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Chemical resources and techniques have long been used in the history of bulk polyester production and still dominate today's chemical industry. The sustainable development of the polyester industry demands more renewable resources and environmentally benign polyester products. Accordingly, the rapid development of biotechnology has enabled the production of an extensive range of aliphatic and aromatic polyesters from renewable bio-feedstocks. This review addresses the production of representative commercial polyesters (polyhydroxyalkanoates, polylactic acid, poly ε-caprolactone, polybutylene succinate, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, polyethylene furandicarboxylate, polypropylene furandicarboxylate, and polybutylene furandicarboxylate) or their monomers (lactic acid, succinic acid, 1,4-butanediol, ethylene glycol, terephthalic acid, 1,3-propanediol, and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid) from renewable bioresources. In addition, this review summarizes advanced biotechniques in the treatment of polyester wastes, representing the near-term trends and future opportunities for waste-to-value recycling and the remediation of polyester wastes under sustainable models. For future prospects, it is essential to further expand: non-food bioresources, optimize bioprocesses and biotechniques in the preparation of bioderived or biodegradable polyesters with promising: material performance, biodegradability, and low production cost.

To evaluate the impact of prophylactic paraortic lymph node (PALN) radiation therapy (RT) on clinical outcomes in patients with International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2018 stage IIIC1 endometrial cancer (EC).A multi-institutional retrospective study included patients with International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2018 stage IIIC1 EC lymph node assessment, status postsurgical staging, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and RT using various sequencing regimens. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariable and multivariable analysis were performed by Cox proportional hazard models for RFS/OS. In addition, propensity score matching was used to estimate the effect of the radiation field extent on survival outcomes.A total of 378 patients were included, with a median follow-up of 45.8 months. Pelvic RT was delivered to 286 patients, and 92 patients received pelvic and PALN RT. The estimated OS and RFS rates at 5 years for the entire cohort were 80% and 69%, respectively. There was no difference in the 5-year OS (77% vs 87%, P = .47) and RFS rates (67% vs 70%, P = .78) between patients treated with pelvic RT and those treated with pelvic and prophylactic PALN RT, respectively. After propensity score matching, the estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of prophylactic PALN RT versus pelvic RT were 1.50 (95% confidence interval, 0.71-3.19; P = .28) for OS and 1.24 (95% confidence interval, 0.64-2.42; P = .51) for RFS, suggesting that prophylactic PALN RT does not improve survival outcomes. Distant recurrence was the most common site of first recurrence, and the extent of RT field was not associated with the site of first recurrence (P = .79).Prophylactic PALN RT was not significantly associated with improved survival outcomes in stage IIIC1 EC. Distant metastasis remains the most common site of failure despite routine use of systemic chemotherapy. New therapeutic approaches are necessary to optimize the outcomes for women with stage IIIC1 EC.

The high-cost synthesis of highly dispersed non-noble metal–nitrogen–carbon (MNC) electrocatalysts hinders their practical applications. Here, we have developed a cost/time-efficient synthesis method for MNC electrocatalysts with highly dispersed metal sites, using the commercially available cheap ZnO as the Zn source, reducing the cost of Zn usage by over 80%. Our specially chosen solvent formamide can react with ZnO and allow the formation of nano-sized ZnFeCo–Nx complexes uniformly distributed in the formamide-derived high-N-doped carbon substrate. Further annealing the ZnFeCo–N–C precursor will produce a highly dispersed FeCo–NC target product. Electrochemical measurements show that the prepared FeCo–NC is an excellent electrocatalyst for alkaline oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), rendering superior onset and half-wave potentials of 1.05 and 0.92 V, respectively. The Al–air battery assembled using this also shows a high specific power (204.9 mW cm−2) and a large specific capacity (552 mA h g−1 at 10 mA cm−2), exceeding those of the 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst. Our method may inspire the scalable and low-cost production of highly dispersed MNC electrocatalysts and their wide range of practical applications.

Rechargeable aluminium-ion batteries (AIBs) are considered to be promising alternatives for current lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), since they can offer the possibilities of low cost with high energy-to-price ratios. Unlike in LIBs, the charge storage mechanism in AIBs involving different ionic species is far more complicated and remains largely unexplored, which impedes further screening and optimization of cathodes materials that can reversibly accommodate aluminium-based (complex) charge carriers with boosted cell performance. Here, we report a comprehensive study of the battery chemistry in metal selenide based cathode in AIBs from an integrated chemical and physical point of view. Various in situ and ex situ characterization techniques and theoretical calculations reveal that both Cl- and AlCl4- can act as the charge carriers in the FeSe2 cathode during the charge process, and the Al3+ can also be embedded into the host upon discharge process. Furthermore, using in situ magnetometry, the spin-polarized surface capacitance is observed in AIBs for the first time, which proves that Al3+ can serve as charge compensation in the formation of space charge zones with electrons. These innovative findings provide unprecedented insight into the charge storage mechanism of AIBs.

Variable industrial strains have been applied in the fermentation of bulk amino acids. Strain discovery and evolution, process optimization are traditional approaches to improve the yield and efficiency of the bio-production process, hence to compete with chemical or enzymatic process in amino acids production. With the fast development of bioengineering and synthetic biology, the strains can be rationally engineered to achieve better performance and gain the capacity in the fermentation of broader range of amino acids, especially for value-added amino acids. This proposed review aims to summarize traditional and recent strains in the microbial production of amino acids, characterize their metabolic pathways and present potential objectives for rational evolution. In addition, this proposed review prospect the recent opportunities and challenges in the microbial production of value-added amino acids (rare amino acids, non-canonical amino acids, and unnatural amino acids).

Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of sequence and type of adjuvant therapy for patients with stage IIIC endometrial carcinoma (EC) on outcomes.In a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study, patients with stage IIIC EC who had surgical staging and received both adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT) were included. Adjuvant treatment regimens were classified as adjuvant chemotherapy followed by sequential RT (upfront chemo), which was predominant sequence; RT with concurrent chemotherapy followed by chemotherapy (concurrent); systemic chemotherapy before and after RT (sandwich); adjuvant RT followed by chemotherapy (upfront RT); or chemotherapy concurrent with vaginal cuff brachytherapy alone (chemo-brachy). Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method.A total of 686 eligible patients were included with a median follow-up of 45.3 months. The estimated 5-year OS and RFS rates were 74% and 66%, respectively. The sequence and type of adjuvant therapy were not correlated with OS or RFS (adjusted P = .68 and .84, respectively). On multivariate analysis, black race, nonendometrioid histology, grade 3 tumor, stage IIIC2, and presence of adnexal and cervical involvement were associated with worse OS and RFS (all P.05). Regardless of the sequence of treatment, the most common site of first recurrence was distant metastasis (20.1%). Vaginal only, pelvic only, and paraortic lymph node (PALN) recurrences occurred in 11 (1.6%),15 (2.2 %), and 43 (6.3 %) patients, respectively. Brachytherapy alone was associated with a higher rate of PALN recurrence (15%) compared with external beam radiation therapy (5%) P.0001.The sequence and type of combined adjuvant therapy did not affect OS or RFS rates. Brachytherapy alone was associated with a higher rate of PALN recurrence, emphasizing the role of nodal radiation for stage IIIC EC. The vast proportion of recurrences were distant despite systemic chemotherapy, highlighting the need for novel regimens.

The important of survival motor neurone gene (SMN) was first realized when deletions or mutations in the SMN1 gene were found to cause Spinal Muscular Atrophy(SMA).But the relationship of SMN1 and cancers was not clear. In our study, We evaluated the role of SMN1 in esophageal cancer using publicly available data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). we found that high level of SMN1 in esophageal cancer predicted poor prognosis. SMN1 expression may be a potential prognostic molecular marker of poor survival in esophageal cancer, Moreover, proteasome pathway and phosphatidylinositol signaling system regulated by SMN1 in esophageal cancer.

Adenosine monophosphosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and its activator metformin were found to be involved in the regulation of fibroblast activation and pulmonary fibrosis. However, the regulatory mechanism has been undetermined. Recently, AMPK has been reported to exert its effect through inhibiting bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway. In this study, human fetal lung fibroblast (HFL-1) cells were treated with metformin or specific AMPKα1 mutants, including constitutively activated mutant (AMPK-CA) and dominant negative mutant (AMPK-DN), combined with BMP9, and then the absorbance of these cells was measured by cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay. The colony number of HFL-1 cells stimulated by metformin with or without BMP9 was examined by colony formation assay. The protein expressions of differentiated markers (α-smooth muscle actin, collagen I and collagen III) and the key molecules of BMP9 signaling, including activin receptor-like kinase (ALK) one and phosphorylated small mother against decapentaplegic (p-Smad)1/5, were also evaluated by western blot. Data revealed that BMP9 induced the proliferation and differentiation of HFL-1 cells which was suppressed by metformin or AMPK-CA. Meanwhile, the effect of metformin on BMP9-induced activation was counteracted by AMPK-DN. In addition, we found that the expressions of ALK1 and p-Smad1/5 induced by BMP9 were attenuated by metformin and AMPK-CA, whereas the inhibitory responses of metformin to the increased ALK1 and p-Smad1/5 were reduced by AMPK-DN. Accordingly, these results suggested that metformin mitigated BMP9-induced proliferation and differentiation of HFL-1 cells, which was achieved partly through the activation of AMPK and inhibition of ALK1/Smad1/5 signaling.

Adenosine monophosphosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and its activator metformin were found to be involved in the regulation of fibroblast activation and pulmonary fibrosis. However, the regulatory mechanism has been undetermined. Recently, AMPK has been reported to exert its effect through inhibiting bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway. In this study, human fetal lung fibroblast (HFL-1) cells were treated with metformin or specific AMPKα1 mutants, including constitutively activated mutant (AMPK-CA) and dominant negative mutant (AMPK-DN), combined with BMP9, and then the absorbance of these cells was measured by cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay. The colony number of HFL-1 cells stimulated by metformin with or without BMP9 was examined by colony formation assay. The protein expressions of differentiated markers (α-smooth muscle actin, collagen I and collagen III) and the key molecules of BMP9 signaling, including activin receptor-like kinase (ALK) one and phosphorylated small mother against decapentaplegic (p-Smad)1/5, were also evaluated by western blot. Data revealed that BMP9 induced the proliferation and differentiation of HFL-1 cells which was suppressed by metformin or AMPK-CA. Meanwhile, the effect of metformin on BMP9-induced activation was counteracted by AMPK-DN. In addition, we found that the expressions of ALK1 and p-Smad1/5 induced by BMP9 were attenuated by metformin and AMPK-CA, whereas the inhibitory responses of metformin to the increased ALK1 and p-Smad1/5 were reduced by AMPK-DN. Accordingly, these results suggested that metformin mitigated BMP9-induced proliferation and differentiation of HFL-1 cells, which was achieved partly through the activation of AMPK and inhibition of ALK1/Smad1/5 signaling.

Background Recreational use of the betel nut, which is common among the South Asian population, is a known risk factor for developing Head and Neck cancer. As South Asians comprise a significant proportion of the United States population, we seek to determine if those living within the country experience a higher rate of head and neck cancers compared to other races. Methods Data of patients diagnosed with head & neck cancers from 2010-2016 was collected from the National Cancer Database® and compared to race-matched US census data for each corresponding year to calculate incidence. Pairwise comparisons were performed between the incidence for South Asians versus Whites and South Asians versus Blacks using one sided Chi-square tests. Results South Asians experienced a significantly higher incidence of buccal mucosa/vestibule cancers when compared to Whites or Blacks for every year between 2010-2016, but a comparatively lower incidence of larynx or oropharynx cancers. Conclusions South Asians residing within the United States have a higher incidence of buccal mucosa/vestibule cancers, but a lower incidence of more common cancers, such as larynx or oropharynx cancer. This may suggest that the etiology behind the high buccal mucosa/vestibule cancer incidence is due to a social habit, as opposed to an inherent racial susceptibility.

Herein, a hierarchically porous N, S‐co‐doped carbon material (named as NS‐C) has been efficiently fabricated from halogenated polymer to meet the targets of the low‐cost anode and cathode materials for Li‐based batteries. Thanks to its large N (∼5.4 at.%) and S (∼1.1 at.%) contents, large specific surface area (∼1510 m2 g–1), and beneficial pore hierarchy, the NS‐C exhibits superior bifunctional performance as anode material and S host for Li‐S cathode. The NS‐C/sulfur composite (named as S@NS‐C) delivers a large capacity of 1125 mAh g–1 at 0.1 C and maintains a capacity of 401 mAh g–1 at 5 C. A continuous long‐term use for 200 cycles at 2 C achieves large capacity retention of 80.5%. Furthermore, the NS‐C can also serve as anode material for stable Li‐ion storage with large capacity, showing very limited capacity fading for over 1000 cycles at both 0.1 and 1.0 A g–1. Moreover, considering the huge amount of halogenated polymer plastic wastes buried, burned, or discarded in the environments, our developed route of simple conversion of halogenated polymers into functional carbon materials for Li‐ion battery anode and S host for Li‐S battery cathode is advantageous for both environmental protection and Li‐based battery industry.

Wearable sensors open unprecedented opportunities for long-term health monitoring and human–machine interaction. Electrospinning is considered to be an ideal technology to produce functional structures for wearable sensors because of its unique merits to endow devices with highly designable functional microstructures, outstanding breathability, biocompatibility, and comfort, as well as its low cost, simple process flow, and high productivity. Recent advances in wearable sensors with one-, two-, or three-dimensional (1D, 2D, or 3D) electrospun microstructures have promoted various applications in healthcare, action monitoring, and physiological information recognition. Particularly, the development of various novel electrospun microstructures different from conventional micro/nanofibrous structures further enhances the electrical, mechanical, thermal, and optical performances of wearable sensors and provides them with multiple detection functions and superior practicality. In this review, we discuss (i) the principle and typical apparatus of electrospinning, (ii) 1D, 2D, and 3D electrospun microstructures for wearable sensing and their construction strategies and physical properties, (iii) applications of microstructured electrospun wearable devices in sensing pressure, temperature, humidity, gas, biochemical molecules, and light, and (iv) challenges of future electrospun wearable sensors for physiological signal recognition, behavior monitoring, personal protection, and health diagnosis.

Introduction: Pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is widely performed for staging in men undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer. Our goal was to synthesize all available evidence and data to evaluate perioperative complications for two templates of PLND, standard (sPLND) vs extended (ePLND), at the time of RP in patients with prostate cancer. Methods: A meta-analysis was performed on relevant literature about complications during PLND. Pubmed, Scopus, WebofScience, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched through July 2021. Meta-analysis was conducted with both fixed-effects and random-effects models to estimate risk ratios (RRs) between treatments. A subgroup analysis was also conducted based on surgery type - open vs robotic. Results: 13 (1 randomized clinical trial and 12 observational studies) studies published between 1997 and 2019 with a total of 7,036 patients were analyzed. Pooled data showed complications in a random-effects model was lower in the sPLND group than the ePLND group (RR, 0.62; 95% CI 0.40-0.97). In a subgroup analysis, neither the open surgery subgroup nor the robotic surgery subgroup showed significant differences in complication rate between sPLND and ePLND. Conclusion: ePLND is associated with a significantly greater risk of perioperative complication compared to sPLND, but not when comparing these templates performed via a robotic approach. Additional studies comparing the complication rates of sPLND and ePLND when utilizing a robotic approach should be conducted.

Purpose To compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRB) versus low dose-rate brachytherapy (LDRB) for localized prostate cancer in a multi-institutional phase 2 randomized trial. Methods and Materials Men with favorable-risk prostate cancer were randomized between monotherapy brachytherapy with either Iodine-125 LDRB to 144 Gy or single-fraction Iridium-192 HDRB to 19 Gy. HRQOL and urinary toxicity were recorded at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC)-26 scoring and the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Independent samples t test and mixed effects modeling were performed for continuous variables. Time to IPSS resolution, defined as return to its baseline score ±5 points, was calculated using Kaplan-Meier estimator curves with the log-rank test. A multiple-comparison adjusted P value of ≤.05 was considered significant. Results LDRB and HDRB were performed in 15 and 16 patients, respectively, for a total of 31 patients. At 3 months, patients treated with LDRB had a higher IPSS score (mean, 15.5 vs 6.0, respectively; P = .003) and lower EPIC urinary irritative score (mean, 69.2 vs 85.3, respectively; P = .037) compared with those who received HDRB. On repeated measures at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, the IPSS (P = .003) and EPIC urinary irritative scores (P = .019) were significantly better in the HDR arm, translating into a lower urinary toxicity profile. There were no significant differences in the EPIC urinary incontinence, sexual, or bowel habit scores between the 2 groups at any measured time point. Time to IPSS resolution was significantly shorter in the HDRB group (mean, 2.0 months) compared with the LDRB group (mean, 6.0 months; P = .028). Conclusions HDRB monotherapy is a promising modality associated with a lower urinary toxicity profile and higher HRQOL in the first 12 months compared with LDRB.

Carbide-derived carbons (CDC) represent a kind of typical and fascinating porous carbon materials (PCM) for broad applications but demand hazardous chlorine to fulfil the conversion into carbon. Here in this study, we report the facile fabrication of PCM with rich porosity from mild molten alkaline-treated calcium carbide (CaC2). Resulted PCM under optimized synthesis conditions exhibited large specific surface area (∼839 m2 g−1) and specific capacitance (403 F g−1 at current density of 0.5 A g−1). Meanwhile, fairly good rate capability of retaining over 63% capacitance at large current density of 5 A g−1, and robust cycling performance (∼5% fading after 5000 cycles at high rate of 5 A g−1) can be also obtainable. Our study rendered a simple but effective method to utilize CaC2 as carbon source and may have broad applications such as adsorbents, anode materials for Li/Na-ion batteries.

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterium whose unique developmental cycle consists of an infectious elementary body and a replicative reticulate body. Progression of this developmental cycle requires temporal control of the transcriptome. In addition to the three chlamydial sigma factors (σ66, σ28, and σ54) that recognize promoter sequences of genes, chlamydial transcription factors are expected to play crucial roles in transcriptional regulation. Here, we investigate the function of GrgA, a Chlamydia-specific transcription factor, in C. trachomatis transcriptomic expression. We show that 10 to 30 min of GrgA overexpression induces 13 genes, which likely comprise the direct regulon of GrgA. Significantly, σ66-dependent genes that code for two important transcription repressors are components of the direct regulon. One of these repressors is Euo, which prevents the expression of late genes during early phases. The other is HrcA, which regulates molecular chaperone expression and controls stress response. The direct regulon also includes a σ28-dependent gene that codes for the putative virulence factor PmpI. Furthermore, overexpression of GrgA leads to decreased expression of almost all tRNAs. Transcriptomic studies suggest that GrgA, Euo, and HrcA have distinct but overlapping indirect regulons. These findings, together with temporal expression patterns of grgA, euo, and hrcA, indicate that a transcriptional regulatory network of these three transcription factors plays critical roles in C. trachomatis growth and development. IMPORTANCEChlamydia trachomatis is the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen worldwide and is a leading cause of preventable blindness in underdeveloped areas as well as some developed countries. Chlamydia carries genes that encode a limited number of known transcription factors. While Euo is thought to be critical for early chlamydial development, the functions of GrgA and HrcA in the developmental cycle are unclear. Activation of euo and hrcA immediately following GrgA overexpression indicates that GrgA functions as a master transcriptional regulator. In addition, by broadly inhibiting tRNA expression, GrgA serves as a key regulator of chlamydial protein synthesis. Furthermore, by upregulating pmpI, GrgA may act as an upstream virulence determinant. Finally, genes coregulated by GrgA, Euo, and HrcA likely play critical roles in chlamydial growth and developmental control.

Adenosine monophosphosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and its activator metformin were found to be involved in the regulation of fibroblast activation and pulmonary fibrosis. However, the regulatory mechanism has been undetermined. Recently, AMPK has been reported to exert its effect through inhibiting bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway. In this study, HFL-1 cells were treated with metformin or specific AMPKα1 mutants, including constitutively activated mutant (AMPK-CA) and dominant negative mutant (AMPK-DN), combined with BMP9, and then the absorbance of these cells was measured by cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay. The colony number of HFL-1 cells stimulated by metformin with or without BMP9 was examined by colony formation assay. The protein expressions of differentiated markers (α-smooth muscle actin, collagen I and collagen III) and the key molecules of BMP9 signaling, including activin receptor-like kinase (ALK) 1 and phosphorylated small mother against decapentaplegic (p-Smad)1/5, were also evaluated by western blot. Data revealed that BMP9 induced the proliferation and differentiation of HFL-1 cells which was suppressed by metformin or AMPK-CA. Meanwhile, the effect of metformin on BMP9-induced activation was counteracted by AMPK-DN. In addition, we found that the expressions of ALK1 and p-Smad1/5 induced by BMP9 were attenuated by metformin and AMPK-CA, whereas the inhibitory responses of metformin to the increased ALK1 and p-Smad1/5 were reduced by AMPK-DN. Accordingly, these results suggested that metformin mitigated BMP9-induced proliferation and differentiation of HFL-1 cells, which was achieved partly through the activation of AMPK and inhibition of ALK1/Smad1/5 signaling.

UNSTRUCTURED REMOVE

BACKGROUND Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or indoor tanning is the cause of most skin cancers. Although indoor tanning has decreased in recent years, it remains most common among adolescents and young adults, whose skin is particularly vulnerable to long-term damage. US states have adopted several types of legislation to attempt to minimize indoor tanning among minors: a ban on indoor tanning among all minors, a partial minor ban by age (eg, OBJECTIVE This study investigated whether internet searches (as an indicator of interest) related to indoor tanning varied across US states by the type of indoor tanning legislation, using data from Google Trends from 2006 to 2019. METHODS We conducted a time-series analysis of Google Trends data on indoor tanning from 2006 to 2019 by US state. Time-series linear regression models were generated to assess the Google Trends data over time by the type of indoor tanning legislation. RESULTS We found that indoor tanning search rates decreased significantly for all 50 states and the District of Columbia over time (P CONCLUSIONS Our findings are consistent with those of other studies on the association between indoor tanning regulations and attitudinal and behavioral trends related to indoor tanning. The main limitation of the study is that raw search data were not available for more precise analysis. With changes in interest and norms, indoor tanning and skin cancer risk among young people may change. Future studies should continue to determine the impact of such public health policies in order to inform policy efforts and minimize risks to public health.

To explore the value of in situ amniocyte culture for prenatal diagnosis.2716 amniotic fluid samples were cultured in situ on slides. After the culture, the slides were stained, photographed and analyzed.All samples were successfully analyzed, with the success rates for primary culture and subculture being 98.42% and 1.58%, respectively. 224 samples (8.25%) were detected with chromosomal aberrations, which included 125 cases with trisomy 21, 31 with trisomy 18, 3 with trisomy 13, 4 with 45,X, 17 with 47,XXY, 5 with 47,XYY, 1 with 48,XXY,+18, 1 with 48,XXYY, 26 with structural chromosomal aberrations, and 11 with mosaicisms for aneuploidies.In situ amniocyte culture is stable and has a high success rate, and is capable of identifying true and false mosaicisms, which can improve the accuracy of prenatal diagnosis.

The obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis is an important human pathogen whose biphasic developmental cycle consists of an infectious elementary body and a replicative reticulate body. Whereas σ66, the primary sigma factor, is necessary for transcription of most chlamydial genes throughout the developmental cycle, σ28 is required for expression of some late genes. We previously showed that the Chlamydia-specific transcription factor GrgA physically interacts with both of these sigma factors and activates transcription from σ66- and σ28-dependent promoters in vitro. Here, we investigate the organismal functions of GrgA. We show that GrgA overexpression decreased RB proliferation via time-dependent transcriptomic changes. Significantly, σ66-dependent genes that code for two important transcription repressors are among the direct targets of GrgA. One of these repressors is Euo, which prevents the expression of late genes during early phases. The other is HrcA, which regulates gene expression in response to heat shock. The direct regulon of GrgA also includes a σ28-dependent gene that codes for the putative virulence factor PmpI. Conditional overexpression of Euo and HrcA also inhibited chlamydial growth and affected GrgA expression. Transcriptomic studies suggest that GrgA, Euo, and HrcA have distinct but overlapping indirect regulons. Furthermore, overexpression of either GrgA leads to decreased expression of numerous tRNAs. These findings indicate that a GrgA-mediated transcriptional regulatory network controls C. trachomatis growth and development.IMPORTANCEChlamydia trachomatis is the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial pathogen worldwide and is a leading cause of preventable blindness in under-developed areas as well as developed countries. Previous studies showed that the novel transcription factor GrgA activated chlamydial gene transcription in vitro, but did not addressed the organismal function of GrgA. Here, we demonstrate growth inhibition in C. trachomatis engineered to conditionally overexpress GrgA. GrgA overexpression immediately increases the expression of two other critical transcription factors (Euo and HrcA) and a candidate virulence factor (PmpI), among several other genes. We also reveal chlamydial growth reduction and transcriptomic changes including decreased GrgA mRNA levels in response to either Euo or HrcA overexpression. Thus, the transcription network controlled by GrgA likely plays a crucial role in chlamydial growth and pathogenesis.

Rational design of conductive polymer-based supercapacitor (CPSC) by integrating three-dimensional (3D) interconnected electrode materials with porosified electrolyte is of great potential to simultaneously increase the specific capacitance and rate capability of CPSC device. Herein, we describe for the first time a prototype of all-solid-state CPSC using 3D interconnected fibrous polypyrrole (PPy) and 3D porosified electrolyte. The as-made PPy was characterized to possess excellent electron conductivity (∼7.8 S cm−1), 3D interconnected structure, providing fast electron/ion transportation pathway to accelerate the kinetics of interfacial pseudocapacitive reactions. The symmetric PPy-based CPSC device initially delivered a high specific capacity up to 505 mF cm−2 (corresponding to 168 F g−1) at current stream of 2.0 mA cm−2 and was capable of retaining 50% capacitance (∼250 mF cm−2) at high rate (20.0 mA cm−2). Meanwhile, an improved energy density of 44.9 μWh·cm−2 at power of 8 mW cm−2 was achieved. In addition, PPy-CPSC exhibited excellent flexible performance, no obvious degradation of capacitive performance was observed for PPy-CPSC device under bent or twisted.

As overfertilization leads to environmental concerns and the cost of N fertilizer increases, the issue of how to select crop cultivars that can produce high yields on N-deficient soils has become crucially important. However, little information is known about the genetic mechanisms by which crops respond to environmental changes induced by N signaling. Here, we dissected the genetic architecture of N-induced phenotypic plasticity in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by integrating functional mapping and semiautomatic high-throughput phenotyping data of yield-related canopy architecture. We identified a set of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that determined the pattern and magnitude of how wheat cultivars responded to low N stress from normal N supply throughout the wheat life cycle. This analysis highlighted the phenological landscape of genetic effects exerted by individual QTLs, as well as their interactions with N-induced signals and with canopy measurement angles. This information may shed light on our mechanistic understanding of plant adaptation and provide valuable information for the breeding of N-deficiency tolerant wheat varieties.

Stretchable energy storage devices, maintaining the capability of steady operation under large mechanical strain, have become increasing more important with the development of stretchable electronic devices. Stretchable supercapacitors (SSCs), with high power density, modest energy density, and superior mechanical properties are regarded as one of the most promising power supplies to stretchable electronic devices. Conductive polymers, such as polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy), polythiophene (PTh) and poly(3,4-ehtylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), are among the well-studied electroactive materials for the construction of SSCs because of their high specific theoretical capacity, excellent electrochemical activity, light weight, and high flexibility. Much effort has been devoted to developing stretchable, conductive polymer-based SSCs with different device structures, such as sandwich-type and fiber-shaped type SSCs. This review summarizes the material and structural design for conductive polymer-based SSCs and discusses the challenge and important directions in this emerging field.

Metal-nitrogen-complexed carbon (MNC) materials have received tremendous attention because of their extraordinary catalytic performance and widely spread applications in the fields of electrocatalysis especially oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Yet currently, an efficient method for the mass production of MNC electrocatalysts under low costs is still lacking. Herein, we explored a facile low-cost route to construct Co-N-decorated carbon (Co-N-C) materials that were capable of providing a considerably higher ORR performance than commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst (comparable activity, higher long-term cycling stability, and tolerance to methanol contamination). The Co-N-C electrocatalysts were mainly facilitated via the efficient dehalogenation of polyvinyl dichloride or polyvinyl chloride and in situ doping with nitrogen and cobalt ions under mild conditions. Besides the rendered promising electrocatalysts for ORR, our developed method may be capable of converting the halogenated polymeric plastic wastes that are massively accumulated in our environment into value-added carbon-based catalytic materials.

Sodium-ion capacitors (SICs) show great potential for large-scale energy storage devices due to their high energy-power density, long cycling life, and low cost of sodium. Nevertheless, a daunting challenge to this technology is the sluggish sodium ion diffusion kinetics of the faradaic anode materials, which impede the widespread development of SICs. Herein, uniformly layered Fe2(MoO4)3 (L-FMO) assemblies are prepared though a facile solvothermal-assisted route and used as anode material of SICs for the first time. Benefiting from the improved extrinsic pseudocapacitive contribution, the L-FMO assemblies exhibit fast kinetics, high sodium storage capacity as well as long-term lifetime. Moreover, an initial intercalation-subsequent conversion sodium storage mechanism of L-FMO assemblies is further demonstrated though a series of techniques including in-situ X-ray diffraction, ex-situ transmission electron microscopy as well as ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When the L-FMO assemblies was applied into SICs, the assembled devices achieve a high-energy-power density (227.2 Wh kg−1, 20.05 kW kg−1) along with good cycling stability (a low capacity decay of only 0.0062% per cycle during 3000 cycles at the current density of 1 A g−1). The present work pioneers alkaline earth metal molybdates for SICs anodes and will push the development of energy storage systems.

Simultaneously improving the loading and accessibility of atomically dispersed metal sites to achieve high-activity and high-throughput electrocatalysis is important yet challenging. Herein, a simple method based on formamide chemistry was developed for the efficient synthesis of 3D flower-like N-doped carbons decorated with highly loaded atomic Fe-N4 motifs. Approximately twice as much atomic Fe (6.84 wt%) was loaded due to the introduction of 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (Bz) as additional ligands in the preparation of formamide-derived binary ZnFe-NC (f-ZnFe-NC). Meanwhile, with the promotion of Bz, the f-ZnFe-NC precursor also showed improved 3D flower structure that could be robustly inherited into the formation of flower-like Fe-NC product after high-temperature treatment, leading to the obtainment of rich open pores for exposing more atomic Fe sites (site density of 26.6 umol g−1 and turnover of frequency of 1.73 s−1) for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis. Electrochemical measurements showed that the Bz-promoted synthesized Fe-NC (referred to as Bz-Fe1-NC) possessed superior onset potential (1.04 V) and half-wave potential (0.94 V), and its assembled Al-air battery provided a very large specific power of 238.2 mW cm−2 along with high-rate capability and good long-term stability.

Background Tai Chi, a kind of physical exercise, may act as a non-pharmacologic approach to reducing the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of simplified Tai Chi training plus routine exercise on motor and non-motor symptoms in patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease in comparison with routine exercise regimen alone. Methods Forty-one outpatients and inpatients with Parkinson's disease (PD) were randomized into Tai Chi group (N.=19) and routine exercise group as control group (N.=22) for 12 weeks. The Tai Chi group included both Tai Chi traning and routine exercise. Motor and non-motor functions were assessed. Motor function was evaluated by Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III (UPDRS-III) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The non-motor symptoms like quality of life, sleep quality, depression and anxiety state, cognitive function were assessed by Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) respectively. Results After 12 weeks of intervention, participants in both Tai Chi and routine exercise groups gained effects in UPDRS-III, BBS, PDQ-39, PDSS and HAMD compared to the baseline. However, significant improvements between Tai Chi group and routine exercise group were only found in PDSS (P=0.029) and MoCA (P=0.024). Conclusions Tai Chi training plus routine exercise might therefore be an ideal alternative non-pharmacological approach for the motor and non-motor symptoms of PD patients, and especially be more useful for the improvement of sleep quality and cognitive function in Parkinson's disease compared with routine exercise regimen alone.

Bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9) has recently been described as a crucial regulator in modulating fibroblast-type cell activation. Activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1) is a high affinity receptor for BMP9 that exerts its role via Smad1/5. However, the functional roles of BMP9 in activating lung fibroblasts and the underlying signaling pathway are not completely understood. The present study aimed to explore the effect of exogenous BMP9 on human lung fibroblast HFL-1 cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as the potential role of the ALK1/Smad1/5 signaling pathway. In the present study, fibroblast proliferation was assessed using Cell Counting Kit-8 and colony formation assays, and the mRNA and protein expression of target genes was examined using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot assays, respectively. Compared with the control group, BMP9 treatment increased HFL-1 cell proliferation, mRNA and protein expression of differentiated markers, including α-smooth muscle actin, type I collagen and type III collagen, and the expression of ALK1 and phosphorylated Smad1/5 expression. Furthermore, the effects of BMP9 were partially rescued by dorsomorphin-1, an inhibitor of ALK1. The results indicated that BMP9 may serve as a key inducer of lung fibroblast activation and ALK1/Smad1/5 signaling might be associated with BMP9-mediated effects in HFL-1 cells. Therefore, the present study highlighted that the potential role of the BMP9/ALK1/Smad1/5 signaling pathway in the development of pulmonary fibrosis requires further investigation.

The safety of the external thermal insulation system has been widely concerned by people. In this paper, strain gauges and temperature sensor are preset at the interface of bonding layer/insulation layer, bonding layer/mortar layer. The interface stress variation rules of graphite polystyrene board, polystyrene board and homogeneous board were studied under 30 times of thermal alternating environment and the test results were analyzed in combination with physical properties of the materials. The results show that the strain at the interface of the samples composed of three kinds of thermal insulation materials increases with the increase of the number of thermal alternating cycles. The total interfacial strain of the sample composed of homogeneous board is the largest, and that of graphite polystyrene board is the smallest.

Background Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or indoor tanning is the cause of most skin cancers. Although indoor tanning has decreased in recent years, it remains most common among adolescents and young adults, whose skin is particularly vulnerable to long-term damage. US states have adopted several types of legislation to attempt to minimize indoor tanning among minors: a ban on indoor tanning among all minors, a partial minor ban by age (eg, Objective This study investigated whether internet searches (as an indicator of interest) related to indoor tanning varied across US states by the type of indoor tanning legislation, using data from Google Trends from 2006 to 2019. Methods We conducted a time-series analysis of Google Trends data on indoor tanning from 2006 to 2019 by US state. Time-series linear regression models were generated to assess the Google Trends data over time by the type of indoor tanning legislation. Results We found that indoor tanning search rates decreased significantly for all 50 states and the District of Columbia over time (P Conclusions Our findings are consistent with those of other studies on the association between indoor tanning regulations and attitudinal and behavioral trends related to indoor tanning. The main limitation of the study is that raw search data were not available for more precise analysis. With changes in interest and norms, indoor tanning and skin cancer risk among young people may change. Future studies should continue to determine the impact of such public health policies in order to inform policy efforts and minimize risks to public health.

The spread of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has become one of the major concerns to public health. Improved monitoring of drug resistance is of high importance for infectious disease control. One of the major mechanisms for bacteria to overcome treatment of antibiotics is the production of β-lactamases, which are enzymes that hydrolyze the β-lactam ring of the antibiotic. In this study, we have developed a self-immobilizing and fluorogenic probe for the detection of β-lactamase activity. This fluorogenic reagent, upon activation by β-lactamases, turns on a fluorescence signal and, more importantly, generates a covalent linkage to the target enzymes or the nearby proteins. The covalent labeling of enzymes was confirmed by SDS-PAGE analysis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The utility of this structurally simple probe was further confirmed by the fluorescent labeling of a range of β-lactamase-expressing bacteria.

In this study, the Ni-P-Fe3O4 composite powders containing about 10% phosphorus were prepared by hydrothermal method. The phase, composition and morphology of the powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The wave absorption properties of the Ni-P-Fe3O4 composite powders were estimated by vector network analyzer (VNA). The results showed that the saturation magnetization and resistivity of the as-obtained Ni-P-Fe3O4 composite powders were significantly reduced, however their dispersion as well as conductivity were improved. The electromagnetic wave absorbed by Ni-P-Fe3O4 composite powders was mainly attributed to the dielectric loss, and the absorption of electromagnetic wave in the low frequency can reach to 90% (the reflection loss is less than -10 dB).

Summary Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), particularly designed with thousands and thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (big p) genotyped on tens of thousands of subjects (small n), are encountered by a major challenge of p ≪ n. Although the integration of longitudinal information can significantly enhance a GWAS’s power to comprehend the genetic architecture of complex traits and diseases, an additional challenge is generated by an autocorrelative process. We have developed several statistical models for addressing these two challenges by implementing dimension reduction methods and longitudinal data analysis. To make these models computationally accessible to applied geneticists, we wrote an R package of computer software, HiGwas, designed to analyze longitudinal GWAS datasets. Functions in the package encompass single SNP analyses, significance-level adjustment, preconditioning and model selection for a high-dimensional set of SNPs. HiGwas provides the estimates of genetic parameters and the confidence intervals of these estimates. We demonstrate the features of HiGwas through real data analysis and vignette document in the package. Availability and implementation https://github.com/wzhy2000/higwas. Contact rwu@phs.psu.edu Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.