A hybridization-induced charge-transfer state energy arrangement reduces nonradiative energy loss in organic solar cells.

Here, we explain why the Energy Gap Law and the energy inversion related to the charge-transfer state have opposite effects on the trend of nonradiative energy loss of organic solar cells. The root is the existing condition of energy inversion. There is indeed a certain probability of energy inversion, but it will eventually be implicit or explicit as determined by the hybridization, which depends on the electron-withdrawing unit of the donor, giving rise to different stacking sites. The triplet-state hybridization leads to an explicit characteristic, while singlet-state hybridization leads to an implicit characteristic.

[Effects of Organic Fertilizer of Kitchen Waste on Soil Microbial Activity and Function].

Changes in soil microbial activity and ecological function can be used to assess the level of soil fertility and the stability of ecosystems. To assess the fertility and safety of organic fertilizer of kitchen waste (OFK), soils containing 0% (CK), 1%, 3%, and 5% OFK were cultured, and the physical, chemical, and microbial properties of the soils were measured dynamically with routine agrochemical analysis measures and amplicon sequencing. The results showed that compared with those in CK, the contents of organic matter, available phosphorus, available potassium, NH4+-N, and NO3--N in soils with OFK increased by 23.80%-35.13%, 13.29%-29.72%, 16.91%-39.37%, 164.7%-340.2%, and 28.56%-32.71%, respectively. The activities of hydrolases related to the cycle of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus (α-glucosidase, leucine aminopeptidase, acid phosphatase, etc.) were also significantly higher than those of the CK treatment. OFK stimulated the growth of soil microorganisms and increased the carbon content of the microbial biomass. The amplicon sequencing analysis found that the microbial community structures of different treatments were significantly different at both the class and genus levels. In addition, it was found that the abundance of beneficial microbes in the soils with OFK increased, whereas pathogenic microbes decreased. RDA results confirmed that soil properties (including soil pH, organic matter, available nutrients, and microbial biomass) had a significant impact on microbial community structure. The results of investing bacterial community based on PICRUSt and FAPROTAX revealed that the function of the soil bacterial community was similar in the four treatments, but OFK supply significantly improved the microbial carbon utilization and metabolic ability. Moreover, by using the FUNGuild software, we found that the application of OFK increased the proportion of saprotroph-symbiotroph and symbiotroph and stimulated the growth of ectomycorrhizal fungi-undefined saprophytic fungi but inhibited plant and animal pathogenic fungi in soil. These results implied that OFK could promote the establishment of symbiotic relationships and inhibit the growth of pathogenic fungi. In summary, OFK could improve soil fertility and hydrolase activity, stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms, and defend against pathogens, indicating a promising use as safe and efficient organic fertilizer.

Unusual presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a female patient: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare life-threatening disorder, often resulting in the immune-mediated injury of multiple organ systems, including primary HLH and secondary HLH (sHLH). Among them, sHLH results from infections, malignant, or autoimmune conditions, which have quite poor outcomes even with aggressive management and are more common in adults. CASE SUMMARY: We report a rare case of a 36-year-old female manifested with sHLH on background with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). During hospitalization, the patient was characterized by recurrent high-grade fever, petechiae and ecchymoses of abdominal skin, and pulmonary infection. Whole exon gene sequencing revealed decreased activity of natural killer cells. She received systematic treatment with Methylprednisolone, Etoposide, and anti-infective drugs. Intravenous immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis were applied when the condition was extremely acute and progressive. The patient recovered and did not present any relapse of the HLH for one year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: The case showed sHLH, thrombotic microvascular, and infection in the whole course of the disease, which was rarely reported by now. The treatment of the patient emphasizes that early recognition and treatment of sHLH in SLE patients was of utmost importance to improve the prognosis and survival rate of patients.

Autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type II resulting from a de novo mutation in the CLCN7 gene: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Osteopetrosis is a family of extremely rare diseases caused by failure of osteoclasts and impaired bone resorption. Among them, autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type II (ADO II), related to the chloride channel 7 (CLCN7) gene, is the most frequent form of osteopetrosis. In this study, we report a de novo mutation of CLCN7 in a patient without the family history of ADO II. CASE SUMMARY: A 5-year-old Chinese boy with ADO II was found to have a de novo mutation in the CLCN7 gene [c.746C>T (p.P249L)]. Typical clinical manifestations, including thickening of the cortex of spinal bones and long bones, non-traumatic fracture of the femoral neck, and femoral head necrosis, were found in this patient. The patient is the first reported case of ADO II with the missense mutation c.746C>T (p.P249L) of the CLCN7 gene reported in China. We also review the available literature on ADO II-related CLCN7 mutations, including baseline patient clinical features, special clinical significance, and common mutations. CONCLUSION: Our report will enrich the understanding of mutations in ADO II patients. The possibility of a de novo mutation should be considered in individuals who have no family history of osteopetrosis.

Target identification of anti-diabetic and anti-obesity flavonoid derivative (Fla-CN).

Fla-CN is a flavonoid derivative with anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects; however, its biological targets are still unknown. In this study, we developed bifunctional affinity-based probes to identify the direct targets of Fla-CN. When using probe 3, we observed the co-location of probe 3 and mitochondria in both HepG2 and 3T3-L1 cells. The putative target proteomes were obtained using activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) and photo-affinity labelling. Pyruvate carboxylase, mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase, mitochondrial complex I, and F1FO-ATPase were validated as the direct targets of Fla-CN by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and biochemical assays. It was elucidated that the Tyr651, Gln870 and Lys912 were the key amino acid residues near the binding site of pyruvate carboxylase with Fla-CN. The direct interaction of Fla-CN and the above four targets allowed elucidation of its complicated molecular mechanism, including the activation of adenosine 5-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and the inhibition of gluconeogenesis. Further investigation for activation of AMPK in normal and insulin resistance (IR) HepG2 cells, indicated that Fla-CN could target insulin resistance tissues.

The synergistic antitumor activity of 3-(2-nitrophenyl) propionic acid-paclitaxel nanoparticles (NPPA-PTX NPs) and anti-PD-L1 antibody inducing immunogenic cell death.

Cancer immunotherapy is a strategy that is moving to the frontier of cancer treatment in the current decade. In this study, we show evidence that 3-(2-nitrophenyl) propionic acid-paclitaxel nanoparticles (NPPA-PTX NPs), act as immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducers, stimulating an antitumor response which results in synergistic antitumor activity by combining anti-PD-L1 antibody (aPD-L1) in vivo. To investigate the antitumor immunity induced by NPPA-PTX NPs, the expression of both ICD marker calreticulin (CRT) and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were analyzed. In addition, the antitumor activity of NPPA-PTX NPs combined with aPD-L1 in vivo was also investigated. The immune response was also measured through quantitation of the infiltration of T cells and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The results demonstrate that NPPA-PTX NPs induce ICD of MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells through upregulation of CRT and HMGB1, reactivating the antitumor immunity via recruitment of infiltrating CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cells, secreting IFN-γ, TNF-α, and the enhanced antitumor activity by combining with aPD-L1. These data suggest that the combined therapy has a synergistic antitumor activity and has the potential to be developed into a novel therapeutic regimen for cancer patients.

[A Review of Progress of the Relation Between Stress Response and Diabetes Mellitus].

Stress response is an adaptive process of the organism to confront environmental perturbation. Moderate stress response induces the organism to establish effective adaptive strategies for survival, while excessive stress response results in stress injury, which is a major cause of a variety of physical or psychological diseases, including diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is a typical stress-related disease, with numerous evidence indicating that the development and progression of diabetes mellitus are closely related to stress response, such as metabolic stress, oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress. However, the detailed mechanisms of stress response mediated regulation of diabetes mellitus and how to prevent or treat diabetes mellitus via modification of stress response remain to be further investigated. Here, we will introduce the definition and regulatory mechanisms of stress response, as well as discuss the biological functions and mechanisms of various stress responses during the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. This review highlights recent advances of stress medicine associated with diabetes mellitus, in order to provide theoretical basis and reference for prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus. Future studies should focus on elucidating the clinical application potential of the key factors of stress response that mediate the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, as well as boosting the related translational medicine studies.

Widespread myocardial dysfunction in COVID-19 patients detected by myocardial strain imaging using 2-D speckle-tracking echocardiography.

COVID-19 is a multiorgan systemic inflammatory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus. Patients with COVID-19 often exhibit cardiac dysfunction and myocardial injury, but imaging evidence is lacking. In the study we detected and evaluated the severity of myocardial dysfunction in COVID-19 patient population using two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2-D STE). A total of 218 consecutive patients with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 who had no underlying cardiovascular diseases were enrolled and underwent transthoracic echocardiography. This study cohort included 52 (23.8%) critically ill and 166 noncritically ill patients. Global longitudinal strains (GLSs) and layer-specific longitudinal strains (LSLSs) were obtained using 2-D STE. Changes in GLS were correlated with the clinical parameters. We showed that GLS was reduced (<-21.0%) in about 83% of the patients. GLS reduction was more common in critically sick patients (98% vs. 78.3%, P < 0.001), and the mean GLS was significantly lower in the critically sick patients than those noncritical (-13.7% ± 3.4% vs. -17.4% ± 3.2%, P < 0.001). The alteration of GLS was more prominent in the subepicardium than in the subendocardium (P < 0.001). GLS was correlated to mean serum pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2, RR = 0.42, P < 0.0001), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP, R = -0.20, P = 0.006) and inflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-6 (R = -0.21, P = 0.003). In conclusions, our results demonstrate that myocardial dysfunction is common in COVID-19 patients, particularly those who are critically sick. Changes in indices of myocardial strain were associated with indices of inflammatory markers and hypoxia, suggesting partly secondary nature of myocardial dysfunction.

Enhancement of Echinocandin B Production by a UV- and Microwave-Induced Mutant of Aspergillus nidulans with Precursor- and Biotin-Supplying Strategy.

Echinocandin B belongs to lipopeptide antifungal antibiotic bearing five types of direct precursor amino acids including proline, ornithine, tyrosine, threonine, and leucine. The objective of this study is to screen over-producing mutant in order to improve echinocandin B production; a stable mutant Aspergillus nidulans ZJB12073, which can use fructose as optimal carbon source instead of expensive mannitol, was selected from thousand isolates after several cycles of UV and microwave irradiation in turn. The results showed that mutant strain ZJB12073 exhibited 1.9-fold improvement in echinocandin B production to 1656.3 ± 40.3 mg/L when compared with the parent strain. Furthermore, the effects of precursor amino acids and some chemicals on echinocandin B biosynthesis in A. nidulans were investigated, respectively. Tyrosine, leucine, and biotin were selected as key factors to optimize the medium employing uniform design method. The results showed that the optimized fermentation medium provided another 63.1 % increase to 2701.6 ± 31.7 mg/L in final echinocandin B concentration compared to that of unoptimized medium.

[Multivariate factors analysis on length of stay in Lushan earthquake victims].

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the factors associate with the length of stay (LOS) in Lushan Earthquake victims. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical information of 263 traumatic patients admitted to West China Hospital, Sichuan University after the Lushan Earthquake. Ten variables extracted for the analysis, including gender, age, injuried time, multiple injury, infection, comorbidities, Injury Severity Score (ISS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS) CRAMS score, and Prehospital Index (PHI). Univariable analysis using multiple stepwise regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with extended LOS. RESULTS: Infection, ISS score, and Pre-hospital Time were associated with extended LOS, and infection was the most weighted factor. The regression equation is: LOS (h) = 498.36 + 671.41 x Infection + 43.87 x ISS score - 5.12 x Pre-hospital Time. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that trauma patients with infections and high ISS scores were at increased risk for extended LOS and pre-hospital time decreased the risk.