Schematic of the band-gap structures of BiOF/BiOI and the possible charge separation processes.
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This is the first paper to report a series of bismuth oxyfluoride/bismuth oxyiodide ...(BiOpFq/BiOxIy) nanocomposites with different F/I molar ratios, pH values, and reaction temperatures that were synthesized through a template-free and controlled hydrothermal method. These nanocomposites were characterized through scanning electron microscope energy dispersive microscopy (SEM-EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Under visible-light irradiation, the BiOpFq/BiOxIy composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activities in the degradation of crystal violet (CV) and 2-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA). The order of rate constants was BiOF/BiOI > BiOI ≫ BiOF. The photocatalytic activity of BiOF/BiOI composites reached a maximum rate constant of 0.2305 h−1, 1.2 times higher than that of BiOI and 100 times higher than that of BiOF. Thus, the derived BiOF/BiOI is crucial for photocatalytic activity enhancement. After the removal of CV in the third cycle, no apparent deficits in photocatalytic activity were observed, and the observed deficit was 8.2% during the fifth run. Overall, the catalytic activity and stability observed for the proposed composites were determined to be adequate under visible-light irradiation. For various scavengers, the noted quenching effects demonstrated that reactive O2− has a notable role in the degradation of the applied CV.
Ingroup bias could be a significant hindrance in a context where intergroup collaboration is crucial, which makes it essential to investigate ingroup bias during pandemics. This research investigated ...the influence of individuals' belief in fate control on ingroup bias in helping with COVID-19, and the mediating role of risk perception of COVID-19. To test our hypothesis, we analyzed the data from a community sample (n = 318) collected at the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. We found that fate control was positively associated with ingroup bias in donation to the patients with COVID-19 and the frontline healthcare professionals. Moreover, the mediating role of risk perception of COVID-19 was significant. A higher level of fate control was associated with higher risk perception of COVID-19, which was, in turn, related to stronger ingroup bias in donation across individuals. These findings highlight the substantial role of general worldview in shaping individuals' responses to pandemics.
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), an epithelial malignancy affecting a variety of subsites in the oral cavity, is prevalent in Asia. The survival rate of OSCC patients has not improved over the ...past decades due to its heterogeneous etiology, genetic aberrations, and treatment outcomes. Improvement in therapeutic strategies and tailored treatment options is an unmet need. To unveil the mutational spectrum, whole-exome sequencing of 120 OSCC from male individuals in Taiwan was conducted. Analyzing the contributions of the five mutational signatures extracted from the dataset of somatic variations identified four groups of tumors that were significantly associated with demographic and clinical features. In addition, known (
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) genes that were significantly and frequently mutated in OSCC were discovered. Further analyses of gene alteration status with clinical parameters revealed that the tumors of the tongue were enriched with copy-number alterations in several gene clusters containing
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. Through defining the catalog of targetable genomic alterations, 58% of the tumors were found to carry at least one aberrant event potentially targeted by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved agents. Strikingly, if targeting the p53-cell cycle pathway (
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) by the drugs studied in phase I-III clinical trials, those possibly actionable tumors are predominantly located in the tongue, suggesting a better prediction of sensitivity to current targeted therapies. Our work revealed molecular OSCC subgroups that reflect etiological and prognostic correlation as well as defined the landscape of major altered events in the coding regions of OSCC genomes. These findings provide clues for the design of clinical trials for targeted therapies and stratification of OSCC patients with differential therapeutic efficacy.
Congenital absence of the pericardium (CAP) is rare in clinical practice, the symptoms vary among patients, and most doctors do not have enough knowledge of the condition. Most reported CAP cases are ...incidental findings. Therefore, this case report aimed to present a rare case of left partial CAP that presented with non-specific, possibly cardiac-related symptoms.
The patient, male, 56 years old, Asian, was admitted on March 2, 2021. The patient complained of occasional dizziness in the past week. The patient was suffering from hyperlipidemia and hypertension (stage 2), both untreated. The patient reported chest pain, palpitations, discomfort in the precordium, and dyspnea in the lateral recumbent position after strenuous activities, all of which started when he was about 15 years old. ECG showed sinus rhythm, 76 bpm, premature ventricular beats, incomplete right bundle branch block, and clockwise rotation of the electrical axis. Most of the ascending aorta could be detected in the parasternal intercostal space 2-4 by transthoracic echocardiography in the left lateral position. Chest computed tomography revealed the absence of pericardium between the aorta and the pulmonary artery, and part of the left lung was extending into the space. No changes in his condition have been reported up to now (March 2023).
CAP should be considered when multiple examinations suggest heart rotation and a large moving range of the heart in the thoracic cavity.
Molecular features underlining the multistage progression of gastric lesions and development of early gastric cancer (GC) are poorly understood, restricting the ability to GC prevention and ...management.
We portrayed proteomic landscape and explored proteomic signatures associated with progression of gastric lesions and risk of early GC. Tissue proteomic profiling was conducted for a total of 324 subjects. A case-control study was performed in the discovery stage (n=169) based on populations from Linqu, a known high-risk area for GC in China. We then conducted two-stage validation, including a cohort study from Linqu (n = 56), with prospective follow-up for progression of gastric lesions (280–473 days), and an independent case-control study from Beijing (n = 99).
There was a clear distinction in proteomic features for precancerous gastric lesions and GC. We derived four molecular subtypes of gastric lesions and identified subtype-S4 with the highest progression risk. We found 104 positively-associated and 113 inversely-associated proteins for early GC, with APOA1BP, PGC, HPX and DDT associated with the risk of gastric lesion progression. Integrating these proteomic signatures, the ability to predict progression of gastric lesions was significantly strengthened (areas-under-the-curve=0.88 (95%CI: 0.78–0.99) vs. 0.56 (0.36–0.76), Delong's P = 0.002). Immunohistochemistry assays and examination at mRNA level validated the findings for four proteins.
We defined proteomic signatures for progression of gastric lesions and risk of early GC, which may have translational significance for identifying particularly high-risk population and detecting GC at an early stage, improving potential for targeted GC prevention.
The funders are listed in the Acknowledgement.
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•Fe species weakens the SMSI and improves the reducibility of PtOx.•Fe facilitates the dispersion of uniformly distributed Pt nanoparticles.•Electrons transfer from Pt to Fe and the ...electron‒deficient Pt species are formed.•DBT HDS is thermodynamically and kinetically favorable on the PtFe(111) surface.•Because Fe has a high sulfur affinity, S atom preferentially bonds to Fe atom.
The improvement of the sulfur tolerance over Pt catalyst is critical for the hydrotreatment of crude oil. Fe was co‒impregnation with Pt on γ-Al2O3 at different calcination temperature. Results revealed that adding Fe significantly facilitated the reduction of Pt oxides for the catalyst calcined at 400 °C. The morphological analysis and CO chemisorption showed Fe improved the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. The surface chemical state analysis implied the co‒existence of the electron‒deficient Pt and metallic Fe. However, the increase of calcination temperature caused a decreased reducibility of Pt oxides due to strong metal support interaction. A higher dibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization conversion of 97.7 % with a dominant biphenyl selectivity of 96.7 % were acquired for the catalysts incorporated with Fe. The density functional theory calculations confirmed the alloyed Fe led to the formation of electron‒deficient Pt atoms, and the higher affinity to sulfur made Fe be a favorable additive for noble metal catalyst in the hydrodesulfurization.
Bile acids play crucial roles in various metabolisms, as well as Lactobacillus in the intestine. But studies on their roles in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are still insufficient. The aim of this ...study was to investigate their role and potential association with the severity of coronary lesions and the prognosis of ACS.
Three hundred and sixty ACS patients were selected. Detection of gut Lactobacillus levels was done through 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Evaluation of the extent of lesions was done using the SYNTAX (SS) score. Mediation analysis was used to assess the relationship between serum total bile acid (TBA), Lactobacillus, atherosclerotic lesions and prognosis of ACS.
Logistic regressive analysis disclosed that serum TBA and Lactobacillus were independent predictors of coronary lesions (high vs. low SS: serum TBA adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.6-0.9, p < .01; Lactobacillus: aOR = 0.9, 95% CI: 0.9-1.0, p = .03). According to multivariate Cox regression analysis, they were negatively correlated with the overall risk of all-cause death (serum TBA: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.1, 95% CI: 0.0-0.6, p = .02; Lactobacillus: aHR = 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-0.9, p = .01), especially in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) but not in unstable angina pectoris (UAP). Ulteriorly, mediation analysis showed that serum TBA played an important role as a mediation effect in the following aspects: Lactobacillus (17.0%, p < .05) → SS association (per 1 standard deviation (SD) increase), Lactobacillus (43.0%, p < .05) → all-cause death (per 1 SD increase) and Lactobacillus (45.4%, p < .05) → cardiac death (per 1 SD increase).
The lower serum TBA and Lactobacillus level in ACS patients, especially in AMI, was independently linked to the risk of coronary lesions, all-cause death and cardiac death. In addition, according to our mediation model, serum TBA served as a partial intermediate in predicting coronary lesions and the risk of death by Lactobacillus, which is paramount to further exploring the mechanism of Lactobacillus and bile acids in ACS.
KEY MESSAGES
Lower level of serum total bile acid (TBA) was highly associated with the severity of coronary lesions, myocardial damage, inflammation and gut Lactobacillus in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, especially in acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
Lower level of serum TBA was highly associated with mortality (including all-cause death and cardiac death) in patients with ACS, especially with AMI.
Serum TBA had a partial mediating effect rather than regulating effect between gut Lactobacillus and coronary lesions and prognosis of ACS.
In this study, an electric-thermal-fluid coupling simulation model of the spacer in 500-kV dc gas-insulated transmission line (GIL) is established to investigate the surface charge accumulation ...behavior under thermal convection. The variation of the load currents is used to generate different temperature gradients. Results show that homopolar and bipolar charges accumulate on spacer upper and lower surfaces, respectively, which are dominated by bulk conduction. The lower surface has a higher temperature and a faster charge accumulation rate under the thermal convection. Increased temperature gradients lead to an increase in bulk conductivity and bulk current, therefore accelerating surface charge accumulation. Compared with the case without thermal convection, the upper surface shows lower saturation values under the thermal convection, while the lower surface shows higher saturation values. This study could contribute to the optimization of dc GIL.
Little evidence exists about the effects of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution on metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study aimed to determine the association between long-term ambient air ...pollution and MetS in China. A total of 15,477 adults who participated in the 33 Communities Chinese Health Study (33CCHS) in 2009 were evaluated. MetS was defined based on the recommendation by the Joint Interim Societies. Exposure to air pollutants was assessed using data from monitoring stations and a spatial statistical model (including particles with diameters ≤ 1.0 µm (PM1), ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), and ≤ 10 µm (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3)). Two-level logistic regression analyses were utilized to assess the associations between air pollutants and MetS. The prevalence of MetS was 30.37%. The adjusted odds ratio of MetS per 10 µg/m3 increase in PM1, PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and O3 were 1.12 (95% CI = 1.00–1.24), 1.09 (95% CI = 1.00–1.18), 1.13 (95% CI = 1.08–1.19), 1.10 (95% CI = 1.02–1.18), 1.33 (95% CI = 1.12–1.57), and 1.10 (95% CI = 1.01–1.18), respectively. Stratified analyses indicated that the above associations were stronger in participants with the demographic variables of males, < 50 years of age, and higher income, as well as with the behavioral characteristics of smoking, drinking, and consuming sugar-sweetened soft drinks frequently. This study indicates that long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants may increase the risk of MetS, especially among males, the young to middle aged, those of low income, and those with unhealthy lifestyles.
•Associations of ambient air pollution with metabolic syndrome were scarcely studied.•Data from 15,477 Chinese adults were analyzed.•Long-term exposure to air pollution was associated with metabolic syndrome.•Demographic and lifestyle factors modified the association between metabolic syndrome and air pollution.
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