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Copyright of International Journal of Cosmetic Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

The weak points in a slope often control its deformation and failure mode. Under the action of earthquakes, the complex influence of seismic waves on slopes with cavities is rarely considered. By studying the strain response of this kind of slope, the triggering mechanism of the slope under a strong earthquake can be further discussed. On the basis of the existing research, a shaking table test of a slope model with a cavity structure is carried out. The following conclusions were made: (1) Under the condition of a strong earthquake, the initial crack of the slope with cavities mainly occurs around the cavities, the top of the slope, and the boundary of the slope. (2) During the vibration process, the peak air pressure in a cavity has a good correlation with the peak strain in the surrounding material. The peak strain appears just after the peak air pressure, indicating that the sudden change in the air pressure in the cavity will lead to significant tensile damage to the cavity wall. Repeated air pressure changes in the cavity cause progressive damage to the slope near the cavity structure, accelerating fracture expansion and leading to the fracture penetrating the slope boundary. (3) The overall failure of the slope is somewhat related to the development of cracks around the cavity structure, but failure does not necessarily occur along the cavity zone. The failure site is closely related to the free surface condition and the upper slope structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report a rare example of cationic three‐dimensional (3D) metal‐organic framework (MOF) of [Cu5Cl3(TMPP)]Cl5 ⋅ xSol (denoted as Cu−TMPP; H2TMPP=meso‐tetrakis (6‐methylpyridin‐3‐yl) porphyrin; xSol=encapsulated solvates) supported by [Cu8Cl6]10+ cluster secondary building units (SBUs) wherein the eight faces of the Cl−‐based octahedron are capped by eight Cu2+. Surface‐area analysis indicated that Cu−TMPP features a mesoporous structure and its solvate‐like Cl− counterions can be exchanged by BF4−, PF6−, and NO3−. The polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coated Cu−TMPP (denoted as Cu−TMPP−PVP) demonstrated good ROS generating ability, producing ⋅OH in the absence of light (peroxidase‐like activity) and 1O2 on light irradiation (650 nm; 25 mW cm−2). This work highlights the potential of Cu−TMPP as a functional carrier of anionic guests such as drugs, for the combination therapy of cancer and other diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human midbrain dopaminergic progenitors (mDAPs) are one of the most representative cell types in both basic research and clinical applications. However, there are still many challenges for the preparation and quality control of mDAPs, such as the lack of standards. Therefore, the establishment of critical quality attributes and technical specifications for mDAPs is largely needed. "Human midbrain dopaminergic progenitor" jointly drafted and agreed upon by experts from the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research, is the first guideline for human mDAPs in China. This standard specifies the technical requirements, test methods, inspection rules, instructions for usage, labelling requirements, packaging requirements, storage requirements, transportation requirements and waste disposal requirements for human mDAPs, which is applicable to the quality control for human mDAPs. It was originally released by the China Society for Cell Biology on 30 August 2022. We hope that the publication of this guideline will facilitate the institutional establishment, acceptance and execution of proper protocols, and accelerate the international standardization of human mDAPs for clinical development and therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 14‐electron ternary anionic CBe2H5− cluster containing a planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) atom is designed herein. Remarkably, it can be stabilized by only two beryllium atoms with both π‐acceptor/σ‐donor properties and two hydrogen atoms, which means that the conversion from planar methane (transition state) to ptC species (global minimum) requires the substitution of only two hydrogen atoms. Moreover, two ligand H atoms exhibit alternate rotation, giving rise to interesting dynamic fluxionality in this cluster. The electronic structure analysis reveals the flexible bonding positions of ligand H atoms due to C−H localized bonds, highlighting the rotational fluxionality in the cluster, and two CBe2 3c–2e delocalized bonds endow its rare 2σ/2π double aromaticity. Unprecedentedly, the fluxional process exhibits a conversion in the type of bonding (σ bond↔π bond), which is an uncommon fluxional mechanism. The cluster can be seen as an attempt to apply planar hypercoordinate carbon species to molecular motors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on postoperative recovery of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is need to be understood, thereby informing the optimal timing of surgical decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic for NSCLC patients. This study reports the postoperative outcomes of surgical NSCLC patients with preoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Method: This single-center retrospective cohort study included 241 NSCLC patients who underwent lobectomy or sub-lobectomy between December 1, 2022 and February 14, 2023. Surgical outcomes of patients with preoperative SARSCoV-2 infection (stratified by the time from diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection to surgery) were compared with those without preoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. The primary outcomes were total postoperative complications and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs), the secondary outcomes included operation time, total postoperative drainage and time, length of hospital stay (LOS), 30-day and 90-day postoperative symptoms. Results: This study included 153 (63.5%) patients with preoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and 88 (36.5%) patients without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. In patients with a preoperative SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, the incidence of total postoperative complications (OR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.12–8.01; p=0.028) and PPCs (OR, 4.20; 95% CI, 1.11–15.91; p=0.035) both increased in patients infected having surgery within 2weeks compared with non-infection before surgery. However, patients who underwent lung resection more than 2weeks after SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis had a similar risk of postoperative complications and surgical outcomes with those non-infection before surgery. Conclusion: This is the first study to provide evidence regarding the optimum timing of lung resection surgery and assessing early outcomes after surgery in NSCLC patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our study documents that the SARS-CoV-2 infection did not complicate surgical procedures for lung cancer, and suggest that lung surgery should be postponed at least 2weeks after SARSCoV-2 infection for NSCLC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic inflammation is considered the most critical predisposing factor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with inflammatory cell heterogeneity, hepatic fibrosis accumulation, and abnormal vascular proliferation as prominent features of the HCC tumor microenvironment (TME). Cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a key role in HCC TME remodeling. Therefore, the level of abundance of CAFs may significantly affect the prognosis and outcome in HCC patients. Methods: Unsupervised clustering was performed based on 39 genes related to CAFs in HCC identified by single‐cell RNA sequencing data. Patients of bulk RNA were grouped into CAF low abundance cluster and high abundance clusters. Subsequently, prognosis, immune infiltration landscape, metabolism, and treatment response between the two clusters were investigated and validated by immunohistochemistry. Results: Patients in the CAF high cluster had a higher level of inflammatory cell infiltration, a more significant immunosuppressive microenvironment, and a significantly worse prognosis than those in the low cluster. At the metabolic level, the CAF high cluster had lower levels of aerobic oxidation and higher angiogenic scores. Drug treatment response prediction indicated that the CAF high cluster could have a better response to PD‐1 inhibitors and conventional chemotherapeutic agents for HCC such as anti‐angiogenic drugs, whereas CAF low cluster may be more sensitive to transarterial chemoembolization treatment. Conclusions: This study not only revealed the TME characteristics of HCC with the difference in CAF abundance but also further confirmed that the combination therapy of PD‐1 inhibitors and anti‐angiogenic drugs may be more valuable for patients with high CAF abundance. Cancer‐associated fibroblast (CAF)‐related genes obtained from single‐cell RNA sequencing data analysis were used to cluster four hepatocellular carcinoma bulk RNA cohorts and higher levels of immune infiltration were found in the CAF high cluster with poorer prognosis and high angiogenic activity. Because of greater sensitivity to immunotherapy and anti‐angiogenic drugs, the authors validated the effectiveness of PD‐1 inhibitors combined with anti‐angiogenic drugs in CAF high cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers often rely on the peer reviews to make smart purchase decisions in the face of new experience products. Such information is also available to firms, which can help them learn about consumers' purchase intention and hence better deal with the tripartite price–quality–demand relationship. In this study, we develop a two‐period model to examine the impact of online reviews on product quality and price decisions. The market is characterized by the two‐dimensional heterogeneity of customer valuation and their willingness to pay for quality. Interestingly, we find that the informativeness of reviews plays different roles in firm–consumer interactions depending on the market's average willingness to pay (AWTP). Such informativeness exerts an information value‐added on both the firm and consumers in a high‐AWTP market and a negative impact in a low‐AWTP market. These two effects respectively induce consumers to purchase more in the high‐AWTP market while expel consumers from the market in the low‐AWTP market. We also compare the price path and quality level under commitment pricing and dynamic pricing both with and without informativeness, the results of which show that the information inducing effect changes the marketing strategies for new products. Furthermore, we present the conditions on which the firm should strive to disclose its quality information and explore the difference of firms' decisions in monopoly and competitive market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metal‐ and oxidant‐free procedure for the three‐component haloazidation/cyclization of phenyl‐linked 1,6‐enynes with TMSN3 and N‐iodo(bromo)succinimide under the irradiation of visible light was described. Moreover, this reaction involved a radical addition/5‐exo‐dig cyclization/radical coupling process, and realized simultaneous construction of C−N, C−C, and C−X (I, Br) bonds in one step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar‐driven vapor generation offers an affordable and sustainable approach to solve global freshwater scarcity. Creating interfacial solar evaporators capable of increasing water production rates matching human water requirements is highly desirable but challenging due to the slow water transportation dynamics and unavoidable oil‐fouling. Herein, a bio‐inspired lotus‐petiole‐mimetic microstructured graphene/poly(N‐acryloyl glycinamide) solar evaporator with integrated hydrophilic and hydrophobic microregions is developed. Through accurate control of the supramolecular interactions, the optimized solar evaporator incorporating unique structural features and wettability shows high light harvesting, enhanced water activation, and reduced energy demand for water vaporization, enabling a groundbreaking comprehensive performance along evaporation rate up to 3.4 kg m−2 h−1 and energy conversion efficiency of ≈93% under one sun irradiation (1 kW m−2). Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the abundant hydrogen bonding sites of the polymeric networks can thermodynamically modulate the escape behavior of water molecules. Notably, neither decrease in evaporation rate nor fouling on solar evaporators is observed during the prolonged purification process toward nano/submicrometer emulsions, oily brines, actual seawater, and domestic wastewater. This study provides distinctive insights into water evaporation behaviors at a molecular level and pioneers a rational strategy to design high‐yield freshwater‐generation systems for wastewater containing complex contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in organic photodetectors (OPDs) have enabled high detectivity, high quantum efficiency, and fast response, due to their broad spectral response, easy processing, compatibility with flexible devices, and cooling‐free operations. The advantages of combining ultrathin and self‐powered OPDs are rarely explored, as technological limitations and lack of knowledge on the underlying mechanisms may lead to low light absorption efficiency and carrier recombination issues. Here, a modification layer‐assisted approach is developed to construct ultrathin self‐powered OPDs with enhanced sensitivity and ultrafast response time performance due to efficient exciton dissociation, energy transfer, and charge extraction processes. Specifically, this strategy enables a reduced exciton binding energy (42.4 meV) for efficient dissociation, as well as an increased dielectric constant of the photosensitive layer that shields undesirable lattice binding effects of photogenerated excitons. As a result, a remarkable device responsivity (0.45 A W−1), improved response detectivity (1.25 × 1012 Jones), and enhanced energy transfer efficiency (78.7%) are observed in the modified ultrathin organic photodetector. These findings illustrate a clear correlation between the exciton dissociation process, photogenerated exciton yields, and energy transfer channels, providing essential insight into the design of efficient ultrathin organic photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are heterogeneous and complex malignancies. The present study aimed to explore potential molecular classifications and establish promising prognostic candidate biomarkers for human papillomavirus (HPV)‐negative HNSCC. Methods: We performed unsupervised clustering in HPV‐negative patients from the TCGA‐HNSCC database and identified molecular subclusters based on HNSCC prognosis. Weighted gene co‐expression network analysis was used to identify cluster‐related gene modules and identify reliable candidate genes. Biomarker signature was established from these candidate genes via 10‐fold cross validation in a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression model and validated in The Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA) cohort and four external Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) validation cohorts. Results: We identified three molecular subclusters (C1–C3), and tumour microenvironment and survival evaluation results showed that C3 had high immune cell infiltration and better prognosis. However, C1 and C2 had low immune cell infiltration, and C1 had a worse survival outcome. A 20‐gene signature was established from the input candidate genes via 10‐fold cross validation in the LASSO Cox regression model. The signature was first validated in a training cohort, followed by a testing cohort and the entire cohort. A total of 347 patients from four external GEO validation cohorts indicated great performance of the signature in predicting outcomes. Conclusion: Compared with HPV‐positive patients, those with HPV‐negative HNSCC had an immunosuppressed tumour microenvironment. The 20‐gene signature was developed based on the characteristic unsupervised clustering molecular subclusters to predict survival outcomes in patients with HPV‐negative HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, the response of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) root morphology and rhizosphere processes to phosphorus (P) deficiency have attracted extensive attention. However, the dynamics of root morphology and physiology to shoot P concentration (SPC) under various P conditions remain unclear. Aim: We aimed to determine the changes in root morphology and physiology and their relationships with SPC under different levels of P supply. Method: The cotton cultivars XLZ13 and XLZ19 were grown in a hydroponic experiment with seven rates of P supply (0–2.0 mM P L−1) and in a root box experiment with seven P levels (0–400 mg P kg−1). Root morphological and physiological parameters were determined 60 days after planting (hydroponic experiment) and 75 days after transplanting (root box experiment). Results: Cotton plant growth, P uptake, and root morphology differed significantly between the two genotypes and among the P levels. Cotton plants had the maximum shoot biomass when the SPC of XLZ13 and XLZ19 were 4.6–5.9 mg g−1 and 3.9‐5.0 mg g−1, respectively. Total and specific root lengths initially increased with increasing SPC and peaked at an SPC of XLZ13 and XLZ19 about 6.0–7.0 mg g−1 and 4.0‐5.0 mg g−1, respectively. Root physiological responses (rhizosphere acidification, acid phosphatase [Apase] activity) decreased as the SPC increased. Conclusions: The critical SPC for optimal root morphology were 5–6 mg g−1. P deficiency did not induce rhizosphere acidification but promoted root and rhizosphere APase activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The responsive color‐changing bionic skin imitation of certain organisms such as chameleons has potential applications in the fields of chemical sensing and information transfer. Inspired by the cellular structure of the chameleon iridophores, a flexible and scalable fabrication strategy was proposed in the present study, which centers on the modular assembly of miniature color‐changing pixel dots. The color‐changing pixel dots were formed by self‐assembling charged silica particles inside hydrogels and fabricated in bulk using microfluidic methods. The pixel dots were immobilized in hydrogels to encapsulate in a membrane structure similar to biological skin. With thermal stimulation, the bionic color‐changing skin can change color from green to red and has an angle‐independent color display with good environmental adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: Aryl sulfonyl radical triggered cascade cyclization of phenyl‐linked 1,6‐enynes for the synthesis of biologically important indenes containing alkenyl C—X bonds and 10a,11‐dihydro‐10H‐benzo[b]fluorines is presented. In these radical cascade processes, three new chemical bonds, including C—S, C—C, and C—X bonds, and three C—C bonds are formed in one step. The method is attractive and valuable due to its metal‐free, mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope and good functional group tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two‐thirds of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have hypertension, and thus the combination of two or more drugs to treat these diseases is common. It has been shown that the combination of metformin and enalapril has beneficial effects, but few studies have evaluated the interactions between these two drugs. This study investigated the effects of enalapril on the pharmacokinetics and urinary excretion of metformin in rats, with a focus on transporter‐mediated drug interactions. Rats were dosed orally with metformin alone (100 mg/kg) or in combination with enalapril (4 mg/kg). The concentration of metformin was measured by high performance liquid chromatography and the level of organic cation transporters (rOCTs) and multidrug and toxin excretion protein 1 (rMATE1), which mediate the uptake and efflux of metformin, respectively, were evaluated by immunoblotting. After single and 7‐day dosing, the plasma concentration of metformin in the co‐administration group was significantly lower than that in the metformin‐only group, and the CL/F and urinary excretion were increased in the co‐administration group. Enalapril did not affect the Kp of metformin but reduced renal slice‐uptake of metformin. The expression of rMATE1 was increased, whereas rOCT2 expression was decreased in rat kidney. Importantly, long‐term co‐administration of metformin and enalapril markedly decreased the level of lactic acid and uric acid in the blood. Enalapril increases the urinary excretion of metformin through the up‐regulation of rMATE1. This reveals a new mechanism of drug interactions and provides a basis for drug dosage adjustment when these drugs are co‐administered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image registration is broadly used in various scenarios in which similar scenes in different images are to be aligned. However, image registration becomes challenging when the contrasts and backgrounds in the images are vastly different. This work proposes using the total variation of the difference map between two images (TVDM) as a dissimilarity metric in rigid registration. A method based on TVDM minimization is implemented for image rigid registration. The method is tested with both synthesized and real experimental data that have various noise and background conditions. The performance of the proposed method is compared with the results of other rigid registration methods. It is demonstrated that the proposed method is highly accurate and robust and outperforms other methods in all of the tests. The new algorithm provides a robust option for image registrations that are critical to many nanoscale X-ray imaging and microscopy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In the present study, the chemical components of Qinghao Biejia decoction (QBD) were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using UPLC‐Orbitrap Fusion‐MS/MS and UPLC‐QQQ‐MS/MS techniques, followed by identification of each component's origin and evaluation of the antibacterial activity of QBD and its components. Methods: High‐resolution mass spectrometry was used to obtain information on the precise molecular weight, retention time, and fragmentation ion peaks of the compounds used to identify the components of QBD and establish a method for their quantification. In vitro assays including determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration and growth curves were used to assess the antibacterial activity of QBD and its components. Results: A total of 39 components, including fatty acids, phenolic acids, amino acids, flavonoids, coumarins, terpenoids, and alkaloids, were identified by UPLC‐Orbitrap Fusion‐MS/MS. A high‐performance analytical method was also established to quantify 12 components of QBD. The content of mangiferin was relatively high (estimated to be 814 μg/g). The results of the antibacterial assays indicated that mangiferin exhibits antibacterial effects against two strains causing respiratory tract infections. Conclusions: The present study suggests that mangiferin may serve as a natural compound which shows high antibacterial activity. The results can aid the discovery and analysis of the active antimicrobial components present in QBD and further provide a reference for quality assessment of multi‐component herbal prescriptions. 39 compounds were identified and characterised from the QBD, followed by quantitative and methodological validation of 12 components, and finally antibacterial assays showed that mangiferin showed the optimalantibacterial activity against two strains of bacteria causing respiratory tract infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this phase I clinical trial is to assess the safety and tolerability of allogeneic adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. 12 eligible CKD patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 15–44 ml/min/1.73 m2 received one dose of intravenous allogeneic ADSCs (ELIXCYTE®), as 3 groups: 3 low dose (6.4 × 107 cells in total of 8 ml), 3 middle dose (19.2 × 107 cells in total of 24 ml) and 6 high dose (32.0 × 107 cells in total of 40 ml) of ELIXCYTE® and evaluated after 48 weeks. Primary endpoint was the safety profiles in terms of incidence of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse event (SAE). Two subjects in high dose group experienced a total of 2 treatment-related AEs which are Grade 1 slow speech and Grade 1 bradyphrenia after the infusion. One subject in middle dose group experienced an SAE unlikely related to treatment, grade 2 proteinuria. No fatal AE was reported in this study. An increase in eGFR was observed in 7 out of 12 subjects (58%) at Week 24 and in 6 of 12 subjects (50%) by Week 48. By Week 24, an increase in eGFR by more than 20% among all CKD patients with baseline eGFR ≧ 30 ml/min/1.73 m² as compared to only 2 subjects in baseline eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73 m² group. No significant reduction in proteinuria was noted among all subjects. This phase I trial demonstrated single-dose intravenous ELIXCYTE was well tolerated in moderate-to-severe CKD patients and its preliminary efficacy warrants future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field‐controlled micro–nano manipulations and micro–nano robots have attracted increasing attention in the fields of medicine, environment, engineering, and energy due to their outstanding characteristics which include small size, strong controllability, cluster action, and strong penetrability; thus, they have gradually become an important research focus in micro–nano manufacturing and in vivo detection. However, precise cluster control, targeted drug delivery in vivo, and cellular micro–nano operation remain challenges. Herein, the scientific research results produced in recent years to meet these challenges are studied. Considering the current research enthusiasm and application challenges, the micro–nano manipulations and micro–nano robots driven by physical fields (magnetic field, sound field, and light field) are mainly discussed. This review includes detailed analysis of control mechanism, control objectives, and supporting technologies; analysis of recent research results, and advantages and future development trends driven by physic fields, etc. This review involves the crossover and integration of multiple disciplines (including microelectronic technology, micro–nano processing technology, biology, physics, chemistry, machinery, and automation, etc.), hoping to inspire relevant practitioners to create new research perspectives, and promote the development of micro–nano robotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early identification of the malignant propensity of pulmonary ground-glass nodules (GGNs) can relieve the pressure from tracking lesions and personalized treatment adaptation. The purpose of this study was to develop a deep learning-based method using sequential computed tomography (CT) imaging for diagnosing pulmonary GGNs. Methods: This diagnostic study retrospectively enrolled 762 patients with GGNs from West China Hospital of Sichuan University between July 2009 and March 2019. All patients underwent surgical resection and at least two consecutive timepoint CT scans. We developed a deep learning-based method to identify GGNs using sequential CT imaging on a training set consisting of 1524 CT sections from 508 patients and then evaluated 256 patients in the testing set. Afterwards, an observer study was conducted to compare the diagnostic performance between the deep learning model and two trained radiologists in the testing set. We further performed stratified analysis to further relieve the impact of histological types, nodule size, time interval between two CTs, and the component of GGNs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the performance of all models. Results: The deep learning model that used integrated DL-features from initial and follow-up CT images yielded the best diagnostic performance, with an area under the curve of 0.841. The observer study showed that the accuracies for the deep learning model, junior radiologist, and senior radiologist were 77.17%, 66.89%, and 77.03%, respectively. Stratified analyses showed that the deep learning model and radiologists exhibited higher performance in the subgroup of nodule sizes larger than 10 mm. With a longer time interval between two CTs, the deep learning model yielded higher diagnostic accuracy, but no general rules were yielded for radiologists. Different densities of components did not affect the performance of the deep learning model. In contrast, the radiologists were affected by the nodule component. Conclusions: Deep learning can achieve diagnostic performance on par with or better than radiologists in identifying pulmonary GGNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we report a copper‐catalyzed asymmetric cascade cyclization/[1,2]‐Stevens‐type rearrangement via a non‐diazo approach, leading to the practical and atom‐economic assembly of various valuable chiral chromeno[3,4‐c]pyrroles bearing a quaternary carbon stereocenter in generally moderate to good yields with wide substrate scope and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99 % ee). Importantly, this protocol not only represents the first example of catalytic asymmetric [1,2]‐Stevens‐type rearrangement based on alkynes but also constitutes the first asymmetric formal carbene insertion into the Si−O bond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tropical Medicine & International Health is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

The clinical prospect of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has not been fully realized due to the scarcity of efficient sonosensitizers. Herein, we designed phthalocyanine–artesunate conjugates (e.g. ZnPcT4A), which could generate up to ca. 10‐fold more reactive oxygen species (ROS) than the known sonosensitizer protoporphyrin IX. Meanwhile, an interesting and significant finding of aggregation‐enhanced sonodynamic activity (AESA) was observed for the first time. ZnPcT4A showed about 60‐fold higher sonodynamic ROS generation in the aggregated form than in the disaggregated form in aqueous solutions. That could be attributed to the boosted ultrasonic cavitation of nanostructures. The level of the AESA effect depended on the aggregation ability of sonosensitizer molecules and the particle size of their aggregates. Moreover, biological studies demonstrated that ZnPcT4A had high anticancer activities and biosafety. This study thus opens up a new avenue the development of efficient organic sonosensitizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil-laden (OL) foams could serve an important role in various processes, particularly in enhanced oil recovery; however, OL foams are less studied than aqueous foams. In this work, the formation and stability of OL foam, by either sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) or Triton X-100 (TX-100) in water-pentane mixture, was evaluated. We first constructed a diagram of good and poor foaminess against pentane content in the mixture and aqueous surfactant concentration. It was shown that surfactant onset concentration for good foaming was increased with increasing pentane content. The result was fitted using a mathematical model that considers the surfactant dilution and adsorption effects by pentane. Foam height decay profiles were also monitored. Results indicated that SDS resulted in a more stable foam than TX-100 at the same critical micelle concentration (CMC). Depending on surfactant concentration, OL foams exhibited strikingly different stability behaviours. Pentane acted as an anti-foamer at surfactant concentrations at the CMC or lower. However, very high foam stability was displayed at high surfactant concentration (e.g., 3x CMC) and medium to high pentane contents; this is a result contradictory to the predication of entering, spreading, and bridging coefficients in the classic theory. The stable OL foams of this study could be attractive to potential foam applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/Introduction: Maternal hyperglycemia leads to adverse pregnancy outcomes, and also subsequently affects both mothers and their offspring in later life. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing worldwide, and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is also believed to be increasing. More precise nationwide and up‐to‐date data on GDM are required. Materials and Methods: A population‐based retrospective cohort study was carried out with the Birth Certificate Application database and linked to the National Health Insurance Research Database to explore trends in the annual crude prevalence of GDM in all women who gave birth between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2015 in Taiwan and their pregnancy outcomes. The registry is considered complete, reliable and accurate. Results: A total of 2,468,793 births from 2,430,307 pregnancies were reported between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2015. Finally, 2,053,305 pregnancies were included for further analysis. The annual prevalence of GDM increased by 1.8‐fold during the 12 years from 2004 to 2015, with a significant continuous increasing trend (from 7.6% to 13.4%, P < 0.001). The annual prevalence of GDM significantly increased in each age group (all trends P < 0.001), particularly for women with maternal ages of 31 years and older. Urbanization level, geographic risk factors and seasonal variations were also noted. Conclusion: The annual prevalence of GDM increased by 1.8‐fold in the 12‐year period from 2004 to 2015 in Taiwan, with a significant continuous increasing trend (from 7.6% to 13.4%, P < 0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cases of leprosy appearing within ichthyotic lesions have been reported in the literature3, but ichthyosis-like changes occurring after contraction of leprosy have rarely been reported. The risk factors for leprosy-induced disability include gender (males are more susceptible), avascularization and immune responses; the nutritional status of the host has also been suggested as an important risk factor for leprosy disability2. Dear Editor Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by I Mycobacterium leprae i that affects the skin, peripheral nerves, limbs and eyes. [Extracted from the article]

Understanding of the complex interaction between the peripheral immune system and lung cancer (LC) remains incomplete, limiting patient benefit. Here, we aimed to characterize the host peripheral immune response to LC and investigate its potential prognostic value. Bulk RNA‐sequencing data of peripheral blood leucocytes (PBLs) from healthy volunteers and LC patients (n = 142) were analysed for characterization of host systemic immunity in LC. We observed broad blood transcriptome perturbations in LC patients that were heterogeneous, as two new subtypes were established independent of histology. Functionally, the heterogeneity between the two subtypes included dysregulation of diverse biological processes, such as the cell cycle, blood coagulation and inflammatory signalling pathways, together with the abundance and activity of blood cells, particularly lymphocytes and neutrophils, ultimately manifesting as differences in antitumour immune status. Based on these findings, a prognostic model composed of ten genes dysregulated in one LC subtype with relatively poor immune status was developed and validated in a Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data set (n = 108), helping to generate a prognostic nomogram. Collectively, our study provides novel and comprehensive insight into the heterogeneity of the host peripheral immune response to LC. The expression heterogeneity–based predictive model may help guide prognostic management for LC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Results Conclusions Infiltrative follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (IFVPTC) exhibits nuclear characteristics typical of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) but demonstrates a follicular growth pattern. The diagnosis of IFVPTC presenting with atypical nuclear features of PTC poses challenges for both preoperative cytopathology and postoperative histopathology. In such cases, molecular markers are needed to serve as diagnostic aids. Given the limited knowledge of IFVPTC's genomic features, this study aimed to characterize its genetic alterations and identify clinically relevant molecular markers.Whole‐exome sequencing of 50 IFVPTC tumor–normal pairs identified single‐nucleotide variants, somatic copy number alterations (sCNAs), and subclonal architecture. Key mutations were verified via polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing, whereas valuable biomarkers were validated via immunohistochemistry (IHC).This study found that endogenous processes rather than exogenous mutagens dominated the shaping of the genome of IFVPTC during tumorigenesis. BRAF V600E was the only common trunk mutation and significantly mutated gene in IFVPTC. Subcloning analysis found that most IFVPTC samples harbored two or more coexisting clones. sCNA analysis revealed that human leukocyte antigen C (HLA‐C) and HLA‐A were significantly amplified. Subsequent IHC investigations indicated that HLA‐C shows promise in averting the misclassification of challenging‐to‐interpret IFVPTC and invasive encapsulated follicular variant of PTC (I‐EFVPTC) as noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary‐like nuclear features (NIFTP). Although there were several similarities between classic PTC and IFVPTC, they differed significantly in their sCNA patterns.This study provides valuable insights into IFVPTC's genetic alterations and highlights the potential of HLA‐C IHC to distinguish challenging‐to‐interpret IFVPTC and I‐EFVPTC from NIFTP, which will enhance the understanding of its molecular features for improved diagnosis and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-processing methods have been widely reported as an effective method to purify and functionalize the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We used a new Co-based coordination polymer (CP) as a catalyst precursor to synthesize multiwalled CNTs (MWCNTs) by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, and examined the use of acidification, carbonization and functionalization treatments in an attempt to achieve experimental conditions which efficiently functionalize the surface of MWCNTs. Our results indicate that post-processing methods can efficiently tune the quality and purity of MWCNTs, and these methods play important roles in dye adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) revealed hypoplasia of the epidermis with a clear border between the lesion and the adjacent normal skin, discoid large cells with hyper-refractile peripheral ring, and bright structures in the dermis (Fig. Immunohistochemically those cells are positive stained for S100, CD1a, and Langerin.3 Recent reports have evidenced that RCM is helpful in the diagnosis of XG,4,5 especially for patients unwilling to undergo a surgical biopsy. Dear Editor, Xanthogranuloma (XG) is a benign variant of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis that most frequently occurs in juvenile patients.1 It typically presents as well-defined, yellow-red, dome-shaped papules or nodules, most frequently located on the head and trunk. [Extracted from the article]

Superwetting membranes with responsive properties have attracted heightened attention because of their fine‐tunable surface wettability. However, their functional diversity is severely limited by the "black‐or‐white" wettability transition. Herein, we describe a coating strategy to fabricate multifunctional responsive superwetting membranes with SiO2/octadecylamine patterns. The adjustable patterns in the responsive region are the key factor for functional diversity. Specifically, the coated part of the membrane displayed a superhydrophobicity/superhydrophilicity transition at different pH values, whereas the uncoated part exhibited invariant superhydrophilicity. On the basis of this anisotropy/isotropy transition, the membranes can serve as either responsive permeable membranes or signal‐expression membranes, thus enabling the responsive separation and permeation of liquids with satisfactory separation efficiency (>99.90 %) and flux (ca. 60 L m−2 h), as well as real‐time liquid signal expression with alterable signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary of main observation and conclusion: Interfacial engineering is expected to be a feasible strategy to improve the charge transport properties of the hole transport layer (HTL), which is of crucial importance to boost the device performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). In this study, two types of alcohol soluble materials, 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro‐7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4‐TCNQ) and di‐tetrabutylammoniumcis–bis(isothiocyanato)bis (2,2'‐bipyridyl‐4,4'‐dicarboxylato) ruthenium(II) (N719) dye were selected as the dopant for HTL. The doping of F4‐TCNQ and N719 dye in poly (ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) with and without integrating a graphene quantum‐dots (G‐QDs) layer has been explored in poly[[2,6′‐4‐8‐di(5‐ethylhexylthienyl)benzo[1,2‐b:3,3‐b]dithiophene][3‐fluoro‐2[(2‐ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4‐b]thio‐phenediyl:(2,2′‐((2Z,2′Z)‐(((4,4,9, 9‐tetrakis(4‐hexylphenyl)‐4,9‐dihydro‐s‐indaceno[1,2‐b:5,6‐b′]dithiophene‐2,7‐diyl)bis(4‐((2‐ethylhexyl)oxy)thiophene‐5,2‐diyl))bis(methanylylidene))bis(5,6‐difluoro‐3‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐indene‐2,1‐diylidene))dimalononitrile (PTB7‐Th:IEICO‐4F) OSCs. The power conversion efficiency of the non‐fullerene OSCs has been increased to 10.12% from 8.84%. The influence of HTL modification on the nano‐morphological structures and photophysical properties is analyzed based on the comparative studies performed on the control and modified devices. The use of chemical doping and bilayer strategy optimizes the energy level alignment, nanomorphology, hole mobility, and work‐function of HTL, leading to considerable reduction of the leakage current and recombination losses. Our work demonstrates that the doping of HTL and the incorporation of G‐QDs layer to constitute a bilayer HTL is an promising strategy to fabricate high performance non‐fullerene polymer solar cells [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Maritime Continent (MC) often exerts barrier effect on the eastward propagation of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO), and the strongest (weakest) effect occurs in spring (winter). After passing over the MC, the MJO slightly weakens by approximately 10% in winter and it sharply decays by more than 50% in spring. The physics for this spring barrier are understood from the perspective of the frictionally coupled Kelvin‐Rossby wave theory. In spring, the abrupt reduction in the boundary layer moisture convergence that occurs at the MC causes the decoupling of the Kelvin‐Rossby wave packet associated with the MJO: Kelvin waves emit from the major convection, while Rossby wave component rapidly decays in the Indian Ocean. An intermediate atmospheric model involving both the fundamental dynamics of the frictionally coupled Kelvin‐Rossby wave theory and the mean states confirms that the spring barrier is determined primarily by the mean surface moisture, particularly by its zonal distribution. Plain Language Summary: Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) has been considered as the major source of subseasonal predictability. However, one of the largest uncertainties in MJO simulations and predictions is the complexity of MJO behavior around the Maritime Continent. The MJO usually weakens as it propagates across the Maritime Continent; this phenomenon is known as the barrier effect. In this paper, a distinct seasonal difference is revealed regarding the barrier effect, wherein the strongest (weakest) effect occurs in spring (winter). The physics responsible for the strongest spring barrier are described based on both observation and model. The results indicate that the spring barrier to the MJO eastward propagation is determined primarily by the zonal distribution of the mean surface moisture. This improved understanding of the spring MJO potentially benefits studies of the climate systems, for example, the Asian monsoon and the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation. Key Points: MJO suffers from the strongest barrier effect at the Maritime Continent in springThe physics for the spring barrier lie in the decoupling of the Kelvin‐Rossby wave packet associated with the spring MJOMJO spring barrier is determined primarily by the zonal distribution of mean surface moisture [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boroxol (B3O3) rings and relevant hexagonal B3S3 structural blocks are ubiquitous in boron oxide/sulfide glasses, crystals, and high‐temperature liquids. However, the isolation of an ultimate heterocyclic B3O3 or B3S3 cluster in the free‐standing form, with as few as six atoms, has been unsuccessful so far. We report on computational design of the simplest case of such a system: the highly symmetric D3h B3S3+ (1A1′) cluster. It is the well‐defined global minimum on the potential energy surface, following global searches and electronic structure calculations at the B3LYP and single‐point CCSD(T) levels. Chemical bonding analysis reveals an ideal system with skeleton Lewis BS σ single bonds and unique double 6π/2σ aromaticity, which underlies its stability. The cluster turns out to be an inorganic analog of the 3,5‐dehydrophenyl cation, a typical double π/σ aromatic system. It offers an example for chemical analogy between boron‐based heterocyclic clusters and aromatic hydrocarbons. Double π/σ aromaticity is also a new concept in heterocyclic boron clusters. Previous systems such as borazine, boroxine, and boronyl boroxine only deal with π aromaticity as in benzene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ternary bulk‐heterojunction (BHJ) strategy that synergistically combines the merits of fullerene and nonfullerene acceptors has been regarded as a promising approach to enhance the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of organic solar cells (OSCs). Herein, the fullerene derivative ICBA as the morphology regulator is incorporated into a nonfullerene‐based PBDB‐T‐2F:BTP‐4Cl (PM6:BTP‐4Cl) system to fabricate the high‐performance ternary OSCs. The amorphous ICBA prefers to homogeneously distribute in the BTP‐4Cl phase to form the well‐mixed acceptor domains due to their better miscibility, which distinctly reduces the exciton decay loss driven by the unfavorable phase separation and enhances BHJ morphology stability of ternary blends. The appropriate addition of ICBA induces the efficient long‐range Förster resonance energy transfer to BTP‐4Cl and facilitates the ultrafast hole transfer process from BTP‐4Cl to PM6, thereby contributing to charge carrier generation in the actual devices. Ultimately, the optimal ternary OSCs not only yield an average PCE higher than 16.5% but also show the superior ultraviolet photostability relative to binary control devices due to the increased harvesting of ultraviolet photons, boosted charge transfer, more balanced charge transport, and more stable nanostructural morphology. The results provide new insights to enable the simultaneously improved device performance and ultraviolet durability in state‐of‐the‐art ternary OSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal‐type gastric cancer (IGC) has a clear and multistep histological evolution. No studies have comprehensively explored gastric tumorigenesis from inflammation through low‐grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN) and high‐grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) to early gastric cancer (EGC). We sought to investigate the characteristics participating in IGC tumorigenesis and identify related prognostic information within the process. RNA expression profiles of 94 gastroscopic biopsies from 47 patients, including gastric precancerous lesions (GPL: LGIN and HGIN), EGC, and paired controls, were detected by Agilent Microarray. During IGC tumorigenesis from LGIN through HGIN to EGC, the number of activity‐changed tumor hallmarks increased. LGIN and HGIN had similar expression profiles when compared to EGC. We observed an increase in the stemness of gastric epithelial cells in LGIN, HGIN, and EGC, and we found 27 consistent genes that might contribute to dedifferentiation, including five driver genes. Remarkably, we perceived that the immune microenvironment was more active in EGC than in GPL, especially in the infiltration of lymphocytes and macrophages. We identified a five‐gene signature from the gastric tumorigenesis process that could independently predict the overall survival and disease‐free survival of GC patients (log‐rank test: p < 0.0001), and the robustness was verified in an independent cohort (n > 300) and by comparing with two established prognostic signatures in GC. In conclusion, during IGC tumorigenesis, cancer‐like changes occur in LGIN and accumulate in HGIN and EGC. The immune microenvironment is more active in EGC than in LGIN and HGIN. The identified signature from the tumorigenesis process has robust prognostic significance for GC patients. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The co‐evolving tumour cells and the systemic immune environment are mutually dysregulated. Tumours affect the immune response in a complex manner. For example, although lymphocytes are mobilized in response to tumours, their function is impaired by tumour progression. This study aimed to explore how the baseline and dynamic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumour burdens affect the T‐cell repertoire, and whether the baseline T‐cell receptor β‐chain (TCRB) diversity predicts prognosis. To characterise the TCRB repertoire, the baseline and follow‐up peripheral TCRB repertoires of 45 patients with RCC and 2 patients with benign renal disease patients were examined using high‐throughput TCRB sequencing. To explain the significance of TCRB diversity, 56 peripheral leukocyte samples from 28 patients before and after surgery were subjected to transcriptome sequencing. To validate the results, an advanced RCC patient's sample was subjected to single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA, 10x Genomics). Higher TCRB diversity was found to be correlated with a higher lymphocyte‐to‐neutrophil ratio, especially indicating more naïve T cells. High‐baseline TCRB diversity predicted a better prognosis for stage IV patients, and different tumour burdens exerted distinct effects on the immune status. The pre‐operative TCRB diversity was significantly higher in benign and stage I (low tumour burden) RCC patients than in stage IV (high tumour burden) patients. After the tumour burden of advanced patients was mostly relieved, we observed that the TCRB diversity was restored, T‐cell exhaustion was reduced, and naïve T‐cells were mobilized. It was demonstrated that the circulating TCRB repertoire could reflect the immune status and predict prognosis, and to some extent that cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) reduces the burden of the immune system in advanced patients, which might provide a good opportunity for immunotherapy. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring fluorescence properties of endogenous fluorophores such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) in normal and cancerous cells provide substantial information noninvasively on biochemical and biophysical aspects of metabolic dysfunction of cancerous cells. Time‐resolved spectral profiles and fluorescence lifetime images of NADH and FAD were obtained in human lung nonsmall carcinomas (H661 and A549) and normal lung cells (MRC‐5). Both fluorophores show the fast and slowly decaying emission components upon pulsed excitation, and fluorescence spectra of NADH and FAD show blue‐ and red‐shifts, respectively, during their decay. All identified lifetime components of NADH and FAD were found to be shorter in cancerous cells than in normal cells, no matter how they were measured under different extra‐cellular conditions (cells suspended in cuvette and cells attached on glass substrate), indicating that the changes in metabolism likely altered the subcellular milieu and potentially also affected the interaction of NADH and FAD with enzymes to which these cofactors were bound. The intensity ratio of NADH and FAD of cancerous cells was also shown to be larger than that of normal cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]