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Abstract Background Omicron variant impacts populations with its rapid contagiousness, and part of patients suffered from persistent symptoms termed as long COVID. The molecular and immune mechanisms of this currently dominant global variant leading to long COVID remain unclear, due to long COVID heterogeneity across populations. Methods We recruited 66 participants in total, 22 out of 66 were healthy control without COVID-19 infection history, and 22 complaining about long COVID symptoms 6 months after first infection of Omicron, referred as long COVID (LC) Group. The left ones were defined as non-long COVID (NLC) Group. We profiled them via plasma neutralizing antibody titer, SARS-CoV-2 viral load, transcriptomic and proteomics screening, and machine learning. Results No serum residual SARS-CoV-2 was observed in the participants 6 months post COVID-19 infection. No significant difference in neutralizing antibody titers was found between the long COVID (LC) Group and the non-long COVID (NLC) Group. Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling allow the stratification of long COVID into neutrophil function upregulated (NU-LC) and downregulated types (ND-LC). The NU-LC, identifiable through a refined set of 5 blood gene markers (ABCA13, CEACAM6, CRISP3, CTSG and BPI), displays evidence of relatively higher neutrophil counts and function of degranulation than the ND-LC at 6 months after infection, while recovered at 12 months post COVID-19. Conclusion The transcriptomic and proteomic profiling revealed heterogeneity among long COVID patients. We discovered a subgroup of long COVID population characterized by neutrophil activation, which might associate with the development of psychiatric symptoms and indicate a higher inflammatory state. Meanwhile, a cluster of 5 genes was manually curated as the most potent discriminators of NU-LC from long COVID population. This study can serve as a foundational exploration of the heterogeneity in the pathogenesis of long COVID and assist in therapeutic targeting and detailed epidemiological investigation of long COVID.

Abstract Ground subsidence caused by extraction of longwall panels has always been a great concern all over the world. Conventional longwall mining system (CLMS) gives rise to wavy subsidence causing great damage to surface structures. A coal mine in Shanxi, China, utilizes a split-level longwall layout (SLL) for a sub-horizontal No. 8 coal seam to improve the cavability of mudstone interlayer and top coal. This layout, however, also produced unexpectedly favorable surface subsidence. Subsidence of No. 6 and No. 8 longwall panels was monitored while mining was conducted. Field instrumentation and numerical simulation were carried out. It is demonstrated that an asymmetric subsidence profile with stepped subsidence and cracks occurred on the tailgate side but relatively mild and smooth deformation on the other. Due to elimination of conventional parallelepiped gate pillar, No. 6 and No. 8 gobs were connected. Extraction of two SLL panels acted as one supercritical panel. The maximum possible subsidence was reached which lowers the likelihood of potential future secondary subsidence as underground gob fractures and voids have closed. Therefore, SLL is more favorable for post-mining land reuse as gobs are more consolidated underground.

Abstract Background High glucose levels are key factors and key contributors to several cardiovascular diseases associated with cardiomyocyte injury. Ferroptosis, which was identified in recent years, is a mode of cell death caused by the iron-mediated accumulation of lipid peroxides. Neuregulin-4 (Nrg4) is an adipokine that has protective effects against metabolic disorders and insulin resistance. Our previous study revealed that Nrg4 has a protective effect against diabetic myocardial injury, and the aim of this study was to investigate whether Nrg4 could attenuate the occurrence of high glucose-induced ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes. Methods We constructed an in vivo diabetic myocardial injury model in which primary cardiomyocytes were cultured in vitro and treated with Nrg4. Changes in ferroptosis-related protein levels and ferroptosis-related indices in cardiomyocytes were observed. In addition, we performed back-validation and explored signalling pathways that regulate ferroptosis in primary cardiomyocytes. Results Nrg4 attenuated cardiomyocyte ferroptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, the AMPK/NRF2 signalling pathway was activated during this process, and when the AMPK/NRF2 pathway was inhibited, the beneficial effects of Nrg4 were attenuated. Conclusion Nrg4 antagonizes high glucose-induced ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes via the AMPK/NRF2 signalling pathway.

Abstract Nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) with electron-withdrawing nitro (-NO2) groups are typical refractory pollutants. Despite advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) being appealing degradation technologies, inefficient ring-opening oxidation of NACs and practical large-scale applications remain challenges. Here we tackle these challenges by designing a reduction-oxidation coupling (ROC) degradation process in LaFe0.95Cu0.05O3@carbon fiber cloth (LFCO@CFC)/PMS/Vis continuous flow system. Cu doping enhances the photoelectron transfer, thus triggering the -NO2 photoreduction and breaking the barriers in the ring opening. Also, it modulates surface electronic configuration to generate radicals and non-radicals for subsequent oxidation of reduction products. Based on this, the ROC process can effectively remove and mineralize NACs under the environmental background. More importantly, the LFCO catalyst outperformed most of the recently reported catalysts with lower cost (13.72 CNY/ton) and higher processing capacity (3600 t/month). Furthermore, the high scalability, material durability, and catalytic activity of LFCO@CFC under various realistic environmental conditions prove the potential ability for large-scale applications.

Abstract Harvesting electricity from ubiquitous water vapor represents a promising route to alleviate the energy crisis. However, existing studies rarely comprehensively consider the impact of natural environmental fluctuations on electrical output. Here, we demonstrate a bilayer polymer enabling self-sustaining and highly efficient moisture-electric generation from the hydrological cycle by establishing a stable internal directed water/ion flow through thermal exchange with the ambient environment. Specifically, the radiative cooling effect of the hydrophobic top layer prevents the excessive daytime evaporation from solar absorption while accelerating nighttime moisture sorption. The introduction of LiCl into the bottom hygroscopic ionic hydrogel enhances moisture sorption capacity and facilitates ion transport, thus ensuring efficient energy conversion. A single device unit (1 cm2) can continuously generate a voltage of ~0.88 V and a current of ~306 μA, delivering a maximum power density of ~51 μW cm−2 at 25 °C and 70% relative humidity (RH). The device has been demonstrated to operate steadily outdoors for continuous 6 days.

Hydraulic fracturing is an important technical means to relieve the pressure of coal seam roof. Better understanding of fracture propagation mechanism is of great significance to the safe mining of coal seam. In order to further explore the law of hydraulic fracture propagation, aiming at rock-like specimens commonly used in the laboratory, MatDEM, a particle discrete element numerical simulation software, was used to establish a two-dimensional discrete element numerical model of hydraulic fracturing, and various hydraulic fracturing tests with different injection pressure increments were carried out. The effect of injection pressure increment on the propagation of hydraulic fractures was studied, and the mechanism of model initiation was revealed. The law of fracture generation and propagation was analyzed from mesoscale, and the propagation characteristics of hydraulic fractures were discussed. The results show that ① the effect of injection pressure increment on the model initiation pressure and initiation time presents an opposite trend. With the increase of injection pressure, the increase trend of initiation pressure is slow and gradually approaches to 5.6 MPa. The initiation time decreases with the increase of injection pressure, and the decreasing trend slows down gradually. ② The cumulative number of fractures increases exponentially with time. The hydraulic fracturing process can be divided into four stages (Ⅰ−Ⅳ): no fracture stage, slow fracture growth stage, steady fracture growth stage and rapid fracture growth stage, which correspond to the pre-crack initiation, pre-crack formation, primary fracture propagation and secondary fracture propagation processes respectively. As the injection pressure increment increases, the durations of stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ decrease, while the duration of stage Ⅳ increases in a fluctuating manner. The number of cracks in each stage is the highest in stage Ⅳ, followed by stage Ⅲ and stage Ⅱ. ③ As the injection pressure increment increases, the number of secondary fractures increases from 8 to 16, and the growth rate of fractures gradually slows down before the stage Ⅲ, and increases rapidly after the stage Ⅳ. When the injection pressure increment increases from 0.03 MPa to 0.70 MPa, the final fracture length increases by 1.79 times. ④ The internal energy of the model increases with the increase of the injection pressure increment, and the energy input speed gradually becomes faster. After the model initiation, high-pressure water forms stress concentration at the crack tip, which promotes the crack to continue to extend. At higher injection pressure increment, the fracture propagation speed becomes faster, and the particle displacement decreases gradually from the pressure hole to the outside of the model. The increment of injection pressure makes the secondary fracture forming position close to the pressure hole, which inhibits the formation and expansion of the primary fracture and promotes the formation and expansion of the secondary fracture. All fracture types are tensile fractures.

Abstract Background Limited information is available on the effect of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) and abnormal glucose metabolism in elderly people. We aimed to analyze the prevalence of CVH behaviors, abnormal glucose metabolism, and their correlation in 65 and older people. Methods In this study, randomized cluster sampling, multivariate logistic regression, and mediating effects analysis were used. Recruiting was carried out between January 2020 and December 2020, and 1984 participants aged 65 years or older completed the study. Results The prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism in this group was 26.7% (n = 529), among which the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) was 9.5% (male vs. female: 8.7% vs 10.1%, P = 0.338), and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was 19.0% (male vs. female: 17.8 vs. 19.8%, P = 0.256). The ideal CVH rate (number of ideal CVH metrics ≥ 5) was only 21.0%. The risk of IFG and T2DM decreased by 23% and 20% with each increase in one ideal CVH metrics, with OR (95%CI) of 0.77(0.65–0.92) and 0.80(0.71–0.90), respectively (P -trend

Abstract Limited information is available on the cardiovascular health (CVH) index and risk of high-normal blood pressure (HNBP) in elderly people. Randomized cluster sampling, multivariate logistic regression, and mediating effects analysis were used in this study analyze the relationship between CVH index and HNBP in the elderly. 1089 non-hypertensive residents aged 65 years or older completed the study. The positive rate of HNBP was 75.85% (male vs. female: 76.13% vs. 75.64%, P = 0.852); The ideal rate of CVH (ideal CVH index ≥ 5 items) was 14.51% (male vs. female: 15.91% vs. 13.46%, P = 0.256). Compared with people with 0–2 ideal CVH index, the risk of HNBP in people with 4 ideal indexes and ≥ 5 ideal indexes decreased by 50% and 63%, respectively, and their OR (95% CI) were 0.50 (0.31, 0.81) and 0.37 (0.21, 0.66), respectively. The results of the trend test showed that the risk of HNBP decreased by 32% for every increase in the ideal CVH index (trend P

Abstract The causal association between vitamin E status and osteoarthritis (OA) remains controversial in previous epidemiological studies. We employed a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal relationship between circulating alpha-tocopherol levels (main forms of vitamin E in our body) and OA. The instrumental variables (IVs) of circulating alpha-tocopherol levels were obtained from a Genome-wide association study (GWAS) dataset of 7781 individuals of European descent. The outcome of OA was derived from the UK biobank. Two-sample MR analysis was used to estimate the causal relationship between circulating alpha-tocopherol levels and OA. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was the primary analysis in this analysis. We used the MR-Egger method to determine horizontal pleiotropic in this work. The heterogeneity effect of instrumental IVs was detected by MR-Egger and IVW analyses. Sensitivity analysis was performed by removing single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) one by one. Three SNPs (rs964184, rs2108622, and rs11057830) (P

To extend its shelf life, vacuum freeze-dried Toona sinensis (VFDTS) powder was packaged in sealed polyethylene (PE) bags, sealed aluminum foil bags, composite vacuum bags, or aluminum foil vacuum bags. Changes in the sensory quality, moisture content, color, flavor components and total bacterial count of VFDTS powder were monitored during storage under accelerated conditions at (55 ± 1) ℃ and (40 ± 3)% relative humidity (RH). The results showed that VFDTS powder packaged in sealed PE bags exhibited severe moisture absorption and browning with prolonged storage time, and the total bacterial count significantly increased. On the other hand, the moisture content, color and total bacterial count of the powder stored in aluminum foil vacuum bags remained substantially unchanged. A total of 56 volatile compounds were identified in VFDTS powder stored in the different packaging systems, including 13 alcohols, 11 aldehydes, 3 acids, 3 terpenes, 7 ketones, 9 esters, one ether, 2 sulfur compounds, 3 alkanes, and 4 heterocycles. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the volatile compounds showed clear separation among VFDTS powder samples stored in the 4 packaging systems. Based on variable importance in projection (VIP > 1) from orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), a total of 14 differential volatile compounds were selected, and their clustering heatmaps could be used to effectively classify the samples in different packaging systems. The samples in aluminum foil vacuum bags had the best quality, followed by sealed aluminum foil bags and composite vacuum bags, while the greatest changes in moisture, color, flavor and microbiological quality were observed in VFDTS powder in sealed PE bags during storage.

Epoxy/glass fibre composites possess excellent mechanical and electrical properties and are widely utilised in electrical and electronic power equipment. However, the composites exhibit relatively poor thermal conductivity, causing the temperature of the composites to increase during the operation of power equipment, resulting in a significant reduction in the electrical breakdown strength. Although the effects of thermal aging on polymeric materials have been widely studied, its influence on electrical strength mechanisms has not been investigated at the molecular level. In this study, epoxy/glass fibre composite specimens were subjected to accelerated thermal aging treatment for 360 h at 180 °C. Functional groups, molecular chain dynamics, and electrical breakdown are characterised using infrared spectroscopy, dielectric spectroscopy, and breakdown measurement. Subsequently, electrical breakdown mechanism and life prediction of the thermally aged composites are discussed. During thermal aging, the epoxy resin molecular chains undergo continuous oxidation and chain scission, which generate numerous polar functional groups and short chains and an increase in the free volume. This triggers an enhancement in the chain segmental dynamics, thereby significantly reducing the activation energy of the epoxy resin. After 360 h, activation energy decreased from 0.78 eV to 0.67 eV. The DC breakdown voltages of the specimens decreased from 168.28 kV/mm to 134.91 kV/mm. An insulation life prediction model for thermally aged epoxy/glass fibre composites is established based on the time-temperature equivalence theory. The prediction results indicate that the service life of the operational composites is approximately 11.2 years at 353 K, which is consistent with engineering experience.

Exposure to arsenic (As) induces adverse effects on human health. Vitamins B1, B6, and C, as indispensable micronutrients for humans, have been proven to influence the metabolism and toxicity of ingested As. To determine the effect of vitamins on health risks associated with soil exposure, As bioaccessibility in 14 soil samples using four in vitro methods of IVG, PBET, SBRC, and UBM was measured with the addition of vitamins B1, B6, and C. With vitamins B1 and B6 addition, the gastric As bioaccessibility in 14 soil samples was reduced by 1.14–3.52 and 1.14–5.02 fold, respectively, and instead an increase in the intestinal bioaccessibility was presented in some cases. Vitamin C supplementation yielded higher As bioaccessibility in the gastric (1.13–13.02 fold) and small intestinal (1.21–33.35 fold) phases, respectively. As evidenced by the X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, arsenic dissolution was promoted by Fe-As and hindered by the formation of Al-As fractions. Soil As dissolution in the simulated gastrointestinal tract was strongly influenced by soil minerals and ingested vitamins, due to the chelation of arsenic with vitamins and soil minerals such as Fe (hydr)oxides, and Fe(III) reductive dissolution to enhance As release by vitamin C as an iron reducer. These findings will expand the knowledge of health risks of exposure to As-contaminated soils and nutritional interventions aiming at the mitigation of As toxicity.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have tremendous potential in cell therapy and regenerative medicine. The placenta-derived MSCs (PMSCs) are becoming favorable sources as they are ethically preferable and rich in MSCs. Although several subgroups of PMSCs have been identified from human term placenta, optimal sources for specific clinical applications remain to be elucidated. This study aimed to isolate MSCs from various components of the placenta, and compare their biological characteristics, including morphology, proliferation, immunophenotype, differentiation potential, growth factor and cytokine secretion, and immunomodulatory properties. Finally, four distinct groups of PMSCs were isolated from the placenta: amniotic membrane-derived MSCs (AM-MSCs), chorionic membrane-derived MSCs (CM-MSCs), chorionic plate-derived MSCs (CP-MSCs), and chorionic villi-derived MSCs (CV-MSCs). The results showed that CV-MSCs had good proliferation ability, and were easier to induce osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation; CP-MSCs exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on the proliferation of activated T cells, secreted high levels of EGF and IL-6, and could well differentiate into osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondroblasts; AM-MSCs showed good growth dynamics in the early generations, were able to grow at high density, and tended to induce differentiation into osteogenic and neural lineages. These findings may provide novel evidence for the selection of seed cells in clinical application.

Cases and studies of protruding early gastric cancer (EGC) combined with spontaneous bleeding are relatively rare. The current study present a female patient aged 70 to 75 years old with hemorrhagic shock caused by spontaneous bleeding from EGC type 0-Isp, which was successfully cured by rapid emergency endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).

Abstract Metallic phthalocyanines are promising electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, their catalytic activity and stability (especially under high potential) are still unsatisfactory. Herein, we synthesized a covalent organic polymer (COP‐CoPc) by introducing charge‐switchable viologen ligands into cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc). The COP‐CoPc exhibits great activity for CO2RR, including a high Faradaic efficiency over a wide potential window and the highest CO partial current density among all ligand‐tuned phthalocyanine catalysts reported in the H‐type cell. Particularly, COP‐CoPc also shows great potential for practical applications, for example, a FECO of >95% is realized at a large current density of 150 mA/cm2 in a two‐electrode membrane electrode assembly reactor. Ex situ and in situ X‐ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy measurements and theory calculations reveal that when the charge‐switchable viologen ligands switch to neutral‐state ones, they can act as electron donors to enrich the electron density of Co centers in COP‐CoPc and enhance the desorption of *CO, thus improving the CO selectivity. Moreover, the excellent reversible redox capability of viologen ligands and the increased Co–N bonding strength in the Co–N4 sites enable COP‐CoPc to possess outstanding stability under elevated potentials and currents, enriching the knowledge of charge‐switchable ligands tailored CO2RR performance.

Abstract An efficient method for the synthesis of a self‐supporting carbon framework (denoted Gra‐GC‐MoSe2) is proposed with a triple‐gradient structure—in sodiophilic sites, pore volume, and electrical conductivity—which facilitates the highly efficient regulation of Na deposition. In situ and ex situ measurements, together with theoretical calculations, reveal that the gradient distribution of Se heteroatoms in MoSe2, and its derivatives tailor the sodiophilicity, while the gradient distribution of porous nanostructures homogenizes the Na+ diffusion. Therefore, Na deposition occurs from the bottom to the top of the Gra‐GC‐MoSe2 framework without dendrite formation. In addition, the gradient in electrical conductivity ensures the stripping process does not lead to dead Na. As a result, a Gra‐GC‐MoSe2 modified Na anode (Na@Gra‐GC‐MoSe2) shows impressive cycling stability with a high average Coulombic efficiency in an asymmetric cell. In symmetric cells, it also exhibits a long cycling life of 2000 h with a low polarization voltage and works stably even under a large capacity of 10 mAh cm−2. Moreover, a Na@Gra‐GC‐MoSe2|| Na3V2(PO4)3 full cell delivers a high energy density with an excellent cycling performance.

Carbendazim (methyl benzimidazol-2-ylcarbamate, CBZ) is a systemic benzimidazole carbamate fungicide and can be used to control a wide range of fungal diseases caused by Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes and Deuteromycetes. It is widely used in horticulture, forestry, agriculture, preservation and gardening due to its broad spectrum and leads to its accumulation in soil and water environmental systems, which may eventually pose a potential threat to non-target organisms through the ecological chain. Therefore, the removal of carbendazim residues from the environment is an urgent problem. Currently, a number of physical and chemical treatments are effective in degrading carbendazim. As a green and efficient strategy, microbial technology has the potential to degrade carbendazim into non-toxic and environmentally acceptable metabolites, which in turn can dissipate carbendazim from the contaminated environment. To date, a number of carbendazim-degrading microbes have been isolated and reported, including, but not limited to, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, Sphingomonas, and Aeromonas. Notably, the common degradation property shared by all strains was their ability to hydrolyze carbendazim to 2-aminobenzimidazole (2-AB). The complete mineralization of the degradation products is mainly dependent on the cleavage of the imidazole and benzene rings. Additionally, the currently reported genes for carbendazim degradation are MheI and CbmA, which are responsible for breaking the ester and amide bonds, respectively. This paper reviews the toxicity, microbial degradation of carbendazim, and bioremediation techniques for carbendazim-contaminated environments. This not only summarizes and enriches the theoretical basis of microbial degradation of carbendazim, but also provides practical guidance for bioremediation of carbendazim-contaminated residues in the environment.

The performance of photothermoelectric materials is severely limited by various intrinsic parameters that are difficult to simultaneously modulate, thereby hindering their applications in the fields of photodetectors, solar cells, thermoelectric therapy and so on. In this study, we have prepared suspended films composed of carbon nanotube (CNT) and molybdenum disulfide quantum dots (MoS2 QDs), which demonstrate a remarkable maximum photothermal conversion efficiency of 2201 K·mm2·W−1. This outstanding performance is attributed to the formation of a heterojunction between CNT and MoS2 QDs. Furthermore, the light absorption, temperature coefficient of resistance, and Seebeck coefficient of this suspended film are simultaneously modulated in a direction conducive to enhancing the photothermoelectric effect. Consequently, we have fabricated CNT-CNT/MoS2 QDs p-n junction photodetectors to showcase the improved photoresponse performance. This study presents an innovative approach for modulating multiple intrinsic parameters of photothermoelectric materials, which offers valuable insights for enhancing the performance of corresponding photothermoelectric devices.