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Transition-metal-doped Bi2Se3 crystals, X0.05Bi2Se3 (X=Cr, Co, Ni, and Cu), are prepared and studied by powder x-ray diffraction and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements to get the local structures around the dopants. Cr atoms substitute Bi atoms and Co atoms may substitute Bi atoms or form Co3Se4 (C2/m) clusters. Cu is also found taking the Bi substitutional site, which differs from the reported superconductor phase of Cu-doped Bi2Se3, suggesting the dependence of site occupancy of Cu in Bi2Se3 on the process of sample growing. For Ni0.05Bi2Se3, Ni atoms form Ni3Se4 (C2/m) clusters. The nearest neighbors of X (X=Cr, Co, and Cu) are Se atoms, and the X-Se bond lengths are extracted from EXAFS as 2.50 Å for Cr-Se, 2.40 Å for Co-Se, and 2.38 Å for Cu-Se, which show the direct evidences of dramatic structural relaxations around 3d dopants. The bond information of local structures around dopants is valuable for subsequent theoretical studies, and can hardly be obtained from other techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second harmonic generation (SHG) from three-dimensional topological insulators originates from both surface and bulk, which does not allow probing of surface states unless the measurement can separate the two contributions. In this paper, we used combined measurements of transmitted and reflected SHG from epitaxially grown Bi2Se3 thin films of different thickness on BaF2, and a bulk Bi2Se3 crystal, to deduce surface and bulk nonlinear susceptibilities of Bi2Se3 separately. We found that the surface contribution to SHG was comparable to that from the bulk of the crystal, but becomes dominant in ultrathin films. In the latter case, contributions from both air/Bi2Se3 and Bi2Se3/BaF2 interfaces were significant and exhibited a strong out-of-plane polar ordering. The bulk contribution came mainly from the space charge region (SCR), which was formed by Se vacancies aggregated at the air/Bi2Se3 interface; its magnitude can provide an estimate on the field strength in the SCR. Clarification of surface and bulk contributions to SHG can help nonlinear optical techniques be used as a versatile in situ probe for topological insulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron spin plays important roles in determining the physical and chemical properties of matter. However, measurements of electron spin are of poor quality, impeding the development of material sciences, because the spin polarimeter has a low efficiency. Here, we show an imaging-type exchange-scattering spin polarimeter with 6786 channels and an 8.5 ? 10-3 single channel efficiency. As a demonstration, the fine spin structure of the electronic states in bismuth (111) is investigated, for which strong Rashba-type spin splitting behavior is seen in both the bulk and surface states. This improvement paves the way to study novel spin related phenomena with unprecedented accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), the most common subtype of hemorrhagic stroke, leads to cognitive impairment and imposes significant psychological burdens on patients. Hippocampal neurogenesis has been shown to play an essential role in cognitive function. Our previous study has shown that tetrahydrofolate (THF) promotes the proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs). However, the effect of THF on cognition after ICH and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we demonstrated that administration of THF could restore cognition after ICH. Using Nestin-GFP mice, we further revealed that THF enhanced the proliferation of hippocampal NSCs and neurogenesis after ICH. Mechanistically, we found that THF could prevent ICH-induced elevated level of PTEN and decreased expressions of phosphorylated AKT and mTOR. Furthermore, conditional deletion of PTEN in NSCs of the hippocampus attenuated the inhibitory effect of ICH on the proliferation of NSCs and abnormal neurogenesis. Taken together, these results provide molecular insights into ICH-induced cognitive impairment and suggest translational clinical therapeutic strategy for hemorrhagic stroke., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 Zhang et al.)

Objective: This study aims to comprehensively analyze the clinical characteristics and identify the differentially expressed genes associated with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) in patients with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD)., Methods: A retrospective investigation was conducted from July 2019 to June 2022, involving 40 pediatric cases of DRE linked to FCD. Subsequent follow-ups were done to assess post-surgical outcomes. Transcriptomic sequencing and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to examine differential gene expression between the FCD and control groups., Results: Among the 40 patients included in the study, focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (13/40, 32.50%) and epileptic spasms (9/40, 22.50%) were the predominant seizure types. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed frequent involvement of the frontal (22/40, 55%) and temporal lobes (12/40, 30%). In cases with negative MRI results (13/13, 100%), positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) scans revealed hypometabolic lesions. Fused MRI/PET-CT images demonstrated lesion reduction in 40.74% (11/27) of cases compared with PET-CT alone, while 59.26% (16/27) yielded results consistent with PET-CT findings. FCD type II was identified in 26 cases, and FCD type I in 13 cases. At the last follow-up, 38 patients were prescribed an average of 1.27 ± 1.05 anti-seizure medications (ASMs), with two patients discontinuing treatment. After a postoperative follow-up period of 23.50 months, 75% (30/40) of patients achieved Engel class I outcome. Transcriptomic sequencing and qRT-PCR analysis identified several genes primarily associated with cilia, including CFAP47, CFAP126, JHY, RSPH4A, and SPAG1., Significance: This study highlights focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures as the most common seizure type in patients with DRE due to FCD. Surgical intervention primarily targeted lesions in the frontal and temporal lobes. Patients with FCD-related DRE showed a promising prognosis for seizure control post-surgery. The identified genes, including CFAP47, CFAP126, JHY, RSPH4A, and SPAG1, could serve as potential biomarkers for FCD., Plain Language Summary: This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the clinical data of individuals affected by focal cortical dysplasia and analyze transcriptomic data from brain tissues. We found that focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures were the most prevalent seizure type in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. In cases treated surgically, the frontal and temporal lobes were the primary sites of the lesions. Moreover, patients with focal cortical dysplasia-induced drug-resistant epilepsy exhibited a favorable prognosis for seizure control after surgery. CFAP47, CFAP126, JHY, RSPH4A, and SPAG1 have emerged as potential pathogenic genes for the development of focal cortical dysplasia., (© 2024 The Authors. Epilepsia Open published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International League Against Epilepsy.)

Abstract: Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U) means that people with HIV who achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load have effectively zero risk of sexually transmitting the virus to others. However, research on how U = U is perceived by older adults living with HIV (OAH) is currently lacking. This study explored U = U views among OAH. From October 2019 to February 2020, we conducted open-ended interviews with 24 OAH recruited at an HIV clinic in South Carolina. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. We employed thematic analysis in this study. Three themes emerged from the analysis: (a) Conflicting beliefs in U = U; (b) Use condoms regardless; and (c) Fear of HIV reinfection. Despite strong scientific evidence supporting U = U, some OAH do not believe in U = U. This lack of belief could deprive OAH of the benefits U = U offers. Therefore, it is vital to educate OAH about U = U to enhance their understanding and belief in U = U., (Copyright © 2024 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care.)

Objective: The study aimed to find the difference in functional network topology on interictal electroencephalographic (EEG) between patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) and healthy people., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records as well as EEG data of ten patients with DRE and recruited five sex-age-matched healthy controls (HC group). Each participant remained awake while undergoing video-electroencephalography (vEEG) monitoring. After excluding data that contained abnormal discharges, we screened EEG segments that were free of artifacts and put them together into 20-min segments. The screened data was bandpass filtered to different frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma). The weighted phase lag index (wPLI) and the network properties were calculated to evaluate changes in the topology of the functional network. Finally, the results were statistically analyzed, and the false discovery rate (FDR) was used to correct for differences after multiple comparisons., Results: In the full frequency band (0.5-45 Hz), the functional connectivity in the DRE group during the interictal period was significantly lower than that in the HC group ( p  < 0.05). Compared to the HC group, in the full frequency band, the DRE group exhibited significantly decreased clustering coefficient (CC), node degree (D), and global efficiency (GE), while the characteristic path length (CPL) significantly increased ( p  < 0.05). In the sub-frequency bands, the functional connectivity of the DRE group was significantly lower than that of the HC group in the delta band but higher in the alpha, beta, and gamma bands ( p  < 0.05). The statistical results of network properties revealed that in the delta band, the DRE group had significantly decreased values for D, CC, and GE, but in the alpha, beta, and gamma bands, these values were significantly increased ( p  < 0.05). Additionally, the CPL of the DRE group significantly increased in the delta and theta bands but significantly decreased in the alpha, beta, and gamma bands ( p  < 0.05)., Conclusion: The topology structure of the functional network in DRE patients was significantly changed compared with healthy people, which was reflected in different frequency bands. It provided a theoretical basis for understanding the pathological network alterations of DRE., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Ding, Guo, Shan, Chen, Wu, Wu, Wang and Li.)

The disorder of brain activity dynamics is one of the main characteristics leading to disorders of consciousness (DOC). However, few studies have explored whether the dynamics of brain activity can be modulated, and whether the dynamics of brain activity can help to evaluate the state of consciousness and the recovery progress of consciousness. In current study, 20 patients with minimally conscious state (MCS) and 13 patients with vegetative state (VS) were enrolled, and resting state electroencephalogram (EEG) data and the coma recovery scale-revised (CRS-R) scores were collected three times before and after high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) treatment. The patients were divided into the improved group and the unimproved group according to whether the CRS-R scores were improved after the treatment, and the dynamic changes of resting state EEG microstate parameters during treatment were analyzed. The results showed the occurrence per second (OPS) of microstate D was significantly different between the MCS group and VS group, and it was positively correlated with the CRS-R before the treatment. After 2 weeks of the treatment, the OPS of microstate D improved significantly in the improved group. Meanwhile, the mean microstate duration (MMD), ratio of time coverage (Cov) of microstate C and the Cov of microstate D were significantly changed after the treatment. Compared with the microstates parameters before the treatment, the dynamic changes of parameters with significant difference in the improved group showed a consistent trend after the treatment. In contrast, the microstates parameters did not change significantly after the treatment in the unimproved group. The results suggest that the dynamics of EEG brain activity can be modulated by HD-tDCS, and the improvement in brain activity dynamics is closely related to the recovery of DOC, which is helpful to evaluate the level of DOC and the progress of recovery of consciousness., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Guo, Li, Zhang, Liu, Zhang, Zhao, Shan, Wang and Hu.)

Abstract: Dual epidemics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and HIV cause burnout among HIV health care workers. Guided by a socioecological framework, we investigated risk and protective factors of their burnout in Guangxi, China based on an online survey (N = 1,029) from April to May 2020. Descriptive and bivariate analyses and hierarchical regression were conducted. COVID-19-related stressors (B = 0.648 [0.482-0.816], p < .001), challenges while delivering HIV services (B = 0.236 [0.174-0.298], p < .001), and working in province/city-level institutes (B = 2.302, [0.828-3.776], p =.002) were risk factors. Protective factors were resilience (B = -0.596 [-0.687 to -0.504], p < .001), workplace social support (B = -0.410 [-0.717 to -0.044], p =.03), and institutional responsiveness to COVID-19 (B = -0.138 [-0.205 to -0.071], p < .001), respectively. Burnout-related interventions may benefit from promoting resilience, creating a supportive work environment, and strengthening institutional response to public health emergencies., (Copyright © 2021 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care.)

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor as an attractive drug target with promising antitumor effects has been widely investigated. High quality clinical trial has been conducted in liver transplant (LT) recipients in Western countries. However, the pertinent studies in Eastern world are paucity. Therefore, we designed a clinical trial to test whether sirolimus can improve recurrence-free survival (RFS) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients beyond the Milan criteria after LT. This is an open-labeled, single-arm, prospective, multicenter, and real-world study aiming to evaluate the clinical outcomes of early switch to sirolimus-based regimens in HCC patients after LT. Patients with a histologically proven HCC and beyond the Milan criteria will be enrolled. The initial immunosuppressant regimens are center-specific for the first 4-6 weeks. The following regimens integrated sirolimus into the regimens as a combination therapy with reduced calcineurin inhibitors based on the condition of patients and centers. The study is planned for 4 years in total with a 2-year enrollment period and a 2-year follow-up. We predict that sirolimus conversion regimen will provide survival benefits for patients particular in the key indicator RFS as well as better quality of life. If the trial is conducted successfully, we will have a continued monitoring over a longer follow-up time to estimate indicator of overall survival. We hope that the outcome will provide better evidence for clinical decision-making and revising treatment guidelines based on Chinese population data. Trial register: Trial registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn: ChiCTR2100042869., Competing Interests: Competing interest No benefits in any form have been received or will be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Abstract: To elaborate the negative impacts of sexual and gender minority (SGM)-related legislation for the HIV epidemic in Zambia, we reviewed Zambian legislation that restricts the rights of SGM people and synthesized its consequences. We retrieved legal documents through the National Assembly of Zambia and the Zambia Legal Information Institute and conducted a critical review based on four academic databases following thematic synthesis methodology. Eighteen literature records and six Zambian laws were included in the review. Existing laws criminalize same-sex sexual behavior and restrict same-sex marriage and the adoption of children. Anti-SGM legislation has limited legal protections for SGM people and increased vulnerability of criminal prosecution and HIV exposure, persistent stigma/discrimination, insufficient public health resources, and lessened access to HIV-related services. We recommend enacting legal protections for SGM people, decriminalizing anti-SGM laws, rectifying misinformation to destigmatize SGM people, targeting health care for SGM people, and including SGM people in the national HIV strategy., (Copyright © 2021 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care.)