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Abilities to controlthe size and shape of nanocrystals in order to tune functional propertiesare an important grand challenge. Here we report a surfactant self-assemblyinduced micelle encapsulation method to fabricate porphyrin nanocrystalsusing the optically active precursor zinc porphyrin (ZnTPP). Throughconfined noncovalent interactions of ZnTPP within surfactant micelles,nanocrystals with a series of morphologies including nanodisk, tetragonalrod, and hexagonal rod, as well as amorphous spherical particle aresynthesized with controlled size and dimension. A phase diagram thatdescribes morphology control is achieved via kinetically controllednucleation and growth. Because of the spatial ordering of ZnTPP, thehierarchical nanocrystals exhibit both collective optical propertiesresulted from coupling of molecular ZnTPP and shape dependent photocatalyticactivities in photo degradation of methyl orange pollutants. Thissimple ability to exert rational control over dimension and morphologyprovides new opportunities for practical applications in photocatalysis,sensing, and nanoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims The important pathophysiological role of immune dysfunction, especially innate immune dysfunction in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure ( ACLF), has been investigated in recent years, but dysregulation of adaptive immunity remains poorly elucidated. The aim of this study was to (i) determine the CD3+ T-lymphocyte count and the balance between CD4+ regulatory T (Tregs) and conventional T cells (Tconv) in hepatitis B virus ( HBV)-related ACLF patients; (ii) analyse the frequencies of Tregs subpopulations; and (iii) assess the suppressive potency of CD4+ Tregs and each fraction. Methods We enrolled 20 HBV- ACLF patients, 10 septic shock subjects, 20 chronic hepatitis B ( CHB) patients and 20 healthy volunteers ( HC). Based on flow cytometry, we performed the absolute counting of circulating T lymphocytes and phenotyping of CD4+ Tregs and quantified the effects of Tregs and each subpopulation on Tconv proliferation by CFSE staining. Results Compared with CHB patients and HC, we observed an equal reduction in peripheral T subsets in HBV- ACLF and septic shock subjects; the number of CD4+ Tregs remained unchanged and the Tconv count declined, promoting elevation of the Treg-to-Tconv ratio. The frequencies of Treg-II and -III were elevated in HBV- ACLF. Functional studies showed that the suppressive capacity of Tregs was preserved in the HBV- ACLF group and Treg-II came first. Conclusions Similar to septic shock subjects, in HBV- ACLF patients there exists a reduction in CD4+ T lymphocytes, predominantly CD4+ Tconv, and the development of suppressive CD4+ Tregs greatly prevails over Tconv, constituting important characteristics of adaptive immune dysfunction of HBV- ACLF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giant heterometallic polyoxometalate (POM) clusters with precise atom structures, flexibly adjustable and abundant active sites are promising for constructing functional nanodrugs. However, current POM drugs are almost vacant in orthotopic brain tumor therapy due to the inability to effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and low drug activity. Here, we designed the largest (3.0 nm × 6.0 nm) transition-metal-lanthanide co-encapsulated POM cluster {[Ce 10 Ag 6 (DMEA)(H 2 O) 27 W 22 O 70 ][B-α-TeW 9 O 33 ] 9 } 2 88- featuring 238 metal centers via synergistic coordination between two geometry-unrestricted Ce 3+ and Ag + linkers with tungsten-oxo cluster fragments. This POM was combined with brain-targeted peptide to prepare a brain-targeted nanodrug that could efficiently traverse BBB and target glioma cells. The Ag + active centers in the nanodrug specifically activate reactive oxygen species to regulate the apoptosis pathway of glioma cells with a low half-maximal inhibitory concentration (5.66 μM). As the first brain-targeted POM drug, it efficiently prolongs the survival of orthotopic glioma-bearing mice., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) is an ultra-rare cancer that makes up less than 3% of all soft tissue sarcomas. It most often arises in the soft tissues of the proximal limbs and has a higher incidence in males. Though EMC has a good prognosis, it has an indolent course with high rates of local recurrence as well as metastasis to the lungs. EMC is characterized in 70% of cases by an EWS1-NR4A3 translocation, leading to constitutive expression of NR4A3. Structural variants (SVs) in EMC, especially large-scale genomic alterations, have not been well studied and studies are severely limited by sample size. In this study, we describe Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) of a rare case of matched EMC primary tumor, lung metastasis, and pelvic metastasis to identify genomic alterations. We examined somatic variants, copy number variants (CNVs), and larger scale SVs such as translocations and breakend points. While the primary tumor and lung metastasis had similar somatic variations and CNVs, the pelvic metastasis had more unique SVs with especially increased mutational burden of SVs in chromosome 2. This suggests that different molecular drivers appear in more advanced, relapsing EMC compared with the primary tumor and early lung metastasis. Genomic studies such as ours may identify novel molecular complexities in rare cancers that may be leveraged for therapeutic strategies and precision medicine., Competing Interests: GB was employed by Seven Bridges, Inc. The remaining 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 Zou, Sethi, Wang, Budak, Chandran, John, Watters and Weiss.)

Photocatalytic water splitting over semiconductors is believed as a promising avenue to obtain H 2 fuel from renewable solar energy. However, developing highly active and non-noble-metal photocatalysts for H 2 evolution is still quite challenging to date. In this work, by constructing nanosheet-based nanotubes with Cd-doping and S vacancies, a highly improved visible-light-driven H 2 production for ZnIn 2 S 4 is achieved. Unlike nanoflowers aggregated with nanosheets, the nanosheet-assembled hierarchical nanotubes allow multiple scattering and reflection of incident light within the interior space, leading to an enhanced light-harvesting efficiency. Together with the benefits from Cd doping and S-vacancy engineering, including narrowed band gaps, efficient transmission and separation of charge carriers, abundant catalytically active sites, heightened photo-stability and photo-electron reduction capacity, as well as a strong electrostatic attraction to protons, the synthesized S-deficient Cd x Zn 1- x In 2 S 4 hierarchical nanotubes exhibit an extraordinary photocatalytic H 2 evolution capability under visible-light irradiation, delivering an outstanding H 2 -generation activity of 28.99 mmol·g -1 ·h -1 (corresponding to an apparent quantum yield of 37.1% at 400 nm), which is much superior to that of Cd x Zn 1- x In 2 S 4 nanoflowers, Pt-loaded ZnIn 2 S 4 nanotubes, and most ever reported ZnIn 2 S 4 -based photocatalysts. Our study could inspire the development of low-cost and high-performance photocatalysts via rational structural design and optimization.

The direct Z-scheme photocatalytic system can effectively improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers through the photosynthesis-based photocarrier transport model. In this study, zinc porphyrin-assembled nanorods (ZnTPyP) and WO 3 nanorods' nanorod-on-nanorod heterojunctions (ZnTPyP/WO 3 ) were successfully prepared through a simple modified acid-base neutralization micelle-confined assembly method using WO 3 nanorods as the nucleation template and ZnTPyP as building blocks. ZnTPyP achieved a controllable assembly onto WO 3 nanorods through N-W coordination. ZnTPyP/WO 3 nanorod-on-nanorod heterojunctions exhibited a structure-dependent photocatalytic performance for hydrogen production. The ZnTPyP/WO 3 nanorod-on-nanorod heterojunctions exhibited a optimal hydrogen production rate (74.53 mmol g -1 h -1 ) using Pt as the co-catalyst, which was 2.64 times that of the ZnTPyP self-assembled nanorods. The improvement in the photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency could be mainly attributed to the direct Z-scheme electron-transfer mechanism from WO 3 to ZnTPyP. This is the first report of an approach using porphyrin-assembled nanostructures to construct organic-inorganic Z-scheme photocatalysts. This study offers valuable information for preparing new efficient photocatalysts based on organic supramolecular orderly aggregate materials.

Background and Aims: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is associated with bacterial infection and poor outcome. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is used to assess bacterial infection and immune dysfunction in numerous diseases. We aimed to evaluate NLR as a prognostic biomarker and to explore its combination with accepted prognostic models in ACLF patients., Methods: This retrospective study included patients with ACLF or severe liver injury from chronic HBV infection admitted to three tertiary academic hospitals in China from 2013 to 2019. Baseline NLR was correlated with ACLF grade, bacterial infection, survival and accepted ACLF scores., Results: Baseline NLR values were significantly increased in nonsurvivors and patients with bacterial infection at or after admission and were unaffected by cirrhotic status in 412 transplant-free patients included in three cohorts. Compared with accepted scores, NLR showed moderate accuracy in predicting 28-day mortality and high accuracy in predicting 90-day mortality. Three levels of mortality risk were graded on the basis of NLR values (<3.10, 3.10-4.79 and >4.79), and NLR >4.79 was associated with 53.2-60.0% 28-day and 75.0-80.0% 90-day mortality in these cohorts. Multivariate analyses indicated that NLR retained statistical significance independently of CLIF consortium organ failure score (CLIF-C OFs). NLR-based CLIF-C ACLF score was primarily developed and showed excellent performance in predicting 28/90-day mortality., Conclusions: NLR is a dependable biomarker for bacterial infection assessment and short-term mortality prediction in ACLF patients and can be used jointly with CLIF-C OFs to improve the accuracy of mortality prediction in patients with the disease. NLR-based CLIF-C ACLF model needs further validation., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) research consortium (AARC) ACLF score is easy to use in patients with hepatitis b virus-related ACLF (HBV-ACLF), serum lactate is not routinely tested in primary hospitals, and its value may be affected by some interference factors. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is used to assess the status of bacterial infection (BI) or outcomes in patients with various diseases. We developed an NLR-based AARC ACLF score and compared it with the existing model., Methods: A total of 494 HBV-ACLF patients, enrolled in four tertiary academic hospitals in China with 90-day follow-up, were analysed. Prognostic performance of baseline NLR and lactate were compared between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic subgroups via the receiver operating curve and Kaplan-Meier analyses. A modified AARC ACLF (mAARC ACLF) score using NLR as a replacement for lactate was developed (n = 290) and validated (n = 204)., Results: There were significantly higher baseline values of NLR in non-survivors, patients with admission BI, and those with higher grades of ACLF compared with the control groups. Compared with lactate, NLR better reflected BI status in the cirrhotic subgroup, and was more significantly correlated with CTP, MELD, MELD-Na, and the AARC score. NLR was an independent predictor of 90-day mortality, and was categorized into three risk grades (< 3.10, 3.10-4.78, and > 4.78) with 90-day cumulative mortalities of 8%, 21.2%, and 77.5% in the derivation cohort, respectively. The mAARC ACLF score, using the three grades of NLR instead of corresponding levels of lactate, was superior to the other four scores in predicting 90-day mortality in the derivation (AUROC 0.906, 95% CI 0.872-0.940, average P < 0.001) and validation cohorts (AUROC 0.913, 95% CI 0.876-0.950, average P < 0.01), with a considerable performance in predicting 28-day mortality in the two cohorts., Conclusions: The prognostic value of NLR is superior to that of lactate in predicting short-term mortality risk in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients with HBV-ACLF. NLR can be incorporated into the AARC ACLF scoring system for improving its prognostic accuracy and facilitating the management guidance in patients with HBV-ACLF in primary hospitals., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Repair of a meniscal tear is indicated in certain conditions. Despite extensive research on the biomechanics of various repair methods, there has been minimal investigation of whether the suture material influences the meniscal-suture construct. The purpose of this study was to compare the biomechanical properties of nine different suture materials under cyclic and load-to-failure conditions., Methods: Ninety porcine menisci were randomly allocated to simple suture placement using either Ultrabraid®, Ultratape®, Magnum Wire®, TigerWire®, TigerTape®, LabralTape®, Orthocord®, 0 FiberWire®, or 2-0 FiberWire®. Each suture-meniscus specimen underwent cyclic loading followed by load-to-failure testing. Elongation, maximum load to failure, stiffness, and mode of failure were recorded and compared between each suture type using non-parametric testing. Mean ± standard deviation was reported and the statistical significance was p < 0.05., Results: Elongation during cyclic loading was lowest with 2-0 FiberWire (0.95 ± 0.17 mm); this value was statistically significantly different than the results for all other sutures except 0 FiberWire® (1.09 ± 0.17 mm, p = 0.79), TigerWire® (1.09 ± 0.29 mm, p = 0.85), TigerTape® (1.39 ± 0.29 mm, p = 0.08), and LabralTape® (1.20 ± 0.33 mm, p = 0.41). The highest elongation was seen with Ultrabraid® (1.91 ± 0.34 mm); this value was statistically significantly greater than the results for all other suture materials except Orthocord® (1.59 mm ± 0.31 mm, p = 0.46) and Magnum Wire® (1.43 ± 0.25 mm, p = 0.14). Load to failure was highest for TigerTape® (287.43 ± 41.15 N), and this result was statistically significantly different than the results for all other sutures except LabralTape® (271.34 ± 48.48 N, p = 0.99) and TigerWire® (251.03 ± 25.8 N, p = 0.51). Stiffness was highest for LabralTape® (195.77 ± 49.06 N/mm), and this result was statistically significantly different than the results for all other sutures except TigerWire® (186.49 ± 19.83 N/mm, p = 0.45) and TigerTape® (173.35 ± 15.60 N/mm, p = 0.19). The majority of sutures failed by pullout (n = 46, 51%) or tearing (n = 40, 45%)., Conclusion: Suture design and material affect the biomechanical behavior of porcine meniscal-suture specimens. LabralTape®, TigerWire®, and TigerTape® demonstrated better overall combinations of low elongation, high maximum load to failure, and high stiffness.

Transition metals from manganese to zinc function as catalytic and structural cofactors for an amazing diversity of proteins and enzymes, and thus are essential for all forms of life. During infection, inflammatory host proteins limit the accessibility of multiple transition metals to invading pathogens in a process termed nutritional immunity. In order to respond to host-mediated metal starvation, bacteria employ both protein and RNA-based mechanisms to sense prevailing transition metal concentrations that collectively regulate systems-level strategies to maintain cellular metallostasis. In this review, we discuss a number of recent advances in our understanding of how bacteria orchestrate the adaptive response to host-mediated multi-metal restriction, highlighting crosstalk among these regulatory systems., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Studies have begun investigating grit (continued fortitude in the face of hardship) and resilience (ability to recover from a setback) and their relationship to burnout (emotional exhaustion [EE] caused by prolonged stress or frustration) within medicine. We investigated the prevalence of burnout among neurosurgery residents and aimed to determine the relationship among burnout, grit, and resilience., Methods: We surveyed U.S. neurosurgical residents to perform a discretional analysis of prevalence of burnout. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine which variables were associated with higher and lower levels of EE, depersonalization (DP), personal accomplishment (PA), burnout, grit, and resilience., Results: Of 1385 U.S. neurosurgery residents, 427 (30.8%) responded to our survey. Burnout prevalence was 33.0% (95% confidence interval, 28.6%-37.7%). High grit was associated with U.S. graduates (P = 0.006), married residents (P = 0.025), and fewer social/personal stressors (P = 0.003). Lower resilience was associated with female sex (P = 0.006), whereas higher resilience was associated with international medical graduates (P = 0.017) and fewer social/personal stressors (P = 0.005). High burnout was associated with greater social/personal stressors (P = 0.002), clinical rotations (P = 0.001), and lack of children (P = 0.016). There were positive correlations between EE and DP and among PA, grit, and resilience. There were negative correlations for EE and DP with PA, grit, and resilience and between grit/resilience and burnout., Conclusions: There is an inverse relationship between grit/resilience and burnout. Increased social/personal stressors are associated with increased levels of burnout and decreased grit and resilience. Grit and resilience are higher when social and personal stressors are decreased, indicating that these characteristics may fluctuate over time., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Dual-modal imaging guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) of multifunctional nanocomposites holds great promise for precision tumor theranostics. However, poor heterogeneous interfacial compatibility between functional components, low hydrophilicity and complicated preparation of nanocomposites remain major obstacles for further bioapplication. Herein, a facile central metal-derived co-assembly strategy is developed to effectively integrate gadolinium porphyrin (GdTPP) contrast agent and Zinc porphyrin (ZnTPP) photosensitizer into a homogeneous GdTPP/ZnTPP nanocomposites (GZNs). GZNs possesses the following advantages: (1) Greatly improved interfacial compatibility facilitated by incorporating two metalporphyrins with same group (phenyl-) and different central metal atoms (Zn and Gd) leading to higher yield (4.7-5 fold) than either monocomponent nanoparticles. (2) Poor dispersity of GdTPP nanoparticles is greatly improved after integrating with ZnTPP blocks. (3) The GZNs inherit excellent fluorescence imaging, high relaxation rate (8.18 mM -1  s -1 ) and singlet oxygen production from two raw metalporphyrins. After camouflaging with homotypic cancer cell membrane for immunologic escape, the HeLa membrane coated GZNs (mGZNs) show enhanced in vivo MR/FL imaging guided anti-tumor targeting efficiency of 80.6% for HeLa cells. Our new strategy using central metal-derived co-assembly of homogeneous building blocks greatly improves interfacial compatibility to achieve combined functions for visualized cancer theranostics., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Members of the COG0523 subfamily of candidate GTPase metallochaperones function in bacterial transition-metal homeostasis, but the nature of the cognate metal, mechanism of metal transfer, and identification of target protein(s) for metal delivery remain open questions. Here, we explore the multifunctionality of members of the subfamily linked to delivering Zn II to apoprotein targets under conditions of host-imposed transition-metal depletion. We examine two zinc-uptake repressor (Zur)-regulated COG0523 family members, each from a major human pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii ( Ab ZigA) and Staphylococcus aureus ( Sa ZigA), in an effort to develop a model for Zn II metallochaperone activity. Zn II chelator competition experiments reveal one high-affinity ( K Zn1 ≈ 10 10 -10 11 M -1 ) metal-binding site in each GTPase, while Ab ZigA and Sa ZigA are characterized by an additional one and two (lower-affinity) metal-binding sites, respectively. Co II titrations reveal that both metallochaperones have similar electronic absorption characteristics that indicate the presence of two tetrahedral metal coordination sites. High-affinity metal binding at the CXCC motif activates the GTPase activity of both enzymes, with Zn II more effective than Co II . Both GTPases bind the product, GDP, more tightly in the apoprotein than the Zn II -bound state and exhibit what is best described as a "locked" conformation around the GTP substrate. Negative thermodynamic linkage is observed between nucleotide binding and metal binding, leading to a new mechanistic model for COG0523-catalyzed metal delivery.

Calprotectin (CP) inhibits bacterial viability through extracellular chelation of transition metals. However, how CP influences general metabolism remains largely unexplored. We show here that CP restricts bioavailable Zn and Fe to the pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, inducing an extensive multi-metal perturbation of cellular physiology. Proteomics reveals severe metal starvation, and a strain lacking the candidate Zn II metallochaperone ZigA possesses altered cellular abundance of multiple essential Zn-dependent enzymes and enzymes in de novo flavin biosynthesis. The ΔzigA strain exhibits decreased cellular flavin levels during metal starvation. Flavin mononucleotide provides regulation of this biosynthesis pathway, via a 3,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 4-phosphate synthase (RibB) fusion protein, RibBX, and authentic RibB. We propose that RibBX ensures flavin sufficiency under CP-induced Fe limitation, allowing flavodoxins to substitute for Fe-ferredoxins as cell reductants. These studies elucidate adaptation to nutritional immunity and define an intersection between metallostasis and cellular metabolism in A. baumannii., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To investigate the association between lean psoas cross-sectional area (CSA) and 1-year all-cause mortality in elderly patients sustaining pelvic and long bone fractures., Design: Retrospective cohort., Setting: Level I trauma center., Patients: Elderly trauma patients admitted from 2007 to 2014., Methods: We reviewed demographic and clinical data, injury mechanism, fracture OTA/AO classification, and mortality. Axial computed tomography images were used to measure lean psoas CSA at the L3-L4 disk space. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to estimate 1-year mortality association with psoas CSA in crude and adjusted for age, body mass index, Injury Severity Score, medical comorbidities, and discharge destination in total population and stratified by sex., Main Outcome Measurement: One-year all-cause mortality defined as death within 12 months from date of hospitalization., Results: Five hundred fifty-eight patients (54% female, 46% male) were analyzed. The pelvis was most commonly fractured (37.81%). A statistically significant association was observed between decreased lean psoas CSA and 1-year mortality in total population {hazard ratio [HR] = 0.93 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.90-0.96], P < 0.0001}. Stratification by gender revealed a statistically significant mortality HR in male patients [HR = 0.89 (95% CI = 0.84-0.96), P = 0.002]. We did not find a statistically significant mortality HR in female patients [HR = 0.95 (95% CI = 0.89-1.01), P = 0.103]., Conclusions: In this cohort of elderly orthopaedic trauma patients, decreased lean psoas CSA was associated with increased 1-year all-cause mortality in total population and males. Further investigation of the association of sarcopenia with mortality in the elderly is warranted., Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Nanohybrids fabricated with upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and gold nanoparticles (NPs) hold great promise for near-infrared photothermal therapy (NIR-PTT) and upconversion fluorescence imaging. However, the obstacles of poor solubility in water and finite hydrophilic modification method for UCNPs limit their application in biological fields. Herein, we report a novel UCNP@Al(OH) 3 /Au nanohybrid mediated by a highly hydrophilic and biocompatible Al(OH) 3 layer to realize a synergistic targeted PTT and fluorescence imaging capability to U87MG tumor-bearing mice under NIR light irradiation. The modification with Al(OH) 3 layers can improve the water solubility of UCNPs. And cytotoxicity assays and hemolysis assay showed that the modification with Al(OH) 3 layers makes UCNPs have low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility. In addition, the Al(OH) 3 layers are thin enough to allow fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between UCNPs and gold NPs to occur, giving the NPs a good PTT effect for tumor-bearing mice. Meanwhile, as the pH-sensitive Al(OH) 3 layers decompose in acidic tumor microenvironments with Au NPs detached from their surface, the FRET effect no longer occurred, subsequently leading to the fluorescence intensity of naked UCNPs being recovered for good imaging effects. The study suggests that Al(OH) 3 mediation layer as a promising hydrophilic nanoplatform can potentially be used for the preparation of superior hydrophilic NPs and pH-stimulated drug release carriers for theranostic application in vivo.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (OBV/PTV/r) 25/150/100 mg once daily combined with dasabuvir 250mg, twice daily in non-cirrhotic Chinese adult patients with newly diagnosed and treated chronic HCV genotype 1b infection. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase 3 clinical trial was conducted in mainland China, Korea, and Taiwan.Safety and efficacy of OBV/PTV/r plus DSV administered for 12 weeks were evaluated in a newly diagnosed and treated (interferon alpha /pegylated interferon alpha) and ribavirin non-cirrhotic adults with chronic HCVgenotype 1b infection. Patients randomly received OBV/PTV/r plus DSV for 12 weeks (Group A), or placebo for 12 weeks (Group B) followed by an open-label phase of OBV/PTV/r plus DSV for 12 weeks. Sustained response (SVR12) rate obtained at 12 weeks and (SVR24) 24 weeks after discontinuation of treatment, and the incidence of adverse events and laboratory abnormalities after double-blind and open-label phase treatment were assessed. Results: A total of 410 cases of Chinese patients were included and randomly assigned to group A and B (with 205 cases in each group) in a 1:1 ratio. The rates of SVR12 and SVR24 were 99% (95% CI : 94.8% - 99.8%) in the newly diagnosed patients in group A (205 patients) and the rates of SVR12 and SVR24 were 100% in treated patients (95% CI : 96.3% - 100%). Different baseline characteristics had no effect on SVR12 and SVR24 rates. Most of the adverse events occurred were mild, asymptomatic, and≥ 3 laboratory abnormalities during treatment were rare, including elevation of alanine aminotransferase (2 cases in double-blind stage A group), aspartate aminotransferase (Double-blind stage A (3 cases) and total bilirubin (1 case in open-label phase B group); however, those mild adverse events could be recovered after drug withdrawal or discontinuation. only1 person discontinued drugs due to adverse events (Group B, open-label phase). Conclusion: The 12 weeks treatment course of OBV/PTV/r combined with DSV produced 99% ~ 100% rates of SVR12 and SVR24 in non-cirrhotic Asian adult patients with newly diagnosed and treated chronic HCV genotype 1b infection, and the tolerance and safety were good.

There has been a widespread interest in the preparation of self-assembled porphyrin nanostructures and their ordered arrays, aiming to emulate natural light harvesting processes and energy storage and to develop new nanostructured materials for photocatalytic process. Here, we report controlled synthesis of one-dimensional porphyrin nanostructures such as nanorods and nanowires with well-defined self-assembled porphyrin networks that enable efficient energy transfer for enhanced photocatalytic activity in hydrogen generation. Preparation of these one-dimensional nanostructures is conducted through noncovalent self-assembly of porphyrins confined within surfactant micelles. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results reveal that these one-dimensional nanostructures contain stable single crystalline structures with controlled interplanar separation distance. Optical absorption characterizations show that the self-assembly enables effective optical coupling of porphyrins, resulting in much more enhanced optical absorption in comparison with the original porphyrin monomers, and the absorption bands red shift to more extensive visible light spectrum. The self-assembled porphyrin network facilitates efficient energy transfer among porphyrin molecules and the delocalization of excited state electrons for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light.

To investigate the surveillance of drug resistance and serotype monitoring of steptococcus pneumoniae in hospitalized children. the pathogenic bacteria isolation and identification methods were employed to do the bacteria isolation identification and drug sensitive test on the specimens from Women & Infants Hospital of Zhengzhou. From the specimens, there were 134 detected strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, and the drug resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin were respectively 97.7% and 89.9%, and the drug resistance to tetracycline, azithromycin and paediatric compound sulfamethoxazole were respectively 86. 3%, 58. 3%, 51. 2%. The vancomycin resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae were often not found. the Streptococcus pneumoniae in children were generally with drug resistant in Zhengzhou area. It shall strengthen drug resistance surveillance, and reasonably choose antibacterial agents.

In this paper, the clinical value of the detection about serum and unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) in neonatal jaundice was studied to found an effective and rapid method for diagnose of neonatal jaundice. ALB (Serum Albumin), total serum bilirubin (TSB) and UCB were detected by ELISA method among the 100 cases with neonatal jaundice selected for the study. The values of ALB, UCB and TSB in moderate jaundice patients were (42.83±3.87) g/L, (287.35±44.38) μm/L, (304.16±43.40) μm/L, respectively; as for the severe jaundice patients, the values were (38.41±4.82) g/L, (354.38±48.75) μm/L, (375.20±47.51) μm/L. The results showed significant differences with the p< 0.05 between moderate and severe jaundice patients. The level of ALB, UCB, TSB in hemolytic jaundice, obstructive jaundice and jaundice caused by other infections also had significant differences, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The detection of ALB and UCB provides a useful method for the diagnosis and assessment of neonatal jaundice.

Background: Hepatic failure is a main cause of death after hepatectomy. Accurate preoperative evaluation of functional liver reserve is the key to ensure safe resection. Studies have found that the spleen would gradually enlarge as chronic liver disease worsened. This study was designed to determine whether preoperative liver-to-spleen ratio (LSR) would be an indicator to evaluate severity of liver disease and predict safety of hepatectomy., Methods: The volumes of liver and spleen were evaluated on computed tomography scan in 67 patients who received partial hepatectomy. Preoperative LSR was calculated. Statistical analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between LSR and the degree of chronic liver disease. Ability of LSR to predict the safety of hepatectomy also was evaluated., Results: LSR had a negative correlation with the degree of chronic liver diseases (r = -0.606, P < 0.0001). LSR = 3.22 was the cutoff point for predicting posthepatectomy complications and inadequacy. AUC, sensitivity, and specificity for predicting posthepatectomy complications and inadequacy respectively were 0.830 (95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.715-0.950, P < 0.0001), 69.6, 93.2 %, and 0.863 (95 % CI 0.777-0.949, P < 0.0001), 68.8, 84.3 %. Multivariate analysis showed that LSR = 3.22 was the factor that affected both posthepatectomy complications and liver inadequacy., Conclusions: Preoperative LSR score correlated well with the degree of chronic liver diseases, and it probably help us to improve the safety of hepatectomy.

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of lamivudine or adefovir alone for 96 weeks versus initial treatment with the combination of lamivudine and adefovir for 12 to 24 weeks followed by adefovir alone. One hundred and fifty patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B were randomized equally to lamivudine and adefovir diprivoxil combination therapy (LA), lamivudine alone (L), or adefovir dipivoxil alone (A) in a multicenter randomized clinical trial. In the LA group, the earliest time for lamivudine discontinuation was 12 weeks and adefovir monotherapy was continued until 96 weeks. Groups L and A received monotherapies for 96 weeks. At 12 weeks, the decrease in HBV DNA, percentage of patients with negative HBV DNA, and ALT normalization rate for the LA group were comparable to those of group L, but superior to those of group A. At 24 weeks, the rates of negative HBV DNA and HBeAg seroconversion of group LA were significantly higher than the monotherapy groups. This superiority was subsequently preserved during the maintenance phase with adefovir monotherapy. Starting at 48 weeks, the mean HBV DNA level of group L increased over the 24-week level. In contrast, the A group's rates of virological response, biochemical response, and HBeAg seroconversion continued to improve. At week 96, the percentage of patients with undetectable DNA and HBe seroconversion of LA group (100%, 51%) was higher than that of L (66%, 21%) and A group (49%, 33%), while no significant difference was observed between the L and A groups. During the course of therapy, no lamivudine- or adefovir-resistance mutations were discovered in the LA group. Rates of adverse reactions were comparable between the three groups. Combination therapy with lamivudine and adefovir for 12 to 24 weeks followed by adefovir monotherapy significantly improved antiviral efficacy and reduced drug resistance without compromising safety and tolerability compared to either drug alone in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)