Search

The exploration of photosensitizers with aggregation-induced emission (AIE PSs) for efficient visualization and broad-spectrum photodynamic killing of pathogenic microbes is a significant task. Herein, two far-red/near-infrared AIE-active PSs (TBTPy and TBTCy) were attained to show efficient Type I and Type II ROS generation, benefiting from the efficient ISC processes. The attained AIE PSs, especially TBTPy with bright emission, showed advantages in discriminating G

Background The efficacy of hetrombopag in Chinese patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) has been demonstrated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, phase III trial (NCT03222843). Objective This study aimed to report comprehensive data on a ≤6-week dose tapering to withdrawal (Stage 3) and an additional 24-week long-term extension period (Stage 4) in this phase III trial. Patients/methods Patients who fulfilled the screening criteria were eligible to enter Stage 3 or 4. During Stage 3, hetrombopag was gradually tapered to withdrawal. During Stage 4, hetrombopag treatment was initiated at 2.5, 3.75, 5, or 7.5 mg once daily. The efficacy endpoints during Stage 3 or 4 and the safety profile during the entire treatment period were reported. Results Among 194 patients who entered Stage 3, 171 (88.1%) relapsed. The median time to the first relapse since the start of Stage 3 was 15.0 days (95% CI, 14.0-16.0). In Stage 4, 144 (42.5%) patients responded at ≥75% of their assessments and 254 (74.9%) patients achieved platelet count ≥30×109 /L at least once, which was at least twice their baseline platelet count in the hetrombopag group (n=339). The most common adverse events were upper respiratory tract infection (53.1%), thrombocytopenia (27.1%), and urinary tract infection (21.2%) in the hetrombopag group. Conclusion The majority of patients who experienced dose tapering to withdrawal experienced a relapse. Long-term treatment with hetrombopag was effective in increasing and maintaining platelet count within the desired range in Chinese adults with ITP. Hetrombopag was well tolerated.

This work demonstrates that the effective use of antimicrobial agents (CQDs-TiO2: carbon quantum dot-decorated titanium dioxide) and natural resources, such as sunlight, is able to improve the ability of sustainable degradation of bacteria. The CQDs-TiO2 nanomaterials, prepared using the hydrothermal method, were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM). The CQDs-TiO2 properties and their antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus were systematically evaluated. The antibacterial efficiency reached 90.9% and 92.8% toward E. coli and S. aureus, respectively, with 1 μg/mL CQDs-TiO2 under visible light for 24 h. Under visible light irradiation, CQDs-TiO2 greatly improved absorption of visible light and increased the content of free radicals. These free radicals directly attack the bacterial cells, degrade organic matter within the cells and finally break down bacteria. Seven cycles of antimicrobial experiments using recycled materials demonstrated that the ability of CQDs-TiO2 to sustainably degrade bacteria was stronger than pure titanium dioxide (TiO2). It is noteworthy that carbon quantum dots (CQDs) not only prevent TiO2 from agglomerating, but also attract bacteria and carry TiO2 to the cell. In addition, CQDs-TiO2 showed very low cytotoxicity and can be applied to medical and human health fields.

In this work, γ-valerolactone (GVL) pretreatment using FeCl3 as a catalyst under mild temperature (120 °C) to facilitate efficient deconstruction and saccharification of Chinese silvergrass (CS) was reported. The pretreatment resulted in significant xylan and lignin removal of CS and the highest xylan and lignin removal reaching 84.3 % and 68.7 % at FeCl3 concentration of 100 mM. No obvious change in the crystalline structure of cellulose was observed under the mild pretreatment condition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the FeCl3-catalyzed GVL pretreatment caused poorer lignin but richer carbohydrates on the CS surface due to the increased O/C ratio in CS (increased from 0.23 to 0.63). The results indicated that the pretreatment could facilitate the decrease of non-productive adsorption of enzyme and was beneficial for the enzymatic saccharification of pretreated CS, and a high glucose yield of 99.7 % was achieved by cellulases and Tween 80.

3D flower-like MoS2/NiCo(OH)2CO3 (MoS2/NiCoHC) composites are synthesized by a hydrothermal method using MoS2 nanospheres as precursors. The microstructure of the composite is characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The MoS2 nanospheres are served as nucleating agent to trigger the formation of NiCoHC nanosheets, which self-assemble into 3D flower-like MoS2/NiCoHC particles. The MoS2/NiCoHC composites exhibit a high supercapacitive performance with a specific capacity of 583 C g−1 (1296 F g−1) at 1 A g −1 and a long-term cycling stability by retaining 94.3% after 2000 cycles in 2 M KOH. Moreover, the asymmetric supercapacitor of MoS2/NiCoHC as the positive electrode and commercial active carbon as the negative electrode achieves a high power density of 375 W kg−1 at 16.4 Wh kg−1. The enhanced performance of the MoS2/NiCoHC composite can be attributed to the larger surface area provided by 3D flower-like structure and the synergy of the two hybrids.

Copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) have attracted attention because of their wide range of applications. However, the synthesis of Cu-NPs is difficult because they are easily oxidized. This work describes a novel method of sol–gel and carbothermal reduction for the synthesis of highly stable Cu-NPs in aqueous medium using γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) as a dispersant and Tween-80 as a reducing agent. The microstructures showed the γ-PGA and Tween-80 co-synthesized Cu-NPs were nearly spherical, 25～45 nm in diameter and coated with a carbon layer. The X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed the carbon-coated Cu-NPs (C/Cu-NPs) contained zero-valent coppers with high stability against oxidation. Antibacterial and cytotoxic studies showed the C/Cu-NPs had more potent antibacterial activities and were less cytotoxic than the control CuO NPs. The study provides compelling evidence that C/Cu-NPs should find applications in biomedicine because of their stable chemical properties, good antibacterial activity and low cytotoxicity.

Novel nanocopper-loaded black phosphorus (BP/Cu) nanocomposites were synthesized to synergistically exert enhanced antibacterial activities aimed at reducing antibiotics abuse. First, both BP and Cu display low biotoxicity, broadening their application in the microbiological field. Second, the unique electronic properties of BP enable BP/Cu nanocomposites to amplify antibacterial effects via interfacial charge transfer, resulting in a surge of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Third, BP/Cu nanocomposites are relatively stable, which helps to avoid the problem that nanocopper alone is highly oxidized. Finally, BP/Cu was synthesized in an environmentally-friendly manner by a one-step reduction method. The BP/Cu nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Their antibacterial properties were investigated comprehensively and discussed in detail by inhibition zone assays, dynamic growth curves, membrane potential assays, and live/dead baclight bacterial viability assays, all of which revealed the antimicrobial activities of BP/Cu nanocomposites. Absorption spectra were measured to determine which ROS species were responsible for the bactericidal mechanisms. In summary, our results demonstrated the potential of nanocomposites based on BP in antibacterial therapy due to its excellent electronic properties and outstanding biological performance. This will pave the way for avoiding antibiotic overuse and for providing security to humans and the environment.

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and mechanism of decitabine (DAC) and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in elderly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and cultured cells. Our clinical trial enrolled 36 elderly patients who were judged ineligible for conventional chemotherapy, receiving DAC and ATRA regimen (DAC 20 mg/m2 days 1–5; ATRA 20 mg/m2 days 4–28 in the first cycle and days 1–28 in the subsequent cycle). Treated with a median of 3 cycles (range 1–6), 44.4 % of patients achieved complete remission (CR), 11.1 % achieved CR with incomplete peripheral count recovery (CRi) and 13.9 % achieved partial remission (PR). The median overall survival (OS) was 12.1 months; the 1-year and 2-year OS rates were 49.6 % and 17.2 %. In addition, our in vitro studies indicated that the antineoplastic activities of DAC and ATRA mutually reinforced, which induced growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of AML cells. Meanwhile, we found DAC and ATRA inhibited DNMT1, activated miR-34a via promoter hypomethylation, down-regulated its target MYCN and thus exerted a synergistic antineoplastic effect. In conclusion, DAC plus ATRA regimen might be effective and well-tolerated for elderly patients partially through modulating miR-34a/MYCN axis.

Acute leukemia is one of the most common hematologic malignancies and its exact mechanism of development is unknown yet. In clinical, acute leukemia always accompany with abnormal iron balance. Ferritin, folic acid and vitamin B12 are important components of blood cells. In this study, we measured variations of serum levels of ferritin (SF), folic acid and vitamin B12 in the acute leukemia patients under different disease stages including first diagnosed stage, complete remission (CR) stage and not remission (NR) or relapse stage. It demonstrated that serum SF levels in patients at the first diagnosed stage and NR or relapse stage were significantly higher than the CR stage in acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) patients and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients (P