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Surfaces, interfaces and grain boundaries are classically known to be sinks of defects generated within the bulk lattice. Here, we report an inverse case by which the defects generated at the particle surface are continuously pumped into the bulk lattice. We show that, during operation of a rechargeable battery, oxygen vacancies produced at the surfaces of lithium-rich layered cathode particles migrate towards the inside lattice. This process is associated with a high cutoff voltage at which an anionic redox process is activated. First-principle calculations reveal that triggering of this redox process leads to a sharp decrease of both the formation energy of oxygen vacancies and the migration barrier of oxidized oxide ions, therefore enabling the migration of oxygen vacancies into the bulk lattice of the cathode. This work unveils a coupled redox dynamic that needs to be taken into account when designing high-capacity layered cathode materials for high-voltage lithium-ion batteries.Lithium transition metal oxide cathodes can degrade under high-voltage conditions by a redox mechanism by which oxygen vacancies form at the surface and migrate towards the bulk.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a serious issue worldwide. With the popularity of the internet, online health information-seeking behavior (OHISB) has been widely adopted to improve health and prevent disease. This study aimed to investigate the short-term and long-term effects of different types of OHISBs on STDs, including syphilis, gonorrhea, and AIDS due to HIV, based on the Baidu index. Multisource big data were collected, including case numbers of STDs, search queries based on the Baidu index, provincial total population, male-female ratio, the proportion of the population older than 65 years, gross regional domestic product (GRDP), and health institution number data in 2011-2018 in mainland China. We categorized OHISBs into 4 types: concept, symptoms, treatment, and prevention. Before and after controlling for socioeconomic and medical conditions, we applied multiple linear regression to analyze associations between the Baidu search index (BSI) and Baidu search rate (BSR) and STD case numbers. In addition, we compared the effects of 4 types of OHISBs and performed time lag cross-correlation analyses to investigate the long-term effect of OHISB. The distributions of both STD case numbers and OHISBs presented variability. For case number, syphilis, and gonorrhea, cases were mainly distributed in southeastern and northwestern areas of China, while HIV/AIDS cases were mostly distributed in southwestern areas. For the search query, the eastern region had the highest BSI and BSR, while the western region had the lowest ones. For 4 types of OHISB for 3 diseases, the BSI was positively related to the case number, while the BSR was significantly negatively related to the case number (P<.05). Different categories of OHISB have different effects on STD case numbers. Searches for prevention tended to have a larger impact, while searches for treatment tended to have a smaller impact. Besides, due to the time lag effect, those impacts would increase over time. Our study validated the significant associations between 4 types of OHISBs and STD case numbers, and the impact of OHISBs on STDs became stronger over time. It may provide insights into how to use internet big data to better achieve disease surveillance and prevention goals.

Similar to their optic counterparts, acoustic components are anticipated to flexibly tailor the propagation of sound. However, the practical applications, e.g. for audible sound with large wavelengths, are frequently hampered by the issue of device thickness. Here we present an effective design of metasurface structures that can deflect the transmitted airborne sound in an anomalous way. This flat lens, made of spatially varied coiling-slit subunits, has a thickness of deep subwavelength. By elaborately optimizing its microstructures, the proposed lens exhibits high performance in steering sound wavefronts. Good agreement has been demonstrated experimentally by a sample around the frequency 2.55 kHz, incident with a Gaussian beam at normal or oblique incidence. This study may open new avenues for numerous daily life applications, such as controlling indoor sound effects by decorating rooms with light metasurface walls.

To identify a robust panel of microRNA (miRNA) signatures that can distinguish renal cell carcinoma (RCC) from normal kidney using miRNA expression levels. We performed a comprehensive meta-analysis of 29 published studies that compared the miRNA expression profiles of RCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues (NT) to determine candidate miRNAs as prognostic biomarkers for RCC. Using vote-counting strategy and robust rank aggregation method, we identified a statistically significant miRNA meta-signature of two upregulated (miR-21, miR-210) and three downregulated (miR-141, miR-200c and miR-429) miRNAs. X-tile plot was used to generate the optimum cut-off point for the 15 different deregulated miRNAs and Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate CSS. In a cohort of 45 patients, the high expression of miR-21 (HR: 5.46, 95%CI: 2.02-53.39) and miR-210 (HR: 6.85, 95%CI: 2.13-43.36), the low expression of miR-141 (HR: 0.16, 95%CI: 0.004-0.18), miR-200c (HR: 0.08, 95%CI: 0.01-0.43) and miR-429 (HR: 0.18, 95%CI: 0.02-0.50) were associated with poor cancer-specific survival (CSS) following RCC resection. We also constructed a five-miRNAs-based classifier as a reliable prognostic and predictive tool for CSS in patients with RCC, especially in clear cell RCC (ccRCC) (HR: 5.46, 95% CI: 1.51-19.66). This method might facilitate patient counselling and individualise management of RCC.

Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) strongly contributes to global cancer mortality, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of its molecular mechanisms to enhance patient prognosis and treatment approaches. We aimed to investigate the differential expression of immunogenic cell death-related genes (ICDRGs) and cellular senescence-related genes (CSRGs) in LIHC and their effects on patient prognosis. We combined the GSE25097, GSE46408, and GSE121248 datasets by eliminating batch effects and standardizing the data. After processing, 16 genes were identified as ICDR&CSR differentially expressed genes (ICDR&CSRDEGs), including UBE2T , HJURP , PTTG1 , CENPA , and FOXM1 . Gene set enrichment analysis indicated a strong enrichment of these genes in pre-Notch expression and processing. Gene set variation analysis revealed 20 pathways with significant differences between the LIHC and control groups. Mutation analysis identified TP53 as the most commonly mutated gene in LIHC samples. A prognostic risk model integrating 12 ICDR&CSRDEGs was developed, showing high precision at 1 year but diminished accuracy at 2 and 3 years. Our constructed prognostic risk model provides valuable insights for predicting patient outcomes and may guide future therapeutic interventions targeting these specific genes. Further research is needed to explore the mechanistic roles of these genes in LIHC progression and treatment response.

Background Understanding how socioeconomic factors influence maternal health services utilization is crucial to reducing preventable maternal deaths in the DRC. Maternal education is considered an important associate of maternal health service utilization. This study aims to investigate the association between maternal education and the utilization of maternal health services, as well as present geographical and socio-economic disparities in the utilization. Methods The MICS survey was employed as the data source, which is a nationally representative survey conducted from 2017 to 2018 in the DRC. The exposure for this study was the maternal education level, which was categorized into three groups: (1) below primary and none, (2) primary and (3) secondary and above. Prenatal care indicators included: if the mother ever received prenatal care, if the mother had antenatal checks no less than four times, and if a skilled attendant was present at birth. Postnatal care indicators included: if the mother received postnatal care and if the baby was checked after birth. Emergency obstetric interventions were indicted by cesarean sections. Descriptive analyses and logistic regressions were used as analytical methods. Results Of all 8,560 participants included, 21.88 % had below primary school or no education, 39.81 % had primary school education, and 38.31 % had secondary education or above. The majority of participants were from rural areas, except for Kinshasa. Overall, a better education was associated with higher utilization of antenatal care. A dose-response effect was also observed. Compared to women with below primary or no education, women with secondary and above education were more likely to receive cesarean sections. Wealth status, as well as rural and urban division, modified the associations. Conclusions Mothers’ education level is an important associate for utilizing appropriate maternal healthcare, with wealth and region as modifying factors. Educational levels should be considered when designing public health interventions and women’s empowerment programs in the DRC. For example, relevant programs need to stratify the interventions according to educational attainment.

Endowing the widely-used synthetic polymer nylon with high-performance organic room-temperature phosphorescence would produce advanced materials with a great potential for applications in daily life and industry. One key to achieving this goal is to find a suitable organic luminophore that can access the triplet excited state with the aid of the nylon matrix by controlling the matrix-luminophore interaction. Herein we report highly-efficient room-temperature phosphorescence nylons by doping cyano-substituted benzimidazole derivatives into the nylon 6 matrix. These homogeneously doped materials show ultralong phosphorescence lifetimes of up to 1.5 s and high phosphorescence quantum efficiency of up to 48.3% at the same time. The synergistic effect of the homogeneous dopant distribution via hydrogen bonding interaction, the rigid environment of the matrix polymer, and the potential energy transfer between doped luminophores and nylon is important for achieving the high-performance room-temperature phosphorescence, as supported by combined experimental and theoretical results with control compounds and various polymeric matrices. One-dimensional optical fibers are prepared from these doped room-temperature phosphorescence nylons that can transport both blue fluorescent and green afterglow photonic signals across the millimeter distance without significant optical attenuation. The potential applications of these phosphorescent materials in dual information encryption and rewritable recording are illustrated. It may be useful to obtain nylon with room temperature phosphorescence, but identifying a suitable luminophore is challenging. Here, the authors report the doping of nylon with cyano-substituted benzimidazole derivatives for room temperature phosphorescent nylons.

Background Daytime napping has been postulated as both a protective and a risk factor for depression in previous studies. In addition to these conflicting results, research gaps also exist with regard to controlling confounding bias between daytime napping and depression and examining the potential association within the Chinese population. To facilitate the prevention and diagnosis of depression, this study aims to provide insight into the association of daytime napping and depression in 0.5 million Chinese adults by fully controlling confounders, and further examine the modifying effects of socio-economic status (SES) and age. Methods Data were drawn from the baseline of a Chinese cohort study of 0.5 million adults. Depressive status was measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Inventory (CIDI). Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between depression and daytime napping adjusted for SES, sleep-related factors, lifestyle factors and related diseases. Further stratified analyses were conducted to identify the modifying effects of socio-economic status and age. Results The odds ratio of depression by daytime napping was 1.15 (95% CI: 1.01–1.31) in females and 1.42 (95% CI: 1.18–1.71) in males. Factors including living in a rural area (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.13–1.52), receiving less education (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.22–1.66), getting married (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.10–1.40) and being 45–65 years old (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.12–1.49) had a modifying effect on daytime napping and depression that could strengthen the association. Conclusions A significantly positive association was found between depression and daytime napping, as well as daytime dysfunction, snoring and both shorter and longer sleep duration. Lower SES and age could possibly modify the association. Further clinical or epidemiological studies are needed to investigate the mechanism and facilitate the prevention of depression.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), which are single-stranded closed-loop RNA molecules lacking terminal 5′ caps and 3′ poly(A) tails, are attracting increasing scientific attention for their crucial regulatory roles in the occurrence and development of various diseases. With the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing technologies, increasing numbers of differentially expressed circRNAs have been identified in bladder cancer (BCa) via exploration of the expression profiles of BCa and normal tissues and cell lines. CircRNAs are critically involved in BCa biological behaviours, including cell proliferation, tumour growth suppression, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, invasion, migration, metastasis, angiogenesis, and cisplatin chemoresistance. Most of the studied circRNAs in BCa regulate cancer biological behaviours via miRNA sponging regulatory mechanisms. CircRNAs have been reported to be significantly associated with many clinicopathologic characteristics of BCa, including tumour size, grade, differentiation, and stage; lymph node metastasis; tumour numbers; distant metastasis; invasion; and recurrence. Moreover, circRNA expression levels can be used to predict BCa patients’ survival parameters, such as overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and progression-free survival (PFS). The abundance, conservation, stability, specificity and detectability of circRNAs render them potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for BCa. Additionally, circRNAs play crucial regulatory roles upstream of various signalling pathways related to BCa carcinogenesis and progression, reflecting their potential as therapeutic targets for BCa. Herein, we briefly summarize the expression profiles, biological functions and mechanisms of circRNAs and the potential clinical applications of these molecules for BCa diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted therapy.

The postpartum period is critical for maternal health status after childbirth. The traditional Chinese postpartum confinement practice, \"doing-the-month\", is considered especially effective in helping mothers recover during the postpartum period. However, research has not provided evidence to confirm its benefits. Postpartum depression is a common postpartum disease that seriously threatens maternal health. The systematic review aims to explore the association between \"doing-the-month\" and postpartum depression in the Chinese female population and to provide a scientific foundation for evidence-based postpartum maternal care. Five databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) were searched according to the protocol (INPALSY202320102). The JBI assessment tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Sixteen quantitative studies from China and Chinese female immigrants in other countries, including 15 cross-sectional studies and 1 randomized controlled study, were identified. Four studies indicated that \"doing-the-month\" rituals reduced postpartum depression risk while 2 studies showed opposite results; 10 studies did not show a significant association between \"doing-the-month\" practices and postpartum depression. There is conflicting evidence regarding the association between \"doing-the-month\" and the likelihood of developing postpartum depression. Some studies have explored the impact of family ties, particular rituals, and specific stressors during the postpartum period on the occurrence of postpartum depression in Chinese women. According to current research, \"doing-the-month\" practice failed to show a significant protective effect on postpartum depression in the Chinese maternal population. Evidence-based medical health education for the Chinese postpartum female community is urgently needed.