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Constructing a heterostructure is an effective strategy for improving piezocatalytic performance. Here, Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl heterostructured nanocomposites were synthesized to enhance the piezocatalytic performance by the synergy of oxygen vacancy and heterojunction. As expected, the optimized Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl heterostructured nanocomposites exhibited superior piezocatalytic activity toward organic pollutant degradation compared to Bi5Ti3FeO15 and BiOCl. Under ultrasound vibration, rhodamine B (RhB) was degraded by 96% in 20 min, and mixed dyes were degraded by 97% within 30 min by Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl, and the degradation efficiencies were higher than numerous reported piezocatalysts. The Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl catalyst also had efficient removal capability for bisphenol A, tetracycline hydrochloride, and phenol. In addition, RhB, bisphenol A, and tetracycline hydrochloride were also efficiently decomposed by Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl under magnetic stirring, indicating that the catalyst had the capability of harvesting low-frequency mechanical energy. The construction of a heterostructure combined the merits of oxygen vacancy and band structure, which enhanced the absorption of dyes, oxygen, and OH–, improved the separation efficiency of carriers, promoted the formation of radicals, and improved the piezocatalytic activity. This study not only shed light on the design of heterostructure piezocatalyst but also demonstrated that by using mechanical energy, Bi5Ti3FeO15/BiOCl proved to be a promising piezocatalyst for degrading organic pollutants in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for various cardiovascular diseases. However, the mechanism underlying homocysteine- (Hcy-) induced vascular injury remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to examine a potential mechanism by which Hcy induced injury in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC). The protein abundance of autophagy-related markers was markedly decreased after Hcy treatment, which was associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis in HUVECs. Protein expression level of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1 receptor) was dramatically increased in response to Hcy. Valsartan, an AT1 receptor blocker, improved autophagy and prevented ER stress and apoptosis in HUVECs treated with Hcy. Consistent with this, silence of AT1 receptor with siRNA decreased the protein abundance of ER stress markers, prevented apoptosis, and promoted autophagy in HUVECs. Inhibition or knockdown of AT1 receptor was shown to be associated with suppression of p-GSK3β/GSK3β-p-mTOR/mTOR signaling pathway. Additionally, inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA aggravated Hcy-induced apoptosis, while amelioration of ER stress by 4-PBA prevented Hcy-induced injury in HUVECs. Hcy-induced HUVEC injury was likely attributed to AT1 receptor activation, leading to impaired autophagy, ER stress, and apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eriodictyol occurs naturally in a variety of fruits and vegetables, and has drawn significant attention for its potential health benefits. This study aims to look into the effects of eriodictyol on acute liver injury (ALI) induced by LPS/D-GalN and elucidate its potential molecular biological mechanisms. A total of 47 targets were predicted for the treatment of ALI with eriodictyol, and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway played a key role in the anti-ALI processing of this drug. The in vivo experiment showed that eriodictyol can effectively reduce liver function-related biochemical indicators such as ALT, AST, and AKP. Eriodictyol can also up-regulate the levels of SOD and GSH, and inhibit the release of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Additionally, TUNEL staining, immunohistochemistry, and RT-PCR experiments showed that eriodictyol activated the PI3K/AKT pathway and decreased the expression of Bax, caspase3, and caspase8 while increasing the expression of Bcl-2 m-RNA. Finally, molecular docking experiments and molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the stable binding between eriodictyol and PI3K, AKT molecules. This study showed that eriodictyol can activate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to alleviate ALI-related oxidative stress and apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the complex dynamic relationship between urban–rural integrated development and land-use efficiency can contribute to most efficient urban–rural land-use and the rational promotion of urban–rural integrated development. This study established an evaluation model of urban–rural integrated development, adopted the super-efficiency SBM model to measure land-use efficiency, and studied the evolution of the spatial–temporal patterns of urban–rural integrated development and land-use efficiency coupling in the Yellow River Basin. We also examined the factors affecting them with the help of the coupling coordination degree model, non-parametric kernel density estimation, and geographic probes. The results indicate the following: (1) Within the study period, the coupled coordination of urban–rural integrated development and land-use efficiency was similar to the spatial distribution characteristics of land-use efficiency, both showing a "high at both ends and low in the middle" trend. (2) The coupled coordination increased over time; however, a lagging land-use efficiency was a crucial impediment to improving the coupling coordination degree. (3) Carbon emissions, urbanization rate, and per capita GDP were key drivers. The results of this study can provide a reference for local governments in the Yellow River Basin and other similar areas to propose paths to optimize the allocation of urban and rural land-use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, concerted companion (CC) dyes have been developed by covalently linking the acceptors of organic and porphyrin dye units. Herein, a new class of CC dyes XW85 and XW86 have been designed by linking the donors of porphyrin and organic dye units with C6H12 and C12H24 chains, respectively. The DSSCs of XW85 based on the I3−/I− electrolyte show significant JSC (17.20 mA cm−2) and PCE (8.96%), and XW86 exhibits higher JSC (18.55 mA cm−2) and PCE (9.76%), which are also higher than those of the corresponding cosensitization systems. However, the PCEs for XW85 and XW86 are lower than that of the acceptor-linked reference dye XW76 despite the obviously larger dye adsorption amounts. Desorption studies reveal that the CC dyes may be either double-anchored or single-anchored, with the double/single anchoring ratios lying in a sequence of XW85 (1.31) < XW86 (1.88) < XW76 (6.34), consistent with that of increasing PCE. These observations indicate that the non-adsorbed sub-dye unit cannot effectively contribute to electron injection, and thus relatively large mono-anchoring proportions for XW85 and XW86 result in their relatively low JSC, and the difference between XW85 and XW86 indicates that a longer linking chain is beneficial for partially alleviating the unfavorable single anchoring, resulting in superior performance. The results indicate that the photovoltaic behavior for the CC dyes may be further enhanced by avoiding the unfavorable alignment of the two carboxyl groups in opposite directions and thus simultaneously anchoring the two carboxyl groups, which may be realized through more rational molecular design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A piezocatalyst with highly efficient catalytic efficiency toward multiple pollutants' removal can improve treatment efficiency and reduce the consumption of catalysts, which is ideal for practical applications. Herein, Bi5Ti3FeO15 nanofibers were prepared using electrospinning and its excellent piezocatalytic performances for mixed dyes' and antibiotics' degradation were revealed. Rhodamine B (RhB) is degraded by 98% in 20 min, and the acquired reaction rate constant is 0.195 min–1 under ultrasonic vibration. Particularly, the mixed dyes of RhB, acid orange 7, methylene blue, and methyl orange are simultaneously degraded within 40 min, a high rate constant of 0.106 min–1 is achieved, and the degradation efficiencies can be always maintained at ∼100% for five consecutive cycles. The obtained rate constant for mixed dyes' degradation is superior to many of the previously reported catalysts just toward one dye degradation. Furthermore, it is further demonstrated that tetracycline hydrochloride, bisphenol A, and phenol can be also efficiently degraded by 94, 90, and 79%, respectively, within 30 min. The piezocatalytic performances of nanofibers at different pH values and reaction temperatures were also explored. Catalytic mechanism investigations demonstrate that the optimized Bi5Ti3FeO15 nanofibers possess a weaker carrier recombination rate, smaller carrier transfer resistance, and higher carrier separation efficiency, which account for its superior piezocatalytic performance. This work reveals that Bi5Ti3FeO15 nanofiber is a superior catalyst for organic pollutants' degradation under mechanical vibration and offers a strategy for the design of other high-performance piezocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea buckthorn leaf tea, an emerging potential functional beverage product, has not yet had appropriate product standards and corresponding quality evaluation methods, and its poor taste directly affects the acceptance of the population, thus limiting its market consumption potential. In this study, two major packaging forms of sea buckthorn leaf tea available in the Chinese market were selected. The contents of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and 10 phenolic compounds, as well as the in vitro antioxidant capacity and sensory characteristics of sea buckthorn leaf tea were analyzed. Results showed that the quality of sea buckthorn leaf tea in the Chinese market varied widely. The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, and consumer acceptance of bagged sea buckthorn leaf tea were higher than those of bulk sea buckthorn leaf tea. Multifactorial statistical analysis showed that the taste astringency of sea buckthorn leaf tea was closely related to ellagic acid and isorhamnetin‐3‐O‐neohesperidin. Furthermore, isorhamnetin‐3‐O‐neohesperidin had a greater effect on the antioxidant activity of sea buckthorn leaf tea. Therefore, ellagic acid and isorhamnetin‐3‐O‐neohesperidin can be used as potential quality markers for sea buckthorn leaf tea. This work provides a reference for taste improvement and quality control of sea buckthorn leaf tea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]