A Thermosalient and Mechanically Compliant Organic Crystalline Optical Waveguide Switcher.

The dense and ordered molecular arrangements endow dynamic molecular crystals with fast response, rapid energy conversion, low energy dissipation, and strong coupling between heat/light and mechanical energy. Most of the known dynamic crystals can only respond to a single stimulus, and materials that can respond to multiple stimuli are rare. Here, we report an organic crystalline material that can be bent plastically and is also thermosalient, as its crystals can move when they undergo a reversible phase transition. The crystals transmit light regardless of their shape or crystalline phase. The combination of light transduction and reversible thermomechanical deformation provides an opportunity to switch the waveguiding capability of the material in a narrow temperature range, which holds a tremendous potential for applications in heat-averse electronic components, such as central processing units. Unlike existing electronics, the material we report here is completely organic and therefore much lighter, potentially reducing the overall weight of electronic circuits.

Adverse childhood experiences, emotional distress and dissatisfaction with motherhood among first-time mothers: Mediations and child differences.

Despite the challenges associated with motherhood, studies have not consistently identified factors contributing to first-time mothers' dissatisfaction with motherhood in resource-limited regions. To fill this research gap, this study investigates how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) result in first-time mothers' dissatisfaction with motherhood through emotional distress in Nigeria. Results from the partial least square structural equation model suggests that ACEs are associated with dissatisfaction with motherhood ( = 0.092; p < 0.01) and emotional distress ( = 0.367; p < 0.001). There is also a significant association between emotional distress and dissatisfaction with motherhood ( = 0.728; p < 0.001). Indirect path from first-time mothers' ACEs to dissatisfaction with motherhood through emotional distress shows significance ( = 0.267; 95% CI (0.213, 0.323); p < 0.001). In addition, the indirect path from first-time mothers' ACEs to dissatisfaction with motherhood through child emotional closeness showed significant dampening effects ( = 0.044; 95% CI (0.025, 0.066); p < 0.001). No serial impact of emotional distress and child emotional closeness was found in the study. The findings based on child gender indicated that only among first-time mothers of female children are ACEs predictors of dissatisfaction with motherhood. Trauma-informed interventions should be introduced in primary care settings to screen for ACEs and emotional dysfunctions among first-time mothers.

Woven organic crystals.

Woven architectures are prepared by physical entanglement of fibrous components to expand one-dimensional material into two-dimensional sheets with enhanced strength and resilience to wear. Here, we capitalize on the elastic properties of long organic crystals with a high aspect ratio to prepare an array of centimeter-size woven network structures. While being robust to mechanical impact, the woven patches are also elastic due to effective stress dissipation by the elasticity of the individual warp and weft crystals. The thermal stability of component crystals translates into favorable thermoelastic properties of the porous woven structures, where the network remains elastic over a range of 300 K. By providing means for physical entanglement of organic crystals, the weaving circumvents the natural limitation of the small size of slender organic crystals that is determined by their natural growth, thereby expanding the prospects for applications of organic crystals from one-dimensional entities to expandable, two-dimensional robust structures.

Bioinspired soft robots based on organic polymer-crystal hybrid materials with response to temperature and humidity.

The capability of stimulated response by mechanical deformation to induce motion or actuation is the foundation of lightweight organic, dynamic materials for designing light and soft robots. Various biomimetic soft robots are constructed to demonstrate the vast versatility of responses and flexibility in shape-shifting. We now report that the integration of organic molecular crystals and polymers brings about synergistic improvement in the performance of both materials as a hybrid materials class, with the polymers adding hygroresponsive and thermally responsive functionalities to the crystals. The resulting hybrid dynamic elements respond within milliseconds, which represents several orders of magnitude of improvement in the time response relative to some other type of common actuators. Combining molecular crystals with polymers brings crystals as largely overlooked materials much closer to specific applications in soft (micro)robotics and related fields.

Clinical characteristics of anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery in children / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA) in children. Methods: There were 17 children diagnosed with AAOCA from January 2013 to January 2022 in Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.Their clinical manifestations, laboratory and imaging data, treatment and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. Results: These 17 children included 14 males and 3 females, with the age of (8.7±3.5) years. There were 4 anomalous left coronary artery (ALCA) and 13 anomalous right coronary artery (ARCA). Seven children presented with chest pain or chest pain after exercise, three patients presented with cardiac syncope, one complained chest tightness and weakness, and the other six patients had no specific symptoms. Cardiac syncope and chest tightness occurred in patients with ALCA. Fourteen children had the dangerous anatomical basis of myocardial ischemia caused by coronary artery compression or stenosis on imaging. Seven children had coronary artery repair, of whom two were ALCA and five were ARCA. One patient had received heart transplantation because of heart failure. The incidence of adverse cardiovascular events and poor prognosis in ALCA group was higher than that in ARCA group (4/4 vs. 0/13, P<0.05). They were followed up in the outpatient department regularly for 6 (6, 12) months; except for the one who lost visit, the rest of the patients had a good prognosis. Conclusions: Cardiogenic syncope or cardiac insufficiency usually occurs in ALCA, and adverse cardiovascular events and poor prognosis are more common in ALCA than in ARCA. Early surgical treatment should be considered for children with ALCA and ARCA accompanied by myocardial ischemia.

Efficacy analysis of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy in treatment of superior mediastinal lymph node metastasis after esophageal cancer surgery / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and adverse reactions of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of superior mediastinal lymph node metastasis after esophageal cancer surgery.Methods:The clinical data of 72 patients with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for superior mediastinal lymph node metastasis after esophageal cancer surgery in Tai'an Cancer Prevention and Treatment Hospital from January 2019 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, and they were divided into intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) group (36 cases) and SIB-IMRT group (36 cases) according to different radiotherapy methods. The short-term efficacy, long-term survival rate and adverse reactions of the two groups were compared.Results:The response rate in the IMRT group was 66.7% (24/36), the response rate in the SIB-IMRT group was 86.1% (31/36), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( χ2 = 3.77, P = 0.047). The 1-, 2- and 3-year overall survival rates in the IMRT group were 75.0%, 44.4% and 27.8%, and the 1-, 2- and 3-year overall survival rates in the SIB-IMRT group were 83.3%, 52.8% and 33.3%; the difference in the overall survival between the two groups was not statistically significant ( χ2 = 0.70, P = 0.401). There were statistical differences in the incidence of leukopenia, radiation esophagitis and radiation pleural gastritis between the two groups (all P < 0.05). There were no statistical differences in the incidence of radiation pneumonia and gastrointestinal reactions between the two groups (both P > 0.05). Conclusions:SIB-IMRT combined with chemotherapy in patients with superior mediastinal lymph node metastasis after esophageal cancer surgery has good local control rate and mild adverse reactions.

Phytosulfokine peptides, their receptors, and functions.

Phytosulfokines (PSKs) are a class of disulfated pentapeptides and are regarded as plant peptide hormones. PSK-α, -γ, -δ, and -ϵ are four bioactive PSKs that are reported to have roles in plant growth, development, and immunity. In this review, we summarize recent advances in PSK biosynthesis, signaling, and function. PSKs are encoded by precursor genes that are widespread in higher plants. PSKs maturation from these precursors requires a sulfation step, which is catalyzed by a tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase, as well as proteolytic cleavage by subtilisin serine proteases. PSK signaling is mediated by plasma membrane-localized receptors PSKRs that belong to the leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase family. Moreover, multiple biological functions can be attributed to PSKs, including promoting cell division and cell growth, regulating plant reproduction, inducing somatic embryogenesis, enhancing legume nodulation, and regulating plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. Finally, we propose several research directions in this field. This review provides important insights into PSKs that will facilitate biotechnological development and PSK application in agriculture.

A novel type of phytosulfokine, PSK-ε, positively regulates root elongation and formation of lateral roots and root nodules in Medicago truncatula.

Phytosulfokines (PSKs) are a class of tyrosine-sulfated pentapeptides. PSK-α, PSK-γ, and PSK-δ are three reported PSK members involved in regulating plant growth, development, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, we reported a novel type of PSK, PSK-ε with the sequence YSO3VYSO3TN, and its precursor proteins (MtPSKε, LjPSKε, and GmPSKε), specifically from legume species. PSK-ε peptide differs from PSK-δ by one amino acid and is close to PSK-δ in the phylogenetic relationship. Expression profile analysis showed that MtPSKε was highly expressed in Medicago truncatula roots, especially in root tips and emerged lateral roots. Application of the synthetic sulfated PSK-ε peptide and overexpression of MtPSKε significantly promoted M. truncatula root elongation and increased lateral root number, probably by inducing cell division and expansion in roots. Furthermore, MtPSKε expression was induced by rhizobia infection and was detected in root nodules including nodule primordia. Both PSK-ε peptide treatment and MtPSKε overexpression significantly increased nodule number in M. truncatula. Taken together, these results demonstrate that PSK-ε, a novel type of phytosulfokine, positively regulates root elongation and formation of lateral root and root nodule in M. truncatula.

Fluorescence-based thermal sensing with elastic organic crystals.

Operation of temperature sensors over extended temperature ranges, and particularly in extreme conditions, poses challenges with both the mechanical integrity of the sensing material and the operational range of the sensor. With an emissive bendable organic crystalline material, here we propose that organic crystals can be used as mechanically robust and compliant fluorescence-based thermal sensors with wide range of temperature coverage and complete retention of mechanical elasticity. The exemplary material described remains elastically bendable and shows highly linear correlation with the emission wavelength and intensity between 77 K to 277 K, while it also transduces its own fluorescence in active waveguiding mode. This universal new approach expands the materials available for optical thermal sensing to a vast number of organic crystals as a new class of engineering materials and opens opportunities for the design of lightweight, organic fluorescence-based thermal sensors that can operate under extreme temperature conditions such as are the ones that will be encountered in future space exploration missions.

A Low-Temperature-Resistant Flexible Organic Crystal with Circularly Polarized Luminescence.

Flexible organic crystals with unique mechanical properties and excellent optical properties are of paramount significance for their wide applications in various research fields such as adaptive optics and soft robotics. However, low-temperature-resistant flexible organic crystal with circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) has never been reported. Herein, chiral organic crystals with CPL activity and low-temperature flexibility (77 K) are fabricated by the solvent diffusion method from chiral Schiff base, S(R)-4-bromo-2-(((1-phenylethyl)imino)methyl)phenol (S(R)-BPEMP). The corresponding chirooptical properties for the two enantiomeric crystals were thoroughly investigated, including the measurements of circular dichroism (CD) and CPL. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on low-molecular-weight flexible organic crystals with CPL activity, and we believe that the results will give a new impetus to the research of organic crystals.

A legume-specific novel type of phytosulfokine, PSK-δ, promotes nodulation by enhancing nodule organogenesis.

Phytosulfokine-α (PSK-α), a tyrosine-sulfated pentapeptide with the sequence YSO3IYSO3TQ, is widely distributed across the plant kingdom and plays multiple roles in plant growth, development, and immune response. Here, we report a novel type of phytosulfokine, PSK-δ, and its precursor proteins (MtPSKδ, LjPSKδ, and GmPSKδ1), specifically from legume species. The sequence YSO3IYSO3TN of sulfated PSK-δ peptide is different from PSK-α at the last amino acid. Expression pattern analysis revealed PSK-δ-encoding precursor genes to be expressed primarily in legume root nodules. Specifically, in Medicago truncatula, MtPSKδ expression was detected in root cortical cells undergoing nodule organogenesis, in nodule primordia and young nodules, and in the apical region of mature nodules. Accumulation of sulfated PSK-δ peptide in M. truncatula nodules was detected by LC/MS. Application of synthetic PSK-δ peptide significantly increased nodule number in legumes. Similarly, overexpression of MtPSKδ in transgenic M. truncatula markedly promoted symbiotic nodulation. This increase in nodule number was attributed to enhanced nodule organogenesis induced by PSK-δ. Additional genetic evidence from the MtPSKδ mutant and RNA interference assays suggested that the PSK-δ and PSK-α peptides function redundantly in regulating nodule organogenesis. These results suggest that PSK-δ, a legume-specific novel type of phytosulfokine, promotes symbiotic nodulation by enhancing nodule organogenesis.

Organic Single-Crystal Actuators and Waveguides that Operate at Low Temperatures.

Applications in extreme conditions, such as those encountered in space exploration, require lightweight materials that can retain their elasticity in extremely cold environments. However, cryogenic treatment of most soft polymeric and elastomeric materials results in complete loss of their ability for elastic flow, whereby such materials that are normally ductile become stiff, brittle, and prone to cracking. Here, a facile method for preparation of hybrid organic crystalline materials that are not only cryogenically robust but are also capable of large, recoverable, and reversible deformation at low temperatures is reported. To that end, flexible organic crystals are first mechanically reinforced by a polymer coating and combined with a thermally responsive polymer. The resulting hybrid materials respond linearly and reversibly to temperatures from -15 to -120 °C without fatigue in air as well as in cold vacuum. The approach proposed here not only circumvents one of the main drawbacks that are inherent to the amorphous nature and has thus far limited the applications of polymeric materials at low temperatures, but it also provides a cost-effective access to a myriad of lightweight sensing, electronic, optical or actuating devices that can operate in low-temperature environmental settings.

An Avascular Niche Created by Axitinib-Loaded PCL/Collagen Nanofibrous Membrane Stabilized Subcutaneous Chondrogenesis of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.

Engineered cartilage derived from mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) always fails to maintain the cartilaginous phenotype in the subcutaneous environment due to the ossification tendency. Vascular invasion is a prerequisite for endochondral ossification during the development of long bone. As an oral antitumor medicine, Inlyta (axitinib) possesses pronounced antiangiogenic activity, owing to the inactivation of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway. In this study, axitinib-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/collagen nanofibrous membranes are fabricated by electrospinning for the first time. Rabbit-derived MSCs-engineered cartilage is encapsulated in the axitinib-loaded nanofibrous membrane and subcutaneously implanted into nude mice. The sustained and localized release of axitinib successfully inhibits vascular invasion, stabilizes cartilaginous phenotype, and helps cartilage maturation. RNA sequence further reveals that axitinib creates an avascular, hypoxic, and low immune response niche. Timp1 is remarkably upregulated in this niche, which probably plays a functional role in inhibiting the activity of matrix metalloproteinases and stabilizing the engineered cartilage. This study provides a novel strategy for stable subcutaneous chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stromal cells, which is also suitable for other medical applications, such as arthritis treatment, local treatment of tumors, and regeneration of other avascular tissues (cornea and tendon).

Quantifiable stretching-induced fluorescence shifts of an elastically bendable and plastically twistable organic crystal.

Organic crystals with mechanical stimulus-response properties are being developed increasingly nowadays. However, the studies involving tensile-responsive crystals are still lacking due to the strict requirement of crystals with good flexibility. In this work, an organic crystal with the ability of elastic bending and plastic twisting upon loading stress and shearing force, respectively, is reported. The deformability in different directions enables the crystal to be a model for tensile-responsive study. Indeed, blue shifts of fluorescence were observed when the tensile forces loaded upon the needle-shaped crystal were stretched to a certain degree. The mathematical correlation between emission wavelength changes and stretching strain was obtained for the first time, which proves that the crystal has a potential application for tension sensors. In addition, a low detection limit and high sensitivity enabled the crystal to have the ability to detect tension variations in precision instruments. Theoretical calculations and X-ray crystal structure analyses revealed the mechanism of emission wavelength shifts caused by molecular movement during the stretching process. The presented crystal successfully overcame the limitations of traditional mechanochromic organic crystals, which have difficulty in responding to tensile forces.

Crystal Engineering of a Hydrazone Molecule toward High Elasticity and Bright Luminescence.

Flexible luminescent crystals have attracted increasing attention on account of the potential application value in optical material fields. How to design crystals with high elasticity and bright luminescence is an urgent duty that material researchers want to effectuate. Crystal engineering could achieve different crystal materials with various functions based on one molecular structure. Therefore, crystal engineering provides a potential strategy to improve the properties of flexible crystals. In this paper, we gave a pioneer work to improve the properties of flexible luminescent crystals by designing on crystal structure. By disclosing the relationship of structure-property, our work extracted the advantages (elasticity or bright emission) of two inferior crystals and obtained three elastic bending crystals with outstanding emission behaviors. Notably, our work not only achieves the fabrication of flexible crystals based on crystal engineering aspect but also provides good candidates for flexible optical waveguiding materials.

Epidemiological and clinical features of 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease cases in Chongqing municipality, China: a retrospective, descriptive, multiple-center study

BackgroundIn January 19, 2020, first case of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia (COVID-19) was confirmed in Chongqing municipality, China. MethodsIn this retrospective, descriptive, multiple-center study, total of 267 patients with COVID-19 confirmed by real-time RT-PCR in Chongqing from Jan 19 to Feb 16, 2020 were recruited. Epidemiological, demographic, clinical, radiological characteristics, laboratory examinations, and treatment regimens were collected on admission. Clinical outcomes were followed up until Feb 16, 2020. Results267 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to 3 designated-hospitals in Chongqing provincial municipality from January 19 to February 16, 2020 were enrolled and categorized on admission. 217 (81.27%) and 50 (18.73%) patients were categorized into non-severe and severe subgroups, respectively. The median age of patients was 48.0 years (IQR, 35.0-65.0), with 129 (48.3%) of the patients were more than 50 years of age. 149 (55.8%) patients were men. Severe patients were significantly older (median age, 71.5 years [IQR, 65.8-77.0] vs 43.0 years [IQR, 32.5-57.0]) and more likely to be male (110 [50.7%] vs 39 [78.0%]) and have coexisting disorders (15 [30.0%] vs 26 [12.0%]). 41 (15.4%) patients had a recent travel to Hubei province, and 139 (52.1%) patients had a history of contact with patients from Hubei. On admission, the most common symptoms of COVID-19 were fever 225(84.3%), fatigue (208 [77.9%]), dry cough (189 [70.8%]), myalgia or arthralgia (136 [50.9%]). Severe patients were more likely to present dyspnea (17 [34.0%] vs 26 [12.0%]) and confusion (10 [20.0%] vs 15 [6.9%]). Rales (32 [12.0%]) and wheezes (20 [7.5%]) are not common noted for COVID-19 patients, especially for the non-severe (11 [5.1%], 10 [4.6%]). 118 (44.2%). Most severe patients demonstrated more laboratory abnormalities. 231 (86.5%), 61 (22.8%) patients had lymphopenia, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia, respectively. CD4+T cell counts decrease was observed in 77.1 % of cases, especially in the severe patients (45, 100%). 53.1% patients had decreased CD+3 T cell counts, count of CD8+T cells was lower than the normal range in part of patients (34.4%). More severe patients had lower level of CD4+ T cells and CD+3 T cells (45 [100.0%] vs 29[56.9%], 31 [68.9%] vs 20 [39.2%]). Most patients had normal level of IL-2, IL-4, TNF- and INF-{gamma}, while high level of IL-6 and IL-17A was common in COVID-19 patients (47 [70.1%], 35 [52.2%]). Level of IL-6, IL-17A and TNF- was remarkably elevated in severe patients (32 [84.2%] vs 15 [51.7%], 25 [65.8%] vs 10 [34.5%], 17 [44.7%] vs 5 [17.2%]). All patients received antiviral therapy (267, 100%). A portion of severe patients (38, 76.0%) received systemic corticosteroid therapy. Invasive mechanical ventilation in prone position, non-invasive mechanical ventilation, high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy was adopted only in severe patients with respiratory failure (5[10.0%], 35[70.0%], 12[24.0%]). Traditional Chinese medicine was adopted to most of severe patients (43,86.0%). ConclusionOur study firstly demonstrated the regional disparity of COVID-19 in Chongqing municipality and further thoroughly compared the differences between severe and non-severe patients. The 28-day mortality of COVID-19 patients from 3 designed hospitals of Chongqing is 1.5%, lower than that of Hubei province and mainland China including Hubei province. However, the 28-mortality of severe patients was relatively high, with much higher when complications occurred. Notably, the 28-mortality of critically severe patients complicated with severe ARDS is considerably as high as 44.4%. Therefore, early diagnosis and intensive care of critically severe COVID-19 cases, especially those combined with ARDS, will be considerably essential to reduce mortality.

Characteristics and toxicity assessment of electrospun gelatin/PCL nanofibrous scaffold loaded with graphene in vitro and in vivo.

Background: Electrospun gelatin/polycaprolactone (Gt/PCL) nanofibrous scaffolds loaded with graphene are novel nanomaterials with the uniquely strong property of electrical conductivity, which have been widely investigated for their potential applications in cardiovascular tissue engineering, including in bypass tracts for atrioventricular block. Purpose: Electrospun Gt/PCL/graphene nanofibrous mats were successfully produced. Scanning electron micrography showed that the fibers with graphene were smooth and homogeneous. In vitro, to determine the biocompatibility of the scaffolds, hybrid scaffolds with different fractions of graphene were seeded with neonatal rat ventricular myocytes. In vivo, Gt/PCL scaffolds with different concentrations of graphene were implanted into rats for 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Results: CCK-8 assays and histopathological staining (including DAPI, cTNT, and CX43) indicated that cells grew and survived well on the hybrid scaffolds if the mass fraction of graphene was lower than 0.5%. After implanting into rats for 4, 8 or 12 weeks, there was no gathering of inflammatory cells around the nanomaterials according to the HE staining results. Conclusion: The results indicate that Gt/PCL nanofibrous scaffolds loaded with graphene have favorable electrical conductivity and biological properties and may be suitable scaffolds for use in the treatment of atrioventricular block. These findings alleviate safety concerns and provide novel insights into the potential applications of Gt/PCL loaded with graphene, offering a solid foundation for comprehensive in vivo studies.

Polymer Grafted Aluminum Nanoparticles for Percolative Composite Films with Enhanced Compatibility.

Aluminum nanoparticles hold promise for highly energetic materials and sustainable surface plasmonic materials. Most of the commercial Al nanoparticles are prepared via a high-throughput electrical explosion of wires method (up to 200 g h-1). However, the use of Al nanoparticles produced by an electrical explosion of wires is limited by their micrometer-sized aggregations and poor stability. Here, we use polystyrene with ⁻COOH end-group to graft onto isolated Al nanoparticles and dramatically enhance their colloidal stability in various organic solvents. We further demonstrate that the polystyrene grafted Al nanoparticles can be doped into polystyrene films with high compatibility, leading to enhanced dielectric properties, such as higher dielectric constant, lower dielectric loss, and stronger breakdown strength. Moreover, the composite film can improve the moisture resistance of embedded Al nanoparticles.

Red-Emissive Organic Crystals of a Single-Benzene Molecule: Elastically Bendable and Flexible Optical Waveguide.

Organic crystals are easily cracked into pieces or powders under applied stress because of their intrinsic brittle nature. This undesired mechanical property directly limits their application in flexible optical and optoelectronic devices. Herein, we developed a compact single-benzene molecule dimethyl 2,5-bis((2-hydroxyethyl)amino)terephthalate, which was easily crystallized to form two polymorphs, A and B. Featuring a single-benzene π-system, both polymorphs A and B display red fluorescence in crystals. More importantly, crystals of polymorph A are flexible and can be elastically bent under mechanical force. Given these advantages, a flexible optical waveguide has been realized in the crystal of polymorph A with a bent shape, highlighting its potential application in flexible devices. In addition, the thermal transformation of crystals from polymorph A to polymorph B, which was accompanied by the change of optical property as well as mechanical elasticity, has been observed.