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Li Ang et al. present an investigation of feral and domesticated horse gut microbiomes across three continents. Their results provide new insight into how changes in horse lifestyle are reflected in the resident gut microbiome.

Solar photothermal utilization is the important aspect of solar energy utilization, among which the optical characteristics of nanofluids play a decisive role in the efficiency of solar photothermal utilization. ZnO nanoparticles with different morphologies were prepared by hydrothermal method, and then Au was successfully reduced to ZnO nanoparticles by sodium borohydride reduction method to prepare ZnO/Au composite nanomaterials. The morphology, structure and composition of ZnO and ZnO/Au nanoparticles were characterized by SEM and XRD. The UV/VIS/NIR absorption spectra show that ZnO/Au nanofluids significantly improve the absorption in the visible light band. Through the photothermal conversion experiment, the photothermal conversion performance of flower like ZnO nanofluids is better than that of rod like ZnO nanofluids. Due to the plasmon effect of Au, the photothermal conversion performance of ZnO/Au nanofluids is enhanced. When the concentration is 1.0 mg/mL, the photo thermal conversion efficiency of rod like ZnO/10% Au nanofluids is 59%, which is 16% higher than that of pure heat transfer oil nanofluids. When the concentration is 0.5 mg/mL, the photo thermal conversion efficiency of flower like ZnO/10% Au nanofluids is 71%, which is 28% higher than that of pure heat transfer oil nanofluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous pharmacological interventions are now under investigation for the treatment of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), and the evidence is rapidly evolving. Our aim is to evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of these drugs.Methods: We searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the efficacy and safety of novel oral antivirals for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients until November 30, 2022, including baricitinib, ivermectin (IVM), favipiravir (FVP), chloroquine (CQ), lopinavir and ritonavir (LPV/RTV), hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), and hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin (HCQ+AZT). The main outcomes of this network meta-analysis (NMA) were in-hospital mortality, adverse event (AE), recovery time, and improvement in peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2). For dichotomous results, the odds ratio (OR) was used, and the 95% confidence interval (CI) was determined. We also used meta-regression to explore whether different treatments affected efficacy and safety. STATA 15.0 was used to conduct the NMA. The research protocol was registered with PROSPERO (#CRD 42023415743).Results: Thirty-six RCTs, with 33,555 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, were included in this analysis. First, we compared the efficacy of different novel oral antivirals. Baricitinib (OR 0.56, 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.90) showed the highest probability of being the optimal probiotic species in reducing in-hospital mortality and suggested that none of the interventions reduced AE better than placebo. In terms of safety outcomes, IVM ranked first in improving the recovery time of hospitalized COVID-19 patients (mean difference (MD) − 1.36, 95% CI: − 2.32 to − 0.39). In addition, patients were most likely to increase SpO2 (OR 1.77, 95% CI: 0.09 to 3.45). The meta-regression revealed no significant differences between participants using different novel oral antivirals in all outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.Conclusion: Currently, baricitinib has reduced in-hospital mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with moderate certainty of evidence. IVM appeared to be a safer option than placebo in improving recovery time, while FVP was associated with increased SpO2 safety outcomes. These preliminary evidence-based observations should guide clinical practice until more data are made public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO2 and core–shell SiO2@TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel process at different calcination temperatures. Mesoporous hollow TiO2 composites were prepared by etching SiO2 from SiO2@TiO2 nanoparticles with alkali solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM),Transmission electron microscope (TEM), and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, and Roman and Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) were employed to characterize the synthesized materials. The effects of different calcination temperatures on the morphology, crystallinity, phase composition, and photocatalytic activity of the prepared materials were investigated in detail. It was found that the calcination temperature altered the phase structure, crystallinity, morphology, specific surface area, and porous structure. Additionally, it was verified that SiO2 could inhibit the transfer of TiO2 from anatase phase to rutile phase under high temperature calcination (850 °C). The hollow TiO2 calcined at 850 °C showed the highest photocatalytic efficiency of 97.5% for phenol degradation under UV irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnFe2O4 microspheres were prepared by solvothermal method, and a novel ZnFe2O4@TiO2 core-shell composite photocatalyst was prepared by ultrasonic (denoted as ZT-x) and mechanical stirring (denoted as ZTM-1.2). The morphology, structure, magnetic, and optoelectronic properties of the catalyst were investigated comprehensively, and the degradation performance of the catalyst was explored through the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under UV light. The concentration of RhB was 10 mg/L, and the catalyst concentration was 0.3 g/L. ZT-1.2 showed the best photocatalytic degradation activity, and the degradation rate of RhB reached 97.3% within 60 min. The degradation ability of the catalyst was further evaluated by Methylene blue (MB), Methyl orange (MO), Phenol, and Ofloxacin (OFX). ZT-1.2 also exhibited excellent stability. The improved catalyst degradation performance was attributed to constructing a Z-type heterojunction. Moreover, the low-efficiency degradation of ZTM-1.2 was caused by catalyst agglomeration and low TiO2 loading, confirming the superiority of the ultrasonic method and providing a new method for the preparation of magnetically recoverable TiO2-based core-shell photocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]