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Background Minimally invasive spine surgery has seen rapid development in recent years. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of unilateral biportal endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (ULIF) versus minimally invasive surgery transforaminal interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) for the treatment of single-segment lumbar degenerative disease (LDD) through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods In collaboration with various search terms, a comprehensive examination of the scientific literature was carried out using PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and other databases. A total of 9 studies were included retrospective cohort studies. Results We observed statistically significant differences in intraoperative blood loss, total hospital stay, postoperative hospital stays, and 1-month postoperative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores between the ULIF and MIS-TLIF groups, with the ULIF group being more dominant. MIS-TLIF group was statistically more advantageous in terms of operative time. There were no statistically significant differences in postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, 3-month postoperative and final ODI scores, excellent and good rate, complications, disc heights, and lumbar lordosis angle between the two groups. Conclusions Treatment of single-segment LDD with ULIF and MIS-TLIF is both safe and effective. ULIF has the advantage of less intraoperative blood loss, shorter total hospital stay, shorter postoperative hospital stay, and lower ODI scores at 1 month postoperatively compared to MIS-TLIF. There were no significant differences between ULIF and MIS-TLIF in the treatment of LDD in terms of postoperative VAS scores, 3-month postoperative and final ODI scores, satisfaction rates, fusion rates, complications, disc heights, and lumbar lordosis angle. MIS-TLIF has a shorter procedure time than ULIF.

Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of percutaneous curved vertebroplasty procedure (PCVP) and bilateral-pedicle-approach percutaneous vertebroplasty (bPVP) for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) through a systematic review and meta-analysis of the scientific literature. Methods A systematic review of the scientific literature in PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang and other databases was conducted in conjunction with different keywords. Nine studies were included; all but 3 were randomised controlled studies and all were prospective or retrospective cohort studies. Results We observed statistically significant differences between the PCVP group and the bPCVP group in terms of postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores (mean difference [MD]: −.08; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: −.15 to .00), bone cement leakage rates (OR = .33; 95%CI: .20 to .54), bone cement injection (MD: −1.52; 95%CI: −1.58 to 1.45), operative times (MD: −16.69; 95%CI: −17.40 to −15.99) and intraoperative fluoroscopies (MD: −8.16; 95%CI: −9.56 to −6.67), with the PCVP group being more dominant. There were no statistical differences in postoperative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores (MD: −.72; 95%CI: −2.11 to .67) and overall bone cement distribution rates (MD: 2.14; 95%CI: .99 to 4.65) between the 2 groups. Conclusions Meta-analysis showed more favourable outcomes in the PCVP group compared to the bPVP group. PCVP might be effective and safe in the treatment of OVCFs because it relieves postoperative patient pain, reduces operative time and cement injection, and decreases the risk of cement leakage and radiation exposure to the surgeon and patient.

AimsWith the wide application of 7Be (Beryllium-7) in soil erosion investigations, retention and interception of 7Be by vegetation plays an important role in documenting soil 7Be redistribution, with a large impact on the interpretation of 7Be measurements. However, the dynamic and temporal changes in plants and the relationship with soil 7Be concentration remain unclear, and the significance of dead plants in 7Be interception is under-researched.MethodsThe samples of single plants (6 different species), compositive plants (including living and dead plants), along with soil reference on the Loess Plateau were collected individually to analyze the variations of 7Be concentration during the growth period from 2010 to 2012.ResultsThe accumulation of 7Be per mass is significantly higher in leaves than stems. The 7Be activity per mass and per area in living plants with seasonal trends ranged from 173.9 to 703.1 Bq kg–1 and 21.5 to 190.1 Bq m–2, respectively, and in dead plants ranged from 381.8 to 964.5 Bq kg–1 and 30.4 to 285.7 Bq m–2. Precipitation accounted for the largest contribution to the accumulation of 7Be in plants, followed by plant growth, species and parts. Plants accounted for 7Be interception on slope up to 66% (living plants accounted for 7% ~ 31% and dead plants accounted for 6% ~ 44%). The interception of living plants is low at first, then increases with the accumulation of rainfall and biomass together.ConclusionsOur results highlight that 7Be in plants (especially for the dead plants) is of great significance for 7Be in soil on the slope, and is controlled by precipitation, growth status and plant characteristics. The reference information obtained in this work will contribute to improving the accuracy of 7Be tracing technology, and broadening its scope.

The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant is currently the dominant circulating strain in the world. Uncovering the structural basis of the enhanced transmission and altered immune sensitivity of Delta is particularly important. Here we present cryo-EM structures revealing two conformational states of Delta spike and S/ACE2 complex in four states. Our cryo-EM analysis suggests that RBD destabilizations lead to population shift towards the more RBD-up and S1 destabilized fusion-prone state, beneficial for engagement with ACE2 and shedding of S1. Noteworthy, we find the Delta T478K substitution plays a vital role in stabilizing and reshaping the RBM loop 473-490 , enhancing interaction with ACE2. Collectively, increased propensity for more RBD-up states and the affinity-enhancing T478K substitution together contribute to increased ACE2 binding, providing structural basis of rapid spread of Delta. Moreover, we identify a previously generated MAb 8D3 as a cross-variant broadly neutralizing antibody and reveal that 8D3 binding induces a large K478 side-chain orientation change, suggesting 8D3 may use an “induced-fit” mechanism to tolerate Delta T478K mutation. We also find that all five RBD-targeting MAbs tested remain effective on Delta, suggesting that Delta well preserves the neutralizing antigenic landscape in RBD. Our findings shed new lights on the pathogenicity and antibody neutralization of Delta. Here the authors reveal conformational dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Delta spike and its complex with ACE2 receptor or broadly neutralizing Mab 8D3 by cryo-EM, shedding new insights into mechanisms of receptor recognition and antibody neutralization for the Delta variant.

In this work, the single Rh atom anchored by N vacancy of C 3 N monolayer for CO oxidations has been studied by using first-principles calculations. The stability for a single Rh atom in N vacancy of C 3 N monolayer is detailed investigated. The sizeable binding energy and diffusion barrier of the Rh atom in the N vacancy and the ab initial molecule dynamic simulations at 400 K all verify that the Rh is stable at the N vacancy of the C 3 N monolayer. We also have examined the bi-molecule Eley–Rideal (ER) and Langmuir–Hinshelwood (LH) and the tri-molecule LH mechanisms on the Rh @ C 3 N. It is found that the barriers for the rate-limiting step for bi-molecule ER and LH are so significant (1.35, 1.15 eV), while for the tri-molecule LH mechanism, the barrier of the rate-limiting step is only 0.49 eV, which means the tri-molecule LH mechanism is more likely to occur at room temperature on the Rh @ C 3 N. Thus, our results will shed light on the future design for low-temperature CO oxidation using single-atom catalysts.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a class of pollutants with many sources and harm humans and the environment. The application of noble metal catalysts and metal oxide catalysts in thermal catalytic oxidation degradation of VOCs was reviewed in this paper. Furthermore, the challenges of degradation of VOCs by thermal catalytic oxidation are listed and the prospects are put forward.Graphic Abstract

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Kappa and Beta variants with enhanced transmissibility and resistance to neutralizing antibodies has created new challenges for the control of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the structural nature of Kappa and Beta spike (S) proteins and their association with ACE2 is of significant importance. Here we present two cryo-EM structures for each of the Kappa and Beta spikes in the open and open-prone transition states. Compared with wild-type (WT) or G614 spikes, the two variant spikes appear more untwisted/open especially for Beta, and display a considerable population shift towards the open state as well as more pronounced conformational dynamics. Moreover, we capture four conformational states of the S-trimer/ACE2 complex for each of the two variants, revealing an enlarged conformational landscape for the Kappa and Beta S-ACE2 complexes and pronounced population shift towards the three RBDs up conformation. These results implicate that the mutations in Kappa and Beta may modify the kinetics of receptor binding and viral fusion to improve virus fitness. Combined with biochemical analysis, our structural study shows that the two variants are enabled to efficiently interact with ACE2 receptor despite their sensitive ACE2 binding surface is modified to escape recognition by some potent neutralizing MAbs. Our findings shed new light on the pathogenicity and immune evasion mechanism of the Beta and Kappa variants. Here, the authors provide insights into the conformational dynamics of the Beta and Kappa SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) proteins by determining their cryo-EM structures, which revealed a distribution shift towards the open state for both variants compared to the wild-type S protein. They also present the structures of the Kappa and Beta S-ACE2 complexes, where a population shift towards the three receptor-binding domain up conformation was observed. In combination with biochemical data these structures show how the S protein variants efficiently recognize and bind to ACE2.

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on peroxydisulfate (PDS) or peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation have attracted much research attention in the last decade for the degradation of recalcitrant organic contaminants. Sulfate (SO4•−) and hydroxyl (•OH) radicals are most frequently generated from catalytic PDS/PMS decomposition by thermal, base, irradiation, transition metals and carbon materials. In addition, increasingly more recent studies have reported the involvement of singlet oxygen (1O2) during PDS/PMS-based AOPs. Typically, 1O2 can be produced either along with SO4•− and •OH or discovered as the dominant reactive oxygen species (ROSs) for pollutants degradation. This paper reviews recent advances in 1O2 generation during PDS/PMS activation. First, it introduces the basic chemistry of 1O2, its oxidation properties and detection methodologies. Furthermore, it elaborates different activation strategies/techniques, including homogeneous and heterogeneous systems, and discusses the possible reaction mechanisms to give an overview of the principle of 1O2 production by activating PDS/PMS. Moreover, although 1O2 has shown promising features such as high degradation selectivity and anti-interference capability, its production pathways and mechanisms remain controversial in the present literatures. Therefore, this study identifies the research gaps and proposes future perspectives in the aspects of novel catalysts and related mechanisms.

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant exhibits striking immune evasion and is spreading rapidly worldwide. Understanding the structural basis of the high transmissibility and enhanced immune evasion of Omicron is of high importance. Here, using cryo-electron microscopy, we present both the closed and the open states of the Omicron spike (S) protein, which appear more compact than the counterparts of the G614 strain 1 , potentially related to enhanced inter-protomer and S1–S2 interactions induced by Omicron residue substitution. The closed state showing dominant population may indicate a conformational masking mechanism for the immune evasion of Omicron. Moreover, we captured three states for the Omicron S–ACE2 complex, revealing that the substitutions on the Omicron RBM result in new salt bridges and hydrogen bonds, more favourable electrostatic surface properties, and an overall strengthened S–ACE2 interaction, in line with the observed higher ACE2 affinity of Omicron S than of G614. Furthermore, we determined the structures of Omicron S in complex with the Fab of S3H3, an antibody that is able to cross-neutralize major variants of concern including Omicron, elucidating the structural basis for S3H3-mediated broad-spectrum neutralization. Our findings shed light on the receptor engagement and antibody neutralization or evasion of Omicron and may also inform the design of broadly effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. The structures of the open and closed states of the Omicron spike protein and its complex with the ACE2 receptor or a broadly neutralizing antibody are resolved and shed light on the receptor engagement and antibody neutralization of Omicron.

The association of lipid accumulation product (LAP) and the likelihood of endometriosis prevalence has not been previously mentioned. The research aimed to assess the possible potential association between LAP and endometriosis in nationwide research. This cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 2,216 participants selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the 1999–2006 cycles. Logistic regression and stratified analysis by age, race, level of education, BMI, marital status, PIR, glycohemoglobin, drinking, and smoking status were used to analyze the association of the LAP index and odds of endometriosis prevalence. Moreover, smoothed curve fitting was used to evaluate the relevancy of LAP and endometriosis. The multivariate logistic regression model showed a positive association between ln LAP and endometriosis. This trend remained after a full adjustment (odds ratio = 1.37, 95% confidence interval:1.08–1.75, P = 0.010). Compared to the minimum ln LAP quartile, participants in the highest ln LAP had a 93% higher chance of endometriosis incidence (odds ratio = 1.93, 95% confidence interval: 1.08–3.46, P = 0.027). After conducting subgroup analysis and interaction testing, it was found that this positive association was most prominent among women aged 35 years and above and participants with glycohemoglobin≥6%. This nationwide study suggested that an elevated ln LAP was related to an increased endometriosis prevalence. Therefore, LAP may be a valuable tool for predicting the occurrence of endometriosis. Follow-up studies are critical to assess the association between LAP and odds of endometriosis prevalence and explain the potential mechanisms of this relationship.