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Myocardial infarction is a cardiovascular disease characterized by a high incidence rate and mortality. It leads to various cardiac pathophysiological changes, including ischemia/reperfusion injury, inflammation, fibrosis, and ventricular remodeling, which ultimately result in heart failure and pose a significant threat to global health. Although clinical reperfusion therapies and conventional pharmacological interventions improve emergency survival rates and short-term prognoses, they are still limited in providing long-lasting improvements in cardiac function or reversing pathological progression. Recently, cardiac patches have gained considerable attention as a promising therapy for myocardial infarction. These patches consist of scaffolds or loaded therapeutic agents that provide mechanical reinforcement, synchronous electrical conduction, and localized delivery within the infarct zone to promote cardiac restoration. This review elucidates the pathophysiological progression from myocardial infarction to heart failure, highlighting therapeutic targets and various cardiac patches. The review considers the primary scaffold materials, including synthetic, natural, and conductive materials, and the prevalent fabrication techniques and optimal properties of the patch, as well as advanced delivery strategies. Last, the current limitations and prospects of cardiac patch research are considered, with the goal of shedding light on innovative products poised for clinical application.

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text.The influence of interleukin (IL)-17 inhibition on blood pressure in patients with autoimmune diseases remains inconclusive. Our objective is to examine the risk of hypertension in patients with autoimmune diseases undergoing IL-17 inhibition therapies through meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials. We obtained integrated data from PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Incident hypertension rates were calculated, and hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals were analyzed, along with Ι2statistics to assess heterogeneity. Sequential analysis ensured conclusion reliability. In 30 randomized controlled trials involving 9909 patients with diverse autoimmune diseases treated with anti-IL-17 agents, our meta-analysis revealed a significant increase in hypertension risk (risk ratio 1.69, 95% confidence interval 1.24–2.31, P= 0.001), robustly supported by trial sequential analysis. Among the 4 agents (secukinumab, ixekizumab, bimekizumab, and brodalumab), only secukinumab exhibited a notable association with hypertension. Patients with various primary autoimmune diseases, particularly those with psoriatic arthritis, had a higher likelihood of developing hypertension; in rheumatic arthritis patient cohorts, anti-IL-17 agents did not elevate hypertension risk. Prolonged treatment duration correlated with an increased hypertension risk. Stratifying by sex, studies with a female predominance demonstrated a higher risk ratio for hypertension compared with male-predominant studies. This highlights that anti-IL-17 treatment escalates hypertension risk, emphasizing the need for extra caution when managing patients with autoimmune diseases (Registered by PROSPERO, CRD42016053112).

Atherosclerosis is a significant contributor to global cardiovascular disease. Reducing the formation of atherosclerotic plaque effectively can lead to a decrease in cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, controlling macrophage function is crucial. This study presents the creation of a bifunctional nanoparticle that is specific to macrophages to achieve intracellular and extracellular synergistic therapy for restoring macrophage functions. The nanoparticle is conjugated with anti-CD47 antibody to modulate extracellular CD47-SIRPα phagocytic signaling axis on the outer surface of macrophages and encapsulates the NLRP3 inhibitor (CY-09) to regulate intracellular inflammation response of macrophages. The results showed that the nanoparticles accumulate in the atherosclerotic plaque, alter macrophage phagocytosis, inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and decrease the plaque burden in Apoe−/−mice whilst ensuring safety. Examination of single-cell RNA sequencing indicates that this multifunctional nanoparticle decreases the expression of genes linked to inflammation and manages inflammatory pathways in the plaque lesion. This study proposes a synergistic therapeutic approach that utilizes a bifunctional nanoparticle, conjugated with anti-CD47, to regulate the microenvironment of plaques.

Fulminant myocarditis is an acute diffuse inflammatory disease of myocardium. It is characterized by acute onset, rapid progress and high risk of death. Its pathogenesis involves excessive immune activation of the innate immune system and formation of inflammatory storm. According to China’s practical experience, the adoption of the “life support-based comprehensive treatment regimen” (with mechanical circulation support and immunomodulation therapy as the core) can significantly improve the survival rate and long-term prognosis. Special emphasis is placed on very early identification,very early diagnosis,very early prediction and very early treatment.

Recent years have witnessed the transformative impact from the integration of artificial intelligence with organic and polymer synthesis. This synergy offers innovative and intelligent solutions to a range of classic problems in synthetic chemistry. These exciting advancements include the prediction of molecular property, multi-step retrosynthetic pathway planning, elucidation of the structure-performance relationship of single-step transformation, establishment of the quantitative linkage between polymer structures and their functions, design and optimization of polymerization process, prediction of the structure and sequence of biological macromolecules, as well as automated and intelligent synthesis platforms. Chemists can now explore synthetic chemistry with unprecedented precision and efficiency, creating novel reactions, catalysts, and polymer materials under the data-driven paradigm. Despite these thrilling developments, the field of artificial intelligence (AI) synthetic chemistry is still in its infancy, facing challenges and limitations in terms of data openness, model interpretability, as well as software and hardware support. This review aims to provide an overview of the current progress, key challenges, and future development suggestions in the interdisciplinary field between AI and synthetic chemistry. It is hoped that this overview will offer readers a comprehensive understanding of this emerging field, inspiring and promoting further scientific research and development.

Rational designs of solid polymer electrolytes with high ion conduction are critical in enabling the creation of advanced lithium batteries. However, known polymer electrolytes have much lower ionic conductivity than liquid/ceramics at room temperature, which limits their practical use in batteries. Here we show that precise positioning of designed repeating units in alternating polymer sequences lays the foundation for homogenized Li+distribution, non-aggregated Li+-anion solvation and sequence-assisted site-to-site ion migration, facilitating the tuning of Li+conductivity by up to three orders of magnitude. The assembled all-solid-state batteries facilitate reversible and dendrite-mitigated cycling against Li metal from ambient to elevated temperatures. This work demonstrates a powerful molecular engineering means to access highly ion-conductive solid-state materials for next-generation energy devices.

AbstractAimsTo determine the association between all-cause mortality and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in patients with idiopathic cardiomyopathy (iDCM).BackgroundLDL-C had long been considered as a dangerous predictor of cardiovascular diseases; however, the correlation between them was not fully clarified.MethodsA total of 1058 patients who met the World Health Organization criteria for iDCM in West China Hospital (2009–2016) were enrolled in this retrospective study. Baseline demographic characteristics and correlations between variables were calculated and analyzed, and potential predictors were explored using univariate and multivariate regressions. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine correlation on a continuous scale.ResultsLDL-C is an independent prognostic factor and higher LDL-C levels are associated with better prognosis in iDCM patients according to cox regression analysis. Compared with individuals which LDL > 2.28 mmol/L (75th–100th percentile), the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 1.52 (95%CI: 1.03–2.26) in patients with LDL-C < 1.78 mmol/L (0–25th percentile). In patients with New York Heart Association function III and IV, LDL-C levels have a hazard ratio of 0.83 (confidence interval 0.73–0.95).ConclusionsIn patients with iDCM, lower LDL-C level was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. The correlation between mortality and LDL-C level was stronger in patients with worse heart function. LDL-C levels have a potential predictive value in iDCM patients.

A visible-light-driven desaturative β-alkoxyoxalyation of N-aryl cyclic amines with difluoromethyl bromides and H2O has been reported. This tandem reaction is triggered by homolysis of the C–Br bond to produce the difuoroalkyl radical, which undergoes the subsequent defluorinated β-alkoxyoxalylation cascades to afford a wide range of β-ketoester/ketoamides substituted enamines. The prominent feature of this reaction contains photocatalyst-free, transition-metal free, and mild conditions. The 18O labeling experiment disclosed that H2O is the oxygen source of the carbonyl unit.

This paper discussed the selection of functional monomers and optimal synthesis conditions for hyperbranched copolymer named as HVR, a novel polymer flooding chemical, intended to enhance offshore heavy oil recovery. The potential application of HVR as a polymer for oil displacement was also evaluated. Through experiments and molecular simulations, functional monomers AOS and OP-10 for Bohai heavy oil were screened out due to their high viscosity reduction rates for oil, both above 90%. Moreover, the interaction energy calculation results suggested that AOS and OP-10 were more likely to spontaneously disperse asphaltene aggregation. Furthermore, the influence of various factors on the synthesis of HVR was discussed using orthogonal design, and optimal synthesis conditions were determined. The optimal conditions for HVR synthesis are as follows: polymerization concentration of 30 wt %, initiator dosage of 1 wt %, initiation temperature of 50 °C, and system pH of 7; the sum of OP-10 and AOS accounts for 29.9 wt %, with a molar ratio of 1:1; the total amount of AM and AA accounts for 79.9 wt %, with a mole ratio of 6.5:3.5; and 3.0 G PAMAM accounts for 0.2 wt %. Moreover, HVR demonstrated good mobility control capacity and improved the recovery of heavy oil significantly in core flooding tests. Injecting a slug of 0.3 PV of HVR led to the additional recovery of 21.96 and 16.04% for oil viscosities of 350 and 500 cP, respectively. Notably, HVR’s additional recovery was over 7% higher than that of conventional hydrophobically associating polymer. These findings highlight the potential of HVR as a novel polymer to enhance the heavy oil recovery.

The physical and chemical stabilities of SiC and heat-resistant steel were assessed by the diffusion couple method under vacuum at 1200 °C, which is a commonly used condition in magnesium metallurgy. High-temperature visualization instruments were used and Differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermodynamic analyses were performed to verify the relevant mechanism. The reaction between SiC and heat-resistant steel can be divided into two stages: solid–solid and solid–liquid reactions. The solid–solid interfacial reaction produces graphite, which hinders the interfacial reaction. The interfacial reaction simultaneously generates silicides (NiSi, Ni2Si, and Ni3Si) with low melting points and transforms the reaction interface into a solid–liquid interface. The formation of the liquid phase promotes the dissolution and diffusion of carbon, leading to the accelerated corrosion of SiC and low-temperature melting of steel. Supersaturated carbon precipitates in the melt in the form of nanowires or nanotubes are catalyzed by Fe/Ni. Herein, a general model describing the direct interfacial reaction mechanism of SiC and heat-resistant steel is proposed to explain the reaction process under vacuum.

The primary site of infection in COVID-19 exhibit is the respiratory system, but multiple organ systems could be affected. The virus could directly invade cardiomyocytes. Alternatively, cytokine storm could lead to myocardial injury. More importantly, the management of existing cardiovascular diseases must be re-examined in COVID-19 due to, for example, interaction between antiviral agents and with a wide variety of pharmacological agents. The Branch of Cardiovascular Physicians of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized a panel of experts in cardiovascular and related fields to discuss this important issue, and formulated the “2023 Chinese Expert Consensus on the Impact of COVID-19 on the Management of Cardiovascular Diseases.” The Consensus was drafted on the basis of systematic review of existing evidence and diagnosis and treatment experience, and covers three major aspects: myocardial injury caused by COVID-10 and COVID-19 vaccine, the impact of COVID-19 on patients with cardiovascular disease, and the impact of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system of healthy people, and rehabilitation guidance recommendations. The Consensus involves 11 core clinical issues, including incidence, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, treatment strategies, prognosis, and rehabilitation. It is our hope that this Consensus will provide a practical guidance to cardiologists in the management of cardiovascular diseases in the new era of COVID-19 pandemic.

A new weakly solvating polymer electrolyte system originated from distorted helix-like coordination geometry is identified and developed, improving Li+desolvation kinetics and interfacial chemistry of lithium metal batteries.

On-demand regulation of molecular weight distribution (MWD) is crucial to influence the properties of polymers. In this work, we reported an organocatalyzed photo-controlled radical polymerization (photo-CRP) from the tosyl chloride initiator by combining two disulfides as chain transfer agents. This novel synthetic protocol allows facile access toward well-defined polymers with tunable MWDs and predetermined molecular weights. Experiments including structural characterization, kinetic investigation and chain-extension polymerization exhibited good chain-growth control for polymers of different dispersities. Given the easy accessibility of the initiating site (sulfonyl chloride) on many aromatic sources, this work presents a promising avenue to modify such substances with polymers of tailored MWDs, chain lengths and repeating units under metal-free and mild conditions driven by light.

For environmental safety, it is important to establish a simple, rapid, and sensitive method for emerging pollutants. Here, a dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) method based on an iron-based metal–organic framework (Fe-MIL-88-NH2) combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed for tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in water samples. Fe-MIL-88-NH2was synthesized using a solvothermal method and completely characterized. Fe-MIL-88-NH2had good water stability and gave a maximum adsorption capacity of 40.97 mg g−1for TBBPA. The adsorption of TBBPA on Fe-MIL-88-NH2followed Langmuir adsorption models and a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The bromine ion and the hydroxyl group of TBBPA could form strong hydrogen bond interactions with the amino protons around the cavity of Fe-MIL-88-NH2, which was in accord with the molecular simulation calculations. Furthermore, several important d-SPE parameters were optimized, such as the amount of materials, extraction time, pH, ionic strength, elution solvent type, and volume. The established method showed good linearity in the concentration range of 0.005–100 μg g−1(r2≥ 0.9996). This method's limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.001 μg g−1and 0.005 μg g−1, respectively. The recoveries in spiked water samples ranged from 87.5% to 104.9%. The proposed method was applied successfully to detect TBBPA in environmental water samples.

A Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on-chip integrated photonic made of polymer waveguides (PWs) sensor with a pair of interference arms of different sizes was directly written using a two-photon polymerization (TPP) technique. The sensor exhibits good temperature response characteristics due to the effective refractive index of two asymmetric interference arms to temperature changes varies, and the temperature sensitivity can reach −348.5 pm/°C in the temperature range of 20 °C–60 °C without any treatment. Moreover, after packaging with temperature-sensitive material polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), the sensitivity of the sensor increased by about six times, exhibiting similar heating and cooling sensitivity within the range of 30 °C–70 °C, approximately −2.01 nm/°C. As a compact on-chip photonic device, the proposed sensor has excellent temperature sensitivity, biocompatibility, and stability. It is expected to be integrated into a variety of small and complex environments to achieve temperature monitoring.

An ultra-short fiber Bragg grating (US-FBG) refractive index (RI) sensor is presented and demonstrated. The US-FBG is composed of a series of cascaded microchannels which carved by femtosecond (fs) laser in the microprobe. According to the simulation results, an US-FBG with length/period of 149.8/5.35 μm is fabricated and used to measure refractive index (RI) of liquids. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of the proposed sensor can reach 600.5622 nm/RIU with a linear response range of 1.3323 to 1.3787. Such a compact size, high sensitivity and the inherent high reliability and ease of modulation of the US-FBG is expected to be used in the field of biosensing related to RI.

Indications for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) have expanded in many countries to include patients with aortic stenosis who are at low surgical risk, and a similar expansion to this cohort is anticipated elsewhere in the world, together with an increase in the proportion of patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) morphology as the age of the patients being treated decreases. To date, patients with BAV have been excluded from major randomized trials of TAVI owing to anatomical considerations. As a consequence, BAV has been a relative contraindication to the use of TAVI in international guidelines. Although clinical experience and observational data are accumulating, BAV presents numerous anatomical challenges for successful TAVI, despite advances in device design. Furthermore, in those with BAV, substantial geographical variation exists in patient characteristics, clinical approach and procedural strategy. Therefore, in this Roadmap article, we summarize the existing evidence and provide consensus recommendations from an international group of experts on the application of TAVI in patients with BAV in advance of the anticipated growth in the use of this procedure in this challenging cohort of patients.

Acquired anterior glottic webs (AGW) can lead to abnormally elevated phonatory pitch, dysphonia, and airway obstruction requiring urgent intervention. In this study, we construct a novel AGW rabbit model using heat injury by a laryngoscopic way. A primary study was conducted to identify the injury depth in rabbits' vocal folds (VFs) by graded heat energy, and the heat energy for the incurrence of epithelial layer, lamina propria, and muscular layer (ML) injury was 25, 30 and 35 W, respectively. Then, four different models were designed based on the depth and degree of the injury to determine the optimal procedure for AGW formation. Morphological features, vibratory capacity, and histopathologic features of the AGW were correspondingly evaluated. The procedure for conferring the heat injury to the depth of ML and the extent of anterior commissure and middle part of bilateral VFs showed the highest success rate of AGW formation (95%, 19/20). For its low cost, effectiveness, and stability for AGW formation, the heat injury rabbit model with a laryngoscopic approach may provide a new platform for testing novel anti-adhesion materials and bioengineered therapies.Impact StatementTissue engineering based on biomaterials has been a very hot research field and may be introduced to prevent the acquired anterior glottic web (AGW) formation. However, lacking a widely recognized animal model for AGW has limited the trial of anti-adhesion materials in the larynx. In this study, we have developed a novel rabbit model for AGW formation by conferring a heat injury under a laryngoscope; this model is cheap, effective, and stable for the anti-adhesion materials and bioengineered therapies. Thus, this research would arouse crucial interest and be widely employed.

Byline: Li-Hong. Han, Xiao-Yan. Fan, Hong. Guo, Wei. Wei, Mao-Meng. Chen, Shu-Fang. YanObjective: The objective of this paper was to investigate differential pathways in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SALS) based [...]

Covalent adaptable networks (CANs) relying on dynamic cross-links have been developed to make the cross-linked polymeric materials and composites degradable. However, due to the reversibility of dynamic bonds, the CANs and composites suffer accidental degradation and failure upon a certain stimulus (moisture, acid/base, reductant/oxidant, etc.) in the application environment. Herein, inspired by parallel circuits, interlocked covalent adaptable networks (ICANs) were prepared by one-pot reactions from epoxy monomers and two curing agents that contained different dynamic bonds of aromatic disulfide and aromatic imine bonds, resulting in dual dynamic parallel cross-links in homogeneous epoxy networks. The ICANs exhibited outstanding mechanical properties and improved stability, relying on the topological interlocking structure. The ICANs could be unlocked and became degradable only when two stimuli were both applied to completely break the cross-links of disulfide bonds and imine bonds. When applying ICANs as a matrix to form carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, the resulted CFRP inherited the interlocking properties from the ICANs, exhibiting improved stability and nondestructive recyclability. Maintaining the degradable properties, the interlocking structure of networks provided a facile way to optimize the stability of CANs and their composites.

Graphical Abstract

We report a case of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) occurring after a local injection of lidocaine. The patient presented with symptoms of myocardial ischemia, dynamic changes in the ST segment of the electrocardiogram, and significantly elevated levels of cardiac troponin; however, coronary angiography findings were normal. According to the clinical definition of AMI, these features indicated the presence of acute myocardial injury, reflected by abnormal cardiac biomarkers and supported by evidence of acute myocardial ischemia. Coronary artery spasm is an important cause of AMI and can be induced by drug effects. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic and antiarrhythmic drug widely used in clinics. The potential mechanism in this case may be lidocaine-induced coronary artery spasm. The possible serious side effects of lidocaine require the attention and vigilance of clinicians. To our knowledge, this is the first report to describe coronary artery spasm possibly induced directly by lidocaine.

In this paper, we propose a two-level search algorithm to solve the two-dimensional rectangle packing problem. In our algorithm, the rectangles are placed into the container one by one and each rectangle should be packed at a position by a corner-occupying action so that it touches two items without overlapping other already packed rectangles. At the first level of our algorithm, a simple algorithm called [A.sub.0] selects and packs one rectangle according to the highest degree first rule at every iteration of packing. At the second level, [A.sub.0] is itself used to evaluate the benefit of a CCOA more globally. Computational results show that the resulted packing algorithm called [A.sub.1] produces high-density solutions within short running times. Keywords: Rectangle packing problem; Heuristic; Greedy algorithm

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2006.06.004 Byline: Wenqi Huang, Mao Chen Keywords: Disk packing problem; Equilibrium constraints; Heuristic algorithm Abstract: This note proposed an improved version of the algorithm proposed by Wang et al. [Wang, H. Q., Huang, W. Q., Zhang, Q., & Xu, D. M. (2002). An improved algorithm for the packing of unequal circles within a larger containing circle. European Journal of Operational Research, 141, 339-347] for solving the disk packing problem with equilibrium constraints. An efficient strategy of accelerating the search process is introduced in the gradient method to shorten the execution time. A number of computational results are presented, showing the effectiveness of the proposed method. Author Affiliation: School of Computer Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China Article History: Received 20 January 2006; Revised 5 June 2006; Accepted 30 June 2006 Article Note: (footnote) [star] .

Mechanochromic polymers exhibit potential applications in damage reporting and stress sensing. Despite the rapid progress achieved in recent years, mechanochromic structural polymers, such as epoxy thermosets, remain difficult to develop, let alone structural materials that can distinguish different levels of stress by a visual color change. This work presents a new class of multicolor mechanochromic epoxy thermosets that can discriminate between low and high compressive stresses via the incorporation of two distinct mechanophores. Amino-functionalized rhodamine (Rh) moieties serve as efficient curing agents and ratiometric stress sensors for epoxy thermosets. The Rh mechanophore in the epoxy network can be activated either by scratch or uniaxial compression, showing a reversible color change and a red fluorescence turn-on response. A stress-dependent multicolor response under uniaxial compression and hydrostatic pressure is achieved by the combination of Rh mechanophores with a commercial epoxy resin containing a 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) framework. The Rh zwitterion formed at a low compressive stress turns the sample red, while a high compressive stress turns the sample green via the formation of the quinoidal methine form of DDM. Differential activation under varying degrees of compressive stress is demonstrated by UV–vis spectroscopy. The facile preparation and ability to recognize stress intensity by the naked eye make this strategy suitable for practical applications.

The synthesis of large-scale monolayer single-crystal MX2(M = Mo, W; X = S, Se), a typical transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD), is the premise for their future applications. Compared with insulating substrates such as SiO2and sapphire, Au is more favourable for the fast growth of TMDs by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Recently, large-scale single-crystal WX2was successfully grown and transferred on Au. In sharp contrast, the growth and transfer for monolayer MoX2is still very challenging, because Au has a higher solubility of Mo and stronger interaction with MoX2than WX2. Compared with the most studied MoS2, MoSe2is superior in many aspects because of the narrower band gap and tunable excitonic charging effects. However, the synthesis of large-scale single-crystal MoSe2on Au has not been reported so far. Here, a pre-alloying CVD method was developed to solve the problems for the growth and non-destructive transfer of MoX2. It has realized the ultrafast growth (30 s) of submillimeter-scale (560 μm) single-crystal MoSe2for the first time. As-grown samples are strictly monolayers with good optical and electrical properties, which can be easily transferred without sacrificing Au foils by the electrochemical bubbling method. It was found that pre-alloying not only passivates the energetically active sites on Au but also weakens the interaction between Au and MoSe2, which is responsible for the ultrafast growth and easy transfer of MoSe2. This method is also universal for the fast growth and non-destructive transfer of other 2D TMDs.

Defects, such as uncontrollable vacancies, will intensively degrade the material properties and device performance of CVD-grown transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Although vacancies can be repaired by some post-processing measures, these treatments are usually time-consuming, complicated and may introduce uncontrollable chemical contaminants into TMDs. How to efficiently suppress the uncontrollable defects during CVD growth and acquire intrinsic high-quality CVD-grown TMDs without any after-treatment remains a critical challenge, and has not yet been well resolved. Here, an alternate-growth-etching (AGE) CVD method was demonstrated to fabricate defect-suppressed submillimeter-scale monolayer WS2single crystals. Compared with normal CVD, the grain size of the as-grown WS2can be enlarged by 4–5 times (∼520 μm) and the growth rate of ∼14.4 μm min−1is also at a high level compared to reported results. Moreover, AGE-CVD can efficiently suppress atomic vacancies in WS2. In every growth-etching cycle, the etching of WS2occurs preferentially at the defective sites, which will be healed at the following growth stage. As a result, WS2monolayers obtained by AGE-CVD possess higher crystal quality, carrier mobility (8.3 cm2V−1s−1) and PL quantum yield (QY, 52.6%) than those by normal CVD. In particular, such a PL QY is the highest value ever reported for in situCVD-grown TMDs without any after-treatment, and is even comparable to the values of mechanically exfoliated samples. This AGE-CVD method is also appropriate for the synthesis of other high-quality TMD single crystals on a large-scale.

Aluminum–Vanadium (AlV) alloy is essential for high-performance titanium material. Calcium fluoride (CaF2) is currently used in AlV production and has inevitable drawbacks in terms of product quality and environmental impact. In order to avoid its potential hazards, lime (CaO) as an alternative flux material in producing AlV alloy has been investigated in laboratory and by industrial trials in the present study. The samples were analyzed by Electron Probe X-ray Micro-analyzer (EPMA) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD), regarding the phases formed and corresponding compositions. A slag with good fluidity can protect inner alloy from being oxidized and also promotes the separation between slag and alloy, with a goal to reduce alloy inclusions in slag to enhance the yield. The results showed that using CaO as flux with appropriate amount greatly improved the yield and quality of the AlV alloy and avoided environmental pollution caused by fluoride evaporations.

Size exclusion chromatography in tandem with UV absorbance of the surfactant is used to separate and quantify the amount of nonionic surfactant and model hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethane (HEUR) thickeners [...]

The authors determined fungi concentrations and genera from onion fields located in monsoon and nonmonsoon areas of Taiwan, as well as concentrations from a county homing location, which served as the comparison site. The authors explored the relationship(s) among onion harvesting, monsoon characteristics, airborne fungal levels, and mycotic eye infection. Airborne fungal levels in the onion field in the nonmonsoon area were the highest, followed by decreasing levels in the monsoon area and control sites, regardless of the sampling periods. The geometric mean of airborne fungal concentrations was the highest during onion harvesting. Cladosporium was the most dominant fungus during pre- and postharvest seasons, whereas Aspergillus, Fusraium, Acremonium, Alternaria, Penicillium, Monilia, Mycelia, and Rhizopus were increased significantly during harvesting. Although fungal concentrations in monsoon onion fields were lower than concentrations measured in the nonmonsoon area, the invasion of dangerous fungal pathogens following eye trauma by airborne sharp exotics (e.g., onion flakes) dispersed in high wind may account for the increase in corneal ulcer cases that occur in the monsoon area., MYCOTIC KERATITIS, or keratomycosis, can lead to a significant reduction in vision. Cases of mycotic keratitis have been reported in children, (1) but most cases are associated with outdoor agriculture [...]

Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a major contributor to loss of physical function, quality of life and longevity. The epidemiology of VHD varies substantially around the world, with a predominance of functional and degenerative disease in high-income countries, and a predominance of rheumatic heart disease in low-income and middle-income countries. Reflecting this distribution, rheumatic heart disease remains by far the most common manifestation of VHD worldwide and affects approximately 41 million people. By contrast, the prevalence of calcific aortic stenosis and degenerative mitral valve disease is 9 and 24 million people, respectively. Despite a reduction in global mortality related to rheumatic heart disease since 1900, the death rate has remained fairly static since 2000. Meanwhile, deaths from calcific aortic stenosis have continued to rise in the past 20 years. Epidemiological data on other important acquired and congenital forms of VHD are limited. An ageing population and advances in therapies make an examination of the changing global epidemiology of VHD crucial for advances in clinical practice and formulation of health policy. In this Review, we discuss the global burden of VHD, geographical variation in the presentation and clinical management, and temporal trends in disease burden.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text

Vitrimer materials that obscure the line between ″thermoset″ and ″thermoplastic″ have already attracted a great deal of interest since they exhibit dynamic properties of stress relaxation or reprocessability without losing their permanently cross-linked networks. While much research has been aimed at developing new exchangeable dynamic bonds to broaden the scope, there is a dearth of effort in exploring the key factors that influence the dynamic properties of vitrimer materials. These explorations are not only useful in the exact design and synthesis of vitrimer materials but also quite important in their theory establishment and computer simulation. However, only a few ways including catalyst control have been confirmed to be the key factors in controlling the dynamic properties of classical vitrimer materials like the polyester-based epoxy vitrimer. Here, we proposed that the density of exchangeable ester bonds (υ) in networks also has a crucial role in adjusting the dynamic properties of epoxy vitrimers. Four polyester-based epoxy vitrimers were synthesized from the tricarboxylic acid curing agent and different epoxy monomers, resulting in various υ’s. These epoxy vitrimers were named ″E202-vitrimer″, ″E380-vitrimer″, ″E500-vitrimer″, and ″E640-vitrimer″ according to the different molecular weights of the epoxy monomer. It was revealed that the dynamic properties of these vitrimer materials varied with the υ value. From the E640-vitrimer to E202-vitrimer, the stress relaxation behavior sped up with the rise in υ and the characterized relaxation times (τ’s) obviously decreased. Meanwhile, the activation energy (Ea) and the Arrhenius prefactor (τ0), which are two important intrinsic parameters in evaluating the dynamic properties of vitrimers, exhibited heavy dependence on υ, while linear models were applied to describe their relationships. Moreover, the τ at various temperatures could be also predicted from a linear model that relied on the υ in polyester vitrimers. These results indicated that υ has a crucial role in controlling the dynamic properties of polyester-based epoxy vitrimers and the value of υ could be applied to calculate the τ, Ea, and τ0. Besides, the influence of υ on the dynamic properties of polyester-based epoxy vitrimers and the resulted models might be workable in other vitrimer materials, which can be utilized to design desired vitrimer materials for various applications.

Primary mitral regurgitation and D-shaped annular circumference derived from multisection CT were independent predictors of less mitral regurgitation improvement after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

INTRODUCTION Associative thickeners are noted for their sensitivity to variations in formulations, and there are a variety of structurally undefined, commercial associative thickeners available for use in architectural and original [...]

Risk assessment in coronary artery disease plays an essential role in the early identification of high-risk patients. However, conventional invasive imaging procedures all require long intraprocedural times and high costs. The rapid development of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) and related image processing technology has facilitated the formulation of noninvasive approaches to perform comprehensive evaluations. Evidence has shown that CCTA has outstanding performance in identifying the degree of stenosis, plaque features, and functional reserve. Moreover, advancements in radiomics and machine learning allow more comprehensive interpretations of CCTA images. This paper reviews conventional as well as novel diagnostic and risk assessment tools based on CCTA.

Pyrethroid insecticides have been widely utilized for insect pest control. Target-site resistance is one of the major mechanisms explaining pest resistance to pyrethroids. This study quantified pyrethroid resistance and fitness cost conferred by the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) M918L mutation in Rhopalosiphum padi. Six s-kdr-SS and six s-kdr-RS parthenogenetic lineages were established from the same field population and were reared in the laboratory without exposure to pesticides for more than one year. Enzyme activity analysis demonstrated that metabolic resistance had no impact on these lineages. Bioassays showed that the M918L mutation strongly affected pyrethroid efficiency, conferring moderate resistance to bifenthrin (type I) (39.0-fold) and high resistance to lambda-cyhalothrin (type II) (194.7-fold). Compared with the life table of s-kdr-SS lineages, s-kdr-RS lineages exhibited a relative fitness cost with significant decreases in longevity and fecundity. Meanwhile, competitive fitness was measured by blending various ratios of s-kdr-SS and s-kdr-SS aphids. The results indicated that M918L-mediated resistance showed a significant fitness cost in the presence of wild aphids without insecticide pressure. The fitness cost strongly correlated with the initial resistance allele frequency. This work characterized the novel s-kdrM918L mutation in R. padi, defined its function in resistance to different types of pyrethroids, and documented that the M918L-mediated resistance has a significant fitness cost.

Cytidine base editor (CBE), which is composed of a cytidine deaminase fused to Cas9 nickase, has been widely used to induce C-to-T conversions in a wide range of organisms. However, the targeting scope of current CBEs is largely restricted to protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) sequences containing G, T, or A bases. In this study, we developed a new base editor termed “nNme2-CBE” with excellent PAM compatibility for cytidine dinucleotide, significantly expanding the genome-targeting scope of CBEs. Using nNme2-CBE, targeted editing efficiencies of 29.0%–55.0% and 17.3%–52.5% were generated in human cells and rabbit embryos, respectively. In contrast to conventional nSp-CBE, the nNme2-CBE is a natural high-fidelity base editing platform with minimal DNA off-targeting detected in vivo.Significantly increased efficiency in GC context and precision were determined by combining nNme2Cas9 with rationally engineered cytidine deaminases. In addition, the Founder rabbits with accurate single-base substitutions at Fgf5gene loci were successfully generated by using the nNme2-CBE system. These novel nNme2-CBEs with expanded PAM compatibility and high fidelity will expand the base editing toolset for efficient gene modification and therapeutic applications.

Impaired insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis of peripheral tissues is a characteristic feature of many patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and their first-degree relatives with normal glucose tolerance, suggesting putative inherited [...]

Derived from a Pd-catalyzed oxidative C–H/C–H coupling reaction, two giant imidazole-based [60]tetradecaphyrins adopting stable figure-eight geometry together with one [30]heptaphyrin are obtained by [5 + 2] MacDonald condensations in one pot. The directional imidazole is believed to play a vital role for the diverse cyclization and conformation stabilization.

When applied to extra-heavy oil, conventional polymer surfactants exhibit poor efficacy in reducing viscosity and have limited adaptability. In this work, a novel amphiphilic polymer named PAADB was prepared by incorporating 2-acryloylamino-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS), benzyldimethyl [2-[(1-oxoallyl) zoxy] propyl] ammonium chloride (DML), and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (BEM) into the main chain of acrylamide through free radical polymerization. PAADB exhibited outstanding interfacial activity, water-phase thickening ability, and emulsifying performance. The critical micelle concentration of PAADB was approximately 2500 mg/L, with a viscosity of 84.69 mPa·s at 50 °C. Additionally, interfacial tension experienced a notable decrease from 46.53 to 14.56 mN/m. At an optimal concentration of 4000 mg/L, PAADB reduced the viscosity of extra-heavy oil by over 92% across various temperatures and by more than 93% for different types of extra-heavy oil. PAADB demonstrated excellent emulsification ability and emulsion stability, effectively dispersing crude oil to create water-in-oil droplets measuring 35.33 μm in size. Meanwhile, molecular dynamics simulations further unveiled the viscosity reduction mechanism of PAADB. The hydrophilic groups within PAADB molecules are regularly distributed on the water interface, while the hydrophobic groups infiltrate the oil molecules to form a stable interfacial film. PAADB and asphaltene spontaneously form a sandwich structure, reducing intermolecular forces and disrupting the interlayer structure of asphaltene molecules. In general, this novel amphiphilic polymer demonstrates broad applicability and potential in extra-heavy oil recovery, providing valuable insights for the development of new heavy oil viscosity reducers (HOVRs).

Nontyphoid Salmonella(NTS) bacteremia causes high mortality and recurrence rates in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. This study aimed to investigate the risk of recurrent NTS bacteremia in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).

EGFR-mutated NSCLC is characterized by an immunosuppressive microenvironment that confers limited clinical effectiveness to anti-PD1/PD-L1 antibodies. Despite the discouraging outcomes of immunotherapy, novel immune checkpoints are constantly emerging, among which the specific vulnerability for therapeutic intervention in the context of EGFR-mutated NSCLC remains unresolved.