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Background: Reliable data on whooping cough, a highly contagious disease sometimes fatal for infants, are largely lacking in low- and middle-income countries., Methods: We conducted a hospital-based prospective study (PS) on infants, and a household contact-case investigation (CCI) for positive cases throughout Cambodia and in the city of Antananarivo, Madagascar, between 2017 and 2019. The PS, in which Bordetella diagnostics (qPCR) were performed, included infants aged ≤6 months presenting with ≥5 days of cough associated with one pertussis-like symptom. CCI was performed using qPCR and serology regardless of clinical signs., Results: In this study, 207 and 173 participants from Cambodia and Antananarivo were respectively enrolled. Respectively 26.1% (54/207) and 22.0% (38/173) of the infants were infected in the cohorts from Cambodia and Antananarivo. Cough longer than 10 days appeared as a risk factor in both countries, as well as coughing spells, apnea and normal pulmonary auscultation, having a coughing contact in Cambodia. In Antananarivo, being clinically well between coughing spells appeared as a risk factor. Five infants, all positive, died during the study. In Cambodia and Antananarivo respectively, 50.9% (118/232) and 67.8% (82/121) of the contact cases were positive. Respectively 94.4% (51/54) and 90.3% (28/31) of the households had at least one positive contact case., Conclusion: The data show that pertussis circulates at high levels among infants and in their households both in Cambodia and in Antananarivo. Given the vulnerability of youngest infants, who are too young to receive fully primary vaccination, they need to be protected through boosters breaking transmission chains. Molecular diagnosis, as well as trained medical human resources to detect the disease early, are absolutely key to protect populations., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was conducted under the sponsorship of the Institut Pasteur, Paris. The protocol was reviewed and approved by the IP’s Institutional Review Board, the National Biomedical Research Ethics Committee in Madagascar (N° 065-MSANP/CE), and the National Ethics Committee for Health Research in Cambodia (N° 019NECHR). All procedures were in accordance with the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki (2008). Authorization for data processing was obtained from the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL), and names were pseudonymized by assigning a study-specific code to each participant. The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier of the study is: NCT02983487, which was first registered on the 2nd of December 2016. Informed written consent was obtained from both the adult participants and the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) of all under-18s (minor children). The age under which parent(s)/legal guardian(s) consented for the individuals (i.e. 18 years) was determined by national ethics committee, which followed national regulations. Oral assent was obtained for all the children of age seven years or older. Only individuals who agreed to participate were included in the study. Consent for publication: Not Applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

The emergence of novel variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to pose an ongoing challenge for global public health services, highlighting the urgent need for effective therapeutic interventions. Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are a major therapeutic strategy for the treatment of COVID-19 and other viral diseases. In this study, we employed hybridoma technology to generate mAbs that target the BA.5 receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Through a comprehensive screening process, we identified four mAbs capable of effectively neutralizing BA.5, XBB.1.16, and related variant infections in vitro , among which ORB10 was found to neutralize BA.5 variants with a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT 50 ) of 8.7 ng/mL. Additionally, competitive binding assays, sequencing of heavy and light chain variable regions, and binding kinetics characterization provided insights into the epitopes and binding affinities of the identified mAbs. Moreover, in vivo experiments in the K18-hACE2 mouse model demonstrated the protective efficacy of ORB10 against both BA.5 and XBB.1.16 variants. Finally, cryo-electron microscopy structural analysis of the ORB10-RBD complex identified key residues involved in the antibody-antigen interactions, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms of neutralization and immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants from mAbs., Importance: The ongoing evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has led to the emergence of variants capable of evading immune responses elicited by natural infection and vaccination, especially the highly transmissible and immune-evasive Omicron variants. This study generated and characterized a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specifically targeting the RBD of the Omicron BA.5 variant, of which the ORB10 showed efficacy against Omicron BA.5 and XBB.1.16 variants both in vitro and in vivo . Cryo-EM structural analysis further elucidated the binding epitope interactions and neutralization mechanism between ORB10 and the BA.5 RBD protein. This study enhances our understanding of antibody-mediated neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 and provides valuable insights into the development of effective therapeutic strategies to combat ongoing SARS-CoV-2 variant infections., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Recently, photocatalytic technology has been widely used as a sustainable method to address environmental pollution issues. Herein, BiOCl/Bi-MOF (BOC/Bi-MOF) based semiconductor photocatalysts with S-scheme heterojunction were fabricated by an in situ growth method, and the photocatalytic activity of the materials was explored for CO 2 reduction and pollutant degradation. As confirmed by density functional theory calculations and physiochemical characterizations, the established S-scheme heterojunction confers enhanced carrier separation efficiency and retention of redox capability to the BOC/Bi-MOF. Through an improved combination of charge separation and surface reactions, the prepared BOC/Bi-MOF efficiently reduces CO 2 solely to CO. The heterojunction as catalyst is more durable and effective than any of its single component. The CO evolution rate of the optimized composite catalyst was 7.66 and 33.10 times of those of BiOCl and Bi-MOF, respectively. In addition, BOC/Bi-MOF exhibits a high efficiency in the photocatalytic degradation of the pollutant rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous environments, and the pollutant was completely removed within 20 min. Due to the generation of interfacial potential differences, the internal electric field (IEF) generation at heterogeneous interfaces facilitates the separation and transfer of photogenic charges. This work demonstrated a practical and effective route for in situ growth of S-scheme heterojunctions with high efficiencies in CO 2 reduction and RhB degradation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Gender identity is associated with adolescent depression, but the relationship remains unclear. To further clarify the relationship between gender identity and mental health, this study targets adolescents with significant fluctuations in gender identity, constructs a moderated mediation effect model, examines the relationship between gender identity and depression, and explores the mediating role of self-efficacy and the moderating role of family functioning, to provide scientific references for proposing effective psychological interventions for different gender identity groups., Methods: Using whole group convenience sampling method, 2341 students from a school in Changsha, Hunan Province, were selected for the survey, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items, the Family Care Index Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale-Schwarzer, and gender identity-related questions were used for the assessment of mental health., Results: The prevalence of depression was 40.5% among transgender adolescents, which was significantly higher than that of cisgender adolescents (15.6%). At the same time, gender identity, self-efficacy, family functioning, and depression constituted a moderated mediation model, with family functioning moderating the posterior path of this mediation process. Specifically, self-efficacy was progressively less predictive of depression as family functioning increased., Conclusion: Transgender adolescents showed significantly poorer mental health than cisgender adolescents. There was a partial mediating effect of self-efficacy between gender identity and adolescent depression, with family functioning moderating the latter half of this mediation effect. This study advances our understanding of the relationship between depression and self-efficacy or family functioning in adolescents of different gender identities., Competing Interests: Declarations. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Background: Delirium is a common and distressing mental disorder in palliative care. To date, no delirium prediction model is available for thepalliative care population. The research aimed to develop and validate a nomogram model for predicting the occurrence of delirium in advanced cancer patients admitted to palliative care units., Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter, observational study. Logistic regression was used to identify the independent risk factors for incident delirium among advanced cancer patients in palliative care units. Advanced cancer patients admitted to palliative care units between February 2021 and January 2023 were recruited from four hospitals in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Model performance was evaluated via the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration plots and decision curve analysis., Results: There were 592 advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care in the development cohort, 196 in the temporal validation cohort and 65 in the external validation cohort. The final nomogram model included 8 variables (age, the Charlson comorbidity index, cognitive function, the Barthel index, bilirubin, sodium, the opioid morphine equivalent dose and the use of anticholinergic drugs). The model revealed good performance in terms of discrimination, calibration, and clinical practicability, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.846 in the training set, 0.838 after bootstrapping, 0.829 in the temporal validation and 0.803 in the external validation set., Conclusions: The model serves as a reliable tool to predict delirium onset for advanced cancer patients in palliative care units, which will facilitate early targeted preventive measures to reduce the burden of delirium., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University (HXSY-EC-2021002) in January 2021. All participants provided written informed consent. Consent for publication: Not Applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

(1) Background: Endophytic fungi play an important role in plant growth and stress resistance. The presence of a special fungal taxon such as the dark septate endophytic (DSE) fungi in alpine environments is particularly important for plant resistance to environmental stresses. However, the composition of root endophytic fungi in different environments and between different host plants has not been well studied. (2) Results: A total of 408 culturable endophytic fungi were isolated from the roots of Saussurea involucrata and Rhodiola crenulata which were collected in 5 plots from the Tianshan and Karakoram Mountains of the Xinjiang region, belonging to 91 species, 54 genera, 31 families, and 3 phyla based on the morphological characteristics and molecular sequence. Among them, DSE fungi were the dominant group, accounting for 52.94%, and Leptodontidium orchidicola was the dominant species. In addition, we also compared the composition and diversity of root endophytic fungi from different plants and different sites, with emphasis on special fungal taxa such as DSE. (3) Conclusions: The composition and diversity of cultural endophytic fungi are significantly different in the two alpine medicinal plant species and across various locations. Some fungi showed the preferences of the host or environment. The endophytic fungal resources, especially DSE, were very rich in the two alpine medicinal plants, indicating that these fungi may play a crucial role in the ecological adaptation of host plants in harsh environments.

The liver segmentation method proposed by Couinaud is widely accepted by surgeons because of its convenience and practicality. However, this conventional eight-segment classification does not reflect realistic details of the liver and thus requires further adjustments to promote improvements in surgical strategies. This study aimed to explore the ramification patterns of the hepatic vasculature comprehensively. A total of 197 eligible patients meeting the study criteria were enrolled for three-dimensional reconstruction analysis. In the left hemiliver, the portal vein bifurcated into P2 and umbilical portion (UP) in 172 (98.3%) patients. The P4b of 103 patients (103/172, 59.9%) whose P4b branched from the right horn of the left portal vein (LPV) diverged from the main trunk of the UP. In the right paramedian sector (RPMS), the entire portal trunk directly bifurcates into P8vent and P8dor. Simple branching of P5 off the trunk of the RPMS was observed in 78 patients (78/130, 60%). The anterior fissure vein (AFV) was identified in 86 (86/148, 58.1%) patients. V8d entered the right hepatic vein (RHV) in all the patients. In 75.3% (113/150) of all the patients, V5d joined the RHV. In the right lateral sector (RLS), more than half (71/133, 53.4%) of the patients had an arch-like type. We summarize different patterns of liver vascular branches, providing a valuable reference for clinical surgery and liver transplantation. Cranio-caudal segmentation is more common than ventral-dorsal segmentation. The AFV can be regarded as a reliable anatomical landmark for subsegmentation in segment 8. In addition, the absence of AFV was associated with the P8 pattern., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Ethical approval: This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Tongji Hospital. Human and animal rights: This article does not involve direct interaction with human participants, as it is a retrospective analysis of data collected from a clinical imaging database. Informed consent: For this type of study, formal consent was not required, as the data were anonymized and obtained from routine clinical practice., (© 2025. Italian Society of Surgery (SIC).)

Fusion proteins constitute a class of engineered therapeutics and have emerged as promising candidates for disease treatment. However, the structural complexity and heterogeneity of fusion proteins make their characterization extremely challenging, and thus, an innovative and comprehensive analytical toolbox is needed. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate a novel and robust workflow to evaluate charge variants for a highly glycosylated fusion protein with heavy sialylation using imaged capillary isoelectric focusing (icIEF). In the development of the icIEF method, key factors that were systematically investigated include the desialylation level, the stability of the desialylated molecule, incubation time and temperature of desialylation, protein concentrations, urea and l-arginine effects on the tertiary structure, and instrumental comparability. Multivariate and correlation analyses were subsequently applied to confirm the impacts of the parameters evaluated. Furthermore, a microfluidic chip-based icIEF system coupled with ultraviolet detection and mass spectrometry (icIEF-UV/MS) was utilized to identify critical post-translational modifications and ameliorate the understanding of charge variants. Our study demonstrates that this workflow enables a mechanistic understanding of charge variants for heavily sialylated therapeutics., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2025 American Chemical Society.)

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) is a malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to conduct survival analysis for patients with PMME and propose a staging system for PMME. Data from 179 patients were compiled for survival analysis and to propose a staging system for PMME. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards model. The median OS of the 179 patients with PMME was 20.0 months. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 67.0%, 35.0%, and 17.0%. In the pooled analysis of 179 patients, significant differences in OS were observed between patients with tumors invading the lamina propria or muscularis mucosae (T1a) and deeper layers (T1b, T2, T3, T4) (P < 0.001). Significant differences in OS were observed between patients with no regional lymph node metastasis and those with one or more regional lymph node metastases (P < 0.001). PD-1 inhibitors significantly improved 3-year OS for patients with the pT1b-4 N+ stage (P = 0.020). The proposed staging system for PMME is as follows: (1) Stage I: T1aN0M0 (2) Stage II: T1b-4N0M0 and T1N1M0; Stage III: T2-4N1M0 and TxNxM1(P < 0.001). The lower T-stage and no lymph node metastasis indicated better prognosis. Surgery could be considered an effective treatment for patients with early-stage PMME. The effectiveness of surgery as a treatment for advanced-stage patients remained unclear and required further research. However, PD-1 inhibitors might improve the 3-year OS for advanced-stage patients. Furthermore, the tumor, node, metastasis staging system for PMME was proposed, and could be valuable in guiding prognostic predictions., (© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This corrects the article 10.3791/67371.