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Aim: The wealth of data generated by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) provides new opportunities for revealing heterogeneities in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to develop a method using CGM data to discover T2DM subtypes and investigate their relationship with clinical phenotypes and microvascular complications. Methods: The data from 3119 patients with T2DM who wore blinded CGM at an academic medical centre was collected, and a glucose symbolic pattern (GSP) metric was created that combined knowledge‐based temporal abstraction with numerical vectorization. The k‐means clustering was applied to GSP to obtain subgroups of patients with T2DM. Clinical characteristics and the presence of diabetic retinopathy and albuminuria were compared among the subgroups. The findings were validated in an independent population comprising 773 patients with T2DM. Results: By using GSP, four subgroups were identified with distinct features in CGM profiles and parameters. Moreover, the clustered subgroups differed significantly in clinical phenotypes, including indices of pancreatic β‐cell function and insulin resistance (all p <.001). After adjusting for confounders, group C (the most insulin resistant) had a significantly higher risk of albuminuria (odds ratio = 1.24, 95% confidence interval: 1.03‐1.39) relative to group D, which had the best glucose control. These findings were confirmed in the validation set. Conclusion: Subtyping patients with T2DM using CGM data may help identify high‐risk patients for microvascular complications and provide insights into the underlying pathophysiology. This method may help refine clinically meaningful stratification of patients with T2DM and inform personalized diabetes care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To explore the clinical application value of pre‐conception expanded carrier screening (PECS) in the Chinese Han ethnicity population of childbearing age. Methods: The results of genetic testing of infertile parents who underwent PECS in the Reproductive Medicine Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China, from September 2019 to December 2021, were retrospectively analyzed. The carrier rate of single gene disease, the detection rate of high‐risk parents, and the clinical outcome of high‐risk parents were statistically analyzed. Results: A total of 1372 Chinese Han ethnicity patients underwent PECS, among which 458 patients underwent the extended 108‐gene test, their overall carrier rate was 31.7%, and the detection rate of high‐risk parents was 0.3%. The highest carrier rates were SLC22A (2.4%), ATP7B (2.4%), MMACHC (2.2%), PAH (1.8%), GALC (1.8%), MLC1 (1.3%), UNC13D (1.1%), CAPN3 (1.1%), and PKHD1 (1.1%). There were 488 women with fragile X syndrome—FMR1 gene detection, and 6 patients (1.2%) had FMR1 gene mutation. A total of 426 patients were screened for spinal muscular atrophy—SMN1, and the carrier rate was 3.5%, and the detection rate of parents' co‐carrier was 0.5%. Conclusion: Monogenic recessive hereditary diseases had a high carrier rate in the population. Pre‐pregnancy screening could provide good prenatal and postnatal care guidance for patients and preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic/single gene disorders (PGT‐M) and prenatal diagnosis could provide more precise reproductive choices for high‐risk parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) represents a subtype of ovarian epithelial carcinoma (OEC) known for its limited responsiveness to chemotherapy, and the onset of distant metastasis significantly impacts patient prognoses. This study aimed to identify potential risk factors contributing to the occurrence of distant metastasis in OCCC. Methods: Utilizing the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, we identified patients diagnosed with OCCC between 2004 and 2015. The most influential factors were selected through the application of Gaussian Naive Bayes (GNB) and Adaboost machine learning algorithms, employing a Venn test for further refinement. Subsequently, six machine learning (ML) techniques, namely XGBoost, LightGBM, Random Forest (RF), Adaptive Boosting (Adaboost), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), were employed to construct predictive models for distant metastasis. Shapley Additive Interpretation (SHAP) analysis facilitated a visual interpretation for individual patient. Model validity was assessed using accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, F1 score, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: In the realm of predicting distant metastasis, the Random Forest (RF) model outperformed the other five machine learning algorithms. The RF model demonstrated accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, F1 score, and AUC (95% CI) values of 0.792 (0.762–0.823), 0.904 (0.835–0.973), 0.759 (0.731–0.787), 0.221 (0.186–0.256), 0.974 (0.967–0.982), 0.353 (0.306–0.399), and 0.834 (0.696–0.967), respectively, surpassing the performance of other models. Additionally, the calibration curve's Brier Score (95%) for the RF model reached the minimum value of 0.06256 (0.05753–0.06759). SHAP analysis provided independent explanations, reaffirming the critical clinical factors associated with the risk of metastasis in OCCC patients. Conclusions: This study successfully established a precise predictive model for OCCC patient metastasis using machine learning techniques, offering valuable support to clinicians in making informed clinical decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium (Li)‐metal batteries are promising next‐generation energy storage systems. One drawback of uncontrollable electrolyte degradation is the ability to form a fragile and nonuniform solid electrolyte interface (SEI). In this study, we propose the use of a fluorinated carbon nanotube (CNT) macrofilm (CMF) on Li metal as a hybrid anode, which can regulate the redox state at the anode/electrolyte interface. Due to the favorable reaction energy between the plated Li and fluorinated CNTs, the metal can be fluorinated directly to a LiF‐rich SEI during the charging process, leading to a high Young's modulus (~2.0 GPa) and fast ionic transfer (~2.59×10−7 S cm−1). The obtained SEI can guide the homogeneous plating/stripping of Li during electrochemical processes while suppressing dendrite growth. In particular, the hybrid of endowed full cells with substantially enhanced cyclability allows for high capacity retention (~99.3 %) and remarkable rate capacity. This work can extend fluorination technology into a platform to control artificial SEI formation in Li‐metal batteries, increasing the stability and long‐term performance of the resulting material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐molecule toroics are molecular magnets with vortex distribution of magnetic moments. The coupling between magnetic and electric properties such as the magnetodielectric effect will provide potential applications for them. Herein, the observation of significant magnetodielectric effect in a triangular Dy3 crystal with toroidal magnetic moment and multiple magnetic relaxations is reported. The analysis of magnetic and electric properties implies that the magnetodielectric effect is closely related to the strong spin‐lattice coupling, magnetic interactions of Dy3+ ions, as well as molecular packing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bone or brain metastases may develop in 20–40% of individuals with late‐stage non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC), resulting in a median overall survival of only 4–6 months. However, the primary lung cancer tissue's distinctions between bone, brain and intrapulmonary metastases of NSCLC at the single‐cell level have not been underexplored. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of 14 tissue biopsy samples obtained from treatment‐naïve advanced NSCLC patients with bone (n = 4), brain (n = 6) or intrapulmonary (n = 4) metastasis using single‐cell sequencing originating from the lungs. Following quality control and the removal of doublets, a total of 80 084 cells were successfully captured. Results: The most significant inter‐group differences were observed in the fraction and function of fibroblasts. We identified three distinct cancer‐associated fibroblast (CAF) subpopulations: myofibroblastic CAF (myCAF), inflammatory CAF (iCAF) and antigen‐presenting CAF (apCAF). Notably, apCAF was prevalent in NSCLC with bone metastasis, while iCAF dominated in NSCLC with brain metastasis. Intercellular signalling network analysis revealed that apCAF may play a role in bone metastasis by activating signalling pathways associated with cancer stemness, such as SPP1‐CD44 and SPP1‐PTGER4. Conversely, iCAF was found to promote brain metastasis by activating invasion and metastasis‐related molecules, such as MET hepatocyte growth factor. Furthermore, the interaction between CAFs and tumour cells influenced T‐cell exhaustion and signalling pathways within the tumour microenvironment. Conclusions: This study unveils the direct interplay between tumour cells and CAFs in NSCLC with bone or brain metastasis and identifies potential therapeutic targets for inhibiting metastasis by disrupting these critical cell–cell interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a synthetic androgen, 17α‐methyltestosterone (MT) is widely used in aquaculture to induce sex reversal and may pose a potential risk to aquatic organisms. This ecological risk has attracted the attention of many scholars, but it is not comprehensive enough. Thus, the adverse effects of MT on zebrafish (Danio rerio) were comprehensively evaluated from gonadal histology, as well as the mRNA expression levels of 47 genes related to hypothalamic‐pituitary‐gonadal (HPG) axis, germ cell differentiation, sex determination, and hypothalamus‐pituitary‐thyroid (HPT) axis. Adult zebrafish with a female/male ratio of 5:7 were exposed to a solvent control (0.001% dimethyl sulfoxide) and three measured concentrations of MT (5, 51 and 583 ng/L) for 50 days. The results showed that MT had no significant histological effects on the ovaries of females, but the frequency of late‐mature oocytes (LMO) showed a downward trend, indicating that MT could induce ovarian suppression to a certain extent. The transcriptional expression of activating transcription factor 4b1 (atf4b1), activating transcription factor 4b2 (atf4b2), calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II delta 1 (camk2d1), calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II delta 2 (camk2d2) and calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II inhibitor 2 (camk2n2) genes in the brain of females increased significantly at all treatment groups of MT, and the mRNA expression of forkhead box L2a (foxl2) and ovarian cytochrome P450 aromatase (cyp19a1a) genes in the ovaries were down‐regulated by 5 and 583 ng/L group, which would translate into inhibition of oocyte development. As compared to females, MT had relatively little effects on the reproductive system of males, and only the transcriptional alterations of synaptonemal complex protein 3 (sycp3) and 17‐alpha‐hydroxylase/17,20‐lyase (cyp17) genes were observed in the testes, not enough to affect testicular histology. In addition, MT at all treatments strongly increased corticotropin‐releasing hormone (crh) transcript in the brain of females, as well as deiodinase 2 (dio2) transcript in the brain of males. The paired box protein 8 (pax8) gene was significantly decreased at 51 or 583 ng/L of MT in both female and male brains. The above results suggest that MT can pose potential adverse effects on the reproductive and thyroid endocrine system of fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), accurate prediction of hypoglycemic events is crucial for maintaining glycemic control and reducing their frequency. However, individuals with high blood glucose variability experience significant fluctuations over time, posing a challenge for early warning models that rely on static features. This article proposes a novel hypoglycemia early alarm framework based on dynamic feature selection. The framework incorporates domain knowledge and introduces multi‐scale blood glucose features, including predicted values, essential for early warnings. To address the complexity of the feature matrix, a dynamic feature selection mechanism (Relief‐SVM‐RFE) is designed to effectively eliminate redundancy. Furthermore, the framework employs online updates for the random forest model, enhancing the learning of more relevant features. The effectiveness of the framework was evaluated using a clinical dataset. For T2D patients with a high coefficient of variation (CV), the framework achieved a sensitivity of 81.15% and specificity of 98.14%, accurately predicting most hypoglycemic events. Notably, the proposed method outperformed other existing approaches. These results indicate the feasibility of anticipating hypoglycemic events in T2D patients with high CV using this innovative framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To observe the inhibitory effect of the small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor apatinib on small cell lung cancer in vitro and vivo. Material and methods: Three small lung cancer cells were selected CCK‐8 and monoclonal assay was used to determine the effect of apatinib on proliferation. The effects on cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry and TUNEL. We observed the inhibitory effect of different doses of apatinib on xenograft tumor. The efficacy and safety of apatinib in 20 patients with advanced small cell lung cancer were observed. Results: For small cell lung cancer with high expression of VEGFR2, apatinib has a significant inhibitory effect both in vitro and in vivo. It can play an inhibitory role by promoting apoptosis and cell cycle arrest pathways. For small cell lung cancer with low expression of VEGFR, the inhibitory effect on cells in vitro was not significant. It has certain inhibitory effect on nude mouse transplanted tumor and small cell lung cancer patients, but the effect is weaker than that of animal models and patients with small cell lung cancer cells with high expression of VEGFR2. Conclusion: Apatinib has a significant inhibitory effect on small cell lung cancer with high expression of VEGFR2 and may be a treatment for small cell lung cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adalimumab (ADA) combined with Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF) in the treatment of methotrexate (MTX)‐inadequate response patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: In this multicenter, open‐label, randomized controlled clinical trial, 64 RA patients with inadequate response to MTX were 1:1 randomly assigned into treatment or control groups. The treatment group was treated with ADA in combination with TwHF, and the control group was treated with ADA in combination with MTX for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients having low disease activity (2.6 ≤ DAS28‐ESR < 3.2) and remission rates (DAS28‐ESR < 2.6) at week 24. Results: In total, 53 of the 64 patients (82.8%) completed this 24‐week clinical trial. By intent‐to‐treat (ITT) analysis, a comparable outcome was observed between the two groups. The percentage of patients achieving low disease activity in the treatment group and control group were 43.8% and 46.9% (95% CI, 21.28 to 27.48, p =.802). Percentage of patients achieving low disease activity rates were respectively 28.1% and 31.3% in the treatment group and control group (95% CI, 19.18 to 25.58, p =.784). In per‐protocol (PP) analysis, the results were consistent with the ITT model. The incidence of adverse events was comparable between the two groups. Conclusions: There were no significant differences in efficacy and safety between ADA combined with TwHF versus ADA combined with MTX in the treatment of RA. TwHF might be an alternative treatment for RA patients who are intolerant to MTX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining placental endocrine homeostasis is crucial for a successful pregnancy. Pre‐eclampsia (PE), a gestational complication, is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Aberrant elevation of testosterone (T0) synthesis, reduced estradiol (E2), and melatonin productions have been identified in preeclamptic placentas. However, the precise contribution of disrupted homeostasis among these hormones to the occurrence of PE remains unknown. In this study, we established a strong correlation between suppressed melatonin production and decreased E2 as well as elevated T0 synthesis in PE placentas. Administration of the T0 analog testosterone propionate (TP; 2 mg/kg/day) to pregnant mice from E7.5 onwards resulted in PE‐like symptoms, along with elevated T0 production and reduced E2 and melatonin production. Notably, supplementation with melatonin (10 mg/kg/day) in TP‐treated mice had detrimental effects on fetal and placental development and compromised hormone synthesis. Importantly, E2, but not T0, actively enhanced melatonin synthetase AANAT expression and melatonin production in primary human trophoblast (PHT) cells through GPER1‐PKA‐CREB signaling pathway. On the other hand, melatonin suppressed the level of estrogen synthetase aromatase while promoting the expressions of androgen synthetic enzymes including 17β‐HSD3 and 3β‐HSD1 in PHT cells. These findings reveal an orchestrated feedback mechanism that maintains homeostasis of placental sex hormones and melatonin. It is implied that abnormal elevation of T0 synthesis likely serves as the primary cause of placental endocrine disturbances associated with PE. The suppression of melatonin may represent an adaptive strategy to correct the imbalance in sex hormone levels within preeclamptic placentas. The findings of this study offer novel evidence that identifies potential targets for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disease that often co‐occurs with psychological morbidities such as anxiety and depression, and psychosocial issues also lead psoriasis patients to avoid other people. However, the precise mechanism underlying the comorbidity of psoriasis and anxiety is unknown. Also, whether the social avoidance phenomenon seen in human patients also exists in psoriasis‐like animal models remains unknown. In the present study, anxiety‐like behaviours and social avoidance‐like behaviours were observed in an imiquimod‐induced psoriasis‐like C57‐BL6 mouse model along with typical psoriasis‐like dermatitis and itch‐like behaviours. The 11.7T resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging showed differences in brain regions between the model and control group, and voxel‐based morphometry showed that the grey matter volume changed in the basal forebrain region, anterior commissure intrabulbar and striatum in the psoriasis‐like mice. Seed‐based resting state functional connectivity analysis revealed connectivity changes in the amygdala, periaqueductal gray, raphe nuclei and lateral septum. We conclude that the imiquimod‐induced psoriasis‐like C57‐BL6 mouse model is well suited for mechanistic studies and for performing preclinical therapeutic trials for treating anxiety and pathological social avoidance in psoriasis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: This case illustrates that under comprehensive management of individual and clinical needs, urgent‐start peritoneal dialysis can be performed safely without bleeding complications in patients with hemophilia A who developed end‐stage renal disease. Patients in these cases can benefit from synthetic strategy. Hemophilia A is a serious inherited bleeding disorder resulting from a deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII). Chronic kidney disease (CKD) involvement in hemophilia is relatively rare, but there has been an upward trend in the survival time of patients with prolonged hemophilia. Although peritoneal dialysis (PD) is often used as the first treatment modality for renal replacement treatment, limited data are available on comprehensive management in the hemophilia A population, especially for urgent‐start PD. A 56‐year‐old man who had hemophilia A, was diagnosed with CKD 3 years ago and developed end‐stage renal disease was admitted to our hospital after contracting pneumonia and undergoing subsequent Type I respiratory failure. Urgent‐start PD improved his condition and health outcomes, and protected his residual renal function. This case is the first study of a Chinese male patient with hemophilia A who developed end‐stage renal disease. We summarize the clinical treatment and nursing care strategies of urgent‐start PD in a hemophilia A patient with end‐stage renal disease. This case illustrates that under comprehensive management of individual and clinical needs, urgent‐start PD can be performed safely without bleeding complications in patients with hemophilia A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cysteine dioxygenase 1 (CDO1) is frequently methylated, and its expression is decreased in many human cancers including breast cancer (BC). However, the functional and mechanistic aspects of CDO1 inactivation in BC are poorly understood, and the diagnostic significance of serum CDO1 methylation remains unclear. Methods: We performed bioinformatics analysis of publicly available databases and employed MassARRAY EpiTYPER methylation sequencing technology to identify differentially methylated sites in the CDO1 promoter of BC tissues compared to normal adjacent tissues (NATs). Subsequently, we developed a MethyLight assay using specific primers and probes for these CpG sites to detect the percentage of methylated reference (PMR) of the CDO1 promoter. Furthermore, both LentiCRISPR/dCas9‐Tet1CD‐based CDO1‐targeted demethylation system and CDO1 overexpression strategy were utilized to detect the function and underlying mechanism of CDO1 in BC. Finally, the early diagnostic value of CDO1 as a methylation biomarker in BC serum was evaluated. Results: CDO1 promoter was hypermethylated in BC tissues, which was related to poor prognosis (p <.05). The CRISPR/dCas9‐based targeted demethylation system significantly reduced the PMR of CDO1 promotor and increased CDO1 expression in BC cells. Consequently, this leads to suppression of cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Additionally, we found that CDO1 exerted a tumour suppressor effect by inhibiting the cell cycle, promoting cell apoptosis and ferroptosis. Furthermore, we employed the MethyLight to detect CDO1 PMR in BC serum, and we discovered that serum CDO1 methylation was an effective non‐invasive biomarker for early diagnosis of BC. Conclusions: CDO1 is hypermethylated and acts as a tumour suppressor gene in BC. Epigenetic editing of abnormal CDO1 methylation could have a crucial role in the clinical treatment and prognosis of BC. Additionally, serum CDO1 methylation holds promise as a valuable biomarker for the early diagnosis and management of BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3,4‐ethylenedioxy thiophene (EDOT)‐based conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) were readily constructed via facile one‐step direct arylation polymerication of CH from simple EDOT as a linker and commercially available aryl bromides of different geometries as the knots, without preactivation of CH bonds of aromatic building blocks using organometallic reagents. In contrast to conventional coupling reactions, this synthesis strategy not only has atomic efficiency but also can use simple thiophene derivatives as building blocks for synthesizing thiophene‐based CMPs of different structures, which avoids the synthesis of complex thiophene derivatives and are important for applications, for example, fluorescent sensors. The resulting EDOT‐based CMPs were used to fluorescent sensing to 2,4‐dinitrophenol (DNP), I2, and p‐nitrophenol (p‐NP), with high optimal Stern‐Volmer quenching constants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative dearomatization of phenols is an important transformation for synthesis of complex molecules. Oxysporidinone and related 2‐pyridones feature a hydroxy‐substituted cyclohexanone ring, which has been proposed to form by phenol dearomatization, although the details of the biochemical process are still unknown. In this study, we identified the oxysporidinone biosynthetic gene cluster in Fusarium oxysporum by regulator activation and gene knockout studies. Through in vivo and in vitro studies, we confirmed that the phenol dearomatization process involves two enzymes. OsdM, a TenA‐like cytochrome P450 with expected ring‐expansion activity, converts the phenol ring and the 4‐hydroxy‐2‐pyridone core into an unexpected fused [6‐5‐6] ring system. OsdN, on the other hand, catalyzes two successive ene reduction reactions, followed by hydroxylation by OsdM. This new route enriches current knowledge on enzymatic phenol dearomatization and the mechanism of TenA‐like P450s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared spectroscopy is a non‐destructive and rapid characterization tool that can distinguish different viral proteins by spectral details. However, traditional infrared spectroscopy has insufficient absorption signal intensity contrast when measuring low‐concentration samples. In this work, surface enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy is proposed by deploying a novel nanostructure array as SEIRA substrates. An array of gold dendric nanostructures are designed and fabricated with a precision resonance control to achieve surface enhancement covering a broadband molecular "finger‐print" region. The spectral positions of the multiple resonances accurately correspond to the characteristic absorption peaks of the SARS‐CoV‐2 proteins. An approach for SARS‐CoV‐2 protein detection based on SEIRA spectroscopy is then proposed. A low concentration detection of 40 μg/ml diluted SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleocapsid protein is experimentally demonstrated and the enhancement factor (EF) achieved is in good agreement with simulation results. The SEIRA methodology based on broadband resonance nanostructure design provides a systematic approach for sensitive, non‐destructive and rapid protein molecular detection, which could be extended to various kind of molecular characterization and biomedical diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular crystals that manifest unusual mechanical properties have attracted growing attention. Herein, we prepared an organic single crystal that shows bidirectional superelastic transformation in response to shear stress. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffractions revealed this crystal‐twinning related shape change is owed to a stress‐controlled 90° rotation of 4,4′‐bipyridine around the hydrogen bonds of a chiral organic trimer. As a consequence of the 90° shift in the aromatic plane, an interconversion of crystallographic a‐, b‐axes (a→b′ and b→a′) was detected. The molecular rotations changed the anisotropic absorption of linearly polarized light. Therefore, a stress‐induced inversion of linear dichroism spectra was demonstrated for the first time. This study reveals the superior mechanical flexibilities of single crystals can be realized by harnessing the molecular rotations and this superelastic crystal may find applications in optical switching and communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc corrosion and dendrite formation are the main issues which impede the performance of aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) after certain times. In this work, we systematically investigated the effects of three different valence ions (e. g. Na+, Mg2+, Al3+) as electrolyte additives on the suppression of zinc corrosion and the inhibition of dendrite growth. By combining experiments and theoretical calculations, it has been found that the existence of Na+ ions effectively suppressing the zinc dendrite growth because Na+ possessess high adsorption energy approximately −0.39 eV. Moreover, Na+ ions could lengthen the zinc dendrite formation duration up to 500 h. On the other hand, the PANI/ZMO cathode materials showed the small band gap approximately 0.097 eV, signifying that the PANI/ZMO possessed the semiconductor characteristics. Furthermore, an assembled Zn//PANI/ZMO/GNP full battery using Na+ ions as electrolyte additive displayed capacity retention of 90.2 % after 500 cycles at 0.2 A g−1, whereas the capacity retention of the control battery using pure ZnSO4 electrolyte was only 58.2 %. This work could provide a reference for the selection of electrolyte additives in future batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants experiencing abiotic stress can produce excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), ultimately impacting the crop growth and yield. Hydrogen peroxide H2O2 is a relatively stable active ROS and is mainly scavenged by catalase. In this study, the catalase‐encoding E. coli KatE gene was transferred to cotton plants by Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation. From almost 100 independent transgenic lines, three transgenic lines were identified that did not display a discernible growth and yield phenotype when grown under well‐watered field conditions, but were tolerant to drought under field conditions, resulting in a ~ 25% higher cotton‐seed yield. The three lines were analysed under controlled laboratory conditions to explain the drought‐dependent phenotype: the transgenic lines displayed drought‐inducible EcKatE expression and total catalase activity was only higher than that of the wild type during growth under drought or salinity stress. Furthermore, drought‐induced ectopic EcKatE expression increased total SOD and POD activities, decreased H2O2 levels and improved photosystem II performance and relative water content. The results show that ectopic EcKatE expression displays an advantage during drought stress, without negatively affecting yield during well‐watered field conditions. EcKatE overexpression confers hyper‐resistance to drought in cotton and provides improved cotton‐seed yield under water‐limiting field conditions. And the EcKatE gene might also be a promising drought‐resistant gene for improving other crop varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The palladium/norbornene co‐catalyzed difunctionalization of haloarenes provides a facile and efficient method for the synthesis of polyfunctional aromatic compounds. However, the suitable substrates for such a transformation have been strictly limited to haloarenes. We here demonstrate that aryl diazonium salts could be well employed as substrates in these reactions, enabling arylbromides with electron‐withdrawing groups to be used as cross‐coupling partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light‐responsive adsorbents capture significant attention due to their tailorable performance upon light irradiation. The modulation of such adsorbents is mainly based on weak (physical) interactions caused by steric hindrance while tuning strong interaction with target adsorbates is scarce. Here we report smart π‐complexation adsorbents, which can adjust the π‐complexation of active sites via light irradiation. A typical metal‐organic framework, MIL‐101‐NH2, was decorated with azobenzene motifs, and Cu+ as π‐complexation active sites were introduced subsequently. The reversible light‐induced isomerization of azobenzene regulates the surface electrostatic potentials around Cu+ from −0.038 to 0.008 eV, causing shielding and exposure effects. The alteration of CO uptake is achieved up to 54 % via changing light, while that on MIL‐101‐NH2 is negligible. This study provides a clue for designing target‐specific smart materials to meet the practical stimuli‐responsive adsorption demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical eutectogels are appealing materials for technological devices due to their superior ionic conductivity, thermal and electrochemical stability, non‐volatility, and low cost. Nevertheless, current physical eutectogels are suffering from weak mechanical strength and toughness. Here, taking advantage of the distribution difference of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in water and deep eutectic solvents (DESs), a simple and universal solvent‐replacement approach is proposed to regulate the spatiotemporal expression of intra/interpolymer interactions to prepare strong and tough physical eutectogels. The exchange of DESs with water can restrengthen the weakened interactions between PVA chains in water, enabling PVA to crystallize to construct a uniform and robust polymer network. Consequently, the resultant PVA eutectogel exhibits record‐high strength (20.2 MPa), toughness (62.7 MJ m–3), and tear‐resistance (tearing energy Σ42.4 kJ m–2), while possessing excellent stretchability (Σ550% strain), repairability, and adhesive performance. Furthermore, this strategy is proven to be universally applicable to various species of polymers, and even can be utilized to fabricate continuous and conductive eutectogel fibers, demonstrating potential as engineering materials and wearable sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials that coexist magnetic and electric properties on the molecular scale in single‐molecule magnets (SMMs) with peculiar quantum behaviors have promise in molecular electronics and spintronics. Nevertheless, such molecular materials are limited in potentials because their magnetic signal cannot be transformed into an electrical signal through magnetoresistance or Hall effects for their high insulativity. The discovery of an entirely new material, ferroelectric SMMs (FE SMMs) is reported. This FE SMM also shows single‐molecule magnetic behaviors, toroidal magnetic moments, and room‐temperature ferroelectricity. The toroidal moment is formed by a vortex distribution of magnetic dipoles in triangular Dy3 clusters. The analysis of ac magnetic susceptibility reveals the coexistence of three distinct magnetic relaxation processes at low temperatures. The ferroelectricity is introduced by incorporating polar alcohol molecules in the structure, which is confirmed by the X‐ray diffraction and optical second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements. Moreover, the dielectric measurements reveal a ferroelectric‐to‐ferroelectric phase transition around 150 K due to the symmetry change from Pc to Pna21. The coexistence of toroidal moment and ferroelectricity along with quantum magnetism in the rare‐earth single‐molecule magnets yields a unique class of multiferroics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the finite-time stability problem of non-linear singular multi-agent systems subject to controller gain disturbance via a distributed non-fragile controller. The existing literature on this problem only applies to normal multi-agent systems, or ignores the possible change of control gain in the practical application of the controller, or requires that there is no time-varying delay in the control input. How to tackle the finite-time stability problem of singular multi-agent systems by considering input time-varying delay, Lipschitz non-linear dynamics and controller gain perturbation simultaneously is an open issue. In order to solve this problem, a distributed non-fragile controller is proposed for each agent to make the finite-time stability problem solved for any connected undirected connection topology. With the help of a Linear matrix inequality and a Lyapunov integral appropriate expression, the difficulty caused by the irreversibility of singular system matrices is solved. Then, a sufficient condition to ensure the finite-time stability of the closed-loop system is obtained for the singular multi-agent system including controller disturbance, input-output delay and non-linear dynamics. Finally, two numerical examples are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HLA‐B*13:01:23 differs from HLA‐B*13:01:01:01 by one nucleotide in exon 5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HLA‐B*54:01:12 differs from HLA‐B*54:01:01:01 by one nucleotide in exon 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular catalysts (metal complexes), with molecularly defined uniform active sites and atomically precise structural tailorability allowing for regulating catalytic performance through metal‐ and ligand‐centered engineering and elucidating reaction mechanisms via routine photoelectrochemical characterizations, have been increasingly explored for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (ECR). However, their poor stability and low catalytic current density are undesirable for practical applications. Heterogenizing discrete molecular catalysts can potentially surmount these issues, and the resulting integrated catalysts largely share catalytical properties with their discrete molecular counterparts, which bridge the gap between heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis and combine their advantages. This minireview surveys advances in design and regulation of molecular catalysts such as porphyrin, phthalocyanine, and bipyridine‐based metal complexes and their integrated catalytic materials for selective ECR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xanthoma disseminatum (XD) is a rare non-Langerhans cell proliferative disorder.[1] Besides the symmetrical distribution of brown pimples on the skin throughout the body, patients with XD present several other symptoms, such as diabetes insipidus.[2] Histopathological findings include diffuse dermal infiltration by foam cells, and even Touton giant cells.[2] Immunohistochemistry results revealed that histiocytes most commonly express surface markers of monocyte origin, CD68 and CD163, and lack markers of Langerhans cell origin, such as langerin and S-100.[[1], [3]] As the pathogenesis of XD is not clear, a clinically recognized and effective treatment method is not available.[4] Available reports show inconsistencies in the outcomes of disease management among different patients, including, but not limited to, oral antimitotic drugs, corticosteroids, and lipid-lowering drugs.[[5]] Herein, we report our findings in treating two patients with XD with topical simvastatin ointment. Scale bar, 25 m. gl To determine whether simvastatin topical application improves XD skin lesions patients were treated with simvastatin ointment on the right side of the body twice a day for 6 months and with the corresponding placebo ointment without simvastatin on the left side of the body as a control. [Extracted from the article]

The resorcinol diglycidyl acrylate (RDA) is firmly introduced to the surface of polyester (PET) fibers by a simple dip‐rolling and baking method, and a free radical polymerization reaction is initiated on the surface of PET fabrics under ultraviolet light (UV) light to obtain three hydrogel layers with different structure, including polyacrylamide (PAAM), polyacrylic acid (PAAC) and poly‐N‐isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAAM). It is shown that the pretreatment‐UV grafting method can be used to obtain hydrogel layers with porous structure on the surface of PET fabric, and all three hydrogel layers have better frictional properties than kelp. Among them, the friction coefficient of PET‐PAAM surface can reach 0.02, which is 17% of the friction coefficient of kelp surface and 83% lower than that of the untreated PET fabric surface, giving the PET fabric surface excellent interfacial drag reduction characteristics. It can be applied to the surface of underwater activity equipment as well as ships to improve moving efficiency and reduce energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuel cells are considered as a promising alternative to the existing traditional energy systems towards a sustainable future. Nevertheless, the synthesis of efficient and robust platinum (Pt) based catalysts remains a challenge for practical applications. In this work, we present a simple and scalable molten‐salt synthesis method for producing a low‐platinum (Pt) nanoalloy implanted in metal–nitrogen–graphene. The as‐prepared low‐Pt alloyed graphene exhibits a high oxygen reduction activity of 1.29 A mgPt−1 and excellent durability over 30 000 potential cycles. The catalyst nanoarchitecture of graphene encased Pt nanoalloy provides a robust capability against nanoparticle migration and corrosion due to a strong metal–support interaction. Similarly, advanced characterization and theoretical calculations show that the multiple active sites in platinum alloyed graphene synergistically account for the improved oxygen reduction. This work not only provides an efficient and robust low‐Pt catalyst but also a facile design idea and scalable preparation technique for integrated catalysts to achieve more profound applications in fuel cells and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cooked meat is a good source of high‐quality protein. However, during long‐term cooking of meat, radical‐induced lipid and protein oxidation may lead to the formation of poisonous compounds, such as heterocyclic amines (HAs). This work investigated a testing method for HAs and it describes that cooking temperature, cooking time and repeated cooking times have influences on the overall quality of braised sauce beef and the effect of HAs formation. RESULTS: The improved method has a good separation effect on nine kinds of HAs. The average recovery of HAs at two spiked levels is between 51.70% and 88.25% (n = 6). The detection limit is 0.025–0.060 ng g–1, and the limit of quantitation is 0.070–0.160 ng g–1. Only harman and norharman were detected in samples. Cooking time and cooking temperature will affect the quality and HA content of samples. When the braised sauce beef soup was cooked 20 times, the HA content was the highest – as high as 21.43 ng g–1. The more times the beef was cooked repeatedly, the higher was the HA content. Under different cooking conditions, glucose has a significant effect on the formation of β‐carboline. CONCLUSION: We have established a detection method for HAs with good repeatability and accuracy. HAs were more easily formed in braised sauce beef by high temperature, long heating and repeated brine cooking. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of formaldehyde‐free stiffening finish agents is highly desirable in modern environmental‐friendly textile chemical processing technologies. Herein, two zwitterionic monomers are synthesized and used to synthesize a series of acrylate soap‐free emulsions. The prepared acrylate soap‐free emulsion was analyzed by nanoparticle size analyzer to determine grain size and PDI. The properties of polymer film obtained from emulsion were characterized by IR, DSC, and DMA. The results showed that zwitterionic monomer in acrylate emulsion can greatly improve the glass transition temperature (Tg) and initial tensile modulus of polymer film, and that ambient temperature had little effect on initial tensile modulus. It was found that when the amount of zwitterionic monomer is 3% of the total monomer dosage, the synthesized polymer emulsion can achieve the same stiffening effect as that of commercial stiffening agents. Meanwhile, the stiffness of finished fabric is less affected by the change in ambient temperature. The effective Tg increase and high initial tensile modulus of these zwitterionic polymers demonstrate their applicability in stiffening finish for seat belts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Success in pregnancy in mammals predominantly depends on a well‐developed placenta. The differentiation of invasive trophoblasts is a fundamental process of placentation, the abnormalities of which are tightly associated with pregnancy disorders including preeclampsia (PE). Monoclonal nonspecific suppressor factor beta (MNSFβ) is an immunosuppressive factor. Its conventional knockout in mice induced embryonic lethality, whereas the underlying mechanism of MNSFβ in regulating placentation and pregnancy maintenance remains to be elucidated. Methods: Trophoblast‐specific knockout of MNSFβ was generated using Cyp19‐Cre mice. In situ hybridization (ISH), haematoxylin and eosin (HE), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) were performed to examine the distribution of MNSFβ and insulin‐like growth factor 2 mRNA‐binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) at the foeto‐maternal interface. The interaction and expression of MNSFβ, IGF2BP2 and invasion‐related molecules were detected by immunoprecipitation (IP), immunoblotting and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). The cell invasion ability was measured by the Transwell insert assay. Results: We found that deficiency of MNSFβ in trophoblasts led to embryonic growth retardation by mid‐gestation and subsequent foetal loss, primarily shown as apparently limited trophoblast invasion. In vitro experiments in human trophoblasts demonstrated that the conjugation of MNSFβ with IGF2BP2 and thus the stabilization of IGF2BP2 essentially mediated the invasion‐promoting effect of MNSFβ. In the placentas from MNSFβ‐deficient mice and severe preeclamptic (PE) patients, downregulation of MNSFβ was evidently associated with the repressed IGF2BP2 expression. Conclusions: The findings reveal the crucial role of MNSFβ in governing the trophoblast invasion and therefore foetal development, and add novel hints to reveal the placental pathology of PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu+‐containing materials have great potentials in various applications like adsorptive desulfurization. Nevertheless, their applications are severely obstructed by poor stability of Cu+ in air. Here, we first clarify the mechanism of Cu+ oxidation by first‐principle calculations and demonstrate that moisture accelerates Cu+ oxidation dramatically. Then, the microenvironment of Cu2O‐modified HKUST‐1, a typical metal‐organic framework, is adjusted from hydrophilic to hydrophobic with polydimethylsiloxane coating (producing Cu2O@HK@P). This isolates moisture from pores and enhances the stability of Cu+ significantly even under oxygen atmosphere. Cu+ in Cu2O@HK@P preserves well after exposed to air for 6 months, while Cu2O@HK lose almost all Cu+ for 2 weeks. The optimal Cu2O@HK@P can remove 540 μmol g−1 of thiophene from hydrous fuel, which is much superior to Cu2O@HK (227 μmol g−1) and most reported adsorbents. Our strategy can also be applied to stabilize Cu+ in various materials including zeolite, mesoporous silica, and activated carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Li+ storage rate capability and diffusion dynamics in two‐dimensional (2D) materials are mainly determined by the interlayer spacing of materials. Investigating the effects of interlayer spacing on Li+ diffusion rate in 2D materials can provide a theoretical guidance for developing the high rate 2D materials for Li+ storage. Herein, a novel approach that P‐phenylenediamine (PPDA) electrostatically intercalated into Nb2CTx layers is employed to facilitate fast Li+ diffusion dynamics and improve diffusion rate for Li+ storage. The PPDA molecules existed between Nb2CTx layers have "support and dragline" effects on layers structure during Li+ insertion/exaction. The PPDA‐Nb2CTx not only enlarges interlayer spacing (d=1.27 nm) to accelerate the Li+ diffusion rate, but also enhances the layered structure stability due to the "support and dragline" effects of PPDA molecules. The PPDA‐Nb2CTx exhibits the excellent capacity of 400 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 and displays a superior capacity retention as 70.2 % at 5.0 A g−1 compared with that of 0.5 A g−1. The PPDA‐Nb2CTx//AC lithium ions hybrid capacitor (LIHC) delivers an excellent power density of 2754.8 W kg−1 at an energy density of 58.3 Wh kg−1 and a capacity retention with 80.0 % at 1.0 A g−1 after 1000 cycles. The interlayer engineering based on electrostatic intercalation provides a novel perspective to expand interlayer spacing, possessing a theoretical guidance for developing the Li+ storage materials with high‐rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuron‐restrictive silencing factor (NRSF) is a zinc‐finger transcription factor that regulates expression of a diverse set of genes. However, NRSF function in brain development still remains elusive. In the present study, we generated NRSF‐conditional knockout (NRSF‐cKO) mice by hGFAP‐Cre/loxp system to study the effect of NRSF deficiency on brain development. Results showed that NRSF conditional knockout caused a smaller hippocampus and a thinner granule cell layer (GCL) in mice. Moreover, the reduction and disarrangement of GFAP+ cells in subgranular zone (SGZ) of NRSF‐cKO mice was accompanied with the decreased number of premature neurons, neural stem cells (NSCs) and neural progenitor cells (NPCs), as well as compromising the majority of mitotically active cells. The analysis of postnatal development of hippocampus indicated the existence of an abnormality at postnatal day (P) 8, rather than at P1, in NRSF‐cKO mice, although the densities of Ki67+ cells with mitotic ability in dentate gyrus were relatively unaffected at P1 and P8. Meanwhile, NRSF deficiency led to abnormal organization of SGZ at P8 during postnatal development. RNA‐Seq analysis revealed 79 deregulated genes in hippocampus of NRSF‐cKO mice at P8, which were involved in p53 signal transduction, neuron migration and negative regulation of cell proliferation, etc. The deregulation of p53 pathway in NRSF‐cKO mice at P1 and P8 was evidenced, of which p21/Cdkn1a was accumulated in a portion of NSCs and NPCs in hippocampus during postnatal development. Together, these results, for the first time, revealed that NRSF could significantly influence the postnatal development of hippocampus, especially the formation of SGZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient iodine-catalyzed [3+3+1] annulation for the construction of dihydrooxepine scaffolds with quinoline units was developed. This strategy involves a seven-membered dihydrooxepine with a broad substrate scope through a formal three-component tandem reaction. Further derivation of the target product produced a trioxabicycle scaffold, which formed the basic core of natural products and pharmaceutical molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) for the treatment of benign thyroid nodules (BTNs). Methods: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched up to September 11, 2020. Volume reduction rate (VRR), symptomatic and cosmetic scores analysed by standardized mean difference (SMD), and complications analysed by risk difference (RD) were performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of RFA and MWA for treating BTNs. Results: Five eligible studies were included. 899 patients with 956 BTNs and 869 patients with 938 BTNs received RFA and MWA, respectively. RFA and MWA have the similar pooled 3‐month (56.0% vs. 53.9%, p =.668) and 6‐month (80.8% vs. 74.9%, p =.080) VRRs. But RFA showed a significantly higher VRR than MWA after 12 months (86.2% vs. 80.0%, p =.036). The pooled symptomatic and cosmetic scores decreased significantly after 6 and 12 months in both RFA and MWA. The improvements of symptoms were equivalent between two groups at 6 (SMD: 1.17 vs. 1.12, p =.930) and 12 (SMD: 1.46 vs. 1.45, p =.930) months. No significant differences in cosmetic scores were found between two groups at 6 (SMD: 0.87 vs. 0.94, p = 0. 334) and 12 (SMD: 1.21 vs. 1.15, p = 0. 872) months. Major (RD = −0.02, P =.107) and minor (RD = 0.00, p =.661) complications did not significantly differ between RFA and MWA. Conclusions: RFA and MWA are effective and safe treatment modalities for BTNs. But RFA showed a superior 12‐month VRR. RFA may have a better long‐term effect on volume reduction of nodules compared with MWA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and practical method for the in situ generation of palladium nanoparticles was successfully established in a water extract of pomelo peel ash. The produced palladium nanoparticles were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy elemental mapping, field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscope, X-ray powder diffraction, and showed high catalytic activity for selective C-2 arylation of indoles. A series of 2-arylindoles were smoothly installed in moderate to good yields through the direct palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of indoles and iodoarenes without external ligand, base, oxidant, and preinstallation directing group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the experience of dealing with defecation dysfunction by changing the eating behaviours of people with rectal cancer following sphincter‐saving surgery. Design: The descriptive qualitative design was applied. Methods: Individual semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 36 purposively selected rectal cancer survivors who had experienced sphincter‐saving surgery. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The thematic analysis was used to structure the data analysis. Results: Three major themes, namely "have motivations to change diet"; "need strategies to change diet" and "face barriers to change diet" were generated along with 12 subthemes. Overall, needing to change one's dietary behaviour is the most important theme in addressing defecation dysfunction in patients following sphincter‐saving surgery. Future studies need to focus more on the specific relationship between different food types and the degree of defecation dysfunction. Systematic, scientific and continuous instructions on eating behaviour are in great need for patients after sphincter‐saving surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critical behaviors of the steered quantum coherence (SQC) in the transverse field XY model with Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya (DM) interaction are explored. It is found that there is an inflexion for the SQC at the critical field of quantum phase transition (QPT) for two long‐distance spins, and there is a divergence for the derivative of the SQC with respect to the magnetic field at the critical field of QPT for any two spins in the chain. Moreover, SQC shows distinct behaviors in different phase regions of the model, which is also a signature of the QPT. Furthermore, the SQC method is robust in studying quantum criticality even under environmental coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a severe health problem worldwide, and vascular calcification (VC) contributes substantially to the cardiovascular morbidity and high mortality of CKD. CKD is often accompanied by a variety of pathophysiological states, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, hyperglycaemia, hyperparathyroidism and haemodynamic derangement, that can cause injuries to smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) to promote VC. Similar to SMCs, whose role has been widely explored in VC, ECs may contribute to VC via osteochondral transdifferentiation, apoptosis, etc. In addition, given their location in the innermost layer of the blood vessel lumen and preferential reception of various pro‐calcification stimuli, ECs can pass messages to vascular wall cells and communicate with them. Crosstalk between ECs and SMCs via cytokines through a paracrine mechanism, extracellular vesicles, miRNAs and myoendothelial gap junctions also plays a role in VC. In this review, we emphasize the role of intercellular crosstalk between ECs and SMCs in VC associated with CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]