Nucleic acid detection is critical in disease diagnosis as well as in the environmental assays of harmful bacteria or viruses and forensic applications. Current methods for visualized quantification of DNA require costly and sophisticated instruments. Here, we report a multistage propelled volumetric bar chart chip (MV-Chip) for multiplexing and quantitative detection of DNA. Owing to its ‘rocket-like’ propelling reaction, the pre-deposited platinum films could perform cascade amplification and detect as low as 20 pM DNA targets after three stages platinum catalyzed propulsion. The resulting ink bar charts can be directly read out by the naked eye and the signal shows little interference from serum. Single-nucleotide polymorphism and multiplex DNA detection were carried out to demonstrate this powerful application.

Carbon-intensive energy infrastructure in the BRI region has exacerbated prospects for climate change. An integrated model was developed to explore the potential of solar photovoltaics as a climate-friendly alternative to achieve the 2 C climate targets outlined in Paris. Results indicate that the solar photovoltaics potential in the BRI region is 41.3 times the regional electricity demand of 2016. The mismatch between technical potential and electricity consumption highlights the advantage of regional cooperation as well as investments in electric power grid interconnections.

Background Cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRD) is a major source of morbidity and mortality in long-term cancer survivors. Decreased GLS predicts decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients receiving anthracyclines, but knowledge regarding the clinical utility of baseline GLS in patients at low-risk of (CTRD) is limited. Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate whether baseline echocardiographic assessment of global longitudinal strain (GLS) before treatment with anthracyclines is predictive of (CTRD) in a broad cohort of patients with normal baseline LVEF. Methods Study participants comprised 188 patients at a single institution who underwent baseline 2-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography before treatment with anthracyclines and at least one follow-up echocardiogram 3 months after chemotherapy initiation. Patients with a baseline LVEF <55% were excluded from the analysis. The primary endpoint, (CTRD), was defined as an absolute decline in LVEF > 10% from baseline and an overall reduced LVEF <50%. Potential and known risk factors were evaluated using univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results Twenty-three patients (12.23%) developed (CTRD). Among patients with (CTRD), the mean GLS was -17.51% ± 2.77%. The optimal cutoff point for (CTRD) was -18.05%. The sensitivity was 0.70 and specificity was 0.70. The area under ROC curve was 0.70. After adjustment for cardiovascular and cancer therapy related risk factors, GLS or decreased baseline GLS ≥-18% was predictive of (CTRD) (adjusted hazards ratio 1.17, 95% confidence interval 1.00, 1.36; p = 0.044 for GLS, or hazards ratio 3.54; 95% confidence interval 1.34, 9.35; p = 0.011 for decreased GLS), along with history of tobacco use, pre-chemotherapy systolic blood pressure, and cumulative anthracycline dose. Conclusions Baseline GLS or decreased baseline GLS was predictive of (CTRD) before anthracycline treatment in a cohort of cancer patients with a normal baseline LVEF. This data supports the implementation of strain-protocol echocardiography in cardio-oncology practice for identifying and monitoring patients who are at elevated risk of (CTRD).

The self-other distinction is crucial in human social cognition and social interaction. Studies have found that oxytocin (OT) sharpens the self-other perceptual boundary but with mixed results. Further, little is known if the effect of OT on self-resemblance face perception exists, especially on its neural basis. Moreover, it is unclear if OT would influence the judgment in self-other discrimination when the other is a child or an adult. In the current double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, we investigated the effect of OT on self-face perception at both behavioral and neural levels. We morphed their faces with either an adult, a child, or a stranger face of either an adult or child. After being treated by either OT or placebo (PL), participants reported whether a morphed face resembles themselves while being scanned with fMRI. Behavioral results showed that people judged adult-morphed faces better than child-morphed faces. fMRI results showed that the OT group exhibited generally increased activities in the visual area and IFG for self-morphed faces. Such difference was more pronounced in the adult face compared to child face conditions. Multivariate fMRI analysis revealed that the OT group showed better classification between self-morphed versus other-morphed faces, indicating that OT increased self-other distinction, especially for adult faces and in the left hemisphere. Our study shows the significant effect of OT on self-referential brain processes, providing evidence for the potential OT's effect on a left hemisphere self network

BackgroundThe pandemic of COVID-19 sets off public psychological crises and impacts social functioning. Prepandemic research has shown that as the mental resource wears out under long-term distress, empathy exhaustion will happen. While prosocial activities are positively linked to empathy, quantitative research on the pandemic's effect on empathy and prosocial willingness has been insu ciently examined.Prosocial behaviors are carried out during a life-threatening time to promote communication and encourage community members to survive emergencies such as food shortages and natural disasters. MethodsThis study examined the shifts in emotion, empathy and prosocial behaviors between the pre-pandemic and pandemic era in China. Before (N = 520, 11/21/2019-11/23/2019) and after (N = 570, 2/23/2020-2/24/2020) the COVID-19 pandemic, we explored an empathy-driven prosociality relationship through an online task and questionnaires with a total of 1,190 participants. Chi-square test, independent samples ttests, linear regression analysis and correlation analysis were used for the data characteristics comparisons between the pre-outbreak and outbreak peak era datasets. Mediation and moderation models were also computed.

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, people may experience anxiety, empathy, and prosocial willingness. However, the relationship between emotions, empathy, and prosocial behaviour is unknown. It is said that empathy is affected by moods and influences pro-sociality. Thus, how does an emergency change people’s empathy and prosocial willingness? We conducted a study with 1,190 participants before (N=520) and after (N=570) the coronavirus outbreak. We found that prosocial willingness decreased post-outbreak, maybe by the decreased empathy levels, in accordance with compassion fatigue theory. Trait empathy could affect prosocial willingness indirectly through the empathy level. News discriminability and distance from the outbreak epicentre played a role in the trait empathy change. Given how emergency health events influence emotion and the effects of personal traits on prosocial willingness, social media users and providers should understand the negative effects of information over-exposure on mental health during the outbreak.

The pandemic of COVID-19 sets off public psychological crises and impacts social functioning. Pre-pandemic research has shown that empathy exhaustion will happen as the mental resource wears out under long-term distress. While prosocial activities are positively linked to empathy, quantitative research on the pandemic's effect on empathy and prosocial willingness has been insufficiently examined. Prosocial behaviors are carried out during a life-threatening time to promote communication and encourage community members to survive emergencies such as food shortages and natural disasters. This study examined the shifts in emotion, empathy, and prosocial behaviors between the pre-pandemic and pandemic era in China. Before (N = 520, 11/21/2019-11/23/2019) and after (N = 570, 2/23/2020-2/24/2020) the COVID-19 pandemic, we explored an empathy-driven prosociality relationship through an online task and questionnaires with a total of 1,190 participants. Through a two-group comparison, we found a population-based decline in empathy that ultimately affected prosocial willingness. The empathic concern could positively predict prosocial willingness through the perception of the others’ pain. Over the pandemic era, however, this relationship became less salient. Moreover, a distance effect in such a situation, consistent with the ripple effect, affected the way in which short-term anxiety during the outbreak influences empathic concern. Measures are required to mitigate the adverse effects of empathy fatigue after the outbreak of COVID-19.

BackgroundThe pathogenesis of pancreatitis involves diverse environmental risk factors, some of which have not yet been clearly elucidated. This study systematically investigated the causal effects of genetically predicted modifiable risk factors on pancreatitis using the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.MethodsGenetic variants associated with 30 exposure factors were obtained from genome-wide association studies. Summary-level statistical data for acute pancreatitis (AP), chronic pancreatitis (CP), alcohol-induced AP (AAP) and alcohol-induced CP (ACP) were obtained from FinnGen consortia. Univariable and multivariable MR analyses were performed to identify causal risk factors for pancreatitis.ResultsGenetic predisposition to smoking (OR = 1.314, P = 0.021), cholelithiasis (OR = 1.365, P = 1.307E-19) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (OR = 1.063, P = 0.008) as well as higher triglycerides (OR = 1.189, P = 0.016), body mass index (BMI) (OR = 1.335, P = 3.077E-04), whole body fat mass (OR = 1.291, P = 0.004) and waist circumference (OR = 1.466, P = 0.011) were associated with increased risk of AP. The effect of obesity traits on AP was attenuated after correcting for cholelithiasis. Genetically-driven smoking (OR = 1.595, P = 0.005), alcohol consumption (OR = 3.142, P = 0.020), cholelithiasis (OR = 1.180, P = 0.001), autoimmune diseases (OR = 1.123, P = 0.008), IBD (OR = 1.066, P = 0.042), type 2 diabetes (OR = 1.121, P = 0.029), and higher serum calcium (OR = 1.933, P = 0.018), triglycerides (OR = 1.222, P = 0.021) and waist-to-hip ratio (OR = 1.632, P = 0.023) increased the risk of CP. Cholelithiasis, triglycerides and the waist-to-hip ratio remained significant predictors in the multivariable MR. Genetically predicted alcohol drinking was associated with increased risk of AAP (OR = 15.045, P = 0.001) and ACP (OR = 6.042, P = 0.014). After adjustment of alcohol drinking, genetic liability to IBD had a similar significant causal effect on AAP (OR = 1.137, P = 0.049), while testosterone (OR = 0.270, P = 0.002) a triglyceride (OR = 1.610, P = 0.001) and hip circumference (OR = 0.648, P = 0.040) were significantly associated with ACP. Genetically predicted higher education and household income levels could lower the risk of pancreatitis.ConclusionsThis MR study provides evidence of complex causal associations between modifiable risk factors and pancreatitis. These findings provide new insights into potential therapeutic and prevention strategies.