Establishing the Structure-Activity Relationship of Daptomycin.

Daptomycin is effective in treating infections caused by antibiotic-resistant Gram-positive pathogens, including methicillin-resistant (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant (VRE), and vancomycin-resistant (VRSA). Due to its distinct mechanism of action toward multidrug-resistant bacteria, daptomycin provides an attractive structural motif to generate new daptomycin-based antibiotics to combat the problem of bacterial resistance. In this study, we used the total synthesis method to produce daptomycin analogues with a variety in terms of types and sites of modifications.

Extended lymphadenectomy in hilar cholangiocarcinoma: What it will bring?

Lymph node dissection is always a hot issue in radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA). There are still controversies regarding whether some lymph nodes should be dissected, of which the para-aortic lymph nodes are the most controversial. This review synthesized findings in the literature using the PubMed database of articles in the English language published between 1990 and 2019 on the effectiveness of extended lymphadenectomy including para-aortic lymph nodes dissection in radical resection of HCCA.

Current status and future perspectives of minimally invasive surgery in gallbladder carcinoma.

Background: Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is the most common biliary tract malignancy, which is characterized by easy local invasion, lymph nodes metastasis, local vascular invasion. Hence, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) can be performed in a limited number of patients. In our study, we reviewed the current studies on laparoscopic surgery (LS) and robotic surgery (RS) for GBC and analysed the limitations and difficulties of MIS for GBC.

Efficacy and safety of telbivudine treatment for the prevention of HBV perinatal transmission.

To observe the efficacy of telbivudine in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) women with high viral load during pregnancy and the long-term effects on intelligence, growth, and development of the newborns.A total of 87 patients were included. Forty-two patients received telbivudine orally 600 mg per day and treatment initiated from 12 weeks after gestation until the 12th postpartum week.

Risk of COVID-19 among frontline healthcare workers and the general community: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Data for frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection are limited and whether personal protective equipment (PPE) mitigates this risk is unknown. We evaluated risk for COVID-19 among frontline HCWs compared to the general community and the influence of PPE.

Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study of the general community, including frontline HCWs, who reported information through the COVID Symptom Study smartphone application beginning on March 24 (United Kingdom, U.

The association of diabetes with risk of prostate cancer defined by clinical and molecular features.

Background: To prospectively examine the association between diabetes and risk of prostate cancer defined by clinical and molecular features.

Methods: A total of 49,392 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) were followed from 1986 to 2014. Data on self-reported diabetes were collected at baseline and updated biennially.

Is radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma plus partial resection of pancreatic head justified for advanced hilar cholangiocarcinoma?

Background: To outline our experience with the radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) combined with the partial resection of the pancreatic head (RRHCCAPRPH) as a treatment for HCCA with distal bile duct involvement and to appraise the feasibility of this challenging procedure.

Methods: Between 2007 and 2017, 205 patients with HCCA who underwent curative surgery at our hospital were included. Among the patients, extrahepatic bile duct resection combined with hepatectomy (EBDRH), RRHCCAPRPH and hepatopancreaticoduodenectomy (HPD) was performed in 168, 21 and 16 patients, respectively.

Self-Assembled DNA Nanostructures-Based Nanocarriers Enabled Functional Nucleic Acids Delivery.

Nucleic acids are recognized as the blueprints of life and the repositories of genetic information, which play essential roles in the "central dogma of molecular biology". As classical and specific nucleic acids, apart from carrying genetic information, functional nucleic acids (FNAs) perform many intriguing functions such as targeted recognition, therapy and enzymatic catalysis. FNAs with excellent biocompatibility provide great promise for future applications in bioanalysis, material science, and nanotechnology.

The COronavirus Pandemic Epidemiology (COPE) Consortium: A Call to Action.

The rapid pace of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19) pandemic presents challenges to the real-time collection of population-scale data to inform near-term public health needs as well as future investigations. We established the COronavirus Pandemic Epidemiology (COPE) consortium to address this unprecedented crisis on behalf of the epidemiology research community. As a central component of this initiative, we have developed a COVID Symptom Study (previously known as the COVID Symptom Tracker) mobile application as a common data collection tool for epidemiologic cohort studies with active study participants.

Meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials of adjuvant chemotherapy for resected biliary tract cancers.

Background: This meta-analysis was performed by analyzing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the potential prognostic value of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) for patients with resected biliary tract cancers (BTCs).

Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched for relevant articles published. Only RCTs affected by tumors of gallbladder, intrahepatic, perihilar, and distal bile ducts were considered.

Metal-Organic Framework Membrane Nanopores as Biomimetic Photoresponsive Ion Channels and Photodriven Ion Pumps.

Biological ion channels and ion pumps with sub-nanometer sizes modulate ion transport in response to external stimuli. Realizing such functions with sub-nanometer solid-state nanopores has been an important topic with wide practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate a biomimetic photoresponsive ion channel and photodriven ion pump using a porphyrin-based metal-organic framework membrane with pore sizes comparable to hydrated ions.

Graphdiyne oxide: a new carbon nanozyme.

Graphdiyne (GDY) is a new recently-synthesized carbon allotrope. We find here that graphdiyne oxide (GDYO), the oxidized form of GDY, can serve as a new kind of carbon nanozyme mimicking peroxidase. This finding essentially offers a new platform for fundamental understanding of carbon nanozymes and broadens the application of GDY.

Advances and challenges of mainstream nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater with anammox-based processes.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a novel process of deammonification that exhibits superior ecological and economic potential compared to that of traditional heterotrophic processes. Although this process has been successfully implemented in treating high-strength nitrogen-contaminated wastewater, it still faces many challenges in treating mainstream municipal wastewater. This review aims to provide an overview of the status and challenges of mainstream anammox-based processes.

Unveiling the Role of DJ-1 Protein in Vesicular Storage and Release of Catecholamine with Nano/Micro-Tip Electrodes.

DJ-1 protein deficiency caused by PARK7 gene mutation has been suggested to closely relate to Parkinson's disease (PD), mainly through the attenuation D2 dopamine receptor activity in mice; however, whether or how it affects the vesicular storage and exocytosis of neurochemicals remains unclear. By using electrochemical methods at a single vesicle/cell level with nano/micro-tip electrodes, we for the first time find that DJ-1 protein deficiency caused by PARK7 gene knockout (KO) in mice has little effect on vesicular catecholamine content but significantly prolongs the exocytotic events, especially the closing time of exocytotic fusion pores. Further studies suggest the inhibition of α-synuclein aggregation by DJ-1 protein might be one way that DJ-1 protein acts on neurotransmission.

Resistance of anammox granular sludge to copper nanoparticles and oxytetracycline and restoration of performance.

Nanoparticles and antibiotics, the two most frequently detected emerging pollutants from different wastewater sources, are eventually discharged into wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the widely used materials CuNPs and oxytetracycline (OTC) were selected as target pollutants to investigate their joint effects on anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox). The results indicated that the environmental concentration slightly inhibited the performance of the reactors, while the performance rapidly deteriorated within a week under high-level combined shocks (5.

The efficacy and safety of acupuncture for Ramsay Hunt syndrome: A protocol for systematic review.

Background: Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS), also known as Hunt syndrome, is caused by varicella-zoster virus infection. The virus often invades the facial nerve geniculate ganglion to cause peripheral facial paralysis, accompanied by severe ear pain, auricular herpes zoster, tinnitus, deafness, vertigo, and other inner ear neurologic symptoms. The acupuncture has a long history as a traditional treatment of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of Hunt syndrome, with few adverse events and low cost.

Twist and sliding dynamics between interpenetrated frames in Ti-MOF revealing high proton conductivity.

We report the design and synthesis of a titanium catecholate framework, MOF-217, comprised of 2,4,6-tri(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TDHT) and isolated TiO clusters, with 2-fold interpenetrated topology. The dynamics of the organic linker, breaking the symmetry, allowed for reversible twist and sliding between interpenetrated frames upon temperature change and the inclusion of small molecules. Introduction of 28 wt% imidazole into the pores of MOF-217, 28% Im-in-MOF-217, resulted in four orders of magnitude increase in proton conductivity, due to the appropriate accommodation of imidazole molecules and their proton transfer facilitated by the H-bond to the MOF structure across the pores.

Extracellular pH-manipulated in situ reconfiguration of aptamer functionalized DNA monomer enables specifically improved affinity, detection and drug delivery.

Aptamers are promising in cancer diagnosis and therapy, but their poor affinity under physiological conditions is a challenge. In view of the acidic microenvironment of solid tumors, we herein developed an extracellular pH-manipulated multivalent approach to exclusively improve the affinity to target cells at physiological temperature. Specifically, an aptamer based DNA monomer (AptDM) with split i-motif fragments overhanging was rationally designed, it possessed pH-responsiveness and doxorubicin loading capacity.

Determination of the response characteristics of anaerobic ammonium oxidation bioreactor disturbed by temperature change with the spectral fingerprint.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria are sensitive and susceptible to operating condition fluctuations that can lead to the instability of a bioreactor. Through multivariate spectral analysis, the dynamic changes of intracellular and extracellular metabolites of anammox sludge under the declined temperature stress were characterized. It was found that effluent fluorescence components were positively related to the bacterial activity, and the response of the protein-like substances to the temperature change was more sensitive than that of humic substances.

Optoelectronic modulation of ionic conductance and rectification through a heterogeneous 1D/2D nanofluidic membrane.

A smart mixed-dimensional heterogeneous membrane is fabricated, through which the ionic conductance and rectification can be precisely and robustly modulated by visible light of 420 nm wavelength with different power intensities simultaneously. The excellent performance makes it a promising alternative for further applications in nanoconfinement analysis.

Long-Term Changes in Gut Microbial Metabolite Trimethylamine N-Oxide and Coronary Heart Disease Risk.

Background: A gut-microbial metabolite, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), has been associated with coronary atherosclerotic burden. No previous prospective study has addressed associations of long-term changes in TMAO with coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether 10-year changes in plasma TMAO levels were significantly associated with CHD incidence.

Occurrence and Distribution of Uranium in a Hydrological Cycle around a Uranium Mill Tailings Pond, Southern China.

Uranium (U) mining activities, which lead to contamination in soils and waters (i.e., leachate from U mill tailings), cause serious environmental problems.