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Objective Methods Results Conclusion The role of hypoalbuminemia throughout the course of chronic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of hypoalbuminemia in periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) patients and to explore the association between hypoalbuminemia and treatment outcomes.This retrospective cohort study included 387 PJI cases who underwent two‐stage exchange arthroplasty between January 2007 and August 2020, of which 342 were reimplanted. The mean follow‐up period was 7.9 years. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for hypoalbuminemia and to assess the effect of hypoalbuminemia at 1st‐ and 2nd‐stage exchange on the treatment outcome. Furthermore, the impact of dynamic changes in hypoalbuminemia was investigated.The prevalence of hypoalbuminemia at 1st‐ and 2nd‐stage exchange was 22.2% and 4.7%, respectively. Patients with age ≥ 68 years and those with isolation of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, or Gram‐negative bacteria exhibited a higher risk of hypoalbuminemia. Hypoalbuminemia at 1st‐stage was significantly related to treatment failure (OR = 3.3), while hypoalbuminemia at 2nd‐stage raised the OR to 10.0. Patients with persistent hypoalbuminemia at both the 1st‐ and 2nd‐stage exchanges had a significantly higher rate of treatment failure than patients with hypoalbuminemia at the 1st‐stage but normal albumin levels at the 2nd‐stage exchange (55.6% vs 20.0%, p = 0.036).One in five patients with chronic PJI exhibits hypoalbuminemia. Hypoalbuminemia is more likely to develop in patients of advanced age and those infected by specific highly virulent organisms. Also, our results highlight the close association between hypoalbuminemia and treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new on‐chip diagnostic tool is developed, allowing for real‐time full characterization of waveguided ultrashort optical pulses. This technique, called transverse frequency‐resolved optical gating (T‐FROG), relies on second harmonic generation (SHG) in a transverse (surface emitting) geometry. The T‐FROG is implemented on a thin‐film lithium niobate (LN) platform, demonstrating its versatility and consistency in accurately characterizing waveguided femtosecond pulses, including information about chirp and self‐phase modulation. In contrast to traditional FROG techniques, T‐FROG represents a significant improvement as it provides temporal amplitude and phase profiles of ultrafast optical pulses directly inside photonic integrated circuits. The real‐time in situ characteristics and dynamics of optical pulses offered by T‐FROG show promise for their potential applications in the design, testing, and optimization of ultrafast photonic integrated circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation of the cyclic GMP‐AMP synthase‐stimulator of the interferon gene (cGAS‐STING) pathway is a potent anticancer immunotherapeutic strategy, and the induction of pyroptosis is a feasible way to stimulate the anticancer immune responses. Herein, two PtII complexes (Pt1 and Pt2) were designed as photoactivators of the cGAS‐STING pathway. In response to light irradiation, Pt1 and Pt2 could damage mitochondrial/nuclear DNA and the nuclear envelope to activate the cGAS‐STING pathway, and concurrently induce pyroptosis in cancer cells, which evoked an intense anticancer immune response in vitro and in vivo. Overall, we present the first photoactivator of the cGAS‐STING pathway, which may provide an innovative design strategy for anticancer immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal complexes have shown great potential in cancer immunotherapy. This review briefly introduces the basic concepts and strategies of cancer immunotherapy and summarizes the recent discoveries on the immune effects of traditional platinum‐based anticancer compounds. In addition, we also outline the latest research progresses on metal complexes for cancer immunotherapy focusing on platinum, ruthenium, iridium, rhenium and copper complexes. Finally, the research perspectives and unsolved problems on the applications of metallo‐anticancer agents in cancer immunotherapy are purposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis is a programmed cell death pathway discovered in recent years, and ferroptosis‐inducing agents have great potential as new antitumor candidates. Here, we report a IrIII complex (Ir1) containing a ferrocene‐modified diphosphine ligand that localizes in lysosomes. Under the acidic environments of lysosomes, Ir1 can effectively catalyze Fenton‐like reaction, produce hydroxyl radicals, induce lipid peroxidation, down‐regulate glutathione peroxidase 4, and result in ferroptosis. RNA sequencing analysis shows that Ir1 can significantly affect pathways related to ferroptosis and cancer immunity. Accordingly, Ir1 can induce immunogenic cells death and suppress tumor growth in vitro, regulate T cell activity and immune microenvironments in vivo. In conclusion, we show the potential of small molecules with ferroptosis‐inducing capabilities for effective cancer immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) developed by Wolf and Song has shown certain parallels to the finite element method (FEM) and boundary element method (BEM). Because of its semi‐analytical nature, SBFEM is particularly suitable for the analysis of wave propagation in unbounded domains. This paper makes a certain modification of the standard SBFEM. A new idea of scaling surface instead of a scaling center is introduced to formulate the governing SBFE equations for the analysis of wave propagation in multilayered half‐space, which leads to simplifying the modeling and saving considerably the computational effort. In addition, by employing the proposed approach, some problems encountered in engineering practice, which are difficult to deal with by the conventional SBFEM, for example, 3D foundation impedance on half‐space with irregular geographical features, can be effectively solved. The proposed approach also helps to simplify the solution of shell structures. Numerical examples are provided to validate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A novel approach is proposed to deal with the problem of wave scattering and diffraction of subsurface cavities embedded in stratified half‐space. The subsurface cavity with complex surroundings is treated as a substructure. The continuity condition at the interface between the substructure and the far field of stratified half‐space is maintained by applying a free‐field approach. As the boundary of the free‐field ground is regular, the construction of the dynamic matrices and the evaluation of the wave input on the interface become considerably easier. Based on the previous work with some improvement, a novel approach for evaluation of Green's functions in stratified half‐space is presented. The wave equation is decoupled into the one for SV‐P wave components and the other one for SH wave component. The precise integration technique ensures high accuracy of the solution of wave equations. The layer merging technique and the dual form equation make it possible to obtain Green's function in closed‐form solution of matrix equations. Numerical examples validate accuracy and efficiency of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in noble metal nanoparticles and nanostructures offers an efficient means to transport and localize the energy of light into some nanoscale space regions called hot spots, where the electromagnetic field is enhanced by many orders of magnitude upon the incident light. This local field enhancement can induce very huge enhancement of Raman signal for a molecule embedded within the hot spot, which has tremendous applications in surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and tip‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS). Here, a discussion is presented on how to engineer this SPR‐enhanced Raman scattering from both the mesoscopic and microscopic levels. The mesoscopic level focuses on engineering and optimizing the geometric and physical configurations of plasmonic nanoparticles in order to have as large as possible electromagnetic field enhancement factor in the hot spot. The microscopic level focuses on investigating the light–molecule interaction (both chemical and physical) in the microscopic level, either classical or quantum, in order to have deep and complete understanding of the key microscopic issues influencing the Raman scattering and then exploring microscopic means to further enhance the Raman scattering as large as possible. Although in many situations these two scopes can be considered separately, there are also many situations where these two scopes need to be considered together. A prominent example, discussed here, is the critical role of molecule Rayleigh scattering in a plasmonic nanogap. Furthermore, several important issues are pointed out that need attention and caution in exploring and evaluating the quantitative SPR‐based Raman enhancement, including the quantum plasmonics correction, surface and interface electron scattering correction, and the validity of classical electromagnetics and electrodynamics approaches used in single and few atom scale plasmonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a well-developed technology that utilizes near-infrared light to reconstruct three-dimensional images of biological tissues with micrometer resolution. Improvements of the imaging contrast of the OCT technique are able to further widen its extensive biomedical applications. In this study, Janus microspheres were developed and used as a positive contrast agent for enhanced OCT imaging. Phantom and ex vivo liver tissue experiments as well as in vivo animal tests were conducted, which validated that Janus microspheres, as a novel type of OCT tracer, were very effective in improving the OCT imaging contrast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the high performance of an apertureless near-field probe consisting of a tapered metal tip with periodic shallow surface grooves. The spontaneous emission of a single emitter near the apex is systematically analyzed for side-illumination tip enhanced spectroscopy scheme. In contrast to a conventional bare tapered tip, the corrugated probe not only strongly enhances the local excitation field, but also modulates the emission directivity, leading to high collection efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio. Specifically, we propose that an asymmetric tip enhanced spectroscopy probe containing two different length nanorods at the apex realizes unidirectional emissions. The radiation pattern is sensitive to the emission wavelengths and the emitter positions, which can increase the signal-to-noise ratio through suppression of the undesired signal. The proposed asymmetrical corrugated probe possesses a wide range of potential applications, including increasing the detection efficiency of tip enhanced spectroscopy at the single molecule level. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The self-repair ability of neural progenitor cells ( NPCs) has been found to be activated and protected in several therapies helpful in multiple sclerosis ( MS), an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the CNS. As a potential therapeutic target in MS, the role of the ion channel Kv1.3 in NPC self-repair has received limited attention. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of a selective Kv1.3 blocker on NPC neuronal differentiation and maturation. Methods A small-molecule selective blocker for Kv1.3, Psora-4, was added to the differentiation medium of cultured mouse NPCs to assess its effect on NPC differentiation efficiency. Both a polypeptide Kv1.3 blocker and Kv1.3-specific RNA interference were used in parallel experiments. Further, the maturity of newborn neurons in the presence of Psora-4 was measured both by morphological analysis and by whole-cell patch clamping. Results Psora-4 induced a significant increase in the percentage of neurons. Knockdown of Kv1.3 in NPCs also promoted neuronal differentiation. Both morphological and electrophysiological analyses suggested that NPC-derived neurons in the presence of Psora-4 were more mature. Conclusion Our studies reveal a crucial role for the ion channel Kv1.3 in the regulation of NPC differentiation and maturation, making Psora-4 a promising candidate molecule for MS treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Ru3+-mediated synthesis for the unique Pd concave nanostructures, which can directly harvest UV-to-visible light for styrene hydrogenation, is described. The catalytic efficiency under 100 mW cm−2 full-spectrum irradiation at room temperature turns out to be comparable to that of thermally (70 °C) driven reactions. The yields obtained with other Pd nanocrystals, such as nanocubes and octahedrons, are lower. The nanostructures reported here have sufficient plasmonic cross-sections for light harvesting in a broad spectral range owing to the reduced shape symmetry, which increases the solution temperature for the reaction by the photothermal effect. They possess a large quantity of atoms at corners and edges where local heat is more efficiently generated, thus providing active sites for the reaction. Taken together, these factors drastically enhance the hydrogenation reaction by light illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a facile synthesis of Au tetrahedra in high purity and with tunable, well-controlled sizes via seed-mediated growth. The success of this synthesis relies on the use of single-crystal, spherical Au nanocrystals as the seeds and manipulation of the reaction kinetics to induce an unsymmetrical growth pattern for the seeds. In particular, the dropwise addition of a precursor solution with a syringe pump, assisted by cetyltrimethylammonium chloride and bromide at appropriate concentrations, was found to be critical to the formation of Au tetrahedra in high purity. Their sizes could be readily tuned in the range of 30-60 nm by simply varying the amount of precursor added to the reaction solution. The current strategy not only enables the synthesis of Au tetrahedra with tunable and controlled sizes but also provides a facile and versatile approach to reducing the symmetry of nanocrystals made of a face-centered cubic lattice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmonic focusing with metallic probes has attracted extensive studies due to its successful applications in advanced technologies such as near-field scanning optical microscopy and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Here the fabrication and characterization of a unique spiral metallic taper with polarization-insensitive three-dimensional (3D) plasmonic focusing properties are reported. Metallic probes with spiral corrugations are readily fabricated along the surfaces of the conical structures with a 3D direct laser writing method followed by a metal deposition process. With the broken structural symmetry induced by the spiral corrugations, plasmonic focusing is demonstrated under excitation of linearly polarized light with different polarization directions. Moreover, apertures with various sizes can be flexibly introduced at the apex of the conical probe structures with direct fabrication, which enables the observation of scattered light from waveguide modes, cutoff of waveguide modes and scattering from surfaces plasmons, respectively. The studies provide a novel methodology of design, realization, and application of 3D plasmonic focusing structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By manipulating the kinetics of seeded growth through judicious control of reaction conditions, edge-selective metal deposition can be achieved to synthesize new Au nanostructures with face-centered concavities, referred to herein as Au overgrown trisoctahedra. These nanostructures display higher sensitivity to changes in refractive index compared to both Au traditional trisoctahedra and the Au nanocube seeds from which they are grown. Often, concave nanostructures are achieved by selective etching processes or corner-selective overgrowth and adopt a stellated profile rather than a profile with face-centered concavities. The presented results illustrate another strategy toward concave nanostructures and can facilitate the synthesis of new concave nanostructures for applications in catalysis and chemical sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-crystal gold nanospheres with controlled diameters in the range 5-30 nm were synthesized by using a facile approach that was based on successive seed-mediated growth. The key to the success of this synthesis was the use of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) as a capping agent and a large excess of ascorbic acid as a reductant to ensure fast reduction and, thus, single crystallinity and a spherical shape of the resultant nanoparticles. The diameters of the gold nanospheres could be readily controlled by varying the amount of seeds that were introduced into the reaction system. The gold nanospheres could be produced with uniform diameters of up to 30 nm; thus, their localized surface plasmon resonance properties could be directly compared with the results that were obtained from theoretical calculations. Interestingly, we also found that these gold nanospheres self-assembled into dimers, larger aggregates, and wavy nanowires when they were collected by centrifugation, dispersed in deionized water, and then diluted to different volumes with deionized water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold nanospheres with diameters precisely controlled in the range of 5–30   nm were synthesized using a successive, seed ‐ mediated growth, as reported by Younan Xia et   al. in their Full Paper on page 792   ff. The gold nanospheres were found to self ‐ assemble into dimers, larger aggregates, and wavy nanowires when they were diluted to different volumes with deionized water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. ATP-gated P2X receptors in nociceptive sensory neurons participate in the transmission of pain signals from the periphery to the spinal cord. The effect of formalin on the expression of P2X3 receptors in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) was characterized using molecular and immunological approaches and the patch-clamp technique. 2. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with 100 µL of 5% formalin in the planar surface of the hindpaw and were killed 30 min and 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h later for in vitro analyses. The expression and distribution of P2X3 receptors in the lumbar spinal cord and in L5/L6 DRG were examined; 24 and 48 h after formalin injection, currents in neurons were examined using whole-cell patch-clamp recording. 3. Western blots showed that anti-P2X3 antibody recognized a major monomer of approximately 64 kDa in DRG. Immunoreactivity for P2X3 receptors was detected predominantly in the cytoplasm and plasma membrane of small (< 25 µm) and middle-sized (25–50 µm) DRG neurons. Expression of the P2X3 transcript in the DRG was unchanged 30 min and 1 h after formalin injection, but increased after 12 h. There was no distinct change in P2X3 immunostaining of the spinal cord lamina at 30 min or 1 h after injection, but after 24 h P2X3 labelling increased. At 24 h after the formalin injection, currents in isolated small and middle-sized DRG neurons were increased by 1 µmol/L α,β-methylene-ATP. These currents were completely inhibited by 1 µmol/L A-317491, a potent and selective P2X3 receptor antagonist. 4. These data suggest that formalin injection leads to early upregulation of P2X3 expression in the spinal cord and DRG and that this may be one of the mechanisms giving rise to nociception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. ATP-gated P2X receptors in nociceptive sensory neurons participate in the transmission of pain signals from the periphery to the spinal cord. The effect of formalin on the expression of P2X(3) receptors in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) was characterized using molecular and immunological approaches and the patch-clamp technique. 2. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with 100 microL of 5% formalin in the planar surface of the hindpaw and were killed 30 min and 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h later for in vitro analyses. The expression and distribution of P2X(3) receptors in the lumbar spinal cord and in L5/L6 DRG were examined; 24 and 48 h after formalin injection, currents in neurons were examined using whole-cell patch-clamp recording. 3. Western blots showed that anti-P2X(3) antibody recognized a major monomer of approximately 64 kDa in DRG. Immunoreactivity for P2X(3) receptors was detected predominantly in the cytoplasm and plasma membrane of small (< 25 microm) and middle-sized (25-50 microm) DRG neurons. Expression of the P2X(3) transcript in the DRG was unchanged 30 min and 1 h after formalin injection, but increased after 12 h. There was no distinct change in P2X(3) immunostaining of the spinal cord lamina at 30 min or 1 h after injection, but after 24 h P2X(3) labelling increased. At 24 h after the formalin injection, currents in isolated small and middle-sized DRG neurons were increased by 1 micromol/L alpha,beta-methylene-ATP. These currents were completely inhibited by 1 micromol/L A-317491, a potent and selective P2X(3) receptor antagonist. 4. These data suggest that formalin injection leads to early upregulation of P2X(3) expression in the spinal cord and DRG and that this may be one of the mechanisms giving rise to nociception.