Dual attention multiple instance learning with unsupervised complementary loss for COVID-19 screening.

Chest computed tomography (CT) based analysis and diagnosis of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) plays a key role in combating the outbreak of the pandemic that has rapidly spread worldwide. To date, the disease has infected more than 18 million people with over 690k deaths reported. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the current gold standard for clinical diagnosis but may produce false positives; thus, chest CT based diagnosis is considered more viable.

Synergistic nanoarchitecture of mesoporous carbon and carbon nanotubes for lithium-oxygen batteries.

A rechargeable lithium-oxygen battery (LOB) operates via the electrochemical formation and decomposition of solid-state LiO on the cathode. The rational design of the cathode nanoarchitectures is thus required to realize high-energy-density and long-cycling LOBs. Here, we propose a cathode nanoarchitecture for LOBs, which is composed of mesoporous carbon (MPC) integrated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs).

Enhanced Light Absorption by Facile Patterning of Nano-Grating on Mesoporous TiO Photoelectrode for Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells.

CsPbIBr, a cesium-based all-inorganic halide perovskite (CsPe), is a very promising alternative material to mainstream organic-inorganic hybrid halide perovskite (HPe) materials owing to its exceptional moisture stability, thermal stability, and light stability. However, because of the wide band gap (2.05 eV) of CsPbIBr, it has a low power conversion efficiency (), which hinders its application in highly efficient solar cells.

Ca Regulates ERp57-Calnexin Complex Formation.

ERp57, a member of the protein disulfide isomerase family, is a ubiquitous disulfide catalyst that functions in the oxidative folding of various clients in the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In concert with ER lectin-like chaperones calnexin and calreticulin (CNX/CRT), ERp57 functions in virtually all folding stages from co-translation to post-translation, and thus plays a critical role in maintaining protein homeostasis, with direct implication for pathology. Here, we present mechanisms by which Ca regulates the formation of the ERp57-calnexin complex.

O NMR Spectroscopy: A Novel Probe for Characterizing Protein Structure and Folding.

Oxygen is a key atom that maintains biomolecular structures, regulates various physiological processes, and mediates various biomolecular interactions. Oxygen-17 (O), therefore, has been proposed as a useful probe that can provide detailed information about various physicochemical features of proteins. This is attributed to the facts that (1) O is an active isotope for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic approaches; (2) NMR spectroscopy is one of the most suitable tools for characterizing the structural and dynamical features of biomolecules under native-like conditions; and (3) oxygen atoms are frequently involved in essential hydrogen bonds for the structural and functional integrity of proteins or related biomolecules.

Neutrobots smuggle drugs across biological barriers.

Neutrophil-based microrobots accomplish the mission of crossing the blood-brain barrier for targeted drug delivery.

Screening of important metabolites and KRAS genotypes in colon cancer using secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is an imaging-based analytical technique that can characterize the surfaces of biomaterials. We used TOF-SIMS to identify important metabolites and oncogenic KRAS mutation expressed in human colorectal cancer (CRC). We obtained 540 TOF-SIMS spectra from 180 tissue samples by scanning cryo-sections and selected discriminatory molecules using the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm.

Outdoor-Useable, Wireless/Battery-Free Patch-Type Tissue Oximeter with Radiative Cooling.

For wearable electronics/optoelectronics, thermal management should be provided for accurate signal acquisition as well as thermal comfort. However, outdoor solar energy gain has restricted the efficiency of some wearable devices like oximeters. Herein, wireless/battery-free and thermally regulated patch-type tissue oximeter (PTO) with radiative cooling structures are presented, which can measure tissue oxygenation under sunlight in reliable manner and will benefit athlete training.

Role of the Lipid Membrane and Membrane Proteins in Tau Pathology.

Abnormal accumulation of misfolded tau aggregates is a pathological hallmark of various tauopathies including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although tau is a cytosolic microtubule-associated protein enriched in neurons, it is also found in extracellular milieu, such as interstitial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood. Accumulating evidence showed that pathological tau spreads along anatomically connected areas in the brain through intercellular transmission and templated misfolding, thereby inducing neurodegeneration and cognitive dysfunction.

Self-Templated Formation of Fluffy Graphene-Wrapped NiP Hollow Spheres for Li-Ion Battery Anodes with High Cycling Stability.

Transition-metal phosphides have gained great importance in the field of energy conversion and storage such as electrochemical water splitting, fuel cells, and Li-ion batteries. In this study, a rationally designed novel fluffy graphene (FG)-wrapped monophasic NiP (NiP@FG) is in-situ-synthesized using a chemical vapor deposition method as a Li-ion battery anode material. The porous and hollow structure of NiP core is greatly helpful for lithium-ion diffusion, and at the same time, the cilia-like graphene nanosheet shell provides an electron-conducting layer and stabilizes the solid electrolyte interface formed on the NiP surface.

Proteomic Interrogation in Cancer Biomarker.

Biomarkers factor into the diagnosis and treatment of almost every patient with cancer. The innovation in proteomics follows improvement of mass spectrometry techniques and data processing strategy. Recently, proteomics and typical biological studies have been the answer for clinical applications.

Social isolation impairs the prefrontal-nucleus accumbens circuit subserving social recognition in mice.

Although medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is known to play important roles in social behaviors, how early social experiences affect the mPFC and its subcortical circuit remains unclear. We report that mice singly housed (SH) for 8 weeks after weaning show a social recognition deficit, even after 4 weeks of resocialization. In SH mice, prefrontal infralimbic (IL) neurons projecting to the shell region of nucleus accumbens (NAcSh) show decreased excitability compared with group-housed (GH) mice.

Vascular Sema3E-Plexin-D1 Signaling Reactivation Promotes Post-stroke Recovery through VEGF Downregulation in Mice.

Post-stroke vascular remodeling, including angiogenesis, facilitates functional recovery. Proper vascular repair is important for efficient post-stroke recovery; however, the underlying mechanisms coordinating the diverse signaling pathways involved in vascular remodeling remain largely unknown. Recently, axon guidance molecules were revealed as key players in injured vessel remodeling.

Hydride-Transfer Reaction to a Mononuclear Manganese(III) Iodosylarene Complex.

Metal iodosylarene species have received interest because of their potential oxidative power as a catalyst. We present the first example of hydride-transfer reactions to a mononuclear manganese(III) iodosylbenzene complex, [Mn(TBDAP)(OIPh)(OH)] (; TBDAP = ,-di--butyl-2,11-diaza[3.3](2,6)pyridinophane), with dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) analogues.

Event-related brain response to visual cues in individuals with Internet gaming disorder: relevance to attentional bias and decision-making.

This study investigated attentional bias toward game-related cues in Internet gaming disorder (IGD) using electrophysiological markers of late positive potential (LPP) and identifying the sources of LPP. In addition, the association between LPP and decision-making ability was investigated. The IGD (n = 40) and healthy control (HC; n = 39) participants viewed a series of game-related and neutral pictures, while their event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded.

Ferulic Acid Induces Keratin 6α via Inhibition of Nuclear β-Catenin Accumulation and Activation of Nrf2 in Wound-Induced Inflammation.

Injured tissue triggers complex interactions through biological process associated with keratins. Rapid recovery is most important for protection against secondary infection and inflammatory pain. For rapid wound healing with minimal pain and side effects, shilajit has been used as an ayurvedic medicine.

Differential Regulation of Ca-Activated Cl Channel TMEM16A Splice Variants by Membrane PI(4,5)P.

TMEM16A is a Ca-activated Cl channel that controls broad cellular processes ranging from mucus secretion to signal transduction and neuronal excitability. Recent studies have reported that membrane phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P) is an important cofactor that allosterically regulates TMEM16A channel activity. However, the detailed regulatory actions of PIP in splice variants of TMEM16A remain unclear.

Nuclear VEGFR-2 Expression of Hepatocytes Is Involved in Hepatocyte Proliferation and Liver Regeneration During Chronic Liver Injury.

Background/aim: The pathological role of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) in chronic liver injury and liver regeneration is not fully understood. This study analysed the role of VEGFR-2 in liver fibrosis and its regeneration process.

Materials And Methods: We administered intraperitoneally 50 mg/kg to 300 mg/kg thioacetamide (TAA) to 9-week-old male mice for 17 weeks.

Magnetically Actuated Drug Delivery Helical Microrobot with Magnetic Nanoparticle Retrieval Ability.

Therapeutic drug delivery microrobots capable of accurate targeting using an electromagnetic actuation (EMA) system are being developed. However, these drug delivery microrobots include a large number of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for accurate EMA targeting, which causes side effects, such as problems with membrane integrity and normal cell apoptosis. Here, a biocompatible and hydrolyzable PEGDA-based drug delivery helical microrobot capable of MNP retrieval is proposed in which doxorubicin (DOX), an anticancer drug, is encapsulated and MNPs are conjugated by a disulfide bond.

Palmitate reduces starvation-induced ER stress by inhibiting ER-phagy in hypothalamic cells.

Palmitate is a saturated fatty acid that is well known to induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and autophagy. A high-fat diet increases the palmitate level in the hypothalamus, the main region of the brain regulating energy metabolism. Interestingly, hypothalamic palmitate level is also increased under starvation, urging the study to distinguish the effects of elevated hypothalamic palmitate level under different nutrient conditions.

Imbalanced Loss-Integrated Deep-Learning-Based Ultrasound Image Analysis for Diagnosis of Rotator-Cuff Tear.

A rotator cuff tear (RCT) is an injury in adults that causes difficulty in moving, weakness, and pain. Only limited diagnostic tools such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound Imaging (UI) systems can be utilized for an RCT diagnosis. Although UI offers comparable performance at a lower cost to other diagnostic instruments such as MRI, speckle noise can occur the degradation of the image resolution.

CD5L as an Extracellular Vesicle-Derived Biomarker for Liquid Biopsy of Lung Cancer.

Cancer screening and diagnosis can be achieved by analyzing specific molecules within serum-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). This study sought to profile EV-derived proteins to identify potential lung cancer biomarkers. EVs were isolated from 80 serum samples from healthy individuals and cancer patients via polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based precipitation and immunoaffinity separation using antibodies against CD9, CD63, CD81, and EpCAM.

Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Mathematical Expertise.

To what extent are different levels of expertise reflected in the functional connectivity of the brain? We addressed this question by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in mathematicians versus non-mathematicians. To this end, we investigated how the two groups of participants differ in the correlation of their spontaneous blood oxygen level-dependent fluctuations across the whole brain regions during resting state. Moreover, by using the classification algorithm in machine learning, we investigated whether the resting-state fMRI networks between mathematicians and non-mathematicians were distinguished depending on features of functional connectivity.

Comparison of the sensitizing effects of cocaine and ethanol on histone deacetylase isoforms in the rat brain.

Behavioral sensitization, an animal model of drug addiction, persists for a prolonged period after repeated exposure to drugs of abuse. The persistence of an addiction behavioral phenotype suggests long-lasting changes in gene regulation at the epigenetic level. We measured the expression of histone deacetylases (HDACs) isoforms in the prefrontal cortex and dorsal striatum following the development of sensitization to cocaine (15 mg/kg, administered five times) and ethanol (0.