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The nonselective calcium‐permeable Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel Subfamily V Member4 (TRPV4) channel regulates various physiological activities. Dysfunction of TRPV4 is linked to many severe diseases, including edema, pain, gastrointestinal disorders, lung diseases, and inherited neurodegeneration. Emerging TRPV4 antagonists show potential clinical benefits. However, the molecular mechanisms of TRPV4 antagonism remain poorly understood. Here, cryo‐electron microscopy (cryo‐EM) structures of human TRPV4 are presented in‐complex with two potent antagonists, revealing the detailed binding pockets and regulatory mechanisms of TRPV4 gating. Both antagonists bind to the voltage‐sensing‐like domain (VSLD) and stabilize the channel in closed states. These two antagonists induce TRPV4 to undergo an apparent fourfold to twofold symmetry transition. Moreover, it is demonstrated that one of the antagonists binds to the VSLD extended pocket, which differs from the canonical VSLD pocket. Complemented with functional and molecular dynamics simulation results, this study provides crucial mechanistic insights into TRPV4 regulation by small‐molecule antagonists, which may facilitate future drug discovery targeting TRPV4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally believed that the introduction of the 3D structure in Cu current collector (CuCC) is beneficial for the uniform deposition of Li due to the reduced local current density and mitigatory reaction rate. However, the influence of the microstructure change in CuCC on the nucleation behaviors of Li through mechanical treatment has been ignored. Hence, microindent is used to prepare 3D structure on the surface of CuCC, the structure evolution during microindentation as well as its impact on Li nucleation behaviors are investigated. It is found that the increased specific surface area results in decreased current density and reduced nucleation driving force. The crystal misorientation beneath the indent leads to the increased surface energy and inhomogeneous nucleation of Li. Thus, the indented CuCC (Ind CuCC) exhibits higher nucleation overpotential and slower electron transfer rate. This manuscript provides a new perspective to the study of the impact of the microstructure of current collector on the nucleation behaviors of Li. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, the Vietnamese capital market has undergone a remarkable transformation, with a significant focus on its stock market that has displayed substantial expansion since 2012. This research delves into the impact of this market progression on the choices pertaining to capital structure made by companies listed in Vietnam. By analyzing a range of trade‐off and pecking order models and amalgamating them into a unified regression framework, we gauge their capacity to elucidate these decisions. Our study outcomes unveil that the trade‐off theory offers a more robust rationale for the capital structure determinations of Vietnamese companies, particularly during the post‐2012 period. Furthermore, we observe a notable increase in the pace of leverage adjustments made by Vietnamese companies post‐2012. Subsequent analysis indicates that this acceleration is primarily driven by overleveraged firms, as opposed to underleveraged ones. This study contributes valuable insights into the relationship between capital market development and capital structure choices within the Vietnamese context. It offers important implications for policymakers, investors, and corporate decision‐makers seeking to better understand and navigate the evolving dynamics of the Vietnamese capital market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease that affects the quality of life (QoL) of patients. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in perceptions of PBC among physicians from different hospital departments and patients with PBC. Methods: An online survey regarding the general knowledge, diagnosis, and management of PBC was completed by physicians and patients. Results: A total of 239 patients with PBC and 239 physicians from eight hospital departments (gastroenterology, infectious diseases, rheumatology, hepatobiliary surgery, pathology, clinical laboratory, ultrasound, and radiology) completed the survey. The results showed that physicians from departments other than gastroenterologists and rheumatologists lacked knowledge of PBC, and that junior gastroenterologists were uncertain about the diagnostic and treatment pathways of PBC. Importantly, the lack of knowledge significantly impacted the QoL of patients, especially the emotional scores of PBC‐40 (odds ratio −2.556, 95% confidence interval −3.852 to −1.260, P < 0.001). In addition, there was a perceived knowledge gap between patients and gastroenterologists. Conclusions: Physicians must improve their awareness of PBC. Patient education and patient–physician communication are important for improving the patient's QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmonic metasurfaces can significantly enhance the interaction between light and 2D materials. Hybrid structures of plasmonic lattices and 2D materials show great promise for both fundamental and practical studies because of their unprecedented ability for precise manipulation of light at the nanoscale. This review starts with an overview of the basic concepts of plasmonic lattices and optical properties of 2D materials, as well as fabrication strategies for hybrid metasurfaces. Then, the enhanced photoluminescence, quantum emission, optoelectronic detection, nonlinear process, and valleytronics in hybrid metasurfaces are summarized, and their development for nanophotonic functional devices are reviewed. Further, several compelling topics are also outlined that provide outlooks for future directions of hybrid metasurfaces such as novel structural design and high‐quality fabrication, all‐dielectric metasurfaces, dynamic metasurfaces, and plasmonic mediation of chemical reactions and physical processes. It is believed that hybrid metasurfaces of plasmonic lattices and 2D materials can open prospects for versatile platforms for light‐matter interactions and contribute to the revolutions on nanophotonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toll‐like receptor 7 (TLR7) triggers antiviral immune responses through its capacity to recognize single‐stranded RNA. TLR7 loss‐of‐function mutants are associated with life‐threatening pneumonia in severe COVID‐19 patients. Whereas TLR7‐driven innate induction of type I IFN appears central to control SARS‐CoV2 virus spreading during the first days of infection, the impact of TLR7‐deficiency on adaptive B‐cell immunity is less clear. In the present study, we examined the role of TLR7 in the adaptive B cells response to various pathogen‐like antigens (PLAs). We used inactivated SARS‐CoV2 and a PLA‐based COVID‐19 vaccine candidate designed to mimic SARS‐CoV2 with encapsulated bacterial ssRNA as TLR7 ligands and conjugated with the RBD of the SARS‐CoV2 Spike protein. Upon repeated immunization with inactivated SARS‐CoV2 or PLA COVID‐19 vaccine, we show that Tlr7‐deficiency abolished the germinal center (GC)‐dependent production of RBD‐specific class‐switched IgG2b and IgG2c, and neutralizing antibodies to SARS‐CoV2. We also provide evidence for a non‐redundant role for B‐cell‐intrinsic TLR7 in the promotion of RBD‐specific IgG2b/IgG2c and memory B cells. Together, these data demonstrate that the GC reaction and class‐switch recombination to the Myd88‐dependent IgG2b/IgG2c in response to SARS‐CoV2 or PLAs is strictly dependent on cell‐intrinsic activation of TLR7 in B cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, is among the most important pests of citrus. It is the main vector of the Huanglongbing (HLB) pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), which causes severe losses in citrus crops. Control of D. citri is therefore of paramount importance to reduce the spread of HLB. In this regard, using RNA interference (RNAi) to silence target genes is a useful strategy to control psyllids. In this study, using RNAi, we examined the biological functions of the V‐ATPase subunit E (V‐ATP‐E) gene of D. citri, including its effect on acquisition of CLas. The amino acid sequence of V‐ATP‐E from D. citri had high homology with proteins from other insects. V‐ATP‐E was expressed at all D. citri life stages analyzed, and the expression level in mature adults was higher than that of teneral adults. Silencing of V‐ATP‐E resulted in a significant increase in mortality, reduced body weight, and induced cell apoptosis of the D. citri midgut. The reduced expression of V‐ATP‐E was indicated to inhibit CLas passing through the midgut and into the hemolymph, leading to a majority of CLas being confined to the midgut. In addition, double‐stranded RNA of D. citri V‐ATP‐E was safe to non‐target parasitic wasps. These results suggest that V‐ATP‐E is an effective RNAi target that can be used in D. citri control to block CLas infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of multicomponent ligands to improve catalytic reactivity and selectivity remains a significant challenge for the synthesis of chiral building blocks. Here, a modular synthesis of structurally diverse multiligated platinum complexes, characterized by X‐ray crystallography, was revealed to open up a previously inaccessible reaction space. A library of more than 16 binary component‐ligated platinum complexes was identified as a practical toolkit to enable faster screening. The isolated bench‐stable PtII(oxazoline)(phosphine) complex paired with a chiral copper complex exhibits fundamentally new cooperative reactivity. The newly designed Pt/Cu dual catalytic system contributed to the development of highly enantioselective vinylogous addition reactions between a Pt‐activated electrophilic α,β‐unsaturated carbene and a Cu‐activated nucleophile, resulting in a reliable process for the asymmetric synthesis of valuable functionalized indoles in good yields and excellent enantioselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary radiotherapy based on the 10B(n, α)7Li capture reaction. Nonradioactive isotope 10B atoms which selectively concentrated in tumor cells will react with low energy neutrons (mainly thermal neutrons) to produce secondary particles with high linear energy transfer, thus depositing dose in tumor cells. In clinical practice, an appropriate treatment plan needs to be set on the basis of the treatment planning system (TPS). Existing BNCT TPSs usually use the Monte Carlo method to determine the three‐dimensional (3D) therapeutic dose distribution, which often requires a lot of calculation time due to the complexity of simulating neutron transportation. Purpose: A neural network‐based BNCT dose prediction method is proposed to achieve the rapid and accurate acquisition of BNCT 3D therapeutic dose distribution for patients with glioblastoma to solve the time‐consuming problem of BNCT dose calculation in clinic. Methods: The clinical data of 122 patients with glioblastoma are collected. Eighteen patients are used as a test set, and the rest are used as a training set. The 3D‐UNET is constructed through the design optimization of input and output data sets based on radiation field information and patient CT information to enable the prediction of 3D dose distribution of BNCT. Results: The average mean absolute error of the predicted and simulated equivalent doses of each organ are all less than 1 Gy. For the dose to 95% of the GTV volume (D95), the relative deviation between predicted and simulated results are all less than 2%. The average 2 mm/2% gamma index is 89.67%, and the average 3 mm/3% gamma index is 96.78%. The calculation takes about 6 h to simulate the 3D therapeutic dose distribution of a patient with glioblastoma by Monte Carlo method using Intel Xeon E5‐2699 v4, whereas the time required by the method proposed in this study is almost less than 1 s using a Titan‐V graphics card. Conclusions: This study proposes a 3D dose prediction method based on 3D‐UNET architecture in BNCT, and the feasibility of this method is demonstrated. Results indicate that the method can remarkably reduce the time required for calculation and ensure the accuracy of the predicted 3D therapeutic dose‐effect. This work is expected to promote the clinical development of BNCT in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a more severe subtype of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, can cause cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Macrophages play critical roles in initiating and maintaining NASH‐induced liver inflammation and fibrosis. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of macrophage chaperone‐mediated autophagy (CMA) in NASH remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the effects of macrophage‐specific CMA on liver inflammation and identify a potential therapeutic target for NASH treatment. Methods: The CMA function of liver macrophages was detected using Western blot, quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) and flow cytometry. By constructing myeloid‐specific CMA deficiency mice, we evaluated the effects of deficient CMA of macrophages on monocyte recruitment, liver injury, steatosis and fibrosis in NASH mice. A label‐free mass spectrometry was utilized to screen the substrates of CMA in macrophages and their mutual interactions. The association between CMA and its substrate was further examined by immunoprecipitation, Western blot and RT‐qPCR. Results: A typical hallmark in murine NASH models was impaired CMA function in hepatic macrophages. Monocyte‐derived macrophages (MDM) were the dominant macrophage population in NASH, and CMA function was impaired in MDM. CMA dysfunction aggravated liver‐targeted recruitment of monocyte and promoted steatosis and fibrosis. Mechanistically, Nup85 functions as a substrate for CMA and its degradation was inhibited in CMA‐deficient macrophages. Inhibition of Nup85 attenuated the steatosis and monocyte recruitment caused by CMA deficiency in NASH mice. Conclusions: We proposed that the impaired CMA‐induced Nup85 degradation aggravated monocyte recruitment, promoting liver inflammation and disease progression of NASH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garnet‐based solid‐state Li‐metal batteries (GSSBs) have the merits of high energy density and high safety. However, the realization of a stable and well‐matched Li|garnet interface for GSSBs remains challenging due to electron leakage and lithiophobic Li2CO3 impurity. To address these issues, herein, new surface chemistry is reported that converts the undesired Li2CO3 contaminant into an ultra‐thin lithium polyphosphate (Li‐PPA) layer through anhydrous polyphosphoric acid ‐induced in situ substitution reaction without damaging the water‐sensitive garnet electrolyte. In particular, the Li‐PPA interlayer not only facilitates the homogenous spreading of molten Li but also creates a robust electron‐blocking shield to suppress Li dendrite formation. As a result, the assembled Li symmetric cell exhibits a low interfacial impedance (4 Ω cm2) and high critical current density (1.8 mA cm−2) at 25 °C, which enables the cell to continuously cycle over 2500 h at 0.2 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the GSSBs paired with LiFePO4 deliver a high capacity of 149.3 mAh g−1 at 1 C and maintain 92.3% of the initial capacity after 500 cycles and can be used for solar energy storage, suggesting the feasibility of this interfacial engineering strategy for GSSBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Despite the significant physical differences between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), the high entropy of MRI data indicates the existence of a surjective transformation from MRI to CT image. However, there is no specific optimization of the network itself in previous MRI/CT translation works, resulting in mistakes in details such as the skull margin and cavity edge. These errors might have moderate effect on conventional radiotherapy, but for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), the skin dose will be a critical part of the dose composition. Thus, the purpose of this work is to create a self‐attention network that could directly transfer MRI to synthetical computerized tomography (sCT) images with lower inaccuracy at the skin edge and examine the viability of magnetic resonance (MR)‐guided BNCT. Methods: A retrospective analysis was undertaken on 104 patients with brain malignancies who had both CT and MRI as part of their radiation treatment plan. The CT images were deformably registered to the MRI. In the U‐shaped generation network, we introduced spatial and channel attention modules, as well as a versatile "Attentional ResBlock," which reduce the parameters while maintaining high performance. We employed five‐fold cross‐validation to test all patients, compared the proposed network to those used in earlier studies, and used Monte Carlo software to simulate the BNCT process for dosimetric evaluation in test set. Results: Compared with UNet, Pix2Pix, and ResNet, the mean absolute error (MAE) of self‐attention ResUNet (SARU) is reduced by 12.91, 17.48, and 9.50 HU, respectively. The "two one‐sided tests" show no significant difference in dose‐volume histogram (DVH) results. And for all tested cases, the average 2%/2 mm gamma index of UNet, ResNet, Pix2Pix, and SARU were 0.96 ± 0.03, 0.96 ± 0.03, 0.95 ± 0.03, and 0.98 ± 0.01, respectively. The error of skin dose from SARU is much less than the results from other methods. Conclusions: We have developed a residual U‐shape network with an attention mechanism to generate sCT images from MRI for BNCT treatment planning with lower MAE in six organs. There is no significant difference between the dose distribution calculated by sCT and real CT. This solution may greatly simplify the BNCT treatment planning process, lower the BNCT treatment dose, and minimize image feature mismatch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diarylamines and related scaffolds are ubiquitous atropisomeric chemotypes in biologically active natural products. However, the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of these axially chiral compounds remains largely unexplored. Herein, we report that a BINOL‐derived chiral phosphoric acid (CPA) successfully catalyzed the atroposelective coupling of quinone esters and anilines through direct C−N bond formation to afford N‐aryl quinone atropisomers with an unprecedented intramolecular N−H−O hydrogen bond within a six‐membered ring in good yields and enantioselectivities with the quinone ester as both the electrophile and the oxidant. A gram‐scale experiment demonstrated the utility of this synthetic protocol. Moreover, this methodology provides a platform for the synthesis of structurally diverse secondary amine atropisomers by nucleophilic addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triterpene scaffolds are cyclized by differential functional genes of the oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) gene family, which are widely present in plant species. Thirty‐nine OSCs were identified from the hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genome. The gene structure organization and the distribution of conserved motifs of OSCs gene family revealed that the TaOSC proteins are highly conserved. By phylogenetic analysis, all OSC proteins from wheat and other cereal crops were clustered into 11 subfamilies (I–XI). Based on the publicly available transcriptional profiling, the tissue‐specific expression patterns of TaOSC during several developmental stages revealed diverged expression patterns, indicating that the TaOSC family has undergone subfunctionalization. Furthermore, homeolog expression bias was commonly detected in the TaOSC subfamilies, such as the expression of Ta5A004900 and Ta5D011800 in the subfamily II were specifically expressed in the leaf sheath and flag leaf sheath. In addition, two genes were strongly induced by Pst, indicating that the two homolog genes are involved in the resistance to powdery mildew. Molecular evolution analysis indicated that the TaOSC family genes were undergone purifying selection. So, the powdery mildew response may be very conservative and important biological function of the Ta5A004900 and Ta5D011800 in wheat. In conclusion, these results can be used to explore the diversity of triterpenes and clarify the mechanism of triterpene cyclization, and also provide useful information for future studies on the function of the TaOSC gene family in bread wheat and other important crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simplified and appealing strategy via a chiral catalyst to facilitate the electrochemical process and provide asymmetric induction of radical reactions is particularly desirable and would have potential applications in electrosynthesis, organic chemistry, and drug discovery. Here, we introduced a novel electrolytic system that diverts the standard ionic reactivity to new catalytic functions, enabling mechanistically distinct single‐electron transfer‐based enantioselective routes to exhibit a brand‐new pattern of reactivity—electricity‐driven asymmetric catalysis as a privileged chiral platform for enantioselective radical allylation. The nickel‐catalyzed activation of nucleophiles triggered a single‐electron transfer process to provide a chiral catalyst‐bound radical cation intermediate, which could be applied as an alternative strategy for the development of stereocontrolled radical reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripheral nerve injury‐induced spinal microglial proliferation plays a pivotal role in neuropathic pain. So far, key intracellular druggable molecules involved in this process are not identified. The nuclear factor of activated T‐cells (NFAT1) is a master regulator of immune cell proliferation. Whether and how NFAT1 modulates spinal microglial proliferation during neuropathic pain remain unknown. Here it is reported that NFAT1 is persistently upregulated in microglia after spinal nerve ligation (SNL), which is regulated by TET2‐mediated DNA demethylation. Global or microglia‐specific deletion of Nfat1 attenuates SNL‐induced pain and decreases excitatory synaptic transmission of lamina II neurons. Furthermore, deletion of Nfat1 decreases microglial proliferation and the expression of multiple microglia‐related genes, such as cytokines, transmembrane signaling receptors, and transcription factors. Particularly, SNL increases the binding of NFAT1 with the promoter of Itgam, Tnf, Il‐1b, and c‐Myc in the spinal cord. Microglia‐specific overexpression of c‐MYC induces pain hypersensitivity and microglial proliferation. Finally, inhibiting NFAT1 and c‐MYC by intrathecal injection of inhibitor or siRNA alleviates SNL‐induced neuropathic pain. Collectively, NFAT1 is a hub transcription factor that regulates microglial proliferation via c‐MYC and guides the expression of the activated microglia genome. Thus, NFAT1 may be an effective target for treating neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the surgical outcomes of debridement, antibiotics, and single‐stage total hip replacement (DASR) vs two‐stage arthroplasty (two‐stage arthroplasty) for chronic destructive septic hip arthritis (SHA). Methods: Cases of chronic destructive SHA treated by DASR or two‐stage arthroplasty in our department from January 2008 to October 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographic information, perioperative inflammation markers, intraoperative blood loss, microbial culture, and metagenomic new generation sequencing results were recorded. The perioperative complications, hospital stay, hospitalization cost, infection recurrence rate, and Harris Hip Score (HHS) at the last follow‐up were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 28 patients were included in the study, including 11 patients who received DASR and 17 patients who received two‐stage arthroplasty. There was no significant difference in demographic information, preoperative serum inflammatory markers, synovial fluid white blood cell count, or percentage of polymorphonuclear leukocytes between the two groups. The DASR group demonstrated significantly lower intraoperative blood loss [(368.2 ± 253.3) mL vs (638.2 ± 170.0) mL, p = 0.002], hospital stay [(22.6 ± 8.1) days vs (43.5 ± 13.2) days, p < 0.0001], and hospitalization expenses [(81,269 ± 11,496) RMB vs (137,524 ± 25,516) RMB, p < 0.0001] than the two‐stage arthroplasty group. In the DASR group, one patient had dislocation as a complication. There were no cases with recurrence of infection. In the two‐stage arthroplasty group, there was one case complicated with spacer fracture, one case with spacer dislocation, and one case with deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs. There were no cases with recurrence of infection. There were no significant differences in the readmission rate, complication rate, or HHS at the last follow‐up between the two groups. Conclusions: Both DASR and two‐stage arthroplasty achieved a satisfactory infection cure rate and functional recovery for chronic destructive SHA, and DASR demonstrated significantly lower intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, and hospitalization costs than two‐stage arthroplasty. For appropriately indicated patients, if microbial data are available and a standardized debridement protocol is strictly followed, DASR can be a treatment option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell division cycle 20 (CDC20) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are differentially expressed in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The current study aimed to investigate the role of miR‐1321 and miR‐7515 regulation in CDC20 during NSCLC development. CDC20 expression in paracancerous and tumor tissues was assessed using quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). The relationship between CDC20 expression and prognosis of patients was analyzed using the TCGA database. The expression profile of CDC20 in healthy lung cells and NSCLC cells was detected using qRT‐PCR and western blotting. After the knockdown of CDC20 in NSCLC cells, the cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and cell cycle changes were investigated by CCK8, EdU, flow cytometry, wound healing, and Transwell assays. The miRNAs targeting CDC20 were predicted using two bioinformatics websites and validated using dual‐luciferase assays. CDC20 was enhanced in NSCLC tissues and cells, thus predicting the poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. After CDC20 inhibition, the malignant phenotype of NSCLC cells was reverted. miR‐1321 and miR‐7515 targeted CDC20 and exhibited the same anti‐tumor effects as CDC20 silencing. Functional rescue experiments showed that CDC20 overexpression averted the anti‐tumor effects of miR‐1321 and miR‐7515 on NSCLC cells. miR‐1321 and miR‐7515 inhibited NSCLC development by targeting CDC20. Thus, the current study has implications in NSCLC treatment and provides novel insights into NSCLC management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N−C Biaryl atropisomers are prevalent in natural products and bioactive drug molecules. However, the enantioselective synthesis of such molecules has not developed significantly. Particularly, the enantioselective synthesis of N−C biaryl atropisomers by stereoselective metal‐catalyzed aryl amination remains unprecedented. Herein, a Pd‐catalyzed cross‐coupling strategy is presented for the synthesis of N−C axially chiral biaryl molecules. A broad spectrum of N−C axially chiral compounds was obtained with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99 % ee) and good yields (up to 98 %). The practicality of this reaction was validated in the synthesis of useful biological molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to compare the percutaneous oblique osteotomy (POO) and the open chevron osteotomy technique for correction of hallux valgus deformity at a 2‐year follow‐up. Methods: This is a retrospective study of consecutive patients undergoing operative correction of hallux valgus using one of two techniques (POO vs open chevron osteotomy) from 2014 to 2018. Forty eight feet (41 patients) that underwent the POO was compared with 64 feet (58 patients) that underwent open chevron osteotomy. The hallux valgus angle (HVA), intermetatarsal angle (IMA) and American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society Hallux Metatarsophalangeal‐Interphalangeal scores (AOFAS‐HMI) were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively at the 1, 2‐year follow‐up. The Manchester–Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ) were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively at the 2‐year follow‐up. The VAS score was collected preoperatively and on 2 weeks,1 year and 2‐year follow‐up. Results: Both groups achieved significant correction of the hallux deformity. The HVA in the POO group during the follow‐up period were 12.5 ± 2.22 and 17.9 ± 9.31, respectively, and in the open chevron group were 14.1 ± 6.78 and 14.8 ± 7.83, respectively. The IMA in the POO group during the follow‐up period were 7.61 ± 1.63 and 6.94 ± 1.53, respectively, and in the open chevron group were 6.89 ± 3.06 and 6.97 ± 2.95, respectively. Postoperative MOXFQ scores in all domains were significantly improved in both groups, however there was no significant difference in the improvement of any domain between POO and open groups at a 2‐year follow‐up. The AOFAS HMI scores in the POO group during the follow‐up period were 86.5 ± 10.7 and 85.2 ± 13.8, respectively, and in the open chevron group were 88.2 ± 10.8 and 79.5 ± 23.7, respectively. The VAS scores in the POO group during the follow‐up period were 2.00 ± 0.98, 2.00 ± 0.99 and 1.55 ± 1.11, respectively, and in the open chevron group were 5.51 ± 1.45, 2.56 ± 2.88 and 2.56 ± 2.88 respectively. The 1‐year and 2‐year follow‐up outcomes between POO and open groups showed no significant difference regarding AOFAS HMI scores and VAS scores, however the POO group showed statistically significant improvement of VAS scores in the postoperative 2 weeks (P < 0.001). There was no statistical significance between the POO and open group in terms of complications rates (8.3% vs 12.5%, P = 0.480). Conclusion: The POO technique is reliable and shows a comparable outcome to the open chevron osteotomy. However, the POO technique shows significantly less pain in the first 2 weeks after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tsukushi (TSK), a newly identified hepatokine, is a member of the small leucine‐rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) family. TSK was originally isolated and identified in the lens of the chicken. Preliminary research on TSK has focused on its role in various physiological processes such as growth and development, wound healing, and cartilage formation. In recent years, the role of TSK in regulating cell signaling pathways, cell proliferation, and differentiation has been studied. In addition, the research has gradually expanded to the fields of glycolipid metabolism and energy balance. This article briefly reviews the role of TSK in the physiological and pathological process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) refers to liver damage caused by long‐term heavy drinking, which causes oxidative stress and changes in gut microbiota. In this paper, we investigated the hepatoprotective effect of sea buckthorn fermentation liquid on ALD in mice and the interaction between ALD and gut microbiota using animal experiments and gut microbiota measurements. RESULTS: We found that the contents of total flavonoids, total triterpenes and related short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in sea buckthorn fermentation liquid (SFL) were significantly greater. Liver index, kidney index, spleen index, serum indexes of liver injury – alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and spartate aminotransferase (AST), inflammatory factors in liver tissues – tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), oxidation indexes – malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and lipid metabolism indexes – high‐density liptein cholesterol (HDL‐C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), and triglyceride (TG), suggested that SFL significantly ameliorates liver injury caused by alcohol. By measuring gut microbiota in mice feces samples, we found that the high‐dose group of SFL reversed the declining trend of the gut microbiota Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio caused by alcohol, reducing the number of gram‐negative bacteroidetes. Patescibacteria was tightly connected with the indicators of ALD. At the genus level, high‐dose SFL significantly downregulated Akkermansia, Turicibacter, Alistipes and Ruminiclostridium, and improved the abundance of beneficial bacteria in Lactobacillus. In addition, Alistipes and Ruminiclostridium was closely connected with the indicators of ALD. CONCLUSION: Sea buckthorn fermentation liquid protected against alcoholic liver disease and modulated the composition of gut microbiota. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Pathogens have evolved various strategies to overcome host immunity for successful infection. Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) can cause lethal necrosis in maize (Zea mays) when it coinfects with a virus in the Potyviridae family. However, the MCMV pathogenicity determinant remains largely unknown.Here we show that the P31 protein of MCMV is important for viral accumulation and essential for symptom development. Ectopic expression of P31 using foxtail mosaic virus or potato virus X induced necrosis in systemically infected maize or Nicotiana benthamiana leaves.Maize catalases (CATs) were shown to interact with P31 in yeast and in planta. P31 accumulation was elevated through its interaction with ZmCAT1. P31 attenuated the expression of salicylic acid (SA)‐responsive pathogenesis‐related (PR) genes by inhibiting catalase activity during MCMV infection. In addition, silencing of ZmCATs using a brome mosaic virus‐based gene silencing vector facilitated MCMV RNA and coat protein accumulation.This study reveals an important role for MCMV P31 in counteracting host defence and inducing systemic chlorosis and necrosis. Our results have implications for understanding the mechanisms in defence and counter‐defence during infection of plants by various pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardinium and Wolbachia are maternally inherited bacterial symbionts of arthropods that can manipulate host reproduction by increasing the fitness of infected females. Here, we report that Cardinium and Wolbachia coinfection induced male‐killing and cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) when they coexisted in a cryptic species of whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Asia II7. Cardinium and Wolbachia symbionts were either singly or simultaneously localized in the bacteriocytes placed in the abdomen of B. tabaci nymphs and adults. Cardinium–Wolbachia coinfection induced male‐killing and resulted in a higher female sex ratio in the intraspecific amphigenetic progeny of Asia II7 ICWH and ICWL lines; interestingly, male‐killing induction was enhanced with increased Cardinium titer. Moreover, single infection of Wolbachia induced partial CI in the Asia II7 IW line and resulted in reduced fecundity, higher embryonic mortality, and lower female sex ratio. The uninfected Asia II7 IU line had significantly higher fecundity, lower embryonic and nymphal mortalities, and a lower level of CI than both the Wolbachia‐infected Asia II7 IW line and the Cardinium–Wolbachia‐coinfected Asia II7 ICWH line. Our findings indicate that Cardinium–Wolbachia coinfection induced male‐killing, which may have had antagonistic effects on Wolbachia‐induced CI in the Asia II7 whiteflies. For the first time, our study revealed that B. tabaci Asia II7 reproduction is co‐manipulated by Cardinium and Wolbachia endosymbionts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedentary and high‐calorie diets are associated with increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, while exercise and diet control are also important nondrug treatments for diabetes. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an important cytokine, which is mainly expressed in liver, fat and muscle tissue responding to nutrition and exercise, and plays an important role in the improvement of glucose and lipid metabolism. Due to the increasing serum FGF21 level in obesity and diabetes, FGF21 can be used as a predictor or biomarker of diabetes. A variety of clinical antidiabetic drugs can reduce the content of FGF21, possibly for the improvement of FGF21 sensitivity. In this paper, we reviewed the interactions between FGF21 and nondrug therapy (diet and exercise) for diabetes and explored the potential value of the combined application of clinical antidiabetic drugs and FGF21. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An enantioselective bifunctional squaramide‐catalyzed detrifluoroacetylative alkylation reaction has been developed under electrochemical conditions. The unified strategy based on this key tandem methodology has been divergently explored for the asymmetric synthesis of fluorine‐containing target molecules with good stereocontrol (up to 95 % ee). Furthermore, this asymmetric catalytic reaction combines the benefits of electrosynthesis and organocatalysis for the preparation of biologically relevant products containing C‐F tertiary stereogenic centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: High‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR‐MRI) has high spatial resolution and can simultaneously perform wall and lumen imaging. Dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE‐MRI) can evaluate the integrity of the blood–brain barrier. In this paper, the result of 3.0T HR‐MRI and 3.0T DCE‐MRI has been evaluated to explore the application value of unilateral middle cerebral artery inflammatory stenosis and changes in vascular permeability parameters of stroke events. Methods: Thirty‐six cases of neurological suspicion of central nervous system vasculitis of our hospital were selected from 20 January 2018 to 1 January 2019, who were diagnosed as unilateral middle cerebral artery M1 stenosis/occlusion by 3D TOF MRA. 3.0T HR‐MRI and 3.0T DCE‐MRI has been applied. Results: Among the 36 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 23 patients with central nervous system vasculitis were diagnosed. The 23 patients with HR‐MRI showed diffuse thickening and enhanced stenosis. The Ktrans value of 10/23 patients with acute–subacute cerebral infarction and 3/23 patients in chronic phase were significantly higher than that of the mirror side, and the Ktrans value of these patients remeasured in the same region of interest is lower than before after 6 months treatment. The Ktrans value in the target area of 10 patients without cerebrovascular events was not statistically significant compared with the mirror side. The Ktrans value of patients with acute–subacute cerebral infarction was significantly higher than that without cerebrovascular events (0.098 ± 0.038 vs. 0.007 ± 0.001, p =.000), and there was no significant difference between Ktrans in the chronic infarction group and the other two groups (0.098 ± 0.038 vs. 0.044 ± 0.012, p =.058; 0.044 ± 0.012 vs. 0.007 ± 0.001, p =.057). Conclusion: HR‐MRI is an accurate direct imaging method and has a high value for the etiological diagnosis of central nervous system vasculitis. DCE‐MRI could be an effective way to evaluate and monitor blood–brain barrier to prevent clinical ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Ni/Cu dual catalysis gives rise to fundamentally new cooperative reactivity and enables the regio‐ and enantioselective propargylic alkylation reaction. A diverse set of α‐quaternary propargylated amino ester derivatives were synthesized in good yields with excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99 % ee). This work highlights the power of cooperative catalysis, which can be expected to have broad implications in homogeneous catalysis beyond the highly valuable synthetic intermediates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune processes in liver transplantation remain poorly understood. Acute allograft rejection in liver transplantation is a kind of T cell–mediated inflammatory disease accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration. However, the effect of acute allograft rejection on the immunological characteristics of TCRs in peripheral blood mononuclear cell is unknown. In this study, we characterized the pattern of the human T cell receptor beta chain (TRB) and immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) complementarity‐determining region 3 (CDR3) repertoires via high‐throughput sequencing in 11 acute allograft rejection (AG) cases, 23 patients with stable allograft liver function (ST) who had liver transplantation performed and 20 healthy controls (HC). The diversity of TRB‐CDR3 was significantly reduced in the AG group compared with the ST group and healthy controls (HC). The CDR3 and N‐addition length distribution were not significantly different between the AG and ST groups. However, N‐addition length distribution was significantly changed compared to HC. It seemed that AG used more short N‐additions and healthy people used more long N‐additions in TRB‐CDR3 repertoire. Our findings suggested that the TRB‐CDR3 region of AG had distinctive V gene use compared with that of HC. The characteristics of ST seemed to be in between those of AG and HC although the difference is not significant. Cluster analysis showed that the TRB repertoire could not effectively distinguish AG from ST. This research might give to a better understanding of the immune process of liver transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of electrochemical synthesis has developed rapidly over the last decade and has provided alternative synthetic methods with the absence of stoichiometric amounts of chemical oxidants or reductants. Although sustainable electrosynthetic procedures have been developed, relatively few examples of highly enantioselective catalytic electrosynthesis have been reported to date. The development of general strategies for electrochemical enantiocontrol has thus proven to be a considerable challenge. This Minireview highlights the current knowledge and recent advances in the synthetic utility of electrochemical transformations for asymmetric synthesis. Specifically, three major types of catalytic enantioselective strategy in electrosynthesis are outlined, including electrochemical activation of chiral catalyst‐bound substrates, asymmetric cascade electrochemical processes, and chemically modified chiral electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether PD‐L1‐positive patients derive more overall survival benefit from PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors in the treatment of advanced solid tumours is unclear. We systematically searched the PubMed, Cochrane library and EMBASE databases from January 1, 1966 to March 1, 2019, to identify randomised controlled trials of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors (nivolumab, pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, durvalumab and avelumab) that had available hazard ratios (HRs) for death according to PD‐L1 status. A random‐effects model was used to calculate the pooled overall survival (OS) HR and 95% CI among PD‐L1‐positive and PD‐L1‐negative patients. An interaction test was performed to evaluate the heterogeneity between the two estimates. A total of 24 randomised trials, involving 12,966 participants, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. An OS benefit of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors was found in both PD‐L1‐positive patients (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.60–0.70) and PD‐L1‐negative patients (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.74–0.91) even at the minimum cut‐off value of 1%. Significant differences in the efficacy of PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors between PD‐L1‐positive and PD‐L1‐negative patients were noted at different cut‐off values. Moreover, there was a positive dose–response relationship between PD‐L1 positivity and OS benefit (HR for 1%, 0.58, [0.50, 0.67]; 5%, 0.52 [0.43, 0.64]; 10%, 0.50 [0.40, 0.63]). Subgroup analyses showed that these results were generally consistent, regardless of study design, line of treatment, treatment type, tumour type, PD‐L1 staining cell type and median follow‐up time. We demonstrated that PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors significantly improved OS in both PD‐L1 positive and PD‐L1 negative patients compared to controls, but the magnitude of benefit was clinically PD‐L1‐dependent. What's new? The programmed cell death‐1 protein receptor (PD‐1) and its ligand (PD‐L1) checkpoint pathway play a critical role in promoting tumour growth. However, whether PD‐L1‐positive patients derive more overall survival benefit from PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors in the treatment of advanced solid tumours remains unclear and inconclusive. The present meta‐analysis demonstrated that PD‐1/PD‐L1 inhibitors significantly improved overall survival in both PD‐L1‐positive and negative patients compared with controls, but the magnitude of the benefit was clinically PD‐L1‐dependent. The evidence suggests that both future research in anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 therapies and clinical practice should take into account PD‐L1‐related heterogeneity of responsiveness to treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we obtain interior Hölder continuity for solutions of the fourth‐order elliptic system Δ2u=Δ(V·∇u)+div(w∇u)+W·∇uformulated by Lamm and Rivière [Comm. Partial Differential Equations 33 (2008) 245–262]. Boundary continuity is also obtained under a standard Dirichlet or Navier boundary condition. We also use conservation law to establish a weak compactness result which generalizes a result of Rivière for the second‐order problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To report on our clinical outcomes and on the experience of managing acute periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) with debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR). Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all patients who were diagnosed with acute PJI after primary hip or knee replacement surgeries and who were managed with DAIR in our prospective joint replacement registry from 2008 to 2019. The diagnosis of PJI was made according to the 2011 Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) criteria. The symptom onset duration, inflammatory marker levels (i.e. C‐reactive protein [CRP], erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR], white cell count [WBC], and synovial WBC count), functional scores including the Knee Society Score (KSS), the KSS functional score and the Harris Hip Score (HHS), bacteriology, and surgical outcomes of the patients were tracked and recorded. A paired sample of joint fluid and tissues was also sent for a metagenomic next‐generation sequencing (mNGS) test. A paired‐samples t‐test was used to compare the differences in the inflammatory markers and functional scores before and after surgery. Results: A total of 24 patients with 7 infections after hip replacements and 17 infections after knee replacements were included. A total of 21 patients exhibited early postoperative infections, and 3 exhibited late acute hematogenous infections. During a mean follow‐up time of 29.2 ± 15.1 months, 22 patients were successfully treated, whereas 2 patients were unsuccessfully treated and required repeated DAIR. The overall success rate of DAIR was 91.7%. For staphylococcal infections, DAIR had a 100% success rate. Five patients who presented with symptoms between 4 and 8 weeks also achieved a 100% success rate. At the last follow‐up, the mean CRP level decreased from 52.6 ± 34.0 to 5.4 ± 3.5 (P < 0.001), and the mean ESR level decreased from 72.3 ± 34.3 to 20.2 ± 12.1 (P < 0.001). The mean KSS score increased from 44.8 ± 12.2 to 81.4 ± 9.2 (P < 0.001), and the mean KSS functional score increased from 38.1 ± 3.5 to 73.9 ± 23.0 (P < 0.001), and the mean HHS score increased from 34.4 ± 6.9 to 84.1 ± 15.1 (P < 0.001). The overall pathogen identification rate was 91.7% (22/24 cases). The success rates for Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and the other pathogens were 100% (9/9 cases), 71.4% (5/7 cases), and 100% (6/6 cases), respectively. Conclusion: Debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention has a high success rate for the treatment of acute PJI and may be performed in selected patients whose symptoms have been sustained for over 4 weeks. A high rate of success for staphylococcal infections was reported with the use of DAIR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A limitless‐length flexible active‐matrix implies that virtually any surface can be rendered into an interactive medium when laminated with electrophoretic or organic light‐emitting diode sheets. However, performance, cost, and size limitations of current fabrication technologies and semiconducting materials, typically utilized in thin film transistor (TFT) active matrices (TFT‐AMs), have hindered progress, thus preventing the realization of fully printed TFT‐AMs on a plastic roll. A new high‐purity semiconducting single‐walled carbon nanotube (s‐SWCNT) ink is prepared by first isolating 99.9% pure s‐SWCNTs via conjugated polymer extraction, and then utilizing a ligand‐exchange method to formulate a novel hydrophilic gravure‐compatible semiconducting ink. Based on the s‐SWCNT ink, a fully additive manufacturing process using roll‐to‐roll (R2R) gravure printing enables the fabrication of a flexible TFT‐AM, overcoming performance, cost, and size limitations. TFT‐AMs with 10 to 40 PPI resolution where average mobility of 0.23 ± 0.12 cm2 V−1 s−1, average on–off ratio of 104.1, and threshold voltage variation of ±13% are attained. As a proof of concept, an inexpensive and flexible electrophoretic display is demonstrated by simply laminating an electrophoretic sheet onto the R2R gravure‐printed s‐SWCNT‐based TFT‐AM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic value of intravoxel incoherent motion imaging (IVIM) in differentiating metastatic and nonmetastatic lymph nodes in patients with rectal carcinoma.Materials and Methods: In all, 68 patients with histologically proven rectal carcinoma underwent an IVIM sequence (b = 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and 2000 s/mm(2) ) on a 3.0T MRI scanner. The IVIM parameters (D, D*, f, and apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC] values) in metastatic and nonmetastatic lymph nodes were measured and calculated. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to determine the optimal thresholds, the sensitivities, and specificities for differentiation.Results: Mean D, f, and ADC values of metastatic lymph nodes were significantly greater than those of the normal lymph nodes (P < 0.01), whereas the mean D* value of metastatic lymph node was statistically lower (P = 0.03). The AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and the cutoff value, respectively, for differentiating metastatic from nonmetastatic lymph nodes for D, D*, f, and ADC were as follows: D, 0.9460, 89.25%, 91.04%, and 1.14 × 10(-3) mm(2) /s; D*, 0.6930, 64.18%, 82.80%, and 7.02 × 10(-3) mm(2) /s; f, 0.7810, 92.47%, 55.22%, and 0.27%; ADC, 0.8970, 87.10%, 88.06%, and 0.80 × 10(-3) mm(2) /s. The ROC curves demonstrated that the area under the ROC (AUC) of the D, ADC, f, and D* values successively decreased, and D had the highest AUC, with D* values being lowest.Conclusion: An IVIM sequence may be helpful in diagnosing metastatic lymph nodes of rectal carcinoma. Average D and ADC values are more sensitive than f and D* values in this differentiation. J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2016;44:1031-1039. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Effects of various growth temperatures on cell membrane fatty acid composition of Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) and the resistance to Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) treatments, as well as PEF combining with mild‐thermal (35, 45, 55 °C) treatments were investigated. Results indicated that the PEF resistance of S. Typhimurium at stationary phase was varied markedly at different growth temperatures. S. Typhimurium grown at 45 °C exhibited greater PEF resistance than cells grown at a lower temperature. Alteration of membrane fatty acid composition decreased in the unsaturated to saturated fatty acids ratio (UFA/SFA) and increased in cyclopropane fatty acids (CFA) proportion as growth temperature increased. It was found that the PEF resistance of S. Typhimurium at stationary phase was in a membrane fluidity dependent manner. Thermal combined PEF treatment improved the PEF lethality which indicated that the PEF resistance of S. Typhimurium was greatly affected by the fluidity of cytomembrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lewis‐acid catalysis and electrochemistry represent two powerful fields that have found widespread application in organic chemistry. Reported herein is an asymmetric electrosynthesis in combination with a chiral Ni catalyst leading to an intermolecular alkylation reaction in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97 % ee). Mechanistic studies suggest that the Lewis‐acid‐bound radical intermediate from a single‐electron anodic oxidation selectively reacts with the benzylic radical species to generate the desired adducts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral phosphines were found to catalyze the enantioselective asymmetric γ‐addition of heteroaromatic compounds to allenoates in good yields with high enantiomeric ratios and regioselectivity in the presence of (S)‐BINOL. Both pyrazole and imidazole could be employed in this process. The synthetic value of these γ‐addition products was demonstrated by the preparation of biologically relevant molecules and structural scaffolds. Remarkably, the synthetic utility of this strategy was demonstrated through a two‐step synthesis of a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor. Value added: A highly efficient γ‐addition reaction was developed that gives high yields with excellent enantiomeric ratios by using a phosphine catalyst system. The synthetic utility of this strategy is demonstrated by the preparation of biologically relevant molecules such as a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Jiao‐Tai‐Wan (JTW) is a well‐known traditional Chinese medicine prescription composed of Rhizoma Coptidis (RC) and Cortex Cinnamon (10:1, g/g). It has been used to treat insomnia in China for centuries. This study investigates the excretion properties of coptis alkaloids from RC and JTW in normal and insomniac rats, and it examines the compatibility mechanism for this prescription. A new liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous determination of six alkaloids – berberine, epiberberine, coptisine, jatrorrhizine, palmatine and magnoflorine – in rat urine and feces. The normal and model rats were orally treated with RC and JTW powder at a dosage containing 3.0 g kg−1 day−1 RC once per day for 7 days. Briefly, the results showed that the cumulative amounts of urinary and fecal excretion of the six alkaloids were significantly different in the pathological condition, as well as in compatibility. In normal rats, the urinary and fecal excretion of coptis alkaloids, especially berberine, coptisine and palmatine, increased significantly in the JTW group compared with the RC group, while the urinary and fecal excretion of six alkaloids decreased in insomniac rats. These data suggested that pathological conditions might have a notable influence on the excretion of alkaloids in rats, and demonstrated that the compatibility could promote better therapeutic effects through the accumulation of alkaloids in the body. These results might explain the compatibility of JTW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Semiconducting single‐walled carbon nanotubes (sc‐SWCNTs) enriched by a conjugated polymer extraction process have been actively studied for various applications in both electronics and optoelectronics. Although the resulting tube samples usually have high sc‐purity and concentration, SWCNT networks from such dispersions typically contain residual conjugated polymer that may degrade device performance and its removal remains a challenge while maintaining uniform, dense SWCNT thin film networks. In this study, a novel polymer–SWCNT combination based on an alternating bisfuran‐s‐tetrazine and benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene copolymer abbreviated as PBDTFTz is proposed. This polymer decomposes at >250 °C or under UV irradiation. In situ transistor characterization under laser irradiation confirms the polymer decomposition. The study of the tube network in the transistor channel at various channel lengths reveals significantly reduced contact resistance attributed to removal of the wrapping PBDTFTz polymer. In ammonia sensing experiments, sc‐SWCNT networks demonstrate rapid and reversible responses, while the unwrapped nanotube networks prove superior in terms of signal to noise ratio and a detection limit of 2.5 ppb is calculated, almost four times better than polymer wrapped nanotubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimodal imaging techniques have been demonstrated to be greatly advantageous in achieving accurate diagnosis and gained increasing attention in recent decades. Herein, we present a new strategy to integrate the complementary modalities of 19F magnetic resonance imaging (19F MRI) and fluorescence imaging (FI) into a polymer nanoprobe composed of hydrophobic fluorescent organic core and hydrophilic fluorinated polymer shell. The alkyne-terminated fluorinated copolymer (P n) of 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl acrylate (TFEA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGA) was first prepared via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The PEGA plays an important role in both improving 19F signal and modulating the hydrophilicity of P n. The alkynyl tail in P n is readily conjugated with azide modified tetra-phenylethylene (TPE) through click chemistry to form azo polymer (TPE-azo-P n). The core-shell nanoprobes (TPE-P3N) with an average particle size of 57.2 ± 8.8 nm are obtained via self-assembly with ultrasonication in aqueous solution. These nanoprobes demonstrate high water stability, good biocompatibility, strong fluorescence and good 19F MRI performance, which present great potentials for simultaneous fluorescence imaging and 19F-MR imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid model based on the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model and the health risk assessment model for assessing risks associated with sources of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water was established and applied at Dianchi Lake to test its applicability. The new method contains 2 stages: 1) the sources of PFASs were apportioned by the PMF model and 2) the contribution of health risks from each source was calculated by the new hybrid model. Two factors were extracted by PMF, with factor 1 identified as aqueous fire-fighting foams source and factor 2 as fluoropolymer manufacturing and processing and perfluorooctanoic acid production source. The health risk of PFASs in the water assessed by the health risk assessment model was 9.54 × 10−7 a−1 on average, showing no obvious adverse effects to human health. The 2 sources' risks estimated by the new hybrid model ranged from 2.95 × 10−10 to 6.60 × 10−6 a−1 and from 1.64 × 10−7 to 1.62 × 10−6 a−1, respectively. The new hybrid model can provide useful information on the health risks of PFAS sources, which is helpful for pollution control and environmental management. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:107-115. © 2017 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pentadentate amine-bis(phenolate) ligand 6,6'-(dipyridin-2-ylmethylazanediyl)bis(methylene)bis(2,4-dimethylphenol) (H2L) was prepared and characterized. This ligand readily coordinates with FeIII or CoIII ions, and the resulting complexes [FeIIILCl] (1) and [CoIIIL(H2O)]Cl (2) were characterized by elemental analysis. X-ray structural studies show that the ligand in complexes 1 and 2 acts as a pentadentate ligand, leaving one coordination side of the transition metal available for exogenous ligands such as chloride ion (1) or water (2) ligand, and the central metal atoms are hexacoordinate in a similar distorted octahedral arrangement. Electrochemical studies reveal that each of the complexes exhibits multiple redox processes in the potential window investigated. Complex 1 shows one reversible oxidative event at 0.32 V and one quasi-reversible reduction event at -1.03 V, while the complex 2 displays one reversible oxidative event at 0.18 V and one quasi-reversible reduction at -0.64 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]