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Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is common among patients with chronic hepatitis B infection (CHB) and has been associated with increased risk of carcinogenesis, including HCC. We investigated factors associated with HCC and fibrosis progression among patients with CHB with T2D (CHB+T2D).Chinese patients with CHB were prospectively recruited for the incidence of HCC and fibrosis progression defined by transient elastography. Among patients with CHB+T2D, glycemic control was assessed by mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and HbA1c variability determined using HbA1c measurements in the 5 years preceding recruitment. A total of 2330 patients with CHB were recruited (mean age 54.6 ±11.8 years old, 55.5% male, 57.9% antiviral-treated), with 671 (28.8%) having CHB+T2D (mean T2D duration 7.2 ± 4.6 years, mean HbA1c 7.2 ± 0.9%). T2D was independently associated with HCC (HR 2.080, 95% CI 1.343-3.222) and fibrosis progression (OR 4.305, 95% CI 3.416-5.424) in the overall cohort. In patients with CHB+T2D, factors reflecting glycemic burden (T2D duration [HR 1.107, 95% CI 1.023-1.198]), mean HbA1c (HR 1.851, 95% CI 1.026-3.339), time reaching target HbA1c (HbA1c-TRT; HR 0.978, 95% CI 0.957-0.999), liver stiffness (HR 1.041-1.043), and smoking (HR 2.726-3.344) were independently associated with HCC (all p 0.05), but not HbA1c variability or controlled attenuation parameter. The same glycemic burden-related factors (T2D duration, mean HbA1c, and HbA1c-TRT), in addition to baseline fasting glucose, baseline HbA1c, AST and antiviral therapy, were independently associated with fibrosis progression at 3 years.High glycemic burden was associated with HCC development and fibrosis progression among patients with CHB+T2D, highlighting the importance of glycemic control in reducing liver-related complications.

Improving the electrical conductivity is an important role in realizing high thermoelectric performance of solution-processable polymers. Herein, a simple and robust approach to boost the mobility and doping efficiency of a diketopyrrolopyrrole-based copolymer with the introduction of thermocleavable side chains (PDPPS-X, where X is the molar ratio of the thermocleavable side chains and alkyl chains) is first provided. Notably, the incorporated thermocleavable groups can be effectively removed after thermal treatment and therefore contribute to the crystalline domain formation via hydrogen-bonded networks, which is critical for conductivity enhancements. Grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) patterns give a clear indication that the thermal treatment of PDPPS-5 can greatly improve the structural arrangement, resulting in a significantly enhanced hole mobility (5.4 times that of PDPPS-0 without thermocleavable chains). Compared to PDPPS-0, a larger Fermi level shift is observed after doping PDPPS-5 with FeCl3, reflecting a better doping efficiency. Consequently, remarkably improved conductivity and power factor are achieved by PDPPS-5 after doping with 0.03 M FeCl3 at room temperature, which are about 2.2 and 3.5 times higher than that of PDPPS-0 at the same testing condition, respectively. Moreover, PDPPS-5 achieved a maximum power factor of 57.5 μW m-1 K-2 at 404 K.

NAFLD and chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection are common etiologies of HCC. The impact of hepatic steatosis on HCC in CHB, as well as its relationship with the development of cirrhosis, fibrosis, and HBsAg seroclearance, remains controversial.Data from observational studies were collected through PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from inception to February 1, 2022. Outcomes of interest included the association of hepatic steatosis with HCC, cirrhosis, advanced fibrosis, and HBsAg seroclearance, expressed in terms of pooled ORs. Additional subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to validate the robustness of findings. A total of 34 studies with 68,268 patients with CHB were included. Hepatic steatosis was associated with higher odds of HCC (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.12-2.26; IHepatic steatosis was associated with an increased risk of HCC and cirrhosis among patients with CHB but with a higher chance of achieving a functional cure, highlighting the importance of identifying concomitant steatosis in CHB.

Introducing two-dimensional (2D) conjugated structures to polymers is a feasible way for the design of functionalized polymers due to their good planarity, high electron/hole mobility, thermal stab...

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are desirable flexible thermoelectric materials in applications of large-scale low-grade thermal energy. However, weak Seebeck coefficients of SWCNTs around ...

Background/Aims: Data of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine immunogenicity among chronic liver disease (CLD) and liver transplant (LT) patients are conflicting. We performed meta-analysis to examine vaccine immunogenicity regarding etiology, cirrhosis status, vaccine platform and type of antibody.Methods: We collected data via three databases from inception to February 16, 2022, and reported pooled seroconversion rate, T cell response and safety data after two vaccine doses.Results: Twenty-eight (CLD only: 5; LT only: 18; both: 2; LT with third dose: 3) observational studies of 3,945 patients were included. For CLD patients, seroconversion rate ranged between 84% (95% confidence interval [CI], 76–90%) and 91% (95% CI, 83–95%), based predominantly on neutralizing antibody and anti-spike antibody, respectively. Seroconversion rate was 81% (95% CI, 76–86%) in chronic hepatitis B, 96% (95% CI, 93–97%) in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, 85% (95% CI, 75–91%) in cirrhosis and 85% (95% CI, 78–90%) in non-cirrhosis, 86% (95% CI, 78–92%) for inactivated vaccine and 89% (95% CI, 71–96%) for mRNA vaccine. The pooled seroconversion rate of anti-spike antibody was 66% (95% CI, 55–75%) after two doses of mRNA vaccines and 88% (95% CI, 58–98%) after third dose among LT recipients. T cell response rate was 65% (95% CI, 30–89%). Prevalence of adverse events was 27% (95% CI, 18–38%) and 63% (95% CI, 39–82%) among CLD and LT groups, respectively.Conclusions: CLD patients had good humoral response to COVID-19 vaccine, while LT recipients had lower response.

Xia Mao,1 Xianhua Mao,1 Yu Yu,2 Jia Guo3 1Department of Nursing, Yueyang Vocational Technical College, Yueyang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; 3Department of Clinical Nursing, Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jia Guo, Department of Clinical Nursing, Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13875947418, Fax +86 0731-82650266, Email guojia621@163.comPurpose: Sallis et al’s social support scale for physical activity (SSSPH) is one of the most widely used scales to measure exercise-related social support yet has never been translated and validated in Chinese. The current study aims to simplify, translate, and validate a short form of SSSPH in a Chinese population.Patients and Methods: A simplified Chinese version of the SSSPH (SSSPH-SC) retaining 6 items was achieved after the translation and back-translation process, which showed good content validity. The scale was then assessed among a convenience sample of 266 Chinese adults from various backgrounds. Internal consistency was tested by calculating Cronbach’s α. The a priori two-factor structure was tested with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Concurrent validity was examined by investigating the correlation of the SSSPH-SC with general social support, quality of life, and self-rated health.Results: The SSSPH-SC full scale and subscales showed good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.87 to 0.92. The CFA supported the a priori two-factor structure: family support and friend support, with χ 2/df=2.93, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.07, SRMR = 0.035. The concurrent validity of the SSSPH-CS was further supported by its significant positive correlations with social support (r=0.26, p< 0.001), quality of life (r=0.25, p< 0.001), and self-rated general health depression (r=0.23, p< 0.001).Conclusion: The SSSPH-SC had good reliability and validity and could be used as a simple and effective tool for assessing social support for physical activity in Chinese adults. The scale can be used as an effective tool to guide future health promotion programs as well as an evaluation tool to assess intervention effects.Keywords: short form, reliability, validity, confirmatory factor analysis

Organic conjugated small molecules (OCSMs)-based single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) composites have received great attention as potential thermoelectric (TE) materials. The studies show that bot...

BACKGROUND The incidence of primary liver cancer (PLC) continues to increase worldwide. The incidence trends and patterns of PLC associated with different age at diagnosis remain unknown. METHODS We collected detailed information on PLC between 1990 and 2017 from Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Estimated annual percentage changes in the PLC age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) diagnosed by age, sex, region, and etiology were calculated to quantify the temporal trends in PLC ASR. RESULTS Globally, the number of PLC cases for which the age at diagnosis was

Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) failure, which is mainly associated with the selection of resistance-associated substitutions (RASs), is not rare in HCV treatment. RAS data collected from published literature and RAS prevalence were integrated using meta-analysis. DAA-failure-associated RASs were identified by comparing their prevalence between DAA-failure and DAA-naïve patients. Prevalences of emerging RASs that occurred during treatment were also estimated. A total of 2932 DAA-naïve patients and 1466 DAA-failure patients were included. Significant differences in the prevalence of RASs were found in 76 scenarios that involved 34 RASs (11 in NS3, 18 in NS5A and 5 in NS5B), 4 genotypes (GTs) (GT1a, GT1b and GT3-4) and 14 DAAs (6 NS3 protease inhibitors [PIs], 6 NS5A inhibitors and 2 NS5B inhibitors). For NS3, the DAA-failure-associated RASs included V36L, Y56H, Q80K/R, R155K, A156T and D168A/E/L/T/V/Y. Substitutions at R155 and D168 were dominant for most NS3 PIs. For NS5A, DAA-failure-associated RASs included K24R, Q30R, L31M, and P32L in GT1a; R30Q/H, L31F/I/M/V, P58S, and Y93H in GT1b; A30K, L31M and Y93H in GT3; and M31V and Y93H in GT4. Y93H was the most prevalent RAS for NS5A inhibitors. DAA-failure-associated RASs were found at only five positions in NS5B. The majority of DAA-failure patients relapsed. A significant difference was detected for only four RAS sites between relapse patients and nonresponse/breakthrough patients. The RAS prevalence in DAA-failure patients varied among the HCV GTs and DAA regimens. The identified treatment-selected resistance patterns for broadly used DAA regimens will enable the selection of optimized retreatment options.

Background Liver cancer is a commonly diagnosed malignancy in China. The etiologies of liver cancer are widely known, although studies on temporal trends in liver cancer caused by specific etiologies are rare. Methods Data on the incidence and mortality of liver cancer were retrieved from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2017. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was used to quantify temporal trends in the age‐standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and the age‐standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of liver cancer from 1990 to 2017. Results Nationwide, the number of incident cases of liver cancer increased from 258 000 in 1990 to 515 900 in 2017. The ASIR decreased from 27.16 per 100 000 to 26.04 per 100 000 during this period, with an EAPC of −0.64 (95% confidence interval [CI] −0.84, −0.44). The number of deaths increased from 245 300 in 1990 to 418 200 in 2017, and the ASMR decreased from 26.72 to 21.30 (EAPC = −1.16, 95% CI −1.35, −0.97). The most pronounced decreases in the ASIR and ASMR were observed in liver cancer due to hepatitis B and in people aged 15‐49 years. Conclusions Since the extensive efforts for prevention of hepatitis B virus infection, the incidence of liver cancer due to hepatitis B has significantly decreased. However, liver cancer due to hepatitis C, NASH, and other causes remains a major public health concern. Additional preventive strategies tailored to liver cancer are needed to further reduce its disease burden in China., Since the extensive efforts for prevention of hepatitis B virus infection, the incidence of liver cancer due to hepatitis B has significantly decreased. However, liver cancer due to hepatitis C, NASH, and other causes remains a major public health concern. Additional preventive strategies tailored to liver cancer are needed to further reduce its disease burden in China.

Background Predictions of primary liver cancer (PLC) incidence rates and case numbers are critical to understand and plan for PLC disease burden. Methods Data on PLC incidence rates and case numbers from 1990 to 2017 were retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease database. The estimated average percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to quantify the trends of PLC age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs). Bayesian age-period-cohort models were constructed to project PLC incidence rates and case numbers through 2030. Results Globally, the PLC case number doubled from 472 300 in 1990 to 953 100 in 2017. The case number will further increase to 1 571 200 in 2030, and the ASR will increase from 11.80 per 100 000 in 2018 to 14.08 per 100 000 in 2030. The most pronounced increases are observed in people afflicted by non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and in older people. The trends of PLC incidence rates between 1990 and 2030 are heterogeneous among countries and can be summarized as five scenarios: (i) 46 countries that have and will continue to experience a persistent increase (e.g. Australia); (ii) 21 countries that experienced an initial decrease (or remained stable) but are predicted to increase (e.g. China); (iii) 7 countries that experienced an initial increase but are predicted to remain stable (e.g. USA); (iv) 29 countries that experienced an initial increase but are predicted to decrease (e.g. Egypt); and (v) 82 countries that have and will continue to experience a persistent decrease (e.g. Japan). Conclusion PLC incidence rates and case numbers are anticipated to increase at the global level through 2030. The increases in people afflicted by NASH and among older people suggest a dearth of attention for these populations in current prevention strategies and highlight their priority in future schedules for global control of PLC.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, has been spreading globally. We aimed to develop a clinical model to predict the outcome of patients with severe COVID-19 infection early. Methods Demographic, clinical and first laboratory findings after admission of 183 patients with severe COVID-19 infection (115 survivors and 68 non-survivors from the Sino-French New City Branch of Tongji Hospital, Wuhan) were used to develop the predictive models. Machine learning approaches were used to select the features and predict the patients’ outcomes. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was applied to compare the models’ performance. A total of 64 with severe COVID-19 infection from the Optical Valley Branch of Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, were used to externally validate the final predictive model. Results The baseline characteristics and laboratory tests were significantly different between the survivors and non-survivors. Four variables (age, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level, lymphocyte count and d-dimer level) were selected by all five models. Given the similar performance among the models, the logistic regression model was selected as the final predictive model because of its simplicity and interpretability. The AUROCs of the external validation sets were 0.881. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.839 and 0.794 for the validation set, when using a probability of death of 50% as the cutoff. Risk score based on the selected variables can be used to assess the mortality risk. The predictive model is available at [https://phenomics.fudan.edu.cn/risk_scores/]. Conclusions Age, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level, lymphocyte count and d-dimer level of COVID-19 patients at admission are informative for the patients’ outcomes.

Background The incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer are high, with 5.90 new cases and 5.48 deaths per 100 000 people worldwide in 2017. The prognosis of esophageal cancer is poor, with an overall 5‐year survival rate of less than 20%. Esophageal cancer in different geographical locations has different etiologies, and the incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer continue to rise in some regions. Methods We collected incidence and mortality data by age and gender for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017 in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database. And we used these data to calculate the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) to quantify trends in morbidity and mortality. Then we analyzed the gender‐ and age‐specific incidence and mortality in esophageal cancer to targeted high‐risk populations. Finally, we analyzed the correlation between the age‐standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and both the EAPC and social‐demographic index (SDI), and we calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results We found that Malawi, East Asia, and high‐middle SDI regions had the highest age‐standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and ASMR, and the ASIR and ASMR in western Sub‐Saharan Africa showed an upward trend. Our study also showed that the incidence and mortality in esophageal cancer were highest in men and in the 70+ years age group, and they presented a decreasing trend in most regions, but the 15‐49 years age groups in Australasia, Caribbean, and Oceania and the 70+ years age group in High‐Income North America, Oceania and high‐SDI regions presented an increasing trend. There were significant negative associations between ASMR at baseline and EAPC and between ASMR and SDI in 2017. Conclusion By analyzing the global distribution of incidence and mortality in esophageal cancer, trends over time, and gender and age specificity, we can understand the heterogeneity of its global trends. This heterogeneity can help us to identify high‐risk groupsand to provide clues for the exploration of the etiology and early prevention of the disease., Our study explores areas where morbidity and mortality continue to rise, and refines them into populations of different ages and genders. The heterogeneity of the incidence and mortality trends in esophageal cancer means that we can target high‐risk populations and provide clues for the exploration of the etiology and early prevention of the disease.

Aim We assessed the correlations between non-invasive fibrosis scores and mortality in both the general population and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. Methods We used data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1988-2014. The NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) score, aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) score, and Forns index score were calculated at baseline. The associations of these scores with the risk of mortality were determined using additive Cox proportional hazard models. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to study the predictive capacity of each scoring system. Results A total of 44 508 participants were included; among them, 9721 deaths occurred during a mean follow-up of 12.5 years. A "J"-shaped correlation pattern was observed for both the FIB-4 and APRI scores. A "U"-shaped correlation pattern was observed for both the Forns index and NFS. Similar correlation patterns were observed in 1955 NAFLD patients. For overall mortality, the AUROC values of the selected fibrosis scores were comparable between general population and NAFLD patients. The superior predictive capacity was found for FIB-4, with AUROC of 75.03% (95% confidence interval, 70.91% to 79.82%) in general population and 75.32% (95% confidence interval, 69.43% to 80.11%) in NAFLD patients, respectively. Conclusions Non-linear associations were shown between the fibrosis scoring systems and mortality risk. These scores could serve as indicators for mortality in people with or without NAFLD.

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been spreading globally. The number of deaths has increased with the increase in the number of infected patients. We aimed to develop a clinical model to predict the outcome of severe COVID-19 patients early.MethodsEpidemiological, clinical, and first laboratory findings after admission of 183 severe COVID-19 patients (115 survivors and 68 nonsurvivors) from the Sino-French New City Branch of Tongji Hospital were used to develop the predictive models. Five machine learning approaches (logistic regression, partial least squares regression, elastic net, random forest, and bagged flexible discriminant analysis) were used to select the features and predict the patients’ outcomes. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was applied to compare the models’ performance. Sixty-four severe COVID-19 patients from the Optical Valley Branch of Tongji Hospital were used to externally validate the final predictive model.ResultsThe baseline characteristics and laboratory tests were significantly different between the survivors and nonsurvivors. Four variables (age, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level, lymphocyte count, and d-dimer level) were selected by all five models. Given the similar performance among the models, the logistic regression model was selected as the final predictive model because of its simplicity and interpretability. The AUROCs of the derivation and external validation sets were 0.895 and 0.881, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.892 and 0.687 for the derivation set and 0.839 and 0.794 for the validation set, respectively, when using a probability of death of 50% as the cutoff. The individual risk score based on the four selected variables and the corresponding probability of death can serve as indexes to assess the mortality risk of COVID-19 patients. The predictive model is freely available at https://phenomics.fudan.edu.cn/risk_scores/.ConclusionsAge, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level, lymphocyte count, and d-dimer level of COVID-19 patients at admission are informative for the patients’ outcomes.

Side-chain cleavage is an effective strategy to reconstruct the arrangement of polymer main chains, thus improving their electrical properties and corrosion stability. However, simultaneously realizing side-chain cleavage and chemical doping of polymer semiconductors have not been reported. Herein, a series of p-type polymer semiconductors with the incorporation of ester-cleavage groups (PBDTTT-TETx, X is the molar ratio of the cleavage ester groups and nondegradable alkyl groups) were designed and synthesized. The introduced functional ester side-chains on PBDTTT-TET0.5 can be degraded by a commonly used p-type dopant FeCl3 readily, resulting in the maximum 120-fold enhancement in electrical conductivity and 15-fold increase in power factor at the FeCl3 concentration of 30 mM, compared to the reference one (PBDTTT-PET0.5 with the nondegradable ester side-chains). Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy measurements and X-ray diffraction reveal that the increase of crystalline domains along with the side-chain cleavage contributes to the formation of (bi)polaron network. The improved doping efficiency can be reflected by their ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–vis-NIR spectroscopy results. Moreover, a further optimized power factor can be achieved for PBDTTT-TET0.05, which is 5.8 times higher than that of PBDTTT-TET. Therefore, molecule design strategy by incorporating FeCl3-cleavage ester groups into the π-conjugated backbones provided an effective approach to establish advanced TE materials.

A novel copper-promoted N-arylation of enaminones with aromatic boronic acids has been developed, which provides an efficient way to synthesize N-aryl enaminones with a broad substrate scope and excellent functional group compatibility. The N-aryl enaminones could be converted into a series of highly valuable building blocks and bioactive compounds. Notably, in comparison with traditional methods, this alternative approach provides accesses to N-aryl enaminones bearing multiple aromatic rings.

Organic/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) composites as thermoelectric (TE) materials have been developed rapidly in recent years; however, research on n-type organic/SWCNTs is relatively lagging, and their performance needs to be further improved. In this work, three low-cost organometallic complexes (OMCs) with reducing abilities, including ferrocene (FeCp2), FeCp2 with an acetenyl group (EtFc) to extend the conjugation degree, and FeCp2 with a (dimethylamino)methyl group (FcMA) to increase the electron-donating ability, were developed to enhance the TE properties of n-type SWCNT-based composites. In addition, the effect of solvents was also studied, and it was determined that a synergistic effect of N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) and ferrocene derivatives occurred in enhancing the n-type properties. Among the three OMCs, SWCNT/FcMA prepared from NMP displayed the highest TE performance, indicating that the ferrocene and (dimethylamino)methyl group can also form synergistic effects. When the mass ratio of the SWCNTs and FcMA was 1:7, the highest power factor of 567.54 ± 27.18 μW m−1 K−2 at room temperature was achieved, which is among the state-of-the-art n-type SWCNT/organic molecule-based TE materials in literature. A combination of field emission scanning electron microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the electrons could be transferred from NMP, FeCp2 and its derivatives to SWCNTs, leading to an upshift in the Fermi level and an increase in conductivity. Moreover, a TE device containing five p (SWCNTs) − n (SWCNT/FcMA) junctions was assembled, and an open-circuit voltage of 22.7 mV with an output power of 0.75 µW at a temperature difference of 54.1 K was achieved. These results showed that OMCs possess promising applications in future n-type carbon nanotube-based TE materials.

Background & Aims The efficacy of direct-acting antiviral agents against hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can be compromised by substitutions in the HCV genome that occur before treatment (resistance-associated substitutions [RASs]). We performed a meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of RASs and their effects. Methods We searched publication databases for studies of HCV RNA substitutions that mediate resistance to direct-acting antiviral agents. Findings from 50 studies of the prevalence of RAS in HCV, from 32 countries, were used in a meta-analysis. We retrieved the HCV RNA sequence from the Los Alamos HCV sequence database to estimate the prevalence of the RASs. The degree of resistance to treatment conferred by each RAS was determined based on fold-change in the 50% effective concentration of the drugs. Results Our final analysis included data from 49,744 patients with HCV infection and 12,612 HCV sequences. We estimated the prevalence of 56 RASs that encoded amino acids and 114 specific RASs. The average prevalence of RASs was highest in HCV genotype (GT) 6, followed by HCV GT1a, GT2, GT1b, GT3, and GT4. The highest prevalence of RASs observed encoded Q80K in NS3 to NS4A of HCV GT1a, Y93T in NS5A of GT1a, and C316N in NS5B of GT1b. The greatest number of RASs were observed at D168 in NS3 to NS4A, at Y93 in NS5A, and at C316 in NS5B. The prevalence of RASs and mutation burdens were high in Japan, the United States, Germany, Thailand, and the United Kingdom; low in Russia, Brazil, Egypt, and India; and intermediate in China, Canada, Australia, Spain, and France. Conclusions In a meta-analysis, we found evidence for 114 RASs in HCV of different genotypes. Patients with HCV infection should be tested for RASs before treatment is selected, especially in regions with a high prevalence of RASs.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)/organic small molecules (OSMs) are promising candidates for application in thermoelectric (TE) modules; however, the development of n-type SWCNT/OSMs with high performance is lagging behind. Only a few structure-activity relationships of OSMs on SWCNT composites have been reported. Recently, we find that the n-type acridone/SWCNT composites display high power factor (PF) values at high temperature but suffer from low PFs at room temperature. Here, the performance of SWCNT composites containing an acridine derivative (AD) as well as its analogues with different counterions (Cl

Background: The incidence of liver cancer continues to increase worldwide. The incidence trends and onset patterns of liver cancer associated with different onset ages remain unknown. Methods: We collected detailed information on liver cancer between 1990 and 2017 from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) study 2017. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) in the liver cancer age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) by onset age, sex, region, and aetiology were calculated to quantify the temporal trends in liver cancer ASR. Findings: The ASR of very-early-onset (onset at < 30 years) and earlyonset (onset from 30-59 years) liver cancer decreased in both sexes, whereas the ASR of late-onset (onset at ≥ 60 years) liver cancer increased in males (EAPC = 0.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52, 0.75) and remained stable in females at the global level. Males had a more dramatic increase in late-onset liver cancer but a milder decrease in early-onset liver cancer than females. The decrease was largely ascribed to the reduction in liver cancer caused by hepatitis B and hepatitis C and was consistent in most regions except in developed countries, in which the ASR of liver cancer increased irrespective of sex and onset age. The ASR of liver cancer due to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) increased by the greatest magnitude in most regions. Interpretation: Liver cancer in highly endemic regions has been partly alleviated due to the potent control of hepatitis, especially among young and middle-aged people. However, an unfavourable trend was observed in most developed countries and in elderly populations. NASH and older people deserve more attention in liver cancer primary prevention schedules. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant number: 2017YFC0907002, 2017YFC0907501, 2017YFC211700); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers: 81772170, 81502870); the key basic research grants from the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (grant number: 16JC1400500); the International ST and Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (2017SHZDZX01). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: Missing.

Background: Temporal trends of primary liver cancer (PLC) vary worldwide. Predictions of PLC incidence and case numbers are critical for the understanding of and planning for the PLC disease burden. Methods: Data on the PLC incidence and case number from 1990 to 2017 were retrieved from Global Burden of Disease database. The estimated average percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to quantify the trends of PLC age standardized incidence rates (ASRs). Bayesian age-period-cohort models were constructed to project the PLC incidence and case numbers through 2030. Findings: Globally, the PLC case number doubled from 472,300 in 1990 to 953,100 in 2017. The case number will further increase to 1,571,200 in 2030, and the ASR will increase from 11.80 per 100,000 in 2018 to 14.08 per 100,000 in 2030. The most pronounced increases were observed in people afflicted by non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and in older people. The trends of PLC incidence between 1990 and 2030 were heterogeneous from country to country. For example, China and Brazil is predicted to experience an unfavourable increase after 2017, whereas the increase is expected to cease in the USA and Egypt between 2018 and 2030. The PLC incidence was estimated to consistently decrease in Japan, while increase in Germany, including young people, from 1990 to 2030. Interpretation: PLC incidence along with case number are participated to increase at the global level through 2030. The increases in people afflicted by NASH and among older people suggest that the dearth of attention for these populations in current prevention strategies and highlighting their priority in the future schedules for global control of PLC. Funding: National Key Research and Development Program of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China; Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality; Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project. Declaration of Interest: We declare no conflicts of interest. Ethical Approval: Not Required.

Recently, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)-based thermoelectric (TE) materials have received much interest owing to their advantages, such as high electrical conductivity and flexibility, as well as their ability to be easily tuned to exhibit p-type or n-type characteristics by the addition of redox reagents. Compared with the numerous p-type composites, less n-type agents have been reported. Borane-nitrogen derivatives (BNs) have been widely used as reducing agents; however, little attention has been paid on their TE performance. As the reducing ability of BNs can be tuned by the basicity and steric hindrance of the nitrogen containing derivatives, herein, pyridineborane (PYB), morpholineborane (MPB) and N,N-diethylanilineborane (DEANB) were investigated as n-type dopants of SWCNTs by simply dispersing each of them with SWCNTs in various solvents. The results suggested the structures of the borane complexes and their reducing ability affect the TE properties greatly. Among them, SWCNT/PYB displayed the best performance at all the investigated temperatures, with power factors ranging from 193.6 μW m−1 K−2 to 223.8 μW m−1 K−2, which are the highest PF values reported to date based on boron containing SWCNT composites. In addition, the TE devices containing five p-n junctions were also combined. SWCNT/PYB exhibited a higher open-circuit voltage (28.8 mV) and output power (1.15 μW) than SWCNT/NaBH4 (23.7 mV, 0.79 μW) at the same conditions. Our results suggest that organic boron compounds can be developed as good agents for boosting the performance of n-type TE materials.