Intensive Ambulance-Delivered Blood-Pressure Reduction in Hyperacute Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of acute stroke, before a distinction can be made between ischemic and hemorrhagic types, is challenging. Whether very early blood-pressure control in the ambulance improves outcomes among patients with undifferentiated acute stroke is uncertain. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with suspected acute stroke that caused a motor deficit and with elevated systolic blood pressure (≥150 mm Hg), who were assessed in the ambulance within 2 hours after the onset of symptoms, to receive immediate treatment to lower the systolic blood pressure (target range, 130 to 140 mm Hg) (intervention group) or usual blood-pressure management (usual-care group). The primary efficacy outcome was functional status as assessed by the score on the modified Rankin scale (range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) at 90 days after randomization. The primary safety outcome was any serious adverse event. RESULTS: A total of 2404 patients (mean age, 70 years) in China underwent randomization and provided consent for the trial: 1205 in the intervention group and 1199 in the usual-care group. The median time between symptom onset and randomization was 61 minutes (interquartile range, 41 to 93), and the mean blood pressure at randomization was 178/98 mm Hg. Stroke was subsequently confirmed by imaging in 2240 patients, of whom 1041 (46.5%) had a hemorrhagic stroke. At the time of patients' arrival at the hospital, the mean systolic blood pressure in the intervention group was 159 mm Hg, as compared with 170 mm Hg in the usual-care group. Overall, there was no difference in functional outcome between the two groups (common odds ratio, 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87 to 1.15), and the incidence of serious adverse events was similar in the two groups. Prehospital reduction of blood pressure was associated with a decrease in the odds of a poor functional outcome among patients with hemorrhagic stroke (common odds ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.92) but an increase among patients with cerebral ischemia (common odds ratio, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.60). CONCLUSIONS: In this trial, prehospital blood-pressure reduction did not improve functional outcomes in a cohort of patients with undifferentiated acute stroke, of whom 46.5% subsequently received a diagnosis of hemorrhagic stroke. (Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and others; INTERACT4 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03790800; Chinese Trial Registry number, ChiCTR1900020534.).

Gold-Catalyzed Reactions of Enynals with Alkenes for Synthesis Binaphthyl Derivatives.

A PPh3Au[B(C6F5)4]-catalyzed reaction of enynals and alkenes for the construction of binaphthyl derivatives was described. This transformation was achieved through o-Quinodimethane (o-QDM) intermediate's extended conjugated addition process. The reaction has the advantages of wide substrate scopes, mild reaction conditions, high efficiency, and good scalability.

Textured Potassium Sodium Niobate Lead-Free Ceramics with High d33 and Qm for Meeting High-Power Applications.

Potassium sodium niobate (KNN) lead-free piezoceramics have garnered significant attention for their environmentally friendly attributes, desired piezoelectric activity (d33), and high Curie temperature (Tc). However, the limited applicability of most KNN systems in high-power apparatus, including ultrasonic motors, transformers, and resonators, persists due to the inherent low mechanical quality factor (Qm). Herein, we proposed an innovative strategy for achieving high Qm accompanied by desirable d33 via synergistic chemical doping and texturing in KNN piezoceramics. Comprehensive electrical measurements along with quantitative structural characterization at multilength scales reveal that the excellent electromechanical properties (kp = 0.58, d33 ∼ 134 pC·N-1, Qm = 582, and Tc ∼ 415 °C) originate from the high <001> texturing degree, nanodomain, as well as acceptor hardening. Our findings provide an insight and guidance for achieving high-power performance in lead-free KNN-based piezoceramics, which were expected to be used in advanced transducer technology.

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease: Multiple organ occupation on CT.

One case involved a 61-year-old woman who was admitted to hospital with liver occupation, subsequently found multiple organ occupation, and was eventually pathologically identified as having immunoglobulin G4-related disease.

Spin Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes Enabled by 2D Chiral Perovskite with Spin-Dependent Carrier Transport.

Chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect provides innovative approach to spintronics and quantum-based devices for chiral materials. Different from the conventional ferromagnetic devices, the application of CISS effect is potential to operate under room temperature and zero applied magnetic field. Low dimensional chiral perovskites by introducing chiral amines are beginning to show significant CISS effect for spin injection, but research on chiral perovskites is still in its infancy, especially on spin-light emitting diode (spin-LED) construction. Here, the spin-QLEDs enabled by 2D chiral perovskites as CISS layer for spin-dependent carrier injection and CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) as light emitting layer are reported. The regulation pattern of the chirality and thickness of chiral perovskites, which affects the circularly polarized electroluminescence (CP-EL) emission of spin-QLED, is discovered. Notably, the spin injection polarization of 2D chiral perovskites is higher than 80% and the CP-EL asymmetric factor (gCP-EL ) achieves up to 1.6 × 10-2 . Consequently, this work opens up a new and effective approach for high-performance spin-LEDs.

Modification of Al Surface via Acidic Treatment and its Impact on Plating and Stripping.

Amorphous Al2 O3 film that naturally exists on any Al substrate is a critical bottleneck for the cyclic performance of metallic Al in rechargeable Al batteries. The so-called electron/ion insulator Al oxide slows down the anode's activation and hinders Al plating/stripping. The Al2 O3 film induces different surface properties (roughness and microstructure) on the metal. Al foils present two optically different sides (shiny and non-shiny), but their surface properties and influence on plating and stripping have not been studied so far. Compared to the shiny side, the non-shiny one has a higher (~28 %) surface roughness, and its greater concentration of active sites (for Al plating and stripping) yields higher current densities. Immersion pretreatments in Ionic-Liquid/AlCl3 -based electrolyte with various durations modify the surface properties of each side, forming an electrode-electrolyte interphase layer rich in Al, Cl, and N. The created interphase layer provides more tunneling paths for better Al diffusion upon plating and stripping. After 500 cycles, dendritic Al deposition, generated active sites, and the continuous removal of the Al metal and oxide cause accelerated local corrosion and electrode pulverization. We highlight the mechanical surface properties of cycled Al foil, considering the role of immersion pretreatment and the differences between the two sides.

Iridoids and other constituents from the leaves and stems of Valeriana officinalis var. latifolia.

Fifty-nine compounds, including nineteen previously undescribed iridoids (valeriananols A-S) and an undescribed alkaloid (5'-isovaleryl uridine), were isolated from the leaves and stems of Valeriana officinalis var. latifolia. Their structures were elucidated based on Mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The absolute configuration of valeriananols A-C, E-N, P, Q and S was determined by experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism. Structurally, valeriananols A and B were two 1,3-seco-iridoids with a 3,6-epoxy moiety, valeriananols K and L were a pair of C-4 epimers, while valeriananol S was a 4'-deoxy iridoid glycoside. In addition, valeriananol P, stenopterin A and patriscabioin C exhibited significant inhibition on nitric oxide production with IC50 values of 10.31, 3.93 and 8.69 µM, respectively. Furthermore, stenopterin A and patriscabioin C showed anti-proliferation activity on the MCF-7 cell line with IC50 values of 17.28 and 13.89 µM, respectively.

Editorial for the Special Issue on Quantum Dots Frontiers.

Thanks to state-of-the-art chemical and device engineering in past decades, we have witnessed more and more novel applications based on semiconductor nanocrystals: quantum dots (QDs) [...].

Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma: A comprehensive review of its chemical composition, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicity.

Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma (ATR, Shi Chang Pu in Chinese), a natural product with multiple targets in various diseases. This review provides the comprehensive summary of the chemical composition, pharmacological effects, pharmacokinetics parameters and toxicity of ATR. The results indicated that ATR possesses a wide spectrum of chemical composition, including volatile oil, terpenoids, organic acids, flavonoids, amino acids, lignin, carbohydrates and so on. Accumulating evidence from various studies has shown that ATR exerts a wide range of pharmacological properties, including protecting nerve cells, alleviating learning and memory impairment, anti-ischemic, anti-myocardial ischemia, anti-arrhythmic, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, and anti-oxidant activities. Currently, ATR is widely used in the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal digestive system, respiratory system in China, and for the treatment of epilepsy, depression, amnesia, consciousness, anxiety, insomnia, aphasia, tinnitus, cancers, dementia, stroke, skin diseases, and other complex diseases. Pharmacokinetic studies indicated that ß-asarone, α-asarone, cis-methylisoeugenol, and asarylaldehyde, the active components of ATR, were absorbed slowly after oral administration of ATR. Moreover, toxicity studies have suggested that ATR has no carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic toxicity. Nevertheless, long term or high-dose toxicity testing in animals to explore the acute and chronic toxicity of acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma is still lacking. In view of good pharmacological activities, ATR is expected to be a potential drug candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, depression, or ulcerative colitis. However, further studies are needed to elucidate its chemical composition, pharmacological effects, molecular mechanisms and targets, improve its oral bioavailability, and clarify its potential toxicity.

Compatibility of Polygonati Rhizoma and Angelicae Sinensis Radix enhance the alleviation of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease by promoting fatty acid ß-oxidation.

Jiuzhuan Huangjing Pills (JHP) composed of Polygonati Rhizoma (PR) and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR) remedied mitochondria to cure metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). However, a comparison of the anti-MAFLD ability between JHP prescription and PR and ASR single-medicines in MAFLD has not been performed, and the action mechanisms and substances remain unknown. Our results show that JHP, PR and ASR decreased serum and liver lipid levels. The effects of JHP were stronger than those of PR and ASR. JHP, PR and ASR afforded protection to mitochondrial ultrastructure, and regulated oxidative stress and energy metabolism in mitochondria. JHP also regulated the expression of ß-oxidation genes, which were not regulated by PR and ASR. JHP-, PR- and ASR-derived components in mitochondrial extracts regulated oxidative stress, energy metabolism, and ß-oxidation gene expression and alleviated cellular steatosis. Four, six and eleven compounds were identified in mitochondrial extracts from PR-, ASR- and JHP-treated rats, respectively. The data suggest that JHP, PR and ASR alleviated MAFLD by remedying mitochondria, while the ability of JHP was stronger than that of PR and ASR, which was involved with the ß-oxidation promotion. The compounds identified may be the main ingredients in the three extracts active in MAFLD improvement.

Solvent Modulation of Chiral Perovskite Films Enables High Circularly Polarized Luminescence Performance from Chiral Perovskite/Quantum Dot Composites.

Materials with circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) activity are promising in many chiroptoelectronics fields, such as for biological probes, asymmetric photosynthesis, information storage, spintronic devices, and so on. Promoting the value of the dissymmetry factor (glum) for the CPL-active materials based on chiral perovskite draws increasing attention since a higher glum value indicates better CPL. In this work, we find that, after being treated with a facile solvent modulation strategy, the chirality of 2D chiral perovskite films has been enhanced a lot, which we attribute to an increased lattice distortion degree. By forming chiral perovskite/quantum dot (QD) composites, the CPL-active material is successfully obtained. The calculated maximum |glum| of these composites increased over 4 times after solvent modulation treatment (1.53 × 10-3 for the pristine sample of R-DMF and 6.91 × 10-3 for R-NMP) at room temperature. Moreover, the enhancement of the CPL intensity is ascribed to two aspects: one is the generation and transportation of spin-polarized charge carriers from chiral perovskite films to combine in the QD layer, and the other is the solvent modulation strategy to enlarge the lattice distortion of chiral perovskite films. This facile route provides an effective way to construct CPL-active materials. More importantly, this kind of composite material (chiral perovskite film/QD layer) can be easily applied for fabricating circularly polarized light-emitting diode devices for electroluminescence.

Study of the Interfacial Oxidation of InP Quantum Dots Synthesized from Tris(dimethylamino)phosphine.

InP quantum dots (QDs) are the most competitive in terms of environmentally friendly QDs. However, the synthesis of InP QDs requires breakthroughs in low-cost and safe phosphorus precursors such as tri(dimethylamino)phosphine [(DMA)3P]. It is found that even if the oxygen is completely avoided, there are still oxidation state defects at the core/shell interface of InP QDs. Herein, the record-breaking (DMA)3P-based red InP QDs were synthesized with the assist of HF processing to eliminate the InPOx defect and improve the fluorescence efficiency. The maximum photoluminescence quantum yield was 97.7%, which is the highest of the red InP QDs synthesized by the aminophosphine. The external quantum efficiency and brightness of the QD light-emitting diode device are also improved accordingly from 0.6% and 1276 cd·m-2 to 3.5% and 2355 cd·m-2, respectively.

Covalent organic frameworks@ZIF-67 derived novel nanocomposite catalyst effectively activated peroxymonosulfate to degrade organic pollutants.

Metal organic frameworks-Covalent organic frameworks (MOFs-COFs) nanocomposites could improve the catalytic performance. Herein, a novel nanocomposite catalyst (CC@Co3O4) derived from MOFs-COFs (COF@ZIF-67) was prepared on peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation for bisphenol A (BPA) and rhodamine B (RhB) degradation. Owing to the Co species, oxygen vacancy (OV), surface hydroxyl (-OH), graphite N and ketone groups (C=O), the CC@Co3O4 exhibited higher catalytic degradation performance and total organic carbon (TOC) for BPA (93.8% and 22.3%) and RhB (98.2% and 82.5%) with a small quantity of catalyst (0.10 g/L) and low concentration of PMS (0.20 g/L) even without pH adjustment. Sulfate radicals (•SO4-), hydroxyl radicals (•OH), single oxygen (1O2), superoxide radicals (•O2-) and electron transfer process were all involved in the degradation of BPA and RhB. Among them, the degradation of BPA and RhB mainly depended on •O2- and 1O2, respectively. Meanwhile, the degradation pathways of BPA and RhB were proposed, and the biotoxicity of the degradation products was evaluated by freshwater chlorella. The results illustrated that the degradation products were environmentally friendly to organisms. In addition, the role of COF in the nanocomposites was also studied. The addition of COF remarkably improved the catalytic performance of CC@Co3O4 due to the faster electron transfer, more graphite N and C=O. Overall, this work may open the door to the development of COF-based catalysts in the field of water pollutant remediation.

In vivo identification of the pharmacodynamic ingredients of Polygonum cuspidatum for remedying the mitochondria to alleviate metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a chronic liver disease that currently lacks approved pharmacological treatment options. The mechanisms and active ingredients of Polygonum cuspidatum (PC) that regulate the mitochondria to relieve MAFLD have not been assessed. Thus, this study was designed to explore the bioactive components of PC extract in regulating mitochondria to alleviate high-fat diet-induced MAFLD using mitochondrial pharmacology and pharmacochemistry. Our results demonstrate that PC protected the mitochondrial ultrastructure and inhibited oxidative stress and energy metabolism disorder in the liver mitochondria. Furthermore, PC-derived components in the liver mitochondria attenuated oxidative stress and restored the energy metabolism of fat emulsion-induced steatosis in L02 cell. Sixteen compounds were identified in the liver-mitochondrial extracts of PC-treated rats. The antisteatotic effects of three identified monomers and anti-MAFLD ability of the monomer group were confirmed. Collectively, our data suggest that the extract of PC can alleviate lipid metabolism disorder in MAFLD by protecting the mitochondrial ultrastructure, reducing oxidative stress injury, and promoting energy metabolism. The sixteen identified compounds were potentially the main effective ingredients of PC in treating MAFLD. Thus, PC shows potential in treating MAFLD and related mitochondrial dysfunction. The proposed strategy to identify the ingredients of herbal medicines based on mitochondrial pharmacology and pharmacochemistry presents a new approach in exploring the pharmacodynamic components of herbal medicines that regulate mitochondria in preventing and treating diseases.

First report of Impatiens necrotic spot orthotospovirus infecting Tulbaghia violacia Harv. in China.

Tulbaghia violacea Harv. indigenous to southern African countries, is an herbaceous perennial bulbous plant belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae. It is a popular garden plant in China. This attractive plant is traditionally used as medicine and repellent (Kubec et al. 2002; Moodley et al. 2015). In June 2021, T. violacea plants showing typical tospovirus-like symptoms of chlorotic rings patterns, were found at the campus of Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine (Fig.S1). Disease incidence was about 11.0% during the field survey. Total RNA was extracted from symptomatic leaves of T. violacea plants using the TRIzol reagent (ambio, Carlsbad, CA). Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was conducted to identify the virus using RNA extract as the template. The degenerate primers (dTospo-F2 and dTospo-R2) (Huang et al. 2018) were used to amplify the conserved regions of the orthotospoviral L RNA sequences. No amplification was obtained from extracts of two asymptomatic plants. The amplicons from four symptomatic samples were cloned into the pMD19-T vector (TaKaRa) and sequenced (three clones for each amplicon) by Tsingke (Shanghai, China). The obtained DNA fragments were determined to be 312 bp. The sequences from four symptomatic samples were identical (GenBank acc.no. OK258285) and shared the highest nucleotide identities (98.0%) with a corresponding sequence of segment L of impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) isolated (GQ336991) from Phalaenopsis amabilis in Yunnan province, China. To further confirm the INSV infection to T. violacea, the samples were analyzed with the specific primers for the N, NSs and NSm genes of INSV (Table S1), respectively. Amplicons of the expected size, 789 bp, 1344 bp and 912 bp, were produced, respectively. Amplicons were cloned and sequenced. The 789-bp N (ON529554) and 1344-bp NSs (ON529554) gene sequences had 99.1% and 99.3% nucleotide identities with the corresponding region of previously described INSV Phalenopsis isolate (GQ336989), respectively. The 912-bp NSm (ON529553) gene sequence shared 99.5% nucleotide identity with the corresponding region of INSV Phalenopsis isolate (GQ336990). Metavirome and Sanger sequencing were used to complete the genome of INSV from T. violacea. The leaves of the symptomatic sample were used to construct an rRNA-depleted library using Nextera XT reagents (Illumina, San Diego, CA). The library was subjected to RNA-Seq a NovaSeq 6000 platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA). A total of 33,193,233 quality-filtered reads were obtained using BBMAP (https://github.com/BioInfoTools/BBMapBBMap - Bushnell B. - sourceforge.net/projects/bbmap/). Among 161052 reads mapped to virus sequences, 151407 reads (read ratios 94.0%) were mapped to INSV. Three complete segments of INSV genome were determined to 8,778 nt (L segment, Acc. No. ON529552), 4,958 nt (M segment, Acc. No. ON529553), and 2,983 nt (S segment, Acc. No. ON529554) in length. These segments were validated by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Three segments share nucleotide sequence identities of 99.6%, 99.3% and 98.9% with the L (GQ336991), M (GQ336990) and S segments (GQ336989) of INSV Phalenopsis isolate, respectively. The results of sequence comparisons showed no evidence of reassortment between INSV and another orthotospovirus. There was a report of tomato spotted wilt virus infecting T. violacea in Florida, USA (Dey et al. 2019). No other virus infecting T. violacea was reported. INSV has been reported to infect several economically important crops including Phalenopsis, pepper etc. in China (Chen et al. 2016). INSV-infected T. violacea not only losses landscaping value but also plays an important intermedia host role in the spread of INSV. Additional surveys and evaluation will be needed to understand the potential medicinal effect of this virus on this plant. To our knowledge, this is first report of INSV in T. violacea.

Thermally Processed Quantum-Dot Polypropylene Composite Color Converter Film for Displays.

Quantum dots (QDs) have attracted much attention as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation display materials. However, stability is still a big challenge for QDs. Herein, we encapsulated QDs in a thermoplastic polypropylene (PP) matrix by thermal processing technology to prepare a stabler color conversion film for the first time. Thermal processing technology expands the packaging materials of QDs from traditional soluble polymers to thermoplastic polymers such as PP with easy processing and a low cost. We showed that the QDs in the PP film exhibited longer-lasting stability than the traditional PMMA film. After 216 h of blue light accelerated aging test, the QDs maintained more than 90% of the initial performance in the PP film but dropped to less than 25% in the PMMA film. Moreover, the reasons for the improved stability have been further discussed. It was found that the PP-H film not only possessed better barriers to moisture and oxygen, but the absence of ester groups also led to a milder environment around the QDs. The results show that ester groups have stronger electronegativity and easily cause the ligands on the surface of QDs to fall off, which lead to performance degradation.

Corrigendum to "Prognostic Factors for COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients with Preexisting Type 2 Diabetes".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/9322332.].

Potential Indicators of Mitochondrial Structure and Function.

Mitochondria regulate a range of important physiological and biochemical cellular processes including apoptotic cell death, energy production, calcium homeostasis, oxidative stress, and lipid metabolism. Given their role as the 'engines' of cells, their dysfunction is associated with a variety of disease states. Exploring the relationship between mitochondrial function and disease can reveal the mechanism(s) of drug activity and disease pathology. In this review, we summarized the methods of evaluating the structure and function of mitochondria, including the morphology, membrane fluidity, membrane potential, opening of the membrane permeability transition pore, inner membrane permeabilization, mitochondrial dynamics, mitophagy, oxidative stress, energy metabolism-related enzymes, apoptotic pathway related proteins, calcium concentration, DNA copy number, oxygen consumption, ß-oxidation-related genes and proteins, cardiolipin content, and adenosine triphosphate content. We believe that the information presented in this review will help explore the pathological processes of mitochondria in the occurrence and development of diseases, as well as the activity and mechanism of drugs, and the discovery of new drugs.

Effect of Polyimide-Phosphating Double Coating and Annealing on the Magnetic Properties of Fe-Si-Cr SMCs.

Fe-Si-Cr soft magnetic powder cores (SMCs), with high electrical resistivity, magnetic permeability, saturation magnetic induction, and good corrosion resistance, are widely applied to inductors, filters, choke coils, etc. However, with the development of electronic technology with high frequency and high power density, the relative decline in the magnetic properties limits the high-frequency application of SMCs. In this paper, the phosphating process and polyimide (PI) insulation coating is applied to Fe-Si-Cr SMCs to reduce the core loss, including hysteresis loss and eddy current loss. The microstructure and composition of Fe-Si-Cr powders were analyzed by SEM, XRD, and Fourier-transform infrared spectra, respectively. The structural characteristics of the Fe-Si-Cr @ phosphate layer @ PI layer core-shell double coating were studied, and the best process parameters were determined through experiments. For SMCs with 0.4 wt% content of PI, the relative permeability is greater than 68%, and the core loss is the lowest, 7086 mW/cm3; annealed at 500 °C, the relative permeability is greater than 57%, and the core loss is the lowest, 6222 mW/cm3. A 0.4 wt% content of PI, annealed at 500 °C, exhibits the ideal magnetic properties: µe = 47 H/m, P = 6222 mW/cm3.