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IGF1R plays an important role in regulating cellular metabolism and cell growth, and has been identified as an anti-cancer and diabetes drug target. Although research have been reported many crystal and cryo-EM structures of IGF1R, the mechanism of ligand binding remains controversial, mainly because the structure differences among its cryo-EM, crystal and homologous protein insulin receptor structures. Here, we further determined one new high-resolution symmetric cryo-EM structure of ligand-bound IGF1R and be the first to prove that the receptor could bind to two IGFI molecules by single particle cryo-electron microscopy. And the structure is very different from its homologous protein insulin receptor: the two ligands just exist at the binding site 2 with saturating ligand conditions. Then, our findings resolved the major dispute about the comformational changes of IGF1R, and proposed a new theory how IGF1R binds to its ligands. Meanwhile, these findings imply more attention may be needed to study the relationship between the special conformation and their corresponding physiological functions in future.

Little is known about the distribution and risk levels of nutrients and organic matter (OM) in the surface sediment of shallow submerged macrophyte-dominated lakes. In the current study, sixty surface sediment samples were collected from Xukou Bay, a typical submerged macrophyte-dominated zone in Lake Taihu, China. A 60-day degradation experiment of Potamogeton malaianus, a dominant species in the bay, was done in the laboratory. The results demonstrated that the ranges of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and OM in the surface sediment of the bay were 262.2–2,979.6 mg/kg, 41.2–728.7 mg/kg, 8.6–150.0 mg/kg, 4.4–36.4 mg/kg, and 3.7–50.2 g/kg, respectively. The spatial distributions of TN, OM, and AN concentrations showed similar trends: The highest concentrations were present in the northeastern and southwestern zones, while the TP and AP concentrations were high in the northeastern, central, and southwestern zones. The heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of nutrients and OM in the surface sediment of the bay was associated with aquatic vegetation and anthropogenic activities. The comprehensive risk index and organic nitrogen index revealed that the surface sediment was moderately, interactively contaminated by TN and TP and by organic nitrogen. TN and OM in the northeastern zone were mainly derived from endogenous residues due to the decomposition of aquatic plants, while TN in the southwestern zone was primarily derived from agricultural wastewater. Consequently, targeted measures should be implemented to reduce TN and OM in the surface sediment of macrophyte-dominated lakes.

In perinatal medicine, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is one of the greatest challenges. The etiology of IUGR is multifactorial, but most cases are thought to arise from placental insufficiency. However, identifying the placental cause of IUGR can be difficult due to numerous confounding factors. Selective IUGR (sIUGR) would be a good model to investigate how impaired placentation affects fetal development, as the growth discordance between monochorionic twins cannot be explained by confounding genetic or maternal factors. Herein we constructed and analyzed the placental proteomic profiles of IUGR twins and the normal cotwins. Specifically, we identified a total of 5481 proteins and 233 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), including 57 upregulated and 176 downregulated DEPs in IUGR twins. Bioinformatic analysis indicates that these DEPs are mainly associated with cardiovascular system development and function, organismal survival, and organismal development. Notably, 34 DEPs are significantly enriched in angiogenesis, and diminished placental angiogenesis in IUGR twins has been further elaborately confirmed. Moreover, we found decreased expression of metadherin (MTDH) in placentas for IUGR twins and demonstrated that MTDH contributes to placental angiogenesis and fetal growth in vitro. Collectively, our findings reveal the comprehensive proteomic signature of placentas for sIUGR twins, and the DEPs identified may provide in-depth insights into pathogenesis of placental dysfunction and subsequent impaired fetal growth.

Artemisia songarica Schrenk is a dominant sand fixation plant growing in the People's Republic of China. At present, there are rare studies on the chemical composition and biological activity of A. songarica. The chemical composition of the original oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and 16 compounds were determined. The main compounds were bisabolol oxide II (28.7%), nerolidol (18.6%), bisabolol (12.9%), bisaboloxide A (10.0%), and spathulenol (6.0%). The contact toxicity and repellent activity of A. songarica essential oil and four selected compounds (bisabolol, geranyl butyrate, nerolidol, and santalol) were assessed against Tribolium castaneum Herbst and Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel. Bioassays showed that the crude essential oil exhibited strong insecticide and repellent activities against both pests. Santalol possessed the strongest contact toxicity (50% lethal dose [LD50] = 1.29 μg per adult) against T. castaneum. Nerolidol, santalol, and geranyl butyrate showed fair contact activity against L. bostrychophila. In particular, geranyl butyrate exhibited outstanding activity (LD50 = 11.53 μg/cm2). In addition, all of the four compounds did not detect a difference between compounds and the positive control (P0.05) against two pests at five tested concentrations. These results indicated that A. songarica and its selected compounds could be used as prospective insecticidal and repellent agents for further development and use.

BACKGROUND: Patients with asthma and/or chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) experience recurrent respiratory tract infections. Dupilumab targets type 2 inflammation, a common underlying pathophysiology of both conditions, with proven efficacy. OBJECTIVE: To examine investigator-reported respiratory infection adverse events and anti-infective medication use with dupilumab versus placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe asthma or severe CRSwNP. METHODS: We performed a post hoc analysis of the pivotal phase 3 trials LIBERTY ASTHMA QUEST (NCT02414854) and LIBERTY NP SINUS-52 (NCT02898454) in moderate-to-severe asthma and severe CRSwNP, respectively. RESULTS: Investigator-reported respiratory infection events occurred at a significantly lower incidence in patients treated with dupilumab versus placebo, in both asthma (22% lower; P < .0001; 95% CI 0.71-0.85) and CRSwNP (38% lower; P

Herein, we prepared a novel magnetic ZnFe2O4 aerogel capable of visible light reduction of Cr(VI) via the sol-gel method. The influences of different heat treatment temperatures on the physical phase, structure, and properties of the catalysts were systematically investigated. Photocatalytic experiments revealed that the 400 °C heat-treated ZnFe2O4 aerogel exhibited the optimal photocatalytic performance. To attenuate the influence of catalyst adsorption on the photocatalytic experiments, the concentration of Cr(VI) solution was as high as 100 mg/L. The reduction rate of Cr(VI) was significantly higher than that of some previously reported ZnFe2O4 photocatalysts after visible light irradiation for 120 min. A plausible photocatalytic reaction mechanism was deduced based on the first-principles DFT calculations and photoelectrochemical experiments. In addition, the 400 °C heat-treated ZnFe2O4 aerogel possessed a high specific surface area of 115.31 m2/g and a saturation magnetization intensity of 10.6 emu/g, which allowed for recovery by magnetic separation.

Serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) has been proven to be an efficient way to control postoperative pain. This study explored whether the use of continuous SAPB in combination with flurbiprofen could improve early pulmonary function in lung cancer patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).From July 2019 to April 2020, patients who scheduled for elective lung resection undergoing VATS were randomly allocated to receive patient-controlled SAPB in combination with intravenous flurbiprofen or patient-controlled intravenous analgesia. Postoperative pulmonary function variables, including forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and forced vital capacity were collected before and 24, 48, and 72 hours after Surgical Procedure. Pain intensity was measured at rest and on coughing. Comfort scores during breathing exercises, postoperative pulmonary complications, and adverse events were recorded.A substantial reduction in lung function was exhibited in both groups after Surgical Procedure (P .001), but lung function variables in the continuous SAPB group were significantly higher (P .001) throughout the postoperative period up to 72 hours, regardless of the surgical procedure type. Meanwhile, there were significant differences of pain intensity at rest and on coughing between the groups (P .001). The incidence of pneumonia, pulmonary atelectasis, hypoxemia, vomiting, and the comfort score in the continuous SAPB group was significantly lower (P.05).Postoperative acute pain treatment with continuous SAPB in combination with flurbiprofen enhanced pulmonary function and reduced postoperative pulmonary complications in lung cancer patients undergoing VATS.

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-based fibers with high electrochemical performance have recently showed great potential in the field of flexible energy storage devices. However, they still suffer from low capacitance due to the severe stacking of graphene sheets. Hybrids with nanofillers are an efficient way to improve the electrochemical performance of rGO fibers. Nevertheless, controlling the distribution of nanoparticles in the matrix is still an enormous challenge due to the strong attraction among these nanoparticles which results into agglomeration. Here, we continually prepared rGO hybrid fibers via non-liquid-crystal spinning, accompanied by chemical reduction. Manganic oxide (MnOX) nanoparticles remained well-dispersed in GO dispersion during the continuous spinning of rGO/MnOX hybrid fibers. Results showed that rGO/MnOX-20 hybrid fibers possessed the best capacitance of 123.3 F g−1 (87.6 F cm−3) and 97.1 F g−1 (68.9 F cm−3) at the current density of 0.2 A g−1, and 0.5 A g−1 respectively. Furthermore, a fiber-shaped all-solid-state supercapacitor assembly from the optimized hybrid fibers demonstrated an energy density of 2.67 mWh cm−3 (3.76 mWh g−1) at the power density of 24.76 mWh cm−3 (34.89 mWh g−1). These fiber-based devices show great potential for application in the fields of wearable electronics and energy storage devices.