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Viral co-infections, in which a host is infected with multiple viruses simultaneously, are common in the human population. Human viral co-infections can lead to complex interactions between the viruses and the host immune system, affecting the clinical outcome and posing challenges for treatment. Understanding the types, mechanisms, impacts, and identification methods of human viral co-infections is crucial for the prevention and control of viral diseases. In this review, we first introduce the significance of studying human viral co-infections and summarize the current research progress and gaps in this field. We then classify human viral co-infections into four types based on the pathogenic properties and species of the viruses involved. Next, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of viral co-infections, focusing on virus–virus interactions, host immune responses, and clinical manifestations. We also summarize the experimental and computational methods for the identification of viral co-infections, emphasizing the latest advances in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics approaches. Finally, we highlight the challenges and future directions in human viral co-infection research, aiming to provide new insights and strategies for the prevention, control, diagnosis, and treatment of viral diseases. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge and future perspectives on human viral co-infections and underscores the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to address this complex and important topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved durability, enhanced interfacial stability, and room temperature applicability are desirable properties for all‐solid‐state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs), yet these desired properties are rarely achieved simultaneously. Here, in this work, it is noticed that the huge resistance at Li metal/electrolyte interface dominantly impeded the normal cycling of ASSLMBs especially at around room temperature (<30 °C). Accordingly, a supramolecular polymer ion conductor (SPC) with "weak solvation" of Li+ was prepared. Benefiting from the halogen‐bonding interaction between the electron‐deficient iodine atom (on 1,4‐diiodotetrafluorobenzene) and electron‐rich oxygen atoms (on ethylene oxide), the O‐Li+ coordination was significantly weakened. Therefore, the SPC achieves rapid Li+ transport with high Li+ transference number, and importantly, derives a unique Li2O‐rich SEI with low interfacial resistance on lithium metal surface, therefore enabling stable cycling of ASSLMBs even down to 10 °C. This work is a new exploration of halogen‐bonding chemistry in solid polymer electrolyte and highlights the importance of "weak solvation" of Li+ in the solid‐state electrolyte for room temperature ASSLMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved durability, enhanced interfacial stability, and room temperature applicability are desirable properties for all‐solid‐state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs), yet these desired properties are rarely achieved simultaneously. Here, in this work, it is noticed that the huge resistance at Li metal/electrolyte interface dominantly impeded the normal cycling of ASSLMBs especially at around room temperature (<30 °C). Accordingly, a supramolecular polymer ion conductor (SPC) with "weak solvation" of Li+ was prepared. Benefiting from the halogen‐bonding interaction between the electron‐deficient iodine atom (on 1,4‐diiodotetrafluorobenzene) and electron‐rich oxygen atoms (on ethylene oxide), the O‐Li+ coordination was significantly weakened. Therefore, the SPC achieves rapid Li+ transport with high Li+ transference number, and importantly, derives a unique Li2O‐rich SEI with low interfacial resistance on lithium metal surface, therefore enabling stable cycling of ASSLMBs even down to 10 °C. This work is a new exploration of halogen‐bonding chemistry in solid polymer electrolyte and highlights the importance of "weak solvation" of Li+ in the solid‐state electrolyte for room temperature ASSLMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective, selective, and multicolor colorimetric assay for Cu2+ detection based on the regulation of peroxidase-like nanozyme-mediated etching of gold nanorods (Au NRs) is proposed. Cu2+-creatinine complex is selected as the nanozyme that exhibits excellent peroxidase-like activity even in the case of low concentration of Cu2+, which can catalyze 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to produce oxidized TMB (TMB+) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, and TMB+ is oxidized to generate TMB2+ after adding H+, and the TMB2+ can etch Au NRs. The determination of Cu2+ is achieved based on the blue shift of the longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance peak of Au NRs. Under the optimal conditions, the developed colorimetric assay exhibits high sensitivity for the detection of Cu2+ (limit of detection is 0.034 μM) with a wide linear range of 0.05–4.0 μM (R2 = 0.987). The solution shows a rainbow-like color in response to the increase of Cu2+ concentration, which can realize the semi-quantitative detection of Cu2+ by naked eyes. In addition, the developed method exhibits excellent selectivity for Cu2+-detection. The established method was used for the determination of Cu2+ in lake water, soil, and normal human serum with satisfactory recovery of spiked samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A modified drag correlation considering wall-retardation effect is proposed based LBM. • The wall-retardation effect only works when h / d ≤ 2 (h is the particle-to-wall distance and d is the particle size). • In 140 s, the proppant pack height calculated by the newly proposed correlation is 0.0375m lower than that of Gidaspow model, proving that the wall-retardation effect exists and hindered the settlement of particles. • The newly proposed correlation is more advanced than the original Gidaspow model on simulation of two-phase flow in narrow-width channel. Proppant transport is crucial in hydraulic fracturing, which determines fracture conductivity and well productivity. Proppant transport in hydraulic fractures is essentially the dense solid−liquid flow. Unlike the widely studied fluid-solid flow in chemical engineering and fluvial sediment transport, the motion of proppants (particles) will be significantly affected by walls of narrow channels such as fractures and slots, because the drag force is changed. This paper studies the wall-retardation effect on particle movement, and modified the drag coefficient for simulating liquid−solid flow in narrow-width fractures. Both experiments and simulations on proppant transport are conducted. The drag coefficient considering wall-retardation effect is modified by the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), and is integrated into OpenFOAM for two fluid method (TFM) numerical simulation. Experiment and simulation results show a good agreement, and the improved drag model is more advanced than the Gidaspow model in reproducing the movement characteristics of suspended particles in narrow channels. Compared to previous research outcomes about this topic, this work can efficiently improve the accuracy on proppant transport simulation and be widely applied in industrial numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li-S batteries suffered from the severe "shuttle effect", resulting in poor conversion kinetics and limited life-span. This work proposed an electrochemical active porous architecture (EPA) interlayer to regulate the migration of ions and electrons, and highlights the importance of porous structure design and chemical modification of functional interlayer for reliable lithium–sulfur batteries. [Display omitted] • An electrochemical active porous architecture (EPA) is synthesized through hydrothermal reaction and heat treatment (550 °C) under ammonia atmosphere. • The EPA displays a sponge-like porous morphology with an interconnected porous structure and decorated numerous VN nanoparticles, and achieves strong chemical interaction toward lithium polysulfides and enhanced electrolyte diffusion. • The liquid–solid transformation kinetics of polysulfides can be accelerated in the EPA + TMM separator, thereby further achieving a dense and smooth Li deposition morphology. • Low polarization, high initial discharge capacity, good rate capabilities, and excellent cycling performance are achieved. Although lithium–sulfur batteries have excellent theoretical specific capacity (1675 mAh g−1) and high energy density (2600 wh kg−1), their practical application is hampered by the severe "shuttle effect" of polysulfides in ether-based electrolytes. Soluble polysulfides can migrate across separator and react with lithium metal, resulting in a rapid capacity decay. In this study, we proposed an electrochemical active porous architecture (EPA) interlayer to address this tricky issue. Firstly, the porous architecture guarantees efficient electrolyte diffusion. Additionally, the catalytic vanadium nitride particles within the conductive skeleton can capture soluble polysulfides, accelerate their redox reaction, and suppress the "shuttle effect", thereby further restraining the parasitic reaction between lithium metal anode and polysulfides. Therefore, integrating the EPA interlayer in the battery enables an initial capability of 1465.8 mAh g−1 at 0.1C and delivers a good rate performance at 2.0C (668.0 mAh g−1). The battery achieves an average capacity of 796.7 mAh g−1 within the first 500 cycles under 0.5C, with a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.8 %, indicating the practical potential of EPA interlayer design for application in reliable lithium–sulfur batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NMR serves as an important technique for probing rock pore space, such as pore structure characterization, fluid identification, and petrophysical property testing, due to the reusability of cores, convenience in sample processing, and time efficiency in laboratory tests. In practice, NMR signal collection is normally achieved through polarized nuclei relaxation which releases crucial relaxation messages for result interpretation. The impetus of this work is to help engineers and researchers with petroleum background obtain new insights into NMR principals and extend existing methodologies for characterization of unconventional formations. This article first gives a brief description of the development history of relaxation theories and models for porous media. Then, the widely used NMR techniques for characterizing petrophysical properties and pore structures are presented. Meanwhile, limitations and deficiencies of them are summarized. Finally, future work on improving these insufficiencies and approaches of enhancement applicability for NMR technologies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur batteries are considered as the next generation of energy storage systems because of their high theoretical specific capacity and energy density. Unfortunately, the sluggish reaction kinetics, weak adsorption toward to lithium polysulfides, and slow lithium ion diffusion impede the smooth electrochemical process, resulting in the lithium–sulfur batteries with the unsatisfactory cycling stability and rate performance. Since it is recognized that polar metal oxides and doped nitrogen in carbon materials have chemical interaction with lithium polysulfides, a nanostructured nitrogen-doped porous carbon/MoO2 composite is synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method by using graphene oxide nanoribbon and phosphomolybdic acid hydrate as precursors. The porous nanostructure promotes the charge and mass transport, while MoO2 nanoparticles immobilize lithium polysulfides via strong chemisorption and enhance the redox kinetics of polysulfides owing to the efficient catalytic activity in liquid–solid boundary. Consequently, the as-obtained nanostructured porous carbon/MoO2-based sulfur cathode exhibits low polarization, high initial discharge capacity (1403 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C), good rate capabilities (584 mAh g−1 at 4 C), and impressive cycling performance at 1 C (503 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles with capacity fade rate of 0.07% per cycle). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two reported three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D-COFs), COF-300 and COF-301, which have hierarchical porous structures and large pore volumes, were synthesized and employed as host materials for lithium-sulfur batteries. Owing to possessing excellent porosities as well as abundant hydroxyl groups in the pore walls, COF-301 can not only trap lithium polysulfides (PSs) via physical adsorption inside the pores, but also capture PSs by chemical interactions to relieve the shuttle effect. Interestingly, it is the first time that 3D-COFs were utilized as host materials for lithium-sulfur batteries as well as hydroxyl groups were introduced into COFs for improving the battery performance. As a result, COF-301@S as cathode material could reserve the capacity of 411.6 mA·h·g−1 after 500 cycles with only 0.081% fading per cycle at 0.5 C, exhibiting better battery performance compared with COF-300@S. This study not only expands the applications of 3D-COFs but also provides a new route for designing lithium-sulfur batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Beneficial effects of low-intensity pulsed US on knee articular cartilage injury has been reported. • Effect of low-intensity pulsed US on mandibular condylar cartilage has not been previously observed. • Severity of cartilage injury was decreased, and autophagy of cartilage was increased after US intervention. • ATG3, ATG7, PIK3C3, PIK3R4, BECN1 were hub nodes connecting with most of the protein interaction network. Beneficial effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound(US) have been reported for knee articular cartilage injury. It is unclear whether the same effect could be observed on mandibular condylar cartilage. This study was designed to explore the efficacy of ultrasound cartilage repair via autophagy regulation. A total of 18 adult rabbits were divided into a sham operation group (exposure to condylar articular surface only), operation without US group (only cartilage surgery), and operation with US group (received ultrasonic therapy daily on day 4 after cartilage surgery). The rabbits were then sacrificed to construct a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) cartilage injury model and HE staining was conducted to observe pathological changes of cartilage in each group. Expression of FGF18, FGFR4, beclin1, ATG3 and ATG7 in rabbit TMJ cartilage were detected using RT-PCR and western blotting. Finally, protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis was used to observe the interaction among the network of important biomarkers in this injury model. Compared to the operation without US group, the severity of cartilage injury was decreased in the operation with US group according to HE staining. The expression of autophagy biomarkers, beclin1, ATG3, ATG7, FGF18 and FGFR4, in operation with US group were up-regulated compared with those in sham operation group and operation without US group p < 0.05). In PPI analysis, ATG3, ATG7, PIK3C3, PIK3R4, BECN1 were identified as hub nodes connecting with most proteins network. Our results suggest US has therapeutic potential for the treatment of mandibular condylar cartilage injury, and may affect chondrocyte autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract A nanostructured porous carbon (NPC) is prepared by using a facile physical activation method, with nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbon aerogel and carbon dioxide as a precursor and an activating agent, respectively. The morphology, porosity parameters, and chemical properties of the as-prepared NPC have been revealed by using various characterization methods, including scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen sorption analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The NPC with a moderate nitrogen content (5.1 atom % on the basis of XPS analysis) retains the sponge-like morphology of nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbon aerogel, shows a high Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area (1380 m2 g−1), and possesses hierarchically porous structures. Based on its excellent properties such as high porosity, conductive network, and nitrogen-doping, NPC as a superior host is used to fabricate a sulfur-based cathode for lithium–sulfur batteries. The high specific surface area and the pore volume of NPC not only allow uniform distribution of sulfur in an amorphous form, but also help to alleviate the shuttle effect of polysulfides. As a result, the as-obtained cathode exhibits a good rate capability and cycling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bisubstrate colorimetric system was developed for rapid and multi-color assay of copper ion (Cu2+). Cu2+-triethylamine (Cu2+-TEA) complex with the peroxidase-like activity can catalyze the 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to produce oxidized TMB (TMB+, color in blue) and dopamine (DA) to oxidized DA (oxDA, color in orange) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, which can obtain a three-color colorimetric result due to the couple of complementary colors of blue and orange. The determination of Cu2+ is achieved based on the absorbance value at 460 nm of the composite peak of TMB+ and oxDA. After systematically optimizing the reaction conditions, the developed bisubstrate colorimetric method exhibits high sensitivity for the detection of Cu2+ (limit of quantitation (LOQ) is 0.0625 μM) with a wide linear range of 0.0625–8.0 μM (R2 = 0.991). Meanwhile, the reaction solution shows an orange, brown, and green color change with the increase in Cu2+ concentration, which can realize the semi-quantitatively detection by the naked eyes. Furthermore, TMB was also used as a single substrate for Cu2+ detection with a linear range of 0.5–9.0 μM (R2 = 0.994), and the LOQ is determined to be 0.5 μM. The LOQ of bisubstrate system is 8 times lower than that of single substrate system, indicating a higher sensitivity for the detection of Cu2+ using the bisubstrate colorimetric system. In addition, the developed bisubstrate colorimetric method exhibits excellent selectivity for Cu2+ detection, which was applied in the determination of Cu2+ in lake water and soil samples, and satisfactory spiked recoveries were obtained. [Display omitted] • Cu2+-triethylamine (TEA) complex exhibits excellent peroxidase-like activity. • A bisubstrate (TMB + dopamine) colorimetric sensor is developed based on Cu2+-TEA complex. • The developed senor displays three-color change for the detection of Cu2+. • The bisubstrate sensor shows a higher sensitivity than that of single substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Co 3 (PO 4) 2.8 H 2 O nanozyme was in situ synthesized through direct reaction between cobalt (Ⅱ) and phosphate, and its peroxidase-like activity was studied in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) using a chromogenic substrate 3, 3′, 5, 5′ - tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). The effects of pH value, temperature, and incubation time on the conversion of TMB to oxidized TMB (oxTMB) catalyzed by Co 3 (PO 4) 2.8 H 2 O in the presence of H 2 O 2 were optimized. The peroxidase-like activity of Co 3 (PO 4) 2.8 H 2 O conforms to the Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and its Michaelis constant (K m) is 0.073 mM, showing a higher H 2 O 2 affinity than natural horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and some other peroxidase nanozymes. The mechanism exploration experiment confirmed that the hydroxyl radical (•OH) is the main active species in the catalytic reaction of Co 3 (PO 4) 2.8 H 2 O. Finally, based on the inherent peroxidase-like activity of Co 3 (PO 4) 2.8 H 2 O, a simple colorimetric detection method for H 2 O 2 was established, with a linear range of 15.0 − 100.0 μM and a detection limit of 4.385 μM. The method was applied to the determination of H 2 O 2 in milk samples with the spiked recovery of 90.2%− 106.2%. This study reports a novel nanozyme that can be easily produced in situ, which is exempt from the harsh, cumbersome, and time-consuming synthesis and purification procedures. In addition, the H 2 O 2 colorimetric detection method based on the nanozyme has the advantages of low cost, convenient, high sensitivity, and good selectivity. [Display omitted] • A novel nanozyme Co 3 (PO 4) 2.8 H 2 O of excellent catalytic activity is discovered. • This peroxidase-mimic nanozyme is in situ synthesized rapidly. • The hydroxyl radical is the major active specie in the catalytic reaction. • A sensitive colorimetric method for hydrogen peroxide determination is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SARS-CoV-2 genomic data continue to grow, providing valuable information for researchers and public health officials. Genomic analysis of these data sheds light on the transmission and evolution of the virus. To aid in SARS-CoV-2 genomic analysis, many web resources have been developed to store, collate, analyze, and visualize the genomic data. This review summarizes web resources used for the SARS-CoV-2 genomic epidemiology, covering data management and sharing, genomic annotation, analysis, and variant tracking. The challenges and further expectations for these web resources are also discussed. Finally, we highlight the importance and need for continued development and improvement of related web resources to effectively track the spread and understand the evolution of the virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydraulic fracture aperture packed by proppants determines the fracture conductivity and is pivotal to oil and gas production. After hydraulic fracturing, the fracture width decreases owing to proppant embedment, deformation, and crushing. However, the analysis of fracture width reduction based on the mechanical properties of the proppant pack is limited. In this study, an experiment is designed to obtain the apparent Young's modulus, which represents the rigidity of the entire pack, and steel sheets are used to replace rock samples to eliminate heterogeneity and weaken the effect of proppant embedment. Subsequently, the effects of proppant type, concentration, and size on the apparent Young's modulus are discussed. Finally, the controlling factors and mechanisms of fracture width reduction are determined. The results indicate that the fracture width decreases linearly with increasing closure pressure for the ceramsite pack, and that the apparent Young's modulus is associated with the fracture aperture variation, which is governed by proppant embedment and deformation. The apparent Young's modulus increases as the proppant concentration increases or the proppant size decreases, whereas the proppant size imposes a more prominent effect. However, the mixed-size ceramsite pack shows only slight improvements in terms of propping ability. This study provides new insights into factors governing proppant pack deformation. • The apparent Young's modulus is defined through experimental results to quantitatively characterize mechanical properties of the whole proppant pack. • The proppant pack will experience at least 1 rigid-to-plastic deformation cycle under closure pressure. • The apparent Young's modulus for ceramiste can be inserted into fracture width calculation correlation, of which the fracture width decrease is mainly dominant by proppant embedment and deformation. • Proppant concentration and size both have influence on apparent Young's modulus, but the latter is more profound. The finer the particles are, the higher the modulus of the proppant pack is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes a simple and reliable colorimetric method based on the gold nanoparticles without any modification, which can realize the rapid, sensitive, and quantitative detection of lead (Pb2+) and copper (Cu2+) ions, providing a reference for monitoring metal ions in the environmental water. When Pb2+ was added to the gold nanoparticles solution containing a low concentration of L‐Cysteine, the combination of Pb2+ and L‐Cysteine can induce the aggregation of gold nanoparticles. On the contrary, Cu2+ can catalyze the oxidation of L‐Cysteine and destroy the formation of the Au‐S bond between L‐Cysteine and gold nanoparticles, thereby preventing the aggregation of gold nanoparticles. As the ultraviolet‐visible spectrum of gold nanoparticle solution is closely related to their aggregation status, the Cu2+ and Pb2+ can be determined. The calibration curves, which are constructed based on ratios of the absorbance at 650 nm and 520 nm of gold nanoparticles, display good linearity in the range of 50.0−2.5 × 103 nM for Pb2+ and 25.0−300.0 nM for Cu2+, respectively. The limits of quantitation of Pb2+ and Cu2+ are determined to be 50.0 and 25.0 nM, respectively. In addition, the spiked recoveries of Pb2+ and Cu2+ in real water samples are 94.6−112.5 and 87.3−114.7% with a relative standard deviation of less than 6.3%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrolytes for lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are plagued by a low Li+ transference number (T+) of conventional lithium salts and inability to form a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Here, we synthesized a self‐folded lithium salt, lithium 2‐[2‐(2‐methoxy ethoxy)ethoxy]ethanesulfonyl(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (LiETFSI), and comparatively studied with its structure analogue, lithium 1,1,1‐trifluoro‐N‐[2‐[2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethoxy)]ethyl]methanesulfonamide (LiFEA). The special anion chemistry imparts the following new characteristics: i) In both LiFEA and LiETFSI, the ethylene oxide moiety efficiently captures Li+, resulting in a self‐folded structure and high T+ around 0.8. ii) For LiFEA, a Li−N bond (2.069 Å) is revealed by single crystal X‐ray diffraction, indicating that the FEA anion possesses a high donor number (DN) and thus an intensive interphase "self‐cleaning" function for an ultra‐thin and compact SEI. iii) Starting from LiFEA, an electron‐withdrawing sulfone group is introduced near the N atom. The distance of Li−N is tuned from 2.069 Å in LiFEA to 4.367 Å in LiETFSI. This alteration enhances ionic separation, achieves a more balanced DN, and tunes the self‐cleaning intensity for a reinforced SEI. Consequently, the fast charging/discharging capability of LMBs is progressively improved. This rationally tuned anion chemistry reshapes the interactions among Li+, anions, and solvents, presenting new prospects for advanced LMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrolytes for lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are plagued by a low Li+ transference number (T+) of conventional lithium salts and inability to form a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Here, we synthesized a self‐folded lithium salt, lithium 2‐[2‐(2‐methoxy ethoxy)ethoxy]ethanesulfonyl(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (LiETFSI), and comparatively studied with its structure analogue, lithium 1,1,1‐trifluoro‐N‐[2‐[2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethoxy)]ethyl]methanesulfonamide (LiFEA). The special anion chemistry imparts the following new characteristics: i) In both LiFEA and LiETFSI, the ethylene oxide moiety efficiently captures Li+, resulting in a self‐folded structure and high T+ around 0.8. ii) For LiFEA, a Li−N bond (2.069 Å) is revealed by single crystal X‐ray diffraction, indicating that the FEA anion possesses a high donor number (DN) and thus an intensive interphase "self‐cleaning" function for an ultra‐thin and compact SEI. iii) Starting from LiFEA, an electron‐withdrawing sulfone group is introduced near the N atom. The distance of Li−N is tuned from 2.069 Å in LiFEA to 4.367 Å in LiETFSI. This alteration enhances ionic separation, achieves a more balanced DN, and tunes the self‐cleaning intensity for a reinforced SEI. Consequently, the fast charging/discharging capability of LMBs is progressively improved. This rationally tuned anion chemistry reshapes the interactions among Li+, anions, and solvents, presenting new prospects for advanced LMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being in the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, our lab tested 193,054 specimens for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by diagnostic multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR) starting in March 2020, of which 17,196 specimens resulted positive. To investigate the dynamics of virus molecular evolution and epidemiology, whole genome amplification (WGA) and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) were performed on 9516 isolates. 7586 isolates with a high quality were further analyzed for the mutation frequency and spectrum. Lastly, we evaluated the utility of the mRT-PCR detection pattern among 26 reinfected patients with repeat positive testing three months after testing negative from the initial infection. Our results show a continuation of the genetic divergence in viral genomes. Furthermore, our results indicate that independent mutations in the primer and probe regions of the nucleocapsid gene amplicon and envelope gene amplicon accumulate over time. Some of these mutations correlate with the changes of detection pattern of viral targets of mRT-PCR. Our data highlight the significance of a continuous genetic divergence on a gene amplification-based assay, the value of the mRT-PCR detection pattern for complementing the clinical diagnosis of reinfection, and the potential for WGA and NGS to identify mutation hotspots throughout the entire viral genome to optimize the design of the PCR-based gene amplification assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemo‐regulation abilities of chemotherapeutic medications are appealing to address the low immunogenicity, immunosuppressive lactate microenvironment, and adaptive immune resistance of colorectal cancer. In this work, the proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) of BRD4 (dBET57) is found to downregulate colorectal cancer glycolysis through the transcription inhibition of c‐Myc, which also inhibits the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) to reverse immune evasion and avoid adaptive immune resistance. Based on this, self‐delivery nano‐PROTACs (designated as DdLD NPs) are further fabricated by the self‐assembly of doxorubicin (DOX) and dBET57 with the assistance of DSPE‐PEG2000. DdLD NPs can improve the stability, intracellular delivery, and tumor targeting accumulation of DOX and dBET57. Meanwhile, the chemotherapeutic effect of DdLD NPs can efficiently destroy colorectal cancer cells to trigger a robust immunogenic cell death (ICD). More importantly, the chemo‐regulation effects of DdLD NPs can inhibit colorectal cancer glycolysis to reduce the lactate production, and downregulate the PD‐L1 expression through BRD4 degradation. Taking advantages of the chemotherapy and chemo‐regulation ability, DdLD NPs systemically activated the antitumor immunity to suppress the primary and metastatic colorectal cancer progression without inducing any systemic side effects. Such self‐delivery nano‐PROTACs may provide a new insight for chemotherapy‐enabled tumor immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a Co–Fe Prussian blue analogue nanocube (Co–Fe PBA NC) was prepared in situ via a simple and rapid coprecipitation method at room temperature, and the synthesized nanocube was systematically characterized. The Co–Fe PBA NC was proven to have intrinsic oxidase-like activity, which can catalyze the production of reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide anions (O2˙−), hydroxyl radicals (˙OH), and singlet oxygen (1O2), in a dissolved oxygen system without the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). By making full use of the oxidase-like activity of the Co–Fe PBA NC and using the chromogenic substrate 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), a colorimetric sensor was fabricated for the detection of ascorbic acid (AA) and its related biological enzymes' activities, including alkaline phosphatase (ALP), α-glucosidase (α-Glu), and ascorbic acid oxidase (AAO), in human serum. This study presents an oxidase mimic that can be synthesized via a simple, rapid, and low-cost method, which overcomes the defects of cumbersome and time-consuming synthetic process, dependence on professional instruments and high cost of some previously reported nanozymes. In addition, this study provides a new multifunctional colorimetric sensing platform for AA and its related biological enzymes, showing great potential in biological assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Identifying polymorphism clades on phylogenetic trees could help detect punctual mutations that are associated with viral functions. With visualization tools coloring the tree, it is easy to visually find clades where most sequences have the same polymorphism state. However, with the fast accumulation of viral sequences, a computational tool to automate this process is urgently needed. Results: Here, by implementing a branch-and-bound-like search method, we developed an R package named sitePath to identify polymorphism clades automatically. Based on the identified polymorphism clades, fixed and parallel mutations could be inferred. Furthermore, sitePath also integrated visualization tools to generate figures of the calculated results. In an example with the influenza A virus H3N2 dataset, the detected fixed mutations coincide with antigenic shift mutations. The highly specificity and sensitivity of sitePath in finding fixed mutations were achieved for a range of parameters and different phylogenetic tree inference software. Conclusions: The result suggests that sitePath can identify polymorphism clades per site. The clustering of sequences on a phylogenetic tree can be used to infer fixed and parallel mutations. High-quality figures of the calculated results could also be generated by sitePath. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Products of urease catalyzes urea induce color change of Prussian blue nanoparticles. • A paper-based sensor depending on the Prussian blue pH sensitivity is developed. • Smartphone captures color signals of the sensor to achieve rapid detection of urea. Depending on the pH sensitivity of Prussian blue nanoparticles (PB NPs) and the specificity of urease-catalyzed urea, a paper-based colorimetric sensor was developed using urease, PB NPs, and cellulose filter paper. With the assistance of a smartphone, the rapid detection of urea can be realized. Under the optimal conditions, the linear range of the paper-based sensor for detection of urea is 0.5–5.0 mM, and the limit of detection is 0.27 mM. The RSD values of within-batch and between-batch repeatability are 2.5 % and 0.9 %, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the detection of urea in spiked milk samples and artificial urine sample, and the recoveries are in the range of 91.8–107.9%. The developed paper-based colorimetric sensor is a simple, economic, and rapid method that can be used for the determination of urea in real samples, particularly in resource-poor regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of Pb-O bond between Pb SP 2+ sp and L-Cysteine can induce significant aggregation of Au NPs (blue color), conversely, Cu can catalyze the oxidation of Cysteine and prevent the aggregation of Au NPs (pink color). DOI: 10.1002/sscp.202200019 The cover picture shows that the lead ion (Pb SP 2+ sp ) and copper ion (Cu SP 2+ sp ) in lake water are detected by UV-Vis analysis using gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) as the colorimetric probe. [Extracted from the article]

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) have long been recognized as the cause of more than one-half of acute viral upper respiratory illnesses, and they are associated with more-serious diseases in children, such as asthma, acute otitis media and pneumonia. A rapid and universal test for of HRV infection is in high demand. In this study, a reverse transcription genome exponential amplification reaction (RT-GEAR) assay targeting the HRV 5′ untranslated region (UTR) was developed for pan-HRV detection. The reaction was performed in a single tube in one step at 65 °C for 60 min using a real-time fluorometer (GenieII; Optigene). The RT-GEAR assay showed no cross-reactivity with common human enteroviruses, including HEV71, CVA16, CVA6, CVA10, CVA24, CVB5, Echo30, and PV1-3 or with other common respiratory viruses including FluA H3, FluB, PIV1-4, ADV3, RSVA, RSVB and HMPV. With in vitro-transcribed RNA containing the amplified regions of HRV-A60, HRV-B06 and HRV-C07 as templates, the sensitivity of the RT-GEAR assay was 5, 50 and 5 copies/reaction, respectively. Experiments to evaluate the clinical performance of the RT-GEAR assay were also carried out with a panel of 143 previously verified samples, and the results were compared with those obtained using a published semi-nested PCR assay followed by sequencing. The tested panel comprised 91 HRV-negative samples and 52 HRV-positive samples (18 HRV-A-positive samples, 3 HRV-B-positive samples and 31 HRV-C-positive samples). The sensitivity and specificity of the pan-HRVs RT-GEAR assay was 98.08 % and 100 %, respectively. The kappa correlation between the two methods was 0.985. The RT-GEAR assay based on a portable GenieII fluorometer is a sensitive, specific and rapid assay for the universal detection of HRV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early identification of adaptive mutations could provide timely help for the control and prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fast accumulation of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data provides important support, while also raising a great challenge for the recognition of adaptive mutations. Here, we proposed a computational strategy to detect potentially adaptive mutations from their fixed and parallel patterns in the phylogenetic trajectory. We found that the biological meanings of fixed substitution and parallel mutation are highly complementary, and can reasonably be integrated as a fixed and parallel (paraFix) mutation, to identify potentially adaptive mutations. Tracking the dynamic evolution of SARS-CoV-2, 37 sites in spike protein were identified as having experienced paraFix mutations. Interestingly, 70% (26/37) of them have already been experimentally confirmed as adaptive mutations. Moreover, most of the mutations could be inferred as paraFix mutations one month earlier than when they became regionally dominant. Overall, we believe that the concept of paraFix mutations will help researchers to identify potentially adaptive mutations quickly and accurately, which will provide invaluable clues for disease control and prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory Pathogen 13 Detection Kit (13× kit) is able to simultaneously detect 11 respiratory viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae ( MP ) and Chlamydia in a single reaction. Using 572 Nasopharyngeal aspirates collected from hospitalized children, the clinical performance of 13× kit for detecting 11 respiratory viruses was evaluated in comparison with a routinely used 2-tube multiplex reverse transcription PCR assay (2-tube assay) at provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in China. The clinical performance of 13× kit for detecting MP and Chlamydia was evaluated by commercial real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) kits or sequencing. For tested viruses, the assay concordance was 95.98% and the kappa coefficient was 0.89. All the MP and Chlamydia positive samples detected by 13× kit were confirmed as true positives. The utilization of the 13× kit in clinical settings will be helpful for doctors to assess clinical outcome according to virus type or multiple infections, and to limit the use of antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the cobalt carbonate (CoCO 3) was in situ prepared using cobalt (Ⅱ) and carbonate at room temperature, and the intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of CoCO 3 was demonstrated for the first time through the oxidation of chromogenic substrate 3, 3', 5, 5' - tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2). The effects of pH, reaction temperature, and incubation time on the catalytic activity of CoCO 3 were studied. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the Michaelis constant (K m) of CoCO 3 to H 2 O 2 is 0.443 mM, which is lower than that of natural horseradish peroxidase and the previously reported peroxidase mimics. Furthermore, the mechanism exploration experiments confirm that the catalytic activity of CoCO 3 is mainly attributed to the hydroxyl radical (•OH). Finally, based on the outstanding peroxidase-like activity of CoCO 3 , a colorimetric sensor for the detection of H 2 O 2 , glucose, and ascorbic acid (AA) was developed, which shows satisfactory selectivity and recovery. In addition, the total antioxidant capacity of three types of tea, dried lemon, three kinds of fresh fruit juice, and vitamin C tablet were determined. In short, this study reports a novel in situ generated CoCO 3 , which can be prepared rapidly at room temperature, eliminating the harsh, cumbersome, and time-consuming synthesis and purification process. The developed sensor based on the newly found excellent peroxidase-like activity of in situ prepared CoCO 3 for the determination of H 2 O 2 , glucose, and AA is fast, simple, low cost, and high sensitivity. [Display omitted] • The excellent peroxidase-like activity of CoCO 3 is firstly investigated. • The CoCO 3 is in situ prepared of rapidity and simplicity. • The hydroxyl radical (•OH) is the major active specie in the catalytic reaction. • The nanozyme has preferable kinetics with a low K m value towards substrate H 2 O 2. • A colorimetric detection platform for H 2 O 2 , glucose, and ascorbic acid is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A sensitive visual colorimetric sensor is developed for the detection of trichlorfon. • The sensor is based on inhibition of enzyme-induced metallization of gold nanorods. • The method is able to achieve rapid analysis of trichlorfon with simple operation. • It provides a possible strategy for the detection of pesticides i.e. trichlorfon. In this study, a highly sensitive visual colorimetric sensor was designed for the detection of trichlorfon based on inhibiting ascorbate oxidase (AAO)-induced metallization of gold nanorods (Au NRs). Ascorbic acid (AA) can reduce silver ion (Ag+) to metal silver (Ag) that will be deposited on the surface of Au NRs, which results in the blue shift of longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak of Au NRs, accompanying by perceptible color changes from red to cyan to red to yellow. In the presence of trichlorfon, the activity of AAO will be inhibited, resulting in less AA is hydrolyzed to dehydroascorbic acid (DHA), and therefore more Ag+ is reduced to Ag by AA. Under the optimized conditions, detection of trichlorfon has a wide linear range of 27.8–11111.1 μg/L with a limit of detection as low as 132.6 ng/L. Moreover, the sensor has a good sample spiked recovery (84.7–96.8%) for the determination of trichlorfon in lake water samples. The proposed method can achieve rapid analysis (about 10 min) of trichlorfon with simple operation when there are no other types of organophosphorus pesticides in the real samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]