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Introduction: Social network strategies, in which social networks are utilized to influence individuals or communities, are increasingly being used to deliver human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) interventions to key populations. We summarized and critically assessed existing research on the effectiveness of social network strategies in promoting HIV self‐testing (HIVST). Methods: Using search terms related to social network interventions and HIVST, we searched five databases for trials published between 1st January 2010 and 30th June 2023. Outcomes included uptake of HIV testing, HIV prevalence and linkage to antiretroviral therapy (ART) or HIV care. We used network meta‐analysis to assess the uptake of HIV testing through social network strategies compared with control methods. A pairwise meta‐analysis of studies with a comparison arm that reported outcomes was performed to assess relative risks (RR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Among the 4496 manuscripts identified, 39 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, including one quasi‐experimental study, 22 randomized controlled trials and 16 observational studies. Networks HIVST testing was organized by peers (distributed to known peers, 15 studies), partners (distributed to their sexual partners, 16 studies) and peer educators (distributed to unknown peers, 8 studies). Among social networks, simulating the possibilities of ranking position, peer distribution had the highest uptake of HIV testing (84% probability), followed by partner distribution (80% probability) and peer educator distribution (74% probability). Pairwise meta‐analysis showed that peer distribution (RR 2.29, 95% CI 1.54−3.39, 5 studies) and partner distribution (RR 1.76, 95% CI 1.50−2.07, 10 studies) also increased the probability of detecting HIV reactivity during testing within the key population when compared to the control. Discussion: All of the three social network distribution strategies enhanced the uptake of HIV testing compared to standard facility‐based testing. Linkage to ART or HIV care remained comparable to facility‐based testing across the three HIVST distribution strategies. Conclusions: Network‐based HIVST distribution is considered effective in augmenting HIV testing rates and reaching marginalized populations compared to facility‐based testing. These strategies can be integrated with the existing HIV care services, to fill the testing gap among key populations globally. PROSPERO Number: CRD42022361782 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rising prevalence of herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) infection poses a growing global public health challenge. A comprehensive understanding of its epidemiology and burden disparities in China is crucial for informing targeted and effective intervention strategies in the future., Methods: We followed Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines for a systematic review and included publications published in Chinese and English bibliographic systems until March 31 st , 2024. We synthesized HSV-2 seroprevalence data across different population types. We used random-effects models for meta-analyses and conducted meta-regression to assess the association between population characteristics and seroprevalence., Results: Overall, 23,999 articles were identified, and 402 publications (1,203,362 participants) that reported the overall seroprevalence rates (858 stratified measures) were included. Pooled HSV-2 seroprevalence among the general population (lower risk) was 7.7% (95% CI: 6.8-8.7%). Compared to the general population, there is a higher risk of HSV-2 prevalence among intermediate-risk populations (14.8%, 95% CI: 11.0-19.1%), and key populations (31.7%, 95% CI: 27.4-36.1%). Female sexual workers (FSWs) have the highest HSV-2 risk (ARR:1.69, 95% CI: 1.61-1.78). We found northeastern regions had a higher HSV-2 seroprevalence than other regions (17.0%, 95% CI: 4.3-35.6%, ARR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.26-1.50, Northern China as the reference group). This highlighted the disparity by population risk levels and regions. We also found lower HSV-2 prevalence estimates in publications in Chinese bibliographic databases than those in English databases among key populations (such as MSM and HIV-discordant populations)., Conclusion: There is a gradient increase in HSV-2 prevalence risk stratification. We also identified region, population, and age disparities and heterogeneities by publication language in the HSV-2 burden. This study provides guidance for future HSV-2 prevention to eliminate disparities of HSV-2 infection and reduce overall HSV-2 burden., Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=408108, identifier CRD42023408108., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wang, Yan, Ai, Jia, Fan, Hu, Dai, Xue, Li and Tang.)

Water droplets are spraying into air using air as a nebulizing gas, and the droplets pass between two parallel metal plates with opposite charges. A high-speed camera records droplet trajectories in the uniform electric field, providing visual evidence for the Lenard effect, that is, smaller droplets are negatively charged whereas larger droplets are positively charged. By analyzing the velocities of the droplets between the metal plates, the charges on the droplets can be estimated. Some key observations include: (1) localized electric fields with intensities on the order of 10 9 V/m are generated, and charges are expected to jump (micro-lightening) between a positively charged larger droplet and the negatively charged smaller droplet as they separate; (2) the strength of the electric field is sufficiently powerful to ionize gases surrounding the droplets; and (3) observations in an open-air mass spectrometer reveal the presence of ions such as N 2 + , O 2 + , NO + , and NO 2 + . These findings provide new insight into the origins of some atmospheric ions and have implications for understanding ionization processes in the atmosphere and chemical transformations in water droplets, advancing knowledge in the field of aerosol science and water microdroplet chemistry.

We report the discovery that chemical reactions such as ATP hydrolysis can be catalyzed by condensates formed by intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which themselves lack any intrinsic ability to function as enzymes. This inherent catalytic feature of condensates derives from the electrochemical environments and the electric fields at interfaces that are direct consequences of phase separation. The condensates we studied were capable of catalyzing diverse hydrolysis reactions, including hydrolysis and radical-dependent breakdown of ATP whereby ATP fully decomposes to adenine and multiple carbohydrates. This distinguishes condensates from naturally occurring ATPases, which can only catalyze the dephosphorylation of ATP. Interphase and interfacial properties of condensates can be tuned via sequence design, thus enabling control over catalysis through sequence-dependent electrochemical features of condensates. Incorporation of hydrolase-like synthetic condensates into live cells enables activation of transcriptional circuits that depend on products of hydrolysis reactions. Inherent catalytic functions of condensates, which are emergent consequences of phase separation, are likely to affect metabolic regulation in cells.

Biomolecular condensates form via processes that combine phase separation and reversible associations of multivalent macromolecules. Condensates can be two- or multi-phase systems defined by coexisting dense and dilute phases. Here, we show that solution ions can partition asymmetrically across coexisting phases defined by condensates formed by intrinsically disordered proteins or homopolymeric RNA molecules. Our findings were enabled by direct measurements of the activities of cations and anions within coexisting phases of protein and RNA condensates. Asymmetries in ion partitioning between coexisting phases vary with protein sequence, condensate type, salt concentration, and ion type. The Donnan equilibrium set up by asymmetrical partitioning of solution ions generates interphase electric potentials known as Donnan and Nernst potentials. Our measurements show that the interphase potentials of condensates are of the same order of magnitude as membrane potentials of membrane-bound organelles. Interphase potentials quantify the degree to which microenvironments of coexisting phases are different from one another. Importantly, and based on condensate-specific interphase electric potentials, which are membrane-like potentials of membraneless bodies, we reason that condensates are mesoscale capacitors that store charge. Interphase potentials lead to electric double layers at condensate interfaces. This helps explain recent observations of condensate interfaces being electrochemically active.

Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), a global leading cause of cancer deaths, remains inadequately addressed by current protein biomarkers. Our study focuses on developing a protein-based risk signature for improved prognosis of LUAD., Methods: We employed the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-COX algorithm on The Cancer Genome Atlas database to construct a prognostic model incorporating six proteins (CD49B, UQCRC2, SMAD1, FOXM1, CD38, and KAP1). The model's performance was assessed using principal component, Kaplan-Meier (KM), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, indicating strong predictive capability. The model stratifies LUAD patients into distinct risk groups, with further analysis revealing its potential as an independent prognostic factor. Additionally, we developed a predictive nomogram integrating clinicopathologic factors, aimed at assisting clinicians in survival prediction. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and examination of the tumor immune microenvironment were conducted, highlighting metabolic pathways in high-risk genes and immune-related pathways in low-risk genes, indicating varied immunotherapy sensitivity. Validation through immunohistochemistry from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database and immunofluorescence staining of clinical samples was performed, particularly focusing on CD38 expression., Results: Our six-protein model (CD49B, UQCRC2, SMAD1, FOXM1, CD38, KAP1) effectively categorized LUAD patients into high and low-risk groups, confirmed by principal component, KM, and ROC analyses. The model showed high predictive accuracy, with distinct survival differences between risk groups. Notably, CD38, traditionally seen as protective, was paradoxically associated with poor prognosis in LUAD, a finding supported by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence data. GSEA revealed that high-risk genes are enriched in metabolic pathways, while low-risk genes align with immune-related pathways, suggesting better immunotherapy response in the latter group., Conclusions: This study presented a novel prognostic protein model for LUAD, highlighting the CD38 expression paradox and enhancing our understanding of protein roles in lung cancer progression. It offered new clinical tools for prognosis prediction and provided assistance for future lung cancer pathogenesis research., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tcr.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tcr-23-1940/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024 Translational Cancer Research. All rights reserved.)

Magnetorheological finishing (MRF) is a deterministic optical processing technique based on CCOS that achieves high removal efficiency and processing accuracy while reducing subsurface damage. This technique still suffers from multiple iterations of processing due to variations in removal efficiency and the inability to fully correct mid-frequency errors below the cut-off frequency of the removal function. For the above problems, this paper attempted to establish the error model of removal function efficiency change for predicting the change of MRF efficiency. Based on the analysis of the distribution of surface shape residuals under different machining paths, a process combining spiral scanning and raster scanning is proposed, which can realize the correction of surface shape and restrain the deterioration of mid-frequency errors. The experimental results show that when the low-frequency errors of fused silica element surface converge rapidly, by optimizing the machining removal coefficient and using the spiral scanning and raster scanning combined method, the PSD analysis results show that the mid-frequency errors of the combined process is lower than the initial value, which expands the process route for the MRF of high-precision optical elements.

The synthesis of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with ultra-small particle sizes has long been a challenging task. The complex and time-consuming synthesis process hinders their practical application and widespread adoption. This study presents the novel synthesis of TiO 2 nanoparticles loaded with a quinary high-entropy alloy through flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) for the first time. The extremely fast heating rate of flame combustion makes the precursor fast pyrolysis gasification, high temperature in the flame field promotes the metal vapor mixing uniformly, and the fast quenching process can reduce the particle aggregation sintering, the ultra-small particle size of HEA firmly attached to the TiO 2 surface. The catalysts prepared via this gas-to-particle pathway exhibit excellent performance in CO 2 hydrogenation, achieving a conversion rate of 62% at 450 °C, and maintaining their activity for over 220 h without significant particle agglomeration. This finding provides valuable insights for the future design of catalytically active materials with enhanced activity and long-term stability., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Despite the physiological and pathophysiological significance of microenvironmental gradients, e.g., for diseases such as cancer, tools for generating such gradients and analyzing their impact are lacking. Here, we present an integrated microfluidic-based workflow that mimics extracellular pH gradients characteristic of solid tumors while enabling high-resolution live imaging of, e.g., cell motility and chemotaxis, and preserving the capacity to capture the spatial transcriptome. Our microfluidic device generates a pH gradient that can be rapidly controlled to mimic spatiotemporal microenvironmental changes over cancer cells embedded in a 3D matrix. The device can be reopened allowing immunofluorescence analysis of selected phenotypes, as well as the transfer of cells and matrix to a Visium slide for spatially resolved analysis of transcriptional changes across the pH gradient. This workflow is easily adaptable to other gradients and multiple cell types and can therefore prove invaluable for integrated analysis of roles of microenvironmental gradients in biology.