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Poor O 2 tolerance and high reaction temperature of the conventional oxygen carriers challenge the direct utilization of impure CO 2 via chemical looping. Here, Pt-Ni bimetallic Ce-based oxygen carriers with excellent O 2 tolerance are developed for highly efficient reduction of O 2 -containing CO 2 at low temperatures. At a temperature as low as 700 °C, high CO 2 conversion (≈92%) is obtained over 0.1 wt% Pt-0.1wt% Ni/CeO 2 oxygen carrier in the CO 2 feed gas with 16.7% O 2 impurities. These results benefit from that Pt-Ni bimetal plays a crucial role in improving CH 4 partial oxidation and accelerating the breaking of the C═O bond to alleviate the competitive oxidation of O 2 impurities. Ni compensates for the reduction of low-temperature redox activity caused by the decrease of Pt content. Moreover, Pt-Ni/CeO 2 oxygen carriers exhibit excellent structural and performance stability during redox cycles. This work presents a feasible strategy for the direct utilization of impure CO 2 at low temperatures and realizing a carbon-neutral cycle., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

VOCs oxidation over transition metal catalyst is commonly understood via the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism involving the crucial role of lattice oxygen (O L ) activity, however, how it is influenced by atomic coordination is still unclear. Herein, we use model catalysts of Cu 2 O-cub, Cu 2 O-oct and Cu 2 O-dod with crystal planes of (100), (111) and (110), respectively, to investigate the O L activity and catalytic oxidation of toluene. The activity of Cu 2 O-oct is found to be the highest, followed by Cu 2 O-cub and Cu 2 O-dod. Experiments results combined with density functional theory show that, although low di-coordinated O atoms leads to the lowest surface oxygen vacancy formation energy (2.47 eV) and the highest surface O L activity of Cu 2 O-cub, it cannot determine the activity. The lowest bulk oxygen vacancy formation energy (3.16 eV) in Cu 2 O-oct terminated with tri-coordinated O atoms and open surface can accelerate the migration and replenishment of O L , thereby promoting the catalytic activity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Dampened antigen presentation underscores the resistance of pancreatic cancer to T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity, rendering immunotherapy largely ineffective. By high-throughput CRISPR activation perturbation, we discovered that the transcriptional regulator MCRS1 significantly augmented the sensitivity of mouse pancreatic cancer cells to T cell immunity in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, MCRS1 interacted with the transcription factor and genome organizer YY1 to coordinately increase the chromatin accessibility and expression of MHC-I genes. Elevated MCRS1 subverted MHC-I suppression and activated anti-tumor T cells, which sensitized mouse pancreatic cancer to α-PD-1 therapy. Remarkably, high MCRS1 expression was associated with increased T cell infiltration and extended survival of patients with pancreatic cancer and was predictive of favorable responses to α-PD-1 therapy in patients with lung cancer. Together, our study uncovers that MCRS1 sensitizes cancer cells to T cell immunity by transcriptionally subverting MHC-I suppression, which enhances the effectiveness of α-PD-1 therapy in mice and humans, paving the way to further improve immunotherapy against solid tumors., (© 2024 Li et al.)

Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease with multicellular participation, and the decrease of plaque stability induces the occurrence of clinical adverse events. In order to update the clinical treatment strategy of atherosclerosis, it is necessary to clarify the mechanism of plaque stabilization, especially to explore the targets of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) apoptosis and immune cell infiltration. Paeonol (Pae), a major phenolic compound derived from the bark of Paeonia albiflora Andr., has been proved to have anti-inflammatory properties in atherosclerosis. However, the pharmacological mechanisms of Pae in improving atherosclerosis remain unclear, particularly with regard to the role of stabilizing vulnerable plaques., Purpose: This study is aiming to elucidate the effect of Pae against atherosclerotic unstable plaque, and to further explore the potential mechanism of Pae in inhibiting VSMCs apoptosis and immune cell infiltration., Methods: A high-fat diet (HFD) induced atherosclerosis mice model was established in ApoE -/- mice, Pae in two different dosages and simvastatin (SIM) were than administrated for another 4 weeks. Atherosclerotic plaque formation and lipid accumulation were assessed with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and oil red O staining. Immunofluorescence were employed to examine the general condition of mice and the protective effect of Pae on plaque progression. Cell apoptosis was assessed via TUNNEL staining and flow cytometry. The mRNA and protein expressions in aorta tissue was detected by RT-PCR and western blotting. To investigate the effect of Pae on the regulation of the LTβR/NIK/caspase-3 pathway, VSMCs were extracted from the aorta of C57BL/6 J mice and treated with LTα 1 β 2 ., Results: Here, we show that Pae significantly inhibited atherosclerosis progression and stabilized vulnerable plaques in ApoE -/- mice, in association with decreased T/B cell infiltration and VSMC apoptosis. Notably, the number of plaque-infiltrating T/B cells showed a linear positive correlation with apoptotic VSMCs, and VSMCs sensitive to apoptosis expressed LTβR, which might be activated by LTα 1 β 2 -expressing T/B cells. Moreover, the protein expression of LTβR in VSMCs was decreased in plaques after treatment of Pae. Mechanistically, Pae treatment inhibited LTα 1 β 2 stimulated VSMCs apoptosis via LTβR/NIK/caspase-3 signaling pathway in vitro. Importantly, LTβR overexpression increased the VSMCs apoptosis and plaque instability in ApoE -/- mice, partially reversing the protective effect of Pae., Conclusion: Inhibition of LTβR signaling represents a promising strategy that exerts therapeutic effects through the combined suppression of immune cell infiltration and VSMCs apoptosis, providing novel insights into the anti-atherosclerosis mechanisms of Pae., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

Smart sensors represent a significant advancement in modern sports science, and their effective use enhances the ability to monitor and analyze athlete performance in real time. The integration of these sensors has enhanced the accuracy of data collection related to physical activity, biomechanics, and physiological responses, thus providing valuable insights for performance optimization, injury prevention, and rehabilitation. This paper provides an overview of the research progress in the application of smart sensors in the field of sports science; highlights the current advances, challenges, and future directions in the deployment of smart sensor technologies; and anticipates their transformative impact on sports science and athlete development.

Background: More studies have focused on the clinical value of the measurement of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). This study aims to assess the stability of NLR in hospitalized AECOPD patients and its relationship with clinical prognosis., Methods: This retrospective observational study recruited patients hospitalized with AECOPD from January 2020 to December 2023. Using receiver operating characteristic curves, we determined the optimal NLR cutoff, categorizing NLR stability into four groups: persistent high (NLR ≥ 3.8), increased (NLR < 3.8 at admission but ≥ 3.8 at discharge), decreased (NLR ≥ 3.8 at admission but < 3.8 at discharge), and persistent low (NLR < 3.8). Adverse hospital outcomes included hospital mortality, transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU), invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and length of hospital stay (LOS) ≥ 14 days. The associations between NLR stability and these outcomes were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression and Cox hazard analysis., Results: Among 841 patients hospitalized for AECOPD, the mean age was 72.1±9.5 years, with 644 males (76.6%) and 197 females (23.4%). The proportions and distribution for groups: persistent high, decreased, increased, and persistent low groups were 109 (12.9%), 175 (20.8%), 216 (25.7%), and 341 (40.5%), respectively. The persistent high group had the worst outcomes, including higher IMV use, ICU transfer, LOS > 14 days, and hospital cost, compared to the persistent low group. Compared to the persistent high group, the persistent low group (HR: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.10-0.24) and the decreased group (HR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.22-0.73) are statistically significant for the risk of death, while the increased group (HR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.37-1.04) does not show a statistically significant difference., Conclusion: AECOPD patients who have persistent low NLR group face a low risk of adverse hospital outcomes and mortality after 6 months after discharge. The stability of NLR may serve as a novel biomarker for identifying AECOPD patients at increased risk of poor hospital outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare., (© 2024 Jiang et al.)

A benzothiazole-based derivative aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorescent 'turn-on' probe named 2-(2-((4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)benzyl)oxy)phenyl)benzo[ d ]thiazole (probe BT-BO ) was developed and synthesized successfully for detecting hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in living cells. The synthesis method of probe BT-BO is facile. Probe BT-BO demonstrates a well-resolved emission peak at 604 nm and the ability to prevent the interference of reactive oxygen species (ROS), various metal ions and anion ions, and good sensitivity. Additionally, the probe boasts impressive pH range versatility, a fast response time to H 2 O 2 and low cytotoxicity. Finally, probe BT-BO was applied successfully to image A549 and Hep G2 cells to monitor both exogenous and endogenous H 2 O 2 .

As a functional material, superhydrophobic coating has been widely studied in the field of self-cleaning. However, obtaining superhydrophobic coatings with robustness through simple preparation processes remains a challenge. In this paper, a robust superhydrophobic coating is prepared based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified by octyltrimethoxysilane, and its performance and hydrophobic mechanism are studied by experiments and molecular dynamics simulation. The superhydrophobic coating is prepared by one-step spraying method. The coating is characterized and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the properties of the coating are tested by experiments. Molecular dynamics simulation is used in the study to construct a molecular model system, and the molecular modification mechanism and coating wettability are simulated under the COMPASSII force field. The results show that octyltrimethoxysilane successfully modified carbon nanotubes, and the hydroxyl groups at the head of the molecular chain are bound to the surface of the carbon nanotubes in the form of hydrogen bonds, while the tail of the molecular chain is far away from the surface. After modification, the surface of carbon nanotubes changed from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. The prepared superhydrophobic coating not only has excellent self-cleaning properties, but also exhibits corrosion resistance to acid and alkali solutions. The coating still has superhydrophobic when the wear length is in the range of 400 cm. It can be seen that a robust superhydrophobic self-cleaning coating is successfully prepared by a simple one-step spraying method. The modification mechanism and the hydrophobic mechanism of the coating were obtained by the combination of experiment and molecular dynamics simulation, which provided theoretical support for the superhydrophobic of the coating at the micro level., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Effective inhibition of intestinal lipid uptake is an efficient strategy for the treatment of disorders related to lipid metabolism. Sterol O-acyltransferase 2 (SOAT2) is responsible for the esterification of free cholesterol and fatty acids into cholesteryl esters. We found that intestine-specific SOAT2 knockout (Soat2 I-KO ) mice was capable to prevent the development of dietary induced obesity due to reduced intestinal lipid absorption. Soat2 siRNA/CS-PLGA nanoparticle system was constructed to enable intestinal delivery and inhibition of Soat2. This nanoparticle system was composed of PLGA-block-PEG and chitosan specifically delivering Soat2 siRNAs into small intestines in mice, effectively inhibit intestinal lipid uptake and resolving obesity. In revealing the underlying mechanism by which intestinal SOAT2 regulating fatty acid uptake, enhanced CD36 ubiquitination degradation was found in enterocytes upon SOAT2 inhibition. Insufficient free cholesterol esterification promoted endoplasmic reticulum stress and recruitment of E3 ligase RNF5 to activate CD36 ubiquitination in SOAT2 knockdown enterocytes. This work demonstrates a potential modulatory function of intestinal SOAT2 on lipid uptake highlighting the therapeutic effect on obesity by targeting intestinal SOAT2, exhibiting promising translational relevance in the siRNA therapeutic-based treatment for obesity., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Background: Low serum ceruloplasmin concentration is considered robust marker for Wilson disease (WD) screening, measuring serum ceruloplasmin oxidase activity might be an even more valuable diagnostic tool, but it has not been sufficiently studied., Methods: All patients who were assessed for serum ceruloplasmin oxidase activity between January 1, 2016, and September 2, 2019, were enrolled in this study. The diagnostic performance of serum ceruloplasmin oxidase activity was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (ROC), Spearman's rank correlation, and Mann-Whitney U test., Results: Serum ceruloplasmin oxidase activity was significantly decreased in WD patients (0.87 U/L, IQR 0.61-1.54). The optimal cut-off of serum ceruloplasmin oxidase activity to identified WD is 7 U/L, with sensitivity and specificity of 97.03 % and 98.19 %, respectively. Furthermore, this study revealed a positive correlation between enzymatic and immunoreactive serum ceruloplasmin tests. As primary diagnostic methods, serum ceruloplasmin levels below the diagnostic cut-offs for either the enzymatic or immunoreactive tests were observed in 818 out of 842 WD patients (97.15 %). Compared with the presence of K-F rings in asymptomatic patients, the accuracy of serum ceruloplasmin tests was significantly higher (56.12 % VS 95.08 %). Moreover, the positive rate of cranial MRI in neurological patients was similar to the tests of serum ceruloplasmin (92.91 % VS 97.40 %). Moreover, 71 patients had ambiguous genetic results, complicating the diagnosis. However, serum ceruloplasmin tests successfully identified 65 out of these 71 patients (91.55 %)., Conclusion: Serum ceruloplasmin oxidase activity has excellent performance in diagnosing WD, which should be widely used as preferred test in WD patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Determining the freshness of chilled pork is of paramount importance to consumers worldwide. Established freshness indicators such as total viable count, total volatile basic nitrogen and pH are destructive and time-consuming. Color change in chilled pork is also associated with freshness. However, traditional detection methods using handheld colorimeters are expensive, inconvenient and prone to limitations in accuracy. Substantial progress has been made in methods for pork preservation and freshness evaluation. However, traditional methods often necessitate expensive equipment or specialized expertise, restricting their accessibility to general consumers and small-scale traders. Therefore, developing a user-friendly, rapid and economical method is of particular importance., Results: This study conducted image analysis of photographs captured by smartphone cameras of chilled pork stored at 4 °C for 7 days. The analysis tracked color changes, which were then used to develop predictive models for freshness indicators. Compared to handheld colorimeters, smartphone image analysis demonstrated superior stability and accuracy in color data acquisition. Machine learning regression models, particularly the random forest and decision tree models, achieved prediction accuracies of more than 80% and 90%, respectively., Conclusion: Our study provides a feasible and practical non-destructive approach to determining the freshness of chilled pork. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Functional dysregulations in multiple regions are caused by excessive copper deposition in the brain in Wilson disease (WD) patients. The genetic mechanism of WD is thought to involve the abnormal expression of ATP7B in the liver, whereas the biological and molecular processes involved in functional dysregulation within the brain remain unexplored. The objective of this study was to unravel the underpinnings of functional gradient perturbations underlying structural lesions and transcriptomic specializations in WD. In this study, we included 105 WD patients and 93 healthy controls who underwent structural and functional MRI assessments. We used the diffusion mapping embedding model to derive the functional connectome gradient and further employed gray matter volume to uncover structure-function decoupling for WD. Then, we used Neurosynth, clinical data, and whole-brain gene expression data to examine the meta-analytic cognitive function, clinical phenotypes, and transcriptomic specializations related to WD gradient alterations. Compared with controls, WD patients exhibited global topographic changes in the principal pramary-to-transmodal gradient. Meta-analytic terms and clinical characteristics were correlated with these gradient alterations in motor-related processing, higher-order cognition, neurological symptoms, and age. Spatial correlations revealed structure-function decoupling in multiple networks, especially in subcortical and visual networks. Within the cortex, the spatial association between gradient alterations and gene expression profiles has revealed transcriptomic specilizations in WD that display properties indicative of ion homeostasis, neural development, and motor control. Furthermore, for the first time, we characterized the role of the ATP7B gene in impacting subcortical function. The transcriptomic specializations of WD were also associated with other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Finally, we revealed that structural lesions and gradient perturbations may share similar transcriptomic specializations in WD. In conclusion, these findings bridged functional gradient perturbations to structural lesions and gene expression profiles in WD patients, possibly promoting our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the emergence of complex neurological and psychiatric phenotypes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests or financial conflicts., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.)

Background: The effect of preoperative natural killer (NK) cell abnormalities on postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer is still unclear. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the preoperative NK cell ratio and PPCs., Methods: The patients who underwent thoracoscopic radical resection for lung cancer were divided into a normal group and an abnormal group according to whether the proportion of preoperative NK cells was within the reference range. The main outcome was the incidence of PPCs during postoperative hospitalization. The demographic and perioperative data were collected. Propensity score matching was used to exclude systematic bias. Univariate logistic regression was used to test the relationship between the preoperative NK cell ratio and the incidence of PPCs. The restrictive cubic spline curve was used to analyze the dose-effect relationship between the preoperative NK cell ratio and the incidence of PPCs., Results: A total of 4161 patients were included. After establishing a matching cohort, 910 patients were included in the statistical analysis. The incidence of PPCs in the abnormal group was greater than that in the normal group (55.2% vs. 31.6%). The incidence of PPCs first decreased and then increased with increasing NK cell ratio. The proportion of patients with Grade 3 or higher PPCs in the normal group was lower than that in the abnormal group [108 (23.7%) vs. 223 (49%)]. The indwelling time of the thoracic drainage tube in the abnormal group was longer than that in the normal group [3 (3, 4) vs. 3 (3, 5)]. A preoperative abnormal NK cell ratio constituted a risk factor for PPCs in each subgroup., Conclusion: Lung cancer patients with an abnormal proportion of peripheral blood NK cells before surgery were more likely to develop PPCs, their disease degree was more severe, and they had a prolonged duration of chest tube indwelling. Compared with those with abnormally high NK cell ratios, those with abnormally low NK cell ratios had more pronounced PPCs., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Polyphenols are a group of naturally occurring compounds that possess a range of biological properties capable of potentially mitigating or preventing the progression of age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is a chronic neurodegenerative disease known as one of the fast-growing diseases, especially in the elderly population. Moreover, as the primary etiology of dementia, it poses challenges for both familial and societal structures, while also imposing a significant economic strain. There is currently no pharmacological intervention that has demonstrated efficacy in treating AD. While polyphenols have exhibited potential in inhibiting the pathological hallmarks of AD, their limited bioavailability poses a significant challenge in their therapeutic application. Furthermore, in order to address the therapeutic constraints, several polymer nanoparticles are being explored as improved therapeutic delivery systems to optimize the pharmacokinetic characteristics of polyphenols. Polymer nanoparticles have demonstrated advantageous characteristics in facilitating the delivery of polyphenols across the blood-brain barrier, resulting in their efficient distribution within the brain. This review focuses on amyloid-related diseases and the role of polyphenols in them, in addition to discussing the anti-amyloid effects and applications of polyphenol-based polymer nanoparticles., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Fang, Zhang, Liu, Yang, Xi, Xie, Diao, Rao, Wang and Yang.)

Extraction of anthocyanins from Lycium ruthenicum Murr. (L. ruthenicum) is a notable challenge in food production, requiring methods that balance efficiency and safety. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis the extraction of anthocyanins by natural air drying (NAD), vacuum freeze drying (VFD), hot air drying (HAD), and vacuum microwave drying (MVD) combined with ultrasonic-assisted enzymolysis extraction (UAEE). The results demonstrated that the extraction yield and antioxidant activity of anthocyanins were significantly higher in VFD. This phenomenon can be attributed to the modification of raw material's microstructure, leading to an increased extraction yield of specific anthocyanins such as Cyanidin-3-galactoside, Delphinidin chloride, Cyanidin, and Petunidin. According to the pretreatment results, the extraction process of anthocyanins was further optimized. The highest yield (3.16 g/100 g) was obtained in following conditions: 0.24 % pectinase, 48 °C, solid:liquid = 1:21, and 21 min ultrasonic time. This study improves the commercial value and potential application of L. ruthenicum in food industry., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Wilson disease (WD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by a mutation in the ATP7B gene. Neurological symptoms are one of the most common symptoms of WD. This study aims to construct a model that can predict the occurrence of neurological symptoms by combining clinical multidimensional indicators with machine learning methods., Methods: The study population consisted of WD patients who received treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from July 2021 to September 2023 and had a Leipzig score ≥ 4 points. Indicators such as general clinical information, imaging, blood and urine tests, and clinical scale measurements were collected from patients, and machine learning methods were employed to construct a prediction model for neurological symptoms. Additionally, the SHAP method was utilized to analyze clinical information to determine which indicators are associated with neurological symptoms., Results: In this study, 185 patients with WD (of whom 163 had neurological symptoms) were analyzed. It was found that using the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) to predict achieved good performance, with an MCC value of 0.556, ACC value of 0.929, AUROC value of 0.835, and AUPRC value of 0.975. Brainstem damage, blood creatinine (Cr), age, indirect bilirubin (IBIL), and ceruloplasmin (CP) were the top five important predictors. Meanwhile, the presence of brainstem damage and the higher the values of Cr, Age, and IBIL, the more likely neurological symptoms were to occur, while the lower the CP value, the more likely neurological symptoms were to occur., Conclusions: To sum up, the prediction model constructed using machine learning methods to predict WD cirrhosis has high accuracy. The most important indicators in the prediction model were brainstem damage, Cr, age, IBIL, and CP. It provides assistance for clinical decision-making., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Yang, Wang, Fang, Li, Ding, Song, He, Rao, Diao, Zhu and Yang.)

Hydrogen peroxide(H2O2), as a reliable signaling biomolecule for oxidative stress, its accurate detection during agent-stimulated oxidative stress plays a vital role in pathological and physiological mechanism exploration for disease theranostics. It's necessary to develop an efficient method for their detection. In view of the advantages of fluorescent probes, we rationally constructed a novel fluorescent probe Compound 2 based on 4-(Bromomethyl)benzeneboronic acid pinacol ester&#95;Herein, a small molecule fluorescent probe was fabricated using isoflore nitrile as fluorescent group, phenylboronic acid pinacol ester as the response group, to detect H2O2. The probe Compound 2 has a strong fluorescence intensity at 575 nm, indicating that the structure of the probe molecule is reasonably designed, and the Stokes shift is up to 172 nm. While the detection time is as low as 30 s and the LOD of the probe for H2O2 is as low as 3.7 μmol/L,the quantum yield is Φ = 40.31 %. It has been successfully used for imaging detection of H2O2 in HepG2 cells and zebrafish for its low toxicity. It can be found that this small molecule fluorescent probe can identify H2O2 in tumor cells significantly and efficiently, which would realize the early diagnosis of tumor., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the underlying cause of many severe vascular diseases and is primarily characterized by abnormal lipid metabolism. Paeonol (Pae), a bioactive compound derived from Paeonia Suffruticosa Andr., is recognized for its significant role in reducing lipid accumulation. Our research objective is to explore the link between lipid buildup in foam cells originating from macrophages and the process of ferroptosis, and explore the effect and mechanism of Pae on inhibiting AS by regulating ferroptosis. In our animal model, ApoE-deficient mice, which were provided with a high-fat regimen to provoke atherosclerosis, were administered Pae. The treatment was benchmarked against simvastatin and ferrostatin-1. The results showed that Pae significantly reduced aortic ferroptosis and lipid accumulation in the mice. In vitro experiments further demonstrated that Pae could decrease lipid accumulation in foam cells induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and challenged with the ferroptosis inducer erastin. Crucially, the protective effect of Pae against lipid accumulation was dependent on the SIRT1/NRF2/GPX4 pathway, as SIRT1 knockdown abolished this effect. Our findings suggest that Pae may offer a novel therapeutic approach for AS by inhibiting lipid accumulation through the suppression of ferroptosis, mediated by the SIRT1/NRF2/GPX4 pathway. Such knowledge has the potential to inform the creation of novel therapeutic strategies aimed at regulating ferroptosis within the context of atherosclerosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Occult pancreaticobiliary reflux (OPBR) has a significant correlation with diseases of the gallbladder and biliary system. This study examined the incidence of OPBR by age in patients with benign gallbladder diseases., Methods: We assessed 475 patients with benign gallbladder diseases who underwent surgery at Shanghai East Hospital from December 2020 to December 2021. Bile samples collected during surgery were tested for amylase. Patients with bile amylase >110 U/L ( n  = 64) were classified as the OPBR group; the rest ( n  = 411) as controls., Results: Of the participants, 375 had gallbladder stone (GS), 170 had gallbladder polyp (GP), and 49 had gallbladder adenomyomatosis (GA). The OPBR group was generally older, with OPBR incidence increasing with age, peaking post-45. Rates by age were: 4.9% (<35), 5.2% (35-44), 20.7% (45-54), 22.5% (55-64) and 17.6% (≥65), mainly in GS patients. ROC analysis for predicting OPBR by age yielded an area under the curve of 0.656, optimal cut-off at 45 years. Logistic regression indicated age > 45, GP, male gender, and BMI ≥ 24 kg*m -2 as independent OPBR predictors in GS patients. Based on these variables, a predictive nomogram was constructed, and its effectiveness was validated using the ROC curve, calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA). Further stratification revealed that among GS patients ≤ 45, concurrent GA was an OPBR risk; for > 45, it was GP and male gender., Conclusions: The incidence of OPBR in GS patients is notably influenced by age, with those over 45, especially males without GP, being at heightened risk.

Backgroud: High comorbidity rates have been reported in patients with atherosclerosis and osteoporosis, posing a serious risk to the health and well-being of elderly patients. To improve and update clinical practice regarding the joint treatment of these two diseases, the common mechanisms of atherosclerosis and osteoporosis need to be clarified. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), are importance molecules in the pathogenesis of human diseases, including in cardiovascular and orthopedic fields. They have garnered interest as potential targets for novel therapeutic strategies. However, the key miRNAs involved in atherosclerosis and osteoporosis and their precise regulation mechanisms remain unknown. Paeonol (Pae), an active ingredient in Cortex Moutan, has shown promising results in improving both lipid and bone metabolic abnormalities. However, it is uncertain whether this agent can exert a cotherapeutic effect on atherosclerosis and osteoporosis., Objective: This study aimed to screen important shared miRNAs in atherosclerotic and osteoporotic complications, and explore the mechanism of the protective effects of Pae against atherosclerosis and osteoporosis in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed ApoE -/- mice., Methods: An experimental atherosclerosis and osteoporosis model was established in 40-week-old HFD ApoE -/- mice. Various techniques such as Oil Red O staining, HE staining and micro-CT were used to confirm the co-occurrence of these two diseases and efficacy of Pae in addition to the associated biochemical changes. Bioinformatics was used to screen key miRNAs in the atherosclerosis and osteoporosis model, and gene involvement was assessed through serum analyses, qRT-PCR, and western blot. To investigate the effect of Pae on the modulation of the miR let-7g/HMGA2/CEBPβ pathway, Raw 264.7 cells were cocultured with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and treated with an miR let-7g mimic/inhibitor., Results: miR let-7g identified using bioinformatics was assessed to evaluate its participation in atherosclerosis-osteoporosis. Experimental analysis showed reduced miR let-7g levels in the atherosclerosis-osteoporosis mice model. Moreover, miR let-7g was required for BMSC - Raw 264.7 cell crosstalk, thereby promoting foam cell formation and adipocyte differentiation. Treatment with Pae significantly reduced plaque accumulation and foam cell number in the aorta while increasing bone density and improving trabecular bone microarchitecture in HFD ApoE -/- mice. Pae also increased the level of miR let-7g in the bloodstream of model mice. In vitro studies, Pae enhanced miR let-7g expression in BMSCs, thereby suppressing the HMGA2/CEBPβ pathway to prevent the formation of foam cells and differentiation of adipocytes induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)., Conclusion: The study results suggested that miR let-7g participates in atherosclerosis -osteoporosis regulation and that Pae acts as a potential therapeutic agent for preventing atherosclerosis-osteoporosis through regulatory effects on the miR let-7g/HMGA2/CEBPβ pathway to hinder foam cell formation and adipocyte differentiation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a recently discovered group of non-coding RNAs that play a crucial role in the regulation of various human diseases, especially in the study of nervous system diseases which has garnered significant attention. However, there is limited knowledge on the identification and function of lncRNAs in hepatolenticular degeneration (HLD). The objective of this study was to identify novel lncRNAs and determine their involvement in the networks associated with HLD. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and computational biology to identify novel lncRNAs and explore their potential mechanisms in HLD. We identified 212 differently expressed lncRNAs, with 98 upregulated and 114 downregulated. Additionally, 32 differently expressed mRNAs were found, with 15 upregulated and 17 downregulated. We obtained a total of 1131 pairs of co-expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs by Pearson correlation test and prediction and annotation of the lncRNA-targeted miRNA-mRNA network. The differential lncRNAs identified in this study were found to be involved in various biological functions and signaling pathways. These include translational initiation, motor learning, locomotors behavior, dioxygenase activity, integral component of postsynaptic membrane, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway, cholinergic synapse, sphingolipid signaling pathway, and Parkinson's disease signaling pathway, as revealed by the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. Six lncRNAs, including XR&#95;001782921.1 (P < 0.01), XR&#95; 001780581.1 (P < 0.01), ENSMUST&#95;00000207119 (P < 0.01), XR&#95;865512.2 (P < 0.01), TCONS&#95;00005916 (P < 0.01), and TCONS&#95;00020683 (P < 0.01), showed significant differences in expression levels between the model group and normal group by RT-qPCR. Among these, four lncRNAs (TCONS&#95;00020683, XR&#95;865512.2, XR&#95;001780581.1, and ENSMUST00000207119) displayed a high degree of conservation. This study provides a unique perspective for the pathogenesis and therapy of HLD by constructing the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. This insight provides a foundation for future exploration in this field., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Traditional nanodrug delivery systems have some limitations, such as eliciting immune responses and inaccuracy in targeting tumor microenvironments., Materials and Methods: Targeted drugs (Sorafenib, Sora) nanometers (hollow mesoporous silicon, HMSN) were designed, and then coated with platelet membranes to form aPD-1-PLTM-HMSNs@Sora to enhance the precision of drug delivery systems to the tumor microenvironment, so that more effective immunotherapy was achieved., Results: These biomimetic nanoparticles were validated to have the same abilities as platelet membranes (PLTM), including evading the immune system. The successful coating of HMSNs@Sora with PLTM was corroborated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), western blot and confocal laser microscopy. The affinity of aPD-1-PLTM-HMSNs@Sora to tumor cells was stronger than that of HMSNs@Sora. After drug-loaded particles were intravenously injected into hepatocellular carcinoma model mice, they were demonstrated to not only directly activate toxic T cells, but also increase the triggering release of Sora. The combination of targeted therapy and immunotherapy was found to be of gratifying antineoplastic function on inhibiting primary tumor growth., Conclusions: The aPD-1-PLTM-HMSNs@Sora nanocarriers that co-delivery of aPD-1 and Sorafenib integrates unique biomimetic properties and excellent targeting performance, and provides a neoteric idea for drug delivery of personalized therapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), a significant member of reactive oxygen species, plays a crucial role in oxidative stress and cell signaling. Abnormal levels of H 2 O 2 in the body can induce damage or even impair body function, leading to the development of certain diseases. Therefore, real-time monitoring of H 2 O 2 in living cells is very important. In this work, the aggregation-induced emission fluorescence probe 2-(2-((4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl) benzyl) oxy) phenyl) imidazo [1,2-a] pyridine ( B2 ) was designed and synthesized, which enables the long-term tracing of H 2 O 2 in living cells. The addition of H 2 O 2 to probe B2 results in a dramatic fluorescence enhancement around 500 nm. Notably, B2 can visualize both exogenous and endogenous H 2 O 2 in living cells. The synthesis method for B2 is simple, has a high yield, and utilizes readily available materials. It exhibits advantages such as low toxicity, photostability, and good biocompatibility. Consequently, the developed fluorescent probe in this study has great potential as a reliable tool for determining H 2 O 2 in living cells.

Introduction: Pancreaticobiliary reflux (PBR) can induce gallstone formation; however, its pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we explored the mechanism of PBR by the non-targeted metabolomic analysis of bile in patients with PBR., Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the pathogenic mechanism in PBR by the non-targeted metabolomic analysis of bile collected during surgery., Methods: Sixty patients who underwent gallstone surgery at our center from December 2020 to May 2021 were enrolled in the study. According to the level of bile amylase, 30 patients with increased bile amylase ( > 110 U/L) were classified into the PBR group, and the remaining 30 patients were classified into the control group (≤ 110 U/L). The metabolomic analysis of bile was performed., Results: The orthogonal projections to latent structure-discriminant analysis of liquid chromatography mass spectrometry showed significant differences in bile components between the PBR and control groups, and 40 metabolites were screened by variable importance for the projection value (VIP > 1). The levels of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and PC (20:3(8Z,11Z,14Z)/14:0) decreased significantly, whereas the levels of lysoPC (16:1(9z)/0:0), lysoPC (15:0), lysoPC (16:0), palmitic acid, arachidonic acid, leucine, methionine, L-tyrosine, and phenylalanine increased., Conclusions: Significant differences in bile metabolites were observed between the PBR and control groups. Changes in amino acids and lipid metabolites may be related to stone formation and mucosal inflammation., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Extensive neuroimaging abnormalities in subcortical regions build the pathophysiological basis of Wilson's disease (WD). Yet, subcortical topographic organization fails to articulate, leaving a huge gap in understanding the neural mechanism of WD. Thus, how functional abnormalities of WD subcortical regions influence complex clinical symptoms and response to treatment remain unknown. Using resting-state functional MRI data from 232 participants (including 130 WD patients and 102 healthy controls), we applied a connectivity-based parcellation technique to develop a subcortical atlas for WD. The atlas was further used to investigate abnormalities in subcortical function (ASF) by exploring intrasubcortical functional connectivity (FC) and topographic organization of cortico-subcortical FC. We further used support vector machine (SVM) to integrate these functional abnormalities into the ASF score, which serves as a biomarker for characterizing individual subcortical dysfunction for WD. Finally, the baseline ASF score and one-year treatment data of the follow-up WD patients were used to assess treatment response. A group set of subcortical parcellations was evaluated, in which 26 bilateral regions well recapitulated the anatomical nuclei of the subcortical areas of WD. The results of cortico-subcortical FC and intrasubcortical FC reveal that dysfunction of the somatomotor networks-lenticular nucleus-thalamic pathways is involved in complex symptoms of WD. The ASF score was able to characterize disease progression and was significantly associated with treatment response of WD. Our findings provide a comprehensive elaboration of functional abnormalities of WD subcortical regions and reveal their association with clinical presentations, improving our understanding of the functional neural underpinnings in WD. Furthermore, abnormalities in subcortical function could serve as a potential biomarker for understanding the disease progression and evaluating treatment response of WD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Three-dimensional (3D) printing methods, such as vat photopolymerization (VPP) and direct-ink-writing (DIW) processes, are known for their high-resolution and multimaterial capabilities, respectively. Here a novel hybrid 3D printing technique that combines the strengths of VPP and DIW processes to achieve multimaterial and high-resolution printing of functional structures and devices, is presented. The method involves dispensing liquid-like materials via syringes into a photocurable matrix material and subsequently using a Galvano mirror-controlled laser beam to selectively photocure the dispensed material trace or the matrix material surrounding the trace. The laser beam scanning and syringe dispensing are synchronized with a set delay to control liquid diffusion and in situ fixture. The versatility of the method is demonstrated by fabricating intricate 3D ant and wheel prototypes using various materials available for VPP and DIW technologies. The proposed photocuring-while-dispensing strategy offers advantages over conventional multimaterial 3D printing methods, such as integrating materials regardless of photocurability and viscosity, and fabricating heterogeneous structures with complex geometries and high resolution. With its principle demonstrated, this multimaterial 3D printing process will open up a wide range of potential applications with diverse functionalities and materials., (© 2023 The Authors. Small published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: In Wilson's disease (WD) patients, network connections across the brain are disrupted, affecting multidomain function. However, the details of this neuropathophysiological mechanism remain unclear due to the rarity of WD. In this study, we aimed to investigate alterations in brain network connectivity at the whole-brain level (both intra- and inter-network) in WD patients through independent component analysis (ICA) and the relationship between alterations in these brain network functional connections (FCs) and clinical neuropsychiatric features to understand the underlying pathophysiological and central compensatory mechanisms., Methods: Eighty-five patients with WD and age- and sex-matched 85 healthy control (HC) were recruited for resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scanning. We extracted the resting-state networks (RSNs) using the ICA method, analyzed the changes of FC in these networks and the correlation between alterations in FCs and clinical neuropsychiatric features., Results: Compared with HC, WD showed widespread lower connectivity within RSNs, involving default mode network (DMN), frontoparietal network (FPN), somatomotor network (SMN), dorsal attention network (DAN), especially in patients with abnormal UWDRS scores. Furthermore, the decreased FCs in the left medial prefrontal cortex (L&#95; MPFC), left anterior cingulate gyrus (L&#95;ACC), precuneus (PCUN)within DMN were negatively correlated with the Unified Wilson's Disease Rating Scale-neurological characteristic examination (UWDRS-N), and the decreased FCs in the L&#95;MPFC, PCUN within DMN were negatively correlated with the Unified Wilson's Disease Rating Scale-psychiatric symptoms examination (UWDRS-P). We additionally discovered that the patients with WD exhibited significantly stronger FC between the FPN and DMN, between the DAN and DMN, and between the FPN and DAN compared to HC., Conclusions: We have provided evidence that WD is a disease with widespread dysfunctional connectivity in resting networks in brain, leading to neurological features and psychiatric symptoms (e.g. higher-order cognitive control and motor control impairments). The alter intra- and inter-network in the brain may be the neural underpinnings for the neuropathological symptoms and the process of injury compensation in WD patients., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Studies about the pre-stretching effect on the mechanical behavior of cold-rolled 5%Mn medium manganese steel have adopted optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. Results showed that pre-stretching would change the ferrite morphology from massive and lath-like to strip-like. With the pre-stretching increasing from 0% to 14%, the dislocation density and yield strength both grew gradually, which corresponded to growth from 6.49 × 10 14 m -2 to 7.98 × 10 14 m -2 and growth from 765 MPa to 1109 MPa, respectively. Meanwhile, the austenite volume fraction, elongation and product of strength and elongation were all reduced with the pre-stretch increase. The stabilized retained austenite with pre-stretch delayed the occurrence of the TRIP effect and improved the work hardening rate. As a result, the Lüders band disappeared at 2% pre-stretch and the PLC band vanished from the stress-strain curve at 14% pre-stretch.

To discuss the value of dual-source CT dual-energy parameters combined with serum detection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the diagnosis of early lung cancer (LC). In total, 100 patients with lung lesions in our hospital from January 2020 to January 2022 were selected for retrospective study, and were divided into the lung cancer group (group A) and benign lung disease group (group B) according to the final results of pathological diagnosis, using dual-source CT dual-energy scanning combined with serum detection of VEGF and CEA to analyze the diagnostic values of single detection and combined detection. Among the 100 patients with lung lesions, there were 58 patients with LC and 42 patients with benign lung diseases after pathological examination, with no statistical difference in normalized iodine concentration (NIC) and the increased value of iodine at arterial phase between the two groups (P > 0.05). The NIC value of group A was higher than group B at venous phase (P < 0.05). The serum levels of VEGF and CEA in group A were higher than group B (P < 0.05). The area under the curve, specificity, sensitivity, Youden index and 95% CI of combined diagnosis were higher than single detection of NIC, VEGF and CEA at venous phase. The combined application of dual-source CT dual-energy parameters and serum detection of VEGF and CEA has higher diagnostic value in patients with early LC, which can provide effective reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment, with higher application value in clinic.

Gut microbiota dysbiosis is an avenue for the promotion of atherosclerosis (AS) and this effect is mediated partly via the circulating microbial metabolites. More microbial metabolites related to AS vascular inflammation, and the mechanisms involved need to be clarified urgently. Paeonol (Pae) is an active compound isolated from Paeonia suffruticoas Andr. with anti-AS inflammation effect. However, considering the low oral bioavailability of Pae, it is worth exploring the mechanism by which Pae reduces the harmful metabolites of the gut microbiota to alleviate AS. In this study, ApoE -/- mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to establish an AS model. AS mice were administrated with Pae (200 or 400 mg·kg -1 ) by oral gavage and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was conducted. 16S rDNA sequencing was performed to investigate the composition of the gut microbiota, while metabolomics analysis was used to identify the metabolites in serum and cecal contents. The results indicated that Pae significantly improved AS by regulating gut microbiota composition and microbiota metabolic profile in AS mice. We also identified α-hydroxyisobutyric acid (HIBA) as a harmful microbial metabolite reduced by Pae. HIBA supplementation in drinking water promoted AS inflammation in AS mice. Furthermore, vascular endothelial cells (VECs) were cultured and stimulated by HIBA. We verified that HIBA stimulation increased intracellular ROS levels, thereby inducing VEC inflammation via the TXNIP/NLRP3 pathway. In sum, Pae reduces the production of the microbial metabolite HIBA, thus alleviating the ROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 pathway-mediated endothelial inflammation in AS. Our study innovatively confirms the mechanism by which Pae reduces the harmful metabolites of gut microbiota to alleviate AS and proposes HIBA as a potential biomarker for AS clinical judgment., (Copyright © 2023 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Neuroimaging studies in Wilson's disease (WD) have identified various alterations in white matter (WM) microstructural organization. However, it remains unclear whether these alterations are localized to specific regions of fiber tracts, and what diagnostic value they might have. The purpose of this study is to explore the spatial profile of WM abnormalities along defined fiber tracts in WD and its clinical relevance., Methods: Ninety-nine patients with WD (62 men and 37 women) and 91 age- and sex-matched controls (59 men and 32 women) were recruited to take part in experiments of diffusion-weighted imaging with 64 gradient vectors. The data were calculated by FMRIB Software Library (FSL) software and Automated Fiber Quantification (AFQ) software. After registration, patient groups and normal groups were compared by Mann-Whitney U test analysis., Results: Compared with the controls, the patients with WD showed widespread fractional anisotropy reduction and mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity elevation of identified fiber tracts. Significant correlations between diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters and the neurological Unified Wilson's Disease Rating Scale (UWDRS-N), serum ceruloplasmin, and 24-h urinary copper excretion were found., Conclusions: The present study has provided evidence that the metrics of DTI could be utilized as a potential biomarker of neuropathological symptoms in WD. Damage to the microstructure of callosum forceps and corticospinal tract may be involved in the pathophysiological process of neurological symptoms in WD patients, such as gait and balance disturbances, involuntary movements, dysphagia, and autonomic dysfunction.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma still has a high incidence and mortality rate worldwide, and further research is needed to investigate its occurrence and development mechanisms in depth in order to identify new therapeutic targets. Ferritinophagy is a type of autophagy and a key factor in ferroptosis that could influence tumor onset and progression. Although, the potential role of ferritinophagy-related genes (FRGs) in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is unknown., Methods: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of LIHC were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. In addition, transcriptome and clinical follow-up outcome data of individuals with LIHC were extracted from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. FRGs were collected through the GeneCards database. Differential cell subpopulations were distinguished, and differentially expressed FRGs (DEFRGs) were obtained. Differential expression of FRGs and prognosis were observed according to the TCGA database. An FRG-related risk model was constructed to predict patient prognosis by absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and COX regression analyses, and its prognosis predictive power was validated. Ultimately, the association between risk score and tumor microenvironment (TME), immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, drug sensitivity, and tumor mutation burden (TMB) was analyzed. We also used quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to validate the expression of key genes in normal liver cells and liver cancer cells., Results: We ultimately identified 8 cell types, and 7 differentially expressed FRGs genes (ZFP36, NCOA4, FTH1, FTL, TNF, PCBP1, CYB561A3) were found among immune cells, and we found that Monocytes and Macrophages were closely related to FRGs genes. Subsequently, COX regression analysis showed that patients with high expression of FTH1, FTL, and PCBP1 had significantly worse prognosis than those with low expression, and our survival prediction model, constructed based on age, stage, and risk score, showed better prognostic prediction ability. Our risk model based on 3 FRGs genes ultimately revealed significant differences between high-risk and low-risk groups in terms of immune infiltration and immune checkpoint correlation, drug sensitivity, and somatic mutation risk. Finally, we validated the key prognostic genes FTH1, FTL, using qRT-PCR, and found that the expression of FTH1 and FTL was significantly higher in various liver cancer cells than in normal liver cells. At the same time, immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of FTH1, FTL in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in para-tumor tissues., Conclusion: This study identifies a considerable impact of FRGs on immunity and prognosis in individuals with LIHC. The collective findings of this research provide new ideas for personalized treatment of LIHC and a more targeted therapy approach for individuals with LIHC to improve their prognosis., (© 2023. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.)

Background: Recent researches found that mitochondrial functions were substantially involved in tumor progression, whereas the particular mechanism is unrecognized. Coiled-Coil Domain-Containing Protein 58 (CCDC58), one of the mitochondrial matrix import factors, acts as a novel regulator or stabilizer involved in mitochondrial protein import machinery. Whether and how an up-regulation of CCDC58 causes poor prognosis of patients in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) still required further researches., Methods: Tumor immune estimation resource (TIMER), Hepatocellular Carcinoma Database (HCCDB) and UALCAN databases were utilized to explore the expression level in diverse types of tumors compared with normal tissues. The prognostic potential of CCDC58 mRNA was evaluated via the Kaplan-Meier plotter, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) databases. Corresponding clinicopathological factors were analyzed in Kaplan-Meier plotter. According to the median of mRNA expression levels of CCDC58, we divided The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data of HCC patients into two groups, highly expressed one and lowly expressed one, so as to perform the enrichment analyses of Gene Oncology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) Network was constructed by STRING site and the co-expressed genes were functionally enriched. Immunohistochemistry was adopted to detect protein expression of CCDC58 in HCC patients., Results: This study indicated that CCDC58 protein expression level was obviously higher in HCC than that in paired paracancerous tissues. The up-regulated CCDC58 mRNA is prone to poor prognosis of patients in HCC through various indexes, such as overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), disease-specific survival (DSS), relapse-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Additionally, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses suggested that CCDC58 could be viewed as an independent risk factor for HCC patients. The expression of CCDC58 is associated with 28 GO terms related to mitochondria and 5 KEGG pathways including oxidative phosphorylation. The PPI network revealed 10 interactive proteins about constituent components of mitochondria., Conclusions: These findings demonstrated CCDC58 to be a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in HCC and correlated with mitochondria acting on tumor biosynthesis and energy production. It is reliable for CCDC58 to be targeted to design novel treatments for HCC patients., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2023.)

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is the most commonly used oxidant in advanced oxidation processes for emerging organic contaminant degradation. However, the activation of H 2 O 2 to generate reactive oxygen species is always accompanied by O 2 generation resulting in H 2 O 2 waste. Here, we prepare a Ti doped Mn 3 O 4 /Fe 3 O 4 ternary catalyst (Ti-Mn 3 O 4 /Fe 3 O 4 ) to create abundant oxygen vacancies (OVs), which yields electron delocalization impacts on enhancing the electrical conductivity, accelerating the activation of O 2 to produce H 2 O 2 . In Ti-Mn 3 O 4 /Fe 3 O 4 /H 2 O 2 system, OVs-mediated O 2 /O 2 •- /H 2 O 2 redox cycles trigger the activation of locally generated O 2 , boost the regeneration of O 2 •- and on site produce H 2 O 2 for replenishment. This leads to a 100% removal of tiamulin in 30 min at an unprecedented H 2 O 2 utilization efficiency of 96.0%, which is 24 folds higher than that with Fe 3 O 4 /H 2 O 2 . Importantly, further integration of Ti-Mn 3 O 4 /Fe 3 O 4 catalysts into membrane filtration achieved high rejections of tiamulin (> 83.9%) from real surface water during a continuous 12-h operation, demonstrating broad pH adaptability, excellent catalytic stability and leaching resistance. This work demonstrates a feasible strategy for developing OVs-rich catalysts for improving H 2 O 2 utilization efficiency via activation of locally generated oxygen during the Haber-Weiss reaction., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A composite manganese-based catalytic ceramic membrane (Mn-CCM) was developed by a solid-state sintering method, and its effectiveness toward activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of 11 pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) mixture was tested. The optimized Mn-CCMs/PMS system showed remarkable degradation efficiencies for PPCPs mixture with total removal >90% in ultrapure water, river water and natural organic matter (NOM) solution. The Mn-CCMs/PMS system showed the contribution of different phenomena in PPCPs removal in the order of catalytic oxidation (54.7%, Mn-CCMs/PMS) > noncatalytic oxidation (42.3%, PMS oxidation) > adsorption (3.0%, by Mn-CCMs). The singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) was the dominant reactive oxygen specie for the degradation of PPCPs in all water matrices proved by the quenching experiments and electro-paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The extraordinary stability of Mn-CCMs for the activation of PMS has been noted in terms of repeatability experiments for PPCPs degradation with fewer leaching of Mn (1.9 to 3.6 µg/L). Mineralization was achieved in the range of 28-65% for different water matrices. The toxicity of the PPCPs mixture was reduced by 85.9%. The Mn-CCMs/PMS system showed a reduction (25-100%) in precursors of different carbon- and nitrogen-based disinfection by-products. This study found the Mn-CCMs/PMS system as a feasible purification unit for removing trace concentrations of PPCPs (ng/L) in real drinking water matrices., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To assess A-kinase anchor protein 95 (AKAP95), B-Raf, extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), and Elk-1 expression in colon cancer tissue, and characterize AKAP95 associations with B-Raf, ERK1/2, Elk-1, and colon cancer clinicopathological indices., Methods: The immunohistochemistry streptavidin-perosidase (SP) method was used to determine protein expression levels in 64 colon cancer and 32 para-carcinoma tissue specimens., Results: (1) Positive AKAP95 expression rates in colon cancer tissue were higher when compared with para-carcinoma tissue (92.19% vs. 59.38%, P < 0.05). Similar findings were determined for B-Raf (76.56% vs. 25%, P < 0.05), ERK1/2 (90.63% vs. 31.25%, P < 0.05), and Elk-1 levels (92.19% vs. 40.63%, P < 0.05). (2) No significant associations were identified between AKAP95, B-Raf, ERK1/2, and Elk-1 protein expression and degree of differentiation, histological type, and lymph node metastasis in colon cancer samples ( P > 0.05); however, in The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets, AKAP95 was closely related to immune infiltration, and highly expressed AKAP95 was negatively associated with overall survival and relapse free survival rates in colon cancer patients. (3) Correlations were observed between AKAP95 and ERK1/2, AKAP95 and Elk-1, B-Raf and ERK1/2, B-Raf and Elk-1, and ERK1/2 and Elk-1 (all P < 0.05), but no correlation was observed between AKAP95 and B-Raf ( P > 0.05)., Conclusions: AKAP95 may affect immune infiltration levels in colon cancer by participating in ERK1/2-Elk-1 signal transduction., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare(s) that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Xiangyu Kong et al.)

Background: Paeonol (Pae), the main active compound of the root of Paeonia albiflora, is efficacious in treating atherosclerosis (AS). Endothelial dysfunction is throughout the pathological progression of AS. It is expected that inhibition of Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) will be a key target for AS treatment., Objective: In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism of the regulatory effect of Pae on EndMT in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs)., Methods: Cell cytotoxicity, proliferation, and migration were detected by CCK-8, the wound healing assay, and EdU staining, respectively. The protein expressions were measured by Western blot or immunofluorescence staining. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to indicate endothelial cells undergoing EndMT in ApoE -/- mice. In vitro TGF-β1-induced EndMT assays were performed in HUVECs and the effect of Pae was explored., Results: We demonstrated that Pae could improve induced TGF-β1-EndMT in vivo and in vitro . Mechanism study revealed that Pae directly bonds to the activin-like kinase 5 (ALK5, also known as TGFβ type I receptor), inhibited downstream Smad2/3 phosphorylation, and thus alleviated EndMT. Notably, overexpression of ALK5 significantly reversed the inhibitory effect of Pae on EndMT in HUVECs., Conclusion: Our results indicate that ALK5 is a promising druggable target for AS, and pharmacological regulation of ALK5-Smad2/3 signaling pathway with small-molecule holds great potential to benefit AS patients., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Dysfunction of the lenticular nucleus is thought to contribute to neurological symptoms in Wilson's disease (WD). However, very little is known about whether and how the lenticular nucleus influences dystonia by interacting with the cerebral cortex and cerebellum. To solve this problem, we recruited 37 WD patients (20 men; age, 23.95 ± 6.95 years; age range, 12-37 years) and 37 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) (25 men; age, 25.19 ± 1.88 years; age range, 20-30 years), and each subject underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) scans. The muscle biomechanical parameters and Unified Wilson Disease Rating Scale (UWDRS) were used to evaluate the level of dystonia and clinical representations, respectively. The lenticular nucleus, including the putamen and globus pallidus, was divided into 12 subregions according to dorsal, ventral, anterior and posterior localization and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) was calculated for each subregion. The relationships between FC changes in the lenticular nucleus with muscle tension levels and clinical representations were further investigated by correlation analysis. Dystonia was diagnosed by comparing all WD muscle biomechanical parameters with healthy controls (HCs). Compared with HCs, FC decreased from all subregions in the putamen except the right ventral posterior part to the middle cingulate cortex (MCC) and decreased FC of all subregions in the putamen except the left ventral anterior part to the cerebellum was observed in patients with WD. Patients with WD also showed decreased FC of the left globus pallidus primarily distributed in the MCC and cerebellum and illustrated decreased FC from the right globus pallidus to the cerebellum. FC from the putamen to the MCC was significantly correlated with psychiatric symptoms. FC from the putamen to the cerebellum was significantly correlated with muscle tension and neurological symptoms. Additionally, the FC from the globus pallidus to the cerebellum was also associated with muscle tension. Together, these findings highlight that lenticular nucleus-cerebellum circuits may serve as neural biomarkers of dystonia and provide implications for the neural mechanisms underlying dystonia in WD.

Background: Conventionally, serum ceruloplasmin levels below the lower reference limit (0. 20 g/L) is considered a diagnostic cutoff point for Wilson's disease (WD). However, the lower reference limit varies with assay methodologies and the individuals in the included studies. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal cutoff value of serum ceruloplasmin levels for the diagnosis of WD in a large Chinese cohort and to identify factors associated with serum ceruloplasmin., Methods: The cutoff value of ceruloplasmin levels was developed based on a retrospective derivation cohort of 3,548 subjects (1,278 patients with WD and 2,270 controls) and was validated in a separate validation cohort of 313 subjects (203 patients with WD and 110 controls). The performance of immunoassay was tested by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, and differences among the groups were analyzed by using the Mann-Whitney U -test and the Kruskal-Wallis test., Results: The conventional cutoff of serum ceruloplasmin levels of <0.2 g/L had an accuracy of 81.9%, which led to a false-positive rate of 30.5%. The optimal cutoff of the serum ceruloplasmin level for separating patients with WD from other participants was 0.13 g/L, as determined by ROC analysis. This cutoff value had the highest AUC value (0.99), a sensitivity of 97.0%, and a specificity of 96.1%. Moreover, it prevented unnecessary further investigations and treatments for 492 false-positive patients. By determining the correlation between serum ceruloplasmin and phenotypes/genotypes in patients with WD, we found that the serum ceruloplasmin level was lower in early-onset patients and higher in late-onset patients. Interestingly, patients with the R778L/R919G genotype had higher serum ceruloplasmin levels than patients with other hot spot mutation combinations., Conclusion: Our work determined the optimal cutoff value of serum ceruloplasmin levels for the diagnosis of WD and identified differences in serum ceruloplasmin levels with respect to the age of symptom onset and ATP7B mutations, which may provide some valuable insights into the diagnosis and counsel of patients with WD., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yang, Hao, Wei, Tang, Qian, Yang, Xi, Zhang and Yang.)

Gandouling (GDL) Pill is a novel Traditional Chinese medicinal drug to treat Wilson's disease in clinics. It is composed of six separate herbal medicines, including Rhei Radix ET Rhizoma, Coptidis Rhizoma, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix ET Rhizoma, Spatholobi Caulis, Curcumae Rhizoma, and Curcumae Longae Rhizoma. In this study, a strategy was proposed to investigate the chemical constituents and to quantify the potential bioactive components in GDL Pill. Firstly, the mass fragmentation behaviors of representative compounds were investigated, and, in total, 69 compounds were characterized in GDL Pill using full scan/dd-MS 2 scan mode by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)/Q-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS). These compounds included 18 alkaloids, 18 ketones, 16 phenolic compounds, 11 organic acids, and 6 tanshinones. Seventeen of the compounds were unambiguously identified by comparison with reference standards. Secondly, the absorption components of GDL Pill in rat plasma were investigated by using target-Selected Ion Monitoring (t-SIM) scan mode built in Q-Orbitrap MS. A total of 18 components were detected, which were considered as potential bioactive components of GDL Pill. Thirdly, 10 major absorption components were simultaneously determined in six batches of samples by UPLC/diode array detector (DAD). The method was fully validated with respect to linearity, precision, repeatability, stability, and recovery. Alkaloids from Coptidis Rhizoma, such as coptisine ( 8 ), berberine ( 18 ), palmatine ( 19 ), were the most abundant bioactive compounds for GDL Pill that possess the potential be used as quality markers. The proposed strategy is practical and efficient for revealing the material basis of GDL Pill, and also provides a simple and accurate method for quality control.

The performance of an integrated process comprising coagulation, ozonation, and catalytic ceramic membrane filtration (CMF) followed by treatment with biological active carbon (BAC) was evaluated in a pilot-scale (96 m 3 /d) experiment to understand the biostability and quality of the finished water. The fate of dissolved organic matter (DOM) at the molecular level was explored using Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Biostable finished water with an assimilable organic carbon (AOC) concentration of 30.2-45.4 µg/L was obtained by the integrated process, and the high hydraulic retention time (HRT) (≥ 45 min) of the BAC filter was necessary to provide biostable finished water. The coagulation/O 3 /CMF unit efficiently transformed nitrogen-containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) with aromaticity and large molecular weight (Mw) (500-1000 Da) into CHO-type highly unsaturated phenolic compounds (HuPh) with less aromaticity and medium Mw (300-500 Da), which were effectively removed by subsequent BAC filtering. The main reaction was oxygen addition, followed by deamination and dealkylation of the coagulation/O 3 /CMF unit and decarboxylation of the BAC filter. Principal component analysis revealed that N-containing and large-Mw PAH are potential AOC precursors, and the chemical characteristics of CHO-type and medium-Mw HuPh make them AOC candidates (correlation coefficients > 0.96). This study provides insights into the management of drinking water biostability and its suitability for the practical application of the integrated coagulation/O 3 /CMF-BAC process in drinking water treatment plants., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Catalytic ceramic nanofiber membranes (Mn@CNMs) were prepared by anchoring Mn 2 O 3 nanoparticles on the pits of attapulgite (APT) nanofibers via an impregnation and in-situ precipitation method. An integrated catalytic ozonation/membrane filtration process applying Mn@CNM was employed to degrade sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and the removal achieved up to 81.3% during a 7-h continuous filtration. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) quenching and radical detection experiments were conducted to determine the contribution of 1 O 2 , ·OH and O 2 ·- towards the catalytic degradation of SMX. Moreover, Mn@CNM exhibited wide applicability for real water matrix and the total removal of various kinds of emerging contaminants in real hospital wastewater reached up to 98.5%. The excellent performances of Mn@CNM were attributed to the nano-confinement effect in the membrane layer. First, anchoring Mn 2 O 3 nanoparticles on the pits of the APT surface suppressed the growth and aggregation of nanosized Mn 2 O 3 , providing abundant reactive sites for catalytic ozonation. Second, the interlaced APT nanofibers formed nano-sized network structures, where ROS and SMX were confined in close vicinity and ROS have more chances to attack SMX. This work provides a promising strategy for the preparation of catalytic ceramic membrane with high catalytic efficiency for degradation of emerging contaminants in water., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although the gut microbiota is involved in metabolic disease such as atherosclerosis, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Paeonol (Pae) is a natural phenolic compound isolated from Cortex Moutan, which exhibits anti-atherosclerotic effects. Our previous research demonstrated gut microbiota as a site of Pae action. However, the mechanism by which Pae exerts its anti-atherosclerotic effect by the regulation of gut microbiota remains unclear. Objective: To investigate a potential mechanistic link between the gut microbial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation in atherosclerosis progression and explore the possible role of Pae. Methods: Experimental atherosclerosis was established in ApoE -/- mice, and the atherosclerosis mice were treated with Pae for 4 weeks before being sacrificed for analyses while conducting fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). The plaque area, levels of serum LPS, expressions of inflammatory factors in serum or aorta, and intestinal barrier permeability were determined. VSMCs were co-cultured with THP-1 cells. CCK-8 assay and EdU staining were performed to assess the proliferative capacity of VSMCs. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to observe the nuclear transfer of p65. Western blotting was used to detect the candidate protein expression level, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression level in tissues or cells of each group. Results: During atherosclerosis progression, gut dysbiosis leads to the peripheral accumulation of gut microbial LPS, which acts as a trigger to stimulate osteopontin (OPN) production from circulating monocytes, inducing cell-to-cell crosstalk to promote VSMC proliferation in the aorta. Importantly, the elevation of LPS and OPN concentrations in the blood was also observed in patients with atherosclerosis. Pae could significantly improve atherosclerosis, suppress gut microbial LPS accumulation, and inhibit monocyte/macrophage activation and VSMC proliferation. Conclusions: The present study provides a mechanistic scenario for how long-term stimulation of gut microbial LPS in circulating blood generates a pathological secondary response that leads to abnormal proliferation of VSMCs using high OPN expression in circulating monocytes and suggests a novel strategy for atherosclerosis therapy by remodeling the gut microbiota., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Shi, Wu, Liu, Huang, Liu, Yang, Jiang, Zhou and Dai.)

Spin polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) and magnetic exchange force microscopy (MExFM) are powerful tools to characterize spin structure at the atomic scale. For low temperature measurements, liquid helium cooling is commonly used, which has the advantage of generating low noise but has the disadvantage of having difficulties in carrying out measurements with long durations at low temperatures and measurements with a wide temperature range. The situation is just reversed for cryogen-free STM, where the mechanical vibration of the refrigerator becomes a major challenge. In this work, we have successfully built a cryogen-free system with both SP-STM and MExFM capabilities, which can be operated under a 9 T magnetic field provided by a cryogen-free superconducting magnet and in a wide temperature range between 1.4 and 300 K. With the help of our specially designed vibration isolation system, the noise is reduced to an extremely low level of 0.7 pm. The Fe/Ir(111) magnetic skyrmion lattice is used to demonstrate the technical novelties of our cryogen-free system.

The effects of Al deoxidation and Zr deoxidation on the microstructure and properties of sulfide stress corrosion resistant high-strength steel have been investigated. The feasibility of the Zr deoxidation instead of Al deoxidation was confirmed by the thermodynamic analysis of the deoxidation of various elements. The experimental results indicate that the average diameters of the inclusions in Al-Steel and Zr-Steel were 2.45 μm and 1.65 μm, respectively. The Al-Steel and Zr-Steel contained 22.38% and 68.77% inclusions per unit area, respectively, and the fraction of inclusions in the Al-Steel and Zr-Steel with diameters less than 2 μm was about 73.46% and 89.63%, respectively, indicating that the Zr deoxidation process could effectively refine inclusions and promote dispersion. The average diameters of austenite grain for the Al-Steel and Zr-Steel were about 9.1 μm and 8 μm, respectively. The fine particles in Zr-Steel could pin the austenite grain boundaries and clearly refine the grains. The average grain size of tempered martensite was 8.2 μm and 3.8 μm, respectively. The yield strength of the Al-Steel and Zr-Steel was 922 MPa and 939 MPa, respectively; the impact energy was 60 ± 6 J and 132 ± 6 J, respectively. Moreover, the fracture time of the NACE-A was from 28 h (Al-Steel) to 720 h (Zr-Steel) without fracture. The experimental steel deoxidized by Zr achieved a simultaneous improvement in strength, toughness and sulfide stress corrosion resistance, and the effect of inclusions on the fracture of the sulfide stress corrosion resistant high-strength steel can be explained by the Griffith theory.

Studies show that non-coding RNAs, especially microRNAs (miRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), and protein-coding genes are involved in the pathophysiology of multi-organ damage caused by Wilson's disease (WD). However, circRNA expression profiles and their role in initiation and progression of WD kidney injury remain largely unclear at present. Here, we explored potential critical protein-coding genes, miRNAs, and circRNAs, as well as identify competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in a WD mouse model by high-throughput sequencing. We investigated the expression profiles of circRNAs, miRNAs, and protein-coding genes, and identified 32 DEcircRs, 45 DEmiRs, and 1623 DEPs. Identified DEcircRs, DEmiRs, and DEPs were used to construct a ceRNA network, which consisted of 15 DEcircRNAs (four upregulated and 11 downregulated), 18 DEmiRNAs (14 upregulated and four downregulated), and 352 DEmRNAs (205 upregulated and 147 downregulated). Further experiments proved that mmu&#95;circ&#95;0001333 and mmu&#95;circ&#95;0000355 acted as sponges of miR-92b-5p, miR-107-3p, and miR-187-3p to regulate the expression of genes including Smad9 , Mapk10 , and Aldh3a2 , which may participate in WD-related kidney injury. Taken together, this study identified the circRNA/miRNA/mRNA network involved in kidney failure in WD, which may serve as a potential biomarker for the pathogenesis of WD., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wei, Qian, Yang, Yang, Liu, Hao, Cheng, Yang, Dong and Yang.)

Permeability reduction and formation damage in porous media caused by fines (defined as unconfined solid particles present in the pore spaces) migration is one of the major reasons for productivity decline. It is well accepted that particle detachment occurs under imbalanced torques arising from hydrodynamic and adhesive forces exerted on attached particles. This paper reviewed current understanding on primary factors influencing fines migration as well as mathematical formulations for quantification. We also introduced salinity-related experimental observations that contradict theoretical predictions based on torque balance criteria, such as delayed particle release and attachment-detachment hysteresis. The delay of particle release during low-salinity water injection was successfully explained and formulated by the Nernst-Planck diffusion of ions in a narrow contact area. In addition to the widely recognized explanation by surface heterogeneity and the presence of low-velocity regions, we proposed a hypothesis that accounts for the shifting of equilibrium positions, providing new insight into the interpretation of elusive attachment-detachment hysteresis both physically and mathematically. The review was finalized by discussing the quantification of anomalous salinity effect on adhesion force at low- and high-salinity conditions., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In this study, Cu matrix composites reinforced with reduced graphene oxide-coated submicron spherical Cu (SSCu@rGO) exhibiting both high-strength plastic product (UT) and high electrical conductivity (EC) were prepared. SSCu@rGO results in the formation of Cu 4 O 3 and Cu 2 O nanotransition layers to optimize the interface combination. In addition, as a flow carrier, SSCu@rGO can also render graphene uniformly dispersed. The results show that SSCu@rGO has a significant strengthening effect on the Cu matrix composites. The relative density (RD) of the SSCu@rGO/Cu composites exceeds 95%, and the hardness, UT, and yield strength (YS) reach 106.8 HV, 14,455 MPa% (tensile strength (TS) 245 MPa, elongation (EL) 59%), and 119 MPa; which are 21%, 72%, and 98% higher than those of Cu, respectively. Furthermore, EC is 95% IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard), which is also higher than that of Cu. The strength mechanisms include transfer load strengthening, dislocation strengthening, and grain refinement strengthening. The plastic mechanisms include the coordinated deformation of the interface of the Cu 4 O 3 and Cu 2 O nanotransition layers and the increase in the fracture energy caused by graphene during the deformation process. The optimized EC is due to SSCu@rGO constructing bridges between the large-size Cu grains, and graphene on the surface provides a fast path for electron motion. This path compensates for the negative influence of grain refinement and the sintering defects on EC. The reduced graphene oxide-reinforced Cu-matrix composites were studied, and it was found that the comprehensive performance of the SSCu@rGO/Cu composites is superior to that of the rGO/Cu composites in all aspects.

Oxide superlattices often exhibit emergent physical properties that are desirable for future information device applications. The most common growth technique for fabrication of oxide superlattices is pulsed laser deposition (PLD), which is convenient yet powerful for the growth of various oxide superlattices. However, the sample size prepared by PLD is rather small confined by the plasmon plume, which greatly limits its potential for device applications. Here, we design a PLD system that is capable of fabricating large-sized oxide superlattices with high uniformity. Specifically, during growth, the laser beam scans the target surface by combining the pitch and yaw angle rotation of the high reflective mirror and the linear motion of the focus lens. A SiC susceptor is placed in between the sample holder and the substrate to improve the large area infrared heating efficiency. Using such a system, droplet-free 10 × 10 mm 2 [(LSMO) 12 /(PCMO) 6 ] 7 superlattices are epitaxially grown with the same period of superlattices across the whole sample areas. The high uniformity of the superlattices is further illustrated by near identical physical properties of all regions of the superlattice films. The present PLD system can be used to grow various kinds of oxide superlattices with the area size as large as 2 in., which is highly useful for device applications of oxides.

Purpose: Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is one of the most common primary malignant liver tumors worldwide. The RAD52 motif-containing protein 1 (RDM1) has been shown to play a role in mediating DNA damage repair and homologous recombination. The present study was designed to determine the expression of RDM1 and its prognostic value as well as its relationship with immune infiltration in LIHC patients., Methods: Oncomine and Tumor Immunoassay Resource were used to assess the expression of RDM1. PrognoScan and Kaplan-Meier bioinformatics database were used to analyze the impact of clinical influencing factors on prognosis. Finally, the Tumor Immune Assessment Resource (TIMER) and Gene Expression Analysis Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) databases were used to detect the correlation between the expression of RDM1 and expression of marker genes related to immune infiltration. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) method was used to detect the expression level of RDM1 in 90 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and adjacent normal liver tissues., Results: RDM1 expression was up-regulated in most cancers. The expression of RDM1 was remarkably higher than that of the corresponding normal control genes in LIHC tissues. The increase in RDM1 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was closely related to the decreases in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Additionally, the increase in RDM1 mRNA expression was closely related to the infiltration levels of macrophages, CD8+ T cells and B cells and was positively correlated with a variety of immune markers in LIHC., Conclusion: The findings of the present study demonstrate that RDM1 is a potentially valuable prognostic biomarker that can help determine the progression of cancer and is associated with immune cell infiltration in LIHC., (© 2021 The Author(s).)