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Chalcone (1,3-diaryl-2-propen-1-one) is an α, β-unsaturated ketone that serves as an active constituent or precursor of numerous natural substances, exhibiting a broad spectrum of pharmacological effects. In this study, the classical Claisen–Schmidt condensation method was used to synthesize the chalcone derivative 2′,4′-dimethoxychalcone (DTC) and evaluate its pharmacological activity. By upregulating the expression of the epithelial cell marker E-cadherin and downregulating the expression of the mesenchymal cell marker vimentin, DTC was found to inhibit transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in A549 cells, maintaining the cells' epithelial-like morphology and reducing the ability of the cells to migrate. Additionally, DTC demonstrated the ability to decrease the expression levels of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in RAW264.7 cells, suggesting a possible anti-inflammatory effect. Furthermore, DTC was found to exhibit bacteriostatic activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Proteus vulgaris (P. vulgaris), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Candida albicans (C. albicans), indicating that this chemical may possess broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a disease characterised by diffuse nonspecific alveolar inflammation with interstitial fibrosis, which clinically manifests as dyspnoea and a significant decline in lung function. Many studies have shown that the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Based on our previous findings, hypericin (Hyp) can effectively inhibit the process of the EMT to attenuate lung fibrosis. Therefore, a series of hyperoside derivatives were synthesised via modifying the structure of hyperoside, and subsequently evaluated for A549 cytotoxicity. Among these, the pre-screening of eight derivatives inhibits the EMT. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of Z6, the most promising hyperoside derivative, in reversing TGF-β1-induced EMTs and inhibiting the EMT-associated migration of A549 cells. After the treatment of A549 cells with Z6 for 48 h, RT-qPCR and Western blot results showed that Z6 inhibited TGF-β1-induced EMTs in epithelial cells by supressing morphological changes in A549 cells, up-regulating E-cadherin (p < 0.01, p < 0.001), and down-regulating Vimentin (p < 0.01, p < 0.001). This treatment significantly reduced the mobility of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)-stimulated cells (p < 0.001) as assessed by wound closure, while increasing the adhesion rate of A549 cells (p < 0.001). In conclusion, our results suggest that hyperoside derivatives, especially compound Z6, are promising as potential lead compounds for treating pulmonary fibrosis, and therefore deserve further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of metal oxide nanomaterials with mesoporous silica is a promising approach to exploiting the advantages of both types of materials. Traditional synthesis methods typically require multiple steps. This work instead presents a fast, one-step, template-free method for the synthesis of metal oxides homogeneously dispersed within mesoporous silica, including oxides of W, Ti, Nb, Ta, Sn, and Mo. These composites have tunable metal oxide contents, large surface areas, and wide mesopores. The combination of Nb2O5 nanoparticles (NPs) with SiO2 results in an increased surface area and a larger number of acid sites compared to pure Nb2O5 NPs. The surface texture and acidity of the silica–niobia composites can be tuned by adjusting the Nb/Si molar ratio. Moreover, the silica provides protection to the niobia NPs, preventing sintering during thermal treatment at 400 °C. The silica–niobia materials exhibit superior performance as catalysts in the aldol condensation of furfural (Fur) with acetone compared to pure niobia, leading to an up to 62% in product yield. Additionally, these catalysts show remarkable stability, retaining their performance over multiple runs. This work demonstrates the potential of the proposed synthesis approach for preparing more sustainable, high-performance, durable, and stable nanoscale metal oxide-based catalysts with a tunable composition, surface area, and active site density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study elucidated the chemical composition of essential oil from Centipeda minima (EOCM) and its antibacterial and antioxidant activities with two chemical monomers thymol and carvacrol. The main chemical composition of EOCM, analyzed by GC-MS, were trans-chrysanthenyl acetate, thymol, aromadendrene and β-caryophyllene. In the screening of antibacterial activity against S. aureus, two monomers with antibacterial activity were obtained: thymol and carvacrol. The MIC of EOCM, thymol and carvacrol were 0.625 mg/mL, 0.156 mg/mL and 0.156 mg/mL, respectively. The experimental results were shown that three drugs could inhibit the growth of S. aureus and inhibit the formation of biofilm by changing the permeability of cell membrane and interfering with the metabolic activities in bacteria. The scavenging effects of the three drugs on DPPH radical and hydroxyl radical showed that the antioxidant effect of the three drugs was EOCM > carvacrol > thymol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cerebral palsy (CP) is caused by a non-progressive injury that affects the central nervous system during early development. According to the World Health Organization, CP occurs in approximately 2–4 of 1000 newborns. Animal models, especially non-human primate models, have greatly assisted our understanding of CP, and have provided simulative objects for treatment. In this study, the rhesus macaque CP models were established by partial resection of the motor cortex and the intrathecal injection of bilirubin. We evaluated abnormal posture, motor dysfunction, gross and fine motor behavior, muscular tension of rhesus macaque CP models, and changes in the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia, the last of which were observed using magnetic resonance imaging. This model evaluation methodology may guide researchers through the model building process. The findings serve as a reference for establishing and assessing non-human primate CP models. Animal models play a central role in all areas of biomedical research. The similarities in anatomical structure and physiological characteristics shared by non-human primates (NHPs) and humans make NHPs ideal models with which to study human disorders, such as cerebral palsy (CP). However, the methodologies for systematically evaluating NHP models of CP have rarely been assessed, despite the long history of using NHP models to understand CP. Such models should be evaluated using multidisciplinary approaches prior to being used to research the diagnosis and treatment of CP. In this study, we evaluated rhesus macaque CP models established by partial resection of the motor cortex and intrathecal injection of bilirubin. Abnormal posture, motor dysfunction, gross and fine motor behavior, and muscular tension were evaluated, and changes in the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia were observed using 9.4 T magnetic resonance imaging. The results clearly demonstrated the utility of the established evaluation methodology for assessing CP models. This model evaluation methodology may guide researchers through the model building process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel visible light-driven AgBr/AgCl@ZIF-8 catalyst was synthesized by a simple and rapid method. The composition and structure of the photocatalyst were characterized by XRD, SEM, UV-DRS, and XPS. It could be observed that the 2-methylimidazole zinc salt (ZIF-8) exhibited the rhombic dodecahedron morphology with the AgCl and AgBr particles evenly distributed around it. The composite photocatalyst AgBr/AgCl@ZIF-8 showed good photocatalytic degradation and antibacterial properties. The degradation rate of RhB solution was 98%, with 60 min of irradiation of visible light, and almost all P. aeruginosaudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were inactivated under the irradiation of 90 min. In addition, the prepared catalyst had excellent stability and reusability. Based on the free radical capture experiment, ·O2− and h+ were believed to be the main active substances, and possible photocatalytic degradation and sterilization mechanisms of AgBr/AgCl@ZIF-8 were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the abnormal failure of magnesium anodes for buried pipelines in marine engineering in the unique environment of mudflats, a strain of a sulfate–reducing prokaryote (SRP) was isolated from pipe–laying soil, and identified as Desulfovibrio sp. HQM3. Weight–loss test, electrochemical measurements, SEM, EDS, XRD, and CLSM techniques were used to study the effect of corrosion on the AZ31B magnesium alloy. Under the influence of SRP, the magnesium alloy corroded severely at rates up to 1.31 mm/year in the mudflat environment. SRP accelerated corrosion by 0.3mm/year. Pitting occurred on the samples in both abiotic and biotic systems. The pitting depth reached 163.47 μm in the biotic system after 14 days. The main composition of a petal–like corrosion product was Mg(OH)2. The results show that a mudflat environment can lead to an accelerated corrosion of magnesium alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work studied the application of phosphoric acid-gallic acid in vinyl chloride acrylic emulsion and its rust conversion performance. The increase of phosphoric acid affected the stability of the system, leading to the rapid precipitation of flocculent precipitation. Rust conversion coating (RCC) showed the best synergistic conversion effect when gallic acid (GA) was 0.2 wt.% and phosphoric acid (PA) was 2 wt.%. XRD and FTIR analysis show that the components of adherent rust (AR) are α-FeOOH, γ-FeOOH and Fe3O4. The conversion products are ferric phosphate (FP) and ferric gallate (FG). The RCC can effectively treat the rusted steel (RS) produced by simulated marine atmospheric corrosion. The corrosion current density was reduced by three orders of magnitude, the adhesion reached 2.75 MPa, and the salt spray corrosion resistance was 20 days. The results of Raman, XPS, SEM and EDS show that the ionic dissolution of iron, complexation and further oxidation reactions occur at the interface between the adherent rust and the RCC. After rust conversion treatment, unreacted rust (UR) affects the further improvement of adhesion strength and anti-corrosion performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel AgBr/Ag2MoO4@InVO4 composite photocatalyst with different heterojunction structures was successfully constructed by compounding InVO4 with Ag2MoO4 and AgBr. According to the degradation, antibacterial and free radical trapping data, the photocatalytic antibacterial and antifouling activities of AgBr/Ag2MoO4@InVO4 composite were evaluated, and the corresponding photocatalytic reaction mechanism was proposed. Adding AgBr/Ag2MoO4@InVO4 composite, the degradation rate of ciprofloxacin (CIP) achieved 95.5% within 120 min. At the same time, the antibacterial rates of Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) achieved 99.99%. The AgBr/Ag2MoO4@InVO4 composite photocatalyst showed promising usage in photocatalytic antibacterial and purification areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the corrosion tendency of the natural oxide film of aluminum alloys, micro arc oxidation (MAO) treatment is used as an efficient and economic method to enhance the corrosion resistance. However, irregular voids, pores, and micro cracks are easily formed during the MAO process, which are harmful to the anti-corrosion property of MAO coatings. In this paper, binary additives of electrolytes, including (NaPO3)6 and H3BO3, were used to obtain MAO coatings with improved thickness and compact microstructures on 6061 aluminum alloys. The as-prepared coatings were investigated using a thickness meter, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscope (EIS). The results showed that the coordinated influence of the binary additives could change the discharge behaviors and micro morphologies of the MAO coatings compared to the base silicate electrolyte. A thicker and stronger MAO coating could be achieved, which was mainly composed of Al2O3 phases. The EIS tests revealed that the corrosion current density of the obtained optimal MAO coating decreased by three orders of magnitude from 1.209 × 10−6 A·cm−2 to 2.981 × 10−9 A·cm−2. We believe that the binary additive-enhanced MAO coatings could provide a promising anti-corrosion solution in various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive and long-term service of 5083 aluminum alloy (AA5083) is restricted by several shortcomings in marine and industrial environments, such as proneness to localized corrosion attack, surface contamination, etc. Herein, we report a facile and cost-effective strategy to transform intrinsic hydrophilicity into water-repellent superhydrophobicity, combining fluorine-free chemisorption of a hydrophobic agent with etching texture. Dual-scale hierarchical structure, surface height relief and surface chemical elements were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), successively. Detailed investigations of the wetting property, self-cleaning effect, NaCl-particle self-propelling, corrosion and long-term behavior of the consequent superhydrophobic AA5083 surface were carried out, demonstrating extremely low adhesivity and outstanding water-repellent, self-cleaning and corrosion-resisting performance with long-term stability. We believe that the low cost, scalable and fluorine-free transforming of metallic surface wettability into waterproof superhydrophobicity is a possible strategy towards anti-contamination and marine anti-corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks prevent and alleviate the failure of magnesium alloy anodes in pipelines, which we suspect is a problem related to SRB. The electrochemical corrosion behaviour of two kinds of magnesium alloys, AZ31B and AZ63B, in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution with sulphide or phosphide-the two main inorganic metabolites of sulphate-reducing bacteria-were studied by electrochemical tests combined with other characterisation methods such as scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results show that the corrosion film formed by inorganic metabolites of SRB's initial stage of corrosion (1-3 d) can lead to the corrosion of magnesium alloys. However, the loose and porous corrosion product film cannot protect the substrate effectively. The inorganic metabolites in the solution can accelerate the corrosion of the surface of magnesium alloy after the corrosion products have fallen off. This study provides a theoretical basis for alleviating the premature failure of magnesium alloy anodes and for corrosion protection in the future.