Search

Hui Zhang,1 Wen-Ting Tong,2 Chang-Rong Zhang,1 Jun-Long Li,1 Hao Meng,3 Hai-Gan Yang,3 Min Chen31The First Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical College, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Andrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Min ChenDepartment of Andrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 12 Ji-chang Road, Guangzhou 51000, Guangdong, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 203 659 1359Fax +86 203 659 1127Email wiiiiiki@gmail.comObjective: To investigate the effect of gross saponins of Tribulus terrestris (GSTT) on erectile function in rats resulting from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DMED).Methods: The T2DMED model was constructed by high-fat and high-sugar feeding and streptozotocin injection. After 4 weeks of GSTT intervention. Intracavernous pressure (ICP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured in each group. The level of nitric oxide (NO) in the cavernous tissue was detected using the nitrate reductase method. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected using DHE fluorescent probe detection. Cyclic adenosinemonophosphate (cGMP) level was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and endothelial nitricoxide synthase (eNOS) was detected using immunohistochemistry. Masson staining was used to detect the cavernosal smooth muscle/collagen ratio. Apoptosis in endothelial cells was measured using TUNEL. Western blotting method to detect the protein expression level of eNOS, TIMP-1, cleaved caspase 3, and cleaved caspase 9.Results: After treatment, the ICP and ICP/MAP values of the GSTT were significantly higher than those of the T2DMED group (P0.05), and the mixed group had higher levels than these two groups (P

Yuan Ding,1,* Dan Sun,1,* Gui-Ling Wang,1 Hong-Ge Yang,1 Hai-Feng Xu,1 Jian-Hua Chen,2 Ying Xie,1,3 Zhi-Qiang Wang4 1Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 2School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 3State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University Geauga, Burton, OH, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) as small molecular transporters with abilities of cell penetrating, internalization, and endosomal escape have potential prospect in drug delivery systems. However, a bottleneck hampering their application is the poor specificity for cells. By utilizing the function of hydration shell of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and acid sensitivity of hydrazone bond, we constructed a kind of CPP-modified pH-sensitive PEGylated liposomes (CPPL) to improve the selectivity of these peptides for tumor targeting. In CPPL, CPP was directly attached to liposome surfaces via coupling with stearate (STR) to avoid the hindrance of PEG as a linker on the penetrating efficiency of CPP. A PEG derivative by conjugating PEG with STR via acid-degradable hydrazone bond (PEG2000-Hz-STR, PHS) was synthesized. High-performance liquid chromatography and flow cytometry demonstrated that PHS was stable at normal neutral conditions and PEG could be completely cleaved from liposome surface to expose CPP under acidic environments in tumor. An optimal CPP density on liposomes was screened to guaranty a maximum targeting efficiency on tumor cells as well as not being captured by normal cells that consequently lead to a long circulation in blood. In vitro and in vivo studies indicated, in 4 mol% CPP of lipid modified system, that CPP exerted higher efficiency on internalizing the liposomes into targeted subcellular compartments while remaining inactive and free from opsonins at a maximum extent in systemic circulation. The 4% CPPL as a drug delivery system will have great potential in the clinical application of anticancer drugs in future. Keywords: long circulation, pharmacokinetics, lysosome escape, nanocarrier, pH-sensitive liposomes

Abstract: Objective: Velocity vector imaging (VVI) is widely used to quantify cardiac mechanical deformation. This study sought to determine whether VVI could be used to evaluate the stiffness of maternal peripheral arteries in women with pre-eclampsia. Study design: Twenty-four women with pre-eclampsia and 34 normotensive pregnant women were recruited. Longitudinal and circumferential peak velocity, strain and strain rate of the right common carotid artery (CCA) were measured. All measurements were averaged from three consecutive cardiac cycles and expressed as mean±standard deviation. Results: Longitudinal velocity, strain and strain rate of the anterior and posterior walls of the CCA were significantly lower in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension compared with normotensive pregnant women [velocity: 0.22±0.09cm/s vs 0.29±0.09cm/s (p <0.01) and 0.24±0.10cm/s vs 0.34±0.13cm/s (p <0.01); strain: 8.50±4.92% vs 12.2±6.21% (p <0.01) and 10.11±5.02% vs 14.21±6.48% (p <0.05); strain rate: 1.62±1.14s–1 vs 2.24±1.13s–1 (p <0.05) and 1.91±0.99s–1 vs 2.45±0.97s–1 (p <0.05)]. Similar results were also found for circumferential velocity, strain and strain rate of the anterior and posterior walls, and the interior and exterior lateral walls of the CCA. Conclusions: Stiffness of the maternal CCA was significantly greater in women with pre-eclampsia compared with normotensive pregnant women. VVI may have potential for quantitative assessment of vascular mechanical deformation in the clinical setting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis holds great promise for green hydrogen production, but suffering from high loading of platinum-group metals (PGM) for large-scale deployment. Anchoring PGM-based materials on supports can not only improve the atomic utilization of active sites but also enhance the intrinsic activity. However, in practical PEM electrolysis, it is still challenging to mediate hydrogen adsorption/desorption pathways with high coverage of hydrogen intermediates over catalyst surface. Here, operando generated stable palladium (Pd) hydride nanoclusters anchored on tungsten carbide (WC x ) supports were constructed for hydrogen evolution in PEM electrolysis. Under PEM operando conditions, hydrogen intercalation induces formation of Pd hydrides (PdH x ) featuring weakened hydrogen binding energy (HBE), thus triggering reverse hydrogen spillover from WC x (strong HBE) supports to PdH x sites, which have been evidenced by operando characterizations, electrochemical results and theoretical studies. This PdH x -WC x material can be directly utilized as cathode electrocatalysts in PEM electrolysis with ultralow Pd loading of 0.022 mg cm -2 , delivering the current density of 1 A cm -2 at the cell voltage of ~1.66 V and continuously running for 200 hours without obvious degradation. This innovative strategy via tuning the operando characteristics to mediate reverse hydrogen spillover provide new insights for designing high-performance supported PGM-based electrocatalysts., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Ammonia (NH 3 ) is one of the most widely produced chemicals globally, primarily synthesized through the Haber-Bosch process, which requires high temperatures and pressures. Dual-site catalysts can activate N 2 and H 2 at spatially separated sites, enabling efficient NH 3 synthesis under milder conditions. Despite the rapid experimental progress of the dual-site catalysts (e.g., Ni-LaN), the feasibility and design of dual-site catalysts are challenged recently. Herein, the different metal-loaded metal nitride catalyst models are employed, and their activity map for NH 3 synthesis is explored by the first-principles microkinetic simulation. The optimum active region of this type of dual-site catalyst is identified in terms of the formation energy (E v ) of nitrogen vacancy (N vac ) on metal nitride and the adsorption energy (E H ) of hydrogen atom on metal cluster, with E v and E H ideally located around ≈1.50 and ≈-0.30 eV, respectively. This offers a framework for designing effective metal-loaded metal nitride catalysts for NH 3 synthesis. Importantly, this trend aligns with and rationalizes the current experimental observations of metal-loaded metal nitride reported for NH 3 synthesis. This theoretical work provides significant insights into NH 3 synthesis on dual-site mechanism, and provides a rational direction for designing metal-loaded metal nitride catalysts., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Metal oxides have garnered significant attention in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), where a distorted MO 6 octahedral unit has a marked impact on their performance. This study introduces the distortion coefficient to quantify the MO 6 distortion composed of its volume and shape, and reports the effect of MO 6 distortion on the activity and stability in rutile metal oxides for the OER. This provides a fundamental understanding for designing effective MO 6 active units for the OER.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-related Cu materials are promising candidates for promoting electrochemical CO 2 reduction to produce valuable chemical feedstocks. However, many MOF materials inevitable undergo reconstruction under reduction conditions; therefore, exploiting the restructuring of MOF materials is of importance for the rational design of high-performance catalyst targeting multi-carbon products (C 2 ). Herein, a facile solvent process is choosed to fabricate HKUST-1 with an anionic framework (a-HKUST-1) and utilize it as a pre-catalyst for alkaline CO 2 RR. The a-HKUST-1 catalyst can be electrochemically reduced into Cu with significant structural reconstruction under operating reaction conditions. The anionic HKUST-1 derived Cu catalyst (aHD-Cu) delivers a FE C2H4 of 56% and FE C2 of ≈80% at -150 mA cm -2 in alkaline electrolyte. The resulting aHD-Cu catalyst has a high electrochemically active surface area and low coordinated sites. In situ Raman spectroscopy indicates that the aHD-Cu surface displays higher coverage of *CO intermediates, which favors the production of hydrocarbons., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Objective: To explore the application of anterior esophageal wall full layer fixation and gastric tube guidance in total laparoscopic overlap method for intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy. Methods: Overlap esophagojejunostomy with anterior esophageal wall full layer fixation and gastric tube guidance is suitable for patients with advanced gastric cancer (clinical stage: cT1b~4aN0~3M0) and esophageal invasion <3 cm, who underwent radical total gastrectomy+ overlap esophagojejunostomy. The main operation procedure was performed as follows: A titanium clip was used for fixation of the full anterior wall of esophagus before overlap esophagojejunostomy, and the side-to-side esophagojejunostomy was performed with the linear stapler under the guidance of gastric tube. Then the titanium clip was removed after confirming that the correct cavity was entered. Finally, the common outlet was closed by two barbed sutures. A descriptive case series study was conducted. The clinical data of patients who underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy and overlap esophagojejunostomy with anterior esophageal wall full layer fixation and gastric tube guidance in Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese medicine and the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese medicine from May 2021 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: A total of 42 patients were collected, and all of them were successfully completed laparoscopic total radical gastrectomy without conversion to laparotomy or perioperative death. The esophagojejunostomy time, operative time, intraoperative blood loss was 17(5-25) minutes, (258.8±38.0) minutes and 50(20-200) ml, respectively. The incidence of esophageal false lumen was 0%, and there were no intraoperative complications. The time of gastric tube removal, initial fluid diet intake and the duration of postoperative hospital were 2(1-5) , 4(1-8) and 8(4-21) days, respectively. There were no postoperative anastomotic hemorrhage, anastomotic stenosis and other related complications. One patient (2.38%) developed a Clavien-Dindo IIIb complication, which was abdominal hemorrhage after operation. The second surgical exploration confirmed that the patient was bleeding due to gastroduodenal artery rupture. After intraoperative suture hemostasis, fluid expansion, blood transfusion and other treatments, the patient was discharged on the 15th day after the operation. Three patients (7.14%) developed Clavien-Dindo grade II complications, including anastomotic leakage, chylous leakage and pulmonary infection, and were discharged after conservative treatment such as anti-infection and prolonged retention of drainage tube. Conclusions: Laparoscopic overlap method for intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy with anterior esophageal wall fixation and gastric tube guidance can shorten the time of esophagojejunostomy and prevent the occurrence of false lumen, and do not increase anastomose-related complications.

Inefficient active site utilization of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts have limited the energy efficiency of proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. Here, an atomic grid structure is demonstrated composed of high-density Ir sites (≈10 atoms per nm 2 ) on reactive MnO 2-x support which mediates oxygen coverage-enhanced OER process. Experimental characterizations verify the low-valent Mn species with decreased oxygen coordination in MnO 2-x exert a pivotal impact in the enriched oxygen coverage on the surface during OER process, and the distributed Ir atomic grids, where highly electrophilic Ir─O (II-δ)- bonds proceed rapidly, render intense nucleophilic attack of oxygen radicals. Thereby, this metal-support cooperation achieves ultra-low overpotentials of 166 mV at 10 mA cm -2 and 283 mV at 500 mA cm -2 , together with a striking mass activity which is 380 times higher than commercial IrO 2 at 1.53 V. Moreover, its high OER performance also markedly surpasses the commercial Ir black catalyst in PEM electrolyzers with long-term stability., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Metal nitrides (MNs) are attracting enormous attention in the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) because of their rich lattice nitrogen (N lat ) and the unique ability of N lat vacancies to activate N 2 . However, continuing controversy exists on whether MNs are catalytically active for NRR or produce NH 3 via the reductive decomposition of N lat without N 2 activation in the in situ electrochemical conditions, let alone the rational design of high-performance MN catalysts. Herein, we focus on the common rocksalt-type MN(100) catalysts and establish a quantitative theoretical framework based on the first-principles microkinetic simulations to resolve these puzzles. The results show that the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism is kinetically more favorable to drive the NRR on a majority of MNs, in which N lat plays a pivotal role in achieving the Volmer process and N 2 activation. In terms of stability, activity, and selectivity, we find that MN(100) with moderate formation energy of N lat vacancy ( E vac ) can achieve maximum activity and maintain electrochemical stability, while low- or high- E vac ones are either unstable or catalytically less active. Unfortunately, owing to the five-coordinate structural feature of N lat on rocksalt-type MN(100), this maximum activity is limited to a yield of NH 3 of only ∼10 -15 mol s -1 cm -2 . Intriguingly, we identify a volcano-type activity-regulating role of the local structural features of N lat and show that the four-coordinate N lat can exhibit optimal activity and overcome the performance limitation, while less coordinated N lat fails. This work provides, arguably for the first time, an in-depth theoretical insight into the activity and stability paradox of MNs for NRR and underlines the importance of reaction kinetic assessment in comparison with the prevailing simple thermodynamic analysis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Binding of Staphylococcus aureus protein A (SPA) to osteoblasts induces apoptosis and inhibits bone formation. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have the ability to differentiate into bone, fat and cartilage. Therefore, it was important to analyze the molecular mechanism of SPA on osteogenic differentiation. We introduced transcript sequence data to screen out differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to SPA-interfered BMSC. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs was established to screen biomarkers associated with SPA-interfered BMSC. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the ability of biomarkers to discriminate between two groups of samples. Finally, we performed GSEA and regulatory analysis based on biomarkers. We identified 321 DEGs. Subsequently, 6 biomarkers (Cenpf, Kntc1, Nek2, Asf1b, Troap and Kif14) were identified by hubba algorithm in PPI. ROC analysis showed that six biomarkers could clearly discriminate between normal differentiated and SPA-interfered BMSC. Moreover, we found that these biomarkers were mainly enriched in the pyrimidine metabolism pathway. We also constructed '71 circRNAs-14 miRNAs-5 mRNAs' and '10 lncRNAs-5 miRNAs-2 mRNAs' networks. Kntc1 and Asf1b genes were associated with rno-miR-3571. Nek2 and Asf1b genes were associated with rno-miR-497-5p. Finally, we found significantly lower expression of six biomarkers in the SPA-interfered group compared to the normal group by RT-qPCR. Overall, we obtained 6 biomarkers (Cenpf, Kntc1, Nek2, Asf1b, Troap, and Kif14) related to SPA-interfered BMSC, which provided a theoretical basis to explore the key factors of SPA affecting osteogenic differentiation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: With rapid urbanization, massive migration, and non-family-based eldercare involvement, Chinese concepts of eldercare responsibility and filial piety are shifting. We performed age-period-cohort (APC) analyses to assess the transition of old-age pension coverage, eldercare responsibility, and filial piety concepts and its urban-rural differences among Chinese adults using data from the China General Social Survey (2006-2017)., Methods: Old-age pension coverage (yes/no) and primary eldercare responsibility (government/offspring/self/sharing) were investigated in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Filial piety was evaluated using customized questionnaires in 2006 and 2017. The APC effects were estimated using mixed effects and generalized additive models., Results: Among 66,182 eligible participants (mean age: 48.8 years, females: 51.7%) in the six waves, APC analyses indicated that old-age pension coverage increased with aging and over time. Across cohort groups, it grew as the cohort was younger in urban residents but decreased in rural residents. The concept of offspring-based (> 50%) and government/self/offspring-shared eldercare (> 30%) predominated. APC analyses revealed that the offspring-based concept declined with aging (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.79-0.84), whereas the government-based (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.33-1.41) and self-based (OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.47-1.63) concepts increased with aging. People born around the 1940s have a comparatively higher possibility to perceive that the primary eldercare responsibility should be undertaken by the government and elder parents. In contrast, people born in the younger cohort were more likely to perceive that adult children are responsible for their parents' primary eldercare. Filial piety score slightly increased with aging (β = 0.18, SD: 0.05) but decreased as the birth cohort was younger. In addition, rural participants were more likely to perceive offspring-based eldercare and maintain filial piety, and the related urban-rural difference was intensified by aging., Conclusions: The traditional concept that eldercare solely relies on offspring has changed to relying on multiple entities, including the government and self-reliance. Diluted filial piety in people born in the young cohort requires reinforcement. Moreover, future healthy aging policies need to focus more on urban-rural disparities to promote equity in social well-being., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Electrocatalytic carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide reduction reaction (CO (2) RR) has emerged as a prospective and appealing strategy to realize carbon neutrality for manufacturing sustainable chemical products. Developing highly active electrocatalysts and stable devices has been demonstrated as effective approach to enhance the conversion efficiency of CO (2) RR. In order to rationally design electrocatalysts and devices, a comprehensive understanding of the intrinsic structure evolution within catalysts and micro-environment change around electrode interface, particularly under operation conditions, is indispensable. Synchrotron radiation has been recognized as a versatile characterization platform, garnering widespread attention owing to its high brightness, elevated flux, excellent directivity, strong polarization and exceptional stability. This review systematically introduces the applications of synchrotron radiation technologies classified by radiation sources with varying wavelengths in CO (2) RR. By virtue of in situ/operando synchrotron radiationanalytical techniques, we also summarize relevant dynamic evolution processes from electronic structure, atomic configuration, molecular adsorption, crystal lattice and devices, spanning scales from the angstrom to the micrometer. The merits and limitations of diverse synchrotron characterization techniques are summarized, and their applicable scenarios in CO (2) RR are further presented. On the basis of the state-of-the-art fourth-generation synchrotron facilities, a perspective for further deeper understanding of the CO (2) RR process using synchrotron radiation analytical techniques is proposed., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Polar materials with spontaneous polarization (P s ) have emerged as highly promising photocatalysts for efficient photocatalytic H 2 evolution owing to the P s -enhanced photogenerated carrier separation. However, traditional inorganic polar materials often suffer from limitations such as wide band gaps and poor carrier transport, which hinders their photocatalytic H 2 evolution efficiency. Here, we rationally synthesized a series of isostructural two-dimensional (2D) aromatic Dion-Jacobson (DJ) perovskites, namely (2-(2-Aminoethyl)pyridinium)PbI 4 (2-APDPI), (3-(2-Aminoethyl)pyridinium)PbI 4 (3-APDPI), and (4-(2-Aminoethyl)pyridinium)PbI 4 (4-APDPI), where 2-APDPI and 4-APDPI crystalize in polar space groups with piezoelectric constants (d 33 ) of approximately 40 pm V -1 and 3-APDPI adopts a centrosymmetric structure. Strikingly, owing to the P s -facilitated separation of photogenerated carriers, polar 2-APDPI and 4-APDPI exhibit a 3.9- and 2.8-fold increase, respectively, in photocatalytic H 2 evolution compared to the centrosymmetric 3-APDPI. As a pioneering study, this work provides an efficient approach for exploring new polar photocatalysts and highlights their potential in promoting photocatalytic H 2 evolution., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Diatomic-site catalysts (DASCs) inherit the excellent performance of single-atom catalysts (SACs) by utilizing two adjacent atomic metal species to achieve functional complementarity and synergistic effects that improve the carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) and H 2 evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. Herein, we report a method to further improve the catalytic efficiency of Pt by using Pt and Ru single atoms randomly anchored on a g-C 3 N 4 surface, yielding partial Pt-Ru dimers. The synthesized catalyst exhibits extraordinary photocatalytic activity and stability in both the CO 2 RR and HER processes. In-depth experimentation, the pH-dependent chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method, and theoretical analyses reveal that the excellent performance is attributed to orbital coupling between the Pt atoms and the neighboring Ru atoms (mainly d xy and d xz ), which decreases the orbital energy levels and weakens the bond strength with intermediates, resulting in improved CO 2 RR and HER performance. This study successfully applies the pH-dependent CEST imaging NMR method to catalytic reactions, and CO 2 adsorption is directly observed using CEST 2D imaging maps. This work presents significant potential for a variety of catalytic reaction applications by systematically designing bimetallic dimers with higher activity and stability.

Metal-halide perovskite thin monocrystals featuring efficient carrier collection and transport capabilities are well suited for radiation detectors, yet their growth in a generic, well-controlled manner remains challenging. Here, we reveal that mass transfer is one major limiting factor during solution growth of perovskite thin monocrystals. A general approach is developed to overcome synthetic limitation by using a high solute flux system, in which mass diffusion coefficient is improved from 1.7×10 -10 to 5.4×10 -10 m 2 s -1 by suppressing monomer aggregation. The generality of this approach is validated by the synthesis of 29 types of perovskite thin monocrystals at 40-90 °C with the growth velocity up to 27.2 μm min -1 . The as-grown perovskite monocrystals deliver a high X-ray sensitivity of 1.74×10 5 µC Gy -1 cm -2 without applied bias. The findings regarding limited mass transfer and high-flux crystallization are crucial towards advancing the preparation and application of perovskite thin monocrystals., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Single-crystal semiconductor-based photocatalysts exposing unique crystallographic facets show promising applications in energy and environmental technologies; however, crystal facet engineering through solid-state synthesis for photocatalytic overall water splitting is still challenging. Herein, we develop a novel crystal facet engineering strategy through solid-state recrystallization to synthesize uniform SrTiO 3 single crystals exposing tailored {111} facets. The presynthesized low-crystalline SrTiO 3 precursors enable the formation of well-defined single crystals through kinetically improved crystal structure transformation during solid-state recrystallization process. By employing subtle Al 3+ ions as surface morphology modulators, the crystal surface orientation can be precisely tuned to a controlled percentage of {111} facets. The photocatalytic overall water splitting activity increases with the exposure percentage of {111} facets. Owing to the outstanding crystallinity and favorable anisotropic surface structure, the SrTiO 3 single crystals with 36.6% of {111} facets lead to a 3-fold enhancement of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rates up to 1.55 mmol·h -1 in a stoichiometric ratio of 2:1 than thermodynamically stable SrTiO 3 enclosed with isotropic {100} facets.

Objective: The cervical spine presents challenges in treating metastatic cervical spinal tumors (MCSTs). Although the efficacy of cervical pedicle screw placement (CPS) has been well established, its use in combination with 5.5-mm rods for MCST has not been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of CPS combined with 5.5-mm rods in treating MCST and compare it with that of CPS combined with traditional 3.5-mm rods., Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 58 patients with MCST who underwent posterior cervical spinal fusion surgery by a single surgeon between March 2012 and December 2022. Data included demographics, surgical details, imaging results, numerical rating scale score for neck pain, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, and Spine Oncology Study Group Outcomes Questionnaire responses., Results: Preoperative Spinal Instability Neoplastic Scores were significantly higher in the 5.5-mm rod group. Greater kyphotic changes in the index vertebra were observed in the 3.5-mm rod group. Neck pain reduction was significantly better in the 5.5-mm rod group., Conclusion: CPS with 5.5-mm rods provides superior biomechanical stability and effectively resists forward bending momentum in posterior MCST fusion surgery. These findings support the use of 5.5-mm rods to enhance surgical outcomes.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the efficacy of microsurgery with intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) angiography as a treatment approach for ethmoidal dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF)., Methods: Between January 2010 and July 2021, our institution encountered a total of eight cases of ethmoidal DAVF. In each of these cases, microsurgical treatment was undertaken utilizing a bilateral sub-frontal interhemispheric approach, with the aid of intraoperative ICG angiography., Results: ICG angiography identified bilateral venous drainage with single dominance in four cases (50%) of ethmoidal DAVF, a finding that eluded detection during preoperative transfemoral cerebral angiography (TFCA). The application of microsurgical treatment, in conjunction with intraoperative ICG angiography, resulted in consistently positive clinical outcomes for all patients, as evaluated using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at the 6-month postoperative follow-up assessment; six patients showed GOS score of 5, while the remaining two patients attained a GOS score of 4., Conclusions: The use of intraoperative ICG angiography enabled accurate identification of both dominant and non-dominant venous drainage patterns, ensuring complete disconnection of the fistula and reducing the risk of recurrence.

Two new aporphine alkaloids, 6a R -2'-(3-oxobutenyl)-thaliadin ( 1 ) and N -methylthalisopynine ( 2 ), along with ten known analogs ( 3 - 12 ), were isolated from the roots of Thalictrum omeiense W. T. Wang et S. H. Wang. Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic analyses. Compounds 1 - 7 and 9 - 12 were tested for their antiproliferative effects in vitro against two human cancer cell lines (A549 and MCF-7). Among them, compounds 1 , 3, and 7 exhibited moderate inhibitory activity against the tested cell lines with IC 50 values ranging from 23.73 to 34.97 μM.

As a prototypical photocatalyst, TiO[Formula: see text] has been extensively studied. An interesting yet puzzling experimental fact was that P25-a mixture of anatase and rutile TiO[Formula: see text]-outperforms the individual phases; the origin of this mysterious fact, however, remains elusive. Employing rigorous first-principles calculations, here we uncover a metastable intermediate structure (MIS), which is formed due to confinement at the anatase/rutile interface. The MIS has a high conduction-band minimum level and thus substantially enhances the overpotential of the hydrogen evolution reaction. Also, the corresponding band alignment at the interface leads to efficient separation of electrons and holes. The interfacial confinement additionally creates a wide distribution of the band gap in the vicinity of the interface, which in turn improves optical absorption. These factors all contribute to the enhanced photocatalytic efficiency in P25. Our insights provide a rationale to the puzzling superior photocatalytic performance of P25 and enable a strategy to achieve highly efficient photocatalysis via interface engineering., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Electrocatalytic water splitting is one of the most commercially valuable pathways of hydrogen production especially combined with renewable electricity; however, efficient and durable electrocatalysts are urgently needed to reduce electric energy consumption. Here, we reported a Ru and Fe co-doped Mo 2 C on nitrogen doped carbon via a controllable two-step method, which can be used for efficient and enduring hydrogen evolution reaction. At 10, 100 and 200 mA cm -2 in acidic electrolyte, the resultant Ru-Fe/Mo 2 C@NC delivered low overpotentials of 31, 78 and 103 mV, respectively, which are comparable to that of the commercial Pt/C (20 wt %). At an applied current density of 100 mA cm -2 , stable hydrogen production was conducted for 120 h without obvious degradation. In alkaline media, Ru-Fe/Mo 2 C@NC can also deliver a current density of 100 mA cm -2 for more than 100 h. Furthermore, the Ru-Fe/Mo 2 C@NC electrocatalyst was used as cathode in an anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer under industrial environments for robust hydrogen production. The characterization and electrochemical results prove the synergism effects between Ru, Fe dopants and Mo 2 C for promoting hydrogen evolution activity. This work would pave a new avenue to fabricate low-cost, high-performance hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts for industrial water electrolyzers., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The electrochemical 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation reaction (HMFOR) has been regarded as a viable alternative to sustainable biomass valorization. However, the transformation of the catalysts under harsh electrooxidation conditions remains controversial. Herein, we confirm the self-construction of cuprous sulfide nanosheets (Cu 2 S NSs) into sulfate-terminated copper oxide nanorods (CuO-SO 4 2- NRs) during the first-cycle of the HMFOR, which achieves a near-quantitative synthesis of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) with a >99.9% yield and faradaic efficiency without deactivation in 15 successive cycles. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopies confirm that the surface SO 4 2- effectively reduces the onset potential for HMFOR, while in situ Raman spectroscopies identify a reversible transformation from Cu II -O to Cu III -OOH in HMFOR. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations reveal that the surface SO 4 2- weakens the Cu-OH bonds in CuOOH to promote the rate-determining step of its coupling with the C atom in HMF-H* resulting from HMF hydrogenation, which synergistically enhances the catalytic activity of CuO-SO 4 2- NRs toward HMF-to-FDCA conversion.

Designing highly excellent and stable catalysts for alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is gradually pivotal for clean energy development. In this work, a heterogeneous Fe-doped Ni(OH) 2 (Ni/Fe-0.1) was developed via simple one-step electrodeposition onto nickel mesh. The heterogeneous interface structure generates sufficient active sites, significantly improving OER performance with an overpotential of 174 mV at 10 mA cm -2 (η 10 ), while Tafel slope is only 43.0 mV dec -1 . In particular, Ni/Fe-0.1 is still able to operate stably at a current density of 1 A cm -2 for 100 h without obvious potential decay. The oxidation of Ni 2+ to Ni 3+ was detected by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, proving that the heterogeneous catalyst could stabilize the high-valence state of nickel as active sites to its superior OER performance. This work provides a convenient synthetic strategy for forming heterogeneous catalysts toward efficient water electrolysis., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Electroreduction of CO 2 to valuable multicarbon (C 2+ ) products is a highly attractive way to utilize and divert emitted CO 2 . However, a major fraction of C 2+ selectivity is confined to less than 90% by the difficulty of coupling C-C bonds efficiently. Herein, we identify the stable Cu 0 /Cu 2+ interfaces derived from copper phosphate-based (CuPO) electrocatalysts, which can facilitate C 2+ production with a low-energy pathway of OC-CHO coupling verified by in situ spectra studies and theoretical calculations. The CuPO precatalyst shows a high Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 69.7% towards C 2 H 4 in an H-cell, and exhibits a significant FE C2+ of 90.9% under industrially relevant current density (j = -350 mA cm -2 ) in a flow cell configuration. The stable Cu 0 /Cu 2+ interface breaks new ground for the structural design of electrocatalysts and the construction of synergistic active sites to improve the activity and selectivity of valuable C 2+ products., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) often experience cognitive impairment. However, the relationship between cancer and Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear. We aimed to elucidate the relationship between patients with HNC and their subsequent AD development. This retrospective study used data from a nationwide representative cohort sample, the Korean National Health Insurance Service Cohort. The cancer group was defined based on the presence of diagnostic codes for HNC (C00-C14 and C30-C32). After matching the independent variables with a propensity score of 4:1, a total of 2304 people without HNC and 576 with HNC were enrolled in this study. Hazard ratios (HRs) of AD incidence (per 1000 person-years) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in HNC patients were calculated. The incidence of AD was 14.92 in HNC patients and 9.77 in non-cancer patients. Additionally, the HNC group was found to have a higher risk of developing AD compared with the non-cancer group. Female and middle-aged HNC patients had a higher risk of developing AD events compared with other subgroups. Surprisingly, during the observation period, the risk of developing AD was relatively high within the first year after HNC diagnosis. In conclusion, our study suggests that HNC and AD are positively correlated.

In this study, ruthenium-doped CoFe-based layered double hydroxides on Ni foam (CoFe-ZLDH/Ru@NF) were fabricated via an etching-precipitation strategy. The resultant CoFe-ZLDH/Ru@NF exhibited excellent activity, showing low overpotentials of 219.8 mV and 60.9 mV to reach the current density of 10 mA cm -2 for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), respectively. As a bifunctional electrocatalyst, it was assembled in an anion exchange membrane water electrolyser (AEMWE) unit, performing as an anode and cathode simultaneously, which only required a cell voltage of 2.33 V to accomplish the industrial level current density of 1 A cm -2 and operated steadily for over 12 h, making it promising for utilization in hydrogen production.

Persulfate non-radical oxidation have excellent catalytic capability for degrading specific contaminants in complicated water environments. Nevertheless, the preparation of high-performance activators and their application in actual water treatment in continuous flow mode are still scarce and unsatisfactory. In this work, copper-, manganese-, and copper/manganese-doped ceramsites (Cu-C, Mn-C and Cu/Mn-C), successfully fabricated through a facile impregnation-calcination approach, were characterized and evaluated for their performance to activate potassium peroxydisulfate (PDS) and degrade oxytetracycline (OTC) under different pH, ceramsite dosages, and PDS dosages. Compared with Cu-C and Mn-C, Cu/Mn-C showed the highest OTC degradation rate (0.0264 min -1 ) via activating PDS with an OTC removal efficiency of 98.2% in 240 min at an initial OTC concentration of 40 mg/L. The removal efficiency of OTC by Cu/Mn-C only decreased to 92.8% after 5 cycles; the activating ability of the used Cu/Mn-C was almost completely recovered through 2 h of calcination at 500 °C. The results of electron paramagnetic resonance and radical quenching suggest that singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) was unveiled to be the dominant reactive oxygen species (ROS) for contaminant degradation, originating from the regrouping of superoxide ions or reduction of active Cu/Mn sites. Synergies between Cu and Mn species to enhance ROS yield were the primary activating mechanisms. Six possible routes of OTC decomposition were inferred. Additionally, Cu/Mn-C behaved excellently in treating an actual wastewater using a continuous flow fixed-bed reactor. It is believed that this novel Cu/Mn-C/PDS system may create a fresh path to design effective and cheap metal-ceramsite hybrid activators for degrading recalcitrant contaminants in the actual application process., 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 Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Antiangiogenic therapy is a recognized method for countering the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and improving anti-tumor immunity. PB101 is a glycosylated decoy receptor that binds to VEGF-A and PlGF with high affinity, based on the VEGFR1 backbone. Here, we elucidated PB101-induced remodeling of tumor angiogenesis and immunity, which enhances anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade. PB101 inhibited tumor growth by suppressing angiogenesis and enhancing CD8 + T cell infiltration into the tumors. PB101 induced robust reprogramming of antitumor immunity and activates intratumoral CD8 + T cells. Anti-tumor efficacy of PB101 is mostly dependent on CD8 + T cells and IFN-γ. PB101 reprograms tumor immunity in a manner distinct from that of the conventional VEGF decoy receptor, VEGF-trap. With its potent immune-modulating capability, PB101 synergizes with an anti-PD-L1, triggering strengthened antitumor immunity. Combining PB101 and anti-PD-L1 could establish durable protective immunity against tumor recurrence and metastasis. The findings of this study offer scientific rationales for further clinical development of PB101, particularly when used in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, as a potential treatment for advanced cancers., Competing Interests: CK and HJC has received research grants from Panolos Bioscience. HGY, JAS, and HSL are full-time employees of Panolos Bioscience. The other authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.)

Evidence on the association between dietary nutrient-wide intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is inconclusive. Therefore, we systematically assessed the association between dietary intake of 29 nutrients and CVD risk using a nutrient-wide association study. Data were obtained from 7878 Chinese adults participating in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) wave 2004-2015. We estimated the association of 29 nutrients with CVD risk. Significant findings were replicated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Four nutrients (selenium, vitamin A, carotenoids, and total protein) were significantly associated with CVD risk in the CHNS. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for nutrient intake in the third tertile compared to the first tertile were 0.68 (0.51-0.90), 0.70 (0.54-0.91), 0.64 (0.50-0.83), and 0.54 (0.38-0.77), respectively. In the NHANES replication, selenium maintained a similar direction and strength of association, while the other nutrients were not replicated successfully. Our results provide support for a negative association between selenium intake and CVD risk, while the association of vitamin A, carotenoids and protein with CVD warrants further studies to confirm.

Purpose: Several studies have reported a possible link between chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, it remains unclear whether CRS could influence the risk of developing RA. Therefore, in this study, we focused on examining the association between CRS and RA., Methods: A total of 14,867 individuals with CRS and 14,867 without CRS were enrolled after 1:1 propensity score match from a nationwide longitudinal cohort database in South Korea. RA incidence was assessed using person-years at risk, and the hazard ratio (HR) was examined using the Cox proportional hazards model., Results: The incidence of RA (per 1,000 person-years) was 6.51 for those with CRS, 6.55 for those with CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP), and 5.96 for those with CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). We found that CRS individuals had a significantly increased risk of subsequent RA development with an adjusted HR of 1.41, regardless of the phenotype (adjusted HR was 1.42 in CRSsNP and 1.37 in CRSwNP patients). Moreover, the risk of developing RA over time was relatively higher within the first 4 years after the diagnosis of CRS., Conclusions: Our nationwide population-based cohort study suggests that CRS may be associated with a subsequent increase in RA events, regardless of the phenotype. Therefore, physicians should consider RA risk when diagnosing and treating CRS patients., Competing Interests: There are no financial or other issues that might lead to conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology • The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease.)

The progress of effective and durable electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is urgent, which is essential to promote the overall efficiency of green hydrogen production. To improve the performance of spinel cobalt-based oxides, which serve as promising water oxidation electrocatalysts in alkaline electrolytes, most researches have been concentrated on cations modification. Here, an anionic regulation mechanism is employed to adopt sulfur(S) anion substitution to supplant NiCo 2 O 4 by NiCo 2 S 4 , which contributed to an impressive OER performance in alkali. It is revealed that the substitution of S constructs a sub-stable spinel structure that facilitates its reconstruction into active amorphous oxysulfide under OER conditions. More importantly, as the active phase in the actual reaction process, the hetero-anionic amorphous oxysulfide has an appropriately tuned electronic structure and efficient OER electrocatalytic activity. This work demonstrates a promising approach for achieving anion conditioning-based tunable structure reconstruction for robust and easy preparation spinel oxide OER electrocatalysts., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

This study aims to investigate influencing factors of quality of life (QoL) and depression among COVID-19 survivors during convalescence. A cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2020 in Wuhan, China. Information on social support, physical activity, QoL and depressive symptoms were assessed using self-administered questionnaires. Multivariate linear regression and multivariate logistic regression were used to assess the risk factors of subdomains of QoL (physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS)) and depression, respectively. A total of 151 COVID-19 survivors (68 males) aged 53.21 (SD: 12.70) years participated in the study. Multivariate linear regression showed that age (β=-0.241), history of chronic disease (β=-0.4.774), physical activity (β = 2.47) and social support (β = 0.147) were significantly associated with PCS, while having a spouse (β = 9.571), monthly income (β = 0.043) and social support (β = 0.337) were significantly associated with MCS. Logistic regression suggested that participants aged 40-60 years (OR = 10.20, 95%CI: 1.41-73.82) or above 60 years (OR = 15.63, 95%CI: 1.87-131.00), with high school or above education (OR = 5.81, 95%CI: 1.24-27.20), with low/moderate physical activity (low, OR = 2.97, 95%CI: 1.14-7.77; moderate, OR = 3.42, 95%CI: 1.07-10.91) and low/medium social support (low, OR = 4.81, 95% CI: 2.02-11.43; medium, OR = 9.70, 95%CI: 1.17-80.10) were more likely to be depressed, while higher monthly income (≥3000 Yuan RMB/month) was associated with lower risk for depression (OR = 0.27, 95%CI: 0.09-0.82). These findings indicate COVID-19 survivors with older age, having chronic conditions, without a spouse, low monthly income, low level of physical activity and social support had significantly increased risks for poor QoL and depression, and more attention should be given to this population.

Antiplatelet agents are commonly used in combination with proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) in patients with acute coronary syndrome who are at risk of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. However, studies have reported that PPIs can alter the pharmacokinetics of antiplatelet agents and result in adverse cardiovascular events. We enrolled 311 patients who received antiplatelet therapy with PPIs for >30 days and 1244 matched controls following a 1:4 propensity score matching during the index period. Patients were followed up until death, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, or the end of the follow-up period. Patients who used antiplatelet therapy with PPIs were found to be at higher risk of mortality than the controls (adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.77; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30-2.40). The adjusted HR for patients who used antiplatelet agents with PPIs developing myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization events was 3.52 (95% CI: 1.34-9.22) and 4.74 (95% CI: 2.03-11.05), respectively. Additionally, middle-aged patients or those within 3 years of concomitant use showed a higher risk of myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization. Our findings suggest that antiplatelet therapy combined with PPIs has a higher mortality risk in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding and is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization.

Electrochemical CO 2 -to-CO conversion offers an attractive and efficient route to recycle CO 2 greenhouse gas. Molecular catalysts, like CoPc, are proved to be possible replacement for precious metal-based catalysts. These molecules, a combination of metal center and organic ligand molecule, may evolve into single atom structure for enhanced performance; besides, the manipulation of molecules' behavior also plays an important role in mechanism research. Here, in this work, the structure evolution of CoPc molecules is investigated via electrochemical-induced activation process. After numbers of cyclic voltammetry scanning, CoPc molecular crystals become cracked and crumbled, meanwhile the released CoPc molecules migrate to the conductive substrate. Atomic-scale HAADF-STEM proves the migration of CoPc molecules, which is the main reason for the enhancement in CO 2 -to-CO performance. The as-activated CoPc exhibits a maximum FE CO of 99% in an H-type cell and affords a long-term durability at 100 mA cm -2 for 29.3 h in a membrane electrode assembly reactor. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculation also demonstrates a favorable CO 2 activation energy with such an activated CoPc structure. This work provides a different perspective for understanding molecular catalysts as well as a reliable and universal method for practical utilization., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide provides a feasibility to achieve a carbon-neutral energy cycle. However, there are a number of bottleneck issues to be resolved before industrial application, such as the low conversion efficiency, selectivity and reaction rate, etc. Engineering local environment is a critical way to address these challenges. Here, a monolayer MgAl-LDH was proposed to optimize the local environment of Cu for stimulating industrial-current-density CO 2 -to-C 2 H 4 electroreduction in neutral media. In situ spectroscopic results and theoretical study demonstrated that the Cu electrode modified by MgAl-LDH (MgAl-LDH/Cu) displayed a much higher surface pH value compared to the bare Cu, which could be attributed to the decreased energy barrier for hydrolysis on MgAl-LDH sites with more OH - ions on the surface of the electrode. As a result, MgAl-LDH/Cu achieved a C 2 H 4 Faradaic efficiency of 55.1 % at a current density up to 300 mA cm -2 in 1.0 M KHCO 3 electrolyte., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders in community had poor psychosocial functioning, social support, and life satisfaction. However, the interaction effects of social support and depression on life satisfaction remains unclear. Thus, we examined these associations among patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. This cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2020 in Shenzhen, China. Information on social support, depression, and life satisfaction was assessed by standardized questionnaires through a face-to-face interview. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to estimate the associations of social support and depression with life satisfaction and to explore the mediation effect of social support. A total of 293 patients aged 39.7 ± 11.1 years (males: 47.1 %) were included in this study. Social support was positively associated with high life satisfaction (explaining 7.2% of the variance), while depression was negatively associated with life satisfaction (explaining 17.8% of the variance). Furthermore, social support mediated 12.5% of the association between depression and life satisfaction. Social support and depression were significantly associated with life satisfaction in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. Moreover, social support mediated the association between depression and life satisfaction in this population. Health interventions that benefit social support should be promoted to alleviate the negative impact of depression on their life satisfaction., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.How to cite this article: Zhang M-Z, Shi J-X, Rao W-M, Chen R, Yang H-G, Wu N-J, He Q-Q. The mediating effects of social support on the association between depression and life satisfaction among patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Medicine 2023;102:16(e33531)., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

The discovery of high-performance catalysts for the electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) has faced an enormous challenge for years. The lack of cognition about the surface active structures or centers of catalysts in complex conditions limits the development of advanced catalysts for CO 2 RR. Recently, the positive valent metal sites (PVMS) are demonstrated as a kind of potential active sites, which can facilitate carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) activation and conversation but are always unstable under reduction potentials. Many advanced technologies in theory and experiment have been utilized to understand and develop excellent catalysts with PVMS for CO 2 RR. Here, we present an introduction of some typical catalysts with PVMS in CO 2 RR and give some understanding of the activity and stability for these related catalysts., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Practical electrochemical CO 2 -to-CO conversion requires a non-precious catalyst to react at high selectivity and high rate. Atomically dispersed, coordinatively unsaturated metal-nitrogen sites have shown great performance in CO 2 electroreduction; however, their controllable and large-scale fabrication still remains a challenge. Herein, we report a general method to fabricate coordinatively unsaturated metal-nitrogen sites doped within carbon nanotubes, among which cobalt single-atom catalysts can mediate efficient CO 2 -to-CO formation in a membrane flow configuration, achieving a current density of 200 mA cm -2 with CO selectivity of 95.4% and high full-cell energy efficiency of 54.1%, outperforming most of CO 2 -to-CO conversion electrolyzers. By expanding the cell area to 100 cm 2 , this catalyst sustains a high-current electrolysis at 10 A with 86.8% CO selectivity and the single-pass conversion can reach 40.4% at a high CO 2 flow rate of 150 sccm. This fabrication method can be scaled up with negligible decay in CO 2 -to-CO activity. In situ spectroscopy and theoretical results reveal the crucial role of coordinatively unsaturated metal-nitrogen sites, which facilitate CO 2 adsorption and key *COOH intermediate formation., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Jang is a fermented soybean paste containing salt and is traditionally used as a substitute for salt to enhance the flavor of foods in Korea. It has been speculated that regular consumption of Jang may lower the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). We hypothesized that Jang intake was associated with the risk of MetS and its components after adjusting for potential confounders, including sodium intake. The hypothesis was investigated according to gender in a large city hospital-based cohort ( n = 58,701) in Korea., Methods: Jang intake, calculated as the sum of the intakes of Chungkookjang, Doenjang, Doenjang soup, and Ssamjang (a mixture of Doenjang and Kochujang), was included in the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQFFQ) administered to the cohort, and the daily Jang intake was estimated. The participants were categorized into low-Jang and high-Jang groups by 1.9 g daily Jang intake. MetS was defined according to 2005 revised United States National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria modified for Asians., Results: The participants in the low-Jang and high-Jang groups consumed an average of 0.63 g and 4.63 g Jang daily; their total sodium intake was about 1.91 and 2.58 g/day, respectively. The participants in the high-Jang group had higher energy, fiber, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin D, and potassium intake than those in the low-Jang group. After adjusting for covariates, the participants with the highest sodium intake (≥3.31 g/day) were positively associated with MetS risk in the quintiles of men and women. Among the MetS components, waist circumference, fat mass, and hypo-high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterolemia were positively associated with sodium intake in all participants and women. Unlike the association seen with sodium intake, Jang intake (≥1.9 g/day) was inversely associated with MetS components, including waist circumference, fat mass, serum glucose concentrations, and hypo-HDL-cholesterolemia in all participants and men, after adjusting for covariates including sodium intake., Discussion: Substituting salt for Jang in cooking may be recommended to prevent and alleviate MetS incidence, and its efficacy for MetS risk was better in men than women. The results can be applied to sodium intake in Asian countries where salt is used to promote flavor., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jeong, Yang, Yang, Ryu, Ha, Jeong and Park.)

To simultaneously improve the hole extraction ability of the BiVO 4 photoanode and accelerate the surface reaction kinetics, herein, a carbon nanolayer conformally coated Fe 2 O 3 (C-Fe 2 O 3 ) as oxygen evolution catalyst (OEC) is loaded on the H 2 plasma treated nanoporous BiVO 4 (BVO(H 2 )) surface by a hydrothermal reaction. It is found that the H 2 plasma induced vacancies in BVO remarkably increases the conductivity, and the C-Fe 2 O 3 enables hole extraction from the bulk to the surface as well as efficient hole injection to the electrolyte. As a result, the C-Fe 2 O 3 /BVO(H 2 ) photoanode achieves a photocurrent density of 4.4 mA/cm 2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and an ABPE value of 1.5 % at 0.68 V vs. RHE, which are 4.8-fold and 13-fold higher than that of BVO photoanode, respectively., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Kobresia species are common in meadows on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. They are important food resources for local livestock, and serve a critical foundation for ecosystem integration. Genetic resources of Kobresia species are scarce. Here, we generated a chromosome-level genome assembly for K. myosuroides (Cyperaceae), using PacBio long-reads, Illumina short-reads, and Hi-C technology. The final assembly had a total size of 399.9 Mb with a contig N50 value of 11.9 Mb. The Hi-C result supported a 29 pseudomolecules model which was in consistent with cytological results. A total of 185.5 Mb (44.89% of the genome) transposable elements were detected, and 26,748 protein-coding genes were predicted. Comparative analysis revealed that Kobresia plants have experienced recent diversification events during the late Miocene to Pliocene. Karyotypes analysis indicated that the fission and fusion of chromosomes have been a major driver of speciation, which complied with the lack of whole-genome duplication (WGD) in K. myosuroides genome. Generally, this high-quality reference genome provides insights into the evolution of alpine sedges, and may be helpful to endemic forage improvement and alpine ecosystem preservation., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Kazusa DNA Research Institute.)

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are the one of most promising photovoltaic technologies that can be achieved by a simple solution process. At the current stage, the key issues concern further improvements in efficiency and operational lifetime. Constructing a self-assembled perovskite structure with manipulated chemical and physical properties is a useful and effective strategy to solve these problems. Herein, we review the basic principles of and recent progress in the spontaneous formation behavior of heterostructured perovskite thin films. This concept provides insightful clues for the design and fabrication of stable and efficient PSCs for next-generation photovoltaics., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Inorganic perovskite solar cells have attracted wide attention due to their excellent thermodynamic stability and suitable bandgap as the top absorber materials for tandem solar cells. However, the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the perovskite cells can be considerably limited by the non-radiative energy loss caused by grain boundaries and surfaces. Here, the synergistic functionalization of CsPbI 2 Br perovskites was demonstrated by using a metal-organic complex. Experimental and theoretical studies revealed that the adsorption energy of the passivator could be a good descriptor to evaluate the surface passivation effect. The cooperative adsorption could eliminate the unsaturated surface sites, reduce the surface energy, and thus benefit device performance. The CsPbI 2 Br solar cells passivated by zinc diethyldithiocarbamate showed a champion power conversion efficiency of 17.15 % and retained 94 % of their initial efficiency after working under 1 sun illumination for 720 h in N 2 atmosphere., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Hydrogen generated by proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer holds a promising potential to complement the traditional energy structure and achieve the global target of carbon neutrality for its efficient, clean, and sustainable nature. The acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), owing to its sluggish kinetic process, remains a bottleneck that dominates the efficiency of overall water splitting. Over the past few decades, tremendous efforts have been devoted to exploring OER activity, whereas most show unsatisfying stability to meet the demand for industrial application of PEM electrolyzer. In this review, systematic considerations of the origin and strategies based on OER stability challenges are focused on. Intrinsic deactivation of the material and the extrinsic balance of plant-induced destabilization are summarized. Accordingly, rational strategies for catalyst design including doping and leaching, support effect, coordination effect, strain engineering, phase and facet engineering are discussed for their contribution to the promoted OER stability. Moreover, advanced in situ/operando characterization techniques are put forward to shed light on the OER pathways as well as the structural evolution of the OER catalyst, giving insight into the deactivation mechanisms. Finally, outlooks toward future efforts on the development of long-term and practical electrocatalysts for the PEM electrolyzer are provided., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) constructed by ligands and metal clusters, have been considered as a promising material for photocatalytic water splitting. In this work, a solvent-assisted ligand exchange (SALE) method has been applied through partial reverse substitution of the ligand in NH 2 -MIL-125 (Ti) by 1,4-dicarboxybenzene (BDC). This modification strategy can optimize the charge transfer dynamics together with the preserved light absorption, resulting in a 3.3 times higher hydrogen production rate compared to the pristine material under visible-light irradiation. This work broadens the field of ligand modifications of MOFs to boost the photocatalytic performance., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Highland birds evolve multiple adaptive abilities to cope with the harsh environments; however, how they adapt to the high-altitude habitats via the gut microbiota remains understudied. Here we integrated evidences from comparative analysis of gut microbiota to explore the adaptive mechanism of black-necked crane, a typical highland bird in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Firstly, the gut microbiota diversity and function was compared among seven crane species (one high-altitude species and six low-altitude species), and then among three populations of contrasting altitudes for the black-necked crane. Microbiota community diversity in black-necked crane was significantly lower than its low-altitude relatives, but higher microbiota functional diversity was observed in black-necked crane, suggesting that unique bacteria are developed and acquired due to the selection pressure of high-altitude environments. The functional microbial genes differed significantly between the low- and high-altitude black-necked cranes, indicating that altitude significantly impacted microbial communities' composition and structure. Adaptive changes in microbiota diversity and function are observed in response to high-altitude environments. These findings provide us a new insight into the adaptation mechanism to the high-altitude environment for birds via the gut microbiota. KEY POINTS: • The diversity and function of gut microbiota differed significantly between the low- and high-altitude crane species. • Black-necked crane adapts to the high-altitude environment via specific gut microbiota. • Altitude significantly impacted microbial communities' composition and structure., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Adverse childhood experience (ACE) is a powerful risk factor for long-term sleep health. However, the degree to which ACE and its subtypes contribute to adulthood sleep problems remains unknown. For this systematic review and meta-analysis, PubMed, Embase, Web of Sciences, Cochrane library, and CNKI (Chinese) were searched from inception to 1 December 2021. Cohort studies that examined the association between ACEs (aged <18 y) and adulthood sleep outcomes (aged ≥18 y) were included. The most fully adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were extracted and pooled using the random-effects model. A total of nine articles involving 108 330 participants from five high-income countries were identified. Individuals with at least one ACE subtype were more likely to report adulthood sleep problems (OR = 1.14, 1.09-1.20, I 2  = 77.5%, n = 9 studies) compared with those without ACE. The pooled ORs were approximately 1.20 for sexual, physical, and emotional abuse with high heterogeneity (I 2  > 80%), 1.09 (95% CI: 0.99-1.19, I 2  = 0%, n = 2) for neglect, and 1.21 (95% CI: 1.14-1.30, I 2  = 73.6%, n = 3) for family dysfunction. Individuals with multiple ACEs were associated with a higher magnitude of the risk for sleep problems (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.18-1.49, I 2  = 87.3%, n = 3). In conclusion, the magnitude of the risk for sleep problems was similar across ACE subtypes except for childhood neglect. ACE may have cumulative detrime ntal effects on sleep health. More longitudinal evidence regarding ACE-sleep relationships, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, is needed. Furthermore, more policy efforts and evidence-based preventions are warranted to address ACEs among children., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)