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Two genes encoding lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) CsLPMO9A and CsLPMO9B were cloned from the white-rot fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and successfully expressed in Komagataella phaffii. The oxidative degradation of phosphoric acid swollen cellulose by the LPMOs was conducted using ascorbic acid as an electron donor. Analysis with high performance anion-exchange chromatography and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry indicated that the two enzymes cleaved the polysaccharides by oxidization of the C1 carbon atom of the glucose unit. Synergistic effects between CsLPMO9A or CsLPMO9B and a commercial cellulase cocktail from Trichoderma reesei were observed in the saccharification of delignified wheat straw. The amounts of glucose, cellobiose and xylose released from the substrate by the combined enzymes were increased by 83 %, 16 % and 47 % (for CsLPMO9A), or 79 %, 52 % and 81 % (for CsLPMO9B), compared to the cellulase alone, respectively. The two new enzymes displayed promising potential in industrial bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass.

Protocatechuic acid (PCA) is an important phenolic compound with diverse industrial values. Conversion of 3-dehydroshikimate (DHS) to PCA by dehydroshikimate dehydratase (DSD) provides an efficient approach for production of the molecule. Herein, a new DSD from fungus Eupenicillium parvum was functionally investigated after recombinant expression in Escherichia coli. The DSD displayed 30-35% sequence identities with the known fungal DSDs. The recombinant protein showed catalysis activity against DHS, with the optimal temperature of 40°C and pH of 7.5. The specific activity and Km of the protein were 910 mU per mg protein and 0.83 mM, respectively. Metal ion (Mg2+ or Mn2+) played a critical role for the enzymatic activity. Meanwhile, the thermal stability of the protein was improved by Mg2+ or Mn2+. Furthermore, the expression of the protein in E. coli resulted in de novo synthesis of 491 mg/L PCA in a modified M9 medium with glycerol as carbon source.

Abstract Arabinofuranose substitutions on xylan are known to interfere with enzymatic hydrolysis of this primary hemicellulose. In this work, two novel α-l-arabinofuranosidases (ABFs), TtABF51A from Thielavia terrestris and EpABF62C from Eupenicillium parvum, were characterized and functionally analyzed. From sequences analyses, TtABF51A and EpABF62C belong to glycoside hydrolase (GH) families 51 and 62, respectively. Recombinant TtABF51A showed high activity on 4-nitrophenyl-α-l-arabinofuranoside (83.39 U/mg), low-viscosity wheat arabinoxylan (WAX, 39.66 U/mg), high-viscosity rye arabinoxylan (RAX, 32.24 U/mg), and sugarbeet arabinan (25.69 U/mg), while EpABF62C preferred to degrade arabinoxylan. For EpABF62C, the rate of hydrolysis of RAX (94.10 U/mg) was 2.1 times that of WAX (45.46 U/mg). The optimal pH and reaction temperature for the two enzymes was between 4.0 and 4.5 and 65 °C, respectively. Calcium played an important role in the thermal stability of EpABF62C. TtABF51A and EpABF62C showed the highest thermal stabilities at pH 4.5 or 5.0, respectively. At their optimal pHs, TtABF51A and EpABF62C retained greater than 80% of their initial activities after incubation at 55 °C for 96 h or 144 h, respectively. 1H NMR analysis indicated that the two enzymes selectively removed arabinose linked to C-3 of mono-substituted xylose residues in WAX. Compared with the singular application of the GH10 xylanase EpXYN1 from E. parvum, co-digestions of WAX including TtABF51A and/or EpABF62C released 2.49, 3.38, and 4.81 times xylose or 3.38, 1.65, and 2.57 times of xylobiose, respectively. Meanwhile, the amount of arabinose released from WAX by TtABF51A with EpXYN1 was 2.11 times the amount with TtABF51A alone. Key points • Two novel α-l-arabinofuranosidases (ABFs) displayed high thermal stability. • The thermal stability of GH62 family EpABF62C was dependent on calcium. • Buffer pH affects the thermal stability of the two ABFs. • Both ABFs enhance the hydrolysis of WAX by a GH10 xylanase.

Metalenses based on dielectric nanostructures operating in the transmission mode are of great practical significances. As large-area, multifunctional metalenses are increasingly demanded at higher volumes nowadays, the quality and efficiency of the nanofabrication processes for these lenses are made even more important. Yet, no fabrication is without defects or errors. By using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculation method, we study, in simulation, a set of common fabrication-induced errors such as inclined sidewall, critical dimension (CD) bias and process defects, and analyze their influences on the optical performances of two types of metalenses – one made of amorphous silicon and the other of silicon nitride. The study concludes that the lens behavior generally relies on the resonant nature of the nanostructure array. While most types of defects discussed in this work linearly decrease the focusing efficiency, a few would also influence the quality of the focal spot. Potential solutions to mitigate the effect of the process-induced defects are also investigated. The study provides the particular knowledge to understand the actual metalens performance when fabricated.

The filamentous fungus Keithomyces neogunnii can infect the larvae of Lepidoptera (Hepialus sp.) and form an insect–fungi complex, which is utilized as an important traditional Chinese medicine. As a valuable medicinal fungus, K. neogunnii produces diverse bioactive substances (e.g., polysaccharide, vitamins, cordycepic acid, and adenosine) under cultivation conditions. Herein, we report the first high-quality genome of the K. neogunnii single-spore isolate Cg7.2a using single-molecule real-time sequencing technology in combination with Illumina sequencing. The assembled genome was 32.6 Mb in size, containing 8,641 predicted genes and having a GC content of 52.16%. RNA sequencing analysis revealed the maximum number of differentially expressed genes in the fungus during the stroma formation stage compared with those during the mycelium stage. These data are valuable to enhance our understanding of the biology, development, evolution, and physiological metabolism of K. neogunnii.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the necessity of Covid-19 vaccination in children aged < 12 y by comparing the clinical characteristics between unvaccinated children aged < 12 y and vaccinated patients aged ≥ 12y during the Delta surge (B.1.617.2) in Putian, Fujian, China.MethodsA total of 226 patients with SARS-Cov-2 Delta variant (B.1.167.2; confirmed by Real-time PCR positivity and sequencing) were enrolled from Sep 10th to Oct 20th, 2021, including 77 unvaccinated children (aged < 12y) and 149 people aged ≥ 12y, mostly vaccinated. The transmission route was explored and the clinical data of two groups were compared; The effect factors for the time of the nucleic acid negativization (NAN) were examined by R statistical analysis.ResultsThe Delta surge in Putian spread from children in schools to factories, mostly through family contact. Compared with those aged ≥ 12y, patients aged < 12y accounted for 34.07% of the total and showed milder fever, less cough and fatigue; they reported higher peripheral blood lymphocyte counts [1.84 (1.32, 2.71)×10^9/L vs. 1.31 (0.94, 1.85)×10^9/L; pppppp=0.13).ConclusionUnvaccinated children may be an important link in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 delta variant (B1.617.2), which indicated an urgent need of vaccination for this particular population.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the necessity of Covid-19 vaccination in children aged < 12 y by comparing the clinical characteristics in unvaccinated children aged < 12 y with vaccinated patients aged ≥ 12y during the Delta surge (B.1.617.2) in Putian, Fujian, China.MethodsA total of 226 patients with SARS-Cov-2 Delta variant (B.1.167.2; confirmed by Realtime PCR positive and sequencing) were enrolled from Sep 10th to Oct 20th, 2021, including 77 unvaccinated children (aged < 12y) and 149 people aged ≥ 12y, mostly vaccinated. The transmission route was explored and the clinical data of two groups were compared; the effect factors for the time of the nucleic acid negativization (NAN) were examined by R statistical analysis.ResultsThe Delta surge in Putian spread from children in schools to factories, mostly through family contact. Compared with those aged ≥ 12y, patients aged < 12y accounted for 34.07% of the total and showed milder fever, less cough and fatigue; they reported higher peripheral blood lymphocyte counts [1.84(1.32,2.71)×10^9/L vs. 1.31(0.94,1.85)×10^9/L; pp< 0.05]. Upon admission, their COVID19 antibodies (IgM and IgG) and IgG in convalescence were lower [0.13(0.00,0.09) vs. 0.12(0.03,0.41), pp pp=0.13).ConclusionChildren aged < 12y may be critical hidden spreaders, which indicates an urgent need of vaccination for this particular population.

Objective The association between computed tomography (CT) and clinical severity of COVID‐19 has been demonstrated. However, there are few studies on CT and laboratory indicators in patients in COVID‐19. Our aim was to explore the correlation between chest CT images and laboratory indicators of patients with COVID‐19 pneumonia. Methods This was a retrospective study of patients with COVID‐19 diagnosed and treated at the Affiliated Hospital of Putian University from 24 January 2020 to 6 March 2020. The correlation test between first chest CT score and blood cell analysis, C‐reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), blood biochemistry and T lymphocyte subsets (T‐Ls) was investigated. Results Among the 56 patients, there were 36 (64.3%) males and 20 (35.7%) females. The mean age of the patients was 46.54 ± 15.82 (range, 15‐86) years. The CT score in the moderate group was higher than in the mild group (5.06 ± 0.77 vs 1.87 ± 0.88, P .05). The CT scores of all patients correlated positively with CRP, LDH and ESR (all P

Corncob rich in arabinoxylan is an important raw material widely used in bio-refinery. Complete saccharification of arabinoxylan depends on the synergism of different enzymes including α-L-arabinofuranosidase (ABF). This study aimed to investigate the functional characteristics of a new ABF EpABF62A belonging to glycoside hydrolase (GH) 62 family from the fungus Eupenicillium parvum, and to explore its potential in the saccharification of corncob arabinoxylan. The recombinant EpABF62A showed high activity against wheat arabinoxylan and rye arabinoxylan, with the optimal temperature of 55 °C and pH of 4.5. The protein contains an N-terminal cellulose-binding domain family 1 (CBM_1) domain, and displayed a 59.5% absorption rate to phosphoric acid swollen cellulose. Regioselectivity analysis indicated that the enzyme selectively removed α-1,2 or α-1,3 linked arabinofuranosyl residues on mono-substituted xylose residues on arabinoxylan. Corncob arabinoxylans (CAX1 or CAX2) with different (low or high) branching degrees were extracted from the raw material by alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment and graded ethanol precipitation. Single EpABF62A removed 69.5% or 67.1% arabinose from CAX1 or CAX2, respectively. EpABF62A combined with a GH10 xylanase, a GH43 β-D-xylosidase and a GH67 α-glucuronidase released 75.0% or 64.5% xylose from CAX1 or CAX2, respectively. The addition of the four hemicellulases enhanced the saccharification the solid fraction of the pretreated corncob by the commercial cellulase Cellic® CTec2, and the conversion ratios of glucose, xylose and arabinose were up to 94.0%, 91.8% and 82.6%, respectively.

Half-wave plate (HWP) is one of the key polarization controlling devices in optical systems. The conventional HWPs based on birefringent crystals are inherently bulky and difficult to be monolithically integrated with other optical components. In this work, metasurface-based HWPs with high compactness are demonstrated on a 12-inch silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor platform. Three-dimensional finite difference time domain simulation is used to design the nanostructure and investigate the impact of fabrication process variation on the device performance. In addition, the cross- and co-polarization transmittance (T cross and T co) of the HWPs located at different wafer locations are characterized experimentally. The peak T cross and valley T co values of 0.69 ± 0.053 and 0.032 ± 0.005 are realized at the wavelength around 1.7 μm, respectively. This corresponds to a polarization conversion efficiency of 95.6% ± 0.8%.

Metasurface-based beam deflector, as an important optical element to bend the light propagation direction, has drawn a lot of interests in research to achieve miniaturization of devices and reduction of system complexity. Based on the 12-inch immersion lithography technology, in this work, an ultra-thin and large-area pixelated metasurface beam deflector with a footprint of 2500 × 2500 μm, formed by nanopillars with diameters from 221 to 396 nm, is demonstrated on a 12-inch glass wafer. The 21 × 21 array of deflectors is designed to bend the input light in different directions and to generate 441 random points. In addition, the layer transfer on the 12-inch glass wafer makes the device working in transmission mode at a 940-nm wavelength. The random point array generated from the experiment shows good match with the design. This pixelated metasurface beam deflector can generate random points simultaneously and has potential to make beam steering by switching each pixel of the beam deflector, which can be applied on motion detection, facial recognition, and light detection and ranging.

Novel display technologies aim at providing the users with increasingly immersive experiences. In this regard, it is a long-sought dream to generate three-dimensional (3D) scenes with high resolution and continuous depth, which can be overlaid with the real world. Current attempts to do so, however, fail in providing either truly 3D information, or a large viewing area and angle, strongly limiting the user immersion. Here, we report a proof-of-concept solution for this problem, and realize a compact holographic 3D near-eye display with a large exit pupil of 10mm x 8.66mm. The 3D image is generated from a highly transparent Huygens metasurface hologram with large (>10^8) pixel count and subwavelength pixels, fabricated via deep-ultraviolet immersion photolithography on 300 mm glass wafers. We experimentally demonstrate high quality virtual 3D scenes with ~50k active data points and continuous depth ranging from 0.5m to 2m, overlaid with the real world and easily viewed by naked eye. To do so, we introduce a new design method for holographic near-eye displays that, inherently, is able to provide both parallax and accommodation cues, fundamentally solving the vergence-accommodation conflict that exists in current commercial 3D displays., 21 pages, 9 figures

Metasurfaces promise great potential in large-viewing-angle holographic 3D display applications due to their full-phase-modulation capability and submicron pixel size. I will present our work on large-scale dielectric metaholograms for Near-Eye-Displays and projection and their future.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has quickly spread throughout the country and the world since first broke out in Wuhan, China. The outbreak that started from January 22, 2020, in Fujian Province has been controlled as the number of indigenous cases has not increased since March. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 in Fujian Province, China. Methods In this retrospective, multicenter study, we collected and analyzed the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory data of all cases confirmed by nucleic acid tests in five designated hospitals in Fujian Province between January 22 and February 27, 2020. All patients were followed up until discharge. COVID-19 severity was classified as mild, moderate, severe, or critical. Results Of 199 discharged patients with COVID-19, 105 patients were male, with a median age of 46.3 years, and 17 patients were severe, and 5 patients were critical on admission. Hypertension and diabetes were the most common comorbidities. The symptoms at illness onset were mainly fever (76.4%), cough (60.8%), and myalgia or fatigue (27.6%). A total of 96.5% of patients had abnormal imaging findings on chest computed tomography. Lymphopenia (37.2%) and hypoxemia (13.6%) were observed. Acute respiratory distress syndrome and respiratory failure occurred in 9 patients (4.5%) and 8 patients (4.0%) respectively. One patient died and the others were cured and discharged with the median hospital stay of 19 days. Old age was negatively correlated with lymphocyte count (r = - 0.296, p < 0.001) and oxygenation index (r = - 0.263, p = 0.001). Bivariate regression analysis revealed that old age (≥ 75 years), hypertension, diabetes, and lymphopenia were correlated with the severity of COVID-19. Conclusions Patients in Fujian Province were mostly nonsevere cases with mild or moderate symptoms, and had a lower mortality than patients in Wuhan (4.3%-15%). Older age, hypertension, diabetes, and lymphopenia were risk factors for severity of COVID-19.

The role of thoracic CT (computerized tomography) in monitoring disease course of COVID-19 is controversial. The purpose of this study is to investigate the risk factors and predictive value of deterioration on repeatedly performed CT scan during hospitalization.All COVID-19 patients treated in our isolation ward, from January 22, 2020 to February 7, 2020, were reviewed. Patients included were categorized into RD (Radiological Deterioration) group or NRD (No Radiological Deterioration) group according to the manifestation on the CT routinely performed during the hospitalization. All clinical data and CT images were analyzed.Forty three patients were included in our study. All are moderate cases with at least 4 CT scans each. Eighteen (42.9%) patients had radiological deteriorations which were all identified in CT2 (the first CT after admission). Patients in RD group had lower leukocyte count (P = .003), lymphocyte count (P = .030), and higher prevalence (P = .012) of elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) at admission. NRD patients had a lower prevalence of reticulations (P = .034) on baseline CT (CT1, performed within 2 days before admission) and a longer duration between symptom onset and the time of CT2 (P 

Background The effectiveness of Tai Chi for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) so far is unclear. The present systematic review aimed to determine the influence of Tai Chi among people with COPD. Methods We searched six electronic databases for relevant studies in September, 2019. The methods of standard meta-analysis were used for identifying relevant studies, quality appraisal, and synthesis. The primary outcomes were six-minute walking distance (6MWD), percentage predicted forced expiratory flow volume in the first second (%PredFEV1), and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score. Results A total of 23 studies including 1663 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled data showed that the Tai Chi group was associated with a significant improvement in 6MWD [mean difference (MD) 40.83 m, 95% CI: 32.47 to 49.19], %PredFEV1 (MD 1.67%, 95% CI: 0.41 to 2.93), SGRQ score (MD -6.57, 95% CI: -10.17 to -2.98), and Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ) (MD 1.60, 95% CI: 0.89 to 2.30) relative to the blank control population. When compared with breathing exercises, the 6MWD was significantly enhanced with Tai Chi (MD 14.15 m, 95% CI: 3.76 to 24.53). Finally, when compared with breathing and walking exercises, Tai Chi was associated with a significant improvement in 6MWD (MD 7.68 m, 95% CI: 2.28 to 13.09 m) and SGRQ score (MD -6.31, 95% CI: -9.13 to -1.48). Conclusions Tai Chi may have the potential to reduce dyspnoea, enhance exercise capacity, and improve the quality of life in COPD patients. People with COPD may obtain benefit from practicing Tai Chi.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide, leading to thousands of deaths. We aim to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Fujian province, China. Methods In this retrospective, multi-center study, we collected and analysed 165 patients of COVID-19 confirmed by real time PCR of nasopharyngeal swab specimens in five tertiary hospitals of Fujian province, China from Jan 22 to Feb 16, 2020. The final date of follow-up was February 21, 2020. Results Of the 165 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, 101 patients had relation with Wuhan within two weeks. Symptoms at illness onset mainly were fever (76.4%), cough (60%) and expectoration (38.2%). On admission, the severity of most patients were classified as mild or common and lymphopenia (33.9%), hypoxemia (15.2%), elevated and bilateral pneumonia (83.6%) was observed. Patients older than 65 years had significantly high frequency of hypertension, diabetes, severe classification, lymphopenia and hypoxemia than those younger than 65 years. Age correlated negatively with lymphocyte count and oxygenation index on admission while positively with duration from exposure to the time of negative RT-PCR. At the end of follow-up, 80 patients were discharged and one died. The median hospital stay was 17 days. Conclusions Patients with COVID-19 were mostly non-severe cases in Fujian province and older patients (>65 years) were more likely to have lymphopenia and hypoxemia, and to progress as severe cases of COVID-19 than those younger than 65.

Supplemental material, Author_Response_2 for Dysfunction of adaptive immunity is related to severity of COVID-19: a retrospective study by Liang Xie, Qinhan Wu, Qunying Lin, Xuhui Liu, Weihua Lin, Shengyu Hao, Weiping Hu, Guiling Xiang, Hongzhou Lu and Shanqun Li in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease

Supplemental material, Supplement_material for Dysfunction of adaptive immunity is related to severity of COVID-19: a retrospective study by Liang Xie, Qinhan Wu, Qunying Lin, Xuhui Liu, Weihua Lin, Shengyu Hao, Weiping Hu, Guiling Xiang, Hongzhou Lu and Shanqun Li in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease

Supplemental material, Reviewer_1_v.1 for Dysfunction of adaptive immunity is related to severity of COVID-19: a retrospective study by Liang Xie, Qinhan Wu, Qunying Lin, Xuhui Liu, Weihua Lin, Shengyu Hao, Weiping Hu, Guiling Xiang, Hongzhou Lu and Shanqun Li in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease

Background: The severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had infected more than 80000 Chinese sin

Two new endo-1,4-beta-xylanases encoding genes EpXyn1 and EpXyn3 were isolated from mesophilic fungus Eupenicillium parvum 4–14. Based on analysis of catalytic domain and phylogenetic trees, the xylanases EpXYN1 (404 aa) and EpXYN3 (220 aa) belong to glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 10 and 11, respectively. Both EpXYN1 and EpXYN3 were successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris and the recombinant enzymes were characterized using beechwood xylan, birchwood xylan, or oat spelt xylan as substrates, respectively. The optimum temperatures and pH values were 75 °C and 5.5 for EpXYN1, and 55 °C and 5.0 for EpXYN3. EpXYN1 exhibited a high stability at high temperature (65 °C) or at pH values from 8 to 10. EpXYN3 kept over 80% enzymatic activity after treatment at pH values from 3 to 10. The specific activities of EpXYN1 and EpXYN3 were 384.42 and 214.20 U/mg using beechwood xylan as substrate, respectively. EpXYN1 showed lower Km values and higher specific activities toward different xylans compared to EpXYN3. Thin-layer chromatography analysis indicated that the hydrolysis profiles of xylans or xylo-oligosacharides were different by EpXYN1and EpXYN3. EpXYN3 had a higher efficiency than EpXYN1 in production of feruloylated oligosaccharides (FOs) from de-starched wheat bran. The maximum levels of FOs released by EpXYN1 and EpXYN3 were 11.1 and 14.4 μmol/g, respectively. In conclusion, the two xylanases are potential candidates for various industrial applications.

The mesophilic fungus Eupenicillium parvum 4-14 is an important producer of thermotolerant hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic enzymes. The aim of this study was to establish a method for genetic manipulation of the fungus by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The promotor PgpdA of a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene was isolated from E. parvum 4-14. To transform the fungus, an expression plasmid containing a superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) gene under the control of PgpdA promotor was constructed using the plasmid pAg1-H3 as a parental plasmid. Using the fungal ascospores as receptor and hygromycin B resistance as a selection marker, the recombinant plasmid was successfully introduced into the fungal cells by A. tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) method. Acetosyringone (AS) was essential to the successful transformation. The transformation frequency was significantly affected by the co-culture temperature and time, the quantity of fungal spores and the AS concentration. The highest transformation frequency was up to 373 transformants per 105 fungal spores, which was higher than those of other fungal species. The fungal transformants were genetically stable after five subcultures in the absence of antibiotic. GFP protein was strongly expressed in the hypha of fungal transformants. In conclusion, the ATMT is a highly efficient method for genetic manipulation of E. parvum 4-14, and will improve the molecular researches on the fungus.

Feruloyl esterase (FAE) is a critical enzyme in bio-extraction of ferulic acid (FA) from plant cell wall. A new FAE (EpFAE1) encoding gene was isolated from Eupenicillium parvum and heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris cells. Based on phylogenetic tree analysis, the protein EpFAE1 belongs to type A of the seventh FAE subfamily. Using methyl ferulate as substrate, the optimum temperature and pH for the catalytic activity of EpFAE1 were 50 °C and 5.5, respectively. The enzyme exhibited high stability at 50 °C, in a wide pH range (3.0–11.0), or in the presence of 2 M of NaCl. Together with the endo-xylanase EpXYN1, EpFAE1 released 72.32% and 4.00% of the alkali-extractable FA from de-starched wheat bran (DSWB) or de-starched corn bran (DSCB), respectively. Meanwhile, the substrates were pretreated with 1.75% (for DSWB) or 1.0% (for DSCB) of phosphoric acid (PA) at 90 °C for 12 h, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis of the soluble and insoluble fractions. The release efficiencies of FA were up to 84.64% for DSWB and 66.73% for DSCB. Combined dilute PA pretreatment with enzymatic hydrolysis is a low-cost and highly efficient method for the extraction of FA from cereal brans.

Penehyclidine hydrochloride (PHC) is a novel anticholinergic drug applied broadly in surgeries as a preanesthetic medication. A substantial amount of research indicates that PHC has lung defensive properties. Considering that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress exerts a crucial function in cell apoptosis associated with the lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) model, we aimed to determine whether regulation of ER stress in the LPS-induced ALI model was associated with the lung defensive role of PHC. Adult male SD rats were administered LPS (5 mg/kg, intratracheally) followed by PHC (1.0 mg/kg, intravenously) for 24 h. The NR8383 alveolar macrophages were randomly separated into Sham, LPS (100 ng/mL), and PHC (1, 2.5, or 5 μg/mL) + LPS groups. PHC (1, 2.5, or 5 μg/mL) + LPS groups were treated with PHC alone for 1 h after LPS exposure. Posttreatment with PHC relieved LPS-induced pulmonary impairment and blocked LPS-mediated lung apoptosis, indicated by the downregulation of the lung apoptotic indicators malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase in serum at 24 h after LPS-induced ALI. PHC (1–5 μg/mL) did not influence the activity of cultivated NR8383 alveolar macrophages in vitro. However, postconditioning with PHC dosage-dependently reduced LPS-mediated cell apoptosis. Additionally, many studies have indicated that PHC administration inhibits ER stress and initiates hairy and enhancer of split 1 (Hes1)/(Notch1) signaling by decreasing phosphorylated α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (p-eIF2α)/eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) and Phospho-protein kinase R-like ER kinase (p-PERK)/ protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK) proportions; inhibiting C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), caspase-3, and Bcl2-associated x (Bax) activity; and enhancing notch1 intracellular domain (NICD), Notch1, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), and Hes1 activity in vivo and in vitro. In addition, the defensive functions of PHC on LPS-activated NR8383 alveolar macrophages were abrogated through the Notch1 pathway antagonist [(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-1-alanyl] -phenylglycine-butyl ester (DAPT). In conclusion, PHC alleviates LPS-induced ALI by ameliorating ER stress-mediated apoptosis and promoting Hes1/Notch1 signaling in vivo and in vitro.

We report all-Si metasurface based polarizing bandpass filter (PBF) fabricated on 12 inch wafer, employing CMOS-compatible 193nm ArF DUV immersion lithography and ICP etch. The fabricated metasurface PBF work on dual short wave infrared bands.

9030 Background: Currently,EGFR-TKIs are widely accepted as the standard treatment for EGFR- mutant advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, acquired resistance is inevitable. Combination therapy is considered as a strategy to overcome the resistance to EGFR-TKIs. Anlotinib, a novel multi-targeting, small-molecule TKI, has shown active to suppress tumor angiogenesis and growth. However, there is still a lack of evidence supporting the use of EGFR-TKIs in combination with anlotinib for the treatment of NSCLC until now. A multi-center, single-arm, phase II clinical trial was therefore designed to examine the efficacy and safety of EGFR-TKIs combined with anlotinib for treatment-naïve, advanced NSCLC patients, and unravel the possible mechanisms. Methods: This study was conducted in 14 research centers in Fujian, China. The main eligibility criteria were stage IV or relapsed nonsquamous NSCLC with EGFR mutations (exon 19 deletion,, and L858R), ECOG score 0-2,and age 20 to 75 years and no previous systemic treatment. Patients with asymptomatic brain metastases were admitted.Eligible patients were given gefitinib (250 mg QD) or icotinib (125 mg TID) in combination with anlotinib (10 mg per day, on days 1‒14; 21 days per cycle) until disease progression. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS) and safety, and the secondary endpoint is overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR).Peripheral blood was sampled pre-treatment, once every two months during treatment and after disease progression, and T790M mutation was detected in plasma ctDNA using a droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay. Results: Of 60 patients enrolled (August 2, 2018 to May 28, 2020). As of February 1, 2021, 37 patients (61.7%) experienced PFS events and 10 (16.7%) died. The ORR was 78.3%, and the DCR was100%.Median PFS was 13.0 months (95%CI,10.7-15.3).The 5 most common treatment-related adverse events included rash (63.3%), fatigue (55.0%), hypertension (48.3%), diarrhea (33.3%) and hand-foot syndrome (30.0%), and grade 3 adverse events included hypertension (5.0%), rash (1.67%), hypertriglyceridemia (1.67%), vomiting (1.67%) and elevated ALT (1.67%); no grade 4 adverse events or drug-related deaths were observed. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 36 patients pre-treatment, and 30.6% were identified with low-frequency de novo T790M mutations, with the mutation-allele frequency (MAF) ranging from 0.01% to 0.28%. Conclusions: The combination of the first-generation EGFR-TKIs and anlotinib shows impressive ORR and DCR, and acceptable toxicity in treatment-naïve advanced NSCLC patients with activating EGFR mutations, and we observed a high proportion of patients harboring de novo EGFR T790M mutations in this study. Clinical trial information: NCT03720873.

Background: In December of 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) was reported in Wuhan, China, and has now rapidly swept around the world. Much research has been carried out since the outbreak, but few studies have focused on the dysfunction of the adaptive immunity. Methods: In this retrospective and multi-center study, 373 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and Affiliated Hospital of Putian University were recruited. Demographic, clinical, radiological features, and laboratory data were recorded and analyzed at admission and at discharge. Results of immunological tests were followed up until the patients were discharged. Results: Of the 373 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, 322 were in the non-severe group and 51 were in the severe group. Number of T cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and total lymphocytes declined remarkably upon admission and elevated when the patients were discharged. At admission, counts of total lymphocytes, T cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and levels of C3 and C4 in the severe group were lower than those in the non-severe group, whereas the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was higher in the severe group. Counts of T cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and total lymphocytes were negatively correlated with lactate dehydrogenase and C-reactive protein. Conclusion: COVID-19 might target adaptive immunity and cause a decrease in lymphocytes, especially T cells and subsets. Physicians should pay close attention to the adaptive immunity of patients upon admission. Monitoring NLR, T lymphocytes, and subsets would help physicians with the proper diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

The demonstration of a color display metasurface on a 12-inch silicon wafer with critical dimension (CD) below 100 nm by complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible technology is reported for the first time. The 193 nm ArF deep UV immersion lithography is leveraged instead of electron beam lithography (EBL) to pattern the metasurface, which greatly improves the efficiency while keeping a high resolution. The demonstrated metasurface successfully generates the resonant modes and reflects the lights at resonance wavelengths, giving its display in red, green, and blue (RGB) colors. The wafer-level uniformities of CD and reflection characteristic of the metasurface are measured and analyzed. The experimental data show that they are well controlled in the fabrication process. The work provides a promising route towards mass production of dielectric metasurfaces.

Objective To explore the prognostic value of serum interleukin-17 (IL-17) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Materials and Methods IL-17 and VEGF levels were determined by a commercially available ELISA method. Results Serum IL-17 and VEGF levels were higher in the SCLC group than the control group (pConclusions IL-17 may play an important role in tumor dissemination in SCLC patients and measurement of IL-17 could have useful prognostic value for worse overall survival in patients with SCLC.

Osteopontin (OPN) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) play important roles in cancer progression and angiogenesis. In the current study we aimed to investigate the clinical significance of OPN and VEGF expression in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to investigate their prognostic value for NSCLC.Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of OPN and VEGF in 146 NSCLC patients undergoing surgical resection in our hospital between 2006 and 2008. The associations between OPN and VEGF expression and clinicopathological data were analyzed using chi-square test analysis. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The prognostic values of OPN and VEGF were evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analysis.OPN and VEGF expression was positive in 94 and 86 out of 146 NSCLC specimens, respectively. OPN expression was significantly associated with gender (P=0.002), TNM stage (P0.001) and tumor differentiation (P=0.008). VEGF expression was significantly associated with TNM stage (P=0.015), tumor differentiation (P=0.032) and lymph-node status (P0.001). There was a significant correlation between OPN and VEGF expression (P=0.035). Survival analysis indicated that OPN(+)/VEGF(+) patients had the worst prognosis. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate analysis suggested that tumor stage, lymph-node metastases, OPN expression and VEGF expression were independent prognostic factors for NSCLC.The data suggest that OPN and VEGF expressions could serve as prognostic factors for NSCLC.

This study was aimed to investigate the diversity and function of bacterial population associated with Gigaspora margarita spores. The fungus was propagated in sterilized sand/soil pots using alfalfa (Medicago sativa), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), or maize (Zea mays) as host plants, or in sterilized vermiculite pots using alfalfa as host plants, respectively. Bacteria were isolated from the new-formed spores using diluted plate method, and typical bacterial isolates were identified according to 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis. Total 43 bacterial isolates affiliated to three phyla and 23 genera were obtained. The spore-associated bacterial communities were obviously different among the four source spores, suggesting that plant species or substrates could influence the bacterial population. Bacillus and Streptomyces were most frequently associated with the fungal spores. Function analysis of these bacteria by plate tests, it was found that about 30.2% isolates stimulated the spore germination, five out of seven tested isolates improved the hyphal growth, total 57.5% of the tested isolates solubilized phosphorus at different levels, 15% isolates degraded chitin, and a few isolates suppressed the growth of Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus. In pot experiment, three bacterial isolates (belonging to Curtobacterium, Ensifer, or Bacillus, respectively) displayed improvement effect on alfalfa growth and/or the colonization of roots by G. margarita. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13205-017-0612-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.