Dictating nanorod assembly via the hydrophilic/hydrophobic transition of polymer ligands based on Hofmeister effect.

Self-organization of anisotropic nanostructures into polymer/inorganic superstructures are of great research interest for various applications owing to their enhanced directional properties, such as plasmonics and catalysis. However, the controllable assembly and oriented growth of nanorods in solution without external template assistance remains a great challenge. Here, we report a facile Hofmeister-effect-based assembly strategy for fabricating ordered arrangements of polyethylene glycol-tethered gold nanorods (AuNRs@PEG) with controlled orientation and dimension.

Templated self-organization of polymer-tethered gold nanoparticles into freestanding superlattices at the liquid-air interface.

Programmable organization of uniform organic/inorganic functional building blocks into large-scale ordered superlattices has attracted considerable attention since the bottom-up self-organization strategy opens up a robust and universal route for designing novel and multifunctional materials with advanced applications in memory storage devices, catalysis, photonic crystals, and biotherapy. Despite making great efforts in the construction of superlattice materials, there still remains a challenge in the preparation of organic/inorganic hybrid superlattices with tunable dimensions and exotic configurations. Here, we report the spontaneous self-organization of polystyrene-tethered gold nanoparticles (AuNPs@PS) into freestanding organic/inorganic hybrid superlattices templated at the diethylene glycol-air interface.

Quadrangular prism-like oxidized tin sulfide for high activity COER to formate.

A quadrangular prism-like oxidized tin sulfide catalyst with abundant sulfur vacancies was designed and synthesized for the COER. The quadrangular prism-like structure is utilized to increase the stability, while vacancy engineering is used to improve the activity and selectivity of the catalyst. The catalyst exhibits exceptional electrocatalytic activity for CO reduction to HCOO, achieving up to 95% faradaic efficiency for HCOO and maintaining stability for up to 36 hours at -1.

Polyhedral Colloidal Clusters Assembled from Amphiphilic Nanoparticles in Deformable Droplets.

Polyhedral colloidal clusters assembled from functional inorganic nanoparticles have attracted great interest in both scientific research and applications. However, the spontaneous assembly of colloidal nanoparticles into polyhedral clusters with regular shape and tunable structures remains a grand challenges. Here, we successfully construct Mackay icosahedral and regular tetrahedral colloidal clusters assembled from gold nanoparticles grafted with a mixture of polystyrene (PS) and poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) homopolymers by precisely tuning the interfacial interaction between the nanoparticles and the oil/water interface.

Engineered and Durable Antimicrobial Polymer via Controllable Immobilization of Ionic Liquids onto the Poly(lactic acid) Chains.

Nowadays, the development of effective modification methods for PLA has gained significant interest because of the wide application of antimicrobial PLA materials in the medical progress. Herein, the ionic liquid (IL) 1-vinyl-3-butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, has been grafted onto the PLA chains successfully in the PLA/IL blending films via electron beam (EB) radiation for the miscibility between PLA and IL. It was found that the existence of IL in the PLA matrix can significantly improve the chemical stability under EB radiation.

Defense System of the Manila Clam under High-Temperature and Hydrogen Sulfide Conditions.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) acts as an environmental toxin. Despite its toxicity, little is known about the defense strategies of marine bivalves against it. Thus, the tolerance, behavioral characteristics, and physiological response strategies against HS treatment in the sentinel organism Manila clam were examined.

Tunable shape memory properties of highly stretchable poly(ester urea) random copolymers based on α-amino acids.

The exploration of biodegradable polymers with shape memory effects (SMEs) holds great promise in biomedical fields. Revealing the relationship between the SMEs and polymer structures not only contributes to interpreting the SME mechanisms, but also prompts the customization of materials properties for specific requirements. Herein, we developed a series of poly(ester urea) (PEU) random copolymers composed of two different diamine monomers based on L-alanine and L-valine, respectively.

A Famous Chinese Medicine Formula: Yinhuo Decoction Antagonizes the Damage of Corticosterone to PC12 Cells and Improves Depression by Regulating the SIRT1/PGC-1 Pathway.

The study aimed to explore the antidepressant effect of Yinhuo Decoction and further to explore its underlying molecular mechanism acting on depressant. Here, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used to the composition analysis. Postmenopausal depression (PMD) model and corticosterone (CORT)-induced cell model were constructed.

A two-stage energy tuning strategy salt and glycine programmed DNA-engineered crystals.

To obtain high-quality DNA-engineered crystals at room temperature, a two-stage energy tuning strategy by first adding NaCl and then glycine (Gly) is proposed. The addition of Gly can exquisitely balance the attraction and repulsion energies for crystallization. The state transition induced by energy rather than temperature is significant for a biosystem.

2 µm lasing from Tm-doped PbO-PbF-BiO-GaO glass microspheres.

Whispering gallery mode (WGM) lasers at ∼2µ are demonstrated in PbO--- (PBG) heavy metal oxyfluoride glass microspheres. A 793 nm diode laser is used to pump the PBG microsphere and achieve single-mode and multimode WGM lasing. The fluorescence spectra of -doped PBG glasses are measured under 793 nm diode laser pumping.

Introducing the non-invasive prenatal testing for detection of Down syndrome in China: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the health economic value of a non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) strategy against a second-trimester triple screening (STS) strategy for the detection of Down syndrome based on real-world data from China.

Design: A decision-analytical model was developed to compare the cost-effectiveness of five strategies from a societal perspective. Cost and probability input data were obtained from the real-world surveys and published sources.

Research supporting malaria control and elimination in China over four decades: a bibliometric analysis of academic articles published in chinese from 1980 to 2019.

Background: China has accumulated considerable experience in malaria control and elimination over the past decades. Many research papers have been published in Chinese journals. This study intends to describe the development and experience of malaria control and elimination in China by quantitatively analysing relevant research using a bibliometric analysis.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of malaria rapid diagnostic test in the elimination setting.

Background: As more and more countries approaching the goal of malaria elimination, malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) was recomendated to be a diagnostic strategy to achieve and maintain the statute of malaria free, as it's less requirments on equipment and experitise than microscopic examination. But there are very few economic evaluations to confirm whether RDT was cost-effective in the setting of malaria elimination. This research aimed to offer evidence for helping decision making on malaria diagnosis strategy.

Broadband 2.7 µm mid-infrared emissions in Er-doped PbO-PbF-BiO-GaO glasses.

Broadband emission at 2.7 µm is observed in an -doped --- glass. The measured emission band full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) is ∼184.

High value of rapid diagnostic tests to diagnose malaria within children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Children aged under five years accounted for 61% of all malaria deaths worldwide in 2017, and quicker differential diagnosis of malaria fever is vital for them. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are strips to detect.

Plasmodium: specific antigens promptly and are helpful in resource-limited areas.

Enhancing the stability of single-stranded DNA on gold nanoparticles as molecular machines through salt and acid regulation.

DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles (DNA-AuNPs) have shown great potential and exciting opportunities for constructing machine-like nanodevices. Nonthiolated DNA can be grafted onto gold surfaces via DNA bases, such as polyadenine (polyA)-DNA. The colloidal stability of polyA-DNA-AuNPs has a significant dependency on salt and pH that affects the assembly of AuNPs and their application in polyA-DNA molecular machines.

Structural and Physicochemical Properties and Biocompatibility of Linear and Looped Polymer-Capped Gold Nanoparticles.

Various polymer brushes with linear and looped conformations have gained considerable attention in the application of biomaterials and nanotechnology. In this work, the linear and looped polymer brush shells based on PEG-SH and SH-PEG-SH chains binding to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are synthesized. The structure and topology of the PEGylated AuNPs are systematically investigated.

Association of BER and NER pathway polymorphism haplotypes and micronucleus frequencies with global DNA methylation in benzene-exposed workers of China: Effects of DNA repair genes polymorphisms on genetic damage.

Objective: The base excision repair (BER) pathway and nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway play important roles in the repair of benzene-induced genetic damage, and the effects of polymorphisms in these pathways on genetic damage and global DNA methylation are of great interest.

Methods: Ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the BER (XRCC1: rs25489, rs25487; APE1: rs1130409) and NER pathways (XPA: rs1800975; XPC: rs2228000, rs2228002; XPD: rs13181, rs1799793; XPG: rs17655; ERCC1: rs3212986) were analyzed by a Kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) assay to find associations with cytokinesis-block micronucleus (MN) frequency and global DNA methylation in 294 shoe factory workers and 102 control participants.

Results: Workers who possessed the following genotypes were associated with high MN frequency: rs25487 AA (FR (95% CI): 1.

A study of polyethylene glycol backfilling for enhancing target recognition using QCM-D and DPI.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a promising candidate for protein resistance and preserving protein function in biomedical applications. In this study, a PEG-based bifunctional platform with antifouling for plasma proteins and high sensitivity for biomolecules was designed. Long PEG chains (PEG) were used to install functional biomolecules, and short PEG chains (PEG) served as a protective layer to backfill the surface and suppress nonspecific protein adsorption.

Highly sensitive temperature sensor using packaged optical microfiber coupler filled with liquids.

A novel temperature sensor based on a Teflon capillary encapsulated 2 × 2 optical microfiber coupler (OMC) filled with refractive index matching liquids is described. The sealed capillary and the filling liquid are demonstrated to enhance the temperature sensing performance, achieving a high temperature sensitivity of 5.3 nm/°C.

Surface modification of polyisobutylene via grafting amino acid-based poly (acryloyl-6-aminocaproic acid) as multifunctional material.

Amino acid-based P(acryloyl-6-aminocaproic acid) (PAACA) brushes were fabricated on polyisobutylene (PIB) surface combined with plasma pre-treatment and UV-induced grafting polymerization to construct an antifouling and functional material. The hydrophilicity and hemocompatibility of PIB were largely improved by surface modification of AACA, which were confirmed by water contact angle and platelet adhesion, respectively. PAACA brushes were precisely located onto the surface of PIB to create a patterned PIB-g-PAACA structure, and then the carboxyl groups on PAACA was activated to immobilize functional protein-Concanavalin A (Con A).

Effect of GnRHR polymorphisms on in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

We investigated the relationship between gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) gene polymorphisms and outcome of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). PCOS patients undergoing IVF-ET were selected, and infertile patients due to dysfunctional oviducts served as controls. GnRHR gene polymorphisms were detected using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay.

The efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Immunotherapy is a novel treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Immunotherapy includes two main broad classes of therapeutic vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors, as well as cytokines, biological response modifiers and cellular therapy. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different classes of immunotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Lanthanum enhances glutamate-nitric oxide-3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway in the hippocampus of rats.

Lanthanum (La) appears to impair learning and memory and increase the toxicity of excitatory amino acids in the central nervous system. The mechanism underlying excitotoxicity induced by La is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hippocampal impairment of La exposure and possible mechanism involving the glutamate-nitric oxide (NO)-3'-5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway.

D-cycloserine augmentation in behavioral therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the overall effect of D-cycloserine (DCS) augmentation on exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Methods: Clinical studies on the effect of DCS augmentation on ERP therapy for OCD compared to placebo were included for meta analysis. The primary outcome was the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS).