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Thyroid hormones (THs) may affect chronic thyrotoxic myopathy (CTM). The relationship between TH sensitivity and CTM is inconsistent. We aimed to investigate the associations between TH sensitivity and the risk of CTM and to screen potential CTMs with strength and function tests. A total of 162 Chinese patients (36.58% men) with Graves' disease were enrolled and divided into CTM and non-CTM groups. TH and sensitivity indices were measured. Muscle power and function were assessed by grip, upper-limb fatigue (ULFT), lower-limb fatigue (LLFT), and squat-up (SUT) tests, and walking pace. Association between sensitivity to TH indices and the risk of developing CTM was assessed via multivariate logistic regression. The diagnostic effectiveness of muscle power and function for predicting CTM was evaluated via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Thyroid feedback quantile-based index FT3 (TFQIFT3) and the parametric TFQIFT3 (PTFQIFT3), TFQIFT4, and PTFQIFT4 were positively associated with CTM risk by using inverse probability of treatment weighting multivariate logistic regression. For each 1-SD increase in TFQIFT3 and PTFQIFT3, TFQIFT4 and PTFQIFT4, the odds ratios for CTM were 1.67 (95% CI = 1.17–2.48) ,1.64 (95% CI = 1.51–2.93), 1.60 (95%CI = 1.12–2.32), 1.58 (95%CI = 1.11–2.30), respectively. LLFT and SUT best predicted male/female CTM, respectively (AUC = 0.89/0.85). In Graves' disease patients, TH sensitivity is associated with CTM development, which can be predicted by SUT and LLFT results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play an important role in metastasis development, tumor recurrence, and treatment resistance, and are essential for the eradication of cancer. Currently, therapies fail to eradicate CSCs due to their therapeutic stress-induced cellular escape, which leads to enhanced aggressive behaviors compared with CSCs that have never been treated. However, the underlying mechanisms regulating the therapeutic escape remain unknown. To this end, we established a model to isolate the therapeutic escaped CSCs (TSCSCs) from breast CSCs and performed the transcription profile to reveal the mechanism. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that the behavior of therapeutic escape was regulated through the p38/MAPK signaling pathway, resulting in TSCSCs exhibiting enhanced motility and metastasis. Notably, blocking the p38/MAPK signaling pathway effectively reduced motility and metastasis ability both in vitro and in vivo, which were further supported by downregulated motility-related genes and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins vimentin and N-cadherin. The obtained findings reveal the p38/MAPK pathway as a potential therapeutic target for TSCSCs and would provide profound implications for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that a series of molecular events caused by oxidative stress is associated with ferroptosis and oxidation after ischemic stroke (IS). Differential analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed mRNA (DEmRNAs) between IS and control groups. Critical module genes were identified using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). DEmRNAs, critical module genes, oxidative stress-related genes (ORGs), and ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) were crossed to screen for intersection mRNAs. Candidate mRNAs were screened based on the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and the MCODE plug-in. Biomarkers were identified based on two types of machine learning algorithms, and the intersection was obtained. Functional items and related pathways of the biomarkers were identified using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Finally, single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) and Wilcoxon tests were used to identify differential immune cells. An miRNA-mRNA-TF network was created. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to verify the expression levels of biomarkers in the IS and control groups. There were 8287 DE mRNAs between the IS and control groups. The genes in the turquoise module were selected as critical module genes for IS. Thirty intersecting mRNAs were screened for overlaps. Seventeen candidate mRNAs were also identified. Four biomarkers (CDKN1A, GPX4, PRDX1, and PRDX6) were identified using two types of machine-learning algorithms. GSEA results indicated that the biomarkers were associated with steroid biosynthesis. Nine types of immune cells (activated B cells and neutrophils) were markedly different between the IS and control groups. We identified 3747 miRNA-mRNA-TF regulatory pairs in the miRNA-mRNA-TF regulatory network, including hsa-miR-4469-CDKN1A-BACH2 and hsa-miR-188-3p-GPX4-ATF2. CDKN1A, PRDX1, and PRDX6 were upregulated in IS samples compared with control samples. This study suggests that four biomarkers (CDKN1A, GPX4, PRDX1, and PRDX6) are significantly associated with IS. This study provides a new reference for the diagnosis and treatment of IS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly stretchable porous materials are promising for flexible electronics but their fabrication is a great challenge. Herein, several kinds of highly stretchable conductive porous elastomers with low or negative Poisson's ratios are achieved by uniaxial, biaxial, and triaxial hot-pressing strategies. The reduced graphene oxide/polymer nanocomposite elastomers with folded porous structures obtained by uniaxial hot pressing exhibit high stretchability up to 1200% strain. Furthermore, the meta-elastomers with reentrant porous structures combining high biaxial (or triaxial) stretchability and negative Poisson's ratios are achieved by biaxial (or triaxial) hot pressing. The resulting elastomer-based wearable strain sensors exhibit an ultrawide response range (0-1200%). The materials can be applied for smart thermal management and electromagnetic interference shielding, which are achieved by regulating the porous microstructures via stretching. This work provides a versatile strategy to highly stretchable and negative-Poisson-ratio porous materials with promising features for various applications such as flexible electronics, thermal management, electromagnetic shielding, and energy storage. In this work, authors demonstrate highly stretchable conductive porous elastomers that can achieve up to 1200% strain with low or negative Poisson's ratios by uniaxial, biaxial, and triaxial hot-pressing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile gravity survey plays a paramount role in many research fields, particularly geophysics and geodesy. Mobile gravimeters with delicate mechanisms and gyroscope-stabilized platforms are robust to motion-induced errors. In the past few years, a novel spring-based mobile gravimeter, CHZII, constructed with a sensitive probe based on an axisystematic mechanism and supported by a two-axis gyro platform, has been developed for mobile gravity surveys. This study mainly analyzes the system and models measurement errors derived from carrier motions. The system's performance was varied in a laboratory and on the sea. The constructed system experimentally shows that the residual error introduced by carrier motions is less than 1 mGal (∼1 × 10−5 m/s2) in general working conditions due to the delicate mechanical design and precise assembly. A repeatability test for the CHZII engineering prototype and a comparison test with a KSS32 gravimeter have been conducted in 2016–2017, demonstrating that the measurement accuracy approaches 1.1 mGal, which is con-sistent with the expectation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our improved knowledge of tumor immunology laid a solid foundation for the clinical use of tumor immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint blockers, and the efficacy of these drugs increased our confidence that immunomodulation was a viable way of treating cancer. The basis of immunotherapy is to break the immune escape of the tumor and resolve the immune suppressive microenvironment of tumors. Nanomaterial-mediated dynamic therapy (NDT) is an emerging immuno-regulatable type for tumor therapy, whose effects are mediated by increased cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS is a potent trigger of immunogenic cell death, and this process initiates antitumor immunity. Nanomaterials for use in NDT can be engineered to interact with almost all cell types in the tumor microenvironment to remodel this environment. In this review, we systematically examined the effects of NDT on four major cell types in the tumor microenvironment, namely tumor cells, lymphocytes, myeloid cells, and tumor stromal cells. We believe that this review will improve researchers' understanding of the anti-tumor immunity triggered by NDT, and provide ideas and inspiration for how optimally designed NDT schemes can be used to target the cells in the tumor microenvironment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although anti-cancer nanotherapeutics have made breakthroughs, many remain clinically unsatisfactory due to limited delivery efficiency and complicated biological barriers. Here, we prepared charge-reversible crosslinked nanoparticles (PDC NPs) by supramolecular self-assembly of pro-apoptotic peptides and photosensitizers, followed by crosslinking the self-assemblies with polyethylene glycol to impart tumor microenvironment responsiveness and charge-reversibility. The resultant PDC NPs have a high drug loading of 68.3%, substantially exceeding that of 10%–15% in conventional drug delivery systems. PDC NPs can overcome the delivery hurdles to significantly improve the tumor accumulation and endocytosis of payloads by surface charge reversal and responsive crosslinking strategy. Pro-apoptotic peptides target the mitochondrial membranes and block the respiratory effect to reduce local oxygen consumption, which extensively augments oxygen-dependent photodynamic therapy (PDT). The photosensitizers around mitochondria increased along with the peptides, allowing PDT to work with pro-apoptotic peptides synergistically to induce tumor cell death by mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways. Our strategy would provide a valuable reference for improving the delivery efficiency of hydrophilic peptides and developing mitochondrial-targeting cancer therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding efficient and environmentally friendly semiconductor photocatalysts can effectively alleviate the energy crisis and environmental pollution. Based on first-principles calculations, this work focused on the electronic, Bader charge and optical properties of the TMDs/MN heterojunctions. The results showed that the AlN/WS2 and GaN/WS2 heterojunctions are the type-II energy band arrangement, which indicates effective promotion of the separation of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Meanwhile, the AlN/WSe2, GaN/WSe2, AlN/MoSe2 and GaN/MoSe2 heterojunctions belonged to the type-I energy band arrangement. The Bader charge results showed that the built-in electric field formed by the heterojunction prevents the recombination of charge carriers. These type-I heterojunctions have excellent optical absorption ability and are suitable for optoelectronic components. Surprisingly, we found that the AlN/WSe2, GaN/WSe2, AlN/MoSe2 and GaN/MoSe2 heterojunctions transform type-I heterojunction to type-II heterojunction by applying electric field. This work further provides the theoretical basis for the design of efficient photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a warming climate, temperature extremes have been a main global issue in recent decades due to their potential influence on the sustainable development of human life and natural ecosystems. In this study, 12 indicators of extreme temperature events are used to evaluate the spatiotemporal distribution, periodic structure and teleconnections with large-scale atmospheric circulation in Xinjiang, Northwest China by combining wavelet coherence (WTC) analysis based on continuous wavelet transform (CWT) analysis with the sequential Mann-Kendall test. We find that over the past six decades, the climate in Xinjiang has become warmer and has suffered from increases in the frequency of warm extremes and decreases in the frequency of cold extremes. Warm extremes have mainly occurred in the southern Tianshan Mountains surrounding the Tarim Basin and western part of the Taklamakan Desert, and cold extremes have primarily occurred in the southwestern Altai Mountains and northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains. Extreme temperature events, including warm extremes, cold extremes, and other temperature indices, have significant interannual variability, with the main oscillation periods at smaller (2–4-year band), intermediate (4–7-year band), and greater time scales in recent decades. Furthermore, cold-extreme indices, including frost days, cool days, and cool nights all show a clear changepoint during 1990–1997 at the 95% confidence level, and both ice days and cold spell duration indicator have a potential changepoint during 1981–1986. However, the changing points for warmextreme indices are detected during 1992–1998. The temperature variables are significantly correlated with the EI Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO), but less well correlated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). The phase difference in the WTC spectra is not uniform between temperature extremes and climatic oscillations. Our findings will have important implications for local governments in taking effective measures to mitigate the potential effects of regional climate warming due to human activities in Xinjiang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The well DB1 in West Chongqing area encountered unconventional gas in the first member of Maokou Formation (P1m1); therefore, the P1m1 core was systematically sampled and analyzed. Based on normal porosity–permeability, organic carbon, pyrolysis, and Vitrinite reflectance analysis, seven samples were selected for rock and ore identification, element analysis, carbon and oxygen isotope analysis of carbonate rocks, and GC–MS analysis of soluble organic matter. The results of organic geochemical analysis show that P1m1 carbonate rocks have high organic matter abundance and are in an over mature stage, and a large amount of natural gas has been formed. The petrophysical property analysis results show that P1m1 is an ultra-low porosity and permeability reservoir. In general, P1m1 is a set of unconventional carbonate source rock gas reservoirs. The results of rock and ore identification and carbon and oxygen isotope analysis indicate that there are talc and fluorite minerals of hydrothermal origin in P1m1 carbonate rocks, and the carbon and oxygen isotope composition of carbonate rocks is similar to that of hydrothermal dolomite in Chuanzhong area.. The GC–MS analysis shows that P1m1 carbonate rock exhibits abnormal molecular fossil assemblages, such as N-alkanes with even carbon dominance, Isoalkanes with even carbon dominance iC22+, iPC21+ long chain Isoprenoid alkanes, abnormally high abundance Hopane, relatively high abundance C29 regular sterane, and high abundance sulfur compounds. These molecular fossil evidence indicates that the P1m1 sedimentary environment has strong reducibility, and the water contains a large amount of H2S and sulfate. At the same time, a large number of chemoautotrophic bacteria and archea, heterotrophic bacteria and archea, and some hydrothermal animals jointly formed the hydrothermal ecosystem of P1m1, forming a large number of hydrocarbon generating parent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is susceptible to arsenic contamination by sediment with high arsenic content, which is the primary culprit of regional arsenic pollution and poisoning. To explore the influence of the change in hydrodynamic conditions caused by changes in the sedimentary environment over time on arsenic content in sediments during the Quaternary, the hydrodynamic characteristics and arsenic content enrichment of borehole sediments were studied in typical high-arsenic groundwater areas of the Jianghan–Dongting Basin, China. The regional hydrodynamic conditions represented by each borehole location were analyzed, the correlation between the variation in groundwater dynamics characteristics and arsenic content in different hydrodynamic periods was analyzed, and the relationship between arsenic content and grain size distribution was quantitatively investigated using grain size parameter calculation, elemental analysis, and statistical estimates of arsenic content in borehole sediments. We observed that the relationship between arsenic content and hydrodynamic conditions differed between sedimentary periods. Furthermore, arsenic content in the sediments from the borehole at Xinfei Village was significantly and positively correlated with a grain size of 127.0–240.0 μm. For the borehole at Wuai Village, arsenic content was significantly and positively correlated with a grain size of 1.38–9.82 μm size (at 0.05 level of significance). However, arsenic content was inversely correlated with grain sizes of 110.99–716.87 and 133.75–282.07 μm at p values of 0.05 and 0.01, respectively. For the borehole at Fuxing Water Works, arsenic content was significantly and positively correlated with a grain size of 409.6–655.0 μm size (at 0.05 level of significance). Arsenic tended to be enriched in transitional and turbidity facies sediments with normal corresponding hydrodynamic strength but poor sorting. Furthermore, continuous and stable sedimentary sequences were conducive to arsenic enrichment. Fine-grain sediments provided abundant potential adsorption sites for high-arsenic sediments, but finer particle size was not correlated with higher arsenic levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the speeds of pulsating waves for two-species competition–diffusion systems with bistable structures in periodically varying media. The existence and qualitative properties of pulsating waves have been established recently. In this work, assuming that the two species share the same diffusion rates, we study the sign of wave speeds by comparing the reactions and competitions. We first give a criterion when the speed is zero, and then provide some sufficient conditions ensuring the speed has a strict sign. We also show that the spatial heterogeneity has a significant consequence on the sign and gives rise to some new phenomena. More precisely, the pulsating waves in two opposite directions may have different speeds. Particularly, from the ecological point of view, our result indicates that the invasion of a new species may succeed in one direction but fail in the opposite one. Finally, we show the presence of multiple stationary waves which is in contrast with the uniqueness of non-stationary waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of devices for bioelectronic applications, including cell and tissue stimulation, is heavily dependent on the scale and the performance level. With miniaturization of stimulation electrodes, achieving a sufficiently high current pulse to elicit action potentials becomes an issue. Herein we report on our approach of vertically stacking organic p-n junctions to create highly-efficient multilayered organic semiconductor (MOS) photostimulation device. A tandem arrangement substantially increases the photovoltage and charge density without sacrificing lateral area, while not exceeding 200–500 nm of thickness. These devices generate 4 times higher voltages and at least double the charge densities over single p-n junction devices, which allow using lower light intensities for stimulation. MOS devices show an outstanding stability in the electrolyte that is extremely important for forthcoming in vivo experiments. Finally, we have validated MOS devices performance by photostimulating fibroblasts and neuroblasts, and found that using tandem devices leads to more effective action potential generation. As a result, we obtained up to 4 times enhanced effect in cell growth density using 3 p-n layered devices. These results corroborate the conclusion that MOS technology not only can achieve parity with state-of-the-art silicon devices, but also can exceed them in miniaturization and performance for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine how climate change enhances the spreading of an invading species through a nonlinear diffusion equation of the form u t = d u xx + A x - c t u - b u 2 with a free boundary, where climate change causes more favourable environment shifting into the habitat of the species with a constant speed c > 0 . The free boundary represents the invading front of the expanding population range. We show that the long-time dynamics of this model obeys a spreading-vanishing dichotomy, which is best illustrated by using a suitably parameterised family of initial functions u 0 σ increasing continuously in σ : there exists a critical value σ ∗ ∈ (0 , ∞) so that the species vanishes ultimately when σ ∈ (0 , σ ∗ ] , and it spreads successfully when σ > σ ∗ . However, when spreading is successful, there exist two threshold speeds c 0 < c 1 that divide the spreading profile into strikingly different patterns. For example, when c < c 0 the profile of the population density function u(t, x) approaches a propagating pair composed of a traveling wave with speed c and a semi-wave with speed c 0 ; when c 0 < c < c 1 , it approaches a semi-wave with speed c, and when c > c 1 , it approaches a semi-wave with speed c 1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Fruit intake is beneficial to several chronic diseases, but controversial in diabetes. We aimed to investigate prospectively the associations of whole fresh fruit intake with risk of incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) in subjects with different glucose regulation capacities. Methods: The present study included 79,922 non-diabetic participants aged ≥ 40 years from an ongoing nationwide prospective cohort in China. Baseline fruit intake information was collected by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Plasma HbA1c, fasting and 2 h post-loading glucose levels were measured at both baseline and follow-up examinations. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incident diabetes among participants with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and prediabetes, after adjusted for multiple confounders. Restricted cubic spline analysis was applied for dose–response relation. Results: During a median 3.8-year follow-up, 5886 (7.36%) participants developed diabetes. Overall, we identified a linear and dose-dependent inverse association between dietary whole fresh fruit intake and risk of incident T2D. Each 100 g/d higher fruit intake was associated with 2.8% lower risk of diabetes (HR 0.972, 95%CI [0.949–0.996], P = 0.0217), majorly benefiting NGT subjects with 15.2% lower risk (HR 0.848, 95%CI [0.766–0.940], P = 0.0017), while not significant in prediabetes (HR 0.981, 95%CI 0.957–4.005, P = 0.1268). Similarly, the inverse association was present in normoglycemia individuals with a 48.6% lower risk of diabetes when consuming fruits > 7 times/week comparing to those < 1 time/week (HR 0.514, 95% CI [0.368–0.948]), but not in prediabetes (HR 0.883, 95% CI [0.762–1.023]). Conclusion: These findings suggest that higher frequency and amount of fresh fruit intake may protect against incident T2D, especially in NGT, but not in prediabetes, highlighting the dietary recommendation of higher fresh fruit consumption to prevent T2D in normoglycemia population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to describe and assess the current stage of the artificial intelligence (AI) technology integration in preventive orthopaedics of the knee and hip joints.Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in strict compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Literature databases were searched for articles describing the development and validation of AI models aimed at diagnosing knee or hip joint pathologies or predicting their development or course in patients. The quality of the included articles was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) and QUADAS-AI tools.Results: 56 articles were found that meet all the inclusion criteria. We identified two problems that block the full integration of AI into the routine of an orthopaedic physician. The first of them is related to the insufficient amount, variety and quality of data for training, and validation and testing of AI models. The second problem is the rarity of rational evaluation of models, which is why their real quality cannot always be evaluated.Conclusion: The vastness and relevance of the studied topic are beyond doubt. Qualitative and optimally validated models exist in all four scopes considered. Additional optimization and confirmation of the models' quality on various datasets are the last technical stumbling blocks for creating usable software and integrating them into the routine of an orthopaedic physician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles-based drug delivery systems have attracted significant attention in biomedical fields because they can deliver loaded cargoes to the target site in a controlled manner. However, tremendous challenges must still be overcome to reach the expected targeting and therapeutic efficacy in vivo. These challenges mainly arise because the interaction between nanoparticles and biological systems is complex and dynamic and is influenced by the physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles and the heterogeneity of biological systems. Importantly, once the nanoparticles are injected into the blood, a protein corona will inevitably form on the surface. The protein corona creates a new biological identity which plays a vital role in mediating the bio-nano interaction and determining the ultimate results. Thus, it is essential to understand how the protein corona affects the delivery journey of nanoparticles in vivo and what we can do to exploit the protein corona for better delivery efficiency. In this review, we first summarize the fundamental impact of the protein corona on the delivery journey of nanoparticles. Next, we emphasize the strategies that have been developed for tailoring and exploiting the protein corona to improve the transportation behavior of nanoparticles in vivo. Finally, we highlight what we need to do as a next step towards better understanding and exploitation of the protein corona. We hope these insights into the "Yin and Yang" effect of the protein corona will have profound implications for understanding the role of the protein corona in a wide range of nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still rampant all over the world, causing incalculable losses to the world. Major pharmaceutical organizations around the globe are focusing on vaccine research and drug development to prevent further damage caused by the pandemic. The messenger RNA (mRNA) technology has got ample of attention after the success of the two very effective mRNA vaccines during the recent pandemic of COVID-19. mRNA vaccine has been promoted to the core stage of pharmaceutical industry, and the rapid development of mRNA technology has exceeded expectations. Beyond COVID-19, the mRNA vaccine has been tested for various infectious diseases and undergoing clinical trials. Due to the ability of constant mutation, the viral infections demand abrupt responses and immediate production, and therefore mRNA-based technology offers best answers to sudden outbreaks. The need for mRNA-based vaccine became more obvious due to the recent emergence of new Omicron variant. In this review, we summarized the unique properties of mRNA-based vaccines for infectious diseases, delivery technologies, discussed current challenges, and highlighted the prospects of this promising technology in the future. We also discussed various clinical studies as well preclinical studies conducted on mRNA therapeutics for diverse infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a recent line of work to automatically detect the emotions of posts in social media. In literature, studies treat posts independently and detect their emotions separately. Different from previous studies, we explore the dependence among relevant posts via authors' backgrounds, since the authors with similar backgrounds, e.g., "gender", "location", tend to express similar emotions. However, personal attributes are not easy to obtain in most social media websites. Accordingly, we propose two approaches to determine personal attributes and capture personal attributes between different posts for emotion detection: the Joint Model with Personal Attention Mechanism (JPA) model is used to detect emotion and personal attributes jointly, and capture the attributes-aware words to connect similar people; the Neural Personal Discrimination (NPD) model is employed to determine the personal attributes from posts and connect the relevant posts with similar attributes for emotion detection. Experimental results show the usefulness of personal attributes in emotion detection, and the effectiveness of the proposed JPA and NPD approaches in capturing personal attributes over the state-of-the-art statistic and neural models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attaching DNA/RNA to nanomaterials is the basis for nucleic acid-based assembly and drug delivery. Herein, we report that small interfering RNA (siRNA) effectively coordinates with ligand-free lanthanide nanoparticles (NaGdF4 NPs), and forms siRNA/NaGdF4 spherical nucleic acids (SNA). The coordination is primarily attributed to the interaction between Gd and phosphate backbone of the siRNA. Surprisingly, an efficient encapsulation and rapid endosomal escape of siRNA from the endosome/lysosome were achieved, due to its flexible ability to bound to phospholipid head of endosomal membrane, thereby disrupting the membrane structure. Resorting to the dual properties of NaGdF4 NPs, siRNA loading, and endosomal escape, siRNA targeting programmed cell death-ligand 1 (siPD-L1)/NaGdF4 SNA triggers significant gene silencing in vitro and in vivo, and effectively represses the tumor growth in both CT26 tumor model and 4T1 orthotopic murine model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) originates from the blockage of the inner walls of the coronary arteries due to a plaque buildup. Circular RNA (circRNA) circ_0001445 has been reported to be downregulated in patients with a higher coronary atherosclerotic burden. This study is designed to explore the role and mechanism of circ_0001445 on the oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced endothelial cell damage. Methods: Circ_0001445, microRNA-208b-5p (miR-208b-5p), and ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 1 (ABCG1) levels were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Inflammatory cytokines levels, cell viability, proliferation, migration were detected by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), and transwell assays, respectively. Protein levels were determined by western blot assay. The binding between miR-208b-5p and circ_0001445 or ABCG1 was predicted by circBank or TargetScan, and then verified by a dual-luciferase reporter, RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP), and RNA pull-down assays. Results: Circ_0001445 and ABCG1 were decreased, and miR-208b-5p was increased in CAD patients and ox-LDL-treated HAECs. Also, circ_0001445 overexpression could weaken ox-LDL-triggered HAEC injury by boosting proliferation, migration, and repressing inflammation and extracellular matrix (ECM). Mechanically, circ_0001445 directly targeted miR-208b-5p. Furthermore, miR-208b-5p mediated the modulation of circ_0001445 in ox-LDL-induced HAEC injury. ABCG1 acted as a direct target of miR-208b-5p, and the downregulation of miR-208b-5p relieved ox-LDL-induced HAEC damage by interacting with ABCG1. Additionally, circ_0001445 regulated ABCG1 expression by sponging miR-208b-5p. Conclusion: Circ_0001445 could abate ox-LDL-mediated HAEC damage by the miR-208b-5p/ABCG1 axis, providing a novel insight into the pathogenesis and treatment of CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection at impaired wound is associated with high risks of developing to persistent bacterial infections since bacterial biofilm is easy to form in MRSA infected wounds. An advanced therapeutic approach to effectively penetrate and eliminate bacterial biofilm and to accelerate cell proliferation and migration at the wound is crucial. Methods: The poly(ε-caprolactone)-monomethoxyl poly (ethylene glycol) (PCL-mPEG) micelles loaded with Quercetin and Rifampicin (QRMs) were prepared. Bacterial biofilm proliferation and elimination effect of QRMs were evaluated with confocal laser scanning microscopy. Antibacterial assay was further performed to detect antibacterial activity and mechanism. The cell scratch assay and cellular uptake were performed in HaCaT skin epithelial cells. Results: Our results showed that the small sized QRMs could penetrate the interior of MRSA biofilm to disperse and eradicate biofilm. Then, antibiotics are released and accumulated in the acidic biofilm environment. QRMs could kill bacteria through increasing bacterial membrane permeability and altering membrane potential and membrane fluidity. Moreover, QRMs improved intracellular and cytoplasmic delivery efficiency of drugs to epithelial cells, and in the scratch test, presented a stronger ability to promote migration and proliferation of HaCaT cells compared with free drugs. Hemolysis test further proved good biocompatibility of QRMs. Conclusions: QRMs could potentially be used as a novel dual-functional nanotherapeutic for anti-bacterial infection by eradicating biofilm and accelerating cells proliferation at MRSA infected wound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is an important selenium-containing antioxidant enzyme in human body. The preparation of bionic GPx and the mimicry of its catalytic behavior are of great significance for the development of antioxidant drugs. At present, most of the reported biomimetic selenoenzymes based on the macromolecular are difficult to be degraded, which restricts their applications in the fields such as medical treatment, health care, and functional food. In order to solve this issue, herein, the octenyl succinic acid-modified starch (OSA starch) prepared by the esterification of waxy corn starch was used as the raw material, a new selenium-functionalized starch (Se-starch) was synthesized via the reaction of OSA starch and sodium hydrogen selenide. Such Se-starch, as a biomimetic selenoenzyme, was characterized using 1H NMR, EDS, XPS, SEM, XRD, and FT-IR. The Se-starch with a catalytic activity of 2.48 μM·min−1 showed a typical catalysis behavior of saturated kinetic and enzymology. This catalytic activity is 1.04 × 105 times higher than that of the PhSeSePh, a representative small molecule bionic GPx. The study of catalytic mechanism revealed that the octenyl succinate molecule bonded on the starch endowed it with hydrophobic micro-environments, which benefited the binding of hydrophobic substrates, and consequently increased the catalytic activity. This work not only provided a new idea for constructing natural polymers-based bionic GPx, but also offered an important theoretical basis for the development of new antioxidant drugs and functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccine development approaches consist of viral vector vaccines, DNA vaccine, RNA vaccine, live attenuated virus, and recombinant proteins, which elicit a specific immune response. The use of nanoparticles displaying antigen is one of the alternative approaches to conventional vaccines. This is due to the fact that nano-based vaccines are stable, able to target, form images, and offer an opportunity to enhance the immune responses. The diameters of ultrafine nanoparticles are in the range of 1–100 nm. The application of nanotechnology on vaccine design provides precise fabrication of nanomaterials with desirable properties and ability to eliminate undesirable features. To be successful, nanomaterials must be uptaken into the cell, especially into the target and able to modulate cellular functions at the subcellular levels. The advantages of nano-based vaccines are the ability to protect a cargo such as RNA, DNA, protein, or synthesis substance and have enhanced stability in a broad range of pH, ambient temperatures, and humidity for long-term storage. Moreover, nano-based vaccines can be engineered to overcome biological barriers such as nonspecific distribution in order to elicit functions in antigen presenting cells. In this review, we will summarize on the developing COVID-19 vaccine strategies and how the nanotechnology can enhance antigen presentation and strong immunogenicity using advanced technology in nanocarrier to deliver antigens. The discussion about their safe, effective, and affordable vaccines to immunize against COVID-19 will be highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to studying the asymptotic behavior of the solution to nonlocal Fisher-KPP type reaction diffusion equations in heterogeneous media. The kernel K is assumed to depend on the media. First, we give an estimate of the upper and lower spreading speeds by generalized principal eigenvalues. Second, we prove the existence of spreading speeds in the case where the media is periodic or almost periodic by showing that the upper and lower generalized principal eigenvalues are equal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The naturally formed aeolian sand dunes in northern Shaanxi exhibit unique engineering characteristics. Several challenges, such as the poor self-stabilization ability of the surrounding rock, difficultly in injecting grout, and insufficient construction experience, restrict the construction of road tunnels under this stratum. Therefore, in this study, a case study of the Shenmu No. 1 tunnel was conducted to investigate the engineering characteristics of aeolian sand tunnels, compare the grouting effects of commonly used grouting materials, and discuss the reinforcement effects of different construction schemes in aeolian sand tunnels. Based on a field grouting test, it was determined that it is difficult to inject ordinary cement grout into an aeolian sand layer. Furthermore, it was determined that superfine cement grout and modified sodium silicate grout can be injected, but the former exhibits a poor reinforcement effect. Additionally, results of numerical analysis indicated that an approach based on a concept of "horizontal jet grouting pile + benching partial excavation method with a temporary invert" is suitable for the construction of tunnels in aeolian sand in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) is a promising anode for lithium-ion batteries due to its high capacity and vast reserves. However, the low electronic conductivity and severe volume change during cycling hinder its commercialization. Herein our work, a three-dimensional (3D) Sb2S3 thin film anode was fabricated via a simple vapor transport deposition system by using natural stibnite as raw material and stainless steel fiber-foil (SSF) as 3D current collector, and a carbon nanotube interphase was introduced onto the film surface by a simple dropping-heating process to promote the electrochemical performances. This 3D structure can greatly improve the initial coulombic efficiency to a record of 86.6% and high reversible rate capacity of 760.8 mAh·g−1 at 10 C. With carbon nanotubes interphase modified, the Sb2S3 anode cycled extremely stable with high capacity retention of 94.7% after 160 cycles. This work sheds light on the economical preparation and performance optimization of Sb2S3-based anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor hypoxia has been considered to induce tumor cell resistance to radiotherapy and anticancer chemotherapy, as well as predisposing for increased tumor metastases. Therefore, strategies for the eradication of the hypoxic tumor are highly desirable. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a new technique that can be used to treat tumors using laser irradiation to photochemically activate a photosensitizer. Compared to traditional radiotherapy and chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy has many advantages, such as good selectivity, low toxicity, and less trauma and resistance. However, PDT is oxygen-dependent, and the lack of oxygen in hypoxic tumors renders photodynamic therapy ineffective. Cyanobacteria, the earliest photosynthetic oxygen-generating organisms, can utilize water as an electron donor to reduce CO2 into organic carbon compounds along with continuously releasing oxygen under sunlight. Inspired by this, herein, cyanobacteria were used as a living carrier of photosensitizer conjugated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) to construct a self-supplying oxygen PDT system. Improvement in the PDT efficiency for hypoxic tumors can be achieved as a result of in situ oxygen production by cyanobacteria under near-infrared (NIR) light using UCNP as a light harvesting antenna. A successful demonstration of this concept would be of great significance and could open the door to a new generation of carrier systems in the field of hypoxia-targeted drug transport platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCC) material exhibits strain-hardening and multiple cracking behaviors. Using HPFRCC in the reinforced concrete (RC) frame is considered to improve the seismic performance and damage mechanism of structure. Three beam-column-slab subassemblies were tested under cyclic loading, and eight frame models were simulation by ABAQUS. In this paper, the effect of substitution of concrete with HPFRCC on the seismic performance and damage mechanism of subassemblies was investigated. According to the test results, the lateral bearing capacity and deformability of beam-column-slab subassemblies increased by above 10% through using the HPFRCC material in the expected damage positions. The shear resistance of the joint zone with HPFRCC material increased by 1.6%, the shear deformation of the joint zone decreased by 7.9%. And the contribution of slab bars to the beam flexural bearing strength also decreased for that the yielding range and the strain amplitude of slab bars are limited through using HPFRCC material. Consequently, the subassemblies were prone to the "strong column — weak beam" damage mechanism to using HPFRCC material in the expected damage positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important pilot target for shale gas exploration and development in China, the Longmaxi Formation shale in the Dianqianbei Area is characterized by high content of nitrogen, which severely increases exploration risk. Accordingly, this study explores the genesis of shale gas reservoir and the mechanism of nitrogen enrichment through investigating shale gas compositions, isotope features, and geochemical characteristics of associated gases. The high-nitrogen shale gas reservoir in the Longmaxi Formation is demonstrated to be a typical dry gas reservoir. Specifically, the alkane carbon isotope reversal is ascribed to the secondary cracking of crude oil and the Rayleigh fractionation induced by the basalt mantle plume. Such a thermogenic oil-type gas reservoir is composed of both oil-cracking gas and kerogen-cracking gas. The normally high nitrogen content (18.05%–40.92%) is attributed to organic matter cracking and thermal ammoniation in the high-maturity stage. Specifically, the high heat flow effect of the Emeishan mantle plume exacerbates the thermal cracking of organic matter in the Longmaxi Formation shale, accompanied by nitrogen generation. In comparison, the abnormally high nitrogen content (86.79%–98.54%) is ascribed to the communication between the atmosphere and deep underground fluids by deep faults, which results in hydrocarbon loss and nitrogen intrusion, acting as the key factor for deconstruction of the primary shale gas reservoir. Results of this study not only enrich research on genetic mechanism of high-maturity N2 shale gas reservoirs, but also provide theoretical guidance for subsequent gas reservoir resource evaluation and well-drilling deployment in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Anthropogenic environments have been implicated in enrichment and exchange of antibiotic resistance genes and bacteria. Here we study the impact of confined and controlled swine farm environments on temporal changes in the gut microbiome and resistome of veterinary students with occupational exposure for 3 months. By analyzing 16S rRNA and whole metagenome shotgun sequencing data in tandem with culture-based methods, we show that farm exposure shapes the gut microbiome of students, resulting in enrichment of potentially pathogenic taxa and antimicrobial resistance genes. Comparison of students' gut microbiomes and resistomes to farm workers' and environmental samples revealed extensive sharing of resistance genes and bacteria following exposure and after three months of their visit. Notably, antibiotic resistance genes were found in similar genetic contexts in student samples and farm environmental samples. Dynamic Bayesian network modeling predicted that the observed changes partially reverse over a 4-6 month period. Our results indicate that acute changes in a human's living environment can persistently shape their gut microbiota and antibiotic resistome. Environments where antibiotics are used indiscriminately exhibit microbial communities that can represent hot-spots of resistance gene enrichment, which in turn could spread to humans. Here, the authors characterize how exposure to swine farms environment lead to temporal changes in the gut microbiome and resistome of healthy veterinary students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six zinc(II) complexes, [Zn(OCOPh)2LR] (R = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) were synthesized by the reaction of zinc benzoate and six para-substituted 4-phenyl-terpyridine complexes and their structures were confirmed by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H NMR and X-ray single crystal diffraction analysis. Their photoluminescent properties in solid and in solutions of DMSO were studied. Three human cancer cell lines were used for antiproliferative potential: human lung cancer cell line (A549), human esophageal cancer cell line (Eca-109) and human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). The results have shown that these zinc complexes have good inhibitory effects on cancer cells, which are better than that of the commonly used clinical drug cisplatin. The ability of the complexes to binding to CT-DNA was studied by UV spectroscopy and fluorescence titration, while the interaction between the complexes and CT-DNA, AT6, GC6 short-chain DNA sequences and G-quadruplex were analyzed by circular dichroism (CD). It is found that these complexes can bind to DNA, and the binding mode is mainly intercalator. The docking of the complexes with the DNA fragment was simulated using molecular docking software. All the results clearly display that the substituents at these ligands of the complexes have the substitution effects on the properties of photoluminescence, antiproliferative potential and DNA binding study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Physical traits such as the shape of the hand and face can be used for human recognition and identification in video surveillance systems and in biometric authentication smart card systems, as well as in personal health care. However, the accuracy of such systems suffers from illumination changes, unpredictability, and variability in appearance (e.g. occluded faces or hands, cluttered backgrounds, etc.). This work evaluates different statistical and chrominance models in different environments with increasingly cluttered backgrounds where changes in lighting are common and with no occlusions applied, in order to get a reliable neural network reconstruction of faces and hands, without taking into account the structural and temporal kinematics of the hands. First a statistical model is used for skin colour segmentation to roughly locate hands and faces. Then a neural network is used to reconstruct in 3D the hands and faces. For the filtering and the reconstruction we have used the growing neural gas algorithm which can preserve the topology of an object without restarting the learning process. Experiments conducted on our own database but also on four benchmark databases (Stirling's, Alicante, Essex, and Stegmann's) and on deaf individuals from normal 2D videos are freely available on the BSL signbank dataset. Results demonstrate the validity of our system to solve problems of face and hand segmentation and reconstruction under different environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop the theory of basic reproduction ratios R 0 for abstract functional differential systems in a time-periodic environment. It is proved that R 0 - 1 has the same sign as the exponential growth bound of an associated linear system. Then we apply it to a time-periodic Lyme disease model with time-delay and obtain a threshold type result on its global dynamics in terms of R 0 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]