Monosilicon Derivatives of Phenanthrene and Pyrene as Potential Singlet Fission Materials for High-Performance Solar Cells.

Singlet fission (SF) is a process in which the energy of a singlet-excited molecule is divided into two triplet excitations. This is a special case of an internal conversion that is spin-allowed and extremely fast. Ideally, this process utilizes one photon to produce two electron-hole pairs. In tandem with a layer of singlet fission material, conventional solar cells can achieve improved efficiency by utilizing higher-energy photons. This density functional theory study provides information about additional efficient SF chromophores that were theoretically modeled by functionalizing phenanthrene and pyrene via site-specific monosilicon substitutions. The SF capabilities of the derivatives were evaluated by calculating the SF thermodynamic driving force (ΔESF) and the excited state's molecular planarity. The most promising monosilicon derivatives with SF capabilities are 3-silaphenanthrene and 1-silapyrene for each family, respectively. All phenanthrene and pyrene monosilicon derivatives are strong closed-shell species, because their multiple diradical characteristics are close to zero. Based on these results, 3-silaphenanthrene and 1-silapyrene were selected for electron excitation analysis, which further demonstrated that the monosilicon functionalization of phenanthrene and pyrene led to a transfer from local excitation characters to hybridized local and charge-transfer characters of the excited states, resulting in a significant change from endoergic to exoergic in the SF chromophores.

Evolution of treatment options for juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

A recent study published in World J Clin Cases addressed the optimal non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Herein, we outline the progress in drug therapy of JIA. NSAIDs have traditionally been the primary treatment for all forms of JIA. NSAIDs are symptom-relief medications, and well tolerated by patients. Additionally, the availability of selective NSAIDs further lower the gastrointestinal adverse reactions compared with traditional NSAIDs. Glucocorticoid is another kind of symptom-relief medications with potent anti-inflammatory effect. However, the frequent adverse events limit the clinical use. Both NSAIDs and glucocorticoid fail to ease or prevent joint damage, and the breakthrough comes along with the disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). DMARDs can prevent disease progression and reduce joint destruction. Particularly, the emergence of biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) has truly revolutionized the therapeutics of JIA, compared with conventional synthetic DMARDs. As a newly developed class of drugs, the places of most bDMARDs in the management of JIA remain to be well established. Nevertheless, the continuous evolution of bDMARDs raises hopes of improving long-term disease outcomes for JIA.

Efficacy of Sacubitril Valsartan sodium tablets in patients with heart failure combined with pulmonary infection and long-term recurrence rate.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of Sacubitril Valsartan sodium tablets (SVST) on heart failure (HF) complicated by pulmonary infection (PI), and to provide a reference for future medication. METHODS: A total of 89 patients with HF complicated by PI who were treated at Dongying People's Hospital from January 2019 to May 2020 were selected as study subjects in this retrospective study. The control group consisted of 41 patients who received conventional treatment, while the study group included 48 patients who received SVST in addition to conventional treatment. The time to disappearance/improvement of chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, and moist rales in both groups were recorded. The levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and procalcitonin (PCT) were measured before and after treatment. Changes in cardiac function were observed, and the Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) were used to assess PI. The clinical efficacy and adverse reactions were evaluated after treatment. Follow-up lasted 2 years, during which the readmission rate due to HF and mortality rate were calculated. RESULTS: Patients in the study group experienced a shorter time to disappearance/improvement of chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, and moist rales compared to the control group (all P<0.05). The study group also showed reduced levels of BNP, IL-6, TNF-α, and PCT, as well as lower CPIS and SOFA scores after treatment (all P<0.05), with significantly improved cardiac function (P<0.05). Additionally, the total effective rate was higher in the study group than in the control group (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). Follow-up revealed no difference in mortality between the two groups (P>0.05), but the study group had a lower readmission rate (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: SVST is effective in treating HF complicated by PI, ensures a good prognosis for patients, and is recommended for clinical use.

Decimeter-depth and polarization addressable color 3D meta-holography.

Fueled by the rapid advancement of nanofabrication, metasurface has provided unprecedented opportunities for 3D holography. Large depth 3D meta-holography not only greatly increases information storage capacity, but also enables distinguishing of the relative spatial relationship of 3D objects, which has important applications in fields like optical information storage and medical diagnosis. Although the methods based on Fresnel diffraction theory can reconstruct the real depth information of 3D objects, the maximum depth is only 2 mm. Here, we develop a 3D meta-holography based on angular spectrum diffraction theory to break through the depth limit. By developing the angular spectrum diffraction theory into meta-holography, the metasurface structure with independent polarization control is used to create a polarization multiplexing 3D meta-hologram. The fabricated amorphous silicon metasurface increases the depth range by 47.5 times and realizes 0.95 dm depth reconstruction for polarization independent and different color 3D meta-hologram in visible. Such polarization controlled large-depth color meta-holography is expected to open avenue for data storage, display, information security and virtual reality.

Increasing cotton lint yield and water use efficiency for subsurface drip irrigation without mulching.

Introduction: Planting without mulching can eliminate the residual film pollution caused by the long-term use of plastic film covers, but it will increase soil moisture evaporation and heat loss and severely reduce water use efficiency and cotton productivity in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fields in arid regions. It is unclear whether the advantages of subsurface drip irrigation and nighttime irrigation can be leveraged to reduce the amount of irrigation applied in fields, improve the soil and leaf hydrothermal environments, and increase the synchronicity of yield and water use efficiency (WUE). Methods: Therefore, in a two-year field experiment (2019-2020), cotton was grown under different irrigation treatments (I5, 3753 m3 ha-1; I4, 3477 m3 ha-1; I3, 3201 m3 ha-1; I2, 2925 m3 ha-1; and I1, 2649 m3 ha-1). The soil volumetric moisture content, soil temperature, leaf relative water content (RWC), daily changes in gas exchange parameters, lint yield, and WUE were evaluated. Results and discussion: The results showed that reducing irrigation can reduce the soil volumetric moisture content (0-40 cm soil layer), increase the soil temperature and soil temperature conductivity, and increase the leaf temperature, intercellular carbon dioxide concentration (Ci), and WUE; however, reducing irrigation is not conducive to increasing the leaf RWC, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), or transpiration rate (Tr). There was no significant difference in WUE between the I3 and I4 treatments from 8:00 to 20:00, but the lint yield in these treatments increased by 2.8-12.2% compared to that in the I5 treatment, with no significant difference between the I3 and I4 treatments. In addition, a related analysis revealed that the positive effects of the leaf hydrothermal environment on the Pn and soil temperature on the WUE occurs during the same period (10:00-16:00). Overall, an irrigation amount of 3201-3477 m3 ha-1 applied with a subsurface nighttime irrigation system without mulching can enhance the soil moisture content and soil temperature, maintain a high photosynthetic capacity, and increase the lint yield and WUE. These results revealed that the negative impacts of plastic film contamination in arid areas can be alleviated.

Armored bicistronic CAR T cells with dominant-negative TGF-ß receptor II to overcome resistance in glioblastoma.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have shown significant efficacy in hematological diseases. However, CAR T therapy has demonstrated limited efficacy in solid tumors, including glioblastoma (GBM). One of the most important reasons is the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which promotes tumor growth and suppresses immune cells used to eliminate tumor cells. The human transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) plays a crucial role in forming the suppressive GBM TME and driving the suppression of the anti-GBM response. To mitigate TGF-ß-mediated suppressive activity, we combined a dominant-negative TGF-ß receptor II (dnTGFßRII) with our previous bicistronic CART-EGFR-IL13Rα2 construct, currently being evaluated in a clinical trial, to generate CART-EGFR-IL13Rα2-dnTGFßRII, a tri-modular construct we are developing for clinical application. We hypothesized that this approach would more effectively subvert resistance mechanisms observed with GBM. Our data suggest that CART-EGFR-IL13Rα2-dnTGFßRII significantly augments T cell proliferation, enhances functional responses, and improves the fitness of bystander cells, particularly by decreasing the TGF-ß concentration in a TGF-ß-rich TME. In addition, in vivo studies validate the safety and efficacy of the dnTGFßRII cooperating with CARs in targeting and eradicating GBM in an NSG mouse model.

Identification of potential biomarkers for atrial fibrillation and stable coronary artery disease based on WGCNA and machine algorithms.

BACKGROUND: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) often have coronary artery disease (CAD), but the biological link between them remains unclear. This study aims to explore the common pathogenesis of AF and CAD and identify common biomarkers. METHODS: Gene expression profiles for AF and stable CAD were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Overlapping genes related to both diseases were identified using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), followed by functional enrichment analysis. Hub genes were then identified using the machine learning algorithm. Immune cell infiltration and correlations with hub genes were explored, followed by drug predictions. Hub gene expression in AF and CAD patients was validated by real-time qPCR. RESULTS: We obtained 28 common overlapping genes in AF and stable CAD, mainly enriched in the PI3K-Akt, ECM-receptor interaction, and relaxin signaling pathway. Two hub genes, COL6A3 and FKBP10, were positively correlated with the abundance of MDSC, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, and regulatory T cells in AF and negatively correlated with the abundance of CD56dim natural killer cells in CAD. The AUCs of COL6A3 and FKBP10 were all above or close to 0.7. Drug prediction suggested that collagenase clostridium histolyticum and ocriplasmin, which target COL6A3, may be potential drugs for AF and stable CAD. Additionally, COL6A3 and FKBP10 were upregulated in patients with AF and CAD. CONCLUSION: COL6A3 and FKBP10 may be key biomarkers for AF and CAD, providing new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Patients' health related quality of life after massive weight loss reconstruction in the Netherlands.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of undergoing massive weight loss reconstruction (MWR) on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in the Netherlands. METHOD: A retrospective study was performed among 131 Dutch bariatric patients, divided into two groups: an intervention group (93 patients who had undergone MWR) and a control group (38 patients who had not undergone MWR). HR-QoL was assessed by the validated BODY-q questionnaire. The sign test was used to measure the difference between the 0 and 12 months' measurements of HR-QoL in both groups, whereas multiple regression analysis was conducted to assess whether undergoing MWR significantly predicted participants' incremental HR-QoL. RESULTS: Whereas the intervention group showed a significance improvement on all parameters of the BODY-q between 0 and 12 months (all parameters p < .001), the control group did not. The multiple regression analysis showed that having undergone a MWR significantly and positively predicted incremental HR-QoL on all scales on the BODY-q (all parameters p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study suggests a positive impact of MWR on the HR-QoL of bariatric patients.

Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharide Peptide Alleviates Cyclophosphamide-Induced Male Reproductive Injury by Reducing Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis.

Chemotherapy is an important factor leading to male infertility. It is crucial to discover safe and effective treatments to prevent male reproductive injury caused by chemotherapy. The Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide peptide (GLPP) has multiple pharmacological activities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether GLPP could protect the male sperm production from chemotherapeutic injury using a mouse model, with testicular damage induced by cyclophosphamide (CP). CP (50 mg/kg/day) was injected intraperitoneally into male ICR mice gavaged with different doses of GLPP at certain spermatogenic stages. The experimental results showed that GLPP alleviated the CP-induced reduction in reproductive organ coefficients and sperm parameters and reduced the morphological damage of testicular tissues in a dose-dependent manner. GLPP significantly improved the reproductive index, sperm-related parameters, sex hormone levels, and histological testis architecture at different spermatogenic stages. Furthermore, GLPP significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), Nrf2, and HO-1, and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) and Keap-1 in the testicular tissue, indicating reduced oxidative stress. In addition, GLPP limited CP-induced apoptosis via a reduction in Bax expression and increase in Bcl-2 expression. This study suggests that GLPP plays a protective role in spermatogenesis by reducing chemotherapeutic injury and might be developed into drug for male patients receiving chemotherapy.

Artesunate attenuates osteoarthritis in mice by promoting MTA1 transcription through a USP7/FoxO1 axis.

Artesunate (ART) is a derivative of artemisinin and has anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-angiogenic properties. Although ART has been implicated in osteoarthritis (OA), the mechanism needs to be further dissected. Here, we explored the effects of ART on the development of OA and the underlying mechanism using destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgical instability model. Mice with OA were developed using DMM and treated with ART. The pathological morphology of knee joint tissues was examined, and the degeneration of joint cartilage was assessed. Mouse knee chondrocytes were isolated and induced with IL-1ß, followed by ART treatment. ART alleviates OA in mice by elevating ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 7 (USP7) expression, and USP7 inhibitor (P22077) treatment mitigated the protective effects of ART on chondrocytes. We also showed that USP7 mediated the deubiquitination of forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1), while FoxO1 alleviated chondrocyte injury. In addition, FoxO1 promoted metastasis-associated protein MTA1 (MTA1) transcription, and downregulation of MTA1 exacerbated chondrocyte injury. Our study identifies that USP7/FoxO1/MTA1 is a key signaling cascade in the treatment of ART on OA.