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Jing-Fan Gao,* Yue-Yan Dong,* Xin Jin, Li-Jun Dai, Jing-Rao Wang, Hong Zhang Eye Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hong Zhang, Department of Eye Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of China, Email zhanghong@hrbmu.edu.cnObjective: Keratoconus is a commonly progressive and blinding corneal disorder. Iron metabolism and oxidative stress play crucial roles in both keratoconus and ferroptosis. However, the association between keratoconus and ferroptosis is currently unclear. This study aimed to analyze and verify the role of ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) in the pathogenesis of keratoconus through bioinformatics.Methods: We first obtained keratoconus-related datasets and FRGs. Then, the differentially expressed FRGs (DE-FRGs) associated with keratoconus were screened through analysis, followed by analysis of their biological functions. Subsequently, the LASSO and SVM-RFE algorithms were used to screen for diagnostic biomarkers. GSEA was performed to explore the potential functions of the marker genes. Finally, the associations between these biomarkers and immune cells were analyzed. qRT‒PCR was used to detect the expression of these biomarkers in corneal tissues.Results: A total of 39 DE-FRGs were screened, and functional enrichment analysis revealed that the DE-FRGs were closely related to apoptosis, oxidative stress, and the immune response. Then, using multiple algorithms, 6 diagnostic biomarkers were selected, and the ROC curve was used to verify their risk prediction ability. In addition, based on CIBERSORT analysis, alterations in the immune microenvironment of keratoconus patients might be associated with H19, GCH1, CHAC1, and CDKN1A. Finally, qRT‒PCR confirmed that the expression of H19 and CHAC1 was elevated in the keratoconus group.Conclusion: This study identified 6 DE-FRGs, 4 of which were associated with immune infiltrating cells, and established a diagnostic model with predictive value for keratoconus.Keywords: keratoconus, ferroptosis, immune infiltration, machine learning

Haiying Li,1 Tingting Pan,1 Ying Cui,1 Xiaxia Li,1 Jiefang Gao,1 Wenzhi Yang,1 Shigang Shen2 1Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Quality Control of Hebei Province, College of Pharmacy, 2Key Laboratory of Analytical Science and Technology of Hebei Province, College of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Hebei University, Baoding, People’s Republic of China Abstract: The objective of this work was to prepare an oil/water glimepiride (GM) microemulsion (ME) for oral administration to improve its solubility and enhance its bioavailability. Based on a solubility study, pseudoternary phase diagrams, and Box–Behnken design, the oil/water GMME formulation was optimized and prepared. GMME was characterized by dynamic laser light scattering, zeta potential, transmission electron microscopy, and viscosity. The in vitro drug release, storage stability, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics of GMME were investigated. The optimized GMME was composed of Capryol 90 (oil), ­Cremophor RH40 (surfactant), and Transcutol (cosurfactant), and increased GM solubility up to 544.6±4.91 µg/mL. The GMME was spherical in shape. The particle size and its polydispersity index were 38.9±17.46 nm and 0.266±0.057, respectively. Meanwhile, the GMME was physicochemically stable at 4°C for at least 3 months. The short-term efficacy in diabetic mice provided the proof that blood glucose had a consistent and significant reduction at a dose of 375 µg/kg whether via IP injection or IG administration of GMME. Compared with the glimepiride suspensions or glimepiride-meglumine complex solution, the pharmacokinetics of GMME in Wistar rats via IG administration exhibited higher plasma drug concentration, larger area under the curve, and more enhanced oral bioavailability. There was a good correlation of GMME between the in vitro release values and the in vivo oral absorption. ME could be an effective oral drug delivery system to improve bioavailability of GM. Keywords: glimepiride, microemulsion, solubility, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics

Pleurogenoides japonicus (Trematoda: Microphalloidea) is an important parasite in wood frogs with high infection rates and significant ecological, economic, and societal importance. The scarcity of molecular data for these parasites severely limits population genetics and phylogenetic studies. In the present study, for the first time, we determined and described the entire mitochondrial (mt) genome of P. japonicus as the first representative of the family Pleurogenidae. The entire mt genome of P. japonicus was circular, with 15,043 bp (GenBank accession number OR900118), containing 36 genes, comprising 12 protein-coding genes ( cox 1-3, nad 1-6, nad 4L, cyt b, and atp 6), two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and two non-coding regions. There were 23 intergenic spacers, ranging from 2 to 162 bp, and only one 40 bp overlap between nad 4L and nad 4 genes in the P. japonicus mt genome. The nucleotide composition of P. japonicus mt genome exhibited a strong AT bias with a 63.75% A + T content, while the AT- and GC-skews were - 0.435 and 0.407, respectively. Comparative analysis demonstrated that the P. japonicus mt genome shared the most common characteristics with Microphalloidea trematodes, and the cox 1 gene was the longest and most conserved gene in Microphalloidea trematodes. The gene arrangements of Xiphidiata trematodes were of the same order based on protein-coding genes and rRNA genes, except for tRNA. More than two gene arrangement types exist in Echinostomata and Xiphidiata, and the gene rearrangement events mainly occurred in "trnE-trnG" and "trnG-trnE". Phylogenetic analysis suggested that trematodes of the family Pleurogenidae clustered more with Prosthogonimidae than Eucotylidae. The mt genome data of P. japonicus provide an accurate genetic marker for further studies of Xiphidiata trematodes., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interests., (© 2024 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Liver disease caused by Fasciola is a significant zoonotic and parasitic disease with substantial economic impacts on humans and animals. Many studies have looked at the prevalence of fasciolis worldwide, yet the overall prevalence and risk factors in cattle, ruminants, and humans remains unknown., Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the global prevalence and risk factors of fascioliasis in humans and domestic ruminants. With this aim, we searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Scopus from inception to 8 December 2022 for studies reporting the prevalence of fascioliasis in humans or domestic ruminants post-2000. We then used random effects models to describe the prevalence of fascioliasis; trim-and-fill analysis and Egger's test to assess publication bias; and meta-regression and sensitivity analyses to examine the risk factors for prevalence and heterogeneity., Results: We retrieved 4422 articles, with 371 being included in the analysis, as they concerned fascioliasis in humans and ruminants globally. The pooled prevalence of bovine fasciolosis was 17%, while ovine fasciolosis and human fascioliasis had pooled prevalences of 13% and 5%, respectively. We also conducted subgroup analyses by continents, countries, Fasciola species, sampling years, altitude, rainfall, temperature, humidity, age, sex, feeding mode, and residence. Here, altitude and age emerged as risk factors associated with an increased prevalence of fascioliasis. Both the trim-and-fill analysis and Egger's test confirmed the presence of publication bias, while the sensitivity analysis showed that the omission of any single study did not significantly influence the combined pooled prevalence., Conclusions: Fascioliasis is a widely prevalent zoonosis among humans and livestock worldwide. Strategies targeting risk factors such as altitude and age are urgently needed for prevention and control of this disease, which will consequently reduce Fasciola infection. Additionally, given the inadequacy or absence of data in some countries, greater attention should be paid to Fasciola infection, with further epidemiological studies focussing on improving data quality., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author) and disclose no relevant interests., (Copyright © 2024 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Recent years have witnessed the explosive development of highly sensitive smart sensors based on conductive polymer foam materials. However, the design and development of multifunctional polymeric foam composites as smart sensors applied in complex solvent and oil environments remain a critical challenge. Herein, we design and synthesize vinyl-terminated polytrifluoropropylmethylsiloxane through anionic ring-opening polymerization to fabricate fluorosilicone rubber foam (FSiRF) materials with nanoscale wrinkled surfaces and reactive Si-H groups via a green and rapid chemical foaming strategy. Based on the strong adhesion between FSiRF materials and consecutive oxidized ketjen black (OKB) nano-network, multifunctional FSiRF nanocomposites were prepared by a dip-coating strategy followed by fluoroalkylsilane modification. The optimized F-OKB@FSiRF nanocomposites exhibit outstanding mechanical flexibility in wide-temperature range (100 cycle compressions from -20 to 200 °C), structure stability (no detached particles after being immersed into various aqueous solutions for up to 15 days), surface superhydrophobicity (water contact angle of 154° and sliding angle of ∼7°), and tunable electrical conductivity (from 10 -5 to 10 -2 S m -1 ). Additionally, benefiting from the combined actions of multiple lines of defense (low surface energy groups, physical barriers, and "shielding effect"), the F-OKB@FSiRF sensor presents excellent anti-swelling property and high sensitivity in monitoring both large-deformation and tiny vibrations generated by knocking the beaker, ultrasonic action, agitating, and sinking objects in weak-polar or nonpolar solvents. This work conceivably provides a chemical strategy for the fabrication of multifunctional polymeric foam nanocomposite materials as smart sensors for broad applications.

Crytosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis , and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are important diarrheal pathogens with a global distribution that threatens the health of humans and animals. Despite cattle being potential transmission hosts of these protozoans, the associated risks to public health have been neglected. In the present study, a total of 1155 cattle fecal samples were collected from 13 administrative regions of Heilongjiang Province. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis , and E. bieneusi were 5.5% (64/1155; 95% CI: 4.2-6.9), 3.8% (44/1155; 95% CI: 2.7-4.9), and 6.5% (75/1155; 95% CI: 5.1-7.9), respectively. Among these positive fecal samples, five Cryptosporidium species ( C. andersoni , C. bovis , C. ryanae , C. parvum , and C. occultus ), two G. duodenalis assemblages (E and A), and eight E. bieneusi genotypes (BEB4, BEB6, BEB8, J, I, CHS7, CHS8, and COS-I) were identified. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all eight genotypes of E. bieneusi identified in the present study belonged to group 2. It is worth noting that some species/genotypes of these intestinal protozoans are zoonotic, suggesting a risk of zoonotic disease transmission in endemic areas. The findings expanded our understanding of the genetic composition and zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis , and E. bieneusi in cattle in Heilongjiang Province.

MXene-based thermal camouflage materials have gained increasing attention due to their low emissivity, however, the poor anti-oxidation restricts their potential applications under complex environments. Various modification methods and strategies, e.g., the addition of antioxidant molecules and fillers have been developed to overcome this, but the realization of long-term, reliable thermal camouflage using MXene network (coating) with excellent comprehensive performance remains a great challenge. Here, a MXene-based hybrid network comodified with hyaluronic acid (HA) and hyperbranched polysiloxane (HSi) molecules is designed and fabricated. Notably, the presence of appreciated HA molecules restricts the oxidation of MXene sheets without altering infrared stealth performance, superior to other water-soluble polymers; while the HSi molecules can act as efficient cross-linking agents to generate strong interactions between MXene sheets and HA molecules. The optimized MXene/HA/HSi composites exhibit excellent mechanical flexibility (folded into crane structure), good water/solvent resistance, and long-term stable thermal camouflage capability (with low infrared emissivity of ≈0.29). The long-term thermal camouflage reliability (≈8 months) under various outdoor weathers and the scalable coating capability of the MXene-coated textile enable them to disguise the IR signal of various targets in complex environments, indicating the great promise of achieved material for thermal camouflage, IR stealth, and counter surveillance., (© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Despite incorporation of organic groups into silica-based aerogels to enhance their mechanical flexibility, the wide temperature reliability of the modified silicone aerogel is inevitably degraded. Therefore, facile synthesis of soft silicone aerogels with wide-temperature stability remains challenging. Herein, novel silicone aerogels containing a high content of Si are reported by using polydimethylvinylsiloxane (PDMVS), a hydrosilylation adduct with water-repellent groups, as a "flexible chain segment" embedded within the aerogel network. The poly(2-dimethoxymethylsilyl)ethylmethylvinylsiloxane (PDEMSEMVS) aerogel is fabricated through a cost-effective ambient temperature/pressure drying process. The optimized aerogel exhibits exceptional performance, such as ultra-low density (50 mg cm -3 ), wide-temperature mechanical flexibility, and super-hydrophobicity, in comparison to the previous polysiloxane aerogels. A significant reduction in the density of these aerogels is achieved while maintaining a high crosslinking density by synthesizing gel networks with well-defined macromolecules through hydrolytic polycondensation crosslinking of PDEMSEMVS. Notably, the pore/nanoparticle size of aerogels can be fine-tuned by optimizing the gel solvent type. The as-prepared silicone aerogels demonstrate selective absorption, efficient oil-water separation, and excellent thermal insulation properties, showing promising applications in oil/water separation and thermal protection., (© 2023 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Prosthogonimiasis poses a threat to the reproductive system of poultry and wild birds, which are the definitive hosts of the parasite causing this disease. However, the parasite infection of the second intermediate host (dragonfly), the primary vector of this pathogen, is rarely reported. In this study, the prevalence of Prosthogonimus infection in dragonflies was investigated from June 2019 to October 2022 in Heilongjiang Province, northeast China. The species of metacercariae isolated from dragonfly were identified by morphological characteristics, molecular biology techniques, and animal infection experiments. The results showed that 11 species of dragonflies and one damselfly were identified and among six of the dragonflies infected by Prosthogonimus metacercariae, Sympetrum depressiusculum (28.53%) had the highest infection rate among all positive dragonflies, followed by Sympetrum vulgatum (27.86%) and Sympetrum frequens (20.99%), which are preferred hosts, and the total prevalence was 20.39% (2061/10,110) in Heilongjiang Province. Three species of Prosthogoniumus metacercariae were isolated, including Prosthogonimus cuneatus, Prosthogonimus pullucidus, and Prosthogonimus sp., among which P. cuneatus was the dominant species in dragonflies in Heilongjiang Province. This is the first report on the prevalence of Prosthogonimus in dragonflies in China, which provides baseline data for the control of prosthogonimiasis in Heilongjiang Province and a reference for the prevention of prosthogonimiasis in other areas of China., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Unmetabolized human pharmaceuticals may enter aquatic environments, and potentially exert adverse effects on the survival of non-target organisms. Here, Pelophylax nigromaculatus tadpoles were exposed to different concentrations of antidiabetic glibenclamide (GLB) for 30 days to evaluate its potential ecotoxicological effect in amphibians using intestinal microbiomic and metabolomic profiles. The mortality rate of GLB-exposed groups appeared to be lower than that of the control group. Despite not being statistically significant, there was a tendency for a decrease in intestinal microbial diversity after exposure. The relative abundance of bacteria phylum Firmicutes was shown to decrease, but those of other phyla did not in GLB-exposed tadpoles. Some potentially pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Clostridium, Bilophila, Hafnia) decrease unexpectedly, while some beneficial bacteria (e.g., Akkermansia, Faecalibacterium) increased in GLB-exposed tadpoles. Accordingly, GLB-induced changes in intestinal microbial compositions did not seem harmful to animal health. Moreover, minor changes in a few intestinal metabolites were observed after GLB exposure. Overall, our results suggested that exposure to low levels of GLB did not necessarily exert an adverse impact on amphibian larvae., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Aim: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of folic acid combined with decitabine on diabetic mice., Methods: The diabetic model of db/db mice were randomly divided into model group, folic acid group, decitabine group, folic acid combined with decitabine group, and C57 mice as normal control group. The density of retinal blood vessels and retinal thickness were detected by fundus photography and optical coherence tomography, respectively. Pathological changes of retina were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The homocysteine (Hcy) in serum was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) was used to detect apoptosis in retinal tissue. Evans blue dye was used to detect the permeability of retinal blood vessels. The platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (CD31) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) protein were detected by Western blot. The 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) and 4-hydroxynonanine (4-HNE) were detected by immunohistochemistry., Results: The density of retinal blood vessels, retinal thickness, retinal vascular permeability and the proportion of apoptotic cells of retinal tissue in the model group increased significantly than control group ( P <0.05). The Hcy in serum and the levels of CD31, VEGFR, 3-NT, and 4-HNE in retinal tissue increased significantly in the model group ( P <0.01). Folic acid and decitabine both reversed these changes significantly, and the combination of the folic acid and decitabine worked best., Conclusion: The combination of folic acid and decitabine has a more significant protective effect on the retina in diabetic mice., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)

An abundance of early warning graphene-based nano-materials and sensors have been developed to avoid and prevent the critical fire risk of combustible materials. However, there are still some limitations that should be addressed, such as the black color, high-cost and single fire warning response of graphene-based fire warning materials. Herein, we report an unexpected montmorillonite (MMT)-based intelligent fire warning materials that have excellent fire cyclic warning performance and reliable flame retardancy. Combining phenyltriethoxysilane (PTES) molecules, poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) nanofiber (PBONF), and layers of MMT to form a silane crosslinked 3D nanonetwork system, the homologous PTES decorated MMT-PBONF nanocomposites are designed and fabricated via a sol-gel process and low temperature self-assembly method. The optimized nanocomposite paper shows good mechanical flexibility (good recovery after kneading or bending process), high tensile strength of ∼81 MPa and good water resistance. Furthermore, the nanocomposite paper exhibits high-temperature flame resistance (almost unchanged structure and size after 120 s combustion), sensitive flame alarm response (∼0.3 s response once exposure onto a flame), cyclic fire warning performance (>40 cycles), and adaptability to complex fire situations (several fire attack and evacuation scenarios), showing promising applications for monitoring the critical fire risk of combustible materials. Therefore, this work paves a rational way for design and fabrication of MMT-based smart fire warning materials that combine excellent flame shielding and sensitive fire alarm functions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture(EA) stimulation on proliferation and diffe-rentiation of endogenous neural stem cells as well as Jagged1/Notch1 pathway in AD model mice, so as to explore its mechanism underlying amelioration of AD., Methods: A total of 40 6-week-old male APP/PS1 transgenic AD mice were randomly divided into EA group ( n =20) and AD model group ( n =20), and other 20 normal C57BL/6J mice of the same age were used as the normal control group. The mice in the EA group received EA (10 Hz, 2 mA) at "Baihui"(GV20), "Fengfu"(GV16) and bilateral "Shenshu" (BL23) for 20 min, once daily, 6 days a week for 16 weeks. The mice's learning-memory ability was detected by Morris water maze tests. The Aβ senile plaques in the hippocampal CA1 region were detected by Congo red staining, the immunofluorescence double label of BrdU, neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN) and astrocyte specific protein GFAP in dentate gyrus of hippocampus was performed for detecting the proliferation and differentiation of the endogenous neural stem cells. The expression levels of Nestin (neuron specific protein) and GFAP were detected by Western blot, and those of Jagged1 and Notch1 mRNAs and proteins in the hippocampus were detected by real-time fluorescence quantifative PCR and Western blot., Results: Compared with the normal control group, the escape latencies at 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th day, and Aβ senile plaques were significantly increased ( P <0.05, P <0.01), whereas the platform crossing times and time spent in the target quadrant, the expression levels of Jagged1 mRNA and Nestin protein were remarkably down-regulated ( P <0.05) in the model group. Following EA intervention, the escape latencies at the 3 rd and 4 th day, Aβ senile plaques, immunofluorescence density of BrdU/GFAP, and GFAP protein expression were pronouncedly decreased ( P <0.05, P <0.01), while the platform crossing times, platform quadrant residence time, immunofluorescence density of BrdU/NeuN, expression levels of Jagged1 and Notch1 mRNAs and proteins and Nestin protein evidently increased ( P <0.05, P <0.01), suggesting an enhancement of proliferation and diffe-rentiation of endogenous neural stem cells into neurons and a suppression of the proliferation and differentiation towards astrocytes in the hippocampus., Conclusion: EA at GV20, GV16 and BL23 can improve the learning-memory ability, promote the proliferation and differentiation of endogenous neural stem cells towards neurons and inhibit the proliferation and differentiation of endogenous neural stem cells towards astrocytes in the hippocampus, which may be achieved by regulating Jagged1/Notch1 pathway.

Professor FU Wen-bin , based on the concept of the " yang -oriented approach", identifies " yang deficiency with excess yin " as the underlying pathological mechanism of "five delays and five weaknesses" in children. He recommends a treatment model that included acupuncture, moxibustion, and rehabilitation, integrating various therapeutic methods of acupuncture, refined moxibustion, and auricular point sticking. Specific acupoints along the conception vessel, governor vessel, and bladder meridian, as well as related acupoints with tonifying effects on spleen and kidney, are selected to achieve the therapeutic goal of "promoting yang and nourishing yang simultaneously".

The extensive use of organophosphorus insecticides poses a threat to the survival of non-target organisms. Ecotoxicological outcomes of embryonic exposure to insecticides are rarely evaluated in various oviparous species. In this study, soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) eggs were incubated in moist substrate containing different levels (0, 2, 20 and 200 μg/kg) of chlorpyrifos to investigate its toxic effects on embryonic development and survival, and hatchling physiological performance. Chlorpyrifos exposure had no significant impacts on embryonic development rate and egg survival in P. sinensis. Similarly, embryonic chlorpyrifos exposure neither obviously affected the size and locomotor performance of hatchlings, nor changed the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, and content of malondialdehyde in their erythrocytes. Based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, minor metabolic perturbations related to amino acid, lipid and energy metabolism in hatchlings after embryonic chlorpyrifos exposure were revealed by hepatic metabolite profiling. Overall, our results suggested that embryonic exposure to environmentally relevant levels of chlorpyrifos had only a limited impact on physiological performances of hatchlings, although it would result in a potential risk of hepatotoxicity in P. sinensis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Trematodes of the genus Ogmocotyle are intestinal flukes that can infect a variety of definitive hosts, resulting in significant economic losses worldwide. However, there are few studies on molecular data of these trematodes. In this study, the mitochondrial (mt) genome of Ogmocotyle ailuri isolated from red panda ( Ailurus fulgens ) was determined and compared with those from Pronocephalata to investigate the mt genome content, genetic distance, gene rearrangements and phylogeny. The complete mt genome of O. ailuri is a typical closed circular molecule of 14 642 base pairs, comprising 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 2 non-coding regions. All genes are transcribed in the same direction. In addition, 23 intergenic spacers and 2 locations with gene overlaps were determined. Sequence identities and sliding window analysis indicated that cox 1 is the most conserved gene among 12 PCGs in O. ailuri mt genome. The sequenced mt genomes of the 48 Plagiorchiida trematodes showed 5 types of gene arrangement based on all mt genome genes, with the gene arrangement of O. ailuri being type I. Phylogenetic analysis using concatenated amino acid sequences of 12 PCGs revealed that O. ailuri was closer to Ogmocotyle sikae than to Notocotylus intestinalis . These data enhance the Ogmocotyle mt genome database and provide molecular resources for further studies of Pronocephalata taxonomy, population genetics and systematics.

Researchers mainly explore the mechanism of pseudocapacitance through studying electrode materials with Faraday pseudocapacitive behavior. Here, we found that Bi 2 WO 6 , a typical Aurivillius phase material with pseudo-perovskite structure, showed nearly ideal pseudocapacitive behavior. The cyclic voltammetry curve is approximately rectangular in shape, with no redox peaks, which is similar to that of carbon materials. And the shape of the galvanostatic charge-discharge curve is close to an isosceles triangle. In addition, the kinetic analysis demonstrated that the electrochemical process of the A-Bi 2 WO 6 electrode is dominated by surface processes, not diffusion. The A-Bi 2 WO 6 electrode material presents a great volumetric specific capacitance of 466.5 F cm -3 at 0.5 A g -1 . These electrochemical properties confirm that the Bi 2 WO 6 material can serve as an ideal support material to explore pseudocapacitive energy storage. This work also provides guidance for the development of new pseudocapacitive materials.

Imidazole-based compounds are a series of heterocyclic compounds that exhibit a wide range of biological and pharmaceutical activities. However, those extant syntheses using conventional protocols can be time-costly, require harsh conditions, and result in low yields. As a novel and green technique, sonochemistry has emerged as a promising method for organic synthesis with several advantages over conventional methods, including enhancing reaction rates, improving yields, and reducing the use of hazardous solvents. Contemporarily, a growing body of ultrasound-assisted reactions have been applied in the preparation of imidazole derivatives, which demonstrated greater benefits and provided a new strategy. Herein, we introduce the brief history of sonochemistry and focus on the discussion of the multifarious approaches for the synthesis of imidazole-based compounds under ultrasonic irradiation and its advantages in comparison with conventional protocols, including typical name-reactions and various sorts of catalysts in those reactions.

We conducted a comparative analysis to unveil the divergence among venoms from a subset of Old World habu snakes ( Protobothrops ) in terms of venomic profiles and toxicological and enzymatic activities. A total of 14 protein families were identified in the venoms from these habu snakes, and 11 of them were shared among these venoms. The venoms of five adult habu snakes were overwhelmingly dominated by SVMP (32.56 ± 13.94%), PLA 2 (22.93 ± 9.26%), and SVSP (16.27 ± 4.79%), with a total abundance of over 65%, while the subadult P. mangshanensis had an extremely low abundance of PLA 2 (1.23%) but a high abundance of CTL (51.47%), followed by SVMP (22.06%) and SVSP (10.90%). Apparent interspecific variations in lethality and enzymatic activities were also explored in habu snake venoms, but no variations in myotoxicity were found. Except for SVSP, the resemblance of the relatives within Protobothrops in other venom traits was estimated to deviate from Brownian motion evolution based on phylogenetic signals. A comparative analysis further validated that the degree of covariation between phylogeny and venom variation is evolutionarily labile and varies among clades of closely related snakes. Our findings indicate a high level of interspecific variation in the venom proteomes of habu snakes, both in the presence or absence and the relative abundance of venom protein families, and that these venoms might have evolved under a combination of adaptive and neutral mechanisms.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors shape the structure and composition of gut microbiota in a host. The disorder of the gut microbiota may trigger various host diseases. Here, we collected fecal samples from wild-caught Japanese geckos ( Gekko japonicus ) and captive conspecifics fed with mealworms (mealworm-fed geckos) and fruit flies (fly-fed geckos), aiming to examine the dietary and sexual correlates of the gut microbiota. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology to determine the composition of the gut microbiota. The dominant phyla with a mean relative abundance higher than 10% were Verrucomicrobiota, Bacteroidota, and Firmicutes. Gut microbial community richness and diversity were higher in mealworm-fed geckos than in wild geckos. Neither community evenness nor beta diversity of gut microbiota differed among wild, mealworm-fed, and fly-fed geckos. The beta rather than alpha diversity of gut microbiota was sex dependent. Based on the relative abundance of gut bacteria and their gene functions, we concluded that gut microbiota contributed more significantly to the host's metabolic and immune functions. A higher diversity of gut microbiota in mealworm-fed geckos could result from higher chitin content in insects of the order Coleoptera. This study not only provides basic information about the gut microbiota of G. japonicus but also shows that gut microbiota correlates with dietary habits and sex in the species.

Herein, CoF 2 was synthesized by a solvothermal method. The characterization results of the phase and morphology of the sample show that it was successfully synthesized and its morphology is composed of micron particles with uneven size and shape. The electrochemical test results of SCs in different electrolytes show that CoF 2 has electrochemical activity only in alkaline electrolytes. Notably, the electrochemical behavior of CoF 2 in LiOH solution is different from that in other alkaline solutions in that charge-discharge curve has a quasi-isosceles triangle shape and the CV curve has no obvious redox peak. That is, it has pseudocapacitance behavior in LiOH. Furthermore, CoF 2 as catalyst for HER requires an overpotential of only 168 mV to obtain current density of 10 mA cm -2 and a Tafel slope of 116 mV dec -1 in 1 M KOH solution. This research provides a novel way to explore excellent performance electrode materials for SC and HER., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Radiation-induced brain injury is a serious complication after cranio-cerebral radiotherapy, which affects the patient's quality of life and survival. A large number of studies have shown that various mechanisms such as neuronal apoptosis, blood-brain barrier damage, and synaptic dysfunction may be related to radiation-induced brain injury. Acupuncture has an important role in clinical rehabilitation of various brain injuries. As a new type of acupuncture, electroacupuncture has the characteristics of strong control ability, uniform and long-lasting stimulation, and is widely used in clinic. This article reviews the effects and mechanisms of electroacupuncture on radiation-induced brain injury, in order to provide a theoretical basis and experimental support for reasonable clinical application.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory cutaneous disorder. Obesity is associated with increased prevalence and severity of AD for reasons that remain poorly understood. Myricetin, a dietary flavonoid found in fruits and vegetables, is known to have anti-inflammatory effects, but its role in AD is unclear. Thus, we investigated the effects of obesity on exacerbation AD lesions and evaluated the effects of myricetin on obese AD. Mice were fed normal diet (ND) or high-fat diet, and then 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene was used to induce AD-like lesions. We found that obesity exacerbated AD lesions, and myricetin topical administration ameliorated symptoms and skin lesions of obsess AD mice, such as dermatitis scores, scratching behavior, epidermal thickness, and mast cell infiltration. In addition, myricetin reduced the levels of immunoglobulin E and histamine, inhibited the infiltration of CD4+T cells, and modulated the expression of Th1, Th2, Th17, and Th22 cytokines and pro-inflammatory factors (CCL17, CCL22, IL-1β, and TGF-β). Moreover, myricetin restored impaired barrier function by reducing transepidermal water loss, increasing lamellar body secretion, as well as upregulating the mRNA and protein expression of filaggrin. Western blot results showed that significantly increased levels of phosphorylated IκB and NF-κB p65 was observed in the obese AD mice compared with the AD mice fed ND, whereas the myricetin could downregulated the phosphorylations of IκB and NF-κB, and inhibited mRNA expression of iNOS and COX2. Taken together, our results suggest that myricetin treatment exhibits potentially protective effects against the obeseassociated AD by inhibiting inflammatory response and restoring skin barrier function., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The liver is important in the synthesis, metabolism and storage of nutrients, detoxification and immune response of the body, and the liver immune response against exogenous pathogens from the intestinal tract plays a key role in the immune activities. However, the cellular composition of the liver immune atlas remains sparsely studied in reptiles. We used single-cell RNA sequencing to identify the cellular profile of the liver of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis). We obtained the transcriptional landscape based on 9938 cells from the fractionation of fresh hepatic tissues from two individuals, uninfected and infected with bacteria (Aeromonas hydrophila). We identified seven hepatic immune cell subsets, including plasma, erythroid, T/NK, B, endothelial, dendritic and Kupffer cells. Bacteria-infection altered the number of liver immune cells, as revealed by the fact that the infected turtle had more plasma, endothelial and Kupffer cells and fewer T/NK, dendritic and erythroid cells than did the uninfected turtle. Our study is the first to provide a comprehensive view of the hepatic immune landscape of P. sinensis at the single-cell resolution that outlines the characteristics of immune cells in the turtle liver and provides a liver transcriptome baseline for turtle immunology., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Forearm fractures in children often require closed reduction in the emergency setting. The choice of anaesthesia influences the degree of pain relief, which determines the success of reduction. Main methods of anaesthesia include procedural sedation and analgesia, haematoma block, intravenous regional anaesthesia (IVRA) and regional nerve blocks. However, their comparative effectiveness is unclear. This study aims to synthesise peer-reviewed evidence and identify the most effective, in terms of pain reduction, and safest anaesthetic method., Methods: MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to 15 June 2021. Randomised controlled trials comparing anaesthetic methods for the closed reduction of paediatric forearm fractures in the emergency setting were included. Two reviewers independently screened, collected data and assessed the risk of bias for the selected outcomes. The primary outcome was pain during reduction. Secondary outcomes included pain after reduction, adverse effects, satisfaction, adequacy of sedation/anaesthesia, success of reduction and resource use., Results: 1288 records were screened and 9 trials, which studied 936 patients in total, were included. Four trials compared the main methods of anaesthesia. Within the same method of anaesthesia, one compared administrative routes, one compared procedural techniques, one compared different drugs, one compared the use of adjuncts and one compared different doses of the same drug. One study found better pain outcomes with infraclavicular blocks compared with procedural sedation and analgesia. Lidocaine was superior in analgesic effect to prilocaine in IVRA in one study. One study found lower pain scores with moderate-dose than low-dose lidocaine in IVRA., Conclusion: Few randomised controlled trials compared anaesthetic methods in the closed reduction of paediatric forearm fractures. High heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis. Overall, current data are insufficient to guide the choice of anaesthetic method in emergency settings. More adequately powered trials, conducted using standardised methods, are required., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Two recently revised Azemiops snakes with apparent differences in their external appearances and skeletal morphologies but unclear genetic boundaries have been proposed. Some researchers have refrained from using the newly proposed taxonomy because these two "species" might be two clades corresponding to different geographical populations of Azemiops feae . To improve the understanding of the kinship of these two Burmese viper groups, more of their characteristics should be explored in depth. We performed a comparative analysis of the proteomic profiles and biochemical activities of snake venoms from these two groups (Sichuan A. feae and Zhejiang A. feae ) and evaluated the immunorecognition capacity of commercial antivenoms toward them. Eight protein families were identified in venoms from these two groups, while phospholipase B was only detected in venom from Sichuan A. feae . These protein families displayed varying degrees of differences in relative abundance between venoms, and phospholipase A 2 (Sichuan A. feae : 57.15%; Zhejiang A. feae : 65.94%) was the predominated component. Gloydius brevicaudus antivenom exhibited the strongest capacity to immunologically recognize these two venoms, but this was mainly limited to components with high molecular masses, some of which differed between venoms. Additionally, Zhejiang A. feae venom was more toxic than Sichuan A. feae venom, and the venoms expressed remarkable differences in enzymatic activities, probably resulting from the variation in the relative abundance of specific protein families. Our findings unveil differences between the two Burmese viper groups in terms of proteomic profiles, immunoreactivity, and the biochemical functions of their venoms. This information will facilitate the management of snakebites caused by these snakes.

Diplodiscus japonicus and Diplodiscus mehari (Trematoda: Diplodiscidae) are two important parasites in wood frogs, which have large infection rates and essential importance of ecology, economy and society. In this study, the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of D. japonicus and D. mehari were sequenced, then compared with other related trematodes in the superfamily Paramphistomoidea. The complete circular mt sequence of D. japonicus and D. mehari were 14,210 bp and 14,179 bp in length, respectively. Both mt genomes comprised 36 functional subunits, consisting of 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and one non-coding region. The mt genes of D. japonicus and D. mehari were transcribed in the same direction, and the gene arrangements were identical to those of Paramphistomoidea trematodes. In the 12 PCGs, GTG was the most common initiation codon, whereas TAG was the most common termination codon. All tRNAs had a typical cloverleaf structure except tRNA Ser1. A comparison with related Paramphistomoidea trematode mt genomes suggested that the cox 1 gene of D. mehari was the longest in these trematodes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that Paramphistomoidea trematodes formed a monophyletic branch, Paramphistomidae and Gastrothylacidae were more closely related than Diplodiscidae. And the further analysis with Pronocephalata branch found that the flukes parasitic in amphibians (frogs) formed one group, and the flukes from ruminants (cattle, sheep, ect) formed another group. Our study demonstrated the importance of sequencing mt genomes of D. japonicus and D. mehari , which will provide significant molecular resources for further studies of Paramphistomoidea taxonomy, population genetics and systematics., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interests., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Background and Purpose: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, characterized by pruritus and impaired skin barrier function. The pathology of AD involves in immune dysfunction and epidermal barrier disruption. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are found to be associated with AD, and play a role in the immunological abnormalities and dysfunctional skin barrier. Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) plays an important role in oxidative stress related diseases, but its role in AD is unclear., Methods: KM mice were treated with DNFB to induce AD-like lesion and typical applied with NMN for two weeks. The dermatitis score, the degree of itching and TEWL were evaluated during modeling. Epidermal thickness of skin lesions and histopathological changes were detected. Further, inflammatory factors, epidermal differentiation-related genes, oxidative stress indicators and JAK2/STAT5 signaling pathway were evaluated. NHEK cells were stimulated by TNF-α/IFN-γ after pre-treatment with NMN, then ROS levels, inflammatory factors and JAK2/STAT5 signaling pathway were detected., Results: NMN exhibited potent anti-atopic activities, shown by alleviated AD-like symptoms, inhibited the increased expression of inflammatory cytokines and restored proteins and mRNA level of skin barrier genes. In addition, NMN inhibited TNF-α/IFN-γ-stimulated elevation of inflammatory chemokines, which was associated with blocking the activation of ROS-mediated JAK2/STAT5 pathway., Conclusion: NMN may have a positive effect on relieving symptoms of AD., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease, characterized by psoriasis skin lesions and inflammation of the spine and joint. It has complicated clinical manifestations and individual variations. Nearly half of the patients will have joints erosion in two years, which is crippling. The severity of the skin and joint disease frequently do not correlate with each other. Currently, the understanding of the disease is insufficient in China with the lack of standardized diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, researchers from the Chinese Rheumatology Association formulated this specification based on the diagnosis and management experience together with guidelines at home and abroad. The specification summarizes the present situation of domestic diagnosis and treatment, aiming to standardize the diagnosis process and treatment protocols of psoriatic arthritis. Furthermore, it can reduce misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis, as well as improve the prognosis.

Prosthogonimus cuneatus and Prosthogonimus pellucidus (Trematoda: Prosthogonimidae) are common flukes of poultry and other birds which can cause severe impacts on animal health and losses to the poultry industry. However, there are limited studies on the molecular epidemiology, population genetics, and systematics of Prosthogonimus species. In the present study, the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of P. cuneatus and P. pellucidus were determined to be 14,829 bp and 15,013 bp in length, respectively. Both mt genomes contain 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs) (cox1-3, nad1-6, nad4L, cytb, and atp6), 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and one non-coding region. Our comparative analysis shows that the atp6 genes of P. cuneatus and P. pellucidus are longer than any previously published atp6 genes of other trematodes. The lengths of the atp6 genes of P. cuneatus and P. pellucidus in this study seem unusual, and should therefore be studied further. The mt genes of P. cuneatus and P. pellucidus are transcribed in the same direction, and the gene arrangements are identical to those of Plagiorchis maculosus, Tamerlania zarudnyi, and Tanaisia sp., but different from those of Eurytrema pancreaticum, Dicrocoelium chinensis, and Brachycladium goliath. The mt genome A + T contents of P. cuneatus and P. pellucidus are 64.47% and 65.34%, respectively. In the 12 PCGs, ATG is the most common initiation codon, whereas TAG is the most common termination codon. The sequence identity of the same 12 PCGs among the eight trematodes (P. cuneatus, P. pellucidus, Pl. maculosus, D. chinensis, E. pancreaticum, B. goliath, T. zarudnyi, Tanaisia sp.) of Xiphidiata are 55.5%-81.7% at the nucleotide level and 43.9%-82.5% at the amino acid level. The nucleotide similarities among the complete mt genomes of the eight trematodes range from 54.1%-81.5%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the aligned concatenated amino acid sequences of the 12 PCGs shows that P. cuneatus and P. pellucidus cluster together and are sister to T. zarudnyi and Tanaisia sp., and this clade is more closely related to E. pancreaticum, Dicrocoelium spp. and Lyperosomum longicauda in the family Dicrocoeliidae, than it is to species in the families Plagiorchiidae and Brachycladiidae. These are the first reported complete mt genomes of Prosthogonimidae, and these data will provide additional molecular resources for further studies of Prosthogonimidae taxonomy, population genetics, and systematics., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To explore the clinical significance of intracavitary electrocardiogram positioning technology in preventing catheter ectopic position during peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) catheterization in children with tumors., Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 62 children who required PICC catheterization was performed. The intracavitary electrocardiogram (ECG) positioning technology was used during the tube placement of the child patients. After the tube was successfully placed, the chest radiograph was taken. The ECG positioning result was compared with the chest radiograph positioning result after the tube was inserted, and the sensitivity and specificity of the ECG positioning were calculated., Results: The intracavitary electrocardiogram results of 62 children with PICC catheters showed that 56 cases (90.32%) had characteristic P waves, and six cases (9.68%) had no characteristic P waves. The chest radiographs of 56 children with characteristic P wave showed that 33 cases (58.93%) of the catheter tip position was appropriate, 22 cases (39.29%) of the catheter tip was too deep, and 1 case was in a non-superior vena cava; six cases of chest radiographs of children with no characteristic P wave showed: one case was too deep at T8 level, one case was too shallow at T4 level, four cases were at non-superior vena cava, one case was contralateral internal jugular vein, two cases in the contralateral brachiocephalic vein, and one case was the contralateral subclavian vein., Conclusion: Intracavitary ECG positioning assisted catheter placement in infants can effectively improve the accuracy of catheter tip position., (© 2022 The Authors. Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies with high mortality and short survival time. Computed tomography (CT) plays an important role in the diagnosis, staging and treatment of pancreatic tumour. Pancreatic cancer generally shows a low enhancement pattern compared with normal pancreatic tissue., Aim: To analyse whether preoperative enhanced CT could be used to predict postoperative overall survival in patients with PDAC., Methods: Sixty-seven patients with PDAC undergoing pancreatic resection were enrolled retrospectively. All patients underwent preoperative unenhanced and enhanced CT examination, the CT values of which were measured. The ratio of the preoperative CT value increase from the nonenhancement phase to the portal venous phase between pancreatic tumour and normal pancreatic tissue was calculated. The cut-off value of ratios was obtained by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the tumour relative enhancement ratio (TRER), according to which patients were divided into low- and high-enhancement groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using Cox regression based on TRER grouping. Finally, the correlation between TRER and clinicopathological characteristics was analysed., Results: The area under the curve of the ROC curve was 0.768 ( P < 0.05), and the cut-off value of the ROC curve was calculated as 0.7. TRER ≤ 0.7 was defined as the low-enhancement group, and TRER > 0.7 was defined as the high-enhancement group. According to the TRER grouping, the Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis results showed that the median survival (10.0 mo) with TRER ≤ 0.7 was significantly shorter than that (22.0 mo) with TRER > 0.7 ( P < 0.05). In the univariate and multivariate analyses, the prognosis of patients with TRER ≤ 0.7 was significantly worse than that of patients with TRER > 0.7 ( P < 0.05). Our results demonstrated that patients in the low TRER group were more likely to have higher American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, tumour stage and lymph node stage (all P < 0.05), and TRER was significantly negatively correlated with tumour size ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: TRER ≤ 0.7 in patients with PDAC may represent a tumour with higher clinical stage and result in a shorter overall survival., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Clonorchiasis, an infectious disease caused by the liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis, may lead to the development of liver and gallbladder diseases, and even cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). However, the pathogenesis, host-pathogen interaction, and diagnostic markers for clonorchiasis remain unclear., Methods: Eighteen rabbits were randomly divided into control group (n = 9) and C. sinensis-infected group (n = 9), and their plasma samples were collected at 7, 14, 28, and 63 days post-infection (dpi). Biochemical indices and metabolites in different infection periods were detected. A non-targeted ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) approach was employed to investigate the metabolic profiles of plasma in rabbits, and related metabolic pathways of differential metabolites and correlation between candidate biochemical indices and differential metabolites were analyzed. Finally, the candidate biomarkers were verified with human samples using a targeted metabolomics method., Results: The result of biochemical indices indicated C. sinensis infection would affect the liver function biochemical indices, especially alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase (AST), glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), total bile acid, high-density lipoprotein, and cholinesterase. The metabonomic results showed that 58, 212, 23, and 21 differential metabolites were identified in different phases of the infection. Multivariate statistical analysis of differential metabolites revealed distinct metabolic signatures during different phases of infection, with most of these signatures being observed at 14 dpi, which mainly influences the amino acid metabolisms. For metabolites and biochemical indices, AST, GGT, hypoxanthine, L-pipecolic acid, and D-glucuronate represented potential noninvasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of C. sinensis (P < 0.05 and AUC > 0.8). Furthermore, GGT and D-glucuronate levels were positively correlated with the infection (r(28) = 0.98, P < 0.0001) and showed excellent diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.972; 95% confidence interval, 0.921 to 1.000)., Conclusions: The present results provide new insights into plasma metabolic changes in rabbits during C. sinensis infection, and the potential biomarker may be used for developing an effective method to diagnose clonorchiasis in the future., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Purpose: To explore the relationship between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in complement factor I ( CFI ), interleukin-8 ( IL-8 ), transferrin ( TF ), and transferrin receptor 2 ( TFR2 ) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a northeastern Chinese population. Methods: A total of 400 AMD patients (200 wet AMD and 200 dry AMD) and 200 controls were enrolled in this study, and genetic polymorphisms in the above genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The χ 2 test was used to compare differences in allele frequencies in each group, and the associations of genotype frequencies with AMD were determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Our research shows that CFI rs141853578, IL-8 rs2227543, TF rs8177178 and TFR2 rs2075674 are associated with the incidence of AMD. In wet AMD, allele T of CFI rs141853578, IL-8 rs2227543 and TFR2 rs2075674 may be a risk factor. Allele A of TF rs8177178 may increase the risk of dry AMD. Conclusions: CFI rs141853578, IL-8 rs2227543, TF rs8177178 and TFR2 rs2075674 genetic polymorphisms are associated with the occurrence of AMD in a northeastern Chinese population, especially wet AMD.

We used Takydromus septentrionalis , a sexually size-monomorphic lacertid lizard, as a model system to test the hypothesis that sexual size monomorphism may evolve in lizards where reproductive performance is maximized at a similar body size for both sexes. We allowed lizards housed in laboratory enclosures to lay as many clutches (for females) as they could or to mate as many times (for males) as they could in a breeding season. Size-assortative mating was weak but evident in T. septentrionalis , as revealed by the fact that male and female snout-vent lengths (SVLs) in mating pairs were significantly and positively correlated. Mating frequency (indicative of male reproductive performance) varied from 1 to 8 per breeding season, generally increasing as SVL increased in adult males smaller than 67.4 mm SVL. Clutch frequency varied from 1 to 7 per breeding season, with female reproductive performance (determined by clutch frequency, annual fecundity, and annual reproductive output) maximized in females with a SVL of 68.0 mm. Accordingly to our hypothesis, the reproductive performance was maximized in the intermediate sized rather than the largest individuals in both sexes, and the body size maximizing reproductive performance was similar for both sexes. Future work could usefully investigate other lineages of lizards with sexually monomorphic species in a phylogenetic context to corroborate the hypothesis of this study., Competing Interests: The authors declared that they had no conflicts of interest to this work., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Editorial Office, Current Zoology.)

Interfacial evaporation has recently received great interest from both academia and industry to harvest fresh water from seawater, due to its low cost, sustainability and high efficiency. However, state-of-the-art solar absorbers usually face several issues such as weak corrosion resistance, salt accumulation and hence poor long-term evaporation stability. Herein, a hydrophobic and porous carbon nanofiber (HPCNF) is prepared by combination of the porogen sublimation and fluorination. The HPCNF possessing a macro/meso porous structure exhibits large contact angles (as high as 145°), strong light absorption and outstanding photo-thermal conversion performance. When the HPCNF is used as the solar absorber, the evaporation rate and efficiency can reach up to 1.43 kg m -2 h -1 and 87.5% under one sunlight irradiation, respectively. More importantly, the outstanding water proof endows the absorber with superior corrosion resistance and salt rejection performance, and hence the interfacial evaporation can maintain a long-term stability and proceed in a variety of complex conditions. The HPCNFs based interfacial evaporation provides a new avenue to the high efficiency solar steam generation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the PCa tissue and its correlation with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of PCa., Methods: Using immunohistochemical staining, we determined the expression of GR in the PCa tissue and analyzed its correlation with the clininicopathological features and prognosis of the malignancy., Results: The positive expression of GR in the PCa tissue was 64%, of which the strongly positive rate was 34.7%. The GR expression was positively correlated with preoperative androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) (χ2 = 22.307, P < 0.01), Gleason grades (χ2 = 16.534, P = 0.002) and clinical stages of the tumor (χ2 = 9.969, P = 0.041). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the GR expression was correlated not with the overall survival (P = 0.156), but with the PSA progression-free survival rate of the PCa patients (P = 0.042), with a shorter PSA progression-free survival time in those with a higher GR expression. Multivariate COX regression analysis revealed that the expression of GR was not an independent prognostic factor for PSA progression-free survival of the PCa patients., Conclusion: The expression of GR is related with preoperative ADT, and closely with the biological behavior of the malignancy and treatment resistance of the patients. GR is expected to be a new effective therapeutic target and a prognostic biomarker for PCa.

The leakage of chemicals (either vapors or liquids) severely threatens the environment and even people's health. It remains a great challenge to develop multifunctional and durable materials that can not only detect the chemical vapors but also clean up the liquid chemicals especially high viscous crude oil. Here, a superhydrophobic and conductive foam composite (SCFC) is prepared by decorating carbon black nanoparticles (CBNPs) onto the skeleton of the pre-swollen polymer foam under the assistance of ultrasonication. The CBNPs are firmly embedded onto the skeleton surface, exhibiting a strong interfacial adhesion and hence excellent surface stability and durability. The SCFC possesses stable vapor sensing behavior and can detect various chemical vapors with a low detection limit and good cycling performance. When used for oil/water separation, the SCFC has large oil adsorption capacity for different oils with excellent reusability. Also, the outstanding photo-thermal conversion performance of the SCFC can be used to significantly reduce the oil viscosity and hence realize efficient cleanup of the crude oil. The multifunctional SCFC has promising applications in the field of environment protection, flexible electronics, etc., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells in the hippocampus of young mice with Alzheimer's disease (AD), so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of AD., Methods: Forty 1.5-month-old APP/PS1 transgenic male mice were randomly divided into an EA group and a model group, 20 mice in each group, and other 20 C57BL/6J male mice of the same age were used as the normal control group. EA (intermittment wave 10 Hz, 2 mA) was applied to "Baihui" (GV 20), "Fengfu" (GV 16) and "Shenshu" (BL 23) for 20 min, once a day, 6 days a week for 16 weeks. H.E. staining was used to assess histopathological changes of neurons of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Immunohistochemical stain was used to detect the expression of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive in the hippocampus, and immunofluorescence double-labeled technique was used to detect the number of proliferated positive neurons of hippocampal neural stem cells. The expression levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Nestin mRNA and protein were detected by using real-time PCR and Western blot, separately., Results: The immunoactivity of BrdU, and the expression levels of BDNF and Nestin mRNA and protein in the hippocampus in the model group were significantly lower than in the normal control group ( P <0.01, P <0.05), and considerably higher in the EA group than in the model group ( P <0.01, P <0.05). The number of BrdU/NeuN dual labeled neurons was slightly increased in the model group than in the normal control group ( P >0.05), and evidently increased in the EA group relevant to the model group ( P <0.05), suggesting a proliferation of hippocampal neural stem cells. After modeling, the neurons of hippocampal dentate gyrus were arranged loosely and irregularly and their structure was fuzzy, with an appearance of different degrees of nuclear pyknosis, whereas in the EA group, the neuronal contour was clear and the nuclear structure was relatively distinct., Conclusion: EA can activate the proliferation of neural stem cells in the hippocampus in AD mice, which may contribute to its function in improving the neuronal structure by upregulating the expression of BDNF.

Background The role of cardiac arrest centers (CACs) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest care systems is continuously evolving. Interpretation of existing literature is limited by heterogeneity in CAC characteristics and types of patients transported to CACs. This study assesses the impact of CACs on survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest according to varying definitions of CAC and prespecified subgroups. Methods and Results Electronic databases were searched from inception to March 9, 2021 for relevant studies. Centers were considered CACs if self-declared by study authors and capable of relevant interventions. Main outcomes were survival and neurologically favorable survival at hospital discharge or 30 days. Meta-analyses were performed for adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and crude odds ratios. Thirty-six studies were analyzed. Survival with favorable neurological outcome significantly improved with treatment at CACs (aOR, 1.85 [95% CI, 1.52-2.26]), even when including high-volume centers (aOR, 1.50 [95% CI, 1.18-1.91]) or including improved-care centers (aOR, 2.13 [95% CI, 1.75-2.59]) as CACs. Survival significantly increased with treatment at CACs (aOR, 1.92 [95% CI, 1.59-2.32]), even when including high-volume centers (aOR, 1.74 [95% CI, 1.38-2.18]) or when including improved-care centers (aOR, 1.97 [95% CI, 1.71-2.26]) as CACs. The treatment effect was more pronounced among patients with shockable rhythm ( P =0.006) and without prehospital return of spontaneous circulation ( P =0.005). Conclusions were robust to sensitivity analyses, with no publication bias detected. Conclusions Care at CACs was associated with improved survival and neurological outcomes for patients with nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest regardless of varying CAC definitions. Patients with shockable rhythms and those without prehospital return of spontaneous circulation benefited more from CACs. Evidence for bypassing hospitals or interhospital transfer remains inconclusive.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different courses of electroacupuncture on synaptic structure and synaptic function-related proteins expression in the hippocampal CA1 region of radiation-induced brain injury mice. Sixty C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into control group, radiation-induced brain injury model group, 1-week electroacupuncture group (EA1), 2-week electroacupuncture group (EA2), 3-week electroacupuncture group (EA3), and electroacupuncture-control (EA-Ctrl) group. The mice in model group were exposed to X-ray irradiation (8 Gy, 10 min) to establish radiation-induced brain injury model. The mice in EA groups were acupunctured at electroacupuncture points (Baihui, Fengfu and bilateral Shenshu) for 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks respectively after radiation. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe synaptic structure in hippocampal CA1 region. The expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), synapsin-1 and postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95) in the hippocampal CA1 region of each group were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The results showed that the nuclear gap in model and EA-Ctrl groups was significantly decreased compared to control group, however nucleus to cytoplasm ratio was significantly increased. The synaptic cleft, postsynaptic density (PSD) thickness, the mitochondrial surface density, volume density and specific surface area were significantly reduced. Compared with model group, the nucleus to cytoplasm ratio of EA2 group was significantly decreased, the PSD thickness and mitochondrial volume density were significantly increased; the nuclear gap of EA3 group was significantly increased, nucleus to cytoplasm ratio was significantly decreased, synaptic cleft and PSD thickness were significantly increased, and the mitochondrial surface density and specific surface area were all increased significantly. In addition, compared with the control group, the gene and protein expressions of BDNF, synapsin-1 and PSD95 in the hippocampal CA1 region of the model group and EA-Ctrl group were significantly decreased. However, compared with the model group, the gene expression of synapsin-1 in EA groups was significantly up-regulated, the gene expression of BDNF in EA1 and EA2 groups was significantly up-regulated, and the gene expression of PSD95 in EA2 group was significantly up-regulated. Moreover, the protein expressions of BDNF, synapsin-1 and PSD95 of EA groups were significantly up-regulated compared with the model group. These results indicate that the synaptic structure and the expression of synaptic function-related proteins in hippocampal CA1 region were injured by radiation exposure, whereas electroacupuncture intervention can significantly improve the synaptic structure and function damage caused by radiation.

Here, we report a two-phase crystalline NiWO 4 /amorphous Co-B nanocomposite as an electrode material for supercapacitors, which is effectively synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method and chemical precipitation method. The obtained NiWO 4 /Co-B exhibits crystal-amorphous contact, which makes it have more active sites than other crystalline-crystalline phase boundaries, thereby enhancing electron transport. The NiWO 4 /Co-B electrode with the best mass ratio of crystalline and amorphous exhibits a great specific capacitance and excellent cycle durability. Compared to individual Co-B and NiWO 4 , it also shows enhanced rate capability Besides, NiWO 4 /Co-B/activated carbon supercapacitor device can provide a good specific capacitance and a maximum energy density of 10.92 Wh kg -1 at 200 W kg -1 . This work provides new insights to develop novel electrode materials for energy storage and conversion., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Tetrameres grusi is a significant parasitic nematode of cranes that is classified into suborder Spirurina. However, for more than a century, this classification has been controversial. Mitochondrial genomes are valuable resources for parasite taxonomy, population genetics and systematics studies. Here, the mitochondrial genome of T. grusi was determined and subsequently compared with those from Spirurina species using concatenated datasets of amino acid sequences predicted from mitochondrial protein-coding genes. The complete mitochondrial genome of T. grusi is circular with 13,709 bp, and it contains 12 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and one non-coding region. All of the protein-coding genes are transcribed in the same direction. There were 18 intergenic spacers of 1-44 bp, and six locations with gene overlaps, ranging from 1 bp to 28 bp, in the mitochondrial genome of T. grusi . The AT content of this mitochondrial genome was 71.56%. This was similar to mitochondrial genomes of other Spirurina species, which also exhibited strong AT content bias, not only in the nucleotide composition but also in codon usage. The sequenced mitogenomes of the 25 Spirurina nematodes showed three classes of gene arrangements based on the 12 protein-coding genes, and the gene arrangement of the T. grusi mitochondrial genome belonged to the Class I. Phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial genomes of 25 Spirurina nematodes revealed that T. grusi (Habronematoidea) was closer to Gongylonema pulchrum (Spiruroidea) than Spirocerca lupi (Thelazioidea). The availability of the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of T. grusi provides new and useful genetic markers for further studies on Spirurina nematodes., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interests., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Metorchis orientalis is a neglected zoonotic parasite of the gallbladder and bile duct of poultry, mammals, and humans. It has been widely reported in Asian, including China, Japanese, and Korea, where it is a potential threat to public health. Despite its significance as an animal and human pathogen, there are few published transcriptomic and proteomics data available. Transcriptome Illumina RNA sequencing and label-free protein quantification were performed to compare the gene and protein expression of adult and metacercariae-stage M. orientalis , resulting in 100,234 unigenes and 3,530 proteins. Of these, 13,823 differentially expressed genes and 1,445 differentially expressed proteins were identified in adult versus metacercariae. In total, 570 genes were differentially expressed consistent with the mRNA and protein level in the adult versus metacercariae stage. Differential gene transcription analyses revealed 34,228 genes to be expressed in both stages, whereas 66,006 genes showed stage-specific expression. Compared with adults, the metacercariae stage was highly transcriptional. GO and KEGG analyses based on transcriptome and proteome revealed numerous up-regulated genes in adult M. orientalis related to microtubule-based processes, microtubule motor activity, and nucleocytoplasmic transport. The up-regulated genes in metacercariae M. orientalis were mainly related to transmembrane receptor protein serine/threonine kinase activity, transmembrane receptor protein serine/threonine kinase signaling pathway. Transcriptome and proteome comparative analyses showed numerous up-regulated genes in adult stage were mainly enriched in actin filament capping, spectrin, and glucose metabolic process, while up-regulated genes in metacercariae stage were mainly related to cilium assembly, cilium movement, and motile cilium. These results highlight changes in protein and gene functions during the development of metacercariae into adults, and provided evidence for the mechanisms involved in morphological and metabolic changes at both the protein and gene levels. Interestingly, many genes had been proved associated with liver fibrosis and carcinogenic factors were identified highly expressed in adult M. orientalis , which suggests that M. orientalis is a neglected trematode with potential carcinogenic implications. These data provide attractive targets for the development of therapeutic or diagnostic interventions for controlling M. orientalis ., 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 © 2021 Gao, Lv, Mao, Sun, Chen, Qiu, Chang and Wang.)

Background: Laparoscopic transcystic common bile duct exploration (LTCBDE) is the minimally traumatic surgical method for the treatment of choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis with dilated common bile duct (CBD). However, no report exists concerning LTCBDE in patients with nondilated CBD. The purpose of this study was thus to explore the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of LTCBDE in patients with choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis with nondilatation of the CBD., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 47 patients with choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis who were treated with LTCBDE at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2017 to August 2021 (all the patients had undergone endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography treatment, but this failed due to various reasons). Clinical data on disease characteristics, methods for cystic duct incision and CBD stone extraction, and surgical outcomes were collected and reviewed. Each patient was followed up for more than 3 months., Results: There were 47 patients in this study, including 21 females and 26 males, with their ages ranging from 15 to 82 years (51±15 years). All patients were treated with surgery, and the CBD stones were removed successfully. Among these patients, 45 underwent LTCBDE for the removal of stones in the CBD, with failure occurring in 2 patients who then accepted laparoscopic common bile duct stone removal (LCBDE) + T tube drainage. The diameter of the cystic duct was 0.30-0.73 cm (0.60±0.07 cm), the diameter of the CBD was 0.60-0.80 cm (0.73±0.05 cm), the operation time was 75-220 minutes (159±33 minutes), and the postoperative hospital stay was 2-13 days (6±2 days). None of the patients experience any serious postoperative complications, and all were discharged safely. During the follow-up, no postoperative biliary stenosis, bile leakage, or other complications occurred., Conclusions: LTCBDE is feasible to treat patients with choledocholithiasis secondary to cholecystolithiasis with nondilatation of the CBD. This choice of treatment plan reduces the length of hospital stay and the occurrence of postoperative complications. However, it is recommended that this be attempted on the basis of the experience of LTCBDE with dilated CBD.

Clonorchiasis, which is caused by Clonorchis sinensis , is an important foodborne disease worldwide. The excretory-secretory products (ESPs) of C. sinensis play important roles in host-parasite interactions by acting as causative agents. In the present study, the ESPs and sera positive for C. sinensis were collected to identify proteins specific to the sera of C. sinensis (i.e., proteins that do not cross-react with Fasciola hepatica and Schistosoma japonicum ) at different infection periods. Briefly, white Japanese rabbits were artificially infected with C. sinensis , and their sera were collected at 7 days post-infection (dpi), 14 dpi, 35 dpi, and 77 dpi. To identify the specific proteins in C. sinensis , a co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay was conducted using shotgun liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to pull down the sera roots of C. sinensis , F. hepatica , and S. japonicum . For the annotated proteins, 32, 18, 39, and 35 proteins specific to C. sinensis were pulled down by the infected sera at 7, 14, 35, and 77 dpi, respectively. Three proteins, Dynein light chain-1, Dynein light chain-2 and Myoferlin were detected in all infection periods. Of these proteins, myoferlin is known to be overexpressed in several human cancers and could be a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for cancer cases. Accordingly, this protein was selected for further studies. To achieve a better expression, myoferlin was truncated into two parts, Myof1 and Myof2 (1,500 bp and 810 bp), based on the antigenic epitopes provided by bioinformatics. The estimated molecular weight of the recombinant proteins was 57.3 ku (Myof1) and 31.3 ku (Myof2). Further, both Myof1 and Myof2 could be probed by the sera from rabbits infected with C. sinensis . No cross-reaction occurred with the positive sera of S. japonica , F. hepatica , and negative controls. Such findings indicate that myoferlin may be an important diagnostic antigen present in the ESPs. Overall, the present study provides new insights into proteomic changes between ESPs and hosts in different infection periods by LC-MS/MS. Moreover, myoferlin, as a biomarker, may be used to develop an objective method for future diagnosis of clonorchiasis., 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 © 2021 Ma, Qiu, Chang, Gao, Jiang, Li, Wang and Chang.)