Photoinduced Decarboxylative Difluoroalkylation and Perfluoroalkylation of α-Fluoroacrylic Acids.

Herein, a novel and practical methodology for the photoinduced decarboxylative difluoroalkylation and perfluoroalkylation of α-fluoroacrylic acids is reported. A wide range of α-fluoroacrylic acids can be used as applicable feedstocks, allowing for rapid access to structurally important difluoroalkylated and polyfluoroalkylated monofluoroalkenes with high Z-stereoselectivity under mild conditions. The protocol demonstrates excellent functional group compatibility and provides a platform for modifying complex biologically active molecules.

Nanoscale Visualization of Lithium Plating/Stripping Tuned by On-site Formed Solid Electrolyte Interphase in All-Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries.

The interfacial processes, mainly the lithium (Li) plating/stripping and the evolution of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), are directly related to the performance of all-solid-state Li-metal batteries (ASSLBs). However, the complex processes at solid-solid interfaces are embedded under the solid-state electrolyte, making it challenging to analyze the dynamic processes in real time. Here, using in situ electrochemical atomic force microscopy and optical microscopy, we directly visualized the Li plating/stripping/replating behavior, and measured the morphological and mechanical properties of the on-site formed SEI at nanoscale. Li spheres plating/stripping/replating at the argyrodite solid electrolyte (Li6 PS5 Cl)/Li electrode interface is coupled with the formation/wrinkling/inflating of the SEI on its surface. Combined with in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, details of the stepwise formation and physicochemical properties of SEI on the Li spheres are obtained. It is shown that higher operation rates can decrease the uniformity of the Li+ -conducting networks in the SEI and worsen Li plating/stripping reversibility. By regulating the applied current rates, uniform nucleation and reversible plating/stripping processes can be achieved, leading to the extension of the cycling life. The in situ analysis of the on-site formed SEI at solid-solid interfaces provides the correlation between the interfacial evolution and the electrochemical performance in ASSLBs.

SENP3 Promotes Mantle Cell Lymphoma Development through Regulating Wnt10a Expression.

OBJECTIVE: SUMO-specific protease 3 (SENP3), a member of the SUMO-specific protease family, reverses the SUMOylation of SUMO-2/3 conjugates. Dysregulation of SENP3 has been proven to be involved in the development of various tumors. However, its role in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a highly aggressive lymphoma, remains unclear. This study was aimed to elucidate the effect of SENP3 in MCL. METHODS: The expression of SENP3 in MCL cells and tissue samples was detected by RT-qPCR, Western blotting or immunohistochemistry. MCL cells with stable SENP3 knockdown were constructed using short hairpin RNAs. Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8 assay, and cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq) was used to investigate the underlying mechanism of SENP3 knockdown on MCL development. A xenograft nude mouse model was established to evaluate the effect of SENP3 on MCL growth in vivo. RESULTS: SENP3 was upregulated in MCL patient samples and cells. Knockdown of SENP3 in MCL cells inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and the expression of Wnt10a were suppressed after SENP3 knockdown. Furthermore, the growth of MCL cells in vivo was significantly inhibited after SENP3 knockdown in a xenograft nude mouse model. CONCLUSION: SENP3 participants in the development of MCL and may serve as a therapeutic target for MCL.

A Dynamically Stable Mixed Conducting Interphase for All-Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries.

All-solid-state lithium (Li) metal batteries (ASSLMBs) employing sulfide solid electrolytes have attracted increasing attention owing to superior safety and high energy density. However, the instability of sulfide electrolytes against Li metal induces the formation of two types of incompetent interphases, solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and mixed conducting interphase (MCI), which significantly blocks rapid Li-ion transport and induces uneven Li deposition and continuous interface degradation. In this contribution, a dynamically stable mixed conducting interphase (S-MCI) is proposed by in situ stress self-limiting reaction to achieve the compatibility of Li metal with composite sulfide electrolytes (Li6 PS5 Cl (LPSCl) and Li10 GeP2 S12 (LGPS)). The rational design of composite electrolytes utilizes the expansion stress induced by the electrolyte decomposition to in turn constrain the further decomposition of LGPS. Consequently, the S-MCI inherits the high dynamical stability of LPSCl-derived SEI and the lithiophilic affinity of Li-Ge alloy in LGPS-derived MCI. The Li||Li symmetric cells with the protection of S-MCI can operate stably for 1500 h at 0.5 mA cm-2 and 0.5 mAh cm-2 . The Li||NCM622 full cells present stable cycling for 100 cycles at 0.1 C with a high-capacity retention of 93.7%. This work sheds fresh insight into constructing electrochemically stable interphase for high-performance ASSLMBs.

Synthesis of MnOOH and its application in a supporting hexagonal Pd/C catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction.

With the expansion of global energy problems and the deepening of research on oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media, the development of low cost and high electrocatalytic performance catalysts has become a research hotspot. In this study, a hexagonal Pd-C-MnOOH composite catalyst was prepared by using the triblock copolymer P123 as the reducing agent and protective agent, sucrose as the carbon source and self-made MnOOH as the carrier under hydrothermal conditions. When the Pd load is 20% and the C/MnOOH ratio is 1 : 1, the 20% Pd-C-MnOOH-1 : 1 catalyst obtained by the one-step method has the highest ORR activity and stability in the alkaline system. At 1600 rpm, the limiting diffusion current density and half-wave potential of the 20% Pd-C-MnOOH-1 : 1 electrocatalyst are -4.78 mA cm-2 and 0.84 V, respectively, which are better than those of the commercial 20%Pd/C catalyst. According to the Koutecky-Levich (K-L) equation and the linear fitting results, the electron transfer number of the 20%Pd-C-MnOOH-1 : 1 electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction is 3.8, which is similar to that of a 4-electron process. After 1000 cycles, the limiting diffusion current density of the 20%Pd-C-MnOOH-1 : 1 catalyst is -4.61 mA cm-2, which only decreases by 3.7%, indicating that the 20%Pd-C-MnOOH-1 : 1 catalyst has good stability. The reason for the improvement of the ORR performance of the Pd-C-MnOOH composite catalyst is the improvement of the conductivity of the carbon layer formed by original carbonization, the regular hexagonal highly active Pd particles and the synergistic catalytic effect between Pd and MnOOH. The method of introducing triblock copolymers in the synthesis of oxides and metal-oxide composite catalysts is expected to be extended to other electrocatalysis fields.

Factors that contribute to trait mindfulness level among hospitalized patients with major depressive disorder.

Mindfulness training among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) reduces symptoms, prevents relapse, improves prognosis, and is more efficient for those with a high level of trait mindfulness. Upon hospital admission, 126 MDD patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief, Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Rumination Response Scale (RRS). The 65 patients that scored less than the median of all subjects on the FFMQ were placed into the low mindfulness level (LML) group. The other 61 patients were placed in the high mindfulness level (HML) group. All facet scores were statistically different between the mental health assessment scores of the HML and LML groups except for RRS brooding and FFMQ nonjudgement. Trait mindfulness level exhibited a negative and bidirectional association with MDD severity primarily through the facets of description and aware actions. Trait mindfulness was also related positively with age primarily through the facets of nonreactivity and nonjudgement. Being married is positively associated with trait mindfulness levels primarily through the facet of observation and by an associated increase in perceived quality of life. Mindfulness training prior to MDD diagnosis also associates positively with trait mindfulness level. Hospitalized MDD patients should have their trait mindfulness levels characterized to predict treatment efficiency, help establish a prognosis, and identify mindfulness-related therapeutic targets.

Circular RNA circTRAPPC6B Enhances IL-6 and IL-1ß Expression and Repolarizes Mycobacteria Induced Macrophages from M2- to M1-Like Phenotype by Targeting miR-892c-3p.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection elicits macrophage polarization into M2 phenotype to block the host's protective immune response. However, it remains unclear how Mtb regulates macrophage polarization. Recent studies have suggested that noncoding RNA may play a role in macrophage polarization. In this study, we investigated the potential involvement of circTRAPPC6B, a circular RNA that is downregulated in tuberculosis (TB) patients, in regulating macrophage polarization. We found that Mtb infection downregulated M1-related IL-6 and IL-1ß while highly expressed M2-related CCL22 and CD163. Overexpressed circTRAPPC6B had switched Mtb-infected macrophages from M2- to M1-like phenotype, accompanied by upregulation of IL-6 and IL-1ß. Meanwhile overexpressed circTRAPPC6B significantly inhibited Mtb growth in macrophages. Our findings suggest that circTRAPPC6B may regulate macrophage polarization by targeting miR-892c-3p, which is highly expressed in TB patients and M2-like macrophages. And miR-892c-3p inhibitor decreased intracellular Mtb growth in macrophages. Thus, TB-inhibited circTRAPPC6B could specifically induce IL-6 and IL-1ß expression to switch/antagonize Mtb-induced macrophage polarization from M2- to M1-like phenotype by targeting miR-892c-3p, leading to enhanced host clearance of Mtb. Our results reveal a potential role for circTRAPPC6B in regulating macrophage polarization during Mtb infection and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying host defense against Mtb.

Early autoimmunity and outcome in virus encephalitis: a retrospective study based on tissue-based assay.

To explore the autoimmune response and outcome in the central nervous system (CNS) at the onset of viral infection and correlation between autoantibodies and viruses. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted in 121 patients (2016-2021) with a CNS viral infection confirmed via cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) next-generation sequencing (cohort A). Their clinical information was analysed and CSF samples were screened for autoantibodies against monkey cerebellum by tissue-based assay. In situ hybridisation was used to detect Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in brain tissue of 8 patients with glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP)-IgG and nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissue of 2 patients with GFAP-IgG as control (cohort B). RESULTS: Among cohort A (male:female=79:42; median age: 42 (14-78) years old), 61 (50.4%) participants had detectable autoantibodies in CSF. Compared with other viruses, EBV increased the odds of having GFAP-IgG (OR 18.22, 95% CI 6.54 to 50.77, p<0.001). In cohort B, EBV was found in the brain tissue from two of eight (25.0%) patients with GFAP-IgG. Autoantibody-positive patients had a higher CSF protein level (median: 1126.00 (281.00-5352.00) vs 700.00 (76.70-2899.00), p<0.001), lower CSF chloride level (mean: 119.80±6.24 vs 122.84±5.26, p=0.005), lower ratios of CSF-glucose/serum-glucose (median: 0.50[0.13-0.94] vs 0.60[0.26-1.23], p=0.003), more meningitis (26/61 (42.6%) vs 12/60 (20.0%), p=0.007) and higher follow-up modified Rankin Scale scores (1 (0-6) vs 0 (0-3), p=0.037) compared with antibody-negative patients. A Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that autoantibody-positive patients experienced significantly worse outcomes (p=0.031). CONCLUSIONS: Autoimmune responses are found at the onset of viral encephalitis. EBV in the CNS increases the risk for autoimmunity to GFAP.

In Situ Insight into the Interfacial Dynamics in "Water-in-Salt" Electrolyte-Based Aqueous Zinc Batteries.

Water-in-salt (WIS) electrolyte is considered as one of most promising systems for aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs) due to its dendrite-free plating/stripping with nearly 100% Coulombic efficiency. However, the understanding of the interfacial mechanisms remains elusive, which is crucial for further improvements in battery performance. Herein, the interfacial processes of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and subsequent Zn plating/stripping are monitored by in situ atomic force microscopy and in situ optical microscopy. The live formation of uniform and compact LiF-rich SEI in WIS systems could induce the uniform hexagonal Zn deposition with preferential orientation growth in the (002) crystal plane, showing excellent plating/stripping reversibility. In contrast, the SEI formed in 1 m zinc bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Zn(TFSI)2 ) is uneven and rich in inert ZnO, adversely triggering the dendrite propagation and successive "dead" Zn accumulation in repeated deposition/dissolution cycles. This work provides an in-depth understanding of the relationship between SEI evolution and Zn-deposited behaviors in AZBs, possibly stimulating more research on rational composition design and structural optimization of solid/liquid interface for advanced rechargeable aqueous multivalent-ion batteries.

VILLIN2 regulates cotton defense against Verticillium dahliae by modulating actin cytoskeleton remodeling.

The active structural change of actin cytoskeleton is a general host response upon pathogen attack. This study characterized the function of the cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) actin-binding protein VILLIN2 (GhVLN2) in host defense against the soilborne fungus Verticillium dahliae. Biochemical analysis demonstrated that GhVLN2 possessed actin-binding, -bundling, and -severing activities. A low concentration of GhVLN2 could shift its activity from actin bundling to actin severing in the presence of Ca2+. Knockdown of GhVLN2 expression by virus-induced gene silencing reduced the extent of actin filament bundling and interfered with the growth of cotton plants, resulting in the formation of twisted organs and brittle stems with a decreased cellulose content of the cell wall. Upon V. dahliae infection, the expression of GhVLN2 was downregulated in root cells, and silencing of GhVLN2 enhanced the disease tolerance of cotton plants. The actin bundles were less abundant in root cells of GhVLN2-silenced plants than in control plants. However, upon infection by V. dahliae, the number of actin filaments and bundles in the cells of GhVLN2-silenced plants was raised to a comparable level as those in control plants, with the dynamic remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton appearing several hours in advance. GhVLN2-silenced plants exhibited a higher incidence of actin filament cleavage in the presence of Ca2+, suggesting that pathogen-responsive downregulation of GhVLN2 could activate its actin-severing activity. These data indicate that the regulated expression and functional shift of GhVLN2 contribute to modulating the dynamic remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton in host immune responses against V. dahliae.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Monofluoroalkenylphosphine Oxides via Photoinduced Decarboxylative Coupling of α-Fluoroacrylic Acids with P(O)H Compounds.

Herein, a practical and efficient method for synthesizing monofluoroalkenyl phosphine oxides via photoinduced decarboxylative/dehydrogenative coupling of α-fluoroacrylic acids with phosphine oxides and phosphonates has been developed. Various α-fluoroacrylic acids and P(O)H compounds containing relevant functional groups, including tetrafluorobenzene and pentafluorobenzene, were converted into corresponding products with excellent E-stereoselectivity in satisfactory yields. This method can be extended to achieve the synthesis of monofluoroalkenyl silanes under similar conditions.

Towards Accurate and Robust Domain Adaptation Under Multiple Noisy Environments.

In many non-stationary environments, machine learning algorithms usually confront the distribution shift scenarios. Previous domain adaptation methods have achieved great success. However, they would lose algorithm robustness in multiple noisy environments where the examples of source domain become corrupted by label noise, feature noise, or open-set noise. In this paper, we report our attempt toward achieving noise-robust domain adaptation. We first give a theoretical analysis and find that different noises have disparate impacts on the expected target risk. To eliminate the effect of source noises, we propose offline curriculum learning minimizing a newly-defined empirical source risk. We suggest a proxy distribution-based margin discrepancy to gradually decrease the noisy distribution distance to reduce the impact of source noises. We propose an energy estimator for assessing the outlier degree of open-set-noise examples to defeat the harmful influence. We also suggest robust parameter learning to mitigate the negative effect further and learn domain-invariant feature representations. Finally, we seamlessly transform these components into an adversarial network that performs efficient joint optimization for them. A series of empirical studies on the benchmark datasets and the COVID-19 screening task show that our algorithm remarkably outperforms the state-of-the-art, with over 10% accuracy improvements in some transfer tasks.

[Response of Soil Multifunctionality to Reduced Microbial Diversity].

Soil microbial communities play an important role in driving a variety of ecosystem functions and ecological processes and are the primary driving force in maintaining the biogeochemical cycle. It has been observed that soil microbial diversity decreases with land use intensification and climate change in the global background. It is essential to investigate whether the reduction in soil microbial diversity can affect soil multifunctionality. Thus, in this study, the dilution-to-extinction method was used to construct the gradient of soil microbial diversity, combined with high-throughput sequencing to explore the impact of the reduction in bacterial, fungal, and protist diversity on soil multifunctionality. The results showed that the soil microbial alpha diversity (richness and Shannon index) was significantly lower than that of the original soil. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that the microbial community structure of original soil was significantly different from that of diluted soil, and the response of bacterial and fungal communities to diluted soil was higher than that of protists. The regression model showed that there was a significant negative linear relationship between the average response value of soil multi-function and the index of microbial diversity, indicating that the change in soil microbial community was the key factor in regulating soil multifunctionality. The regression model showed that there was a significant negative linear relationship between soil multifunctionality and microbial diversity, indicating that the change in soil microbial community was the key factor to regulate soil multi-kinetic energy. Through the aggregated boosted tree analysis (ABT) and regression model, we found that some specific microbial groups, such as the Solacocozyma and Holtermaniella of fungi and Rudaea of bacteria, could significantly promote the change in soil multifunctionality, which showed that key microbial taxa play an indicative role in biological processes. Furthermore, the structural equation model revealed that bacteria could affect soil multifunctionality through the interaction between microbiomes, which was the key biological factor driving the change in soil multifunctionality. This study provided experimental evidence for the impact of soil microbial diversity on soil multifunctionality, and promoted the notion that maintaining a certain diversity of soil microbial community in a single agricultural ecosystem, especially the diversity of key microbial taxa, is of great significance to the sustainable development of ecosystem function in the future.

Surface Degradation of Single-crystalline Ni-rich Cathode and Regulation Mechanism by Atomic Layer Deposition in Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

Single-crystalline Ni-rich cathode (SC-NCM) has attracted increasing interest owing to its greater capacity retention in advanced solid-state lithium batteries (SSLBs), while suffers from severe interfacial instability during cycling. Here, via atomic layer deposition, Li3 PO4 is introduced to coat SC-NCM (L-NCM), to suppress undesired side reaction and enhance interfacial stability. The dynamic degradation and surface regulation of SC-NCM are investigated inside a working SSLB by in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). We directly observe the uneven cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) and surface defects on pristine SC-NCM particle. Remarkably, the formed amorphous LiF-rich CEI on L-NCM maintains its initial structure upon cycling, and thus endows the battery with improved cycling stability and excellent rate capability. Such on-site tracking provides deep insights into surface mechanism and structure-reactivity correlation of SC-NCM, and thus benefits the optimizations of SSLBs.

Revealing the High Salt Concentration Manipulated Evolution Mechanism on the Lithium Anode in Quasi-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries are promising candidates of energy storage devices. Both adjusting salt/solvent ratio and applying quasi-solid-state electrolytes are regarded as effective strategies to improve the lithium (Li) anode performance. However, reaction mechanisms and interfacial properties in quasi-solid-state lithium-sulfur (QSSLS) batteries with high salt concentration are not clear. Here we utilize in-situ characterizations and molecular dynamics simulations to unravel aforesaid mysteries, and construct relationships of electrolyte structure, interfacial behaviour and performance. The generation mechanism, formation process, and mechanical/chemical/electrochemical properties of the anion-derived solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) are deeply explored. Li deposition uniformity and dissolution reversibility are further tuned by the sustainable SEI. These straightforward evidences and deepgoing studies would guide the electrolyte design and interfacial engineering of QSSLS batteries.

Treatment failure in a patient infected with Listeria sepsis combined with latent meningitis: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Listeria is a food-borne disease, which is rarely prevalent in the normal population; it mostly occurs in pregnant women, newborns, immunodeficiency patients, and the elderly. The main manifestations of this disease in patients include sepsis, meningitis, etc, and the mortality rate remains high, although the onset of meningitis is relatively insidious. CASE SUMMARY: A 75-year-old man presented with a fever for 1 wk and was admitted to the hospital for diagnosis and management of a lung infection. His condition improved after receiving anti-infective treatment for 2 wk. However, soon after he was discharged from the hospital, he developed fever again, and gradually developed various neurological symptoms, impaired consciousness, and stiff neck. Thereafter, through the cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic testing and blood culture, the patient was diagnosed with Listeria monocytogenes meningitis and sepsis. The patient died after being given active treatment, which included penicillin application and invasive respiratory support. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the ultimate importance of early identification and timely application of the various sensitive antibiotics, such as penicillin, vancomycin, meropenem, etc. Therefore, for high-risk populations with unknown causes of fever, multiple blood cultures, timely cerebrospinal fluid examination, and metagenomic detection technology can assist in confirming the diagnosis quickly, thereby guiding the proper application of antibiotics and improving the prognosis.

Perioperative Exhaled Nitric Oxide as an Indicator for Postoperative Pneumonia in Surgical Lung Cancer Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study Based on 183 Cases.

Introduction: This study is conducted to investigate the correlation between perioperative fractional exhaled nitric oxide and postoperative pneumonia (POP) and the feasibility of perioperative FeNO for predicting POP in surgical lung cancer patients. Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were prospectively analyzed, and the relationship between perioperative FeNO and POP was evaluated based on patients' basic characteristics and clinical data in the hospital. Results: There were 218 patients enrolled in this study. Finally, 183 patients were involved in the study, with 19 of them in the POP group and 164 in the non-POP group. The POP group had significantly higher postoperative FeNO (median: 30.0 vs. 19.0 ppb, P < 0.001) as well as change in FeNO (median: 10.0 vs. 0.0 ppb, P < 0.001) before and after the surgery. For predicting POP based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, a cutoff value of 25 ppb for postoperative FeNO (Youden's index: 0.515, sensitivity: 78.9%, and specificity: 72.6%) and 4 ppb for change in FeNO (Youden's index: 0.610, sensitivity: 84.2%, specificity: 76.8%) were selected. Furthermore, according to the bivariate regression analysis, FEV1/FVC (OR = 0.948, 95% CI: 0.899-0.999, P=0.048), POD1 FeNO (OR = 1.048, 95% CI: 1.019-1.077, P=0.001), and change in FeNO (OR = 1.087, 95% CI: 1.044-1.132, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with occurrence of POP. Conclusions: This prospective study revealed that a high postoperative FeNO (>25 ppb), as well as an increased change in FeNO (>4 ppb), may have the potential in detecting the occurrence of POP in surgical lung cancer patients.

External validation of the Paddington International Virtual Electronic ChromoendoScopy ScOre as a good endoscopic score to define mucosal healing and predict long-term clinical outcomes in ulcerative colitis.

OBJECTIVES: To define endoscopic and histological remission in ulcerative colitis (UC) accurately, several scoring systems have been established. A novel virtual electronic chromoendoscopy score, the Paddington International Virtual ChromoendoScopy ScOre (PICaSSO), was developed, validated, and reproduced to assess inflammation grade and predict patient prognosis. We externally verified and validated the clinical value of PICaSSO in UC patients. METHODS: This prospective study enrolled 63 UC patients. The Mayo endoscopic score (MES), UC Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS), and PICaSSO were adopted for endoscopic evaluation. All biopsy samples were scored using the Robarts histological index (RHI), Nancy histological index (NHI), and "Extent, Chronicity, Activity, Plus additional findings" (ECAP) score. Patients with an endoscopic MES of 0-1 at baseline were followed up during a median time of 23.5 months. RESULTS: PICaSSO was strongly correlated with other endoscopic and histological scoring systems. PICaSSO ≤3 had advantages in assessing histological remission (HR), with the highest accuracy of 88.9% for ECAP-HR. Relapse-free survival rates were significantly different between patients with MES 0 and MES 1 and patients with PICaSSO ≤3 and >3 (P = 0.010 and 0.018, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: PICaSSO was externally validated with strong correlations with other endoscopic and histological scoring systems in UC, and PICaSSO-ER might potentially predict a better long-term clinical outcome in UC patients.

Soluble ST2 in serum predicts the prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a retrospective study.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a heterogeneous and progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease with a poor prognosis. However, there are currently no effective biomarker that can reliably predict the prognosis for IPF in clinic. The serum level of soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2), which is involved in the immune response, has proven to be a prognostic predictor for various diseases. Previous studies have confirmed that the immune dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of IPF and the serum sST2 concentrations in patients with IPF are elevated. However, the relationship between sST2 and the prognosis of IPF remains unknown. Methods: A total of 83 patients with IPF and 20 healthy controls from 2016 to 2021 were enrolled and demographic variables, indices of lung function testing as well as the biomarkers including the sST2 were obtained at baseline. During follow-up, the primary endpoint was defined as all-cause death and clinical deterioration. Cox hazard models and Kaplan-Meier method were used to assess the prognostic value of various indices including sST2. Results: Mean duration of follow-up was 29 months, during which 49 patients had an event, and of them, 35 patients died. The sST2 level was higher in the IPF patients compared with the healthy controls. Although the sST2 level did not directly predict all-cause death in the present study, it was proved to be an independent predictor of event-free survival. Multivariate forward stepwise model which was adjusted by age, sex, and body surface area (BSA) showed that the overexpression of sST2 increased the hazard ratio [1.005, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.001-1.010]. A higher sST2 serum level heralded more deterioration and the poor outcomes. Moreover, the effect of sST2 on the prognosis of IPF may not necessarily involve the development of IPF-related pulmonary hypertension (PH). Conclusions: In our study, the sST2 serum level was significantly elevated and a higher serum level of sST2 predicted more deterioration and poor outcomes in patients with IPF. Thus, sST2 can serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker for the outcome of IPF. However, further multicenter clinical trials of larger sample size are needed in the future.

Interfacial Evolution of the Solid Electrolyte Interphase and Lithium Deposition in Graphdiyne-Based Lithium-Ion Batteries.

All-carbon graphdiyne (GDY)-based materials have attracted extensive attention owing to their extraordinary structures and outstanding performance in electrochemical energy storage. Straightforward insights into the interfacial evolution at GDY electrode/electrolyte interface could crucially enrich the fundamental comprehensions and inspire targeted regulations. Herein, in situ optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy monitoring of the GDY and N-doped GDY electrodes reveal the interplay between the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and Li deposition. The growth and continuous accumulation of the flocculent-like SEI is directly tracked at the surface of GDY electrode. Moreover, the nanoparticle-shaped SEI homogeneously propagates at the interface when N configurations are involved, providing a critical clue for the N-doping effects of stabilizing interfaces and homogenizing Li deposition. This work probes into the dynamic evolution and structure-reactivity correlation in detail, creating effective strategies for GDY-based materials optimization in lithium-ion batteries.