ZnO nanoparticles encapsulated cellulose-lignin film for antibacterial and biodegradable food packaging.

Foodborne illness caused by consuming foods contaminated by pathogens remains threating to the public health. Despite considerable efforts of using renewable source materials, it is highly demanding to fabricate food packaging with multiple properties including eco-friendliness, bactericidal effect and biocompatibility. Here, sodium lignosulfonate (SL) and ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were used as functional filler and structure components, respectively, on the cellulose nanofibers (CNFs)-based films, which endows the produced membrane (CNF/SL-ZnO) the UV-light blocking, antioxidant, and antimicrobial characteristics. Due to the interconnected polymeric structure, the prepared CNF/SL-ZnO films possessed considerable mechanical properties, thermal stability, and good moisture barrier capability. Moreover, the tested samples exhibited an improved shelf life in food packaging. Furthermore, metagenome analysis revealed superior biodegradability of obtained films with negligible side effect on the soil microenvironment. Therefore, the biocompatible, degradable, and antibacterial CNF/SL-ZnO film holds enormous potential for sustainable uses including food packaging.

A Tunable Threshold Colorimetric DNA Logic Gate for Intuitive Assessment of Chemical Contaminant Exceedance.

Current molecular logic gates are predominantly focused on the qualitative assessment of target presence, which has certain limitations in scenarios requiring quantitative assessment, such as chemical contaminant monitoring. To bridge this gap, we have developed a novel DNA logic gate featuring a tunable threshold, specifically tailored to the limits of contaminants. At the core of this logic gate is a DNA-gold nanoparticle (AuNP) hybrid film that incorporates aptamer sequences to selectively bind to acetamiprid (ACE) and atrazine (ATR). Upon interaction with these contaminants, the film degrades, releasing AuNPs that, in the presence of Hg2+, catalyze the oxidation of TMB, resulting in a visible blue coloration on test paper. This aptamer-enabled process effectively establishes an OR logic gate, with ACE and ATR as inputs and the appearance of blue color as the output. A key innovation of our system is its tunable input threshold. By adjusting the concentration of Hg2+, we can fine-tune the color mutation points to match the input threshold to predefined limits, such as Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). This alignment allows semiquantitative assessment of contaminant levels, providing intuitive visual feedback of contaminant exceedance. Validation experiments with spiked samples confirm its accuracy and reliability by closely matching HPLC results. Therefore, our colorimetric DNA logic gate is emerging as a promising tool for easy and semiquantitative monitoring of chemical contaminants across diverse applications.

SWI and CTP fusion model based on sparse representation method to predict cerebral infarction trend.

Objective: SWI image signal is related to venous reflux disorder and perfusion defect. Computed tomography perfusion (CTP) contains perfusion information in space and time. There is a complementary basis between them to affect the prognosis of cerebral infarction. Methods: Sixty-six patients included in the retrospective study were designated as the training set. Effective perfusion indicator features and imaging radiomic features of the peri-infarction area on Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) and CTP modality images were extracted from each case. Thirty-three patients from the prospectively included group were designated as the test set of the machine learning model based on a sparse representation method. The predicted results were compared with the DWI results of the patients' 7-10 days review to assess the validity and accuracy of the prediction. Results: The AUC of the SWI + CTP integrated model was 0.952, the ACC was 0.909, the SEN was 0.889, and the SPE was 0.933. The prediction performance is the highest. Compared with the value of AUC: the SWI model is 0.874, inferior to the performance of the SWI + CTP model, and the CTP model is 0.715. Conclusion: The prediction efficiency of the changing trend of infarction volume is further improved by the correlation between the combination of the two image features.

Unraveling the Solvent Regulation in the Heteroatom-Doped Endohedral Gold Clusters: A Theoretical Study on the Electronic Properties and O2 Activation.

Liquid-phase synthesis of atomically precise nanoclusters has experienced rapid development recently, where polar solvents are indispensable in such a process. However, the regulation effect of solvents on the structural and electronic properties of different metal clusters and cluster assembly materials is still not well understood. Herein, a comprehensive density functional theory calculation has been performed to explore the solvation effect on heteroatom-doped endohedral gold clusters that always have remarkable stabilities and tunable electronic structures. The solvation free energy of the M@Au12 clusters (M = Cr, Mo, W, Co, Rh, Ir, Cu, Ag, and Au) was found to be related to the charge distribution of the central doped-atom M and the outer Au12 cage. Moreover, the aqueous solvent was observed to be able to increase the adsorption capacity of M@Au12 to O2 following the activation of O2 through the charge transfer from M@Au12 to O2, in which the transferred electrons occupy the π antibonding orbital of O2. In addition, the water solvent can also improve the hydrogenation reaction of O2 to form OOH over M@Au12, where the activation energy barrier for this process is very low with the participation of the solvent. Considering the importance of solvents in the liquid-phase synthesis of atomically precise clusters, these findings highlighted here could provide valuable theoretical guidance in potential applications of functional gold nanoclusters, especially in the liquid-phase cluster catalysis.

The spatial overlay effect of urban waterlogging risk and land use value.

Urban waterlogging poses a severe threat to lives and property globally, making it crucial to identify the distribution of urban value and waterlogging risk. Previous research has overlooked the heterogeneity of value and risk in spatial distribution. To identify the overlay effect of urban land value and risk, this study employs the Entropy Weighting Method (EM) to assess urban value, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to determine waterlogging risk and key areas (RK), local Moran's I (SC) to identify key areas (HK), and finally Bivariate local Moran's I (DC) to comprehensively evaluate urban value and waterlogging risk to delineate key areas (BH). The results indicate that waterlogging risk is primarily influenced by proximity to water systems (PCA coefficient: 0.567), population density (0.550), and rainfall (0.445). There is a positive correlation between urban value and waterlogging risk, with a global Moran's I of 0.536, indicating that areas with higher urban value also face greater waterlogging risk. The DC method improved identification precision, reducing the BH area by 6.42 and 3.51 km2 compared to RK and HK, accounting for 25.50 % and 15.76 % of the RK and HK identified areas, respectively. At present, rescue resources can access less than one-third of the area within 5 min, but with the DC method, during the centennial rainfall scenario, the accessibility rate within 5 min for the BH area reaches 63 %, and all BH key areas can be covered within 15 min. This study provides a new methodology for identifying key areas of waterlogging disasters and can be used to enhance urban rescue efficiency and the precision management of flood disasters.

Bacterial exonuclease III expands its enzymatic activities on single-stranded DNA.

Bacterial exonuclease III (ExoIII), widely acknowledged for specifically targeting double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), has been documented as a DNA repair-associated nuclease with apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP)-endonuclease and 3'→5' exonuclease activities. Due to these enzymatic properties, ExoIII has been broadly applied in molecular biosensors. Here, we demonstrate that ExoIII (Escherichia coli) possesses highly active enzymatic activities on ssDNA. By using a range of ssDNA fluorescence-quenching reporters and fluorophore-labeled probes coupled with mass spectrometry analysis, we found ExoIII cleaved the ssDNA at 5'-bond of phosphodiester from 3' to 5' end by both exonuclease and endonuclease activities. Additional point mutation analysis identified the critical residues for the ssDNase action of ExoIII and suggested the activity shared the same active center with the dsDNA-targeted activities of ExoIII. Notably, ExoIII could also digest the dsDNA structures containing 3'-end ssDNA. Considering most ExoIII-assisted molecular biosensors require the involvement of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or nucleic acid aptamer containing ssDNA, the activity will lead to low efficiency or false positive outcome. Our study revealed the multi-enzymatic activity and the underlying molecular mechanism of ExoIII on ssDNA, illuminating novel insights for understanding its biological roles in DNA repair and the rational design of ExoIII-ssDNA involved diagnostics.

Role of leukocyte parameters in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention with high thrombus burden.

Objective: Leukocyte parameters are associated with cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of leukocyte parameters in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) with high thrombus burden (HTB). Methods: A total of 102 consecutive STEMI patients with HTB who underwent PPCI within 12 h from the onset of symptoms between June 2020 and September 2021 were enrolled in this study. In addition, 101 age- and sex-matched STEMI patients with low thrombus burden (LTB) who underwent PPCI within 12 h from the onset of symptoms were enrolled as controls. Leukocyte parameters, such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), were calculated at the time of admission. Results: The value of NLR and MLR were significantly higher in the HTB group than in the LTB group (6.24 ± 4.87 vs. 4.65 ± 3.47, p = 0.008; 0.40 ± 0.27 vs. 0.33 ± 0.20, p = 0.038). A cutoff value of >5.38 for NLR had a sensitivity and specificity of 53.9% and 74.3%, respectively, and MLR >0.29 had a sensitivity and specificity of 60.8% and 55.4%, respectively, for determining the STEMI patients with HTB [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC): 0.603, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.524-0.681, p = 0.012; AUC: 0.578, 95% CI: 0.499-0.656, p = 0.046]. There was no significant difference of all-cause mortality rate and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) between the STEMI patients with HTB or with LTB (3.92% in HTB group vs. 2.97% in LTB group, p = 0.712; 10.78% in HTB group vs. 8.91% in LTB group, p = 0.215). Compared with the HTB patients in the low NLR group, C-reactive protein, baseline troponin I, baseline brain natriuretic peptide, and leukocyte parameters, such as white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte, NLR, PLR, and MLR, were also significantly higher in the high NLR group in STEMI patients who underwent PPCI with HTB (18.94 ± 19.06 vs. 35.23 ± 52.83, p = 0.037; 10.99 ± 18.07 vs. 21.37 ± 19.64, p = 0.007; 199.39 ± 323.67 vs. 430.72 ± 683.59, p = 0.028; 11.55 ± 3.56 vs. 9.31 ± 2.54, p = 0.001; 9.77 ± 3.17 vs. 5.79 ± 1.97, p = 0.000; 1.16 ± 0.44 vs. 2.69 ± 1.23, p = 0.000; 9.37 ± 4.60 vs 1.31 ± 2.58, p = 0.000; 200.88 ± 89.90 vs. 97.47 ± 50.99, p = 0.000; 0.52 ± 0.29 vs. 0.26 ± 0.14, p = 0.000, respectively). MACEs and heart failure in the high NLR group were significantly higher than that in the low NLR group of STEMI patients who underwent PPCI with HTB (20.45% vs. 4.25%, p = 0.041; 10.91% vs. 2.13%, p = 0.038). Conclusion: The value of NLR and MLR were higher in STEMI patients who underwent PPCI with HTB. In STEMI patients who underwent PPCI with HTB, a raised NLR could effectively predict the occurrence of MACEs and heart failure.

Upregulation of TCPTP in Macrophages Is Involved in IL-35 Mediated Attenuation of Experimental Colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic intestinal inflammatory disease with complex etiology. Interleukin-35 (IL-35), as a cytokine with immunomodulatory function, has been shown to have therapeutic effects on UC, but its mechanism is not yet clear. Therefore, we constructed Pichia pastoris stably expressing IL-35 which enables the cytokines to reach the diseased mucosa, and explored whether upregulation of T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP) in macrophages is involved in the mechanisms of IL-35-mediated attenuation of UC. After the successful construction of engineered bacteria expressing IL-35, a colitis model was successfully induced by giving BALB/c mice a solution containing 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Mice were treated with Pichia/IL-35, empty plasmid-transformed Pichia (Pichia/0), or PBS by gavage, respectively. The expression of TCPTP in macrophages (RAW264.7, BMDMs) and intestinal tissues after IL-35 treatment was detected. After administration of Pichia/IL-35, the mice showed significant improvement in weight loss, bloody stools, and shortened colon. Colon pathology also showed that the inflammatory condition of mice in the Pichia/IL-35 treatment group was alleviated. Notably, Pichia/IL-35 treatment not only increases local M2 macrophages but also decreases the expression of inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in the colon. With Pichia/IL-35 treatment, the proportion of M1 macrophages, Th17, and Th1 cells in mouse MLNs were markedly decreased, while Tregs were significantly increased. In vitro experiments, IL-35 significantly promoted the expression of TCPTP in macrophages stimulated with LPS. Similarly, the mice in the Pichia/IL-35 group also expressed more TCPTP than that of the untreated group and the Pichia/0 group.

Serum biomarkers REG1A and REG3A combined with the traditional CEA represent a novel nomogram for the screening and risk stratification of colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: To develop and validate a serum protein nomogram for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. METHODS: The serum protein characteristics were extracted from an independent sample containing 30 colorectal cancer and 12 polyp tissues along with their paired samples, and different serum protein expression profiles were validated using RNA microarrays. The prediction model was developed in a training cohort that included 1345 patients clinicopathologically confirmed CRC and 518 normal participants, and data were gathered from November 2011 to January 2017. The lasso logistic regression model was employed for features selection and serum nomogram building. An internal validation cohort containing 576 CRC patients and 222 normal participants was assessed. RESULTS: Serum signatures containing 27 secreted proteins were significantly differentially expressed in polyps and CRC compared to paired normal tissue, and REG family proteins were selected as potential predictors. The C-index of the nomogram1 (based on Lasso logistic regression model) which contains REG1A, REG3A, CEA and age was 0.913 (95% CI, 0.899 to 0.928) and was well calibrated. Addition of CA199 to the nomogram failed to show incremental prognostic value, as shown in nomogram2 (based on logistic regression model). Application of the nomogram1 in the independent validation cohort had similar discrimination (C-index, 0.912 [95% CI, 0.890 to 0.934]) and good calibration. The decision curve (DCA) and clinical impact curve (ICI) analysis demonstrated that nomogram1 was clinically useful. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents a serum nomogram that included REG1A, REG3A, CEA and age, which can be convenient for screening of colorectal cancer.

Targeting pericentric non-consecutive motifs for heterochromatin initiation.

Pericentric heterochromatin is a critical component of chromosomes marked by histone H3 K9 (H3K9) methylation1-3. However, what recruits H3K9-specific histone methyltransferases to pericentric regions in vertebrates remains unclear4, as does why pericentric regions in different species share the same H3K9 methylation mark despite lacking highly conserved DNA sequences2,5. Here we show that zinc-finger proteins ZNF512 and ZNF512B specifically localize at pericentric regions through direct DNA binding. Notably, both ZNF512 and ZNF512B are sufficient to initiate de novo heterochromatin formation at ectopically targeted repetitive regions and pericentric regions, as they directly recruit SUV39H1 and SUV39H2 (SUV39H) to catalyse H3K9 methylation. SUV39H2 makes a greater contribution to H3K9 trimethylation, whereas SUV39H1 seems to contribute more to silencing, probably owing to its preferential association with HP1 proteins. ZNF512 and ZNF512B from different species can specifically target pericentric regions of other vertebrates, because the atypical long linker residues between the zinc-fingers of ZNF512 and ZNF512B offer flexibility in recognition of non-consecutively organized three-nucleotide triplets targeted by each zinc-finger. This study addresses two long-standing questions: how constitutive heterochromatin is initiated and how seemingly variable pericentric sequences are targeted by the same set of conserved machinery in vertebrates.

Ultrahigh Energy Storage Performance of BiFeO3-BaTiO3 Flexible Film Capacitor with High-Temperature Stability via Defect Design.

Nanoengineering polar oxide films have attracted great attention in energy storage due to their high energy density. However, most of them are deposited on thick and rigid substrates, which is not conducive to the integration of capacitors and applications in flexible electronics. Here, an alternative strategy using van der Waals epitaxial oxide dielectrics on ultra-thin flexible mica substrates is developed and increased the disorder within the system through high laser flux. The introduction of defects can efficiently weaken or destroy the long-range ferroelectric ordering, ultimately leading to the emergence of a large numbers of weak-coupling regions. Such polarization configuration ensures fast polarization response and significantly improves energy storage characteristics. A flexible BiFeO3-BaTiO3 (BF-BT) capacitor exhibits a total energy density of 43.5 J cm-3 and an efficiency of 66.7% and maintains good energy storage performance over a wide temperature range (20-200 °C) and under large bending deformation (bending radii ≈ 2 mm). This study provides a feasible approach to improve the energy storage characteristics of dielectric oxide films and paves the way for their practical application in high-energy density capacitors.

Functional evaluation of pure natural edible Ferment: protective function on ulcerative colitis.

Purpose: To investigate the therapeutic efficiency of a novel drink termed "Ferment" in cases of ulcerative colitis (UC) and its influence on the gut microbiota. Method: In this study, we developed a complex of mixed fruit juice and lactic acid bacteria referred to as Ferment. Ferment was fed to mice for 35 days, before inducing UC with Dextran Sulfate Sodium Salt. We subsequently investigated the gut microbiome composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. Result: After Ferment treatment, mouse body weight increased, and animals displayed less diarrhea, reduced frequency of bloody stools, and reduced inflammation in the colon. Beneficial bacteria belonging to Ileibacterium, Akkermansia, and Prevotellacea were enriched in the gut after Ferment treatment, while detrimental organisms including Erysipelatoclostridium, Dubosiella, and Alistipes were reduced. Conclusion: These data place Ferment as a promising dietary candidate for enhancing immunity and protecting against UC.

Cuproptosis-Related lncRNA Predict Prognosis and Immune Response of LUAD.

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, primarily due to lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the heterogeneity of programmed cell death results in varied prognostic and predictive outcomes. This study aimed to develop an LUAD evaluation marker based on cuproptosis-related lncRNAs. Methods: First, transcriptome data and clinical data related to LUAD were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and cuproptosis-related genes were analyzed to identify cuproptosis-related lncRNAs. Univariate, LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to construct cuproptosis-associated lncRNA models. LUAD patients were categorized into high-risk and low-risk groups using prognostic risk values. Kaplan-Meier analysis, PCA, GSEA, and nomograms were employed to evaluate and validate the results. Results: 7 cuproptosis-related lncRNAs were identified, and a risk model was created. High-risk tumors exhibited cuproptosis-related gene alterations in 95.54% of cases, while low-risk tumors showed alterations in 85.65% of cases, mainly involving TP53. The risk value outperformed other clinical variables and tumor mutation burden as a predictor of 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival. The cuproptosis-related lncRNA-based risk model demonstrated high validity for LUAD evaluation, potentially influencing individualized treatment approaches. Expression analysis of four candidate cuproptosis-related lncRNAs (AL606834.1, AL161431.1, AC007613.1, and LINC02835) in LUAD tissues and adjacent normal tissues revealed significantly higher expression levels of AL606834.1 and AL161431.1 in LUAD tissues, positively correlating with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and histopathological grade. Conversely, AC007613.1 and LINC02835 exhibited lower expression levels, negatively correlating with these factors. High expression of AL606834.1 and AL161431.1 indicated poor prognosis, while low expression of AC007613.1 and LINC02835 was associated with unfavorable outcomes. Univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed these lncRNAs as independent risk factors for LUAD prognosis. Conclusion: The 4 cuproptosis-related (lncRNAsAL606834.1, AL161431.1, AC007613.1, and LINC02835) can accurately predict the prognosis of patients with LUAD and may provide new insights into clinical applications and immunotherapy.

Distribution, risk evaluation, and source allocation of cesium and strontium in surface soil in a mining city.

Radioactive nuclides cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr) possess long half-lives, with 135Cs at approximately 2.3 million years and 87Sr at about 49 billion years. Their persistent accumulation can result in long-lasting radioactive contamination of soil ecosystems. This study employed geo-accumulation index (Igeo), pollution load index (PLI), potential ecological risk index (PEPI), health risk assessment model (HRA), and Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the pollution and health risks of Cs and Sr in the surface soil of different functional areas in a typical mining city in China. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was used to elucidate the potential sources of Cs and Sr and the respective contribution rates of natural and anthropogenic sources. The findings indicate that soils in the mining area exhibited significantly higher levels of Cs and Sr pollution compared to smelting factory area, agricultural area, and urban residential area. Strontium did not pose a potential ecological risk in any studied functional area. The non-carcinogenic health risk of Sr to the human body in the study area was relatively low. Because of the lack of parameters for Cs, the potential ecological and human health risks of Cs was not calculated. The primary source of Cs in the soil was identified as the parent material from which the soil developed, while Sr mainly originated from associated contamination caused by mining activities. This research provides data for the control of Cs and Sr pollution in the surface soil of mining city.

Suppressing SENP1 inhibits esophageal squamous carcinoma cell growth via SIRT6 SUMOylation.

PURPOSE: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a prevalent tumor in the gastrointestinal tract, but our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying ESCC remains incomplete. Existing studies indicate that SUMO specific peptidase 1 (SENP1) plays a crucial role in the development and progression of various malignant tumors through diverse molecular mechanisms. However, the functional mechanism and clinical implications of SENP1 in the progression of ESCC remain unclear. METHODS: Bulk RNA-Sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to compare potential genes in the esophageal tissues of mice with ESCC to the control group. The up-regulated SENP1 was selected. The protein level of SENP1 in ESCC patient samples was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and western blot. The potential prognostic value of SENP1 on overall survival of ESCC patients was examined using tissue microarray analysis and the Kaplan-Meier method. The biological function was confirmed through in vitro and in vivo knockdown approaches of SENP1. The role of SENP1 in cell cycle progression and apoptosis of ESCC cells was analyzed by flow cytometry and western blot. The downstream signaling pathways regulated by SENP1 were investigated via using RNA-Seq. SENP1-associated proteins were identified through immunoprecipitation. Overexpression of Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) wildtype and mutant was performed to investigate the regulatory role of SENP1 in ESCC progression in vitro. RESULTS: Our study discovered that SENP1 was upregulated in ESCC tissues and served as a novel prognostic factor. Moreover, SENP1 enhanced cell proliferation and migration of ESCC cell lines in vitro, as well as promoted tumor growth in vivo. Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1), Geminin (GMNN), cyclin dependent kinase 1(CDK1), and cyclin A2 (CCNA2) were identified as downstream genes of SENP1. Mechanistically, SENP1 deSUMOylated SIRT6 and subsequently inhibited SIRT6-mediated histone 3 lysine 56 (H3K56) deacetylation on those downstream genes. SIRT6 SUMOylation mutant (4KR) rescued the growth inhibition upon SENP1 depletion. CONCLUSIONS: SENP1 promotes the malignant progression of ESCC by inhibiting the deacetylase activity of SIRT6 pathway through deSUMOylation. Our findings suggest that SENP1 may serve as a valuable biomarker for prognosis and a target for therapeutic intervention in ESCC.

Theoretical study of the structural and thermodynamic properties of U-He compounds under high pressure.

Uranium is considered as a very important nuclear energy material because of the huge amount of energy it releases. As the main product of the spontaneous decay of uranium, it is difficult for helium to react with uranium because of its chemical inertness. Therefore, bubbles will be formed inside uranium, which could greatly reduce the performance of uranium or cause safety problems. Additionally, nuclear materials are usually operated in an environment of high-temperature and high-pressure, so it is necessary to figure out the exact state of helium inside uranium under extreme conditions. Here, we explored the structural stability of the U-He system under high pressure and high temperature by using density functional theory calculations. Two metastable phases are found between 50 and 400 GPa: U4He with space group Fmmm and U6He with space group P1̄. Both are metallic and adopt layered structures. Electron localization function calculation combined with charge density difference analysis indicates that there are covalent bonds between U and U atoms in both Fmmm-U4He and P1̄-U6He. Regarding the elastic modulus of α-U, the addition of helium has certain influence on the mechanical properties of uranium. Besides, first-principles molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to study the dynamical behavior of Fmmm-U4He and P1̄-U6He at high-temperature. It was found that Fmmm-U4He and P1̄-U6He undergo one-dimensional superionic phase transitions at 150 GPa. Our study revealed the exotic structure of U-He compounds beyond the formation of bubbles under high-pressure and high-temperature, which might be relevant to the performance and safety issues of nuclear materials under extreme conditions.

Construction of a novel prognostic scoring model for HBV-ACLF liver failure based on dynamic data.

Early prognostic assessment of patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is important for guiding clinical management and reducing mortality. The aim of this study was to dynamically monitor the clinical characteristics of HBV-ACLF patients, thereby allowing the construction of a novel prognostic scoring model to predict the outcome of HBV-ACLF patients. Clinical data was prospectively collected for 518 patients with HBV-ACLF and randomly divided into training and validation sets. We constructed day-1, day-2, and day-(1 + 3) prognostic score models based on dynamic time points. The prognostic risk score constructed for day-3 was found to have the best predictive ability. The factors included in this scoring system, referred to as DSM-ACLF-D3, were age, hepatic encephalopathy, alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, triglycerides, very low-density lipoprotein, blood glucose, neutrophil count, fibrin, and INR. ROC analysis revealed the area under the curve predicted by DSM-ACLF-D3 for 28-day and 90-day mortality (0.901 and 0.889, respectively) was significantly better than those of five other scoring systems: COSSH-ACLF IIs (0.882 and 0.836), COSSH-ACLFs (0.863 and 0.832), CLIF-C ACLF (0.838 and 0.766), MELD (0.782 and 0.762) and MELD-Na (0.756 and 0.731). Dynamic monitoring of the changes in clinical factors can therefore significantly improve the accuracy of scoring models. Evaluation of the probability density function and risk stratification by DSM-ACLF-D3 also resulted in the best predictive values for mortality. The novel DSM-ACLF-D3 prognostic scoring model based on dynamic data can improve early warning, prediction and clinical management of HBV-ACLF patients.

One-step enrichment and stepwise elution of glycoproteins and phosphoproteins by hydrophilic Ti4+-immobilized dendrimer poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microparticles functionalized with polyethylenimine and phytic acid.

Glycosylation and phosphorylation rank as paramount post-translational modifications, and their analysis heavily relies on enrichment techniques. In this work, a facile approach was developed for the one-step simultaneous enrichment and stepwise elution of glycoproteins and phosphoproteins. The core of this approach was the application of the novel titanium (IV) ion immobilized poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microparticles functionalized with dendrimer polyethylenimine and phytic acid. The microparticles possessed dual enrichment capabilities due to their abundant titanium ions and hydroxyl groups on the surface. They demonstrate rapid adsorption equilibrium (within 30 min) and exceptional adsorption capacity for ß-casein (1107.7 mg/g) and horseradish peroxidase (438.6 mg/g), surpassing that of bovine serum albumin (91.7 mg/g). Furthermore, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was conducted to validate the enrichment capability. Experimental results across various biological samples, including standard protein mixtures, non-fat milk, and human serum, demonstrated the remarkable ability of these microparticles to enrich low-abundance glycoproteins and phosphoproteins from biological samples.

Neurosyphilis Presenting as Psychiatric Symptoms at Younger Age: A Case Report.

Neurosyphilis is a central nervous system infection caused by Treponema pallidum that imitates various neurological and mental disorders. Therefore, patients with this disease are prone to misdiagnoses. Here, we report a case of neurosyphilis with a psychotic disorder as the main manifestation. A young girl exhibited mental and behavioural abnormalities after a heartbreak, which manifested as alternating low mood, emotional irritability, and a lack of interest in social relations, followed by memory loss. The cerebrospinal fluid protein - Treponema pallidum particle agglutination test was positive, the toluidine red unheated serum test titre was 1:4, the white blood cell count was 5 × 10^6/L, the cerebrospinal fluid protein level was 0.97 g/L, and the brain CT was abnormal. After admission, the possibility of neurosyphilis was considered and the patient received intravenous penicillin G treatment. The patient's clinical symptom ms improved. This case emphasises that doctors should maintain clinical suspicion of Treponema pallidum infection in adolescent patients with mental abnormalities.

Ultraclean Suspended Graphene by Radiolysis of Adsorbed Water.

Access to intrinsic properties of a 2D material is challenging due to the absence of a bulk that would dominate over surface contamination, and this lack of bulk also precludes effective conventional cleaning methods that are almost always sacrificial. Suspended graphene and carbon contaminants represent the most salient challenge. This work has achieved ultraclean graphene, attested by electron energy loss (EEL) spectra unprecedentedly exhibiting fine-structure features expected from bonding and band structure. In the cleaning process in a transmission electron microscope, radicals generated by radiolysis of intentionally adsorbed water remove organic contaminants, which would otherwise be feedstock of the notorious electron irradiation induced carbon deposition. This method can be readily adapted to other experimental settings and other materials to enable previously inhibited undertakings that rely on the intrinsic properties or ultimate thinness of 2D materials. Importantly, the method is surprisingly simple and robust, easily implementable with common lab equipment.