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Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has seriously endangered the health and lives of Chinese people. In this study, we predicted the COVID-19 epidemic trend and estimated the efficacy of several intervention strategies in the mainland of China. Methods According to the COVID-19 epidemic status, we constructed a compartmental model. Based on reported data from the National Health Commission of People’s Republic of China during January 10–February 17, 2020, we estimated the model parameters. We then predicted the epidemic trend and transmission risk of COVID-19. Using a sensitivity analysis method, we estimated the efficacy of several intervention strategies. Results The cumulative number of confirmed cases in the mainland of China will be 86 763 (95% CI: 86 067 – 87 460) on May 2, 2020. Up until March 15, 2020, the case fatality rate increased to 6.42% (95% CI: 6.16 – 6.68%). On February 23, 2020, the existing confirmed cases reached its peak, with 60 890 cases (95% CI: 60 350 – 61 431). On January 23, 2020, the effective reproduction number was 2.620 (95% CI: 2.567 – 2.676) and had dropped below 1.0 since February 5, 2020. Due to governmental intervention, the total number of confirmed cases was reduced by 99.85% on May 2, 2020. Had the isolation been relaxed from February 24, 2020, there might have been a second peak of infection. However, relaxing the isolation after March 16, 2020 greatly reduced the number of existing confirmed cases and deaths. The total number of confirmed cases and deaths would increase by 8.72 and 9.44%, respectively, due to a 1-day delayed diagnosis in non-isolated infected patients. Moreover, if the coverage of close contact tracing was increased to 100%, the cumulative number of confirmed cases would be decreased by 88.26% on May 2, 2020. Conclusions The quarantine measures adopted by the Chinese government since January 23, 2020 were necessary and effective. Postponing the relaxation of isolation, early diagnosis, patient isolation, broad close-contact tracing, and strict monitoring of infected persons could effectively control the COVID-19 epidemic. April 1, 2020 would be a reasonable date to lift quarantine in Hubei and Wuhan.

The role of Contrast-Enhanced Mammography (CEM) in preoperative staging of breast cancer with different histological types and molecular subtypes is investigated by assessing the size of the primary tumor and distinguishing multifocal and/or multicentric breast cancer (MMBC). Data were continuously collected from patients who underwent CEM imaging due to suspected breast lesions from July 2019 to July 2024. The correlation between CEM measurements and histopathological size measurements was analyzed by using Pearson correlation coefficients. Bland-Altman plots were constructed to compare the agreement between tumor size measured by CEM and tissue pathology size measurements from surgical specimens. The presence of multifocal and/or multicentric disease is also evaluated. The correlation between CEM-measured maximum tumor size and pathological measurements is poorer for non-special type/invasive ductal carcinoma compared to other histological types, with HER2 and triple-negative molecular subtypes showing better correlation than luminal A and luminal B subtypes. The frequency of MMBC identified solely by CEM did not show statistically significant differences across histological types or molecular subtypes. This retrospective study indicates that histological type and molecular subtype may influence the assessment of tumor size in breast cancer using CEM.

Over the last ten years, there has been a remarkable enhancement in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), with poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiohene):poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) emerging as a prevalent choice for the hole transport layer (HTL). Nevertheless, the evolution of the widely utilized PEDOT:PSS HTL has not kept pace with the swift advancements in PSC technology, attributed to its suboptimal electrical conductivity, acidic nature, and inadequate electron-blocking performance. This study presents a novel approach to enhance the HTL by introducing molybdenum oxide (MoO3) into the PEDOT:PSS, leveraging the conductivity and solution processing compatibility of MoO3. Two methods for MoO3 integration were explored: an ammonium molybdate tetrahydrate (AMT) precursor and the direct addition of MoO3 nanoparticles. The carrier dynamics of PSCs modified by MoO3 are significantly optimized. Therefore, the PCE of the device modified by AMT and molybdenum oxide is increased to 18.23 and 19.64%, respectively, and the stability of the device is also improved. This study emphasizes the potential of MoO3 in contributing to the development of more efficient and stable PSCs.

Background Hepatic steatosis is a big hurdle to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D). Fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) has been shown to be an effective intervention in dyslipidemia of T2D. However, fasting may impair the normal glucose metabolism. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) transplantation has been discovered to regulate immune reactions and reduce hyperglycemia in diabetes. However, the effect of UC-MSCs on improving the lipid metabolism disorder is not quite satisfactory. We have investigated the efficacy comparison and interaction between FMD and UC-MSC infusion, aiming to establish effective T2D therapies and explore its mechanism. Methods C57/BL6 mice were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) to induce a diet-induced obese (DIO) mouse model. Leptin receptor-deficient (db/db) mice were used for follow-up experiments. DIO or db/db mice were divided into 4 groups: phosphate buffer saline (PBS), UC-MSCs, FMD, and UC-MSCs + FMD. At the end of the study period, mice were fasted and sacrificed, with the measurement of physiological and biochemical indexes. In addition, the fresh liver, skin, and white adipose tissue were analyzed by histology. Results FMD restored the lipid metabolism in DIO mice, whereas its capacity to rescue hyperglycemia was uncertain. Infusion of UC-MSCs was effective in T2D glycemic control but the impact on dyslipidemia was insufficient. Furthermore, both the glucose and the lipid alterations of DIO and db/db mice recovered after UC-MSCs combined with FMD. It was proved that UC-MSCs promoted FMD effects on ameliorating hyperglycemia and restoring the lipid metabolism in T2D mice, while FMD had little promotion effect on UC-MSCs. Mechanistically, we discovered that UC-MSC infusion significantly modulated systematic inflammatory microenvironment, which contributed to concerted actions with FMD. Conclusions We established a strategy that combined UC-MSC infusion and FMD and was effective in treating T2D, which provided potential approaches for developing novel clinical T2D therapies.

Non-fullerene organic solar cell (NFOSC) has attracted tremendous attention due to their great potential for commercial applications. To improve its power conversion efficiency (PCE), generally, sequential solution deposition (SSD) methods have been employed to construct the graded vertical phase separation (VPS) of the bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) active layer for efficient exciton separation and charge transition. However, a variety of orthogonal solvents used in the SSD may lead to the unpredicted change in the BHJ morphology and introduce additional defects inside the BHJ bulk thus complicate the fabrication process. Here, a simple oscillating stratification preprocessing (OSP) is developed to facilitate the formation of graded VPS among the BHJ layer. As a result, a significant improvement is obtained in PCE from 10.96% to 12.03%, which is the highest value reported among PBDB-T: ITIC based NFOSC.

This study designs and characterizes a novel precise measurement system for simultaneously measuring six-degree-of-freedom geometric motion errors of a long linear stage of a machine tool. The proposed measurement system is based on a method combined with the geometrical optics method and laser interferometer method. In contrast to conventional laser interferometers using only the interferometer method, the proposed measurement system can simultaneously measure six-degree-of-freedom geometric motion errors of a long linear stage with lower cost and faster operational time. The proposed measurement system is characterized numerically using commercial software ZEMAX and mathematical modeling established by using a skew-ray tracing method, a homogeneous transformation matrix, and a first-order Taylor series expansion. The proposed measurement system is then verified experimentally using a laboratory-built prototype. The experimental results show that, compared to conventional laser interferometers, the proposed measurement system better achieves the ability to simultaneously measure six-degree-of-freedom geometric errors of a long linear stage (a traveling range of 250 mm).

Complicated associations between multiplexed environmental factors and aging are poorly understood. We manipulated aging using multidimensional metrics such as phenotypic age, brain age, and brain volumes in the UK Biobank. Weighted quantile sum regression was used to examine the relative individual contributions of multiplexed environmental factors to aging, and self-organizing maps (SOMs) were used to examine joint effects. Air pollution presented a relatively large contribution in most cases. We also found fair heterogeneities in which the same environmental factor contributed inconsistently to different aging metrics. Particulate matter contributed the most to variance in aging, while noise and green space showed considerable contribution to brain volumes. SOM identified five subpopulations with distinct environmental exposure patterns and the air pollution subpopulation had the worst aging status. This study reveals the heterogeneous associations of multiplexed environmental factors with multidimensional aging metrics and serves as a proof of concept when analyzing multifactors and multiple outcomes. Complicated associations between multiplexed environmental factors and aging are poorly understood. Here, authors show heterogeneous associations of multiplexed environmental factors with multidimensional aging metrics.

Many natural products have intriguing medicinal properties that arise from their fascinating chemical structures. This structural complexity means that the total synthesis of natural products often requires the use of protecting-group chemistry, an approach that is neither economical nor biomimetic. However, structurally complicated and bioactive natural products can be accessible through protecting-group-free (PGF) total syntheses, which are usually much more efficient, provided that the individual reactions proceed with high chemoselectivity. In this Review, we present innovations in methodology and strategy that have enabled the PGF construction of sophisticated organic skeletons bearing multiple asymmetric centres and functional groups. We begin by describing the history of PGF synthesis and then focus on illustrative examples of PGF total syntheses of terpenes and alkaloids reported from 2013 to 2017. These advances will enable more concise and efficient syntheses of molecules of structural and biological importance. Structurally complex natural products can be efficiently accessed through protecting-group-free (PGF) synthesis. This Review describes recent examples of PGF syntheses of terpenes and alkaloids, showcasing the power and elegance of innovative methods and strategies in natural product synthesis.

Bartonella quintana is one of the main causes of blood culture-negative endocarditis, and routine blood culture and serological methods are difficult to achieve early diagnosis. We report a case of blood culture-negative Bartonella quintana endocarditis from southwestern Chongqing. The patient was a 67-year-old male scavenger who presented with heart failure without fever as the main clinical manifestation upon admission. He stated having had contact with stray cats in the past 2 months. The combination of clinical symptoms, echocardiography, and blood mNGS testing confirmed the infection of Bartonella quintana .

Influenza A virus pandemics pose a persistent global health threat, and emerging antiviral resistance underscores the critical importance of developing novel broad-spectrum therapeutic agents. Building on licorice’s (Glycyrrhiza spp.) historical use in traditional Chinese medicine for respiratory infections—as documented in the Chinese Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Influenza—and its demonstrated anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity, we identified licoflavone B as a potent anti-influenza agent, bridging ethnopharmacological knowledge with mechanistic validation. In this study, we identified licoflavone B, a natural flavonoid derived from licorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.), as a potent inhibitor of diverse influenza viruses, including multiple influenza A subtypes and type B virus. Mechanistic studies revealed that licoflavone B selectively targets the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), effectively suppressing viral replication. The compound exhibits a favorable selectivity index (SI = 14.9–29.9), indicating a promising therapeutic window. Molecular docking simulations identified potential binding interactions between licoflavone B and regions of the RdRp complex, which were further validated by dose-dependent inhibition of viral nucleoprotein (NP) and polymerase subunit PB2 expression in Western blot and immunofluorescence assays. In addition, licoflavone B maintained broad-spectrum antiviral activity against multiple influenza strains, including H1N1 (A/Puerto Rico/8/34), H3N2 (A/Darwin/9/2021), and a clinical influenza B isolate (B/Beijing/ZYY-B18/2018). These findings position licoflavone B as a promising lead compound for developing next-generation, broad-spectrum antiviral therapies against influenza and potentially other viruses.