The Utility of Real-time PCR, Metagenomic Next-generation Sequencing, and Culture in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Aspergillosis.

Timely detection of Aspergillus infection is crucial given the high mortality rate of pulmonary aspergillosis (PA). Here, the diagnostic performances for PA of mycological culture, Aspergillus real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) assay from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), were evaluated. Totally 139 patients with suspected fungal pneumonia were enrolled between December 2021 and July 2023, collecting 139 BALF samples for RT-PCR and culture, with 87 undergoing mNGS assay. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the curve (AUC) with 95% confidence intervals of these assays for PA were as follows: 35.3% (14.2-61.7%), 100.0% (94.0-100.0%), 100.0% (54.1-100.0%), 84.5% (79.3-88.6%), and 0.676 (0.560-0.779) for culture; 82.4% (56.6-96.2%), 98.3% (91.1-100.0%), 93.3% (66.4-99.0%), 95.2% (87.6-98.2%) and 0.903 (0.815-0.959) for same diagnostic performance of RT-PCR and mNGS; and 94.1% (71.3-99.9%), 96.7% (88.5-99.6%), 88.9% (67.1-96.9%), 98.3% (89.6-99.7%), 0.954 (0.880-0.989) for RT-PCR combining mNGS; RT-PCR, mNGS, and their combination significantly improved in AUC values over culture (p <0.001), but RT-PCR testing and mNGS had no significant difference with each other and their combination. Overall, the performance of culture was limited by low sensitivity, both RT-PCR and mNGS assays as single diagnostic tests are promising compared to culture and combined tests.

Adding Consolidation Capecitabine to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: A Propensity-Matched Comparative Study.

AIM: To determine whether adding consolidation capecitabine chemotherapy without lengthening the waiting period influences pathological complete response (pCR) and short-term outcome of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT). METHOD: Totally, 545 LARC who received NCRT and radical resection between 2010 and 2018 were enrolled. Short-term outcome and pCR rate were compared between patients with and without additional consolidation capecitabine. Logistic analysis was performed to identify predictors of pCR. RESULTS: After propensity score matching, 229 patients were matched in both NCRT and NCRT-Cape groups. Postoperative morbidity was comparable between groups except for operation time, which is lower in the NCRT group (213.2 ± 67.4 vs. 227.9 ± 70.5, p = 0.025). Two groups achieved similar pCR rates (21.8 vs. 22.7%, p = 1.000). Tumor size (OR = 0.439, p < 0.001), time interval between NCRT and surgery (OR = 1.241, p = 0.003), and post-NCRT carcinoembryonic antigen (OR = 0.880, p = 0.008) were significantly correlated with pCR in patients with LARC. A predictive nomogram was constructed with a C-index of 0.787 and 0.741 on internal and external validation. CONCLUSION: Adding consolidation capecitabine chemotherapy without lengthening CRT-to-surgery interval in LARC patients after NCRT does not seem to impact pCR or short-term outcome. A predictive nomogram for pCR was successful, and it could support treatment decision-making.

High Mechanical Property of Laminated Electromechanical Sensors by Carbonized Nanolignocellulose/Graphene Composites.

Although widely used in nanocomposites, the effect of embedding graphene in carbonized nanolignocellulose substrates is less clear. We added graphene to a carbonized nanolignocellulose to change its mechanical and electromechanical properties. Here, the laminated carbonized nanolignocellulose/graphene composites were fabricated by carbonizing the nanolignocellulose/graphene composites prepared through mechanochemistry and flow-directed assembly process. The resulting composites exhibit excellent mechanical property with the ultimate bending strength of 25.6 ± 4.2 MPa. It is observed reversible electrical resistance change in these composites with strain, which is associated with the tunneling conduction model. This type of high-strength conductive composite has great potential applications in load-bearing electromechanical sensors.

Mesopore-dominant nitrogen-doped carbon with a large defect degree and high conductivity via inherent hydroxyapatite-induced self-activation for lithium-ion batteries.

In this study, N-doped mesopore-dominant carbon (NMC) materials were prepared using bio-waste tortoise shells as a carbon source via a one-step self-activation process. With intrinsic hydroxyapatites (HAPs) as natural templates to fulfill the synchronous carbonization and activation of the precursor, this highly efficient and time-saving method provides N-doped carbon materials that represent a large mesopore volume proportion of 74.59%, a high conductivity of 4382 m S-1, as well as larger defects, as demonstrated by Raman and XRD studies. These features make the NMC exhibit a high reversible lithium-storage capacity of 970 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, a strong rate capability of 818 mA h g-1 at 2 A g-1, and a good capacity of 831 mA h g-1 after 500 cycles at 1 A g-1. This study provides a highly efficient and feasible method to prepare renewable biomass-derived carbons as advanced electrode materials for the application of energy storage.

3D assembly based on 2D structure of Cellulose Nanofibril/Graphene Oxide Hybrid Aerogel for Adsorptive Removal of Antibiotics in Water.

Cellulose nanofibril/graphene oxide hybrid (CNF/GO) aerogel was fabricated via a one-step ultrasonication method for adsorptive removal of 21 kinds of antibiotics in water. The as-prepared CNF/GO aerogel possesses interconnected 3D network microstructure, in which GO nanosheets with 2D structure were intimately grown along CNF through hydrogen bonds. The aerogel exhibited superior adsorption capacity toward the antibiotics. The removal percentages (R%) of the antibiotics were more than 69% and the sequence of six categories antibiotics according to the adsorption efficiency was as follows: Tetracyclines > Quinolones > Sulfonamides > Chloramphenicols > ß-Lactams > Macrolides. The adsorption mechanism was proposed to be electrostatic attraction, p-π interaction, π-π interaction and hydrogen bonds. In detail, the adsorption capacities of CNF/GO aerogel were 418.7 mg·g-1 for chloramphenicol, 291.8 mg·g-1 for macrolides, 128.3 mg·g-1 for quinolones, 230.7 mg·g-1 for ß-Lactams, 227.3 mg·g-1 for sulfonamides, and 454.6 mg·g-1 for tetracyclines calculated by the Langmuir isotherm models. Furthermore, the regenerated aerogels still could be repeatedly used after ten cycles without obvious degradation of adsorption performance.

Self-photodegradation of formaldehyde under visible-light by solid wood modified via nanostructured Fe-doped WO3 accompanied with superior dimensional stability.

In this paper, solid wood with superior self-photodegradation of formaldehyde (HCHO) under visible-light was realized through a facile method at room temperature. Spherical Fe-doped WO3 nanostructured materials deposited on the wood substrate with diameters ranging from 100 to 150nm were mainly responsible for the self-photodegradation of formaldehyde. Fe-doped WO3 nanostructured materials were strongly adhered to wood surface through electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions. Additionally, the dimensional stability and the inherent anisotropic thickness swelling of wood were greatly improved and eliminated, respectively. Interestingly, a wood rabbit craft was also designed and showed a good visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance in a relatively larger area for different concentrations of HCHO. The research result would both fabricate a novel catalyst for the degradation of the hazardously gaseous pollutants and basically improve the wood intrinsic performance.