Case report: Microwave ablation is a safe and effective method for primary hyperparathyroidism in pregnancy

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a rare disease in pregnancy and endangers the health of both pregnant women and fetuses. However, the treatments are very limited for PHPT and most of them are unsatisfactory because of the peculiar state in pregnancy. The only curable method is parathyroidectomy which can be safely performed in the second trimester of pregnancy. In this case, we reported a pregnant woman with primary parathyroid adenoma presenting hypercalcemia and severe vomit at the end of first trimester. Finally, she got cured by microwave ablation at the end of first trimester and gave birth to a healthy baby boy

Graphene-Based Nanocomposites for Energy Storage

Since the first report of using micromechanical cleavage method to produce graphene sheets in 2004, graphene/graphene-based nanocomposites have attracted wide attention both for fundamental aspects as well as applications in advanced energy storage and conversion systems. In comparison to other materials, graphene-based nanostructured materials have unique 2D structure, high electronic mobility, exceptional electronic and thermal conductivities, excellent optical transmittance, good mechanical strength, and ultrahigh surface area. Therefore, they are considered as attractive materials for hydrogen (H2) storage and high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors, rechargeable lithium (Li)-ion batteries, Li–sulfur batteries, Li–air batteries, sodium (Na)-ion batteries, Na–air batteries, zinc (Zn)–air batteries, and vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB), etc., as they can improve the efficiency, capacity, gravimetric energy/power densities, and cycle life of these energy storage devices. In this article, recent progress reported on the synthesis and fabrication of graphene nanocomposite materials for applications in these aforementioned various energy storage systems is reviewed. Importantly, the prospects and future challenges in both scalable manufacturing and more energy storage-related applications are discussed

CXCR5⁺ follicular cytotoxic T cells control viral infection in B cell follicles

During unresolved infections, some viruses escape immunological control and establish a persistant reservoir in certain cell types, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which persists in follicular helper T cells (TFH cells), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which persists in B cells. Here we identified a specialized group of cytotoxic T cells (TC cells) that expressed the chemokine receptor CXCR5, selectively entered B cell follicles and eradicated infected TFH cells and B cells. The differentiation of these cells, which we have called 'follicular cytotoxic T cells' (TFC cells), required the transcription factors Bcl6, E2A and TCF-1 but was inhibited by the transcriptional regulators Blimp1, Id2 and Id3. Blimp1 and E2A directly regulated Cxcr5 expression and, together with Bcl6 and TCF-1, formed a transcriptional circuit that guided TFC cell development. The identification of TFC cells has far-reaching implications for the development of strategies to control infections that target B cells and TFH cells and to treat B cell–derived malignancies

Increase in precipitation will facilitate the ecological stability of desert steppe in the future

Community stability plays a vital role in ensuring the consistent provision of ecosystem services despite climatic changes. It is presumed that future changes to annual precipitation will impact the ecological stability of many systems, particularly the ‘fragile’ desert steppe. However, most studies of ecological stability are inferred from short-term field precipitation manipulation experiments. There is still extensively to learn regarding how the desert steppe reacts to long-term changes in precipitation. We conducted a 7-year experimental study monitoring the aboveground biomass of major plant functional groups (perennial grasses, perennial forbs, annual herbs, and semi-shrubs) under four experimentally manipulated precipitation gradients [reducing natural precipitation by 50% (-50%), natural precipitation (CK), increasing natural precipitation by 50% (+50%), and increasing natural precipitation by 100% (+100%)] to evaluate how changes in precipitation affect the biomass stability of plant communities. We did observe higher levels of species asynchrony, resistance, resilience, and temporal stability of community and functional groups in experimental plots receiving more precipitation. Interestingly, the contribution of species richness to community stability was not observed in our experiment. The increase in soil water content in the 20–30 cm soil layer caused by increased precipitation promoted the resilience of perennial grasses but inhibited the resistance of perennial forbs. At the same time, the decrease in soil inorganic nitrogen caused by increased rainfall inhibited the resilience of perennial grasses. Notably, community resilience predominantly hinged on the resilience of perennial grasses, while community resistance was primarily dictated by the resistance of perennial forbs. Moreover, species asynchrony emerged as the primary regulator of community temporal stability. Our long-term experimental evidence underscores the transformative potential of precipitation in reshaping grassland stability across both functional and structural dimensions. Importantly, sustaining the high stability of perennial herbs emerges as a strategic avenue for enhancing the ecological stability of the desert steppe in the face of evolving precipitation patterns