Recent Advancements in Gel Polymer Electrolytes for Flexible Energy Storage Applications.

Since the last decade, the need for deformable electronics exponentially increased, requiring adaptive energy storage systems, especially batteries and supercapacitors. Thus, the conception and elaboration of new deformable electrolytes becomes more crucial than ever. Among diverse materials, gel polymer electrolytes (hydrogels, organogels, and ionogels) remain the most studied thanks to the ability to tune the physicochemical and mechanical properties by changing the nature of the precursors, the type of interactions, and the formulation. Nevertheless, the exploitation of this category of electrolyte as a possible commercial product is still restrained, due to different issues related to the nature of the gels (ionic conductivity, evaporation of filling solvent, toxicity, etc.). Therefore, this review aims to resume different strategies to tailor the properties of the gel polymer electrolytes as well as to provide recent advancements in the field toward the elaboration of deformable batteries and supercapacitors.

Developmental Competence of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Embryos and Interspecies ICSI Zygotes From Bovine Small Antral Follicles.

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) play a crucial role in conserving threatened wildlife species such as Bos gaurus. ART requires a large number of mature oocytes, and small antral follicles (SAFs) in the ovary are often used to obtain abundant sources of bovine oocytes. However, oocytes from SAFs often experience difficulty completing maturation and obtaining high quality and quantity of blastocyst formation compared to fully grown oocytes. This study aimed to increase the number of high-quality mature oocytes and improve their potential for ART applications in cloned and interspecies intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) embryos by utilising L-ascorbic acid (LAA) in pre in vitro maturation (pre-IVM) culture. First, oocytes isolated from SAFs were cultured with the duration of pre-IVM 0, 6, 8, 10 h and different concentrations of LAA to determine good conditions for oocyte maturation. Then, mature oocytes were assessed for their developmental competence through parthenogenesis, cloned and interspecies ICSI embryos. The results showed that 8-h pre-IVM with 50 µg/mL LAA improved the maturation rate and developmental competence of parthenogenetic and clone embryos, especially, improving the high blastocyst quality by increasing cell number and expression of histone acetylation at lysine 9 (H3K9ac). In addition, the culture process improved the nuclear reprogramming of somatic cells after nuclear transfer into mature oocytes, resulting in an increased hatching rate of cloned embryos. It also enhanced the activation and the pronuclear formation rate of Gaurus-Taurus zygotes. Overall, the established pre-IVM culture method enhanced the meiotic and developmental competence of embryos. This procedure opened hope for the preservation of endangered species and other applications.

SNAP-25, but not SNAP-23, is essential for photoreceptor development, survival, and function in mice.

SNARE-mediated vesicular transport is thought to play roles in photoreceptor glutamate exocytosis and photopigment delivery. However, the functions of Synaptosomal-associated protein (SNAP) isoforms in photoreceptors are unknown. Here, we revisit the expression of SNAP-23 and SNAP-25 and generate photoreceptor-specific knockout mice to investigate their roles. Although we find that SNAP-23 shows weak mRNA expression in photoreceptors, SNAP-23 removal does not affect retinal morphology or vision. SNAP-25 mRNA is developmentally regulated and undergoes mRNA trafficking to photoreceptor inner segments at postnatal day 9 (P9). SNAP-25 knockout photoreceptors develop normally until P9 but degenerate by P14 resulting in severe retinal thinning. Photoreceptor loss in SNAP-25 knockout mice is associated with abolished electroretinograms and vision loss. We find mistrafficked photopigments, enlarged synaptic vesicles, and abnormal synaptic ribbons which potentially underlie photoreceptor degeneration. Our results conclude that SNAP-25, but not SNAP-23, mediates photopigment delivery and synaptic functioning required for photoreceptor development, survival, and function.

Revisiting the Calculation for a Novel Measure of Average Lifespan Shortened: Real-World Examples From Cervical and Ovarian Cancers in Alberta, Canada, 2000 - 2020.

In this technical note, we primarily demonstrate the computation of confidence limits for a novel measure of average lifespan shortened (ALSS). We identified women who had died from cervical and ovarian cancer between 2000 and 2020 from the Alberta cancer registry. Years of life lost (YLL) was calculated using the national life tables of Canada. We estimated the ALSS as a ratio of YLL in relation to the expected lifespan. We computed the confidence limits of the measure using various approaches, including the normal distribution, gamma distribution, and bootstrap method. The new ALSS measure shows a modest gain in lifespan of women, particularly women with ovarian cancer, over the study period.

Heart Rate Variability and Its Role in Predicting Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft.

Background: An association between heart rate variability (HRV) and cardiac events in certain diseases has been demonstrated. However, the association with new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is still controversial. This study aimed to investigate the association between HRV and new-onset AF in patients undergoing CABG during a 6-month follow-up. Methods: This prospective study included 119 consecutive patients who underwent off-pump CABG. All patients were assessed using 24-hour Holter recordings 2 days before CABG and 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively. HRV was analyzed, and AF was detected from its recordings. Main results: In patients undergoing CABG, NYHA III increased the AF rate 7 days postoperatively, and advanced age and diabetes were associated with AF 6 months postoperatively. A reduction in time-domain measurements before surgery was significantly associated with a higher risk of developing AF seven days postoperatively; no association between preoperative HRV and AF was found at six months. Reduced preoperative HRV (SDNN (standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals [) < 50 ms) was an independent predictor of AF at 3 (AUC = 0.65) and 6 months (AUC = 0.62) following surgery. Conclusion: A reduction in the time domain measurements before CABG was associated with a higher risk of new-onset AF at 7 days postoperatively but not at 6 months. An SDNN <50 ms was a weak independent predictor of a higher incidence of AF at 3 and 6 months post-surgery.

Enhancing acid orange II degradation in ozonation processes with CaFe2O4 nanoparticles as a heterogeneous catalyst.

This study used CaFe2O4 nanoparticles as a catalyst for ozonation processes to degrade Acid Orange II (AOII) in aqueous solution. The study compared heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (CaFe2O4/O3) with ozone treatment alone (O3) at different pH values (3-11), catalyst dosages (0.25-2.0 g L-1), and initial AOII concentrations (100-500 mg L-1). The O3 alone and CaFe2O4/O3 systems nearly completely removed AOII's color. In the first 5 min, O3 alone had a color removal efficiency of 75.66%, rising to 92% in 10 min, whereas the CaFe2O4/O3 system had 81.49%, 94%, and 98% after 5, 10, and 20 min, respectively. The O3 and CaFe2O4/O3 systems degrade TOC most efficiently at pH 9 and better with 1.0 g per L CaFe2O4. TOC removal effectiveness reduced from 85% to 62% when the initial AOII concentration increased from 100 to 500 mg L-1. The study of degradation kinetics reveals a pseudo-first-order reaction mechanism significantly as the solution pH increased from 3 to 9. Compared to the O3 alone system, the CaFe2O4/O3 system has higher k values. At pH 9, the k value for the CaFe2O4/O3 system is 1.83 times higher than that of the O3 alone system. Moreover, increasing AOII concentration from 100 mg L-1 to 500 mg L-1 subsequently caused a decline in the k values. The experimental data match pseudo-first-order kinetics, as shown by R2 values of 0.95-0.99. AOII degradation involves absorption, ozone activation, and reactive species production based on the existence of CaO and FeO in the CaFe2O4 nanocatalyst. This catalyst can be effectively recycled multiple times.

Multimodal analysis of methylomics and fragmentomics in plasma cell-free DNA for multi-cancer early detection and localization.

Despite their promise, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based assays for multi-cancer early detection face challenges in test performance, due mostly to the limited abundance of ctDNA and its inherent variability. To address these challenges, published assays to date demanded a very high-depth sequencing, resulting in an elevated price of test. Herein, we developed a multimodal assay called SPOT-MAS (screening for the presence of tumor by methylation and size) to simultaneously profile methylomics, fragmentomics, copy number, and end motifs in a single workflow using targeted and shallow genome-wide sequencing (~0.55×) of cell-free DNA. We applied SPOT-MAS to 738 non-metastatic patients with breast, colorectal, gastric, lung, and liver cancer, and 1550 healthy controls. We then employed machine learning to extract multiple cancer and tissue-specific signatures for detecting and locating cancer. SPOT-MAS successfully detected the five cancer types with a sensitivity of 72.4% at 97.0% specificity. The sensitivities for detecting early-stage cancers were 73.9% and 62.3% for stages I and II, respectively, increasing to 88.3% for non-metastatic stage IIIA. For tumor-of-origin, our assay achieved an accuracy of 0.7. Our study demonstrates comparable performance to other ctDNA-based assays while requiring significantly lower sequencing depth, making it economically feasible for population-wide screening.

Progenitor division and cell autonomous neurosecretion are required for rod photoreceptor sublaminar positioning.

Migration is essential for the laminar stratification and connectivity of neurons in the central nervous system. In the retina, photoreceptors (PRs) migrate to positions according to birthdate, with early-born cells localizing to the basal-most side of the outer nuclear layer. It was proposed that apical progenitor mitoses physically drive these basal translocations non-cell autonomously, but direct evidence is lacking, and whether other mechanisms participate is unknown. Here, combining loss- or gain-of-function assays to manipulate cell cycle regulators (Sonic hedgehog, Cdkn1a/p21) with an in vivo lentiviral labelling strategy, we demonstrate that progenitor division is one of two forces driving basal translocation of rod soma. Indeed, replacing Shh activity rescues abnormal rod translocation in retinal explants. Unexpectedly, we show that rod differentiation also promotes rod soma translocation. While outer segment function or formation is dispensable, Crx and SNARE-dependent synaptic function are essential. Thus, both non-cell and cell autonomous mechanisms underpin PR soma sublaminar positioning in the mammalian retina.

Insights into Structural Behaviors of Thiolated and Aminated Reduced Graphene Oxide Supports to Understand Their Effect on MOR Efficiency.

It is essential to develop novel catalysts with high catalytic activity, strong durability, and good stability for further application in methanol fuel cells. In this work, we present for the first time the effect of the chemical functional groups (thiol and amine) with different electron affinity in reduced graphene oxide supports on the morphology and catalytic activity of platinum nanoparticles for the methanol oxidation reaction. Hydroxyl groups on graphene oxide were initially brominated and then transformed to the desired functional groups. The good dispersion of metal nanoparticles over functionalized carbon substrates (particle size less than 5 nm) with good durability, even at a limited functionalization degree (less than 7%) has been demonstrated by morphological and structural studies. The durability of the catalysts was much improved via strong coordination between the metal and nitrogen or sulfur atoms. Impressively, the catalytic activity of platinum nanoparticles on aminated reduced graphene oxide was found to be much better than that on thiolated graphene oxide despite the weaker affinity between amine and noble metals. These findings support further developing new graphene derivatives with the desired functionalization for electronics and energy applications..

Improvement in neoantigen prediction via integration of RNA sequencing data for variant calling.

Introduction: Neoantigen-based immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy for improving the life expectancy of cancer patients. This therapeutic approach heavily relies on accurate identification of cancer mutations using DNA sequencing (DNAseq) data. However, current workflows tend to provide a large number of neoantigen candidates, of which only a limited number elicit efficient and immunogenic T-cell responses suitable for downstream clinical evaluation. To overcome this limitation and increase the number of high-quality immunogenic neoantigens, we propose integrating RNA sequencing (RNAseq) data into the mutation identification step in the neoantigen prediction workflow. Methods: In this study, we characterize the mutation profiles identified from DNAseq and/or RNAseq data in tumor tissues of 25 patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Immunogenicity was then validated by ELISpot assay using long synthesis peptides (sLP). Results: We detected only 22.4% of variants shared between the two methods. In contrast, RNAseq-derived variants displayed unique features of affinity and immunogenicity. We further established that neoantigen candidates identified by RNAseq data significantly increased the number of highly immunogenic neoantigens (confirmed by ELISpot) that would otherwise be overlooked if relying solely on DNAseq data. Discussion: This integrative approach holds great potential for improving the selection of neoantigens for personalized cancer immunotherapy, ultimately leading to enhanced treatment outcomes and improved survival rates for cancer patients.

A Prospective Study of AFree Oral Spray as an Adjuvant Therapy for Mild and Moderate COVID-19 in Community Health Stations: Clinical Progression and Viral Clearance Outcomes.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AFree oral spray, in combination with Standard of Care, in treating mild to moderate COVID-19 patients. This was an open-label, single-blinded, and controlled randomized clinical trial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study involved 1,252 patients, who were randomly assigned to either the control or study group, with 626 patients in each group. Patients in the control group were treated with Standard of Care recommended by the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, while patients in the study group received AFree oral spray in addition to Standard of Care for a period of 10 days. The clinical progression and outcomes of both groups were compared. RESULTS: The results showed that the proportion of patients with clinical symptoms on the 5th, 7th and 10th days were significantly lower in the study group (45.05%, 3.19% and 0%, respectively) compared to the control group (86.10%, 67.73% and 22.84%, respectively). Additionally, the rate of Real-time PCR test positivity for COVID-19 was significantly lower in the study group compared to the control group on the 4th, 7th, and 10th days (82.75% vs. 98.72%, 9.27% vs. 92.97%, and 1.12% vs. 50.48%, respectively). Furthermore, no side effects or complications related to AFree oral spray were recorded in the study group. CONCLUSION: The use of AFree oral spray resulted in significant improvements in clinical symptoms, recovery time, and viral clearance in COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms. This therapy has been shown to be safe and can be used as an adjuvant treatment for COVID-19 as well as other respiratory viral infections.

Daptomycin Exposure as a Risk Factor for Daptomycin-Induced Eosinophilic Pneumonia and Muscular Toxicity.

BACKGROUND: High-dose daptomycin is increasingly used in patients with bone and joint infection (BJI). This raises concerns about a higher risk of adverse events (AEs), including daptomycin-induced eosinophilic pneumonia (DIEP) and myotoxicity. We aimed to examine pharmacokinetic and other potential determinants of DIEP and myotoxicity in patients with BJI receiving daptomycin. METHODS: All patients receiving daptomycin for BJI were identified in a prospective cohort study. Cases were matched at a 1:3 ratio, with controls randomly selected from the same cohort. Bayesian estimation of the daptomycin daily area under the concentration-time curve over 24 hours (AUC24h) was performed with the Monolix software based on therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) data. Demographic and biological data were also collected. Risk factors of AEs were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: From 1130 patients followed over 7 years, 9 with DIEP, 26 with myotoxicity, and 106 controls were included in the final analysis. Daptomycin AUC24h, C-reactive protein, and serum protein levels were associated with the risk of AEs. The adjusted hazard ratio of DIEP or myotoxicity was 3.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48-6.5; P < .001) for daptomycin AUC24h > 939 mg/h/L, 9.8 (95% CI, 3.94-24.5; P < .001) for C-reactive protein > 21.6 mg/L, and 2.4 (95% CI, 1.02-5.65; P = .04) for serum protein <72 g/L. CONCLUSIONS: We identified common determinants of DIEP and myotoxicity in patients with BJI. Because the risk of AEs was associated with daptomycin exposure, daptomycin TDM and model-informed precision dosing may help optimize the efficacy and safety of daptomycin treatment in this setting. A target AUC24h range of 666 to 939 mg/h/L is suggested.

Prevalence and genetic spectrum associated with hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes, the need to improve cancer risk awareness, and family cascade testing in Vietnam.

In Vietnam, colorectal cancer is one of the top diagnosed cancers, with 5-10% originating from inherited mutations. This study aims to define the mutation spectrum associated with hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes (HCCS) in Vietnam, evaluate the influence of genetic testing on carriers' awareness, and also investigate the barriers in familial testing. Genetic test reports were collected to identify HCCS cases, then cases underwent a survey investigating self-risk and familial-risk awareness, proactive cancer screening, and familial testing barriers. Participant characteristics, mutation prevalence, and results from the survey were descriptively analyzed and reported. Of all genetic test results, 3% (49/1632) were identified with mutations related to HCCS. Over 77% of them belonged to Lynch syndrome. PMS2 appeared to be the gene with the highest mutation frequency, while MLH1 was the lowest. 44% of cases further undertook cancer screening tests, and 48% of cases' families had uptake genetic testing. The biggest barrier of familial members for not taking genetic test was psychological reasons (fear, not being interested, or not feeling necessary). This study provided new evidence for HCCS mutation spectrum in Vietnamese population and the success in promoting cascade test in high-risk family members through financial and technical support. Also, study has suggested the needs of an innovative genetic testing process focusing on the quality of pre-and post-test consultancy, an increase in follow-ups, and the change in policy for permission of contacting relatives directly to improve the rate of cascade testing and proactive cancer screening.

Therapeutic Efficacy of AFree Oral Spray on the Symptoms and Course of Moderate and Severe COVID-19 in the Field Hospital.

BACKGROUND/AIM: A prospective randomized, open-label, single-blinded clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of AFree on the symptoms and course of moderate and severe COVID-19 in the field hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were enrolled. The patients were randomized into 100 patients in the interventional AFree group and 100 in the control group. The AFree group patients were treated with AFree oral spray in conjunction with the standard COVID-19 treatment protocol, while the control group of patients were treated with only standard care. RESULTS: Patients of the AFree group demonstrated a remarkedly faster improvement in all COVID-19-related symptoms, resulting in a shorter time for complete recovery than the control group. More importantly, they showed a shorter time for complete viral clearance. Adding AFree to the standard of care protocol also significantly improved the restoration of taste and smell and reduced lung infiltration. Additionally, the patients in the AFree group also exhibited fewer adverse effects related to treatment. CONCLUSION: AFree oral spray is a simple-to-use, safe, and effective adjunctive treatment for moderate and severe COVID-19 cases. AFree oral spray was demonstrated to potentially be effective for COVID-19 prevention.

Hydrogel assisted photoreceptor delivery inhibits material transfer.

Cell therapy holds tremendous promise for vision restoration; yet donor cell survival and integration continue to limit efficacy of these strategies. Transplanted photoreceptors, which mediate light sensitivity in the retina, transfer cytoplasmic components to host photoreceptors instead of integrating into the tissue. Donor cell material transfer could, therefore, function as a protein augmentation strategy to restore photoreceptor function. Biomaterials, such as hyaluronan-based hydrogels, can support donor cell survival but have not been evaluated for effects on material transfer. With increased survival, we hypothesized that we would achieve greater material transfer; however, the opposite occurred. Photoreceptors delivered to the subretinal space in mice in a hyaluronan and methylcellulose (HAMC) hydrogel showed reduced material transfer. We examined mitochondria transfer in vitro and cytosolic protein transfer in vivo and demonstrate that HAMC significantly reduced transfer in both contexts, which we ascribe to reduced cell-cell contact. Nanotube-like donor cell protrusions were significantly reduced in the hydrogel-transplanted photoreceptors compared to the saline control group, which suggests that HAMC limits the contact required to the host retina for transfer. Thus, HAMC can be used to manipulate the behaviour of transplanted donor cells in cell therapy strategies.

Effectiveness of a New Clinical and Communication Curriculum for Medical Students: Result of a Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Educational Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To improve 4 skills (communication, history-taking, past history-taking, and documentation) in medical students, we designed and pilot-tested a curriculum to teach a sample of Year 4 (Y4) students these skills and compared the clinical performance of these students with students not receiving the intervention. METHODS: The study focused on the new curriculum's effectiveness in enhancing students' performance of these skills. To minimize exposure across groups, participants were divided into intervention and control groups at random and placed in various classrooms. We evaluated each group's clinical competency 3 times: prior to the intervention, 9 weeks afterward, and 2 years later. RESULTS: There was no difference at baseline between the 2 groups. Immediately following the intervention, the mean score of the intervention group's skills was significantly higher than before and higher than the control group in each clinical skill. The performance difference between the 2 groups was maintained for 2 years following the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Following a 9-week curriculum, evaluators rated students' performance higher than their counterparts who learned these skills through standard informal exposure in the clinical setting. The fact that this performance advantage was maintained for 2 years following the intervention is a testament to the durability of the intervention and the value of dedicated training in these critical areas at an early point in students' clinical careers.

[Management of bone and joint infections: update]. / Actualités thérapeutiques en orthopédie septique.

This article highlights four recent updates in infectious disease in the management of bone and joint infections (BJI). During the first six weeks of treatment of a BJI, with or without orthopedic implant, oral antimicrobial therapy is as effective as intravenous therapy. For periprosthetic joint infections, a randomized control study failed to demonstrate non-inferiority of 6 versus 12 weeks of antibiotic therapy. In diabetic foot osteomyelitis, a 3-week course of antibiotics appears to be non-inferior to a 6-week course. Phage therapy seems promising in adjunctive therapy of complex BJI.

Cet article expose quatre nouveautés thérapeutiques significatives en orthopédie septique. Durant les six premières semaines de traitement d'une infection ostéoarticulaire, avec ou sans matériel, une antibiothérapie per os est aussi efficace qu'une antibiothérapie intraveineuse. Concernant les arthroplasties infectées, il n'y a pas de preuve suffisante à raccourcir le traitement antibiotique à moins de douze semaines. Dans les ostéomyélites de pied diabétique, une antibiothérapie de trois semaines semble non inférieure à une thérapie de six semaines. Finalement, la phagothérapie est prometteuse dans les infections ostéoarticulaires, particulièrement dans les situations d'échec des traitements conventionnels.

Phonon transport in Janus monolayer siblings: a comparison of 1T and 2H-ISbTe.

In the last decade, two-dimension materials with reduced symmetry have attracted a lot of attention due to the emerging quantum features induced by their structural asymmetry. Two-dimensional Janus materials, named after the Roman deity of beginnings and endings who has two faces, have a structure with broken mirror symmetry because the two sides of the material have distinct chemical compositions. Extensive study has been undertaken on phonon transport for Janus monolayers for their strong applicability in thermoelectrics compared to their parent material, while Janus materials with the same space group but a distinct crystal protype have received very little attention. Using first-principles calculations and the Boltzmann transport equation accelerated by a machine learning interatomic potential, we explore the phonon transport of 1T and 2H-ISbTe. ISbTe possesses significant intrinsic phonon-phonon interactions, resulting in a low lattice thermal conductivity, as a result of its covalent bonding and low elastic constants. A thorough examination of phonon group velocity, phonon lifetime, and heat carrier identification reveals that 2H has a low lattice thermal conductivity of 1.5 W mK-1, which is 2.3 times lower than its 1T sibling. This study demonstrates Janus ISbTe monolayers have extensive physical phenomena in their thermal transport characteristics, which might provide a new degree of control over their thermal conductivity for applications such as thermal management and thermoelectric devices.

Average lifespan shortened due to cancer in selected countries of North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, 2006 and 2016.

PURPOSE: We applied a novel measure of average lifespan shortened (ALSS) to examine changes in lifespan among patients who died of cancer over a 10-year period from 2006 to 2016 in 20 selected high-income countries from North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. METHODS: We retrieved cancer deaths in each country from the World Health Organization mortality database. We calculated ALSS as a ratio of years of life lost to the expected lifespan among patients who died from cancer. RESULTS: Between 2006 and 2016, we observed modest changes in ALSS for overall cancer deaths over the study in many countries. The changes in the ALSS over time due to any cancer ranged between -1.7 and +0.4 percentage points (pps) among men and between -1.9 and +0.6 pps among women. Across countries, overall cancer deaths led to an average loss between 16% and 22% of their lifespan in men, and between 18% and 24% in women. Across cancer sites, patients who died of central nervous system cancers, for instance, lost a large proportion of their lifespan. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we demonstrated the use of ALSS across selected high-income countries, which enables population-level assessment of premature mortality among cancer patients over time.