Pnictogen-Bonding Enzymes.

The objective of this study was to create artificial enzymes that capitalize on pnictogen bonding, a s-hole interaction that is essentially absent in biocatalysis.  For this purpose, stibine catalysts were equipped with a biotin derivative and combined with streptavidin mutants to identify an efficient transfer hydrogenation catalyst for the reduction of a fluorogenic quinoline substrate.  Increased catalytic activity from wild-type streptavidin to the best mutants coincides with the depth of the s hole on the Sb(V) center, and the emergence of saturation kinetic behavior.  Michaelis-Menten analysis reveals transition-state recognition in the low micromolar range, more than three orders of magnitude stronger than the millimolar substrate recognition.  Carboxylates preferred by the best mutants contribute to transition-state recognition by hydrogen-bonded ion pairing and anion-π interactions with the emerging pyridinium product.  The emergence of challenging stereoselectivity in aqueous systems further emphasizes compatibility of pnictogen bonding with higher order systems catalysis.

Pregnancy outcomes in women with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 reinfections compared to those with a single infection: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To assess pregnancy outcomes in women with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reinfection. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study that included pregnant women who contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) once or twice during pregnancy and who gave birth between 1 October 2022 and 15 August 2023 in Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital (Shanghai, China). We collected their clinical data and compared the frequency of adverse pregnancy outcomes between the reinfection group and the primary infection group, such as preterm birth, fetal growth restriction (FGR), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), common pregnancy-related conditions, birth weight, and neonatal unit admission. RESULTS: We observed a 7.7% reinfection rate among the 1,405 women who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy. There were no significant differences in the frequency of preterm birth, FGR, HDP, other common pregnancy-related conditions, birth weight, or rate of neonatal unit admission between the reinfection and single infection groups. All our participants were unvaccinated, and all had mild symptoms. CONCLUSION: Our study showed no significant association between SARS-CoV-2 reinfection and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Validation to Explore the Pharmacological Mechanism of Zhuling Decoction against Nephrotic Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the incidence and prevalence of Nephrotic Syndrome (NS) have been increasing. Zhuling decoction (ZLD), a classical Chinese medicine, has been clinically proven to be effective for the treatment of NS. However, its underlying mechanism and pharmacodynamic substances remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the mechanism of action and chemical components of ZLD against NS using network pharmacology and molecular docking. METHODS: Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP), Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicines (BATMAN-TCM), and SwissTargetPrediction databases were used to screen the principal ingredients and the associated targets of ZLD. NS-related targets were obtained from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), GeneCards, Therapeutic Target Database (TTD), and Drugbank databases. Shared targets were derived by the intersection of ZLD- and NS-associated targets. Protein-interaction relationships were analyzed using the STRING database and Cytoscape. A visualized drug-active compound-target network of ZLD was established using Cytoscape. Analyses of gene enrichment were performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) methods by the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) database. Molecular docking was performed to assess the binding activity between active components and hub targets. RESULTS: Polyporusterone E, cerevisterol, alisol B, and alisol B 23-acetate were the primary potential ingredients of ZLD. HMGCR, HSD11B1, NOS2, NR3C1, and NR3C2 were the hub targets of ZLD against NS. Molecular docking showed that polyporusterone E, cerevisterol, and alisol B had high binding activities with targets HMGCR, HSD11B1, and NOS2. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study suggests that the main active compounds (polyporusterone E, cerevisterol, alisol B) may have important roles for ZLD acting against NS by binding to hub targets (HMGCR, HSD11B1, and NOS2) and modulating PI3K-Akt, Ras, MAPK, and HIF-1 signaling pathways.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the ALDH gene family and functional analysis of PaALDH17 in Prunus avium.

ALDH (Aldehyde dehydrogenase), as an enzyme that encodes the dehydroxidization of aldehydes into corresponding carboxylic acids, played an important role inregulating gene expression in response to many kinds of biotic and abiotic stress, including saline-alkali stress. Saline-alkali stress was a common stress that seriously affected plant growth and productivity. Saline-alkali soil contained the characteristics of high salinity and high pH value, which could cause comprehensive damage such as osmotic stress, ion toxicity, high pH, and HCO3-/CO32- stress. In our study, 18 PaALDH genes were identified in sweet cherry genome, and their gene structures, phylogenetic analysis, chromosome localization, and promoter cis-acting elements were analyzed. Quantitative real-time PCR confirmed that PaALDH17 exhibited the highest expression compared to other members under saline-alkali stress. Subsequently, it was isolated from Prunus avium, and transgenic A. thaliana was successfully obtained. Compared with wild type, transgenic PaALDH17 plants grew better under saline-alkali stress and showed higher chlorophyll content, Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Peroxidase (POD) and Catalase (CAT) enzyme activities, which indicated that they had strong resistance to stress. These results indicated that PaALDH17 improved the resistance of sweet cherries to saline-alkali stress, which in turn improved quality and yields. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-024-01444-7.

Multistage Supply Chain Channel Principal-Agent Model in the Context of e-Commerce With Fairness Preference.

This research aims to investigate information asymmetry in e-commerce supply chain channels and the impact of the fair preference model on the behavior and returns of channel members. Therefore, by contrasting it with the model in the completely rational case, this research establishes a more realistic principal-agent model and incorporates the fair preference model into the e-commerce supply chain channel. According to the model's analysis, the effort level of the retailer at each stage is positively correlated with the e-commerce efficiency coefficient, and the incentive coefficient of manufacturers is positively correlated with the e-commerce efficiency coefficient in the case where all rationality is assumed. Manufacturing companies' anticipated profits are positively correlated with the e-commerce efficiency coefficient. According to the fair preference model, retailers will put forth more effort to sell products when their fixed income from manufacturers is higher and their optimal effort level is positively correlated with that income. When e-commerce's efficiency coefficient is higher than 1, the retailer's revenue and effort exceeded those of traditional channels. Manufacturers and retailers both experience Pareto improvements in their earnings after the fair preference model is introduced.

Dabigatran-related serious medication errors: an analysis using data from VigiBase.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the serious medication errors (MEs) on dabigatran, and their related factors, in order to avoid or reduce the occurrence of adverse events. METHODS: Serious MEs related to dabigatran were extracted from the WHO global database of reported potential side effects of medicinal products (VigiBase) by using "Medication errors and other product use errors and issues" High Level Group Term (HLGT) of the international Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA). Well-documented reports, vigiGrade completeness score ≥ 0.80, or with an informative narrative were analyzed with a focus on the clinical features of the cases. The PCNE Classification for drug-related problems (DRP) was used to classify medication errors in our analysis of cases. RESULTS: Until January 26, 2020, there were 453 cases with serious MEs related to dabigatran in VigiBase, and 113 were well-documented. Among these, 69 patients (61%) were hospitalized or had prolonged hospitalization, 16 (14%) had life-threatening events, and 12 (11%) died. The MEs occurred in the prescription phase in 77 cases, in administration in 35, and at the dispensing stage in one case. The MEs in prescription were related to a drug selection error in 44 cases (24 concerning contraindications and 20 drug interactions) and to dose error in 33 cases (17 with excessive dose; eight with insufficient frequency; four had an incorrect time; in three, the dose was too low; and in one, too frequent). The MEs in administration were medical-staff-related errors in five cases (three with wrong administration route, one administration omission, and one overdose), patient-related errors in 28 (14 insufficient dose or no administration, seven improper drug storage, four wrong administration method, and three over prescribed dose), and other errors in two (without efficacy monitoring). The dispensing error of a wrong drug strength occurred in a pharmacy. The main adverse events in the 113 patients were haemorrhage in 57 cases (50%) and ischemia in 29 cases (26%). CONCLUSION: Based on the analysis of reports in VigiBase, serious MEs related to dabigatran mainly occurred during prescription and administration. Although the incidence of MEs with clinical consequences in the use of dabigatran cannot be determined, attention should be paid to selection of the appropriate dose to a right patient in the prescription, and to patient compliance and storage in drug administration. The patient harm mainly manifested itself as bleeding or ischemia including fatal outcome in rare patients.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing of cell-free DNA for the identification of viruses causing central nervous system infections.

IMPORTANCE: This study provides significant new data on the application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to clinical diagnostics of central nervous system (CNS) viral infections, which can have high mortality rates and severe sequelae. Conventional diagnostic procedures for identifying viruses can be inefficient and rely on preconceived assumptions about the pathogen, making mNGS an appealing alternative. However, the effectiveness of mNGS is affected by the presence of human DNA contamination, which can be minimized by using cell-free DNA (cfDNA) instead of whole-cell DNA (wcDNA). This multi-center retrospective study of patients with suspected viral CNS infection found that mNGS using cfDNA had a significantly lower proportion of human DNA and higher sensitivity for detecting viruses than mNGS using wcDNA. Herpesviruses, particularly VZV, were found to be the most common DNA viruses in these patients. Overall, mNGS using cfDNA is a promising complementary diagnostic method for detecting CNS viral infections.

Pre-phase transition of a Cu2-xS template enables polymorph selective synthesis of MS (M = Zn, Cd, Mn) nanocrystals via cation exchange reactions.

Utilization of copper-deficient Cu2-xS nanocrystals (NCs) with diverse crystal phases and stoichiometries as cation exchange (CE) templates is a potential route to overcome the current limitations in the polymorph selective synthesis of desired nanomaterials. Among the Cu2-xS NCs, covellite CuS is emerging as an attractive CE template to produce complicated and metastable metal sulfide NCs. The presence of a reducing agent is essential to induce a phase transition of CuS into other Cu2-xS phases prior to the CE reactions. Nevertheless, the effect of the reducing agent on the phase transition of CuS, especially into the hexagonal close packing (hcp) phase and the cubic close packing (ccp) phase, has been scarcely exploited, but it is highly important for the polymorphic production of metal sulfides with the wurtzite phase and zinc blende phase. Herein, we report a reducing agent dependent pre-phase transition of CuS nanodisks (NDs) into hcp and ccp Cu2-xS NCs. 1-Dodecanethiol molecules and oleylamine molecules selectively reduced CuS NDs into hcp djurleite Cu1.94S NDs and ccp digenite Cu1.8S NCs. Afterward, the hcp Cu1.94S NDs and ccp Cu1.8S NCs were exchanged by Zn2+/Cd2+/Mn2+, and the wurtzite phase and the zinc blende phase of ZnS, CdS, and MnS NCs were produced. Without the pre-phase transition, direct CE reactions of CuS NDs are incapable of synthesizing the above wurtzite and zinc blende metal sulfide NCs. Therefore, our findings suggest the importance of the pre-phase transition of the CE template in polymorphic syntheses, holding great promise in the fabrication of other polymorphic nanomaterials with novel physical and chemical properties.

Activated Expression of Rice DMR6-like Gene OsS3H Partially Explores the Susceptibility to Bacterial Leaf Streak Mediated by Knock-Out OsF3H04g.

Downy Mildew Resistance 6-like (DMR6-like) genes are identified as salicylic acid (SA) hydroxylases and negative regulators of plant immunity. Previously, we identified two rice DMR6-like genes, OsF3H03g, and OsF3H04g, that act as susceptible targets of transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) from Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc), which causes bacterial leaf streak (BLS) in rice. Furthermore, all four homologs of rice DMR6-like proteins were identified to predominantly carry the enzyme activity of SA 5-hydroxylase (S5H), negatively regulate rice broad-spectrum resistance, and cause the loss of function of these OsDMR6s, leading to increased resistance to rice blast and bacterial blight (BB). Here, we curiously found that an OsF3H04g knock-out mutant created by T-DNA insertion, osf3h04g, was remarkedly susceptible to BLS and BB and showed an extreme reduction in SA content. OsF3H04g knock-out rice lines produced by gene-editing were mildly susceptible to BLS and reduced content of SA. To explore the susceptibility mechanism in OsF3H04g loss-of-function rice lines, transcriptome sequencing revealed that another homolog, OsS3H, had induced expression in the loss-of-function OsF3H04g rice lines. Furthermore, we confirmed that a great induction of OsS3H downstream and genomically adjacent to OsF3H04g in osf3h04g was primarily related to the inserted T-DNA carrying quadruple enhancer elements of 35S, while a slight induction was caused by an unknown mechanism in gene-editing lines. Then, we found that the overexpression of OsS3H increased rice susceptibility to BLS, while gene-editing mediated the loss-of-function OsS3H enhanced rice resistance to BLS. However, the knock-out of both OsF3H04g and OsS3H by gene-editing only neutralized rice resistance to BLS. Thus, we concluded that the knock-out of OsF3H04g activated the expression of the OsS3H, partially participating in the susceptibility to BLS in rice.

Uncovering the virome and its interaction with antibiotic resistome during compost fertilization.

Antibiotic resistance is a pressing global health issue, leading to increased illnesses and fatalities. The contribution of viruses to the acquisition, preservation, and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is not yet fully understood. By using a high-throughput functional gene-based microarray (GeoChip 5.0), this study examines the prevalence and relative abundance of bacteriophage and eukaryotic viral genes in swine manure, compost, compost-amended agricultural soil, and unamended soil from suburban regions of Beijing, China. Our findings reveal a significantly elevated presence of biomarker viral genes in compost-amended soils compared to unamended soils, suggesting potential health risks associated with compost fertilization. We also observed stronger ecological interactions between ARGs and viral genes in manure and compost than in soils. Network analysis identified arabinose efflux permeases and EmrB/QacA resistance genes, linked to CRISPR encoding sequences, as keystone nodes, indicating possible ARG acquisition via virus infections. Moreover, positive correlations were found between viral genes, antibiotic concentrations, and ARG diversity in manure, compost, and compost-amended soils, highlighting a likely pathway for virus-mediated ARG transfer. In summary, our results indicate that use of compost as a fertilizer in agricultural settings could facilitate the spread of ARGs through viral mechanisms, allowing for time-delayed genetic exchanges over broader temporal and spatial scales than ARGs within bacterial genomes.

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.

Wheat rhizosphere colonization by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens W10 and Pseudomonas protegens FD6 suppress soil and in planta abundance of the sharp eyespot pathogen Rhizoctonia cerealis.

AIMS: Develop quantitative assays (qPCR) to determine the wheat rhizosphere competence of inoculant strains Bacillus amyloliquefaciens W10 and Pseudomonas protegens FD6, and their suppressive efficacies against the sharp eyespot pathogen Rhizoctonia cerealis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Antimicrobial metabolites of strains W10 and FD6 decreased in vitro growth of R. cerealis. A qPCR assay for strain W10 was designed from a diagnostic AFLP fragment and the rhizosphere dynamics of both strains in wheat seedlings were compared by culture-dependent (CFU) and qPCR assays. The qPCR minimum detection limits for strains W10 and FD6 were log 3.04 and log 4.03 genome (cell) equivalents g-1 soil, respectively. Inoculant soil and rhizosphere abundance determined by CFU and qPCR were highly correlated (r > 0.91). In wheat bioassays, rhizosphere abundance of strain FD6 was up to 80-fold greater (P < 0.001) than strain W10 at 14 and 28 days postinoculation. Both inoculants reduced (P < 0.05) rhizosphere soil and root abundance of R. cerealis by up to 3-fold. CONCLUSIONS: Strain FD6 exhibited greater abundance in wheat roots and rhizosphere soil than strain W10 and both inoculants decreased the rhizosphere abundance of R. cerealis.

Topological abnormality of structural covariance network in MRI-negative frontal lobe epilepsy.

Background: Frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) is the second most common type of focal epilepsy, however, imaging studies of FLE have been far less than Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and the structural findings were not consistent in previous literature. Object: Investigate the changes in cortical thickness in patients with FLE and the alteration of the structural covariance networks (SCNs) of cortical thickness with graph-theory. Method: Thirty patients with FLE (18 males/12 females; 28.33 ± 11.81 years) and 27 demographically matched controls (15 males/12 females; 29.22 ± 9.73 years) were included in this study with high-resolution structural brain MRI scans. The cortical thickness was calculated, and structural covariance network (SCN) of cortical thickness were reconstructed using 68 × 68 matrix and analyzed with graph-theory approach. Result: Cortical thickness was not significantly different between two groups, but path length and node betweenness were significantly increased in patients with FLE, and the regional network alterations were significantly changed in right precentral gyrus and right temporal pole (FDR corrected, p < 0.05). Comparing to HC group, network hubs were decreased and shifted away from frontal lobe. Conclusion: The topological properties of cortical thickness covariance network were significantly altered in patients with FLE, even without obvious surface-based morphological damage. Graph-theory based SCN analysis may provide sensitive neuroanatomical biomarkers for FLE.

Causal analysis of coach and bus accidents in China based on road alignments.

Given the complexity and the difficulty of controlling contributors effectively, road passenger transport often results in serious injuries and fatalities. The purpose of this study is to identify the main contributors to coach and bus accidents and to provide policy recommendations for making improvements in accident prevention. The Driving Reliability and Error Analysis Method 3.0 (DREAM 3.0) was modified and used to analyze the contributing factors (i.e. phenotypes and genotypes in DREAM) and their casual mechanisms. By having statistical analysis and social network analysis (SNA) adopted, the main genotypes and phenotypes of the DREAM charts were identified. The results of the study showed that A2.1 (too high speed) was the key phenotype and the main genotypic process chain leading to the phenotype was "inadequate safety management â†’ inadequate training â†’ inadequate skills/knowledge â†’ misjudgment of the situation â†’ too high speed" on all types of road. For A2.1 (too high speed), C2 (misjudgment of the situation) was the dominant genotype, while N5 (inadequate safety management) was the root cause of most genotypes. This suggests that road passenger transport companies, as the responsible parties, often fail to implement or violate safety prevention and control systems. Government regulators should promote the policy system and incentivize them to fulfil their safety management responsibilities. The government should also educate the public and improve the road environment to reduce passenger-related risks and the impact of environmental factors on drivers.

Pd-Catalyzed intermolecular asymmetric allylic dearomatization of 1-nitro-2-naphthols with MBH adducts.

An asymmetric allylic dearomatization reaction of 1-nitro-2-naphthol derivatives with Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) adducts has been developed. By utilizing Pd catalyst derived from Pd(OAc)2 and Trost ligand (R,R)-L1, the reaction proceeded smoothly in 1,4-dioxane at room temperature, affording substituted ß-naphthalenones in good yields (up to 92%) and enantioselectivity (up to 90% ee). A range of substituted 1-nitro-2-naphthols and MBH adducts were found to be compatible under the optimized conditions. This reaction provides a convenient method for the synthesis of enantioenriched 1-nitro-ß-naphthalenone derivatives.

The Biological Characteristics of Eutopic and Ectopic Endometrial Progenitor Cells in Endometriosis.

AIM: The aim of this study was to identify the biological characteristics and potential roles of endometrial progenitor cells in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. BACKGROUND: It is generally believed that progenitor cells in human endometrium are responsible for rapid endometrial regeneration. However, the biological characteristics and potential roles of the paired eutopic and ectopic endometrial progenitor cells in endometriosis remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study intends to isolate the epithelial progenitor (EP) cells and endometrial mesenchymal stem cells (eMSCs) from the eutopic and ectopic endometria from endometriosis patients, further to reveal their features and functions respectively. METHODS: The distributions of EP cells and eMSCs and the expression of steroid hormone receptors in the endometrium and endometriotic tissues were assessed by immunohistochemistry. EP cells and eMSCs were sorted from paired eutopic and ectopic endometria with epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) magnetic beads. The clonogenicity, cell viability after being treated with estradiol and progesterone, and cell markers expression were evaluated with colony forming on Matrigel, CCK-8 and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were further identified with RNA sequencing. RESULTS: SSEA-1- and PDGFRß-positive cells were distributed in the epithelial and stromal layers. The ERß staining was much more intense in endometriotic tissues, but PR expression was almost absent. The ectopic EP cells exhibit strong clonogenicity and ERß expression but weak PR expression, leading to progesterone resistance. There are 12604 and 13242 DEGs revealed by RNA sequencing between eutopic and ectopic EP cells or eMSCs. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the functions and pathways of DEGs enriched in cellular energy metabolism and regulation of the immune response, respectively. Additionally, ERß targets were mainly enriched in ectopic EP cells. CONCLUSION: Both EP cells and eMSCs may engage in ectopic lesion formation in endometriosis by modifying the metabolic mode and immune tolerance. These data not only help to understand the molecular mechanism of endometriosis but also could potentially contribute to the discovery of therapeutic targets for endometriosis.

Conductive Polyaniline Particles Regulating In Vitro Hydrolytic Degradation and Erosion of Hydroxyapatite/Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) Porous Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering.

In addition to biocompatibility and bioactivity, scaffolds with superior bone tissue regenerative capacity should possess excellent functionality (e.g., electroactivity and conductivity) and biodegradability matching with the rate of bone reconstruction. However, current conductive scaffolds display a reduced biodegradability rate and weakened biocompatibility. In this study, injectable conductive porous scaffolds were fabricated, incorporating camphor sulfonic acid-doped polyaniline (PANI) into hydroxyapatite/poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (HA/PLGA) scaffolds, using solvent-casting/particulate-leaching methodology. These scaffolds demonstrated excellent electroactivity, conductivity, hydrophilicity, thermodynamic properties, antibacterial properties, and biocompatibility. Their degradation behavior was explored by regulating the PANI content. The results demonstrated that adding an appropriate content of PANI would increase the pore size, porosity, and water absorption of the conductive scaffold and promote the formation of filamentous fiber byproducts with acidic hydrolysates, which accelerated the degradation rate of the scaffold. Owing to π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding, the conductive scaffold with 10 wt % PANI efficiently retarded the decrease in the thermal and mechanical properties of the scaffolds during a 16 week degradation. Thus, better regulation of degradation behavior and correlation would allow conductive porous scaffolds, such as bone implants, to achieve better bone ingrowth and restoration.

Comparisons in the changes of clinical characteristics and cerebrospinal fluid cytokine profiles between varicella-zoster virus meningitis/encephalitis and other central nervous system infections. / 水痘-å¸¦çŠ¶ç–±ç–¹ç— æ¯’è„‘è†œç‚Ž/è„‘ç‚Žä¸Žå ¶ä»–ä¸­æž¢ç¥žç»ç³»ç»Ÿæ„ŸæŸ“çš„ä¸´åºŠç‰¹å¾å’Œè„‘è„Šæ¶²ç»†èƒžå› å­æ¯”è¾ƒï¼ˆè‹±æ–‡ï¼‰.

OBJECTIVES: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is one of the most common etiologies of viral meningitis/encephalitis. The early clinical manifestations and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) changes of VZV meningitis/encephalitis lack specificity, and it is easy to be misdiagnosed as other viral encephalitides or tuberculous meningitis. This study aims to investigate whether the clinical characteristics, CSF analysis findings, and CSF cytokine levels could distinguish VZV meningitis/encephalitis from central nervous system (CNS) herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infections. METHODS: The medical records from 157 CNS infections, including 49 HSV (45 HSV-1, 4 HSV-2), 55 VZV, and 53 MTB infections between January 2018 and June 2021 in the Cytology Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University were retrospectively reviewed. The data of 3 groups included demographic characteristics, laboratory results, radiographic findings, and outcomes. The levels of 12 cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17, IFN-γ, IFN-α, and TNF-α) in the CSF of 68 patients (13 HSV, 22 VZV, and 33 MTB infection cases) were quantified. Clinical and laboratory data were compared among the 3 groups. RESULTS: The most common clinical manifestations in the 3 groups were fever, headache, vomiting, and neck stiffness. The clinical manifestations of HSV and VZV CNS disease were similar, although fever and altered consciousness were less common in the VZV group than those in the HSV and MTB groups (63.6% vs 87.8% vs 96.2%, P<0.001, and 14.5% vs 26.5% vs 47.2%, P=0.004, respectively). Seven patients (7/55, 12.7%) presented cutaneous zoster in the VZV group. CSF leukocyte count was significantly higher in the VZV group (230×106 cells/mL) and MTB groups (276×106 cells/mL) than that in the HSV group (87×106 cells/mL, P=0.002). CSF protein level was significantly higher in the VZV than that in the HSV group (1 034 mg/L vs 694 mg/L, P=0.011) but lower than that in the MTB group (1 744 mg/L, P<0.001). IL-6 (VZV vs HSV vs MTB: 2 855.93 pg/mL vs 2 128.26 pg/mL vs 354.77 pg/mL, P=0.029) and IL-8 (VZV vs HSV vs MTB: 4 001.46 pg/mL vs 1 578.11 pg/mL vs 1 023.25 pg/mL, P=0.046) levels were significantly different among the 3 groups and were elevated in the VZV group.Post hoc analysis revealed that IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly higher in the VZV group than those in the MTB group (P=0.002 and P=0.035, respectively), but not in the HSV group (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: VZV meningitis/encephalitis presents with CSF hypercellularity and proteinemia, challenging the classical view of CSF profiles in viral encephalitis. CSF IL-6 and IL-8 levels are elevated in patients with VZV meningitis/encephalitis, indicating a more intense inflammatory response in these patients.

Palladium(0)-Catalyzed Intermolecular Asymmetric Allylic Dearomatization of Substituted ß-Naphthols with Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) Adducts.

Pd-catalyzed intermolecular asymmetric allylic dearomatization of substituted ß-naphthol derivatives with Boc-protected Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) adducts was developed. The reaction occurs smoothly in 1,4-dioxane at room temperature in the presence of [Pd(C3H5)Cl]2 (2.5 mol %), (S, Sp)-PHOX ligand (5.5 mol %), and Li2CO3 (1.0 equiv). A series of dearomatized products were afforded in moderate to excellent yields and enantioselectivity (up to 99% yield, 97% ee). Furthermore, the compatibility with gram-scale reaction and mild conditions make the current method synthetically useful.

Damage Identification of Semi-Rigid Joints in Frame Structures Based on Additional Virtual Mass Method.

In civil engineering, the joints of structures are complex, and their damage is generally hard to be detected. Due to the insensitivity of structural modal information to local joint damage, this paper presents a method based on additional virtual mass for damage identification of a semi-rigid joint in a frame structure. Firstly, the modeling of a semi-rigid is described. Secondly, the frequency response of the virtual structure is constructed, and the natural frequency of the constructed virtual structure is extracted by the ERA method. By adding multiple values of virtual masses at different positions, the natural frequency information sensitive to joint damage for damage identification is effectively increased. Based on the above theory, qualitative identification of joint damage is proposed to detect the potential damage, and identification of both damage location and its extent is presented, using natural frequency. Improved Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (IOMP) algorithm is employed to improve the accuracy of the natural frequency-based method for damage identification. At last, numerical simulation of a three-story frame is performed to discuss and to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.