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Abstract Background Vascular health has been associated with cognition but related evidence is limited in Chinese. The objective of this study was to examine the association of vascular aging assessed by arterial stiffness and blood pressure with cognitive function in an unselected Chinese population. Methods In the Tianning Cohort (N = 5158), indicators of arterial stiffness and blood pressure including carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), ankle-brachial index (ABI), pulse pressure (PP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) questionnaire. We applied Poisson regression and logistic regression to examine the associations of vascular aging and blood pressure with cognitive function. Results 76 (1.47%) participants had impaired cognitive function diagnosed by a MMSE score of less than 24 points. Participants with a higher level of PP were more likely to have a decreased score of MMSE (β=-0.0121, P

Abstract Bamboo biochar was modified by lignin impregnation and microwave irradiation to enhance its performance for CO2 capture. The pore structure of lignin-impregnated biochar was significantly affected by the impregnation ratio. The maximum specific surface area of 377.32 m2 g−1 and micropore volume of 0.163 cm3 g−1 were observed on the biochar with an impregnation ratio of 1:20 (mass ratio of lignin to biochar). Lignin impregnation increased the CO2 adsorption capacity of biochar up to 134.46 mg g−1. Correlation analysis confirmed the crucial role of biochar’s pore structure in adsorption. The Avrami model fitted the CO2 capture curves well. The calculation of adsorption activation energy suggested that the adsorption process was dominated by physical mechanism assisted with partial chemical mechanism. Meanwhile, Langmuir isotherm analysis indicated that lignin impregnation transformed the larger pores of biochar into more uniform micropores, thereby making the adsorption process closer to monolayer adsorption. Both the high reusability (89.79–99.06%) after 10 successive cycles and the excellent CO2 selectivity in competitive adsorption confirmed that lignin-impregnated biochar is an outstanding adsorbent for CO2 capture. Graphical Abstract

Sorafenib is a first-line drug for liver cancer treatment, but its clinical efficacy is still limited by drawbacks such as drug tolerance, toxic effects, and low bioavailability. Therefore, it is urgent to find efficient ways to synergize sorafenib with other agents and increase its bioavailability in order to enhance its clinical efficacy. Herein, we report the successful development of a carrier-free nanoplatform of an artesunate prodrug to potentiate the efficacy of sorafenib against hepatocellular carcinoma. The artesunate prodrug was synthesized by conjugating artesunate and linoleic acid through a thioketone (TK) bond. This prodrug can self-assemble in an aqueous solution via a one-step precipitation method. Furthermore, the inclusion of sorafenib during the self-assembly process results in a carrier-free artesunate/sorafenib mixed nanomedicine (SA@NPs) with a uniform and stable particle size. In addition, SA@NPs possess ROS-responsive drug-releasing ability by breaking up thioketone bonds under high H2O2 levels in tumors. The synergistic anticancer effects of SA@NPs have been demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro. SA@NPs can achieve significantly enhanced synergetic ferroptosis of tumor cells and show potentiated sorafenib efficacy against hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, SA@NPs have a tumor inhibition rate of 84.2%, which is 1.63-, 4.22-, and 1.29-fold higher than that in the experimental groups treated with free sorafenib, artesunate, and the simplified combined medication of sorafenib/artesunate, respectively. Overall, this work presents a significant advancement in the clinical chemotherapy of liver cancer and may pave the way for promising developments in the compatibility and clinical combination application of traditional Chinese medicine.

Due to the large-scale integration of renewable energy and inevitable disturbing events (including natural disasters and deliberate attacks), the invulnerability of power grids is facing a great challenge, thus the security criterion is demanded to upgrade from N−1 to N−k. However, with the increasing of k and the expanding of network scale, resource consumption of network expansion shows an exponential explosion. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the invulnerability of power grids from a new perspective. In this paper, the definition of nodal N−k security criterion is proposed, which divides buses into different security levels based on realistic demand, and decouples the security analysis from the system level to individual nodes. A two-stage robust optimization model is established, cooperating with the nodal N−k security criterion, the load demand of critical buses could be guaranteed. Moreover, the proposed discrepant upgrade scheme is flexible and has strong generalization performance, where enhanced buses and security levels can be selected independently based on the preferences of decision-makers. The effectiveness and efficiency of the proposal have been demonstrated in 5 cases, i.e., the IEEE 9-bus, 24-bus, 57-bus, 118-bus systems and an actual test system in India.

IntroductionThe management of nutritional risk has garnered significant attention in individuals diagnosed with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) due to the high prevalence of malnutrition and its correlation with unfavorable outcomes. While numerous rating scales exist to assist in assessment for both clinical and research purposes, there is considerable variability in the selection of scales based on the characteristics of the study participants and the study design. The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) in identifying malnutrition and predicting prognosis in elderly AECOPD patients.MethodsFrom January 2022 to December 2022, a consecutive inclusion of elderly AECOPD patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University was conducted. Diagnosing malnutrition in patients using PNI and GNRI, comparing the results with the diagnostic outcomes based on the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria through Receiver Operating Characteristic curves. Logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the risks associated with length of stay (LOS), hospitalization costs, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) based on GLIM, GNRI, or PNI.ResultsA total of 839 elderly AECOPD patients were investigated in the study. The GNRI and PNI demonstrated a sensitivity of 89.5 and 74.1%, specificity of 77.2 and 66.4%, and an area under the curve of 0.834 and 0.702, respectively. The identification of high malnutrition-risk cases using the GLIM, GNRI and PNI were associated with a significant increase in the risk of LOS over 7 days [odds ratio (95% CI) for GLIM, GNRI, PNI: 1.376 (1.033–1.833); 1.405 (1.070–1.846); 1.875 (1.425–2.468)] and higher hospitalization expenses [OR (95% CI) for GLIM, GNRI: 1.498 (1.080–2.080); 1.510 (1.097–2.079)], but not with the CCI.ConclusionAccording to our study, it is possible to use GNRI and PNI as alternatives to GLIM in the context of AECOPD, which makes it easier to identify malnutrition. The utilization of GNRI and PNI as alternatives to GLIM in the context of AECOPD enables the identification of malnutrition. The presence of malnourished individuals experiencing AECOPD is correlated with higher probabilities of extended hospital stays and escalated in-hospital expenses.

Abstract The widespread organic pollutants in wastewater are one of the global environmental problems. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are widely used because of their characteristics of high efficiency and strong oxidation. However, AOPs may have some defects, such as incomplete mineralization of organic pollutants and the generation of toxic by-products during the degradation process, thus it is essential to seek efficient and green wastewater treatment technologies. Coupling different AOPs or other processes is beneficial for the mineralization of pollutants and reduces ecological risks to the environment. It is worth noting that carbonaceous materials (CMs) have received widespread attention and application in the degradation of organic pollutants in water by advanced oxidation coupling processes (C-AOPs) due to their excellent physicochemical properties in recent years. However, the behaviors and mechanisms of C-AOPs based on CMs on the degradation of organic pollutants are still unknown. Therefore, it is essential to comprehensively summarize the recent research progress. In this review, the applications of different CMs in C-AOPs were reviewed first. Secondly, the synergistic mechanisms of the C-AOPs based on different CMs were discussed. Then, toxic intermediates were explored and important toxicity assessment methods were proposed. Finally, the application potential of the C-AOPs in the future and the challenges were proposed. This review provides an important reference for the application and optimization of the C-AOPs in organic wastewater treatment in the future. Graphical Abstract

This work elucidates a methodological approach employed in the process of planning the expansion of distribution network (DN) lines, wherein the amalgamation of system reconfiguration capabilities with operational equilibrium and reliability is paramount. The expansion proposals for the DN and the radial operation schemes post-expansion are encompassed. We formulate a bi-objective DN planning optimization model that concurrently addresses resource optimization configuration and operational optimization. Subsequently, the NSGA-II algorithm is employed to solve the optimization model, providing a coordinated presentation of multiple alternative solutions. However, this problem diverges from conventional bi-objective optimization problems due to its nature as a bi-objective optimization problem with embedded sub-optimization problem, consequently imposing a substantial computational burden. To address this issue, heuristic algorithms are designed to optimize system operational configuration, which is regarded as a sub-optimization problem. The proposed metric, model, and algorithms are validated on two case studies using the IEEE 33-bus and 70-bus test systems. Notably, the proposed method achieves solution efficiency by over 200 times compared to existing methods.

Nodal invulnerability has broad application prospects because of its emphasis on the differences between buses. Due to their long-term exposure, transmission lines are inevitably susceptible to damage caused by physical attacks or extreme weather. Therefore, restoring nodal invulnerability through a remedial approach or the introduction of mobile generators (MGs) is pivotal for resisting subsequent damage after a system is attacked. However, the research devoted to this field is limited. In order to fill the gap, this study conducts research on the configuration of MGs considering power generation balance to recover nodal invulnerability. First, a defender–attacker–defender (DAD) model is established, corresponding to the bi-objective robust optimization problem. The upper-level model is formulated to obtain the optimal compromise configuration scheme, the uncertainties of the attacked lines are elucidated in the middle level, and the nodal N−k security criterion utilized for measuring nodal invulnerability cooperates in the lower level. Then, a modified column-and-constraint generation (C&CG) algorithm is developed to incorporate fuzzy mathematics into the solution framework. In addition, the nodal invulnerability settings are optimized under limited resources. Numerical experiments are executed on the IEEE 24-bus system to verify the effectiveness and rationality of the proposed method.

Introduction: The rising incidence of type 2 diabetes has seriously affected international public health. The search for more drugs that can effectively treat diabetes has become a cutting-edge trend in research. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has attracted much attention in the last decade due to its wide range of biological activities. Many researchers have explored the clinical effects of CoQ10 in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, CoQ10 has low bio-availability due to its high lipophilicity. Therefore, we have structurally optimized CoQ10 in an attempt to exploit the potential of its pharmacological activity.Methods: A novel coenzyme Q10 derivative (L-50) was designed and synthesized by introducing a group containing bromine atom and hydroxyl at the terminal of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), and the antidiabetic effect of L-50 was investigated by cellular assays and animal experiments.Results: Cytotoxicity results showed that L-50 was comparatively low toxicity to HepG2 cells. Hypoglycemic assays indicated that L-50 could increase glucose uptake in IR-HepG2 cells, with significantly enhanced hypoglycemic capacity compared to the CoQ10. In addition, L-50 improved cellular utilization of glucose through reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulated in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells (IR-HepG2) and regulation of JNK/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway, resulting in hypoglycemic effects. Furthermore, the animal experiments demonstrated that L-50 could restore the body weight of HFD/STZ mice. Notably, the findings suggested that L-50 could improve glycemic and lipid metabolism in HFD/STZ mice. Moreover, L-50 could increase fasting insulin levels (FINS) in HFD/STZ mice, leading to a decrease in fasting blood glucose (FBG) and hepatic glycogen. Furthermore, L-50 could recover triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (T-CHO), lipoprotein (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) levels in HFD/STZ mice.Discussion: The addition of a bromine atom and a hydroxyl group to CoQ10 could enhance its anti-diabetic activity. It is anticipated that L-50 could be a promising new agent for T2DM.

BackgroundMany studies have suggested that the serum concentrations of vitamin A (VA) and vitamin E (VE) influence preeclampsia (PE) risk in pregnant women. However, few studies have assessed whether dietary intake and serum concentrations of VA and VE are correlated with PE risk.MethodsA 1:1 matched case-control study was conducted to explore the association between the dietary intake and serum concentrations of VA and VE and the risk of PE in pregnant Chinese women. A total of 440 pregnant women with PE and 440 control pregnant women were included in the study. Dietary information was obtained using a 78-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Serum concentrations of VA and VE were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.ResultsCompared with the lowest quartile, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence interval (CI)] of the highest quartiles were 0.62 (95% CI: 0.40-0.96, P trend = 0.02) for VA, 0.51 (95% CI: 0.33–0.80, P trend =0.002) for β-carotene, and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.45–1.08, P trend = 0.029) for retinol. Additionally, for serum VA and VE concentrations, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) were 2.75 (95% CI: 1.24–6.13, P trend = 0.002) and 11.97 (95% CI: 4.01–35.77, P trend < 0.001), respectively. No significant association was seen between VE intake and PE risk.ConclusionsDietary VA intake was negatively correlated with PE risk, and serum VA and VE concentrations were positively correlated with PE risk among pregnant Chinese women.

Highlights 1. Common preparation and modification methods of biochar for removing air pollutants are introduced. 2. Removal performance and mechanisms of biochar for air pollutants are discussed. 3. The influencing factors and regeneration methods of biochar for the removal of air pollutants are explored.

Abstract Sorghum has been widely used for liquor production and brewing, but how to make efficiently utilize sorghum straw (SS) has become an urgent problem. Meanwhile, the wastewater produced by winemaking is typical organic wastewater with a high ammonium concentration. To solve the problem of resource utilization of SS and remove ammonium from water, SS was used to prepare biochar as an adsorbent for ammonium adsorption. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to study the influencing factors and adsorption mechanisms of ammonium onto sorghum straw biochar (SSB). The results showed that the adsorption capacity of SSB was much higher than that of SS. The SSB pyrolyzed at 300 °C had the highest adsorption capacity. The favorable pH was 6–10, and the optimal dosage was 2.5 g/L. The adsorption process and behavior conformed to the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm adsorption models. The maximum ammonium adsorption capacity of SSB at 45 °C was 7.09 mg/g, which was equivalent to 7.60 times of SS. The ammonium adsorption of SS and SSB was mainly chemical adsorption. The regeneration test indicated that SSB had good regeneration performance after three adsorption-regeneration cycles. This work suggests that SSB could be potentially applied to sewage treatment containing ammonium to achieve the purpose of resource recycling.

Summary: Background: Data on the long-term trajectories of lung function are scarce in COVID-19 survivors. Methods: We re-analyzed the data from a prospective longitudinal cohort follow-up study of COVID-19 survivors over 2 years after infection. All participants were divided into scale 3, scale 4 and scale 5-6 groups according to seven-category ordinal scale. The changes of pulmonary function tests (PFTs), the Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea Scale, 6-min walking test health-related quality of life (HRQoL) across the three serial follow-up visits were evaluated, and compared among three groups. We performed liner regression to determine potential factors that were associated with changes of PFTs and distance walked in 6 minutes (6MWD). Findings: In this study, 288 participants generally presented an improvement of PFTs parameters from 6 months to 1 year after infection. The scale 5-6 group displayed a significantly higher increase of PFTs compared with scale 3 and scale 4 groups (all p

Bronchogenic cysts are congenital malformations caused by aberrant foregut budding. They major occur in the thorax, with subdiaphragmatic cases being uncommon. Here, we present a series of 19 patients diagnosed with subdiaphragmatic bronchogenic cysts histopathologically at a single institution in China from 2012 to 2021. A literature review was also conducted by searching the PubMed database using keywords related to “bronchogenic cysts” and “subdiaphragmatic,” yielding 107 cases. Taken together, the 126 cases had a median age of 41.0 years (interquartile range, 30.0–51.0 years) and 62 of them were male (49.2%). The cysts were most commonly detected in the left adrenal region (36.2%), followed by the pancreatic region (11.5%) and gastric cardia/lesser curvature of the stomach (9.2%). All patients except two underwent surgery for a definite diagnosis, symptom alleviation, and (or) malignancy prevention. Most patients recovered fast and were discharged from the hospital within 1 week after surgery, and the surgical complications were infrequent. The prognosis was generally favorable, as no recurrence was reported during the follow-up as long as 77 months.

Abstract Massive production of efficacious SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is essential for controlling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We report here the preclinical development of yeast-produced receptor-binding domain (RBD)-based recombinant protein SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. We found that monomeric RBD of SARS-CoV-2 could be efficiently produced as a secreted protein from transformed Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris) yeast. Yeast-derived RBD-monomer possessed functional conformation and was able to elicit protective level of neutralizing antibodies in mice. We further designed and expressed a genetically linked dimeric RBD protein in yeast. The engineered dimeric RBD was more potent than the monomeric RBD in inducing long-lasting neutralizing antibodies. Mice immunized with either monomeric RBD or dimeric RBD were effectively protected from live SARS-CoV-2 virus challenge even at 18 weeks after the last vaccine dose. Importantly, we found that the antisera raised against the RBD of a single SARS-CoV-2 prototype strain could effectively neutralize the two predominant circulating variants B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, implying broad-spectrum protective potential of the RBD-based vaccines. Our data demonstrate that yeast-derived RBD-based recombinant SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are feasible and efficacious, opening up a new avenue for rapid and cost-effective production of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to achieve global immunization.

Although enterovirus D68 poses a major global threat to children, neither vaccines nor therapeutics are currently available. Using Cryo-EM, Zhang et al. show that two murine-derived monoclonal antibodies with therapeutic efficacy neutralize virions via binding to the canyon region, creating steric hindrance for sialic acid receptor binding.

The leading edges of aero-engine fan and compressor blades suffer from severe erosion due to the inhalation of suspended particulates in the low-altitude atmosphere during long-term transport. A small deformation of the leading edge can significantly change the aerodynamic performance under a strong non-linear effect, leading to increased operation and maintenance costs for engines. This review first focuses on leading-edge erosion morphology during service, and models of these damages. Secondly, the performance degradation caused by eroded leading edges on different classes of engine components, including airfoils, blades, compression systems, and the whole engine, are reviewed. Finally, optimization methods for eroded blade leading edges and their effects on performance recovery are summarized. This paper contributes to an in-depth understanding of the erosion mechanism of blade leading edges in terms of status and its effect, and is a good reference for establishing erosion leading edge repair methods and improving the level of automated repair.

A person-following robot is under development for astronaut assistance on the Chinese Space Station. Real-time astronaut detection and tracking are the most important prerequisites for in-cabin flying assistant robots so that they can follow a specific astronaut and offer him/her assistance. In the limited space in the space station cabin, astronauts stand close to each other when working collaboratively; thus, large regions of their bodies tend to overlap in the image. In addition, because astronauts wear the same clothes most of the time, it is difficult to distinguish an individual astronaut using human body features. In this paper, we distinguish the astronauts by tracking their heads in the image. A deep learning model trained using big data is proposed for effective head detection. In addition, a motion model based on spatial clues is combined with the head detection results to track astronauts in the scene. A complete pipeline of the algorithm has been implemented and run efficiently on the Tegra X2 embedded AI microprocessor. A set of experiments were carried out and successfully validated the effectiveness of the proposed tracking algorithm. This algorithm is a step toward the implementation of robot assistants, especially in resource-limited environments.

Here, the authors identify and characterize two mouse-derived monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that target different epitopes in RBD and block the interaction S/ACE2 and show that a formulated humanized version cocktail exhibits prophylaxis and therapeutic antiviral effects in an hACE2-adenovector expressed mouse model.

AimSmoker COPD patients with chest radiological signs of prior tuberculosis (TB) showed more severe lung damage, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Emerging evidence has implicated NK cells in the pathogenesis of both COPD and TB. The purpose of this study was to delineate the profile and cytokine production of NK-cell subpopulations and their immunometabolic changes after exposure to both cigarette smoke (CS) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB).MethodsWe profiled NK-cell subpopulations in terms of percentage and cytokine production by flow cytometry in smoker patients with pulmonary TB (PTB). In an in vitro coexposure model, we investigated proinflammatory cytokine production, glycolytic influx, and oxidative phosphorylation of NK cells under CS extract (CSE) and PPD costimulation.ResultsPeripheral blood NK cells in smoker patients with active PTB (CS+PTB group) showed altered proportion of subpopulations and excessive proinflammatory cytokine expressions. In vitro, CSE- and PPD-coexposed NK-92 cells displayed enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production, concurrent with decreased glycolytic influx and oxidative phosphorylation.ConclusionSmoker patients with active PTB showed enhanced proinflammatory cytokine expression within altered NK cell subpopulations. CSE and PPD coexposure induced heightened cytokine production concurrent with impaired cell metabolism in NK cells. These novel data suggest a potential role of NK cells in the pathogenesis of lung injury in subjects with coexposure to CS and TB.

BackgroundCytokine storm observed in patients with severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) contributes to poor clinical outcomes and increased mortality. Janus kinases (JAKs) are important mediators in the cytokine storm. Therefore, we conduct a living systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature investigating efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors for patients with COVID-19.MethodsDatabases were searched up to December 1, 2021 for interventional and observational studies comparing JAK inhibitor treatment with concurrent control in patients with COVID-19. Efficacy and safety outcomes were evaluated by pooled risk ratio (RR).ResultsOf 3,170 records retrieved, 15 studies were eligible and 13 were evaluated in the meta-analysis (n = 3,977). Based on data from three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), baricitinib treatment significantly decreased mortality by day 28 in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (RR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.51–0.80) without increasing the incidence of adverse outcomes. In subgroup analysis, patients who required supplemental oxygen (RR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.41–0.95) or high-flow oxygen/non-invasive ventilation (RR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.42–0.85) at baseline benefited most. Pooled analysis of all eligible studies for JAK inhibitors (baricitinib, ruxolitinib, tofacitinib, and nezulcitinib) demonstrated a significant decrease in mortality (RR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.49–0.78) with no increase in the risk of adverse events.ConclusionBaricitinib probably decreases mortality in hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19, especially for patients who required supplemental oxygen or high-flow oxygen/non-invasive ventilation at baseline. The efficacy and safety of other JAK inhibitors, such as ruxolitinib, tofacitinib, and nezulcitinib, await more evidence.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021261414, identifier: CRD42021261414.

Backgrounds. Patients with COPD often visit the emergency department (ED) due to exacerbation of respiratory symptoms (dyspnea, cough, and sputum production). Because manifestations of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) are nonspecific, differential diagnosis is critical in this acute setting. The causes for emergency visiting and the in-hospital outcomes are varied in patients with COPD. This study aimed to investigate the distributions of etiologies and the in-hospital outcomes of patients with COPD who presented to the ED because of exacerbation of respiratory symptoms. Methods. This was a retrospective study on COPD patients who had visited the ED and been hospitalized in a tertiary hospital because of worsening respiratory symptoms including cough, sputum production, and dyspnea from January 2017 to April 2020. Demographics, clinical manifestations, and laboratory studies in the ED were collected as the baseline data. The primary diagnosis at discharge or death was recorded. The hospitalization settings (general wards and ICU), the in-hospital outcomes, and associated factors were analyzed. Results. During the study period, 392 patients with COPD (male 302 (77.0%)), with a median age of 78 years, visited the ED and hospitalized in this hospital. The first 3 causes for emergency visit were AECOPD (n = 314, 80.1%), acute coronary artery syndrome with or without congestive heart failure (n = 24, 6.1%), and pulmonary embolism (n = 13, 3.3%). For patients with AECOPD (n = 314), 51.6% (n = 162) was admitted to ICU, and 6.4% (n = 20) died. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that age, atrial fibrillation, NT-pro BNP ≥300 pg/ml, and blood pH

Tropical cyclones (TCs) can influence climate by pumping heat into the ocean, yet little is known about how the TC-induced ocean heat uptake (OHU) has changed in recent decades. Based on ocean reanalysis, we calculated OHU and found a significant decline of TC-induced OHU from 1982 to 2018. If all the ocean heat gain is balanced by poleward heat transport, approximately 15% of peak ocean heat transport would have been reduced during the study period. The decreasing trend of OHU is consistent with the enhanced ocean stratification, the shallowed mixed layer depth and the reduced cold wake size. The reduction of OHU primarily occurs in the Northwest Pacific, where the shortened TC lifespan contributes as well. Furthermore, the decline of OHU might offset about 28% of the upper ocean warming in the subtropical Northwest Pacific.

In this study, we propose to synthesize NPs using plant extract containing active biomedical components, with the goal of obtaining NPs that inherit the biomedical activities of the plant. Herein, we report the synthesis of manganese dioxide nanoparticles (VBLE-MnO2 NPs) using the leaves extract of Viola betonicifolia, in which the biological active plant’s secondary metabolites function as both reducing and capping agents. The synthesized NPs were successfully characterized with different spectroscopic techniques. The antibacterial, antifungal, and biofilm inhibition properties of the synthesized VBLE-MnO2 NPs were further explored against a variety of bacteria (Gram-positive and Gram-negative) and mycological species. Additionally, their antioxidant ability against linoleic acid peroxidation inhibition, cytobiocompatibility with hMSC cells, and cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells were investigated compared to leaves extract and chemically synthesized manganese dioxide NPs (CH-MnO2 NPs). The results were demonstrated that the synthesized VBLE-MnO2 NPs presented excellent antibacterial, antifungal, and biofilm inhibition performance against all the tested microbial species compared to plant leaves extract and CH-MnO2 NPs. Moreover, they also exhibited significant antioxidant potential, which was comparable to the external standard (ascorbic acid); however, it was higher than plant leaves extract and CH-MnO2 NPs. Furthermore, the synthesized CH-MnO2 NPs displayed good cytobiocompatibility with hMSC cells compared to CH-MnO2 NPs. The enhanced antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and biofilm inhibition efficacy as compared to CH-MnO2 NPs might be attributed to the synergistic effect of the VBLE-MnO2 NPs’ physical properties and the adsorbed biologically active phytomolecules from the leaves extract of V. betonicifolia on their surface. Thus, our study establishes a novel ecologically acceptable route for nanomaterials’ fabrication with increased and/or extra medicinal functions derived from their herbal origins.

Layered graphene oxide (GO) membranes are considered promising separation membranes because of their lamellar structure, strong mechanical strength and strong hydrophilic properties. However, there are a limited number of studies on the mechanism of water transport through a layered GO membrane. In this paper, by using a self-synthesized layered GO membrane, we developed and validated the first dynamic equation to describe water transport through a layered GO membrane. The results showed that the relationship between membrane flux and GO loading is an exponential function and that the water flux decreases with increasing GO loading. Then, the dynamic equation was applied to previously reported layered GO membranes to further verify its applicability. This kinetic study on layered GO membranes provides insight into the development of high-performance membranes with high permeability and selectivity.

The remote sensing satellite constellation based on micro-satellites is an important means to construct a global and all-sky earth observation system in the future. Therefore, realizing the recognition of aircraft activities on video micro-satellites is a key technology that needs to be solved urgently. In this paper, an efficient algorithm for aircraft activity recognition that can be deployed on video micro-satellites was proposed. First, aircraft detection was performed on the first incoming remote sensing image using a robust DCNN-based object detection model. Then, a multi-target tracking model incorporating geospatial information was built for aircraft tracking and activity recognition. The algorithm was deployed on an embedded AI computer which was a COTS component. The algorithm was verified using remote sensing videos from commercial micro-satellites. Experimental results show that the algorithm can process aircraft targets of different sizes, and is equally effective even with complex environmental backgrounds, lighting conditions, and various movements of the aircraft, such as turning, entering, and exiting. Based on aircraft tracking results and geospatial information, the motion speed of each aircraft can be obtained, and its activity can be divided into parking, taxiing, or flying. The scheme proposed in this paper has good application prospects in the realization of on-orbit event recognition in micro-satellites with limited computing and memory resources.

Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) has been shown to correlate with a host of disorders associated with arterial stiffness. Type 2 diabetes is associated with the involvement of both small vessels and large vessels. Studies on the relevance of baPWV to early diabetic nephropathy are scarce. This retrospective observational case-control study enrolled 120 patients with type 2 diabetes from our medical records. We classified patients into two groups depending on the magnitude of albuminuria: 60 patients with microalbuminuria were classified as the early diabetic nephropathy group (EDN group) and 60 patients without albuminuria were classified as the diabetes without nephropathy group (DWN group). An additional 30 nondiabetic age- and sex-matched controls were also enrolled. Data regarding the lipid profile, blood pressure, baPWV, high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) level, anthropometric measurements, urine albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR), serum creatinine level, and glycemic control indices (i.e., fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial glucose (PPG), and glycosylated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c)) were recorded for all enrolled participants. baPWV was significantly higher in the EDN group than in the DWN group. Moreover, baPWV was positively correlated with age, duration of diabetes, obesity, poor glycemic control, and high serum levels of triglycerides (TG), hs-CRP, creatinine, and uric acid as well as a high UACR (all P

P-nitrophenol (PNP), a highly toxic carcinogen, is very stable due to its benzene structure. Advanced oxidation technology is becoming the main means for degrading it. A nano iron-cobalt (Co-nZVI) catalyst, supported by granular activated carbon (GAC), was prepared using liquid-phase reduction, and sodium persulfate’s (PS’s) potential to degrade PNP was studied. The Co-nZVI/GAC nanocomposites were classified, and effects of PS dosage, Co-nZVI/GAC dosage, material system type, PNP concentration, initial pH, and material reuse rate on the reaction were investigated. Activated carbon successfully supported iron and cobalt. At 1 mmol/L of PS, the maximum PNP degradation rate was 99.19%, which was unachievable at other dosages. With only Co-nZVI/GAC present, the rate was 69.8%; with activated persulfate present, it increased to 99.19%. The activated PS system was relatively stable under acidic conditions. Catalysis was induced by adding Co-nZVI/GAC (1.5 g/L). When added four times, the catalytic rate was 57%. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) showed that PNP degradation involves the transfer of PNP to p-benzoquinone (PBQ), the main activators being iron(II) and iron(III) and the key active substances being sulfate (SO42−) and hydroxide (·OH). In conclusion, Co-nZVI/GAC-activated PS effectively removes PNP.

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Most of the currently approved SARS-CoV-2 vaccines use the prototype strain-derived spike (S) protein or its receptor-binding domain (RBD) as the vaccine antigen. The emergence of several novel SARS-CoV-2 variants has raised concerns about potential immune escape. In this study, we performed an immunogenicity comparison of prototype strain-derived RBD, S1, and S ectodomain trimer (S-trimer) antigens and evaluated their induction of neutralizing antibodies against three circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, including B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and B.1.617.1. We found that, at the same antigen dose, the RBD and S-trimer vaccines were more potent than the S1 vaccine in eliciting long-lasting, high-titer broadly neutralizing antibodies in mice. The RBD immune sera remained highly effective against the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and B.1.617.1 variants despite the corresponding neutralizing titers decreasing by 1.2-, 2.8-, and 3.5-fold relative to that against the wild-type strain. Significantly, the S-trimer immune sera exhibited comparable neutralization potency (less than twofold variation in neutralizing GMTs) towards the prototype strain and all three variants tested. These findings provide valuable information for further development of recombinant protein-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and support the continued use of currently approved SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in the regions/countries where variant viruses circulate.

Coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) is one of the major pathogens responsible for hand, foot and mouth disease, which affects more than two million children in the Asian-Pacific region annually. Previous studies have shown that scavenger receptor B2 is a functional receptor for CVA16 that facilitates the uncoating process. However, it remains unclear whether other receptors are required for efficient CVA16 infection. In this study, by using a variety of assays we demonstrated that CVA16 utilizes surface heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans as its attachment receptor. We further showed that five surface-exposed positively charged residues located in a cluster at the five-fold vertex of the virion are critical to heparan sulfate binding and cellular attachment of CVA16. Among the five residues, the arginine at position 166 (R166) of VP1 capsid protein appeared to be the most important for the interaction between CVA16 and heparan sulfate. Alanine substitution at this site (R166A) almost completely abolished heparan sulfate binding and cellular attachment of the virus. Our work achieves insight into the early events of CVA16 infection, thereby providing information that may facilitate the rational design of antiviral drugs and vaccines against CVA16 infection.Emerging Microbes & Infections (2017) 6, e65; doi:10.1038/emi.2017.55; published online 26 July 2017

The development of multidrug- and toxin-resistant bacteria as a result of increasing industrialization and sustained and intense antimicrobial use in aquaculture results in human health problems through increased incidence of food-borne illnesses. Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) are self-transmissible mobile genetic elements that allow bacteria to acquire complex new traits through horizontal gene transfer and encode a wide variety of genetic information, including resistance to antibiotics and heavy metals; however, there is a lack of studies of ICEs of environmental origin in Asia. Here, we determined the prevalence, genotypes, heavy metal resistance and antimicrobial susceptibility of 997 presumptive strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (tlh+, tdh–), a Gram-negative bacterium that causes gastrointestinal illness in humans, isolated from four species of aquaculture shrimp in Jiangsu, China. We found that 59 of the 997 isolates (5.9%) were ICE-positive, and of these, 9 isolates tested positive for all resistance genes. BLAST analysis showed that similarity for the eight strains to V. parahaemolyticus was 99%. Tracing the V. parahaemolyticus genotypes, showed no significant relevance of genotype among the antimicrobial resistance strains bearing the ICEs or not. Thus, in aquaculture, ICEs are not the major transmission mediators of resistance to antibiotics or heavy metals. We suggest future research to elucidate mechanisms that drive transmission of resistance determinants in V. parahaemolyticus.

Abstract Adropin is a liver‐ and brain‐secreted peptide hormone with striking effects on fuel metabolism regulation in a number of tissues. Previous studies demonstrated that adropin secretion is decreased in obese mice subjected to a long‐term high‐fat diet (HFD), and that whole‐body loss of adropin expression resulted in systemic insulin resistance. Treatment of obese mice with adropin improves glucose tolerance, which has been linked to increased glucose oxidation and inhibition of fatty acid utilization in isolated skeletal muscle homogenates. In this study, we used in vivo physiological measurements to determine how treatment of obese mice with adropin affects whole‐body glucose metabolism. Treatment with adropin reduced fasting blood glucose and, as shown previously, increased glucose tolerance in HFD mice during standard glucose tolerance tests. Under hyperinsulinemic‐euglycemic clamp conditions, adropin treatment led to a nonsignificant increase in whole‐body insulin sensitivity, and a significant reduction in whole‐body glucose uptake. Finally, we show that adropin treatment suppressed hepatic glucose production and improved hepatic insulin sensitivity. This correlated with reduced expression of fatty acid import proteins and gluconeogenic regulatory enzymes in the liver, suggesting that adropin treatment may impact the pathways that drive vital aspects of hepatic glucose metabolism.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of sitagliptin compared with voglibose added to combined metformin and insulin in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM). METHODS: In this 12-week prospective, randomized, parallel trial, 70 newly diagnosed T2DM patients with glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥9% and/or fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥11.1 mmol/L were randomized (1:1) to receive sitagliptin 100 mg per day + metformin + insulin glargine or voglibose 0.2 mg three times daily + metformin + insulin glargine. Change in HbA1c at week 12 was the primary endpoint. RESULTS: The mean baseline HbA1c was 11.0% in the patients. The changes in HbA1c from baseline were -6.00% in the sitagliptin group and -3.58% in the voglibose group, and the between-group difference was -2.42% (95% CI -1.91 to -2.93, p=0.02). The differences in FPG and homeostatic model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-β) and the change in body weight between groups from baseline were -2.95 mmol/L (p=0.04), 43.91 (p=0.01) and -2.23 kg (p=0.01), respectively. One patient (2.9%) in the sitagliptin group and three patients (8.6%) in the voglibose group exhibited hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS: Sitagliptin added to combined metformin and insulin therapy showed greater efficacy and good safety regarding hypoglycemia in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM compared with voglibose.

Confronted with the increasingly serious water pollution in China, companies are implementing scientific measures to strive for sustainable drinking water source regions (DWSRs). The challenge lies in how to evaluate available DWSRs. Considering the complexity and uncertainty existing in the evaluation process, we deem this process a complicated multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problem. It involves fuzzy decision information, prioritized relationships among different criteria, and distinctively allocated weights of decision makers regarding different alternatives. By utilizing the asymmetrical weak probabilistic hesitant fuzzy elements (P-HFES) to depict fuzzy data, this paper leads a direction to investigating a data-driven MCGDM approach and its application to evaluate available DWSRs. First, considering the common sense that criteria are not always given symmetrical priority, we propose a series of aggregation operators for integrating weak P-HFEs by including the prioritized relationship of criteria. Moreover, the importance weights of criteria and decision makers are objectively determined through a priority-based basic unit interval and monotonic (P-BUM) function and some novel distance measures, respectively. Finally, an evaluation approach is established. It aims to handle MCGDM problems with incomplete weight information regarding the criteria and decision makers in weak probabilistic hesitant fuzzy circumstance. Practically, focusing on evaluating three DWSRs, a realistic example of application is furnished to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Compared to ground-based observation, using video satellite to track space objects and determine the orbit has a unique advantage, which can provide strong support for space mission guarantee, object identification, important spacecraft collision warning, and so on. The accuracy of line-of-sight measurement by video satellite directly affects the final positioning accuracy; it is very necessary to analyze and calibrate the line-of-sight measurement error. In this article, a mathematical model of line-of-sight measurement is established using the transformation from image plane to object position. The error sources and the relationship between each other are analyzed comprehensively. The error of line-of-sight measurement caused by the optical axis determination error and the object detection error are calculated, respectively, and their statistical properties are studied. Finally, a concise and practical analytic formula of the error range of line-of-sight measurement is derived. Simulation results verify the theoretical analysis, and the minimum error point of line-of-sight measurement on image plane is researched. It is indicated that the effect of the satellite attitude and the position of the object on image plane are highly coupled to the error range of line-of-sight measurement.

Compared to ground-based observation, space-based observation is an effective approach to catalog and monitor increasing space objects. In this paper, space object detection in a video satellite image with star image background is studied. A new detection algorithm using motion information is proposed, which includes not only the known satellite attitude motion information but also the unknown object motion information. The effect of satellite attitude motion on an image is analyzed quantitatively, which can be decomposed into translation and rotation. Considering the continuity of object motion and brightness change, variable thresholding based on local image properties and detection of the previous frame is used to segment a single-frame image. Then, the algorithm uses the correlation of object motion in multiframe and satellite attitude motion information to detect the object. Experimental results with a video image from the Tiantuo-2 satellite show that this algorithm provides a good way for space object detection.

In recent years, enterovirus D68 (EVD68) has been reported increasingly to be associated with severe respiratory tract infections and acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in children all over the world. Yet, no effective vaccines or antiviral drugs are currently available for EVD68. Although several experimental animal models have been developed, immunogenicity and protective efficacy of inactivated EVD68 vaccines has not been fully evaluated. To promote the development of vaccines, we established an Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) suckling mouse model of EVD68 infection in this study. The results showed that ICR neonatal mice up to about nine days of age were susceptible to infection with EVD68 clinical strain US/MO/14-18947 by intraperitoneal injection. The infected mice exhibited progressive limb paralysis prior to death and the mortality of mice was age- and virus dose-dependent. Tissue viral load analysis showed that limb muscle and spinal cord were the major sites of viral replication. Moreover, histopathologic examination revealed the severe necrosis of the limb and juxtaspinal muscles, suggesting that US/MO/14-18947 has a strong tropism toward muscle tissues. Additionally, β-propiolactone-inactivated EVD68 vaccine showed high purity and quality and induced robust EVD68-specific neutralizing antibody responses in adult mice. Importantly, results from both antisera transfer and maternal immunization experiments clearly showed that inactivated EVD68 vaccine was able to protect against lethal viral infection in the mouse model. In short, these results demonstrate the successful establishment of the mouse model of EVD68 infection for evaluating candidate vaccines against EVD68 and also provide important information for the development of inactivated virus-based EVD68 vaccines.

Bimetallic nanoclusters have a wide range of uses, and Re-W has been shown to be a catalyst due to its good properties, so it is crucial to study Re-W nanoclusters at the microscopic scale in order to obtain better-performing Re-W nanoclusters. This research investigates the diffusion and structural modification of Re on the surfaces of W nanoclusters at high temperatures. The EAM potential function is employed in this work to explain the interaction between Re and W, and the LAMMPS (large-scale atom/polar massively parallel simulation) package is used for the simulation. We observed the diffusion phenomenon in our investigation by depositing Re atoms on the surface of the W nanoclusters. The findings demonstrate that there are differences in the exchange energy barriers between the Re and W atoms at various locations. At the intersection of the faces, the more (110) faces there are, the lower the exchange energy barrier between the Re and W atoms. During diffusion, the mechanisms of vacancy formation and migration were investigated. The results of the analysis demonstrate that the formation and migration of these vacancies are facilitated by the presence of Re atoms. Furthermore, we noticed that the lattice structure changed throughout the entire deposition process. This observation offers a theoretical direction for producing Re-W bimetallic nanoclusters with a little lattice distortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]