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ABSTRACT Porous chitosan (CS)/graphene oxide (GO) composite xerogels were prepared through a simple and 'green' freeze-drying method. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, powder X-ray diffraction, and compressive strength measurements were performed to characterize the microstructures and mechanical properties of as-prepared composite xerogels. The results show that the incorporation of GO resulted in an observable change in the porous structure and an obvious increase in the compressive strength. The abilities of the composite xerogels to absorb and slowly release an anticancer drug, doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), in particular, the influence of different GO contents, were investigated systematically. The porous CS/GO composite xerogels exhibited efficient DOX-delivery ability, and both the adsorption and slow-release abilities increased obviously with increasing GO content. Additionally, the best adsorption concentration of DOX was 0.2 mg/mL, and the cumulative release percentage of DOX from the xerogels at pH4 much higher than that at pH 7.4. Therefore, such porous CS/GO composite xerogels could be promising materials as postoperation implanting stents for the design of new anticancer drug-release carriers. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014, 131, 40006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and UHMWPE composites reinforced with graphene oxide (GO) were successfully fabricated through a new step of liquid-phase ultrasonic dispersion, high-speed ball-mill mixing, and hot-pressing molding technology. When the GO/UHMWPE composites were lubricated with deionized water (DW) and normal saline (NS) solution, their friction and wear properties were investigated through sliding against ZrO2. The worn surface and wear volume losses of these composites were studied with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and a Micro-XAM 3D non-contact surface profiler. The results show that the microhardness of the GO/UHMWPE composites was improved by 13.80% and the wear rates were decreased by 19.86 and 21.13%, whereas the depths of the scratches were decreased by 22.93 and 23.77% in DW and NS lubricating conditions, respectively. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39640. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liposomes are a useful carrier for delivering drugs but rarely make a poorly water-soluble drug (PWSD) realize its therapeutic potential. A key barrier lies in that, by conventional methods, PWSD is mainly loaded just in liposome bilayer membranes, which rarely provide sufficient room to accommodate drugs satisfying clinical therapy. In this investigation, a novel procedure of temperature up-down cycle (TUDC) was developed for loading PWSDs into the liposome interiors instead of bilayer membranes to hold enough agents. In particular, the TUDC procedure renders PWSDs such as curcumin (Cur) entrapment purposely controllable, as evidenced by the encapsulation efficiency (EE) of Cur varies nearly from 0% to 100% in response to changes the determinant factors of the procedure. In addition, several mathematical equations that could calculate the loading efficiency by TUDC were established and proved, when combined with thermodynamic process, able to successfully predict the loading results through including thermodynamic parameters, such as temperature and deduced drug solubility, thus remarkably cutting down the laborious experiments and enhancing liposome development efficiency. Cryo-TEM, SAXS, XRD and DSC tests proved that TUDC is feasible to load a PWSD into PEG-liposomes but rendering the drug in the amorphous state. Thus, the novel TUDC procedure and the established mathematical and thermodynamic process may provide a useful tool to promote the development of liposome products. Poorly water-soluble drugs (PWSDs) that show a solubility rising proportionally with temperature in an aqueous medium will gradually accumulate in liposome interiors during the temperature up-down cycle procedure (TUDC). [Display omitted] • A temperature up-down cycle (TUDC) procedure was established for loading poorly water-soluble drugs (PWSDs) into liposomes. • Mathematical models combining thermodynamic parameters were deduced to predict liposome entrapment of PWSDs by TUDC. • Liposome entrapment of PWSD by TUDC is purposely controllable based on mathematical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumors exhibit extensive intra-tumor heterogeneity, the presence of groups of cellular populations with distinct sets of somatic mutations. This heterogeneity is the result of an evolutionary process, described by a phylogenetic tree. In addition to enabling clinicians to devise patient-specific treatment plans, phylogenetic trees of tumors enable researchers to decipher the mechanisms of tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, the problem of reconstructing a phylogenetic tree T given bulk sequencing data from a tumor is more complicated than the classic phylogeny inference problem. Rather than observing the leaves of T directly, we are given mutation frequencies that are the result of mixtures of the leaves of T. The majority of current tumor phylogeny inference methods employ the perfect phylogeny evolutionary model. The underlying Perfect Phylogeny Mixture (PPM) combinatorial problem typically has multiple solutions. Results: We prove that determining the exact number of solutions to the PPM problem is #P-complete and hard to approximate within a constant factor. Moreover, we show that sampling solutions uniformly at random is hard as well. On the positive side, we provide a polynomial-time computable upper bound on the number of solutions and introduce a simple rejection-sampling based scheme that works well for small instances. Using simulated and real data, we identify factors that contribute to and counteract non-uniqueness of solutions. In addition, we study the sampling performance of current methods, identifying significant biases. Conclusions: Awareness of non-uniqueness of solutions to the PPM problem is key to drawing accurate conclusions in downstream analyses based on tumor phylogenies. This work provides the theoretical foundations for non-uniqueness of solutions in tumor phylogeny inference from bulk DNA samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Spatially separated bifunctional cocatalyst decorated Z-scheme heterojunction of PdO x @HCdS@ZIS@Pt was designed. • PdO x @HCdS@ZIS@Pt exhibits superior photocatalytic H 2 generation and benzylamine oxidation simultaneously. • Z-scheme heterojunction further enhances light utilization with strong oxidation and reduction capability. • Spatially separated cocatalysts promote the separation of photo-induced charge carriers. • The hollow structure of the heterostructure provides more active reaction sites and facilitates mass transfer. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) is frequently constrained by inadequate light utilization and the rapid combination rate of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Additionally, conventional PHE processes are often facilitated by the addition of sacrificial reagents to consume photo-induced holes, which makes this approach economically unfavorable. Herein, we designed a spatially separated bifunctional cocatalyst decorated Z-scheme heterojunction of hollow structured CdS (HCdS) @ZnIn 2 S 4 (ZIS), which was prepared by a sacrificial hard template method followed by photo-deposition. Consequently, PdO x @HCdS@ZIS@Pt exhibited efficient PHE (86.38 mmol·g−1·h−1) and benzylamine (BA) oxidation coupling (164.75 mmol·g−1·h−1) with high selectivity (97.34 %). The unique hollow core-shelled morphology and bifunctional cocatalyst loading in this work hold great potential for the design and synthesis of bifunctional Z-scheme photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical activity and stability of the PBCO electrode are investigated under the annealing processes in an atmosphere containing CO2/H2O for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The electrochemical impedance spectrum results unequivocally confirm the significant deterioration in PBCO cathode performance upon annealing under ambient air conditions, particularly when exposed to CO2/H2O atmospheres. Microstructure and surface chemical state analyses reveal the segregation of BaO on the PBCO surface, and the formation of insulating BaCO3 degraded the electrochemical performance. CO2 and H2O exhibit a significant induced effect on the segregation of Ba in PBCO to the surfaces, thereby causing a rapid decline in electrode performance. Additionally, the analysis of volume relaxation reveals that the presence of oxygen in the electrode environment can also influence the deposition process occurring on the surface of the electrode. However, this phenomenon is not observed in N2. This study emphasizes the impact of various gases present in the working atmosphere on surface-separated BaO, which consequently plays a pivotal role in the activity and long-term stability of PBCO electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic afterglow is a fascinating phenomenon with exceptional applications. However, it encounters challenges such as low intensity and efficiency, and typically requires UV-light excitation and facile intersystem crossing (ISC) due to its spin-forbidden nature. Here, we develop a novel strategy that bypasses the conventional ISC pathway by promoting singlet-triplet transition through the synergistic effects of the intra/intermolecular heavy-atom effect in aromatic crystals, enabling the direct population of triplet excited states from the ground state. The resulting materials exhibit a bright organic afterglow with a remarkably enhanced quantum efficiency of up to 5.81%, and a significantly increased organic afterglow lifetime of up to 157 microseconds under visible light. Moreover, given the high-efficiency visible-light excitable organic afterglow emission, the potential application is demonstrated in lifetime-resolved, color-encoded, and excitation wavelength-dependent pattern encryption. This work demonstrates the importance of the direct population method in enhancing the organic afterglow performance and red-shifting the excitation wavelength, and provides crucial insights for advancing organic optoelectronic technologies that involve triplet states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic foot infection (DFI) is a common complication in diabetes patients, with foot infections being the leading cause of amputations. Staphylococcus aureus is frequently found in diabetic foot infections, of which methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a major clinical and epidemiological challenge. Since MRSA strains are resistant to most β-lactam antibiotics, and also partially resistant to other antibiotics, treatment is difficult and costly. The emergence of drug-resistant bacteria often arises from overuse or misuse of antibiotics. Clinically, canagliflozin is commonly used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. On this basis, we investigated the antibacterial activity and mechanism of canagliflozin against MRSA, with the aim to discover novel functions of canagliflozin and provide new insights for the treatment of MRSA. Using the microbroth dilution method to determine the half maximal inhibitory concentration of drugs, we found that canagliflozin not only can inhibit the growth of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) but also exhibits antibacterial activity against MRSA. The IC50 values, at approximately 56.01 μM and 57.60 μM, were almost the same. At 12 h, canagliflozin showed a significant antibacterial effect against MRSA at and above 30 μM. In addition, its combined use with penicillin achieved better antibacterial effects, which were increased by about three times. Additive antibacterial activity (FICI = 0.69) was found between penicillin and canagliflozin, which was better than that of doxycycline and canagliflozin (FICI = 0.95). Canagliflozin also affected bacterial metabolic markers, such as glucose, ATP, and lactic acid. The results of crystal violet staining indicate that canagliflozin disrupted the formation of bacterial biofilm. Our electron microscopy results showed that canagliflozin distorted the bacterial cell wall. The results of RT-PCR suggest that canagliflozin down-regulated the expressions of biofilm-related gene (clfA, cna, agrC, mgrA, hld) and methicillin-resistance gene (mecA), which was related to MRSA. Molecular docking also indicated that canagliflozin affected some interesting targets of MRSA, such as the sarA, crtM and fnbA proteins. In conclusion, canagliflozin exhibits antibacterial activity against MRSA by affecting bacterial metabolism, inhibiting its biofilm formation, distorting the bacterial cell wall, and altering the gene expression of biofilm formation and its virulence. Our study reveals the antibacterial activity of canagliflozin against MRSA, providing a new reference for treating diabetic foot infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration and invasion play crucial roles in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the underlying mechanisms are not clear. Analysis of clinical samples indicates that SQSTM1/p62 is highly expressed in HCC and seriously affects the prognosis of patients. Subsequently, we showed that SQSTM1/p62 knockout using the CRISPR/Cas9 system led to impaired migration and invasion of HCC, upregulated Keap1, and promoted the inhibitory effect of Keap1 on Nrf2. Then, the inactivation of Nrf2 inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), thus attenuating the migration and invasion of HCC. We also found that SQSTM1/p62 knockout significantly inhibited migration and invasion in a lung metastasis model of nude mice with HCC. Furthermore, we found that cisplatin not only significantly inhibited the expression of SQSTM1/p62 but also slowed down the migration and invasion of HCC, while the inflammatory microenvironment accelerated the migration and invasion of HCC. These results suggest for the first time that SQSTM1/p62 knockout inhibits the migration and invasion of HCC through the Keap1/Nrf2/MMP2 signaling pathway. SQSTM1/p62 may be developed into a key drug target to regulate the migration and invasion of HCC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel multifunctional nanocomposite was prepared by self-assembled strategy. • The self-assembled structure enhanced greatly the performance of PBAs. • TME-activated cascade MRI, photothermal and catalytic performance were realized. • Excellent anti-tumor effect by multimodal therapies was achieved. Integration of multimodal imaging and therapies into one nanoplatform holds great promise to overcome the drawbacks of conventional single-modal cancer therapy. Designing multifunctional nanocomposite by self-assembled strategy with integration of various functional components into one platform is promising for effective breast cancer therapy. Herein, a L-arginine embedded Prussian blue analogue@polypyrrole@manganese oxide (PBA@PPy@MnO 2) multifunctional nanocomposite was constructed by a facile self-assembled method, which could be used as an effective nanoplatform for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided multimodal therapy for breast cancer. Various properties such as enhanced MRI and catalytic capacity from PBA and MnO 2 , photothermal conversion performance from PPy, and NO generation capacity from Arg were integrated into one nanocomposite. In vitro and vivo experiments, satisfactory anti-cancer efficiency was observed in PBA@PPy@MnO 2 @Arg nanoplatform under near-infrared irradiation (NIR) due to the combined effect between chemodynamic therapy (CDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), and gas therapy (GT). This work will pave a new avenue for the construction of multifunctional nanoplatforms and overcome the inherit poor photothermal and MRI activities limitations of Prussian blue analogue in biomedical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. For people in high altitude areas, the shape of the femoral neck is different due to the different living environment. To deduce the optimal insertion angle and position of the cannulated screw using three-dimensional finite element technology in patients at high altitude. Methods. The data of 100 volunteers were used to establish a finite element model. The stress and displacement of cannulated screws of equilateral and oblique triangle screw placement in femoral neck fracture model and complete femoral neck model were evaluated. Results. On the narrowest plane, the average values of ∠ A , B, and C were 47.63o, 75.49o, and 56.88o, respectively, and the shape was an oblique triangle. In complete femoral neck model, the maximum Von Mises stress of the three cannulated screws of equilateral triangle screw placement was slightly larger than oblique triangle screw placement, and this difference was more obvious in femoral neck fracture model. Under same loads, the overall maximum displacement of femur in oblique triangle screw placement was less than equilateral triangle screw placement in two models. Conclusions. For people in high-altitude areas, the three screws should be implanted in an oblique triangle configuration in cannulated screw treatment of femoral neck fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease leading to inflammatory damage in multiple target organs, and lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most life-threatening organ manifestations. CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (CEBPB) regulates the NLRP3 inflammasome and is involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. However, the role and mechanism of CEBPB in LN remains unclear. MRL/lpr mice and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) combined with adenosine triphosphate- (ATP-) treated glomerular podocytes were used as models of LN in vivo and in vitro, respectively. In vivo, we investigated the expressions of CEBPB during the development of MRL/lpr mice. Then we assessed the effect of CEBPB inhibition on renal structure and function through injecting shCEBPB lentivirus into MRL/lpr mice. In vitro, glomerular podocytes were treated with Pim-1-OE and siCEBPB to explore the relation between CEBPB and Pim-1. The progression of LN in mice was associated with the increased level of CEBPB, and the inhibition of CEBPB ameliorated renal structure impairments and improved renal function damage associated with LN. Knockdown of CEBPB could suppress the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and the secretion of IL-1β and IL-6. Furthermore, the knockdown of CEBPB could inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis via binding to Pim-1 promoter to downregulate its expression, and the overexpression of Pim-1 reversed the effects of CEBPB deficiency. The regulation of CEBPB on Pim-1 facilitated pyroptosis by activating NLRP3 inflammasome, thereby promoting the development of LN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Novel nano-heterojunctions with excellent antibacterial properties are regarded as effective alternatives to antibiotics for water purification and wastewater treatment. We have developed a universal strategy to synthesize a series of urchin-shaped Prussian blue analogues@Prussian blue (PBA@PB) nano-heterojunctions with outstanding photothermal and ROS antibacterial ability via a facile co-precipitation route for efficient disinfection, for the first time. • A universal strategy was developed for synthesis of PBA@PB nano-heterojunctions. • The nano-heterojunctions showed excellent photothermal and catalytic performance. • Such unique structures could overcome the disadvantages of singe PBA or PB. • These nano-heterojunctions are promising candidates for rapidly bacterial elimination. • The mechanism of the nano-heterojunctions was also investigated. Novel nano-heterojunctions with excellent antibacterial properties are regarded as effective alternatives to antibiotics for bacterial disinfection. Herein, we have developed a universal strategy to synthesize a series of urchin-shaped Prussian blue analogues@Prussian blue (PBA@PB) nano-heterojunctions via a facile co-precipitation route for efficient bacterial disinfection, for the first time, which could overcome the disadvantages of singe PBA or PB. The optimized PBA@PB nano-heterojunctions showed remarkable bactericidal efficiency ability against multi drug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli (E.coli) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), (99.4% and 98.8% bactericidal ratios, respectively), attributed to their outstanding photothermal and catalytic performance. It should be emphasized that the as-prepared nano-heterojunctions also showed amazing bacterial elimination efficiency in sewage. The antibacterial mechanism was also investigated using a variety of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. It can be attributed to the formation of unique nano-heterojunctions between PB and PBA, which improves the absorption of NIR light and facilitates the separation of generated electron-hole pairs. Therefore, the urchin-shaped PBA@PB nano-heterojunctions may be promising candidates for rapidly bacterial elimination in environmental remedy and wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: LN is an important complication affecting the prognosis of SLE. We retrospectively analysed the influence of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) on LN, identified risk factors of TMA in LN and renal failure in LN-TMA, and evaluated the availability of plasmapheresis.Methods: After balancing epidemiological characteristics and pathological types between groups, 127 patients (LN-TMA:42, LN:85) were included. After consulting medical records and followup data, we used the corresponding statistical methods, such as chi-squared test and Student's t-test, to compare differences in various aspects and explore the correlation among factors.Results: LN-TMA patients had significantly higher blood urea nitrogen (13.2 mmol/L vs. 7.5 mmol/L, P < .001), systolic and diastolic blood pressures (both P < .01), serum creatinine (157.75 μmol/L vs. 79.00 μmol/L, P < .001), lactic dehydrogenase (P < .05), renal activity index (8.00 vs. 2.00; P < .001), SLE disease activity index score (13.8 ± 3.4 vs. 10.88 ± 6.0; P < .01), and pleurisy (P < .01) and lower haemoglobin (84.4 ± 20.14 vs. 99.38 ± 23.45 g/L, P < .05), platelets (87 vs. 155 ×109/L, P < .001), estimated glomerular filtration rate (39.24 vs. 97.40 mL/min/ 1.73m2, P < .05), and 3- and 5-year renal survival rates (P < .001 and P < .01, respectively) than non- TMA patients. Infection and TMA (P < 0.01) were independent risk factors for LN-TMA and renal failure, respectively. There was no obvious effect of plasmapheresis.Conclusion: TMA is an independent risk factor for renal failure in LN. As TMA affects the severity and prognosis of LN, identifying specific diagnostic indicators and effective treatment for LN is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cobalt phthalocyanine modified flower-like ZnIn 2 S 4 nanosheets were prepared. • The composites show great photocatalytic syngas generation from CO 2 reduction. • The ratio of CO/H 2 in syngas is tunable under visible light irradiation. • The flower-like ZnIn 2 S 4 composites demonstrate good photocatalytic durability. • The enhanced photocatalytic activity is contributed by dimension-matched heterojunction. Photocatalytic carbon dioxide (CO 2) reduction into syngas (the mixture of CO and H 2) has been considered as an attractive method to solve the greenhouse effect and energy shortage. Polychalcogenides semiconductors such as ZnIn 2 S 4 (ZIS) have been widely utilized in photocatalysis but are still hampered by limited photo-induced charge separation and poor product selectivity. Molecular catalysts for CO 2 reduction possess superior selectivity for specific reduction products but suffer from low stability and recycling difficulty. Herein, we modified a molecular phthalocyanine (Pc) on flower-like ZIS nanosheets. This hybrid exhibited enhanced photocatalytic CO 2 reduction and exhibited a tunable ratio of CO/H 2 in syngas (0.01–4.65) under visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of ZIS-Pc hybrids can be attributed to dimension-matched ultrathin heterojunction, which facilitated charge separation, broad light utilization, and recycling stability. The unique design holds great potential for other highly efficient photocatalytic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schematic of hollow MoS 2 /ReS 2 nanosphere. [Display omitted] • Bimetallic sulfide heterojunction is effective method to improve battery performance. • Expanding layer spacing can fundamentally improve battery discharge performance. • Hollow nanosphere structure can provide abundant electron transfer site. Currently, the rapid capacity decay of single transition metal sulfide greatly limits its commercial application. In this work, we adopt a simple template method to prepare three-dimensional (3D) hollow nanospheres assembled with ultra-thin nanosheets. The large specific surface area of hollow structure can give a rich electrochemical active site and increase the contact area between the electrode and the electrolyte to promote mass and charge transfer rate, meanwhile, the ultra-thin permeable shell can significantly shorten the ions and electrons path. Moreover, the large layer spacing of MoS 2 /ReS 2 is conducive to the reversible ion reaction, and improves the battery rate and cycle performance. Finally, the rational design and control of heterostructural electrodes with different forms, structures and composition can significantly improve their electrochemical performance for various energy storage components. This work proves the potential application of MoS 2 /ReS 2 material as an effective electrode material for sodium ion batteries, and provides a reference idea for the new materials construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron (II) phthalocyanine (FePc) nanoclusters were synthesized by solvent evaporation with poly(diallyldimethlammonium chloride) as a stabilizer. Combining FePc nanoclusters with graphene (GR), the FePc-GR sandwich composite was produced. Morphologies of the resulted FePc-GR composite were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the FePc-GR composite exhibited sandwich structure, and the FePc nanoclusters (~ 500 nm) consisted of small nanoparticles were uniformly distributed between GR sheets. Electrochemical and electrocatalytical properties of the FePc-GR composite were studied by cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry methods. Compared with the pure FePc nanoclusters or GR, the FePc-GR composite showed improved electrocatalytical performance towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The electrocatalytical performance of FePc-GR composite was related to the ratio of FePc nanoclusters and GR. It was observed that the FePc-GR composite showed the highest current density when the volume ratio of FePc nanoclusters to GR was 2:1. The electron transfer number of the FePc-GR composite was 4.05, indicating the direct four electron process for the ORR. In addition, the FePc-GR composite also exhibited good stability and excellent resistance to methanol compared with the commercial 20% Pt/C catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Metacognitive monitoring refers to the process in which an individual analyzes their own mental state, then monitors and adjusts cognitive activities to achieve a predetermined goal. Recent research has suggested a strong link between metacognition and drug cravings. Conversely, few studies on the impact of metacognitive monitoring on methamphetamine (MA) cravings exist. Thus, this study investigated whether drug cravings would impair MA abusers' metacognitive monitoring and explored the prediction effects of drug cravings.Method: Seventy MA abusers from the Zhejiang Compulsory Isolation Drug Rehabilitation Center and 65 non-users from the Wenzhou Medical University were recruited for this experimental study. The judgment of learning (JOL) paradigm was used to examine metacognitive monitoring, and cue-induced pictures were used to induce MA abusers' drug cravings. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), partial correlation, and regression analysis were performed.Results: Compared with non-users, MA abusers had significantly poorer metacognitive monitoring and tended to overestimate their performance. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the accuracy of JOLs and drug cravings, which indicated that metacognitive monitoring was weakened by drug cravings with higher cravings imposing more severe impacts. In addition, the regression analysis suggested that drug cravings can predict metacognitive monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (dELISAs) very sensitively detect biomarkers that cannot be measured using traditional methods. The molecules are confined within a small volume, their counts accurately computed, and the results rapidly delivered. Digital ELISAs find many applications. In recent years, such ELISAs have become increasingly used to aid ophthalmological diagnoses and treatments, and have revolutionized the field. This article reviews the applications of dELISAs in clinical practice, especially in the sphere of ophthalmology., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) enables comprehensive characterization of the micro-evolutionary processes of B cells during an adaptive immune response, capturing features of somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switch recombination (CSR). Existing phylogenetic approaches for reconstructing B cell evolution have primarily focused on the SHM process alone. Here, we present tree inference of B cell clonal lineages (TRIBAL), an algorithm designed to optimally reconstruct the evolutionary history of B cell clonal lineages undergoing both SHM and CSR from scRNA-seq data. Through simulations, we demonstrate that TRIBAL produces more comprehensive and accurate B cell lineage trees compared to existing methods. Using real-world datasets, TRIBAL successfully recapitulates expected biological trends in a model affinity maturation system while reconstructing evolutionary histories with more parsimonious class switching than state-of-the-art methods. Thus, TRIBAL significantly improves B cell lineage tracing, useful for modeling vaccine responses, disease progression, and the identification of therapeutic antibodies., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The linking chemistry between molecular catalysts and substrates is a crucial challenge for enhancing electrocatalytic performance. Herein, we elucidate the influence of various immobilization methods of amino-substituted Ni phthalocyanine catalysts on their electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (eCO 2 RR) activity. A graphite-conjugated Ni phthalocyanine, Ni(NH 2 ) 8 Pc-GC, demonstrates remarkable electrocatalytic performance both in H-type and flow cells. In situ infrared spectroscopy and theoretical calculations reveal that the graphite conjugation, through strong electronic coupling, increases the electron density of the active site, reduces the adsorption energy barrier of *COOH, and enhances the catalytic performance. As the cathode catalyst, Ni(NH 2 ) 8 Pc-GC also displays remarkable charge-discharge cycle stability of over 50 hours in a Zn-CO 2 battery. These findings underscore the significance of immobilization methods and highlight the potential for further advancements in eCO 2 RR., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Fungal keratitis (FK) is a leading cause of preventable blindness and eye loss. The poor antifungal activity, increased drug resistance, limited corneal permeability, and unsatisfactory biosafety of conventional antifungal eye drops are among the majority of the challenges that need to be addressed for currently available antifungal drugs. Herein, this study proposes an effective strategy that employs chitosan-poly(ethylene glycol)-LK 13 peptide conjugate (CPL) in the treatment of FK. Nanoassembly CPL can permeate the lipophilic corneal epithelium in the transcellular route, and its hydrophilicity surface is a feature to drive its permeability through hydrophilic stroma. When encountering fungal cell membrane, CPL dissembles and exposes the antimicrobial peptide (LK 13 ) to destroy fungal cell membranes, the minimum inhibitory concentration values of CPL against Fusarium solani ( F. solani ) are always not to exceed 8 μg peptide/mL before and after drug resistance induction. In a rat model of Fusarium keratitis, CPL demonstrates superior therapeutic efficacy than commercially available natamycin ophthalmic suspension. This study provides more theoretical and experimental supports for the application of CPL in the treatment of FK.

Objective: To investigate the effects of urgent-start HD(USHD) and urgent-start PD(USPD) on dialysis patients and provide references for relevant clinical practice., Methods: A literature search was conducted in Chinese and English databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP) and the cutoff date for which was July 30, 2023. Studies comparing USHD and USPD were included and I 2 statistics and Q tests were used to determine heterogeneity among them. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed for count data., Results: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. The all-cause mortality rate was 0.173 (0.070, 0.277) for USPD versus 0.214 (0.142, 0.286) for USHD, indicating that USPD had a protective effect against all-cause mortality compared to USHD (RR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.63-0.91). Patients receiving USPD had lower risks of infection-related mortality (RR = 0.19; 95% CI 0.05-0.76), bacteremia (RR = 0.38; 95% CI 0.18-0.80), and composite complications (RR = 0.54; 95% CI 0.41-0.71). However, no significant differences were found between USHD and USPD for cardiovascular mortality (RR = 0.68; 95% CI 0.28-1.68) or cancer mortality (RR = 0.44; 95% CI 0.15-1.29)., Conclusion: Compared to USHD, USPD has better protective effects against all-cause mortality, infection-related mortality, bacteremia, and composite complications. However, more high-quality research is still needed to further investigate the impacts of the two dialysis modalities on patients., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Purpose: To explore the efficacy and relevant mechanism of 0.05% cyclosporine A (CsA) eye drops (II) monotherapy in patients with allergic conjunctivitis-associated dry eye (ACDE)., Methods: Prospective, randomized, controlled study. Fifty-three patients with mild-to-moderate ACDE were randomly assigned to two groups. The CsA group received 0.05% CsA eye drops (II) monotherapy four times daily. The control group received 0.1% olopatadine twice daily combined with 0.1% preservative-free artificial tears four times daily. Clinical symptoms and signs, tear total IgE, and lymphotoxin-α (LT-α) concentrations were assessed at pre- and post-treatment days 7, 30, and 60. And we further measured six tear cytokines levels using a microsphere-based immunoassay., Results: The CsA group showed significant improvement in symptoms (Ocular Surface Disease Index and itching scores) and signs (conjunctival hyperaemia, conjunctival oedema, conjunctival papillae, tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining, and goblet cell density) at each follow-up period compared to pre-treatment (all P < 0.050). And its improvement in itching scores (P 7th  < 0.001, P 30th  = 0.039, and P 60th  = 0.031) and TBUT (P 7th  = 0.009, P 30th  = 0.003, and P 60th  = 0.005) was more significant than the control group at all follow-up periods. The tear total IgE, interleukin (IL)-5, IL-6, periostin, eotaxin-3, and MMP-9 levels significantly decreased in the CsA group at day 60 after treatment (all P < 0.050). And the changed values in tear total IgE were positively correlated with the change in itching scores., Conclusions: 0.05% CsA eye drops (II) monotherapy can rapidly improve the symptoms and signs, especially in ocular itching and TBUT, in patients with ACDE. And its efficacy is superior to 0.1% olopatadine combined with artificial tears. Moreover, CsA downregulates the expression levels of tear inflammatory cytokines, including tear total IgE, IL-5, IL-6, periostin, eotaxin-3, and MMP-9. Among that, the reduction in tear total IgE levels may reflect the improvement of ocular itching., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)