Brightening of Optical Forbidden Interlayer Quantum Emitters in WSe Homobilayers.

Interlayer excitons (IXs) in layered van der Waals materials are promising for quantum technologies and fundamental studies such as exciton-polariton condensation due to their large permanent dipole moments. However, their indirect bandgap optical transition through the Q-K channel renders them momentum forbidden and thus less relevant for optical applications. Here, we demonstrate a method for brightening momentum indirect Q-K transitions from IX quantum emitters (QEs) in 2H-stacked bilayer WSe by simultaneously employing local strain and plasmonic nanocavity coupling.

[Efficacy of prolonged azithromycin versus switching to doxycycline in the treatment of macrolide-unresponsive pneumonia in children].

Objectives: To investigate the efficacy and safety of prolonged azithromycin (PAZM) versus switching to doxycycline (SDXC) in the treatment of macrolide-unresponsive pneumonia (MUMPP) in children.

Methods: A total of 173 children with MUMPP who were hospitalized in Baoji Central Hospital, from January to December 2023 were selected as subjects. According to the choice of secondary antibiotic after 72 hours of initial macrolide therapy, they were divided into two groups: PAZM and SDXC.

Advances in laboratory diagnosis of Sjogren's disease in children.

Sjogren's disease (SjD) in children is a rare chronic autoimmune disease not fully recognized due to clinical manifestations different from adults. As such, new objective indicators are needed to supplement existing markers and assist in diagnosis. This review summarizes pathogenesis of SjD in children, current diagnostic criteria and research progress in laboratory diagnosis including serologic testing, saliva and tear analysis, histopathological examination as well as emerging markers of interest.

Combination therapy using low-dose anlotinib and immune checkpoint inhibitors for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

Background: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of low-dose anlotinib combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors as second-line or later treatment for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC).

Methods: The study included 42 patients with ES-SCLC who were treated with low-dose anlotinib combined with programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell death-ligand 1 inhibitors at Henan Cancer Hospital between March 2019 and August 2022. We retrospectively analyzed the efficacy and safety data for these patients.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in clinical laboratory protein measurement.

Proteins are essential components of human cells and tissues, and they are commonly measured in clinical laboratories using immunoassays. However, these assays have certain limitations, such as non-specificity binding, insufficient selectivity, and interference of antibodies. More sensitive, accurate, and efficient technology is required to overcome these limitations.

Plasma Steroid Profiling Combined With Machine Learning for the Differential Diagnosis in Mild Autonomous Cortisol Secretion From Nonfunctioning Adenoma in Patients With Adrenal Incidentalomas.

Objective: To assess the diagnostic value of combining plasma steroid profiling with machine learning (ML) in differentiating between mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) and nonfunctioning adenoma (NFA) in patients with adrenal incidentalomas.

Methods: The plasma steroid profiles data in the laboratory information system were screened from January 2021 to December 2023. EXtreme Gradient Boosting was applied to establish diagnostic models using plasma 24-steroid panels and/or clinical characteristics of the subjects.

New directions for Ψ and mA decoding in mRNA: deciphering the stoichiometry and function.

Over the past decade, advancements in epitranscriptomics have significantly enhanced our understanding of mRNA metabolism and its role in human development and diseases. This period has witnessed breakthroughs in sequencing technologies and the identification of key proteins involved in RNA modification processes. Alongside the well-studied mA, Ψ and mA have emerged as key epitranscriptomic markers.

Plasma-Enabled Selective Synthesis of Biobased Phenolics from Lignin-Derived Feedstock.

Converting abundant biomass-derived feedstocks into value-added platform chemicals has attracted increasing interest in biorefinery; however, the rigorous operating conditions that are required limit the commercialization of these processes. Nonthermal plasma-based electrification using intermittent renewable energy is an emerging alternative for sustainable next-generation chemical synthesis under mild conditions. Here, we report a hydrogen-free tunable plasma process for the selective conversion of lignin-derived anisole into phenolics with a high selectivity of 86.

Scaffold-Guided Crystallization of Oriented α-FAPbI Nanowire Arrays for Solar Cells.

Perovskite nanowire arrays with large surface areas for efficient charge transfer and continuous highly crystalline domains for efficient charge transport exhibit ideal morphologies for solar-cell active layers. Here, we introduce a room temperature two-step method to grow dense, vertical nanowire arrays of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI). PbI nanocrystals embedded in the cylindrical nanopores of anodized titanium dioxide scaffolds were converted to FAPbI by immersion in a FAI solution for a period of 0.

High-Purity Generation and Switching of Twisted Single Photons.

Quantum technologies, if scaled into a high-dimensional Hilbert space, can dramatically enhance connection capabilities with supporting higher bit rates and ultrasecure information transfer. Twisted single photons, carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) as an unbounded dimension, could address the growing demand for high-dimensional quantum information encoding and transmission. By hybrid integration of two-dimensional semiconductor WSe_{2} with a spin-orbit-coupled microring resonator, we demonstrate an integrated tunable twisted single photon source with the ability to precisely define and switch between highly pure spin-OAM states.

Comparison of Direct and Extraction Immunoassay Methods With Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Measurement of Urinary Free Cortisol for the Diagnosis of Cushing's Syndrome.

Background: Twenty-four-hour urinary free cortisol (UFC) measurement is the initial diagnostic test for Cushing's syndrome (CS). We compared UFC determination by both direct and extraction immunoassays using Abbott Architect, Siemens Atellica Solution, and Beckman DxI800 with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In addition, we evaluated the value of 24-hr UFC measured by six methods for diagnosing CS.

Abnormal tryptophan catabolism in diabetes mellitus and its complications: Opportunities and challenges.

In recent years, the incidence rate of diabetes mellitus (DM), including type 1 diabetes mellitus(T1DM), type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), has increased year by year and has become a major global health problem. DM can lead to serious complications of macrovascular and microvascular. Tryptophan (Trp) is an essential amino acid for the human body.

Non-Pharmacological Interventions in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of non-pharmacologic interventions and the additional benefits of their combination in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Data Sources: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Clinical Trials Register from the date of database inception to April 22, 2023.

Study Selection: Randomized controlled trials involving non-pharmacologic interventions conducted in patients with HFrEF were included.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in fat-soluble vitamin deficiency.

Fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K, are essential for maintaining normal body function and metabolism. Fat-soluble vitamin deficiency may lead to bone diseases, anemia, bleeding, xerophthalmia, etc. Early detection and timely interventions are significant for preventing vitamin deficiency-related diseases.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Copeptin in the Differential Diagnosis of Patients With Diabetes Insipidus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objective: Accurate diagnosis of diabetes insipidus (DI) is of significant importance for correct management. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of copeptin level measurements in the differential diagnosis between DI and primary polydipsia (PP).

Methods: A literature search of electronic databases from January 1, 2005, to July 13, 2022, was performed.

Quantitative profiling of pseudouridylation landscape in the human transcriptome.

Pseudouridine (Ψ) is an abundant post-transcriptional RNA modification in ncRNA and mRNA. However, stoichiometric measurement of individual Ψ sites in human transcriptome remains unaddressed. Here we develop 'PRAISE', via selective chemical labeling of Ψ by bisulfite to induce nucleotide deletion signature during reverse transcription, to realize quantitative assessment of the Ψ landscape in the human transcriptome.

Serum biomarkers for liver fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis is a common pathway in most chronic liver diseases, characterized by excessive extracellular matrix accumulation. Without treatment, fibrosis will ultimately result in cirrhosis, portal hypertension, and even liver failure. It is considered that liver fibrosis is reversible while cirrhosis is not, making it significant to diagnose and evaluate liver fibrogenesis timely.

Decreased Retinal Vascular Density in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): An Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) Study.

Background: To explore the retinal vascular density changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Methods: We recruit 62 AD patients, 47 MCI patients, and 49 cognitively healthy controls (HC) in this study. All participants in the study received a comprehensive ophthalmological and neurological evaluation, including global cognitive screening, as well as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and completed the following eye examinations: visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), examination with slit-lamp, fundus photography (Version 1.

Magnetic Proximity Coupling of Quantum Emitters in WSe to van der Waals Ferromagnets.

The realization of on-chip quantum networks requires tunable quantum states to encode information carriers on them. We show that CrGeTe (CGT) as a van der Waals ferromagnet can enable magnetic proximity coupling to site-controlled quantum emitters in WSe, giving rise to ultrahigh exciton factors up to 20 ± 1. By comparing the same site-controlled quantum emitter before and after ferromagnetic proximity coupling, we also demonstrate a technique to directly measure the resulting magnetic exchange field (MEF) strength.

Purcell-enhanced quantum yield from carbon nanotube excitons coupled to plasmonic nanocavities.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are promising absorbers and emitters to enable novel photonic applications and devices but are also known to suffer from low optical quantum yields. Here we demonstrate SWCNT excitons coupled to plasmonic nanocavity arrays reaching deeply into the Purcell regime with Purcell factors (F ) up to F  = 180 (average F  = 57), Purcell-enhanced quantum yields of 62% (average 42%), and a photon emission rate of 15 MHz into the first lens. The cavity coupling is quasi-deterministic since the photophysical properties of every SWCNT are enhanced by at least one order of magnitude.

Multicolor bioimaging with biosynthetic zinc nanoparticles and their application in tumor detection.

Because they generate excellent images, nanoparticles (NPs), especially biosynthesized NPs, provide a new solution for tumor imaging. In this research, we unveil a novel type of biosynthesized NPs featuring multicolor fluorescence. These NPs exhibit little cytotoxicity to cells.