Fate-mapping and functional dissection reveal perilous influence of type I interferon signaling in mouse brain aging.

Although aging significantly elevates the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases, how age-related neuroinflammation preconditions the brain toward pathological progression is ill-understood. To comprehend the scope of type I interferon (IFN-I) activity in the aging brain, we surveyed IFN-I-responsive reporter mice and detected age-dependent signal escalation in multiple brain cell types from various regions. Selective ablation of Ifnar1 from microglia in aged mice significantly reduced overall brain IFN-I signature, dampened microglial reactivity, lessened neuronal loss, and diminished the accumulation of lipofuscin, a core hallmark of cellular aging in the brain. Overall, our study demonstrates pervasive IFN-I activity during normal mouse brain aging and reveals a pathogenic role played by microglial IFN-I signaling in perpetuating neuroinflammation, neuronal dysfunction, and molecular aggregation. These findings extend the understanding of a principal axis of age-related inflammation in the brain, and provide a rationale to modulate aberrant immune activation to mitigate neurodegenerative process at all stages.

Association of Cytokines with Clinical Indicators in Patients with Drug-Induced Liver Injury.

Objective: To explore characteristics of clinical parameters and cytokines in patients with drug-induced liver injury (DILI) caused by different drugs and their correlation with clinical indicators. Method: The study was conducted on patients who were up to Review of Uncertainties in Confidence Assessment for Medical Tests (RUCAM) scoring criteria and clinically diagnosed with DILI. Based on Chinese herbal medicine, cardiovascular drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), anti-infective drugs, and other drugs, patients were divided into five groups. Cytokines were measured by Luminex technology. Baseline characteristics of clinical biochemical indicators and cytokines in DILI patients and their correlation were analyzed. Results: 73 patients were enrolled. Age among five groups was statistically different ( P = 0.032). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ( P = 0.033) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ( P = 0.007) in NSAIDs group were higher than those in chinese herbal medicine group. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in patients with Chinese herbal medicine (IL-6: P < 0.001; TNF-α: P < 0.001) and cardiovascular medicine (IL-6: P = 0.020; TNF-α: P = 0.001) were lower than those in NSAIDs group. There was a positive correlation between ALT ( r = 0.697, P = 0.025), AST ( r = 0.721, P = 0.019), and IL-6 in NSAIDs group. Conclusion: Older age may be more prone to DILI. Patients with NSAIDs have more severe liver damage in early stages of DILI, TNF-α and IL-6 may partake the inflammatory process of DILI.

Solar light driven atomic and electronic transformations in a plasmonic Ni@NiO/NiCO3 photocatalyst revealed by ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

This work employs ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) to delve into the atomic and electronic transformations of a core-shell Ni@NiO/NiCO3 photocatalyst - a model system for visible light active plasmonic photocatalysts used in water splitting for hydrogen production. This catalyst exhibits reversible structural and electronic changes in response to water vapor and solar simulator light. In this study, APXPS spectra were obtained under a 1 millibar water vapor pressure, employing a solar simulator with an AM 1.5 filter to measure spectral data under visible light illumination. The in situ APXPS spectra indicate that the metallic Ni core absorbs the light, exciting plasmons, and creates hot electrons that are subsequently utilized through hot electron injection in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by NiCO3. Additionally, the data show that NiO undergoes reversible oxidation to NiOOH in the presence of water vapor and light. The present work also investigates the contribution of carbonate and its involvement in the photocatalytic reaction mechanism, shedding light on this seldom-explored aspect of photocatalysis. The APXPS results highlight the photochemical reduction of carbonates into -COOH, contributing to the deactivation of the photocatalyst. This work demonstrates the APXPS efficacy in examining photochemical reactions, charge transfer dynamics and intermediates in potential photocatalysts under near realistic conditions.

Multi-source domain adaptive network based on local kernelized higher-order moment matching for rotating machinery fault diagnosis.

Unsupervised domain adaptation has been extensively researched in rotating-machinery cross-domain fault diagnosis. A multi-source domain adaptive network based on local kernelized higher-order moment matching is constructed in this research for rotating-machinery fault diagnosis. Firstly, a multi-branch network is designed to map each source-target pair to a domain-specific shared space and to extract domain-invariant features using domain adversarial thought. Then, a local kernelized higher-order moment matching algorithm is proposed to perform fine-grained matching in shared category subspace. Finally, a feature fusion strategy based on the local domain distribution deviation is applied to synthesize the output features of multiple classifiers to obtain diagnostic results. The experimental validation of two-branch and three-branch networks on two public datasets is carried out and average diagnostic accuracies both exceed 99%. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the approach.

Discovery of Fusarium pseudograminearum Causing Crown Rot of Winter Wheat in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China.

Fusarium pseudograminearum is an important plant pathogen that invades many crops (Zhang et al. 2018). Since it was first discovered in Australia in 1951, F. pseudograminearum has been reported in many countries and regions and caused huge economic losses (Burgess et al. 2001). In 2012, crown rot of wheat caused by F. pseudograminearum was discovered for the first time in Henan Province, China (Li et al. 2012). Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important food crops in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), with 1.07 million hectares cultivated in 2020. In June 2023, a survey of crown rot disease was carried out in winter wheat cv. Xindong 20 in Hotan area, XUAR, China (80.148907°E, 37.051474°N). About 5% of wheat plants showed symptoms of crown rot such as browning of the stem base and white head. The disease was observed in 85% of wheat fields. In order to identify the pathogens, 36 pieces of diseased stem basal tissue, 0.5 cm in length, were collected and sterilized with 75% alcohol for 30s and 5% NaOCl solution for 2 min, then rinsed three times with sterile water and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium at 25°C. A total of 27 isolates with consistent morphological characteristics were obtained using single-spore technique (Leslie and Summerell. 2006), and the isolation rate was 75%. The isolates grew rapidly on PDA, produced large numbers of fluffy white hyphae, and pink pigment accumulated in the medium. The isolates were grown on 2% mung bean flour medium and identified by morphological and molecular methods. Macroconidia were abundant, relatively slender, curved to almost straight, commonly two to seven septate, and averaged 22 to 72 × 1.8 to 4.9 µm. Microconidia were not observed. The morphological characters are consistent with Fusarium (Aoki and O'Donnell. 1999). Two isolates (LP-1 and LP-3) were selected for molecular identification. Primers EF1/EF2 (5'-ATGGGTAAGGARGACAAGAC-3'/5'-GGARGTACCAGTSATCATG-3') were used to amplify a portion of the EF-1α gene (O'Donnell et al. 1998). The two 696 bp PCR products were sequenced and submitted to GenBank. The EF-1α gene sequences (GenBank Accession No: PP062794 and PP062795) shared 99.9% identity (695/696) with published F.pseudograminearum sequences (e.g., OP105187, OP105184, OP105179, OP105173). The identification was further confirmed by F. pseudograminearum species-specific PCR primers Fp1-1/Fp1-2 (Aoki and O'Donnell. 1999). The expected PCR products of 518 bp were produced only in F. pseudograminearum. Pathogenicity tests of LP-1 and LP-3 isolates were performed on 7-day-old seedlings of winter wheat cv. Xindong 20 using the drip inoculation method with a 10-µl of a 106 macroconidia ml-1 suspension near the stem base (Xu et al. 2017). The experiment was repeated five times in a 20 to 25°C greenhouse. Control seedlings were treated with sterile water. After 4 weeks, wheat seedling death and crown browning occurred in the inoculated plants with over 90% incidence. No symptoms were observed in the control plants. The pathogen was reisolated from the inoculated plants by the method described above and identified by morphological and PCR amplification using F. pseudograminearum species-specific primers Fp1-1/Fp1-2. No F. pseudograminearum was isolated from the control plants, fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of F. pseudograminearum causing crown rot of winter wheat in XUAR of China. Since F. pseudograminearum can cause great damage to wheat, one of the most important food crops in China, necessary measures should be taken to prevent the spread of F. pseudograminearum to other regions.

Comprehensive quality evaluation of Lysimachia christinae Hance via fingerprint, spectrum-effect relationship, and quantitative analyses of multiple components by single marker.

BACKGROUND: Lysimachia christinae Hance (LCH) is a traditional medicine used to treat gallstone disease and cholecystitis. Despite its known anti-inflammatory and choleretic effects, its quality has not been extensively evaluated. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to establish a reliable quality evaluation method for LCH via fingerprint, spectrum-effect relationship, and quantitative analyses of multicomponents by a single marker (QAMS). METHODS: First, the fingerprints and anti-inflammatory and choleretic activities of 14 LCH batches were determined. Then, the gray relation analysis method was used to analyze the peak areas of the fingerprint profile and pharmacodynamic data. Subsequently, the characteristic peaks were tentatively identified using high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Finally, rutin was selected as the internal reference material, and QAMS was used to analyze the LCH components. RESULTS: Pharmacodynamic experiments confirmed that LCH exerted anti-inflammatory and choleretic effects. Moreover, 15 flavonoids related to the anti-inflammatory and choleretic effects of LCH were identified. Notably, relative error percentage between the QAMS and external standard method was less than 5%. CONCLUSION: This study successfully established a comprehensive evaluation method for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of LCH.

3α-Hydroxylup-20(29)-ene-23,28-dioic Acid as a Phytogenic Chemical Marker for Authenticating Schefflera octophylla (Lour.) Harms Monofloral Honey.

The monofloral honey from Schefflera octophylla (Lour.) Harms (MH-Sco) are of high economic value due to their rarity and potential medicinal benefits. However, the limited investigations on the relationship of phytogenic components between the plant S. octophylla (P-Sco) and MH-Sco have an impact on MH-Sco authentication. Herein, the tentative phytogenic markers of MH-Sco were screened by comparing the metabolites of MH-Sco obtained by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS)-based untargeted metabolomics with the identified phytogenic chemicals from P-Sco. Combined with the mass and NMR spectral information, 3α-hydroxylup-20(29)-ene-23,28-dioic acid (HLEDA) was finally identified as the phytogenic marker of MH-Sco. A targeted ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS)-based method was established and validated based on the purified monomer standard to measure HLEDA levels in honey samples. HLEDA determined in MH-Sco was with the content from 0.303 to 0.440 mg/kg, while HLEDA was absent in honey samples from other botanical origins, indicating the reliability of HLEDA as a chemical marker in MH-Sco authentication. This study provides the theoretical basis and industry guidance for honey quality control for commercial consumption.

Survival Predictive Nomograms for Non-Surgical Brain Metastases Patients From Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Receiving Radiotherapy: A Population-Based Study.

OBJECTIVE: A high number of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastasis who have not had surgery often have a negative outlook. Radiotherapy remains a most common and effective method. Nomograms were developed to forecast the cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) in NSCLC individuals with nonoperative brain metastases who underwent radiotherapy. METHODS: Information was gathered from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database about patients diagnosed with NSCLC who had brain metastases not suitable for surgery. Nomograms were created and tested using multivariate Cox regression models to forecast CSS and OS at intervals of 1, 2, and 3 years. RESULTS: The research involved 3413 individuals diagnosed with NSCLC brain metastases who had undergone radiotherapy but had not experienced surgery. These participants were randomly divided into two categories. The analysis revealed that gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, tumor location, tumor laterality, tumor grade, histology, T stage, N stage, chemotherapy, tumor size, lung metastasis, bone metastasis, and liver metastasis were significant independent predictors for OS and CSS. The C-index for the training set for predicting OS was .709 (95% CI, .697-.721), and for the validation set, it was .705 (95% CI, .686-.723), respectively. The C-index for predicting CSS was .710 (95% CI, .697-.722) in the training set and .703 (95% CI, .684-.722) in the validation set, respectively. The nomograms model, as suggested by the impressive C-index, exhibits outstanding differentiation ability. Moreover, the ROC and calibration curves reveal its commendable precision and distinguishing potential. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, highly accurate and reliable nomograms were developed to predict OS and CSS in NSCLC patients with non-surgical brain metastases, who have undergone radiotherapy treatment. The nomograms may assist in tailoring counseling strategies and choosing the most effective treatment method.

Role of ESCCAL-1 in regulating exocytosis of AuNPs in human esophageal squamous carcinoma cells.

Exocytosis is a critical factor for designing efficient nanocarriers and determining cytotoxicity. However, the research on the exocytosis mechanism of nanoparticles, especially the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), has not been reported. In this study, the exocytosis of AuNPs in the KYSE70 cells and the involved molecular pathways of exocytosis are analyzed. It demonstrates that nanoparticles underwent time-dependent release from the cells by exocytosis, and the release of ß-hexosaminidase confirms that AuNPs are excreted through lysosomes. Mechanistic studies reveal that lncRNA ESCCAL-1 plays a vital role in controlling the exocytosis of AuNPs through activation of the MAPK pathway, including the phosphorylation of ERK and JNK. The study implies that the ESCCAL-1-mediated pathway plays an important role in the exocytosis of AuNPs in KYSE70 cells. This finding has implications for the role of ESCCAL-1 on the drug resistance of esophagus cancer by controlling lysosome-mediated exocytosis.

Electropolymerization of a Carbonyl-Modified Dihydropyrazine Derivative for Aqueous Zinc Batteries with Ultrahigh Cycling Stability.

The design of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) that have high specific capacity and long-term stability is essential for future large-scale energy storage systems. Cathode materials with extended π-conjugation and abundant active sites are desirable to enhance the charge storage performance and the cycling stability of the aqueous ZIB. Based on this concept, 6,9-dihydropyrazino[2,3-g]quinoxaline-2,3,7,8(1H,4H)-tetrone was chosen as the monomer to be electropolymerized onto carbon cloth (PDHPQ-Tetrone/CC). When used as the cathode material for aqueous ZIBs, an exceptional cycling life (>20,000 cycles) at a current density of 10 A g-1 was achieved, with the specific capacity maintained at 82.8% and with the Coulombic efficiency at around 100% throughout cycling. At the charge-discharge current density of 0.1 A g-1, the ZIB with PDHPQ-Tetrone/CC achieved a high specific capacity of 248 mAh g-1. Kinetic analyses showed that both surface-capacitive-controlled processes and semi-infinite diffusion-controlled processes contribute to the stored charge. The charge storage mechanism was investigated with ex situ characterizations and involves the redox processes of carbonyl/hydroxyl and amino/imino groups coupled with insertion and extraction of both Zn2+ and H+.

Tumor-Targeted Oxaliplatin(IV) Prodrug Delivery Based on ROS-Regulated Cancer-Selective Glycan Labeling.

Platinum-drug-based chemotherapy in clinics has achieved great success in clinical malignancy therapy. However, unpredictable off-target toxicity and the resulting severe side effects in the treatment are still unsolved problems. Although metabolic glycan labeling-mediated tumor-targeted therapy has been widely reported, less selective metabolic labeling in vivo limited its wide application. Herein, a novel probe of B-Ac3ManNAz that is regulated by reactive oxygen species in tumor cells is introduced to enhance the recognition and cytotoxicity of DBCO-modified oxaliplatin(IV) via bioorthogonal chemistry. B-Ac3ManNAz was synthesized from Ac4ManNAz by incorporation with 4-(hydroxymethyl) benzeneboronic acid pinacol ester (HBAPE) at the anomeric position, which is confirmed to be regulated by ROS and could robustly label glycans on the cell surface. Moreover, N3-treated tumor cells could enhance the tumor accumulation of DBCO-modified oxaliplatin(IV) via click chemistry meanwhile reduce the off-target distribution in normal tissue. Our strategy provides an effective metabolic precursor for tumor-specific labeling and targeted cancer therapies.

In sickness and in health-Type I interferon and the brain.

Type I interferons (IFN-I) represent a group of pleiotropic cytokines renowned for their antiviral activity and immune regulatory functions. A multitude of studies have unveiled a critical role of IFN-I in the brain, influencing various neurological processes and diseases. In this mini-review, I highlight recent findings on IFN-I's effects on brain aging, Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression, and central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis. The multifaceted influence of IFN-I on brain health and disease sheds light on the complex interplay between immune responses and neurological processes. Of particular interest is the cGAS-STING-IFN-I axis, which extensively participates in brain aging and various forms of neurodegeneration. Understanding the intricate role of IFN-I and its associated pathways in the CNS not only advances our comprehension of brain health and disease but also presents opportunities for developing interventions to modify the process of neurodegeneration and prevent age-related cognitive decline.

3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane modified MXene on three-dimensional nonwoven fiber substrates for low-cost, stable, and efficient solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination.

Recently, the solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination has attracted more and more attentions due to the advantages of low cost, zero energy consumption, and high water purification rate, etc. One of the bottlenecks of this emerging technique lies in a lack of simple and low-cost ways to construct three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical microstructures for photothermal membranes. To this end, a two-step strategy is carried out by combining surface functionalization with substrate engineering. Firstly, a silane coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) is grafted onto an ideal photothermal material of Ti3C2Tx MXene, to improve the nanochannel sizes and hydrophilicity, which are attributed to enlarged interspaces of MXene and introduced hydrophilic group e.g., -NH2 and -OH, respectively. Secondly, a low-cost and robust nonwoven fiber (NWF) substrate, which has a 3D micron-sized mesh structure with interlaced fiber stacks, is employed as the skeleton to load enough APTES-grafted MXene by a simple soaking method. Benefited from above design, the Ti3C2Tx-APTES/NWF composite membrane with a 3D hierarchical structure shows enhanced light scattering and utilization, water transport and vapor escape. A remarkable evaporation rate of 1.457 kg m-2 h-1 and an evaporation efficiency of 91.48 % are attained for a large-area (5 × 5 cm2) evaporator, and the evaporation rate is further increased to 1.672 kg m-2 h-1 for a small-area (2 × 2 cm2) device. The rejection rates of salt ions and heavy metal ions are higher than 99 % and 99.99 %, respectively, and the removal rates of organic dye molecules are nearly to 100 %. Besides, the composite photothermal membrane exhibits great stabilities in harsh conditions such as high salinities, long cycling, large light intensities, strong acid/alkali environments, and mechanical bending. Most importantly, the photothermal membrane shows a considerable cost-effectiveness of 89.4 g h-1/$. Hence, this study might promote the commercialization of solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination by collaboratively considering surface modification and substrate engineering for MXene.

A novel glycoglycerolipid from Holotrichia diomphalia Bates: Structure characteristics and protective effect against DNA damage.

A lipidated polysaccharide, HDPS-2II, was isolated from the dried larva of Holotrichia diomphalia, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The molecular weight of HDPS-2II was 5.9 kDa, which contained a polysaccharide backbone of →4)-ß-Manp-(1 â†’ 4,6)-ß-Manp-(1 â†’ [6)-α-Glcp-(1]n â†’ 6)-α-Glcp→ with the side chain α-Glcp-(6 â†’ 1)-α-Glcp-(6 â†’ linked to the C-4 of ß-1,4,6-Manp and four types of lipid chains including 4-(4-methyl-2-(methylamino)pentanamido)pentanoic acid, 5-(3-(tert-butyl)phenoxy)hexan-2-ol, N-(3-methyl-5-oxopentan-2-yl)palmitamide, and N-(5-amino-3-methyl-5-oxopentan-2-yl)stearamide. The lipid chains were linked to C-1 of terminal α-1,6-Glcp in carbohydrate chain through diacyl-glycerol. HDPS-2II exhibited DNA protective effects and antioxidative activity on H2O2- or adriamycin (ADM)-induced Chinese hamster lung cells. Furthermore, HDPS-2II significantly ameliorated chromosome aberrations and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), reduced γ-H2AX signaling and the expressions of NADPH oxidase (NOX)2, NOX4, P22phox, and P47phox in ADM-induced cardiomyocytes. Mechanistically, HDPS-2II suppressed ADM-induced up-regulation of NOX2 and NOX4 in cardiomyocytes, but not in NOX2 or NOX4 knocked-down cardiomyocytes, indicating that HDPS-2II could relieve intracellular DNA damage by regulating NOX2/NOX4 signaling. These findings demonstrate that HDPS-2II is a new potential DNA protective agent.

Occurrence of microplastics in the Haima cold seep area of the South China Sea.

The pollution of deep-sea microplastics has received increasing attention. As a special ecosystem in the deep sea, the cold seep area is of great significance for studying the distribution of microplastics in the deep sea. In this work, the distribution and characteristics of microplastics in seawater, sediments, and shellfish in the Haima cold seep area and the correlation between the characteristics of microplastics in different media and the type of media were studied. Microplastics were found in all three media. The abundance of microplastics in different samples from the Haima cold seep area ranged 1.8-3.8 items/L for the seawater, 11.47-96.8 items/kg (d.w.) for the surface sediments, and 0-5 items/individual (0-0.714 items/g) for the shellfish. The amount of microplastics ingested by shellfish varied among different species. The microplastics in these three media were mainly fibrous, dark-colored, small-sized rayon, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyethylene (PE). In the correlation analysis of microplastic characteristics among the three media, it was found that the characteristics of microplastics in different media in the same area were closely related, and each pair of variables showed a significant positive correlation (P ≤ 0.05). The distinctive geographical conditions would accelerate the interchange of microplastics among various media. Principal component analysis showed that habitat contribute to microplastic feature differences in shellfish. Differences in correlation were observed between the characteristics of shellfish microplastics in different regions and the characteristics of microplastics in surrounding seawater and sediments.

Comprehensive analysis of ATP6V1s family member, ATP6V1C2, with prognostic and drug development values in colorectal cancer.

Member of the V-type ATPase family have attracted vast attention in tumor progression. Nevertheless, the specific member of V-ATPase, ATP6V1C2, its regulatory function in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression was poorly understood. In this study, comprehensive analyses demonstrated the role of ATP6V1C2 in CRC progression and drug screening based on ATP6V1C2 was carried out. As a result, among the ATPV1s family, ATP6V1C2 was significantly highly expressed in CRC. Immuno-infiltration analysis suggests that, the interaction between CRC cells and immune cells resulting in reduced immune and estimate scores. GSEA analysis found that, ATP6V1C2 negatively correlates with immune cells，especially CD8T cells. Next, Ecotyper database queries indicated that ATP6V1C2 was negatively correlates with characteristic gene expression in CD8T cells. Then, COX regression analysis and survival curves made it clear that ATP6V1C2 is positively correlates with clinicopathological progression leading to poor CRC prognosis. CellMiner explore told us LOR-253 and Sonidegib may be effective in CRC cancer treatment. Molecular Docking between ATP6V1C2 and 9 first-line and 9 natural drugs showed that ATP6V1C2 was recognized by the best geometrical and energetic matching pattern of 2 First-line and 4 natural drugs. RT-PCR and immunoblotting confirmed that ATP6V1C2 was significantly overexpressed in CRC. Four natural drugs screened by molecular docking were effective in cell proliferation inhibition by CCK8 test. In summary, ATP6V1C2 may be a new therapeutic target for CRC. The illustration is shown in Figure 9.

Solvent Regulation Induced Cathode Aggregation-Induced Electrochemiluminescence of Tetraphenylethylene Nanoaggregates for Ultrasensitive Zearalenone Analysis.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is an extremely hazardous chemical widely existing in cereals, and its high-sensitivity detection possesses significant significance to human health. Here, the cathodic aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence (AIECL) performance of tetraphenylethylene nanoaggregates (TPE NAs) was modulated by solvent regulation, based on which an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor was constructed for sensitive detection of ZEN. The aggregation state and AIECL of TPE NAs were directly and simply controlled by adjusting the type of organic solvent and the fraction of water, which solved the current shortcomings of low strength and weak stability of the cathode ECL signal for TPE. Impressively, in a tetrahydrofuran-water mixed solution (volume ratio, 6:4), the relative ECL efficiency of TPE NAs reached 16.03%, which was 9.2 times that in pure water conditions, and the maximum ECL spectral wavelength was obviously red-shifted to 617 nm. In addition, "H"-shape DNA structure-mediated dual-catalyzed hairpin self-assembly (H-D-CHA) with higher efficiency by the synergistic effect between the two CHA reactions was utilized to construct a sensitive ECL aptasensor for ZEN analysis with a low detection limit of 0.362 fg/mL. In conclusion, solvent regulation was a simple and efficient method for improving the performance of AIECL materials, and the proposed ECL aptasensor had great potential for ZEN monitoring in food safety.

Socioeconomic characteristics, cancer mortality, and universal health coverage: A global analysis.

BACKGROUND: Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all individuals attaining accessible health interventions at an affordable cost. We examined current patterns and temporal trends of cancer mortality and UHC across sociodemographic index (SDI) settings, and quantified these association. METHODS: We used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 and Our World in Data. The UHC effective coverage index was obtained to assess the potential population health gains delivered by health systems. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to quantify the trend of cancer age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR). A generalized linear model was applied to estimate the association between ASMR and UHC. FINDINGS: The high (EAPC = -0.9% [95% CI, -1.0%, -0.9%]) and high-middle (-0.9% [-1.0%, -0.8%]) SDI regions had the fastest decline in ASMR (per 100,000) for total cancers from 1990 to 2019. The overall UHC effective coverage index increased by 27.9% in the high-SDI quintile to 62.2% in the low-SDI quintile. A negative association was observed between ASMR for all-cancer (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.87 [0.76, 0.99]), stomach (0.73 [0.56, 0.95]), breast (0.64 [0.52, 0.79]), cervical (0.42 [0.30, 0.60]), lip and oral cavity (0.55 [0.40, 0.75]), and nasopharynx (0.42 [0.26, 0.68]) cancers and high UHC level (the lowest as the reference). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings strengthen the evidence base for achieving UHC to improve cancer outcomes. FUNDING: This work is funded by the China National Natural Science Foundation and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Science.

Mesoscopic Analysis of Fatigue Damage Development in Asphalt Mixture Based on Modified Burgers Contact Algorithm in Discrete Element Modeling.

This study is aimed at examining the mesoscopic mechanical response and crack development characteristics of asphalt mixtures using the three-dimensional discrete element approach via particle flow code (PFC). The material is considered an assembly of three phases of aggregate, mortar, and voids, for which three types of contact are identified and described using a modified Burgers model allowing for bond failure and crack formation at contact. The laboratory splitting test is conducted to determine the contact parameters and to provide the basis for selecting three different load levels used in the indirect tensile fatigue test and simulation. The reliability of the simulation is verified by comparing the fatigue lives and dissipated energies against those from the test. Under cyclic loading, the internal tensile and compressive force chains vary dynamically as a response to the cyclic loading; both are initially concentrated beneath the top loading strip and then extend downward along the loading line. The compressive chains are oriented roughly vertically and develop an elliptic shape as damage grows, while the tensile chains are mostly horizontal and become denser. An analysis based on the histories of the numbers of different contact types indicates that damage mainly originates from bond failures among the aggregate particles and at the aggregate-mortar interfaces. In terms of location, cracking is initiated below the loading point (consistent with observations from the force chains) and propagates downward and laterally, leading to the macrocrack along the vertical diameter. The findings provide a mesoscopic understanding of the fatigue damage initiation and propagation in asphalt mixture.

Tea and Pleurotus ostreatus intercropping modulates structure of soil and root microbial communities.

Intercropping with Pleurotus ostreatus has been demonstrated to increase the tea yield and alleviate soil acidification in tea gardens. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, high-throughput sequencing and Biolog Eco analysis were performed to identify changes in the community structure and abundance of soil microorganisms in the P. ostreatus intercropped tea garden at different seasons (April and September). The results showed that the soil microbial diversity of rhizosphere decreased in April, while rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil microbial diversity increased in September in the P. ostreatus intercropped tea garden. The diversity of tea tree root microorganisms increased in both periods. In addition, the number of fungi associated with organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling, such as Penicillium, Trichoderma, and Trechispora, was significantly higher in the intercropped group than in the control group. Intercropping with P. ostreatus increased the levels of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and available phosphorus (AP) in the soil. It also improved the content of secondary metabolites, such as tea catechins, and polysaccharides in tea buds. Microbial network analysis showed that Unclassified_o__Helotiales, and Devosia were positively correlated with soil TN and pH, while Lactobacillus, Acidothermus, and Monascus were positively correlated with flavone, AE, and catechins in tea trees. In conclusion, intercropping with P. ostreatus can improve the physical and chemical properties of soil and the composition and structure of microbial communities in tea gardens, which has significant potential for application in monoculture tea gardens with acidic soils.