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Nickel silicide nanowires are promising interconnection and gate materials for one dimensional nanoelectronic devices. In this report, NiSi2 nanowires with low resistivity of 23.5 µΩ cm were prepared by nickel sputtering on silicon nanowires and 550 °C annealing. High resolution transmission microscopy, selective area electron diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to characterize the structure and composition of NiSi2 nanowires. Four-terminal electrical measurement was used to verify the electrical property of nanowires. A low energy implantation mechanism is introduced to explain the formation of silicon rich nickel silicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The specific breast milk-derived metabolites that mediate host-microbiota interactions and contribute to the onset of atopic dermatitis (AD) remain unknown and require further investigation., Design: We enrolled 250 mother-infant pairs and collected 978 longitudinal faecal samples from infants from birth to 6 months of age, along with 243 maternal faecal samples for metagenomics. Concurrently, 239 corresponding breast milk samples were analysed for metabolomics. Animal and cellular experiments were conducted to validate the bioinformatics findings., Results: The clinical findings suggested that a decrease in daily breastfeeding duration was associated with a reduced incidence of AD. This observation inspired us to investigate the effects of breast milk-derived fatty acids. We found that high concentrations of arachidonic acid (AA), but not eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid, induced gut dysbiosis in infants. Further investigation revealed that four specific bacteria degraded mannan into mannose, consequently enhancing the mannan-dependent biosynthesis of O-antigen and lipopolysaccharide. Correlation analysis confirmed that in infants with AD, the abundance of Escherichia coli under high AA concentrations was positively correlated with some microbial pathways (eg, 'GDP-mannose-derived O-antigen and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis'). These findings are consistent with those of the animal studies. Additionally, AA, but not EPA, disrupted the ratio of CD4/CD8 cells, increased skin lesion area and enhanced the proportion of peripheral Th2 cells. It also promoted IgE secretion and the biosynthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes in BALB/c mice fed AA following ovalbumin immunostimulation. Moreover, AA significantly increased IL-4 secretion in HaCaT cells costimulated with TNF-α and INF-γ., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that AA is intimately linked to the onset of AD via gut dysbiosis., Competing Interests: Competing interests: FKLC is Board Member of CUHK Medical Centre. He is a cofounder, non-executive Board Chairman and non-executive scientific advisor, Chief Medical Officer and shareholder of GenieBiome. He receives patent royalties through his affiliated institutions. He has received fees as an advisor and honoraria as a speaker for Eisai Co., AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. and Takeda (China) Holdings Co. SCN has served as an advisory board member for Pfizer, Ferring, Janssen and Abbvie and received honoraria as a speaker for Ferring, Tillotts, Menarini, Janssen, Abbvie and Takeda. SCN has received research grants through her affiliated institutions from Olympus, Ferring and Abbvie. SCN is a founder member, non-executive director, non-executive scientific advisor and shareholder of GenieBiome. SCN receives patent royalties through her affiliated institutions. FKLC, SCN and LinZ are named inventors of patent applications held by the CUHK and MagIC that cover the therapeutic and diagnostic use of microbiome., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.)

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 following the adjustment of COVID-19 prevention and control policies in China in December 2022., Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 9 cases of severe neurological dysfunction caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection in children admitted to Foshan First People's Hospital from December 17 to 31, 2022., Results: Among the 9 cases, 7 (71.43%) were under 3 years old, and 2 (22.2%) were over 3 years old with underlying diseases. All patients presented with fever and neurological symptoms such as consciousness disturbance and/or convulsions, and their conditions deteriorated rapidly within 24 h after the onset of fever, without respiratory symptoms. Levels of IL-6, LDH, and d-dimer were significantly elevated. Five cases died within 48 h of admission, one case died after 7 days of treatment due to secondary bacterial infection, and three cases survived for more than 48 h after the initial rescue. All patients developed rapid shock, and five cases experienced multi-organ failure within a short period. In terms of treatment, glucocorticoids were used in 5 cases, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in 3 cases, and blood purification and tocilizumab in 2 cases., Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 infection in children can lead to severe neurological damage. High fever, convulsions, and inflammatory factors serve as early warning indicators. Glucocorticoids, immunoglobulins, blood purification, and tocilizumab may have some therapeutic effects, but further research is needed to confirm the efficacy., 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., (© 2024 Chen, Liang and Jiang.)

Objective: To assess the efficacy of sperm disomy rate as a predictor of preimplantation genetic screening (PGT-A) outcomes., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Setting: Andrology laboratory and in vitro fertilization center., Patient(s): All patients (n = 123) who underwent sperm fluorescence in situ hybridization and PGT-A at the China International Trust and Investment Corporation Xiangya Reproductive and Genetic Hospital between January 2015 and November 2018 were included., Intervention(s): Sperm samples of all patients evaluated for elevated disomy levels of 24 chromosomes using multicolor sperm fluorescence in situ hybridization and all embryos were cultured and biopsied at the blastocyst stage for PGT-A., Main Outcome Measure(s): The relationship between the whole genome of sperm disomy rate and PGT-A outcome and the predictive effect of the whole genome of sperm disomy rate on PGT-A outcome., Result(s): A statistically significant correlation was observed between the sperm disomy rate and PGT-A outcome. Many confounders were considered, such as patients' factors, semen or laboratory characteristics, which may affect PGT-A outcome. Regression analysis excluding these confounding factors indicated a 2.071-fold decrease in odds of probability of not obtaining any euploid embryo to transfer for every 1% decrease in total disomy rate. Based on a total disomy rate threshold of 4.84%, the prediction ability of total disomy rate on PGT-A outcome reached 75.6%., Conclusion(s): There is a negative correlation between the whole genome of sperm disomy rate and PGT-A outcome. It is a potential role for whole genome of sperm disomy rate in the PGT-A patients as a predictor, as well as in future genetic counselling. Based on these results, genetic counselors can advise couples on the risk of not obtaining any euploid embryo and help them choose the best reproductive and diagnostic method., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Pseudocapacitance plays an important role in high-power lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, it is still lack of effective methods to tailor the pseudocapacitance contribution in electrode materials for LIBs. Herein, pseudocapacitance tuned by the strength of C-S bonding has been rendered in WS 2 nanorods anchored on the N,S codoped three-dimensional graphene hybrid (WS 2 @N,S-3DG) for the first time. The pseudocapacitive contributions in the charge storage can be enhanced effectively with the increased strength of C-S bonding. As expected, the enhanced extrinsic pseudocapacitance makes WS 2 @N,S-3DG a fascinating electrode material for high-power LIBs, with a high reversible capacity of 509 mA h g -1 over 500 cycles at a current density as high as 2 A g -1 . These encouraging results of pseudocapacitance tailored by chemical bonding provide new opportunities for designing advanced electrode materials.

Recently, silicon nanowires (SiNWs) have been proven to be highly active in the photocatalysis of dye degradation. However, the unstable hydrogen-terminated surface and the need for constant light irradiation hinder their extensive use. In this work, a stable silica shell was intentionally formed on the surface of SiNWs to produce Si/SiOx core-shell silicon nanowires (S-SiNWs). Light-illuminated or not, S-SiNWs showed almost identical degradation ability for the degradation of indigo carmine (IC) in both conditions, which meant neither hydrogen termination nor light irradiation was a prerequisite for the degradation activity of S-SiNWs. UV/Vis spectroscopy and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry showed that IC was converted into isatin sulfonic acid in this process. Quenching studies and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that this bleaching ability was highly dependent on superoxides. A possible mechanism was accordingly suggested. In addition, the recently discovered reductase-like activity of SiNWs can be explained by the superoxides generation., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In order to identify genes involved in floral transition and development of the orchid species, a full-length APETALA1/FRUITFULL-like (AP1/FUL-like) MADS box cDNA was cloned from Cymbidium faberi (C. faberi) sepals and designated as C. faberi APETALA1-like (CfAP11], JQ031272.1). The deduced amino acid sequence of CfAP11 shared 84% homology with a member of the AP1/FUL-like group of MADS box genes (AY927238.1, Dendrobium thyrsiflorum FUL-like MADS box protein 3 mRNA). Phylogenetic analysis shows that CfAP11 belonged to the AP1/FUL transcription factor subfamily. Bioinformatics analysis shows that the deduced protein had a MADS domain and a relatively conservative K region. The secondary structure of CfAP11 mainly consisted of alpha helices (58.97%), and the three-dimensional structure of the protein was similar to that of homologues in Roza hybrida, Oryza sativa and Narcissus tazetta. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) results reveal low levels of its mRNA in roots, lower levels in leaves during reproductive period than vegetative period, and higher levels in pedicels at full-blossom stage than at bud stage. These results suggest that CfAP11 is involved in floral induction and floral development. Additionally, we observed higher levels of CfAP11 expression in pedicels and ovaries than in other tissues during full-blossom stage, which suggests that CfAP11 may also be involved in fruit formation in certain mechanism.