Self-Regenerating Photothermal Agents for Tandem Photothermal and Thermodynamic Tumor Therapy.

Small molecule-based photothermal agents (PTAs) hold promising future for photothermal therapy; however, unexpected inactivation exerts negative impacts on their application clinically. Herein, a self-regenerating PTA strategy is proposed by integrating 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation (ABTS•+) with a thermodynamic agent (TDA) 2,2'-azobis[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl) propane] dihydrochloride (AIPH). Under NIR laser, the photothermal effect of ABTS•+ accelerates the production of alkyl radicals by AIPH, which activates the regeneration of ABTS•+, thus creating a continuous positive feedback loop between photothermal and thermodynamic effects. The combination of ABTS•+ regeneration and alkyl radical production leads to the tandem photothermal and thermodynamic tumor therapy. In vitro and in vivo experiments confirm that the synergistic action of thermal ablation, radical damage, and oxidative stress effectively realizes tumor suppression. This work offers a promising approach to address the unwanted inactivation of PTAs and provides valuable insights for optimizing combination therapy.

[Preparation and application of chromatographic stationary phase based on two-dimensional materials].

The stationary phase is the heart of chromatographic separation technology and a critical contributor to the overall separation performance of a chromatographic separation technique. However, traditional silicon-based materials designed for this purpose usually feature complex preparation processes, suboptimal permeability, pronounced mass-transfer resistance, and limited pH-range compatibility. These limitations have spurred ongoing research efforts aimed at developing new chromatographic stationary phases characterized by higher separation efficiency, adaptable selectivity, and a broader scope of applicability. In this context, the scientific community has made significant strides toward the development of new-generation materials suitable for use as chromatographic stationary phases. These materials include carbon-based nanomaterial arrays, carbon quantum dots, and two-dimensional (2D) materials. 2D-materials are characterized by nanometer-scale thicknesses, extensive specific surface areas, distinctive layered structures, and outstanding mechanical properties under standard conditions. Thus, these materials demonstrate excellent utility in various applications, such as electrical and thermal conductivity enhancements, gas storage and separation solutions, membrane separation technologies, and catalysis. Graphene, which is arguably the most popular 2D-material used for chromatographic separation, consists of a 2D-lattice of carbon atoms arranged in a single layer, with a large specific surface area and efficient adsorption properties. Its widespread adoption in research and various industries is a testament to its versatility and effectiveness. In addition to graphene, the scientific community has developed various 2D-materials that mirror the layered structures of graphene, such as boron nitride, transition-metal sulfides, and 2D porous organic frameworks, all of which offer unique advantages. 2D porous organic frameworks, in particular, have received attention because of their nanosheet morphology, one-dimensional pores, and special interlayer forces; thus, these frameworks are considered promising candidate chromatographic stationary phase materials. Such recognition is especially true for 2D-metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and 2D-covalent organic frameworks (COFs), which exhibit low densities, high porosities, and substantial specific surface areas. The modifiability of these materials, in terms of pore size, shape, functional groups, and layer-stacking arrangements allows for excellent separation selectivity, highlighting their promising potential in chromatographic separation. Compared with their three-dimensional counterparts, 2D-MOFs feature a simple pore structure that offers reduced mass-transfer resistance and enhanced column efficiency. These attributes highlight the advantages of 2D-MOF nanosheets as chromatographic stationary phases. Similarly, 2D-COFs, given their high specific surface area and porosity, not only exhibit great thermal stability and chemical tolerance but also support a wide selection of solvents and operational conditions. Therefore, their role in the preparation of chromatographic stationary phases is considered highly promising. This review discusses the latest research developments in 2D porous organic framework materials in the context of gas- and liquid-chromatographic stationary phases. It introduces the synthesis methods for these novel materials, elucidates their retention mechanisms, and describes the applications of other 2D-materials, such as graphene, its derivatives, graphitic carbon nitride, and boron nitride, in chromatography. This review aims to shed light on the promising development prospects and future directions of 2D-materials in the field of chromatographic separation, offering valuable insights into the rational design and application of new 2D-materials in chromatography.

Macrophage-derived ectosomal miR-350-3p promotes osteoarthritis progression through downregulating chondrocyte H3K36 methyltransferase NSD1.

Mechanical overloading can promote cartilage senescence and osteoarthritis (OA) development, but its impact on synovial macrophages and the interaction between macrophages and chondrocytes remain unknown. Here, we found that macrophages exhibited M1 polarization under mechanical overloading and secreted ectosomes that induced cartilage degradation and senescence. By performing miRNA sequencing on ectosomes, we identified highly expressed miR-350-3p as a key factor mediating the homeostatic imbalance of chondrocytes caused by M1-polarized macrophages, this result being confirmed by altering the miR-350-3p level in chondrocytes with mimics and inhibitor. In experimental OA mice, miR-350-3p was increased in synovium and cartilage, while intra-articular injection of antagomir-350-3p inhibited the increase of miR-350-3p and alleviated cartilage degeneration and senescence. Further studies showed that macrophage-derived ectosomal miR-350-3p promoted OA progression by inhibiting nuclear receptor binding SET domain protein 1(NSD1) in chondrocytes and regulating histone H3 lysine 36(H3K36) methylation. This study demonstrated that the targeting of macrophage-derived ectosomal miRNAs was a potential therapeutic method for mechanical overload-induced OA.

Long non-coding RNA LOXL1-AS1: a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in human malignant tumors.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts that contain more than 200 nucleotides. Despite their inability to code proteins, multiple studies have identified their important role in human cancer through different mechanisms. LncRNA lysyl oxidase like 1 antisense RNA 1 (LOXL1-AS1), a newly discovered lncRNA located on human chromosome 15q24.1, has recently been shown to be involved in the occurrence and progression of various malignancies, such as colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, prostate cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, glioma, thymic carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma. LOXL1-AS1 acts as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) and via sponging various miRNAs, including miR-374b-5p, miR-21, miR-423-5p, miR-589-5p, miR-28-5p, miR-324-3p, miR-708-5p, miR-143-3p, miR-18b-5p, miR-761, miR-525-5p, miR-541-3p, miR-let-7a-5p, miR-3128, miR-3614-5p, miR-377-3p and miR-1224-5p to promote tumor cell proliferation, invasion, migration, apoptosis, cell cycle, and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT). In addition, LOXL1-AS1 is involved in the regulation of P13K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways. This article reviews the current understanding of the biological function and clinical significance of LOXL1-AS1 in human cancers. These findings suggest that LOXL1-AS1 may be both a reliable biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for cancers.

Establishment and Verification of an Artificial Intelligence Prediction Model for Children With Sepsis.

BACKGROUND: Early identification of high-risk groups of children with sepsis is beneficial to reduce sepsis mortality. This article used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict the risk of death effectively and quickly in children with sepsis in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective observational study was conducted in the PICUs of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from December 2016 to June 2019 and Shenzhen Children's Hospital from January 2019 to July 2020. The children were divided into a death group and a survival group. Different machine language (ML) models were used to predict the risk of death in children with sepsis. RESULTS: A total of 671 children with sepsis were enrolled. The accuracy (ACC) of the artificial neural network model was better than that of support vector machine, logical regression analysis, Bayesian, K nearest neighbor method and decision tree models, with a training set ACC of 0.99 and a test set ACC of 0.96. CONCLUSIONS: The AI model can be used to predict the risk of death due to sepsis in children in the PICU, and the artificial neural network model is better than other AI models in predicting mortality risk.

Cardiac function evaluation in children with spinal muscular atrophy: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by degeneration of lower motor neurons, resulting in progressive muscle weakness and atrophy. However, little is known regarding the cardiac function of children with SMA. METHODS: We recruited SMA patients younger than 18 years of age from January 1, 2022, to April 1, 2022, in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. All patients underwent a comprehensive cardiac evaluation before treatment, including history taking, physical examination, blood tests of cardiac biomarkers, assessment of echocardiography and electrocardiogram. Age/gender-matched healthy volunteers were recruited as controls. RESULTS: A total of 36 SMA patients (26 with SMA type 2 and 10 with SMA type 3) and 40 controls were enrolled in the study. No patient was clinically diagnosed with heart failure. Blood tests showed elevated values of creatine kinase isoenzyme M and isoenzyme B (CK-MB) mass and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients. Regarding echocardiographic parameters, SMA children were detected with lower global left and right ventricular longitudinal strain, abnormal diastolic filling velocities of trans-mitral and trans-tricuspid flow. The results revealed no clinical heart dysfunction in SMA patients, but subclinical ventricular dysfunction was seen in SMA children including the diastolic function and myocardial performance. Some patients presented with elevated heart rate and abnormal echogenicity of aortic valve or wall. Among these SMA patients, seven patients (19.4%) had scoliosis. The Cobb's angles showed a significant negative correlation with LVEDd/BSA, but no correlation with other parameters, suggesting that mild scoliosis did not lead to significant cardiac dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings warrant increased attention to the cardiac status and highlight the need to investigate cardiac interventions in SMA children.

The short-chain fatty acid propionate prevents ox-LDL-induced coronary microvascular dysfunction by alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress in HCMECs.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is a critical pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Lower endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation leads to reduced endothelium-derived relaxing factor nitric oxide (NO) generation, causing and accelerating CMD. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) has been shown to reduce NO production in umbilical vein endothelial cells. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) damages endothelial cell function. However, the relationship between ox-LDL and coronary microcirculation has yet to be assessed. Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), a fermentation product of the gut microbiome, could improve endothelial-dependent vasodilation in human adipose arterioles, but the effect of SCFA on coronary microcirculation is unclear. In this study, we found ox-LDL stimulated expression of ER chaperone GRP78. Further, we activated downstream PERK/eIF2a, IRE1/JNK, and ATF6 signaling pathways, decreasing eNOS phosphorylation and NO production in human cardiac microvascular endothelial. Furthermore, SCFA-propionate can inhibit ox-LDL-induced eNOS phosphorylation reduction and raise NO production; the mechanism is related to the inhibition of ER stress and downstream signaling pathways PERK/eIF2a, IRE1/JNK, and ATF6. In summary, we demonstrate that ox-LDL induced CMD by activating ER stress, propionate can effectively counteract the adverse effects of ox-LDL and protect coronary microcirculation function via inhibiting ER stress.

Chondroitin sulfate-based universal nanoparticle delivers angiogenic inhibitor and paclitaxel to exhibit a combination of chemotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy.

Blocking the tumor nutrient supply through angiogenic inhibitors is an effective treatment approach for malignant tumors. However, using angiogenic inhibitors alone may not be enough to achieve a significant tumor response. Therefore, we recently designed a universal drug delivery system combining chemotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy to target tumor cells while minimizing drug-related side effects. This system (termed as PCCE) is composed of biomaterial chondroitin sulfate (CS), the anti-angiogenic peptide ES2, and paclitaxel (PTX), which collectively enhance antitumor properties. Interestingly, the PCCE system is conferred exceptional cell membrane permeability due to inherent characteristics of CS, including CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis. The PCCE could respond to the acidic and high glutathione conditions, thereby releasing PTX and ES2. PCCE could effectively inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumor cells and cause apoptosis, while PCCE can affect the endothelial cells tube formation and exert anti-angiogenic function. Consistently, more potent in vivo antitumor efficacy and non-toxic sides were demonstrated in B16F10 xenograft mouse models. PCCE can achieve excellent antitumor activity via modulating angiogenic and apoptosis-related factors. In summary, we have successfully developed an intelligent and responsive CS-based nanocarrier known as PCCE for delivering various antitumor drugs, offering a promising strategy for treating malignant tumors.

Advanced prostate cancer diagnosed by bone metastasis biopsy immediately after initial negative prostate biopsy: a case report and literature review.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a prevalent male malignancy that originates in the epithelial cells of the prostate. In terms of incidence and mortality of malignant tumors in men, PCa ranks second and fifth globally and first and third among men in Europe and the United States, respectively. These figures have gradually increased in recent years. The primary modalities used to diagnose PCa include prostate-specific antigen (PSA), multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), and prostate puncture biopsy. Among these techniques, prostate puncture biopsy is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of PCa; however, this method carries the potential for missed diagnoses. The preoperative evaluation of the patient in this study suggested advanced PCa. However, the initial prostate puncture biopsy was inconsistent with the preoperative diagnosis, and instead of waiting for a repeat puncture of the prostate primary, we performed a biopsy of the rib metastasis, which was later diagnosed as advanced PCa.

Material basis and molecular mechanisms of Chaihuang Qingyi Huoxue Granule in the treatment of acute pancreatitis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking-based strategy.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze active compounds and signaling pathways of CH applying network pharmacology methods, and to additionally verify the molecular mechanism of CH in treating AP. Materials and methods: Network pharmacology and molecular docking were firstly used to identify the active components of CH and its potential targets in the treatment of AP. The pancreaticobiliary duct was retrogradely injected with sodium taurocholate (3.5%) to create an acute pancreatitis (AP) model in rats. Histological examination, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blot and TUNEL staining were used to determine the pathway and mechanism of action of CH in AP. Results: Network pharmacological analysis identified 168 active compounds and 276 target proteins. In addition, there were 2060 targets associated with AP, and CH had 177 targets in common with AP. These shared targets, including STAT3, IL6, MYC, CDKN1A, AKT1, MAPK1, MAPK3, MAPK14, HSP90AA1, HIF1A, ESR1, TP53, FOS, and RELA, were recognized as core targets. Furthermore, we filtered out 5252 entries from the Gene Ontology(GO) and 186 signaling pathways from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG). Enrichment and network analyses of protein-protein interactions predicted that CH significantly affected the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which played a critical role in programmed cell death. The core components and key targets showed strong binding activity based on molecular docking results. Subsequently, experimental validation demonstrated that CH inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT in pancreatic tissues, promoted the apoptosis of pancreatic acinar cells, and further alleviated inflammation and histopathological damage to the pancreas in AP rats. Conclusion: Apoptosis of pancreatic acinar cells can be enhanced and the inflammatory response can be reduced through the modulation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, resulting in the amelioration of pancreatic disease.

Volatilisation Behaviour and Mechanism of Lead-Containing Slag during Physical Property Tests.

According to physical property tests of lead-containing slag, the volatilisation behaviour of lead slag will have adverse impacts on test accuracy and further affect the control of chemical reactions, solidification and removal of inclusions during smelting. To analyse the volatilisation characteristics of lead slag, in this paper, four kinds of lead slags from lead direct reduction smelting with different PbO and ZnO content are taken. thermogravimetry, ISP-TOF were used. Additionally, the changes in volatiles and slag composition and phases were analysed with XRD and ICPS, and the volatilisation reaction mechanism was discussed. The results indicated that the volatilisation of lead slag can lead to a big weight loss of about to the slag with higher PbO content. The weight loss increases with the PbO content in slag increases. The volatile corresponding to the weight loss above 900 °C is mainly PbO and less ZnO. The higher the temperature is, the stronger the volatilisation is. With the increase in temperature and keeping time, most of the PbO can be evaporated and leaves little PbO in the residual slag. This will has great effect to physico-chemical property measurement of the slag with higher PbO content, especially to the property measurement that be kept at high temperature for a long time. Because the volatiles is trend to condense with the temperature decrease, mass spectrometer is limited by the condensation of volatiles, i.e., PbO, ZnO and so on, in the connection pipeline. The device should be modified for this use.

First report of Pseudomonas cichorii causing bacterial leaf blight of pocketbook plant (Calceolaria hybrida) in Taiwan.

Pocketbook plants (Calceolaria spp.) are flowering ornamentals often grown as potted plants (Poesch 1937). In December 2022, leaf blight symptoms were observed on 2-mo-old plants of C. hybrida F1 'Dainty'. The disease was found in a nursery in Ren'ai Township, Nantou, and about 20% of the plants exhibited symptoms. Symptomatic plants had brown or gray necrotic lesions of different sizes and shapes, mostly around leaf margins. Lower leaf wilting was also observed (Fig. S1, A and B). Three plants were sampled. Leaf lesions were surface-disinfected with 75% ethanol and cut into smaller pieces in 10 mM MgCl2. After observing bacterial streaming under a microscope, the bacteria were streaked onto nutrient agar (NA). Following 2 days at 28°C, a type of round, creamy white colony predominated on all the plates. Three strains (Calc-A, Calc-B, and Calc-C) were obtained, one from each plant. The strains produced fluorescent pigments on King's B medium and were tested Gram-negative. The strains were characterized with the LOPAT scheme (Schaad et al. 2001). They did not exhibit activities of pectic enzymes, arginine dihydrolase and levan sucrase, but produced oxidase and induced the hypersensitive response in tobacco. DNA was extracted from the strains for PCR amplification of the 16S rDNA with primer pair 27f/1492r as described by Lane (1991). The 16S rDNA sequences were compared with entries in the GenBank database. The sequences obtained (GenBank accession no. OR824302) matched that of Pseudomonas cichorii MAFF 301158 (accession no. AB724288; 1,403/1,403 bp) and were 99% identical to that of DSM 50259T (accession no. CP074349; 1,391/1,405 bp). The strains were also tested with the species-specific primers hrp1a and hrp2a (Cottyn et al. 2011). The amplicons were sequenced and a BLASTn search showed that the sequences (accession no. OR827305) shared the highest identity (99.3%) with that of P. cichorii strain 83-1 (accession no. DQ168848; 848/854 bp) and were 97.3% identical to the sequence of DSM 50259T (accession no. CP074349; 831/854 bp). Calc-A was selected as a representative strain and deposited in the Bioresource Collection and Research Center, Taiwan (reference no. BCRC 81432). Koch's postulates were fulfilled by spray-inoculating a suspension of Calc-A on three 2-mo-old C. hybrida F1 'Dainty' plants. The inoculum was prepared by suspending NA-grown cells in 10 mM MgCl2 including 0.02% Silwet L-77 (OD600 = 0.3; 1.5 x 108 CFU/ml). For the controls, three plants were sprayed with bacteria-free solution. The plants were bagged throughout the experiment and kept in a growth chamber (14/10 h light/dark; 26/24°C day/night). Leaf blight and wilting symptoms developed on all leaves of the inoculated plants after 30 h, but not the controls (Fig. S1, C and D). The pathogen was reisolated from the treatment group, and colony PCR with hrp1a/hrp2a showed that the reisolated strain shared the same sequence with Calc-A to Calc-C. Repeating the inoculation assay produced consistent results. This is the first report of P. cichorii affecting Calceolaria in Taiwan. The bacterium has been reported infecting diverse crops in Taiwan, such as tomato and lettuce (Tsai et al. 2014). Expanding the understanding of the pathogen's potential hosts could help prevent its spread across important crops.

A comprehensive benchmark for COVID-19 predictive modeling using electronic health records in intensive care.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for predictive deep-learning models in health care. However, practical prediction task design, fair comparison, and model selection for clinical applications remain a challenge. To address this, we introduce and evaluate two new prediction tasks-outcome-specific length-of-stay and early-mortality prediction for COVID-19 patients in intensive care-which better reflect clinical realities. We developed evaluation metrics, model adaptation designs, and open-source data preprocessing pipelines for these tasks while also evaluating 18 predictive models, including clinical scoring methods and traditional machine-learning, basic deep-learning, and advanced deep-learning models, tailored for electronic health record (EHR) data. Benchmarking results from two real-world COVID-19 EHR datasets are provided, and all results and trained models have been released on an online platform for use by clinicians and researchers. Our efforts contribute to the advancement of deep-learning and machine-learning research in pandemic predictive modeling.

Trigger a multi-electron reaction by tailoring electronic structure of VO2 toward more efficient aqueous zinc metal batteries.

VO2 (B) is recognized as a promising cathode material for aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) owing to its remarkable specific capacity and its unique, expansive tunnel structure, which facilitates the reversible insertion and extraction of Zn2+. Nonetheless, challenges such as the inherent instability of the VO2 structure, poor ion/electron transport and a limited capacity due to the low redox potential of the V3+/V4+ couple have hindered its wider application. In this study, we present a strategy to replace vanadium ions by doping Al3+ in VO2. This approach activates the multi-electron reaction (V4+/V5+), to increase the specific capacity and improve the structural stability by forming robust V5+O and Al3+O bonds. It also induces a local electric field by altering the local electron arrangement, which significantly accelerates the ion/electron transport process. As a result, Al-doped VO2 exhibits superior specific capacity, improved cycling stability, and accelerated electronic transport kinetics compared to undoped VO2. The beneficial effects of heterogeneous atomic doping observed here may provide valuable insights into the improvement electrode materials in metal-ion battery systems other than those based on Zn.

Efficacy of recombinant human epidermal growth factor in pressure injury healing: evidence from Chinese randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) in healing pressure injuries (PIs). METHODS: A meta-analysis was conducted of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving rhEGF in the treatment of PIs that were identified in PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, study design (PICOS) strategy was applied to determine analysis eligibility. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used, and statistical analysis, including sensitivity analysis, was performed of 3 outcomes indicators: the primary outcome was total efficacy of rhEGF in treating PIs, and the secondary outcomes were the proportion of complete healing and the time to complete healing. Total efficacy refers to the proportion of cases that have been cured, obviously effective, or effective. Complete healing refers to cases where the wound has healed, scabbed, and the scab has sloughed off. RESULTS: Sixteen RCTs were included, comprising a total of 1,206 patients. Study and control group size varied by outcomes. The total effective healing rate in rhEGF group was 97.18%, which was significantly higher than 83.38% in control group (OR: 5.69, [95% CI: 3.61, 8.97], z=7.49, P < .001). The proportion of complete healing in the rhEGF group was 73.30%, which was higher than 39.52% in control group (OR: 3.88, [95% CI: 3.01, 5.01], z=10.39, P < .001). Furthermore, the healing time using rhEGF was shorter (SMD: -2.14 days, [95% CI: -2.60, -1.67], z=9.07, P < .001). Sensitivity analyses indicated that the results were robust. CONCLUSIONS: The meta-analysis indicated that rhEGF was effective in healing PIs with few negative effects. Further research beyond Chinese populations involving larger studies and studies that distinguish between results found in using rhEGF alone or in combination are recommended.

Understanding the Coupling Mechanism of Intercalation and Conversion Hybrid Storage in Lithium-Graphite Anode.

Anodes with high capacity and long lifespan play an important role in the advanced batteries. However, none of the existing anodes can meet these two requirements simultaneously. Lithium (Li)-graphite composite anode presents great potential in balancing these two requirements. Herein, the working mechanism of Li-graphite composite anode is comprehensively investigated. The capacity decay features of the composite anode are different from those of Li ion intercalation in Li ion batteries and Li metal deposition in Li metal batteries. An intercalation and conversion hybrid storage mechanism are proposed by analyzing the capacity decay ratios in the composite anode with different initial specific capacities. The capacity decay models can be divided into four stages including Capacity Retention Stage, Relatively Independent Operation Stage, Intercalation & Conversion Coupling Stage, Pure Li Intercalation Stage. When the specific capacity is between 340 and 450 mAh g-1, its capacity decay ratio is between that of pure intercalation and conversion model. These results intensify the comprehensive understandings on the working principles in Li-graphite composite anode and present novel insights in the design of high-capacity and long-lifespan anode materials for the next-generation batteries.

Endoscopic-ultrasound-guided biliary drainage with placement of electrocautery-enhanced lumen-apposing metal stent for palliation of malignant biliary obstruction: Updated meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage using electrocautery-enhanced (ECE) delivery of lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) is gradually being recognized as a viable palliative technique for malignant biliary obstruction after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) failure. However, most of the studies that have assessed its efficacy and safety were small and heterogeneous. Prior meta-analyses of six or fewer studies that were published 2 years ago were therefore underpowered to yield convincing evidence. AIM: To update the efficacy and safety of ECE-LAMS for treatment of biliary obstruction after ERCP failure. METHODS: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases from the inception of the ECE technique to May 13, 2022. Primary outcome measure was pooled technical success rate, and secondary outcomes were pooled rates of clinical success, reintervention, and adverse events. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model following Freeman-Tukey double-arcsine transformation in R software (version 4.1.3). RESULTS: Fourteen eligible studies involving 620 participants were ultimately included. The pooled rate of technical success was 96.7%, and clinical success was 91.0%. Adverse events were reported in 17.5% of patients. Overall reintervention rate was 7.3%. Subgroup analyses showed results were generally consistent. CONCLUSION: ECE-LAMS has favorable success with acceptable adverse events in relieving biliary obstruction when ERCP is impossible. The consistency of results across most subgroups suggested that this is a generalizable approach.

In-orbit dark count rate performance and radiation damage high-temperature annealing of silicon avalanche photodiode single-photon detectors of the Micius satellite.

Silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) single-photon detectors in space are continuously affected by radiation, which gradually degrades their dark count performance. From August 2016 to June 2023, we conducted approximately seven years (2507 days) of in-orbit monitoring of the dark count performance of APD single-photon detectors on the Micius Quantum Science Experimental Satellite. The results showed that due to radiation effects, the dark count growth rate was approximately 6.79 cps/day @ -24 °C and 0.37 cps/day @ -55 °C, with a significant suppression effect on radiation-induced dark counts at lower operating temperature. Based on the proposed radiation damage induced dark count annealing model, simulations were conducted for the in-orbit dark counts of the detector, the simulation results are consistent with in-orbit test data. In May 2022, four of these detectors underwent a cumulative 5.7 hours high-temperature annealing test at 76 °C, dark count rate shows no measurable changes, consistent with annealing model. As of now, these ten APD single-photon detectors on the Micius Quantum Science Experimental Satellite have been in operation for approximately 2507 days and are still functioning properly, providing valuable experience for the future long-term space applications of silicon APD single-photon detectors.

Time transfer over 113†km free space laser communication channel.

The space time frequency transfer plays a crucial role in applications such as space optical clock networks, navigation, satellite ranging, and space quantum communication. Here, we propose a high-precision space time frequency transfer and time synchronization scheme based on a simple intensity modulation/direct detection (IM/DD) laser communication system, which occupies a communication bandwidth of approximately 0.2%. Furthermore, utilizing an optical-frequency comb time frequency transfer system as an out-of-loop reference, experimental verification was conducted on a 113 km horizontal atmospheric link, with a long-term stability approximately 8.3 × 10-16 over a duration of 7800 seconds. Over an 11-hour period, the peak-to-peak wander is approximately 100 ps. Our work establishes the foundation of the time frequency transfer, based on the space laser communication channel, for future ground-to-space and inter-satellite links.