fM-aM Detection of the SARS-CoV-2 Antigen by Advanced Lateral Flow Immunoassay Based on Gold Nanospheres.

The SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic created an unprecedented need for rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests to treat and control the disease. Many POC SARS-CoV-2 lateral flow immunoassays (LFAs) have been developed and/or commercialized, but with only limited sensitivity (μM-fM). We created an advanced LFA based on gold nanospheres (GNSs) with comprehensive assay redesign for enhanced specific binding and thermal contrast amplification (TCA) on GNSs for signal amplification, which enabled fM-aM detection sensitivity for SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) proteins within 30 min.

Integrative Bioinformatics Analysis Revealed Mitochondrial Defects Underlying Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

Background: Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is one of the most complex congenital cardiac malformations, and the molecular mechanism of heart failure (HF) in HLHS is still elusive.

Methods: Integrative bioinformatics analysis was performed to unravel the underlying genes and mechanisms involved in HF in HLHS. Microarray dataset GSE23959 was screened out for the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), after which the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional enrichment analyses were carried out using the Metascape.

Bibliometric Analysis of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies on Acupuncture Analgesia Over the Past 20 Years.

Background: Researches on the central mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia have been widely conducted worldwide. However, there is no bibliometric analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on acupuncture analgesia. This study visualized the current status, hot spots and frontiers of fMRI studies on acupuncture analgesia in the past 20 years to provide a theoretical basis for its clinical application.

Impact of Recent Job Loss on Sleep, Energy Consumption and Diet.

Unlabelled: To examine how sleep quality and sleep duration affect caloric intake among those experiencing involuntary job loss.

Methods: Adequate sleep and self reported dietary recall data from the Assessing Daily Activity Patterns through Occupational Transitions (ADAPT) study was analysed. Primary sleep indices used were total sleep time, time spent in bed after final awakening, and sleep quality as measured by the Daily Sleep Diary (DSD).

Efficacy of a Lateral Mass Fusion Device Combined with a Three-Dimensional-Printed Model in the Treatment of Craniovertebral Junction Abnormalities.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of a lateral mass fusion device combined with a three-dimensional-printed model in treatment of craniovertebral junction abnormalities.

Methods: This retrospective study comprised 56 patients with irreducible atlantoaxial dislocation who underwent posterior fixation between January 2016 and December 2019. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether or not cages were used-cage group and autograft group.

Heme-Edge Residues Modulate Signal Transduction within a Bifunctional Homo-Dimeric Sensor Protein.

Bifunctional enzymes, which contain two domains with opposing enzymatic activities, are widely distributed in bacteria, but the regulatory mechanism(s) that prevent futile cycling are still poorly understood. The recently described bifunctional enzyme, DcpG, exhibits unusual heme properties and is surprisingly able to differentially regulate its two cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) metabolic domains in response to heme gaseous ligands. Mutagenesis of heme-edge residues was used to probe the heme pocket and resulted in decreased O dissociation kinetics, identifying roles for these residues in modulating DcpG gas sensing.

Abnormal Bone Metabolism May Be a Primary Causative Factor of Keel Bone Fractures in Laying Hens.

Keel bone damage negatively affects the welfare, production performance, egg quality, and mobility of laying hens. This study aimed to investigate whether abnormal bone metabolism causes keel bone damage in laying hens. Eighty Hy-line Brown laying hens were housed in eight furnished cages with 10 birds per cage and studied from 18 to 29 weeks of age (WOA).

Presence of Liver Inflammation in Asian Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B With Normal ALT and Detectable HBV DNA in Absence of Liver Fibrosis.

Liver biopsies are recommended to exclude significant liver inflammation in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) with elevated HBV DNA but without other indications for antiviral treatment. We aimed to investigate the proportions and determinants of significant inflammation in Asian patients with CHB with detectable HBV DNA. We conducted a cross-sectional study that retrospectively included 581 patients with CHB with detectable HBV DNA who had undergone liver biopsy.

Double C-S bond formation multiple Csp-H bond cleavage: synthesis of 4-hydroxythiazoles from amides and elemental sulfur under metal-free conditions.

A novel and efficient approach for the synthesis of 4-hydroxythiazoles from amides and elemental sulfur has been developed. In the presence of PO, DMSO and HMPA, this metal-free protocol proceeds smoothly and tolerates a spectrum of functional groups. Furthermore, this strategy involves the process of double Csp-S bond formation through the cleavage of multiple Csp-H bonds for the first time.

Prognostic value of pretreatment anemia in patients with soft tissue sarcoma: A meta-analysis.

Background: Anemia is one of the most common manifestations in patients with cancer. Recently, multiple studies have shown a positive correlation between pretreatment anemia and tumor prognosis. Yet, the relationship between pretreatment anemia and the prognosis of soft tissue sarcomas (STS) is unclear.

Mechanism of the Clinically Relevant E305G Mutation in Human P450 CYP17A1.

Steroid metabolism in humans originates from cholesterol and involves several enzyme reactions including dehydrogenation, hydroxylation, and carbon-carbon bond cleavage that occur at regio- and stereo-specific points in the four-membered ring structure. Cytochrome P450s occur at critical junctions that control the production of the male sex hormones (androgens), the female hormones (estrogens) as well as the mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. An important branch point in human androgen production is catalyzed by cytochrome P450 CYP17A1 and involves an initial Compound I-mediated hydroxylation at the 17-position of either progesterone (PROG) or pregnenolone (PREG) to form 17-hydroxy derivatives, 17OH-PROG and 17OH-PREG, with approximately similar efficiencies.

Relationship Between Medical Students' Empathy and Occupation Expectation: Mediating Roles of Resilience and Subjective Well-Being.

The occupation expectation of medical students can predict the possibility of their future employment in the medical industry, and empathy is the special ability of medical students in their study and career, which affects the development of their occupation expectation. To explore the relationship between resilience and subjective well-being between medical students' empathy and occupation expectation and their internal mechanisms. Data were collected from October 2020 to March 2021 using a paper questionnaire survey.

Whole Transcriptome Analysis Revealed a Stress Response to Deep Underground Environment Conditions in Chinese Hamster V79 Lung Fibroblast Cells.

Prior studies have shown that the proliferation of V79 lung fibroblast cells could be inhibited by low background radiation (LBR) in deep underground laboratory (DUGL). In the current study, we revealed further molecular changes by performing whole transcriptome analysis on the expression profiles of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), circular RNA (circRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) in V79 cells cultured for two days in a DUGL. Whole transcriptome analysis including lncRNA, mRNAs, circ RNA and miRNA was performed in V79 cells cultured for two days in DUGL and above ground laboratory (AGL), respectively.

Efficacy and safety of single-dose dexamethasone implantation for patients with persistent diabetic macular edema: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of single-dose dexamethasone implantation for treating persistent DME (diabetic macular edema) refractory to anti-VEGF (anti-vascular endothelial growth factor) drugs over a period of 6 months.

Methods: All related clinical trials were reviewed by searching electronic databases of PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE. The primary outcome parameters were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT).

Quantitative accuracy in total-body imaging using the uEXPLORER PET/CT scanner.

Absolute quantification of regional tissue concentration of radioactivity in positron emission tomography (PET) is a critical parameter-of-interest across various clinical and research applications and is affected by a complex interplay of factors including scanner calibration, data corrections, and image reconstruction. The emergence of long axial field-of-view (FOV) PET systems widens the dynamic range accessible to PET and creates new opportunities in reducing scan time and radiation dose, delayed or low radioactivity imaging, as well as kinetic modeling of the entire human. However, these imaging regimes impose challenging conditions for accurate quantification due to constraints from image reconstruction, low count conditions, as well as large and rapidly changing radioactivity distribution across a large axial FOV.

Ectopic expression of OsJAZ6, which interacts with OsJAZ1, alters JA signaling and spikelet development in rice.

Jasmonates (JAs) are key phytohormones that regulate plant responses and development. JASMONATE-ZIM DOMAIN (JAZ) proteins safeguard JA signaling by repressing JA-responsive gene expression in the absence of JA. However, the interaction and cooperative roles of JAZ repressors remain unclear during plant development.

Vagus nerve stimulation mediates microglia M1/2 polarization via inhibition of TLR4 pathway after ischemic stroke.

Ischemic stroke is the leading cause of death and disability. Microglia are polarized toward the proinflammatory M1 phenotype and neuroprotective M2 phenotype after stroke and play an important role in the pathological process of ischemic stroke. Emerging research suggests that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can mediate microglia polarization after ischemic stroke and may serve as a potential treatment for ischemic stroke.

Ultra-broadband 3 dB power splitter from 1.55 to 2 µm wave band.

Extending the optical communication wavelengths to 2 µm can significantly increase data capacity. Silicon photonics, which is a proven device integration technology, has made rapid progress at 2 µm recently. As a fundamental functional element in the photonic design kit, the 3 dB power splitter has been extensively studied in both the 1.

Real-Time Mapping of Tissue Properties for Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting.

Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) is a relatively new multi-parametric quantitative imaging method that involves a two-step process: (i) reconstructing a series of time frames from highly-undersampled non-Cartesian spiral k-space data and (ii) pattern matching using the time frames to infer tissue properties (e.g., and relaxation times).

Determination of volatile flavor compounds in raw and treated duck meats of different body parts.

The compounds in volatile flavor substances in duck meats of three different body parts (breast, leg, and wing) were extracted by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction and determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 16 main volatile compounds including 4 hydrocarbons, 4 alcohols, 2 acids, 3 aldehydes, and 3 others (N-containing, S-containing) were identified in raw duck meats from three different body parts. The hydrocarbon compounds account for more than 50% of all volatile substances in all three body parts.

Dynamic Bifunctional Metasurfaces for Holography and Color Display.

Metasurfaces have shown their unprecedented ability in wavefront shaping and triggered various applications with state-of-the-art performances, e.g., color nanoprinting and metaholograms.

Hydrophilicity gradient in covalent organic frameworks for membrane distillation.

Desalination can help to alleviate the fresh-water crisis facing the world. Thermally driven membrane distillation is a promising way to purify water from a variety of saline and polluted sources by utilizing low-grade heat. However, membrane distillation membranes suffer from limited permeance and wetting owing to the lack of precise structural control.

Porosity Engineering of MXene Membrane towards Polysulfide Inhibition and Fast Lithium Ion Transportation for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Detrimental lithium polysulfide (LiPS) shuttle effects and sluggish electrochemical conversion kinetics in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries severely hinder their practical application. Separator modification has been extensively investigated as an effective strategy to address above issues. Nevertheless, in the case of functional separators, how to effectively block the LiPSs from diffusion while enabling the rapid Li ion transport remains a challenge.