differences analyzing contrastively the endpoint distance and area of chlorine gas dispersion under real terrain condition and ideal condition at different times; it can be found that the endpoint distance of the real terrain conditions is 1.34 km shorter than that of the ideal conditions at 300 s with terrain factors, and also the thermal area is 3,768,026m 2 less than that of the ideal conditions. In addition, it can predict the specific number of casualties within different levels of harm at 2 min after chlorine gas dispersion, and casualties are constantly changing over time. The fusion of terrain factors can be used to optimize the SLAB model, which is expected to provide an important reference for effective rescue., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Cognitive and memory dysfunction, a common sequela of traumatic brain injury (TBI), places a heavy social and economic burden on individuals, families, communities, and countries. Although the potent anti-tumor effects of spautin-1, a novel autophagy inhibitor, have been documented in malignant melanoma, little is known regarding its efficacy on alleviation of cognitive and memory dysfunction. Here, we describe the effect of spautin-1 administration on cognitive and memory impairment post-TBI, and reveal its underlying mechanism of action., Methods: We first induced mild TBI in mice through Feeney's weight-drop model, then immediately administered spautin-1 (10 mmol/μl, 2 μl) into the left lateral ventricle. Behavioral and pathological changes were assessed at 24 h, 7 and 30 days after TBI by analyzing neurological severity scores (NSS), novel objective recognition (NOR), Morris water maze (MWM) test, recording of local field potential (LFP), as well as western blot, and immunofluorescence assays., Results: Mild TBI not only reduced recognition index and times crossing platform, but also aggravated neuronal injury, including reduced MAP2, GAD2, VGlut2, and CHAT intensity. It also elevated activated microglia and CD86-occupied areas in TMEM119-positive cells, but suppressed θ, β, and γ oscillation power in the hippocampal CA1. However, spautin-1 administration significantly reversed these changes, whereas AC-DEVD-CHO an inhibitor of caspase-3 partially blocked the neuroprotective effects of spautin-1., Conclusion: Spautin-1 administration mitigates mild TBI-induced cognitive and memory dysfunction in mice, potentially through activation of caspase-3., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

E3 ubiquitin ligases play important roles in plant immunity, but their role in soybean has not been investigated previously. Here, we used Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV)-mediated virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to investigate the function of Gm SAUL1 (Senescence-Associated E3 Ubiquitin Ligase 1) homologs in soybean. When two closely related SAUL1 homologs were silenced simultaneously, the soybean plants displayed autoimmune phenotypes, which were significantly alleviated by high temperature, suggesting that Gm SAUL1a/1b might be guarded by an R protein. Interestingly, silencing GmSAUL1a/1b resulted in the decreased activation of Gm MPK6, but increased activation of Gm MPK3 in response to flg22, suggesting that the activation of Gm MPK3 is most likely responsible for the activated immunity observed in the Gm SAUL1a/1b-silenced plants. Furthermore, we provided evidence that Gm SAUL1a is a bona fide E3 ligase. Collectively, our results indicated that Gm SAUL1 plays a negative role in regulating cell death and immunity in soybean.

Optimal bowel preparation is a prerequisite for a successful colonoscopy; however, the rate of inadequate bowel preparation remains relatively high. In this study, we establish a smartphone app that assesses patient bowel preparation using an artificial intelligence (AI)-based prediction system trained on labeled photographs of feces in the toilet and evaluate its impact on bowel preparation quality in colonoscopy outpatients. We conduct a prospective, single-masked, multicenter randomized clinical trial, enrolling outpatients who own a smartphone and are scheduled for a colonoscopy. We screen 578 eligible patients and randomize 524 in a 1:1 ratio to the control or AI-driven app group for bowel preparation. The study endpoints are the percentage of patients with adequate bowel preparation and the total BBPS score, compliance with dietary restrictions and purgative instructions, polyp detection rate, and adenoma detection rate (secondary). The prediction system has an accuracy of 95.15%, a specificity of 97.25%, and an area under the curve of 0.98 in the test dataset. In the full analysis set (n = 500), adequate preparation is significantly higher in the AI-driven app group (88.54 vs. 65.59%; P < 0.001). The mean BBPS score is 6.74 ± 1.25 in the AI-driven app group and 5.97 ± 1.81 in the control group (P < 0.001). The rates of compliance with dietary restrictions (93.68 vs. 83.81%, P = 0.001) and purgative instructions (96.05 vs. 84.62%, P < 0.001) are significantly higher in the AI-driven app group, as is the rate of additional purgative intake (26.88 vs. 17.41%, P = 0.011). Thus, our AI-driven smartphone app significantly improves the quality of bowel preparation and patient compliance., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for anastomotic lesions is technically challenging. We aimed to characterize the clinicopathologic characteristics, feasibility, and effectiveness of ESD for anastomotic lesions of the lower gastrointestinal tract., Method: We retrospectively investigated 55 patients with anastomotic lesions of the lower gastrointestinal tract who underwent ESD from February 2008 to January 2021. The lesions involving one or both sides of anastomoses were classified into the unilaterally involving anastomosis (UIA) or straddling anastomosis (SA) group, respectively. We collected clinicopathological characteristics, procedure-related parameters and outcomes, and follow-up data and analyzed the impact of anastomotic involvement., Results: The mean age was 62.5 years, and the median procedure duration was 30 min. The rates of en bloc resection and R0 resection were 90.9% and 85.5%, respectively. Four patients (7.3%) experienced major adverse events (AEs). During a median follow-up of 66 months (range 14-169), seven patients had local recurrence, and six patients had metastases. The 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 82.4% and 90.7%, respectively. The 5-year disease -specific survival (DSS) rate was 93.3%. Compared with the UIA group, the SA group had significantly longer procedure duration, larger specimen, lower rates of en bloc resection and R0 resection, and shorter disease-free survival (all P < 0.05). However, rates of AEs did not differ significantly between the two groups., Conclusions: The short-term and long-term outcomes of ESD for colorectal anastomotic lesions were favorable. Although with technically challenging, ESD could be performed safely and effectively for lesions at the anastomoses., (© 2022 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Management and treatment of terminal metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains heavily debated. We sought to investigate the efficacy of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor plus anlotinib as a potential solution for terminal mCRPC and further evaluate the association of genomic characteristics with efficacy outcomes. We conducted a retrospective real-world study of 25 mCRPC patients who received PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib after the progression to standard treatments. The clinical information was extracted from the electronic medical records and 22 patients had targeted circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) next-generation sequencing. Statistical analysis showed that 6 (24.0%) patients experienced prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response and 11 (44.0%) patients experienced PSA reduction. The relationship between ctDNA findings and outcomes was also analyzed. DNA-damage repair (DDR) pathways and homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway defects indicated a comparatively longer PSA-progression-free survival (PSA-PFS; 2.5 months vs 1.2 months, P = 0.027; 3.3 months vs 1.2 months, P = 0.017; respectively). This study introduces the PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib as a late-line therapeutic strategy for terminal mCRPC. PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib may be a new treatment choice for terminal mCRPC patients with DDR or HRR pathway defects and requires further investigation., Competing Interests: None

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest, or non-financial competing interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript by any of the authors.