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Objectives: To summarize the clinical characteristics and investigate the efficacy of ethanol embolotherapy in the treatment of chest well arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Treatment-associated complications were also explored.Materials and Methods: Between March 2017 and August 2021, 32 consecutive patients (mean age, 23.7 years; age range, 5–54 years) who underwent ethanol embolotherapy for chest well AVMs under general anesthesia were included in this study. Embolization was performed through a direct puncture, transarterial catheterization, or a combination of the 2 procedures. The mean follow-up duration after the last treatment was 18.0 months (range, 3–42 months). The degree of devascularization on follow-up (assessed using angiography or computed tomography), and the clinical signs and symptoms of AVMs were evaluated as the therapeutic outcomes. The major and minor complications associated with the procedures were recorded.Results: A total of 103 embolization procedures (mean, 3.2; range, 2–7) comprising 101 ethanol embolization and 2 coil embolizations were performed on 32 patients with chest wall AVMs. The AVM nidus was accessed through the transarterial approach alone in 4 patients, by direct puncture in 11, and a combined procedure in 17 patients. Overall, more than 80% of the procedures were performed using the combined approach. Complete AVM devascularization was achieved in 12 (37.5%) patients. Moreover, 76% to 99% AVM was achieved in 18 patients (56.3%), and 50% to 75% in 2 patients (6.3%). Bleeding, pain, heart failure, and cosmetic deformities were the indications for treatment. For 3 patients (3/32, 9.4%) who had bleeding, the treatment stopped the hemorrhage. Complete pain relief was reported in 8 patients (8/32, 25.0%), whereas complete relief from congestive heart failure post-embolization was observed in 5 of the 6 patients with congestive heart failure (5/6, 83.3%). Complete correction of cosmesis deformities after embolization was achieved in 10 patients (10/32, 31.3%). Two patients who underwent surgery to correct persistent deformity after embolization only showed insignificant improvement. In addition, 6 (18.8%) patients developed 13 complications including blister, necrosis, hemothorax, transient hemoglobinuria, and transient pulmonary artery hypertension.Conclusions: Ethanol embolotherapy is a safe and effective procedure for chest well AVMs. Surgery is required for some patients with residual cosmesis deformity.Clinical Impact Currently, there is no standard treatment for chest well AVMs due to their rarity and high heterogeneity. The present study shows that thanol embolotherapy is a safe and clinically effective treatment procedure for the chest well AVMs. Transarterial embolization in combination with direct puncture embolization can reach the AVM nidus. Ethanol embolotherapy can achieve complete obliteration of the AVM nidus in the majority of patients. Surgery may still be needed to correct cosmetic deformity after embolization. The present study provides valuable evidence to inform clinical decision-making.

Antiangiogenic therapy is an effective way to disrupt nutrient supply and starve tumors, but it is restricted by poor efficacy and negative feedback-induced tumor relapse. In this study, a neuropilin-1 (NRP-1)-targeted nanomedicine (designated as FPPT@Axi) is reported for spatiotemporal tumor suppression by combining photodynamic therapy (PDT) with antiangiogenesis. In brief, FPPT@Axi is prepared by utilizing an NRP-1-targeting chimeric peptide (Fmoc-K(PpIX)-PEG8-TKPRR) to encapsulate the antiangiogenic drug Axitinib (Axi). Importantly, the NRP-1-mediated targeting property enables FPPT@Axi to selectively concentrate at vascular endothelial and breast cancer cells, facilitating the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in situfor specific vascular disruption and enhanced cell apoptosis under light stimulation. Moreover, the codelivered Axi can further inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) to impair the negative feedback of PDT-induced tumor neovascularization. Consequently, FPPT@Axi spatiotemporally restrains the tumor growth through blocking angiogenesis, destroying tumor vessels, and inducing tumor apoptosis. Such an NRP-1-mediated targeting codelivery system sheds light on constructing an appealing candidate with translational potential by using clinically approved PDT and chemotherapy.

Gram-negative bacterial infection causes an excessive inflammatory response and acute organ damage or dysfunction due to its outer membrane component, lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Protectin conjugates in tissue regeneration 1 (PCTR1), an endogenous lipid mediator, exerts fundamental anti-inflammation and pro-resolution during infection. In the present study, we examined the properties of PCTR1 on the systemic inflammatory response, organic morphological damage and dysfunction, and serum metabolic biomarkers in an LPS-induced acute inflammatory mouse model. The results show that PCTR1 reduced serum inflammatory factors and ameliorated morphological damage and dysfunction of the lung, liver, kidney, and ultimately improved the survival rate of LPS-induced acute inflammation in mice. In addition, metabolomics analysis and high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed that LPS-stimulated serum linoleic acid (LA), arachidonic acid (AA), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels were significantly altered by PCTR1. Moreover, PCTR1 upregulated LPS-inhibited fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1), fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2), and elongase of very long chain fatty acids 2 (ELOVL2) expression, and downregulated LPS-stimulated phospholipase A2 (PLA2) expression to increase the intrahepatic content of AA. However, these effects of PCTR1 were partially abrogated by a lipoxin A4 receptor (ALX) antagonist (BOC-2). In summary, via the activation of ALX, PCTR1 promotes the conversion of LA to AA through upregulation of FADS1, FADS2, and ELOVL2 expression, and inhibits the conversion of bound AA into free AA through downregulation of PLA2 expression to decrease the serum AA and PGE2 levels.

Inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a critical strategy for enhancing cancer immunotherapy. However, inefficient and risky ICD inducers along with a tumor hypoxia microenvironment seriously limit the immunotherapy efficacy. Non-specific delivery is also responsible for this inefficiency. In this work, we report a drug-free bacteria-derived outer membrane vesicle (OMV)-functionalized Fe3O4-MnO2(FMO) nanoplatform that realized neutrophil-mediated targeted delivery and photothermally enhanced cancer immunotherapy. In this system, modification of OMVs derived from Escherichia colienhanced the accumulation of FMO NPs at the tumor tissue through neutrophil-mediated targeted delivery. The FMO NPs underwent reactive decomposition in the tumor site, generating manganese and iron ions that induced ICD and O2that regulated the tumor hypoxia environment. Moreover, OMVs are rich in pathogen-associated pattern molecules that can overcome the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment and effectively activate immune cells, thereby enhancing specific immune responses. Photothermal therapy (PTT) caused by MnO2and Fe3O4can not only indirectly stimulate systemic immunity by directly destroying tumor cells but also promote the enrichment of neutrophil-equipped nanoparticles by enhancing the inflammatory response at the tumor site. Finally, the proposed multi-modal treatment system with targeted delivery capability realized effective tumor immunotherapy to prevent tumor growth and recurrence.

A dual-layer photonic spiking neural network (PSNN) was constructed, where multiple optically pumped spin vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (Spin-VCSELs) were proposed as spiking neurons. Based on a detailed theoretical analysis of leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) and refractory period characteristics of Spin-VCSEL neurons, the training and testing performance for the studied PSNN was evaluated using two standard pattern classification tasks (Iris dataset, simple digit recognition). The results showed that, by selecting appropriate parameters such as frequency detuning and number of pre-synaptic neurons, etc., higher training/testing accuracies beyond 90% can be obtained. When compared with traditional electrically pumped VCSEL, a threshold reduction of up to 50% can be achieved under nanosecond scale spin relaxation time and circular polarization optical pumping, the feasibility of realizing high accuracy (88%) pattern classification near the reduced threshold was also verified. Therefore, optically pumped Spin-VCSEL neurons can become a valuable new choice for high-performance PSNN with reduced power consumption.

Although natural sunlight-mediated photocatalysis is a clean, efficient, and green approach to access organic products, its application in the synthesis of covalent organic frameworks (COFs), however, is still unprecedented. Herein, we first report the sunlight photocatalytic synthesis of COF under ambient conditions. Furthermore, this “window ledge” reaction generated benzoxazole-linked COF is stable and can be applied as a reusable photocatalyst to highly promote visible-light-driven aerobic oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides. These results not only enrich the COF synthetic methodology but also open a new route to access COFs in a green and sustainable way.

ABSTRACTMacroautophagy/autophagy is an evolutionarily well-conserved recycling process in response to stress conditions, including a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. High level of ROS attack key cellular macromolecules. Protein cysteinyl thiols or non-protein thiols as the major redox-sensitive targets thus constitute the first-line defense. Autophagy is unique, because it removes not only oxidized/damaged proteins but also bulky ROS-generating organelles (such as mitochondria and peroxisome) to restrict further ROS production. The oxidative regulations of autophagy occur in all processes of autophagy, from induction, phagophore nucleation, phagophore expansion, autophagosome maturation, cargo delivery to the lysosome, and finally to degradation of the cargo and recycling of the products, as well as autophagy gene transcription. Mechanically, these regulations are achieved through direct or indirect manners. Direct thiol oxidation of key proteins such as ATG4, ATM and TFEB are responsible for specific regulations in phagophore expansion, cargo recognition and autophagy gene transcription, respectively. Meanwhile, oxidation of certain redox-sensitive chaperone-like proteins (e.g. PRDX family members and PARK7) may impair a nonspecifically local reducing environment in the phagophore membrane, and influence BECN1-involved phagophore nucleation and mitophagy recognition. However, ROS do exhibit some inhibitory effects on autophagy through direct oxidation of key autophagy regulators such as ATG3, ATG7 and SENP3 proteins. SQSTM1 provides an alternative antioxidant mechanism when autophagy is unavailable or impaired. However, it is yet to be unraveled how cells evolve to equip proteins with different redox susceptibility and in their correct subcellular positions, and how cells fine-tune autophagy machinery in response to different levels of ROS.Abbreviations:AKT1/PKB: AKT serine/threonine kinase 1; AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; ATG: autophagy related; ATM: ATM serine/threonine kinase; BAX: BCL2 associated X, apoptosis regulator; BECN1: beclin 1; BH3: BCL2-homology-3; CAV1: caveolin 1; CCCP: carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone; CTSB: cathepsin B; CTSL: cathepsin L; DAPK: death associated protein kinase; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; ETC: electron transport chain; GSH: glutathione; GSTP1: glutathione S-transferase pi 1; H2O2: hydrogen peroxide; HK2: hexokinase 2; KEAP1: kelch like ECH associated protein 1; MAMs: mitochondria-associated ER membranes; MAP1LC3B/LC3: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta; MAPK8/JNK1: mitogen-activated protein kinase 8; MAP3K5/ASK1: mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 5; MCOLN1: mucolipin 1; MMP: mitochondrial membrane potential; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; NFE2L2/NRF2: nuclear factor, erythroid 2 like 2; NFKB1: nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1; NOX: NADPH oxidase; O2-: superoxide radical anion; p-Ub: phosphorylated Ub; PARK7/DJ-1: Parkinsonism associated deglycase; PE: phosphatidylethanolamine; PEX5: peroxisomal biogenesis factor 5; PINK1: PTEN induced kinase 1; PPP3CA/calcineurin: protein phosphatase 3 catalytic subunit beta; PRDX: peroxiredoxin; PRKAA1: protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit alpha 1; PRKD/PKD: protein kinase D; PRKN/parkin: parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase; PtdIns3K: class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; PtdIns3P: phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate; PTEN: phosphatase and tensin homolog; ROS: reactive oxygen species; SENP3: SUMO specific peptidase 3; SIRT1: sirtuin 1; SOD1: superoxide dismutase 1; SQSTM1/p62: sequestosome 1; SUMO: small ubiquitin like modifier; TFEB: transcription factor EB; TRAF6: TNF receptor associated factor 6; TSC2: TSC complex subunit 2; TXN: thioredoxin; TXNRD1: thioredoxin reductase 1; TXNIP: thioredoxin interacting protein; Ub: ubiquitin; ULK1: unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1.

Bouligand structures across several species invariably hold the mechanical foundation for the survival of living organisms. Transcribing them into synthetic analogues will promote the development of structural materials. Although superior nanofibers emerge continuously, arranging them into structurally and mechanically optimized biomimetic assemblies remains challenging. Here, we propose a programmable assembly strategy and construct discontinuous Bouligand structural nanocomposites with eco-friendly, silicon-based nanofibers and biopolymer. Unique helicoidal organization and discontinuity enable the resultant nanocomposites’ synergetic toughening via crack twisting and fiber bridging. The optimal nanocomposite exhibits superior tensile strength (356.1 MPa), energy absorption (28.8 MJ m−3), and fatigue durability (more than 30,000 bending cycles), outperforming many natural and synthetic Bouligand structural analogues. They hold potential as sustainable materials for mechanical protection or tissue engineering. The discontinuous Bouligand structural design proposed here, combining the programmable nanofiber assembly strategies, will drive innovation of traditional continuous macrofiber-reinforced plastics and help creation of advanced nanofibrous composites.

The prominent pathological feature of fatty liver disease lesions is excessive fat accumulation in lipid droplets in hepatocytes. Thus, developing fluorescent lipid droplet-specific probes with high permeability and a high imaging contrast provides a robust tool for diagnosing fatty liver diseases. Herein, we rationally developed a novel donor–acceptor lipophilic fluorescent probe ANI with high photostability for wash-free visualization of lipid droplets and fatty liver disease characteristics. ANI showed a typical twisted intramolecular charge transfer effect with very faint fluorescence in high-polar solvents, but dramatically boosted emissions in low-polar environments. The solvatochromic probe can selectively light up lipid droplets with a high contrast in a wash-free manner. Further use of ANI to reveal the excessive accumulation of lipid droplets with a significantly large size in the liver tissues from the fatty liver disease model mice was successfully demonstrated. The remarkable imaging performances rendered ANI an alternative tool for accurately evaluating fatty liver disease in intraoperative diagnosis.

Tumor cells activate DNA repair pathways to combat the oxidative damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), contributing to their resistance to photodynamic therapy (PDT). Herein, a self-delivery photodynamic sensitizer is developed to enhance oxidative damage by blocking the DNA repair pathway through poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition. Specifically, the photodynamic sensitizer (CeOla) is constructed based on the self-assembly of the photosensitizer chlorine e6 (Ce6) and the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Ola). Of note is that carrier free CeOla has a high drug content and favorable water stability, which could be effectively internalized by tumor cells for robust PDT upon light irradiation. Moreover, CeOla could inhibit the activation of PARP, promote the upregulation of γ-H2AX and reduce the expression of Rad51, thereby blocking the DNA repair pathway to sensitize tumor cells for PDT. As a consequence, the self-delivery CeOla greatly promotes the tumor cell apoptosis and shows a high antitumor performance with low side effects. It serves as a novel platform for the development of self-delivery nanomedicine to overcome oxidative resistance in tumor treatment.

Recent studies suggest that melatonin (Mel) plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure (BP) via the aortic baroreflex pathway. In this study, we investigated the interaction between the baroreflex afferent pathway and Mel-mediated BP regulation in rats under physiological and hypertensive conditions. Mel (0.1, 0.3, and 1.0 mg/mL) was microinjected into the nodose ganglia (NG) of rats. We showed that Mel-induced reduction of mean arterial pressure in female rats was significantly greater than that in male and in ovariectomized rats under physiological condition. Consistently, the expression of Mel receptors (MTNRs) in the NG of female rats was significantly higher than that of males. In L-NAME-induced hypertensive and spontaneously hypertensive rat models, MTNRs were upregulated in males but downregulated in female models. Interestingly, Mel-induced BP reduction was found in male hypertensive models. In whole-cell recording from identified baroreceptor neurons (BRNs) in female rats, we found that Mel (0.1 μM) significantly increased the excitability of a female-specific subpopulation of Ah-type BRNs by increasing the Nav1.9 current density via a PKC-mediated pathway. Similar results were observed in baroreceptive neurons of the nucleus tractus solitarius, showing the facilitation of spontaneous and evoked excitatory post-synaptic currents in Ah-type neurons. Collectively, this study reveals the estrogen-dependent effect of Mel/MTNRs under physiological and hypertensive conditions is mainly mediated by Ah-type BRNs, which may provide new theoretical basis and strategies for the gender-specific anti-hypertensive treatment in clinical practice.

Hypoxanthine (I) is the nucleobase of inosine. In this work, we employed second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation(MP2) method to investigate the protonation properties of hypoxanthine(I), adenine(A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). The order of proton affinity is as follows: cytosine (N3and O2(N3) side) ≈ guanine (N7) > adenine (N1) > hypoxanthine (N7) > thymine(O4(N3side)). To compare the stability of protonated base pairs between I and DNA bases, we investigated the collision-induced dissociation (CID) behavior of the pairs using tandem mass spectrometry method. And the full geometry optimization has been performed for the studied complexes by the MP2 method. Based on the CID results and calculated structures, the stability of the protonated base pairs in DNA decreased in the following order: (I:A+H)+> (I:C+H)+> (I:G+H)+> (I+H:T)+.

The Nanwenghe Wetlands Reserve in the Yile'huli Mountains is a representative region of the Xing'an permafrost. The response of permafrost to climate change remains unclear due to limited field investigations. Thus, longer-term responses of the ground thermal state to climate change since 2011 have been monitored at four sites with varied surface characteristics: Carex tatowetland (P1) and shrub-C. tatowetland (P2) with a multi-year average temperatures at the depth of zero annual amplitude (TZAA) of −0.52 and −1.19 °C, respectively; Betula platyphylla-Larix gmelinii(Rupr.) Kuzen mixed forest (P3) with TZAAof 0.17 °C, and; the forest of L. gmelinii(Rupr.) Kuzen (P4) with TZAAof 1.65 °C. Continuous observations demonstrate that the ecosystem-protected Xing'an permafrost experienced a cooling under a warming climate. The temperature at the top of permafrost (TTOP) rose (1.8 °C per decade) but the TZAAdeclined (−0.14 °C per decade), while the active layer thickness (ALT) thinned from 0.9 m in 2012 to 0.8 m in 2014 at P1. Both the TTOP and TZAAincreased (0.89 and 0.06 °C per decade, respectively), but the ALT thinned from 1.4 m in 2012 to 0.7 m in 2016 at P2. Vertically detached permafrost at P3 disappeared in summer 2012, with warming rates of +0.42 and + 0.17 °C per decade for TTOP and TZAA, respectively. However, up to date, the ground thermal state has remained stable at P4. We conclude that the thermal offset is crucial for the preservation and persistence of the Xing'an permafrost at the southern fringe.

The Al–Mg alloy with high Mg addition (Al–9.2Mg–0.8Mn–0.2Zr-0.15Ti, in wt.%) was subjected to different passes (1, 2 and 4) of high strain rate rolling (HSRR), with the total thickness reduction of 72%, the rolling temperature of 400 °C and strain rate of 8.6 s−1. The microstructure evolution was studied by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The alloy that undergoes 2 passes of HSRR exhibits an obvious bimodal grain structure, in which the average grain sizes of the fine dynamic recrystallization (DRX) grains and the coarse non-DRX regions are 6.4 and 47.7 μm, respectively. The high strength ((507±9) MPa) and the large ductility ((24.9±1.3)%) are obtained in the alloy containing the bimodal grain distribution. The discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) mechanism is the prominent grain refinement mechanism in the alloy subjected to 2 passes of HSRR.

By a ligand-oriented assembly approach, the heterometallic–organic framework [Pb4Cu2I2(pdc)4(DMF)6]n(1; H2pdc = 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide) has been successfully fabricated with the assistance of a N-/O-containing H2pdc molecule. 1displays a 3D architecture constructed from the combination of discrete [Cu2I2] moieties and infinite Pb–O chains with the organic linkers. A bright yellow luminescence emission of 1can be observed, and temperature-dependent emission spectra indicate the huge potential of 1to serve as a molecular luminescence thermometer. In addition, through a luminescence turn-off effect, compound 1can be considered to be a superior sensor for the sensitive detection of Fe3+. Moreover, photocatalysis experiments have been performed on 1, suggesting that the title catalyst could induce and accelerate the decomposition of dye pollutants.

Fly ash is the most common solid waste in the industry, and its high value-added utilization has become a hot issue of study. Carrying out the green synthesis route of zeolite as the raw material of fly ash has become an extremely important scientific significance and practical value. In this paper, the research progress of fly ash-based zeolite was introduced from three aspects, including fly ash activation method, fly ash-based zeolite synthesis method and fly ash-based zeolite in the wastewater treatment sector. The relevant applications of fly ash-based zeolite as an adsorbent material in the treatment of wastewater pollution were summarized, and the development trend has prospected.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which is closely related to various cardiovascular disorders, lowers blood pressure (BP), but whether this action is mediated via the modification of baroreflex afferent function has not been elucidated. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the role of the baroreflex afferent pathway in H2S-mediated autonomic control of BP regulation. The results showed that baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) was increased by acute intravenous NaHS (a H2S donor) administration to renovascular hypertensive (RVH) and control rats. Molecular expression data also showed that the expression levels of critical enzymes related to H2S were aberrantly downregulated in the nodose ganglion (NG) and nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) in RVH rats. A clear reduction in BP by the microinjection of NaHS or L-cysteine into the NG was confirmed in both RVH and control rats, and a less dramatic effect was observed in model rats. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of NaHS administered by chronic intraperitoneal infusion on dysregulated systolic blood pressure (SBP), cardiac parameters, and BRS were verified in RVH rats. Moreover, the increase in BRS was attributed to activation and upregulation of the ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels Kir6.2 and SUR1, which are functionally expressed in the NG and NTS. In summary, H2S plays a crucial role in the autonomic control of BP regulation by improving baroreflex afferent function due at least in part to increased KATPchannel expression in the baroreflex afferent pathway under physiological and hypertensive conditions.

Due to high safety and cost-effective resources, sodium-ion batteries show great prospect in large-scale energy storage systems. Owing to wide structural framework and high theoretical capacity, Na-based layered oxide with prismatic P2-type structure is an ideal cathode candidate for sodium-ion batteries. However, Na-based layered compounds always suffer from detrimental multiple phase transitions during cycle period, resulting in structure deterioration and rapid capacity decay. Herein, stable P2-Na0.67Ni0.33Mn0.67-xTixO2cathodes are constructed through substituting Mn with Ti. In-situXRD demonstrates that Ti substitution effectively successfully suppresses the undesired phase transition of P2-O2, and in turn appears a stable Z-symbiotic intermediate phase with minimal volume change. Hence, designed P2-Na0.67Ni0.33Mn0.37Ti0.3O2cathode shows better structural stability and long-term cycling reliability, yielding a high reversible capacity of 123 mAh g−1and a high capacity retention of 89 % after 100 cycles at 0.2C. More importantly, a high working voltage of 3.5 V and a boosted energy density of 400 Wh kg−1is achieved in the NNMTO-3 || HC full cell, which further strengthens the competence of Ti-substituted Na-based layered oxide cathodes. This work provides a feasible design insight for long-life, high-voltage sodium-ion batteries, which can be applied to construct more stable layered compounds and further improves their electrochemical properties.

Using a pyridine-derived molecule 1,3,5-tris(4-pyridyl)benzene (TPB) and a polycarboxylate linker 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid (H2BDC), a Co(II)-based coordination polymer {[Co(TPB)(BDC)]·0.5H2O} (1) with a high water stability was successfully prepared and fully characterized. Compound 1possesses a unique 3D pillar-chained network wherein the adjacent 1D double [Co(BDC)] chains are further connected by TPB pillars. The photoluminescence property of 1was studied, exhibiting a weak emission with UV light irradiation. Interestingly, the multiresponsive luminescence makes compound 1a versatile chemosensor for several metal cations and inorganic anions in aqueous solutions. It has a great ability to selectively detect cationic Al3+and Cu2+and anionic IO4–through luminescence turn-on or turn-off effects. In particular, the luminescence intensity could be significantly decreased by existence of IO4–, which is seldom reported among the cobalt-based coordination polymers and implies that 1can act as an effective fluorescence probe to sense corresponding species. The quenching mechanism for various ions has been discussed in detail. In addition, the magnetic property of 1was investigated.

By mediation of the pH values, three novel inorganic–organic iodoplumbate hybrids, [Me3TPT][Pb3I9] [1; Me3TPT = trimethyl-2,4,6-tris(4-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine], [Me3TPT]2[Pb9I24] (2), and [Me3TPT]2[Pb19I44] (3), have been achieved under solvothermal conditions. The large conjugated in situ N-alkylation polypyridine derivatives act as structure-directing agents and electron acceptors, making the materials feature adjustable structural variations with 0D, 1D, and 2D structures and a potential semiconductive performance with narrow energy gaps (1.72, 1.80, and 1.78 eV for 1–3, respectively), which result in their efficient photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation. Theoretical calculation reveals that the conjugated organic moieties greatly contribute to the conduction band, leading to narrow band gaps. It is expected that the work will contribute to the exploitation of novel semiconducting halometallates by employing conjugated organic species as structure-directing agents.

Mitochondria are essential organelles that provide energy for mammalian cells and participate in multiple functions, such as signal transduction, cellular differentiation, and regulation of apoptosis. Compared with the mitochondria in somatic cells, oocyte mitochondria have an additional level of importance since they are required for germ cell maturation, dysfunction in which can lead to severe inherited disorders. Thus, a systematic proteomic profile of oocyte mitochondria is urgently needed to support the basic and clinical research, but the acquisition of such a profile has been hindered by the rarity of oocyte samples and technical challenges associated with capturing mitochondrial proteins from live oocytes. Here, in this work, using proximity labeling proteomics, we established a mitochondria-specific ascorbate peroxidase (APEX2) reaction in live GV-stage mouse oocytes and identified a total of 158 proteins in oocyte mitochondria. This proteome includes intrinsic mitochondrial structural and functional components involved in processes associated with “cellular respiration”, “ATP metabolism”, “mitochondrial transport”, etc. In addition, mitochondrial proteome capture after oocyte exposure to the antitumor chemotherapeutic cisplatin revealed differential changes in the abundance of several oocyte-specific mitochondrial proteins. Our study provides the first description of a mammalian oocyte mitochondrial proteome of which we are aware, and further illustrates the dynamic shifts in protein abundance associated with chemotherapeutic agents.

We present the design of Ge_1−xSn_x-on-Si waveguide photodetectors for the applications in the C- to U-bands. The GeSn photodetectors have been studied in respect to responsivity, dark current, and bandwidth, with light butt- or evanescent-coupled from an Si waveguide. With the introduction of 4.5% Sn into Ge, the GeSn waveguide PD with evanescent-coupling exhibits high responsivity of 1.25 A/W and 3 dB bandwidth of 123.1 GHz at 1.675 µm. Further increasing the Sn composition cannot improve the absorption in the U-band significantly but does lead to poorer thermal stability and higher dark current. This work suggests a promising avenue for future high-speed high-responsivity photodetection in the C- to U-bands.

Gram-negative bacterial infection causes an excessive inflammatory response and acute organ damage or dysfunction due to its outer membrane component, lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Protectin conjugates in tissue regeneration 1 (PCTR1), an endogenous lipid mediator, exerts fundamental anti-inflammation and pro-resolution during infection. In the present study, we examined the properties of PCTR1 on the systemic inflammatory response, organic morphological damage and dysfunction, and serum metabolic biomarkers in an LPS-induced acute inflammatory mouse model. The results show that PCTR1 reduced serum inflammatory factors and ameliorated morphological damage and dysfunction of the lung, liver, kidney, and ultimately improved the survival rate of LPS-induced acute inflammation in mice. In addition, metabolomics analysis and high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed that LPS-stimulated serum linoleic acid (LA), arachidonic acid (AA), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels were significantly altered by PCTR1. Moreover, PCTR1 upregulated LPS-inhibited fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1), fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2), and elongase of very long chain fatty acids 2 (ELOVL2) expression, and downregulated LPS-stimulated phospholipase A2 (PLA2) expression to increase the intrahepatic content of AA. However, these effects of PCTR1 were partially abrogated by a lipoxin A4 receptor (ALX) antagonist (BOC-2). In summary, via the activation of ALX, PCTR1 promotes the conversion of LA to AA through upregulation of FADS1, FADS2, and ELOVL2 expression, and inhibits the conversion of bound AA into free AA through downregulation of PLA2 expression to decrease the serum AA and PGE2 levels.

Purpose To investigate the effect and safety of endovascular embolization of tiny aneurysms (≤3 mm) within 72 h of subarachnoid hemorrhage compared with larger ones.Materials and methods Patients with intracranial aneurysms treated with endovascular embolization within 72 h were retrospectively enrolled and divided into group A (n= 33) with ruptured tiny aneurysms (≤3 mm) and group B (n= 244) with ruptured larger aneurysms (>3 mm). The clinical and angiographic data before and after embolization were analyzed.Results Most tiny aneurysms were located at the posterior communicating artery (36.4%) followed by anterior communicating artery (18.2%). The stent-assisted coiling technique was used mostly in group A with 18 stents deployed (51.5%), but only 24 (9.8%) patients had stent-assisted coiling in group B, with the stent-assisted coiling technique more significantly (P< 0.001) frequently used in group A. No significant (P> 0.05) difference existed in the total, subtotal and incomplete occlusion of aneurysms in two groups. The procedure-related complication rate was not significantly (P> 0.05) different between groups A (24.2%) and B (17.0%). At discharge, no significant (P> 0.05) difference existed in the neurological abnormality between the two groups. Follow-up was performed in 64.5% (20/31) in group A and 75.6% (177/234) in group B. No significant (P> 0.05) difference existed in the aneurysm recurrence rate, deaths, and prognosis.Conclusion Early embolization of tiny cerebral aneurysms within 72 h of subarachnoid hemorrhage is safe and effective compared with ruptured large aneurysms treated in the same manner.

As a short peptide containing active thiol group, glutathione (GSH) participates in many cellular reactions, so it is of great significance to detect cellular GSH. In this work, amino-rich graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were synthesized, which could coordinate with copper ions (Cu2+) and yield aggregation-induced fluorescence quenching. However, GSH owns stronger coordination ability with Cu2+, so that GSH could promote the dissociation of Cu2+from the surface of GQDs, and then led to the fluorescence recovery of GQDs. In BR buffer medium at pH 6.8, GSH was able to gradually recover the fluorescence of GQDs (1 μg/mL) that was quenched by Cu2+(250 μmol/L), which could be finished within 20 min. Additionally, the recovery degree of fluorescence was linear to the concentration of GSH in the range of 20–500 μmol/L with a detection limit of 3.4 μmol/L. This method was applicable to the detection of GSH in cell lysate by the switchable function of Cu2+to improve the selectivity.

We present the application of N-difluoroacetylglucosamine (GlcNDFA) in a chemical evolution strategy to synthesize oligosaccharides. In comparison to conventional N-trifluoroacetylglucosamine, GlcNDFA exhibits superior substrate compatibility with glycosyltransferases as well as stability in aqueous environments. Using our 16-step assembly line, GlcNDFA can be used to produce homogeneous dekaparin, a heparin-like medication, with a yield of 62.2%. This underscores the significant potential of GlcNDFA as a chemical evolution precursor in the precise synthesis of structurally defined polysaccharides.

Network toxicology combined with metabonomics is of great significance for the study of the toxic mechanism and prediction of toxicity of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). In this study, we reviewed the application of network toxicology based on LC-MS metabolomics, mainly in the study of toxic components and the toxicity mechanism of TCMs, which provides new ideas and methods for the further study of the toxicity mechanism of TCMs.

Glyptostrobus pensilis(Cupressaceae) is a critically endangered conifer which occurs in China, Laos, and Vietnam where it is only known from a few populations. Here we aim to develop microsatellite markers which can be used to study the genetic variation within this species. Using transcriptome data we tested 170 SSR loci for polymorphism in 16 samples. Twenty-three loci were polymorphic and selected for the genetic analysis of 83 individuals from three Chinese populations. The number of alleles per locus and population ranged from one to eight, the observed and expected heterozygosity from Ho= 0.00-1.00 and He= 0.00-0.83, respectively. Fifteen loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in at least one of the three populations. The majority of loci could also be successfully amplified in four related species, namely Cryptomeria fortunei, Taxodium distichum, Taxodium ascendensand Cunninghamia lanceolata. These developed microsatellites are suitable for population genetic studies of Glyptostrobus pensilisand related species.

With bioassay- and chemistry-guided fractionation, seven new caged prenylxanthones including two scalemic mixtures, epiisobractatin (1), 13-hydroxyisobractatin (2), 13-hydroxyepiisobractatin (3), 8-methoxy-8,8a-dihydrobractatin (4), 8-ethoxy-8,8a-dihydrobractatin (5), garcibracteatone (6), and 8-methoxy-8,8a-dihydroneobractiatin (7), and the eight known compounds 8–15were isolated from the leaves of Garcinia bracteata. The structures were unambiguously elucidated through analysis of spectroscopic data. The 2D structures and relative configurations of 1and 5were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The separation of the enantiomers of 1–5was accomplished by chiral-phase HPLC. The absolute configurations of the enantiomers of 1and 5were assigned by comparison of the experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. The absolute configurations of the related compounds were determined via comparisons of their ECD data with those of the enantiomers of 1and 5, respectively. Notably, compound 7, with a neo caged skeleton, is the first representative of a novel type of caged xanthone lacking a Δ8(8a)double bond. The isolated compounds exhibited significant cell growth inhibitory activities in vitro against human leukemic HL-60 and K562 cell lines, with GI50values ranging from 0.2 to 8.8 μM. A preliminary structure–activity relationship is discussed.

As a major metabolic product of purine nucleotides, uric acid (UA) usually presents in urine and serum, which is closely related to human health. With the catalysis by uricase, uric acid can yield allantoin, CO2and H2O2. Then, the produced H2O2is able to decompose CoOOH nanoflakes into Co2+, resulting in a smaller size with weakened light scattering. This work provides a simple and selective light scattering method for UA analysis with a linear range from 1.0 × 10−5to 1.0 × 10−3M and a detection limit of 1.0 × 10−6M. In addition, this method has been successfully applied to the determination of UA in human serum samples with similar results to clinical methods.

A novel bidirectional high-sensitivity fiber-optic bending sensor based on the concave-lens-like long-period fiber grating (CLL-LPFG) is designed and demonstrated. The CLL-LPFG is composed by an array of arc-shaped grating planes, and accordingly, its refractive index modulation serves as a concave lens. As a result, the eigencladding mode of the device gets closer to the device surface than the conventional counterpart. Therefore, the proposed sensor provides a more sensitive result. The experimental results show that the bending sensitivities of the CLL-LPFG reach −32.782  nm/m^−1 within the bending range of 0–2.08  m^−1, which is about sixfold compared to the reported arts. The sensitivity can be potentially improved by optimizing the grating parameters, and the temperature characteristics of the CLL-LPFG can be used to manipulate the grating spectrum.

Spherical Sm2O3 nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by microwave-assisted hydrothermal technique in the condition of different microwave radiation power. The microstructure, morphology and optical properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), field emission transmission electron microscope (FETEM) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometry. The results showed that the precursors Sm (OH)3 nanorods and SmOHCO3 nanoparticles were obtained during microwave-assisted hydrothermal reaction and decomposed into spherical Sm2O3 nanoparticles after heat treatment. A potential mechanism of the formation of Sm2O3 nanoparticles is proposed. The UV-vis absorption spectra indicated that the samples had high ultraviolet absorption capacity and the energy gap was only 4.83 eV as the radiation power increased to 550 W.

In situ alkylation or protonation reactions on the thiazolyl-N donors of benzothiazole (btz) and its derivative 2-aminobenzothiazole (abtz) occurred to form four structure directing agents (SDAs), which feature different structure directing abilities and hydrophobicities. The thiazolyl-N alkylated and protonated btz cations direct to form an α-type (AgI2)−iodoargentate chain in (Etbtz)(AgI2) (1), (Prbtz)(AgI2) (2), and (Hbtz)(AgI2) (3), respectively, while the thiazolyl-N protonated abtz cation directs to form a new type of (Ag2I3)−anionic chain in (Habtz)(Ag2I3) (4). Compounds 1and 4represent the first noncentrosymmetric (NCS) hybrid iodoargentates with organic S-containing N-heterocycle derivative cations as SDAs. Further, 1exhibits high water stability and is second harmonic generation (SHG) active with a response about twice that of KDP (KH2PO4). Importantly, the water stability studies indicate that hybrid iodoargentates with hydrophobic N-alkylated SDAs are more stable in water than those with relative hydrophilic N-protonated SDAs.

AbstractGrowth performance of juvenile Orange-spotted Grouper Epinephelus coioidesfed isonitrogenous (45% crude protein) and isoenergetic diets with varying carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios (0 to 10.9) were evaluated. Triplicate groups of 18 fish (initial mean individual body weight, 16.4 g/) were fed to satiety for 8 weeks. At the termination of this trial, significant differences (P< 0.05) were found on the growth performance. Weight gain and specific growth rate values increased with decreasing dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios. The highest feed conversion ratio value and the lowest protein efficiency ratio value were observed in fish fed the 10.9 carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio diet. Besides, fish fed the 10.9 carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio exhibited the lowest nitrogen retention and energy retention values. With the diet carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios decreasing, hepatosomatic index values were reduced significantly (P< 0.001), while the intraperitoneal fat index values showed an inverse trend. Whole-body protein content was reduced with the decrease in dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios, whereas whole-body lipid content increased significantly with decreasing dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios (P< 0.001) while the whole-body moisture content showed a reverse trend. Additionally, liver lipid content increased with the decrease in dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratios, while contrasting results were found in liver glycogen content. The results of this study suggest that the suitable dietary carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio for Orange-spotted Grouper is 0.5 in the isonitrogenous (45% crude protein) and isoenergetic diets, and this species is better adapted to utilizing lipids rather than carbohydrates.Received December 1, 2015; accepted May 4, 2016 Published online November 11, 2016