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Abstract Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum), has had a worldwide resurgence in recent years and remains a public health threat. As such, there has been a great deal of research into clinical strategies for the disease, including diagnostic biomarkers and possible strategies for treatment and prevention. Although serological testing remains the predominant laboratory diagnostic method for syphilis, it is worth noting that investigations pertaining to the DNA of T. pallidum, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), chemokines, and metabolites in peripheral blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and other bodily fluids have the potential to offer novel perspectives on the diagnosis of syphilis. In addition, the global spread of antibiotic resistance, such as macrolides and tetracyclines, has posed significant challenges for the treatment of syphilis. Fortunately, there is still no evidence of penicillin resistance. Hence, penicillin is the recommended course of treatment for syphilis, whereas doxycycline, tetracycline, ceftriaxone, and amoxicillin are viable alternative options. In recent years, efforts to discover a vaccine for syphilis have been reignited with better knowledge of the repertoire of T. pallidum outer membrane proteins (OMPs), which are the most probable syphilis vaccine candidates. However, research on therapeutic interventions and vaccine development for human subjects is limited due to practical and ethical considerations. Thus, the preclinical model is ideal for conducting research, and it plays an important role in clinical transformation. Different preclinical models have recently emerged, such as in vitro culture and mouse models, which will lay a solid foundation for clinical treatment and prevention of syphilis. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the most recent syphilis tactics, including detection, drug resistance treatments, vaccine development, and preclinical models in clinical practice.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a prevalent food additive, yet comprehensive data on particle size and dietary exposure are lacking in China. Transmission electron microscopy results revealed that the quantitative proportion of nanoparticles (NPs) in food-additive TiO2 was 37.7%, with a mass fraction of 9.89%. Laboratory test results showed that among the domestic products surveyed, candies excluding gum-based candies contained the highest content of TiO2. Using consumption data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey in 2018, the average dietary exposure for TiO2 and TiO2 NPs in the Chinese population were calculated at 34.84 and 3.44 μg/kg bw/day, respectively. The primary dietary sources were puffed food and powdered drinks. Exposure varied significantly across age and region, with children and Inner Mongolia residents having the highest intake. TiO2 NP exposure showed a negative correlation with age. Despite this, the dietary exposure risk of TiO2 NPs for the Chinese population remains deemed acceptable.

Aluminum (Al) and its alloys are widely used in various fields due to their excellent physical properties. Although many efforts have been made to fabricate an Al-based composite, they usually results in a significant decrease in electrical conductivity. Herein, a special layer-structured Al/graphene (Gr)/Al composite was successfully designed and fabricated through a facile method using the ultrasonic spraying of graphene powder with alumina removal and a subsequent vacuum hot-pressing process. The as-obtained Al/Gr/Al composite presents a significantly enhanced electrical conductivity of 66% IACS, which is much higher than that of other reported Al-based composites, while it still maintains similar mechanical properties. This work provides a new strategy for the development of highly conductive Al-based composites, which would be very useful and important for practical applications.

The growing demand for lithium‐ion batteries to power electric vehicles and other energy‐dense devices continues to fuel the need for cathodes of increasingly higher nickel in cathodes. The relentless pursuit of high Ni content, however, raises concerns on compromising cell lifetime and safety, especially under high‐voltage operation. Alternative to the traditional design of uniform or core–shell composition, we report a rational control of local stoichiometry in high‐Ni cathodes, enabling their high thermal and cycling stabilities—up to 258 °C at the fully charged state and 91.4% capacity retention for 100 cycles between 2.7 and 4.4 V. Multimodal synchrotron X‐ray characterization unveils the heterostructure of secondary particles, featuring a high‐Ni core (LiNi0.90Mn0.05Co0.05O2) covered by a thin Ni‐gradient layer that remains stable over prolonged cycling due to suppressed oxygen release and structural deterioration. This work underlines, the intricate interplay between local stoichiometry and redox reactions in stabilizing high‐Ni cathodes for high‐voltage operation while ensuring safety.

Novel techniques and methodologies are being developed to advance food safety risk assessment into the next-generation. Considering the shortcomings of traditional animal testing, new approach methodologies (NAMs) will be the main tools for the next-generation risk assessment (NGRA), using non-animal methodologies such as in vitro and in silico approaches. The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the European Food Safety Authority have established work plans to encourage the development and application of NAMs in NGRA. Currently, NAMs are more commonly used in research than in regulatory risk assessment. China is also developing NAMs for NGRA but without a comprehensive review of the current work. This review summarizes major NAM-related research articles from China and highlights the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA) as the primary institution leading the implementation of NAMs in NGRA in China. The projects of CFSA on NAMs such as the Food Toxicology Program and the strategies for implementing NAMs in NGRA are outlined. Key issues and recommendations, such as discipline development and team building, are also presented to promote NAMs development in China and worldwide.

Kaempferol is a natural flavonoid with reported bioactivities found in many fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs. However, its effects on exercise performance and muscle metabolism remain inconclusive. The present study investigated kaempferol’s effects on improving exercise performance and potential mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. The grip strength, exhaustive running time, and distance of mice were increased in the high-dose kaempferol group (p < 0.01). Also, kaempferol reduced fatigue-related biochemical markers and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) related to antioxidant capacity. Kaempferol also increased the glycogen and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in the liver and skeletal muscle, as well as glucose in the blood. In vitro, kaempferol promoted glucose uptake, protein synthesis, and mitochondrial function and decreased oxidative stress in both 2D and 3D C2C12 myotube cultures. Moreover, kaempferol activated the PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways in the C2C12 cells. It also upregulated the key targets of glucose uptake, mitochondrial function, and protein synthesis. These findings suggest that kaempferol improves exercise performance and alleviates physical fatigue by increasing glucose uptake, mitochondrial biogenesis, and protein synthesis and by decreasing ROS. Kaempferol’s molecular mechanism may be related to the regulation of the PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways.

Copper (Cu) and its related composites are widely used and hence extremely important in industrial applications. Much efforts have been made to improve the physical properties of Cu, but usually lead to degradation of electrical performance. Herein, this work develops a facile way to fabricate layer-structured graphene/copper composite using graphene powder sprayed on Cu foil as building blocks. Compared to pure Cu bulk, significant improvement of both the electrical conductivity of 105.12% IACS and also ∼17% enhanced tensile strength is achieved. This strategy provides a versatile way to produce high-performance Cu composite in large with low cost for practical applications.

Abstract Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a group of heterogeneous hematologic malignancies with a risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of the specific roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in MDS would create novel ways to identify diagnostic and therapeutic targets. The lncRNA BC200 is upregulated and acts as an oncogene in various cancers; however, its expression, clinical significance, and roles in MDS remain unclear. Here, we found that BC200 was highly expressed in MDS patients compared with normal individuals. Knockdown of BC200 inhibited MDS cell proliferation, colony formation, and cell cycle progression in vitro and suppressed the growth and invasiveness of MDS cells in vivo. Mechanistic investigations revealed that BC200 functioned as a miRNA sponge to positively regulate the expression of MYB through sponging miR-150-5p and subsequently promoted malignant proliferation of MDS cells. Conversely, we found that BC200 was a direct transcriptional target of MYB, and knockdown of MYB abolished the oncogenic effect of BC200/miR-150-5p. Taken together, our results revealed that the BC200/miR-150-5p/MYB positive feedback loop promoted the proliferation of MDS cells and is expected to be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in MDS.

Abstract MYB is often overexpressed in malignant tumors and plays a carcinogenic role in the initiation and development of cancer. Deletion of the MYB regulatory C-terminal domain may be a driving mutation leading to tumorigenesis, therefore, different tumor mechanisms produce similar MYB proteins. As MYB is a transcription factor, priority has been given to identifying the genes that it regulates. All previous attention has been focused on protein-coding genes. However, an increasing number of studies have suggested that MYB can affect the complexity of cancer progression by regulating tumor-associated noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs, long-non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs. ncRNAs can regulate the expression of numerous downstream genes at the transcription, RNA processing and translation levels, thereby having various biological functions. Additionally, ncRNAs play important roles in regulating MYB expression. This review focuses on the intricate crosstalk between oncogenic MYB and ncRNAs, which play a pivotal role in tumorigenesis, including proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, metastasis, senescence and drug resistance. In addition, we discuss therapeutic strategies for crosstalk between MYB and ncRNAs to prevent the occurrence and development of cancer.

Objective To explore the condiment consumption for restaurant customers in Chinese, and provide basic data for risk assessment of hazards and nutrients in condiment. Methods Weighing method and three-day record method were used to investigate the condiment usage of 126 restaurants in 7 provinces/cities of Beijing, Chongqing, Liaoning, Shandong, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shaanxi. Meanwhile, the number of people eating in each restaurant every day was recorded to estimate the average consumption. Results The median consumption of condiments per person-time in Chinese restaurants was 3.52 g of salt and substitutes, 1.33 g of flavor enhancer and freshener, 3.63 g of vinegar, 5.18 g of soy sauce, 1.78 g of sauce and its products, 0.25 g of cooking wine and its products,1.54 g of spices, 3.64 g of compound condiments and 0.00 g of other condiments. The difference of condiments consumption among restaurant customers in each province and city was statistically significant(P

Suspended graphene film is of great significance for building high-performance electrical devices. However, fabricating large-area suspended graphene film with good mechanical properties is still a challenge, especially for the chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown graphene films. In this work, the mechanical properties of suspended CVD-grown graphene film are investigated systematically for the first time. It is found that monolayer graphene film is hard to maintain on circular holes with a diameter of tens of micrometers, which can be improved greatly by increasing the layer of graphene films. The mechanical properties of CVD-grown multilayer graphene films suspended on a circular hole with a diameter of 70 µm can be increased by 20%, and multilayer graphene films prepared by layer-layer stacking process can be increased by up to 400% for the same size. The corresponding mechanism was also discussed in detail, which might pave the way for building high-performance electrical devices based on high-strength suspended graphene film.

Hydrotalcite, first found in natural ores, has important applications in supercapacitors. NiCoAl-LDH, as a hydrotalcite-like compound with good crystallinity, is commonly synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Al3+ plays an important role in the crystallization of hydrotalcite and can provide stable trivalent cations, which is conducive to the formation of hydrotalcite. However, aluminum and its hydroxides are unstable in a strong alkaline electrolyte; therefore, a secondary alkali treatment is proposed in this work to produce cation vacancies. The hydrophilicity of the NiCoAl-OH surface with cation vacancy has been greatly improved, which is conducive to the wetting and infiltration of electrolyte in water-based supercapacitors. At the same time, cation vacancies generate a large number of defects as active sites for energy storage. As a result, the specific capacity of the NiCoAl-OH electrode after 10,000 cycles can be maintained at 94.1%, which is much better than the NiCoAl-LDH material of 74%.

Lithium metal is one of the most promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries; however, lithium dendrite growth hinders its large-scale development. So far, the dendrite formation mechanism is unclear. Herein, the dynamic evolution of lithium deposition in etheryl-based and ethylene carbonate (EC)-based electrolytes was obtained by combining an in situ electrochemical atomic force microscope (EC-AFM) with an electrochemical workstation. Three growth modes of lithium particles are proposed: preferential, merged, and independent growth. In addition, a lithium deposition schematic is proposed to clearly describe the morphological changes in lithium deposition. This schematic shows the process of lithium deposition, thus providing a theoretical basis for solving the problem of lithium dendrite growth.

The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) significantly influences the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries. Traditional electrolytes, particularly ether electrolytes, make it challenging to form a stable SEI film, and the corresponding lithium-ion batteries frequently exhibit poor electrochemical performance. In this paper, we develop a stable SEI film to improve fast charging and cycle performance using a localized high concentration electrolyte (LHCE). A unique solvation sheath formed by the coordination of Li+, anion, and solvent in the LHCE caused the anion to migrate quickly to the surface of the graphite anode and decompose to form a LiF-rich SEI. A LHCE enabled the Li||C battery to maintain a capacity of 124 mAh g−1 at a rate of 5 C, and the capacity remained at 289 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles at a rate of 0.1 C, with a capacity retention rate of 73% and an average coulomb efficiency of about 99.8%, thus demonstrating excellent long-cycle performance. The LFP||Li battery capacity at a 5 C rate can also be maintained at 102 mAh g−1.

In the recent 10 years, China has carried out the construction of food safety risk assessment system including microbiological risk assessment (MRA) in accordance with the Food Safety Law, and has made significant progress in the work system and technical system of MRA, which has become an important basis for the risk assessment of foodborne pathogens in China. With the change of food supply chain in the global post epidemic era and the rapid development of new technologies as well as the increasing demand for the modernization of food safety management in China, it will become the main challenge for the construction of food MRA to build assessment model based on China’s dietary consumption behavior, improve the implementation ability and quality of risk assessment, and realize the application of modern technologies in risk assessment.

People in the real world are exposed to multiple chemicals via multiple routes and co-exposure to multiple agents may induce joint effects, which draws extensive attention from the international community. Regulations of many countries oblige risk assessors to conduct cumulative risk assessments based on their own guidelines, findings of which provide the basis for scientific decision-making. By analyzing the method and frameworks of international risk assessment models of multiple chemicals, this paper explores the establishment of a risk assessment framework of multiple chemicals combined exposure to in food in China.

Abstract High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a nonhistone chromatin-associated protein that has been widely reported to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of hematopoietic malignancies. As a representative damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP), HMGB1 normally exists inside cells but can be secreted into the extracellular environment through passive or active release. Extracellular HMGB1 binds with several different receptors and interactors to mediate the proliferation, differentiation, mobilization, and senescence of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). HMGB1 is also involved in the formation of the inflammatory bone marrow (BM) microenvironment by activating proinflammatory signaling pathways. Moreover, HMGB1-dependent autophagy induces chemotherapy resistance in leukemia and multiple myeloma. In this review, we systematically summarize the emerging roles of HMGB1 in carcinogenesis, progression, prognosis, and potential clinical applications in different hematopoietic malignancies. In summary, targeting the regulation of HMGB1 activity in HSCs and the BM microenvironment is highly beneficial in the diagnosis and treatment of various hematopoietic malignancies.

Objective To evaluate the effect of friction behavior on migration levels of metal elements from stainless-steel articles for food contact. Methods The migration levels of metal elements from used and new stainless-steel articles were compared according to GB 4806.9-2016 and Council of Europe Resolution CM/Res (2013) 9. The migration conditions were boiling in 4% acetic acid for 30 min followed by at room temperature for 24 h and soaking in 5 g/L citric acid at 100 ℃ for 2 h, respectively. Meanwhile, the impact of dynamic friction on migration were investigated on new stainless-steel articles, where the friction method were referred to the GB/T 32095.2-2015 standard. Migration of metal elements complied with the corresponding standard. Results Based on the European standard, migration of lead in the first migration test was above limit of quantitation (LOQ) in all five used stainless-steel articles after friction, but none in new ones. The quantification rate of chromium in the first migration test in 80% (4/5) of used stainless-steel articles were above LOQ after friction by GB 4806.9-2016 standard while were 20% (1/5) in new ones. The migration level of Cr was higher by GB 4806.9-2016 standard than by European resolution in single dynamic friction study. Results from the dynamic friction experiments indicated that the migration of Cr and Ni reached equilibrium after 3 times of friction. Conclusion The migration condition in GB 4806.9-2016 standard had stronger leaching ability for Cr from stainless-steel articles than that in European resolution. Friction behavior promoted corrosion and metal element migration of stainless steel. Long-term used stainless-steel products had higher lead and chromium migration than new products, but without safety risks.

Objective To quickly and automatically evaluate the risk of hazardous chemical substances in food quickly and automatically. Methods Based on the Spring MVC framework, a quantitative assessment model of food chemicals was integrated and a visualization of the assessment result was provided. Results A set of food safety risk assessment software chemical hazard based on multi-source data fusion electronic. Conclusion The e-evaluation system described in this article had enabled the process and automation of a quantitative assessment model for the risk of food chemicals. It had also enabled the quantitative assessment model for food chemicals to be widely used in the business, thereby improving the efficiency of assessment.

Objective To analyze the risks of dietary exposure of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP) to 2-6 years children in China using RISK21, so as to provide risk management strategy for phthalic acid esters (PAEs). Methods RISK PLOT module was used to analyze and rank risks, with toxicity as Y-axis and exposure as X-axis and margin of exposure (MOE) and uncertainty factor as parameters. Matrix calculation was conducted, risks level and rank of 7 kinds of PAEs to 2-6 years children were illustrated by visualized graphs. TTC PLOT module was used to analyze risks of DMP, DEP and DIBP, which were lacking of toxicity data. Results RISK PLOT showed that the risks of 7 kinds of PAEs for general population located in the green area, which demonstrated that they had low risk to 2-6 years children, and the risks of high food consumption population ranked in descending order were DBP, DIBP, DEHP, DMP, DEP, DINP and BBP. TTC PLOT showed that the risks of DMP, DEP and DIBP were lower than the corresponding threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) that demonstrated low risks. Conclusion RISK21 framework and tools could be a very useful tool for risk assessment and further risk management, and low risks of dietary exposure of 7 kinds of PAEs to 2-6 years children in China by RISK21 analyzing.

It is significantly important to modulate the electrical properties of graphene films through doping for building desired electronic devices. One of the effective doping methods is the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of graphene films with heteroatom doping during the process, but this usually results in nitrogen-doped graphene with low doping levels, high defect density, and low carrier mobility. In this work, we developed a novel condensation-assisted CVD method for the synthesis of high-quality nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) films at low temperatures of 400 °C using solid 3,4,5-trichloropyridine as a carbon and nitrogen source. The condensation system was employed to reduce the volatilization of the solid source during the non-growth stage, which leads to a great improvement of quality of as-prepared NG films. Compared to the one synthesized using conventional CVD methods, the NG films synthesized using condensation-assisted CVD present extremely low defects with a ratio of from D- to G-peak intensity (ID/IG) in the Raman spectrum lower than 0.35. The corresponding total N content, graphitic nitrogen/total nitrogen ratio, and carrier mobility reach 3.2 at%, 67%, and 727 cm2V−1S−1, respectively. This improved condensation-assisted CVD method provides a facile and well-controlled approach for fabricating high-quality NG films, which would be very useful for building electronic devices with high electrical performance.

Background Drug resistance is the main obstacle in the treatment of leukemia. As a member of the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism, underlying roles of lncRNA are rarely reported in drug-resistant leukemia cells. Methods The gene expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in doxorubicin-resistant K562/ADR and sensitive K562 cells were established by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Expression of differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) and DEmRNAs was validated by qRT-PCR. The potential biological functions of DElncRNAs targets were identified by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses, and the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network was further constructed. K562/ADR cells were transfected with CCDC26 and LINC01515 siRNAs to detect the mRNA levels of GLRX5 and DICER1, respectively. The cell survival rate after transfection was detected by CCK-8 assay. Results The ceRNA network was composed of 409 lncRNA-miRNA pairs and 306 miRNA-mRNA pairs based on 67 DElncRNAs, 58 DEmiRNAs and 192 DEmRNAs. Knockdown of CCDC26 and LINC01515 increased the sensitivity of K562/ADR cells to doxorubicin and significantly reduced the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of doxorubicin. Furthermore, knockdown of GLRX5 and DICER1 increased the sensitivity of K562/ADR cells to doxorubicin and significantly reduced the IC50 of doxorubicin. Conclusions The ceRNA regulatory networks may play important roles in drug resistance of leukemia cells. CCDC26/miR-140-5p/GLRX5 and LINC01515/miR-425-5p/DICER1 may be potential targets for drug resistance in K562/ADR cells. This study provides a promising strategy to overcome drug resistance and deepens the understanding of the ceRNA regulatory mechanism related to drug resistance in CML cells.

Abstract Background Traditional toxicological studies focus on individual compounds. However, this single-compound approach neglects the fact that the mixture exposed to human may act additively or synergistically to induce greater toxicity than the single compounds exposure due to their similarities in the mode of action and targets. Mixture effects can occur even when all mixture components are present at levels that individually do not produce observable effects. So the individual chemical effect thresholds do not necessarily protect against combination effects, an understanding of the rules governing the interactive effects in mixtures is needed. The aim of the study was to test and analyze the individual and combined estrogenic effects of a mixture of three endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), bisphenol A (BPA), nonylphenol (NP) and diethylstilbestrol (DES) in immature rats with mathematical models. Method In the present study, the data of individual estrogenic effects of BPA, NP and DES were obtained in uterotrophic bioassay respectively, the reference points for BPA, NP and DES were derived from the dose-response ralationship by using the traditional no observed adverse effect (NOAEL) or lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL) methods, and the benchmark dose (BMD) method. Then LOAEL values and the benchmark dose lower confidence limit (BMDL10) of single EDCs as the dose design basis for the study of the combined action pattern. Mixed prediction models, the 3 × 2 factorial design model and the concentration addition (CA) model, were employed to analyze the combined estrogenic effect of the three EDCs. Results From the dose-response relationship of estrogenic effects of BPA, NP and DES in the model of the prepuberty rats, the BMDL10(NOAEL) of the estrogenic effects of BPA, NP and DES were 90(120) mg/kg body weight, 6 mg/kg body weight and 0.10(0.25) μg/kg body weight, and the LOAEL of the the estrogenic effects of three EDCs were 240 mg/kg body weight, 15 mg/kg body weight and 0.50 μg/kg body weight, respectively. At BMDL10 doses based on the CA concept and the factorial analysis, the mode of combined effects of the three EDCs were dose addition. Mixtures in LOAEL doses, NP and DES combined effects on rat uterine/body weight ratio indicates antagonistic based on the CA concept but additive based on the factorial analysis. Combined effects of other mixtures are all additive by using the two models. Conclusion Our results showed that CA model provide more accurate results than the factorial analysis, the mode of combined effects of the three EDCs were dose addition, except mixtures in LOAEL doses, NP and DES combined effects indicates antagonistic effects based on the CA model but additive based on the factorial analysis. In particular, BPA and NP produced combination effects that are larger than the effect of each mixture component applied separately at BMDL doses, which show that additivity is important in the assessment of chemicals with estrogenic effects. The use of BMDL as point of departure in risk assessment may lead to underestimation of risk, and a more balanced approach should be considered in risk assessment.

Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed at the interface in lithium-ion batteries plays an important role in isolating electrons and permeating ions during charging/discharging processes. Therefore, the formation of a good interface is crucial for better battery performance. In this study, additives based on adiponitrile (ADN) and trimethyl borate (TMB) were employed to broaden the electrochemical window and form a good SEI layer. Electrochemical Atomic force microscopy (EC-AFM) was used for in situ studies of film-formation mechanisms in high-voltage electrolytes on high-temperature pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), as well as Li- and Mn-rich (LMR) materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) combined with electrochemical methods revealed a synergistic reaction between the two additives to form a more stable interfacial film during charging/discharging processes to yield assembled batteries with improved cycle performance, its capacity increased from below 100 mAh/g to 200 mAh/g after 50 cycles. In sum, these findings would have great significance for the development of high voltage lithium-ion batteries with enhanced performance.

AimsBased on the aortic pressure waveform, a specially designed computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method was proposed to determine coronary angiography-derived diastolic pressure ratio (caDPR) without using invasive pressure wire. The aim of the study is to retrospectively assess diagnostic performance of the caDPR in the catheterization laboratory, based on a previous multicenter trial for online assessment of coronary angiography-derived FFR (caFFR).Methods and ResultsPatients with diagnosis of stable or unstable angina pectoris were enrolled in six centers. Wire-derived FFR was measured in coronary arteries with 30–90% diameter stenosis. Offline caDPR was assessed in blinded fashion against wire-derived FFR at an independent core laboratory. A total of 330 patients who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were enrolled from June 26 to December 18, 2018. Offline computed caDPR and wire-derived FFR were compared in 328 interrogated vessels. The caDPR with a cutoff value of 0.89 shows diagnostic accuracy of 87.7%, sensitivity of 89.5%, specificity of 86.8%, and AUC of 0.940 against the wire-derived FFR with a cutoff value of 0.80.ConclusionsUsing wired-based FFR as the standard reference, there is good diagnostic performance of the novel-CFD-design caDPR. Hence, caDPR could enhance the hemodynamic assessment of coronary lesions.

The effects of lead as a dietary pollutant remain a global public health concern that needs urgent resolution. Children are highly susceptible to the adverse outcomes of lead pollution, as even low levels of lead may cause irreversible damage to intellectual development. Since several sources of lead exposure are present in the environment, it is necessary to identify the attributable burden of lead-related diseases arising from different exposure sources. In the present study, we used epidemiological data from studies around the nation to estimate the burden of mild intellectual disability (MID) attributed to lead exposure sources by using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). To this end, a dose-response approach was used and a model comprising three components was established: exposure, dose-response, and DALYs module. In Chinese children aged 0–6 years, blood lead levels (BLLs) of 5.34 ± 3.09 μg/dL resulted in a MID incidence rate of 12.84 cases per 1000 children, with an estimated burden of disease (BoD) of 42.23 DALYs per 1000 children. Owing to dietary lead exposure, 36.64 healthy life years per 1000 children were lost, which was notably higher than the outcomes associated with exposure from other sources. This was consistent with the result that dietary exposure was the main contributor to children’s lead exposure, accounting for 86.76%. According to the regional distribution based on the existing literature, the areas in China with higher BLLs were Heilongjiang, Shanxi, and Jiangxi. Our findings provided the information for lead risk management decisions and policies making. Keywords: Lead, Children, Diet, MID, BoD

Summary: Great focus has recently been placed on anionic redox, to which high capacities of Li-rich layered oxides are attributed. With almost doubled capacity compared with state-of-the-art cathode materials, Li-rich layered oxides still fall short in other performance metrics. Among these, voltage decay upon cycling remains the most hindering obstacle, in which defect electrochemistry plays a critical role. Here, we reveal that the metastable state of cycled Li-rich layered oxide, which stems from structural defects in different dimensions, is responsible for the voltage decay. More importantly, through mild thermal energy, the metastable state can be driven to a stable state, bringing about structural and voltage recovery. However, for the classic layered oxide without reversible anionic redox, thermal energy can only introduce cation disordering, leading to performance deterioration. These insights elucidate that understanding the structure metastability and reversibility is essential for implementing design strategies to improve cycling stability for high-capacity layered oxides.

Abstract Background China has the world’s largest tea plantation area in the world. To sustain high yields of the tea, multiple pesticides are used on tea crops to control pests. Organophosphorus (OP) pesticides are among the most widely used types of agricultural pesticides in China. As tea is a significant potential source of exposure to pesticide residues, the public concern has increased in relation to pesticide residues found in tea in China. The aim of the study was to estimate cumulative dietary exposure to OP residues from tea infusion for Chinese tea consumers to determine whether exposure to OP residues from tea infusion is a cause of health concern for tea consumers in China. Methods OP residue data were obtained from the China National Monitoring Program on Food Safety (2013–2014), encompassing 1687 tea samples from 12 provinces. Tea consumption data were obtained from the China National Nutrient and Health Survey (2002), comprising 506 tea consumers aged 15–82 years. The transfer rates of residues from tea leaves into tea infusions were obtained from the literature. The relative potency factor (RPF) approach was used to estimate acute cumulative exposure to 20 OP residues from tea infusion using methamidophos as the index compound. Dietary exposure was calculated in a probabilistic way. Results For tea consumers, the mean and the 99.9th percentile (P99.9) of cumulative dietary exposure to OP residues from tea infusion equalled 0.08 and 1.08 μg/kg bw/d. When compared with the acute reference dose (ARfD), 10 μg/kg bw/d for methamidophos, this accounts for 0.8 and 10.8% of the ARfD. Conclusions Even when considering OP residues from vegetables, fruits and other foods, there are no health concerns based on acute dietary exposure to OP residues from tea infusion. However, it is necessary to strengthen the management of the OP pesticides used on tea in China to reduce the risk of chronic dietary exposure to OPs from tea infusion.

As a novel nanomaterial for cancer therapy and antibacterial agent, Cu-doped-ZnO nanocrystals (CZON) has aroused concern recently, but the toxicity of CZON has received little attention. Results of hematology analysis and blood biochemical assay showed that a 50 mg/kg dosage induced the increase in white blood cells count and that the concentration of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and Malonaldehyde (MDA) in the serum, liver, and lungs of the CZON group varied significantly from the control mice. Histopathological examinations results showed inflammation and congestion in the liver and lung after a single injection of CZON at 50 mg/kg. A transmission electron microscope (TEM) result manifested the autolysosome of hepatocyte of mice which received CZON at 50 mg/kg. The significant increase in LC3-II and decrease in p62 of hepatocyte in vivo could be seen in Western blot. These results indicated that CZON had the ability to induce autophagy of hepatocyte. The further researches of mechanism of autophagy revealed that CZON could produce hydroxyl radicals measured by erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The result of bio-distribution of CZON in vivo, investigated by ICP-OES, indicated that CZON mainly accumulated in the liver and two spleen organs. These results suggested that CZON can induce dose-dependent toxicity and autophagy by inducing oxidative stress in major organs. In summary, we investigated the acute toxicity and biological distribution after the intravenous administration of CZON. The results of body weight, histomorphology, hematology, and blood biochemical tests showed that CZON had a dose-dependent effect on the health of mice after a single injection. These results indicated that CZON could induce oxidative damage of the liver and lung by producing hydroxyl radicals at the higher dose.

Lithium-rich layered oxides (LrLOs) deliver extremely high specific capacities and are considered to be promising candidates for electric vehicle and smart grid applications. However, the application of LrLOs needs further understanding of the structural complexity and dynamic evolution of monoclinic and rhombohedral phases, in order to overcome the issues including voltage decay, poor rate capability, initial irreversible capacity loss and etc. The development of aberration correction for the transmission electron microscope and concurrent progress in electron spectroscopy, have fueled rapid progress in the understanding of the mechanism of such issues. New techniques based on the transmission electron microscope are first surveyed, and the applications of these techniques for the study of the structure, migration of transition metal, and the activation of oxygen of LrLOs are then explored in detail, with a particular focus on the mechanism of voltage decay. Keywords: Lithium-ion battery, Transmission electron microscope, Lithium-rich layered oxide, Cathode material

Oxygen activity can play a vital role in determining charge transport properties of materials. Here, the authors demonstrate a method to create oxygen vacancies on layered oxides via a gas-solid interface reaction, leading to materials with enhanced energy and power densities for Li-ion batteries.

Rechargeable aqueous metal-ion batteries are promising for large-scale applications, but performance and stability issues still remain. Here the authors utilize open-framework indium hexacyanoferrate cathodes to improve performance, showing that water-mediated cation intercalation occurs at the cathode.

Despite successful modeling of graphene as a 0.34-nm-thick optical film synthesized by exfoliation or chemical vapor deposition (CVD), graphene-induced shift of surface-plasmon resonance (SPR) of gold films has remained controversial. Here we report the resolution of this controversy by developing a clean CVD graphene transfer method and extending Maxwell-Garnett effective-medium theory (EMT) to two-dimensional (2D) materials. A SPR shift of 0.24° is obtained and it agrees well with 2D EMT in which wrinkled graphene is treated as a 3-nm graphene/air layered composite, in agreement with the average roughness measured by atomic force microscopy. Because the anisotropic built-in boundary condition of 2D EMT is compatible with graphene's optical anisotropy, graphene can be modeled as a film thicker than 0.34 nm without changing its optical property; however, its actual roughness, i.e., effective thickness, will significantly alter its response to strong out-of-plane fields, leading to a larger SPR shift.

Here, we report a two-step synthesis of graphene/sulfur/carbon ternary composite with a multilayer structure. In this composite, ultrathin S layers are uniformly deposited on graphene nanosheets and covered by a thin layer of amorphous carbon derived from β-cyclodextrin on the surface. Such a unique microstructure, not only improves the electrical conductivity of sulfur, but also effectively inhibits the dissolution of polysulfides during charging/discharging processes. As a result, this ternary nanocomposite exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. It can deliver a high initial discharge and charge capacity of 1410 mAh·g−1 and 1370 mAh·g−1, respectively, and a capacity retention of 63.8% can be achieved after 100 cycles at 0.1 C (1 C = 1675 mA·g−1). A relatively high specific capacity of 450 mAh·g−1 can still be retained after 200 cycles at a high rate of 2 C. The synthesis process introduced here is simple and broadly applicable to the modification of sulfur cathode for better electrochemical performance.