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A series of Zr-based metal–organic frameworks was prepared via the solvothermal route using sulfonic-rich linkers for the efficient capture of Pb2+ ions from aqueous medium. The factors affecting adsorption such as the solution pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, adsorption isotherms, and mechanism were studied. Consequently, the maximum adsorption capacity of Pb2+ on the acidified VNU-23 was determined to be 617.3 mg g−1, which is much higher than that of previously reported adsorbents and MOF materials. Furthermore, the adsorption isotherms and kinetics of the Pb2+ ion are in good accordance with the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, suggesting that the uptake of Pb2+ is a chemisorption process. The reusability experiments demonstrated the facile recovery of the H+⊂VNU-23 material through immersion in an HNO3 solution (pH = 3), where its Pb2+ adsorption efficiency still remained at about 90% of the initial uptake over seven cycles. Remarkably, the adsorption mechanism was elucidated through a combined theoretical and experimental investigation. Accordingly, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy connected to energy-dispersive X-ray mapping (SEM-EDX-mapping), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the Pb⊂VNU-23 sample and comparison with H+⊂VNU-23 confirmed that the electrostatic interaction occurs via the interaction between the SO3− moieties in the framework and the Pb2+ ion, leading to the formation of a Pb–O bond. In addition, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations showed the effective affinity of the MOF adsorbent toward the Pb2+ ion via the strong driving force mentioned in the experimental studies. Thus, these findings illustrate that H+⊂VNU-23 can be employed as a potential adsorbent to eliminate Pb2+ ions from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophages regulate protective immune responses to infectious microbes, but aberrant macrophage activation frequently drives pathological inflammation. To identify regulators of vigorous macrophage activation, we analyzed RNA-seq data from synovial macrophages and identified SLAMF7 as a receptor associated with a superactivated macrophage state in rheumatoid arthritis. We implicated IFN- as a key regulator of SLAMF7 expression and engaging SLAMF7 drove a strong wave of inflammatory cytokine expression. Induction of TNF- after SLAMF7 engagement amplified inflammation through an autocrine signaling loop. We observed SLAMF7-induced gene programs not only in macrophages from rheumatoid arthritis patients but also in gut macrophages from patients with active Crohn’s disease and in lung macrophages from patients with severe COVID-19. This suggests a central role for SLAMF7 in macrophage superactivation with broad implications in human disease pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new porphyrinic vanadium-based metal–organic framework (MOF), namely V-MOF-10 [V2(OH)2(H2TCPP)], constructed from {V(OH)O4}∞ chains and 4-tetracarboxyphenylporphyrin linkers, was synthesized by a solvothermal procedure. Structural analysis indicated that V-MOF-10 possesses orthorhombic symmetry featuring two types of pores (5.2 × 11.9 Å and 3.5 × 11.9 Å). Full characterization of V-MOF-10 was performed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and elemental analysis (EA). The N2 isotherm of V-MOF-10 at 77 K shows a reversible uptake and permanent porosity with a high BET (Langmuir) surface area of 1477 m2 g−1 (1553 m2 g−1). The optical band gap of V-MOF-10, measured by UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, is calculated to be 1.71 eV, resulting in a shift of absorption wavelength to the visible light region. Furthermore, our density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm an acceptable correspondence of the band gap value with the mentioned experimental investigation, similar to the incorporated experimental and theoretical observations in the previous literature. Remarkably, V-MOF-10 exhibits an excellent photocatalytic property of organic dyes with the degradation efficiency of 100% for methylene blue (MB) and 89% for methylene orange (MB) after 120 min under illumination by visible light. These results suggest that V-MOF-10 could be used as a promising candidate in further photocatalytic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibrosis drives end-organ damage in many diseases. However, clinical trials targeting individual upstream activators of fibroblasts, such as TGFβ, have largely failed. Here, we target the leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR) as an "autocrine master amplifier" of multiple upstream activators of lung fibroblasts. In idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the most common fibrotic lung disease, we found that lung myofibroblasts had high LIF expression, and the fibroblasts in fibroblastic foci coexpressed LIF and LIFR. In IPF, fibroblastic foci are the "leading edge" of fibrosis and a key site of disease pathogenesis. TGFβ1, one of the principal drivers of fibrosis, up-regulated LIF expression in IPF fibroblasts. We found that TGFβ1, IL-4, and IL-13 stimulations of fibroblasts require the LIF-LIFR axis to evoke a strong fibrogenic effector response in fibroblasts. In vitro antibody blockade of LIFR on IPF lung fibroblasts reduced the induction of profibrotic genes after TGFβ1 stimulation. Silencing LIF and LIFR reduced profibrotic fibroblast activation following TGFβ1, IL-4, and IL-13 stimulations. We also demonstrated that LIFR amplified profibrotic stimuli in precision-cut lung slices from IPF patients. These LIFR signals were transduced via JAK2, and STAT1 in IPF lung fibroblasts. Together, we find that LIFR drives an autocrine circuit that amplifies and sustains pathogenic activation of IPF fibroblasts. Targeting a single, downstream master amplifier on fibroblasts, like LIFR, is an alternative therapeutic strategy that simultaneously attenuates the profibrotic effects of multiple upstream stimuli., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:C.P.H. reports consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Sanofi, and Takeda, outside of the submitted work. L.M.S. reports consulting: AstraZeneca, Lilly, Genentech. L.P.H. reports consulting: Boehringer Ingelheim, Pliant Therapeutics, Clario, and Abbvie Therapeutics. J.H.Y. reports consulting fees from Bridge Biotherapeutics and Genentech outside the submitted work. M.B.B. is a founder of Mestag Therapeutics and a consultant to GSK, Moderna, Third Rock Ventures, and 4F0 Ventures. J.W. and I.C. are employed by Abpro Corporation. H.N.N., Y.J., E.Y.K., and M.B.B. (lead) are co-inventors for PCT patent application (US2022/075673) concerning a method to treat fibrosis by targeting LIFR, the subject of this manuscript.

A series of Zr-based metal-organic frameworks was prepared via the solvothermal route using sulfonic-rich linkers for the efficient capture of Pb 2+ ions from aqueous medium. The factors affecting adsorption such as the solution pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, adsorption isotherms, and mechanism were studied. Consequently, the maximum adsorption capacity of Pb 2+ on the acidified VNU-23 was determined to be 617.3 mg g -1 , which is much higher than that of previously reported adsorbents and MOF materials. Furthermore, the adsorption isotherms and kinetics of the Pb 2+ ion are in good accordance with the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, suggesting that the uptake of Pb 2+ is a chemisorption process. The reusability experiments demonstrated the facile recovery of the H + ⊂VNU-23 material through immersion in an HNO 3 solution (pH = 3), where its Pb 2+ adsorption efficiency still remained at about 90% of the initial uptake over seven cycles. Remarkably, the adsorption mechanism was elucidated through a combined theoretical and experimental investigation. Accordingly, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy connected to energy-dispersive X-ray mapping (SEM-EDX-mapping), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the Pb⊂VNU-23 sample and comparison with H + ⊂VNU-23 confirmed that the electrostatic interaction occurs via the interaction between the SO 3 - moieties in the framework and the Pb 2+ ion, leading to the formation of a Pb-O bond. In addition, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations showed the effective affinity of the MOF adsorbent toward the Pb 2+ ion via the strong driving force mentioned in the experimental studies. Thus, these findings illustrate that H + ⊂VNU-23 can be employed as a potential adsorbent to eliminate Pb 2+ ions from wastewater.