Search

Utilizing the online monitoring data of volatile organic compounds （VOCs） and ozone （O 3 ） in the Shijiazhuang high-tech industrial development zone during October 2020, the pollution characteristics of VOCs were analyzed. Subsequently, ·OH estimation, secondary organic aerosol formation potential （SOAP）, and ozone formation potential （OFP） were applied to assess the chemical reactivity of VOCs. Additionally, the source apportionment was identified using the positive matrix factorization （PMF） model. The results revealed that the hourly φ [total VOCs （TVOCs）] were （11-281）×10 -9 , and the components were ranked by volume fraction in the following order： oxygenated volatile organic compounds （OVOCs） （60.83%）, alkanes （19.98%）, halohydrocarbons （5.64%）, aromatics （5.91%）, alkenes （4.83%）, and alkynes （2.48%）. Although the VOC concentration levels posed negligible non-carcinogenic risks to human health, benzene and ethylbenzene presented carcinogenic risks. The m / p -xylene to ethylbenzene ratio （X/E） varied from 2.5 to 3.4, indicating short-range transport of fresh air masses. Based on the X/E value, the ·OH concentration was 1.75×10 6 molecule·cm -3 , and the ·OH exposure from 07：00 to 14：00 was calculated as 3.77×10 10 molecule·s·cm -3 . Aromatics played a dominant role in SOA, with a contribution rate as high as 93.35%, while alkenes dominated O 3 formation, with the OFP contribution rate reaching up to 46.79%. By applying the PMF model, five major VOC sources were identified, including industrial sources （37.20%）, process flow and solvent use （33.80%）, vehicle and oil/gas evaporation sources （15.47%）, combustion sources （8.03%）, and plant emissions （5.50%）. Industrial and process emissions emerged as the primary contributors to VOCs in the ambient air of the high-tech zone, necessitating targeted control measures within this region.

Studies have shown that immune cells play an important role in the occurrence and development of pertussis, but the specific causal relationships are yet to be determined. Additionally, inflammatory cytokines, as regulators of immune responses, may mediate the relationship between immune cells and pertussis, and the specific mechanisms involved require further exploration. This study utilizes data from multiple large-scale genome-wide association studies, covering 731 types of immune cells and 91 types of inflammatory cytokines. The bidirectional 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method is employed, with inverse-variance weighted as the main statistical approach, to assess the causal relationships between immune cells, inflammatory cytokines, and pertussis. Furthermore, a 2-step MR method is used to investigate the mediating role of inflammatory cytokines in the effect of immune cells on pertussis. Our study results indicate that 11 types of immune cells have a protective effect against pertussis, with the strongest protection observed from CD25 on CD28+ CD4+ cells (OR = 0.3533, CI = 0.1636-0.7627, P = .008). Conversely, 19 types of immune cells are positively associated with the risk of pertussis, with the strongest correlation found in CD3- lymphocyte %lymphocyte (OR = 3.6613, CI = 1.5012-8.299, P = .0043). Additionally, 3 inflammatory cytokines - IL-4, IL-18R1, and FGF-21 - show a causal relationship with pertussis. Our mediation MR results indicate that inflammatory cytokines do not act as mediators in the relationship between immune cells and pertussis. This study suggests a causal relationship between immune cells and pertussis, while inflammatory cytokines do not appear to be mediating factors in the pathway from immune cells to pertussis., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

The recent development of photoredox and energy transfer catalysis has led to a significant expansion of visible-light-driven chemical transformations. These methods have demonstrated exceptional efficiency in converting a wide range of substrates into radical intermediates and generating open-shell catalytic species. However, the simplification of catalytic systems and the direct generation of highly reactive radical organocatalysts through direct visible-light irradiation from stable precatalysts remains largely an unrealized goal. This challenge is mainly due to the limited availability of precatalysts that are responsive to visible light. Herein, we introduce a new class of bench-stable dicationic disulfuranes, which release highly reactive thiyl radicals upon blue-light excitation. Spectroscopic and computational studies reveal that this reactivity arises from a combination of structural features and intermolecular interactions. This family of molecules has been employed to catalyze radical cascades previously incompatible with photoredox conditions, enabling the efficient formation of 1,2-dioxolanes and 1,3-hydroxyketones in excellent yields and short reaction times., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant post-transcriptional dynamic RNA modification process in eukaryotes, extensively implicated in cellular growth, embryonic development and immune homeostasis. One of the most profound biological functions of m6A is to regulate RNA metabolism, thereby determining the fate of RNA. Notably, the regulation of m6A-mediated organized RNA metabolism critically relies on the assembly of membraneless organelles (MLOs) in both the nucleus and cytoplasm, such as nuclear speckles, stress granules and processing bodies. In addition, m6A-associated MLOs exert a pivotal role in governing diverse RNA metabolic processes encompassing transcription, splicing, transport, decay and translation. However, emerging evidence suggests that dysregulated m6A levels contribute to the formation of pathological condensates in a range of human diseases, including tumorigenesis, reproductive diseases, neurological diseases and respiratory diseases. To date, the molecular mechanism by which m6A regulates the aggregation of biomolecular condensates associated with RNA metabolism is unclear. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the updated biochemical processes of m6A-associated MLOs, particularly focusing on their impact on RNA metabolism and their pivotal role in disease development and related biological mechanisms. Furthermore, we propose that m6A-associated MLOs could serve as predictive markers for disease progression and potential drug targets in the future., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)