Search

Background: Ferroptosis is an important iron‐dependent form of cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sorafenib, a potent ferroptosis inducer, is used to treat advanced HCC but its efficacy is limited by the development of drug resistance. Methods: The effects of DUXAP8 expression on HCC progression were evaluated by TCGA database, Kaplan‐Meier analysis, and in situ hybridization analysis. Sorafenib resistant HCC cell lines were modeled in vitro to study the regulation of DUXAP8 on ferroptosis in HCC induced by sorafenib. We used RNA pull‐down, immunofluorescence assays, acyl‐biotinyl exchange assay and mass spectrometry analysis to assess the molecular mechanism of ferroptosis regulation by DUXAP8. Syngeneic subcutaneous and orthotopic CDX models were used to assess whether DUXAP8 inhibition improves HCC in vivo. Results: LncRNA DUXAP8, which is highly expressed in liver cancer and associated with poor prognosis, contributes to sorafenib resistance through suppression of ferroptosis. In vitro tests revealed that DUXAP8 reduced the sensitivity of HCC to sorafenib‐induced ferroptosis by acting on SLC7A11, a subunit of the amino acid antiporter system xc‐. DUXAP8 facilitates SLC7A11 palmitoylation and impedes its lysosomal degradation, thereby enhancing SLC7A11 action and suppressing ferroptosis. RNA pull‐down and immunofluorescence assays confirmed that DUXAP8 decreased membrane translocation and promoted sorting of de‐palmitoylated SLC7A11 to lysosomes by binding of DUXAP8 to SLC7A11. In addition, mass spectrometric analysis found that the Cys414 residue of SLC7A11 might be the predominant mutant site responsible for molecular masking of SLC7A11 lysosomal sorting. Further, the antitumor effect of DUXAP8 knockdown was verified in orthotopic and subcutaneous CDX models. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a novel translational strategy combining sorafenib with DUXAP8 silencing to overcome drug resistance may improve treatment efficacy in patients with advanced HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we report a new strategy to tune both excitation and emission peaks of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) into the first infrared biowindow (NIR‐I, 650–900 nm) with high NIR‐I‐to‐NIR‐I upconversion efficiency. By introducing the sensitizer Nd3+, activator Er3+, energy migrator Yb3+ and energy manipulator Mn2+ into specific region to construct proposed energy migration processes in the designed core–shell–shell nanoarchitecture, back energy transfer (BET) from activator to sensitizer or migrator can be greatly blocked and the NIR‐to‐red upconversion emission can be efficiently promoted. Consequently, BET‐induced photon quenching and the undesired green‐emitting radiative transition are entirely eliminated, leading to high‐efficiency single‐band red upconversion emission upon 808 nm NIR‐I laser excitation. Our findings provide insights into fundamental lanthanide interactions and advance the development of UCNPs for bioapplications with techniques that overturn traditional limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant hepatic tumor with a poor prognosis, which needs early diagnosis urgently. The gut microbiota has been shown to play a crucial role in the progression of liver cancer. Here, we explored a gut microbiota model covering genera Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia , Faecalibacterium , and Ruminococcus_1 (B-F-R) for CCA early diagnosis. A case-control study was conducted to enroll 53 CCA patients, 47 cholelithiasis patients, and 40 healthy controls. The feces samples and clinical information of participants were collected in the same period. The gut microbiota and its diversity of individuals were accessed with 16S rDNA sequencing, and the gut microbiota profile was evaluated according to microbiota diversity. Finally, four enriched genera in the CCA group (genera Bacteroides , Muribaculaceae_unclassified , Muribaculum , and Alistipes) and eight enriched genera in the cholelithiasis group (genera Bifidobacterium , Streptococcus , Agathobacter , Ruminococcus_gnavus_group , Faecalibacterium , Subdoligranulum , Collinsella , Escherichia-Shigella) constitute an overall different microbial community composition (P = 0.001). The B-F-R genera model with better diagnostic value than carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) was identified by random forest and Statistical Analysis of Metagenomic Profiles (STAMP) to distinguish CCA patients from healthy controls [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.973, 95% CI = 0.932–1.0]. Moreover, the correlative analysis found that genera Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia were positively correlated with body mass index (BMI). The significantly different microbiomes between cholelithiasis and CCA were found via principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) and linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe), and Venn diagram and LEfSe were utilized to identify four genera by comparing microbial compositions among patients with malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ-Y) or not (MOJ-N). In brief, our findings suggest that gut microbiota vary from benign and malignant hepatobiliary diseases to healthy people and provide evidence supporting gut microbiota to be a non-invasive biomarker for the early diagnosis of CCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To explore the prognostic value of the fibrinogen–albumin ratio (FAR) combined with sarcopenia in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) patients after surgery and to develop a nomogram for predicting the survival of ICC patients. Materials and Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 116 ICC patients who underwent radical surgery were enrolled as the discovery cohort and another independent cohort of 68 ICC patients was used as the validation cohort. Kaplan–Meier method was used to analyze prognosis. The independent predictor of overall survival (OS) and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) was evaluated by univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses, then developing nomograms. The performance of nomograms was evaluated by concordance index (C‐index), calibration curve, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (ROC), and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: Patients with high FAR had lower OS and RFS. FAR and sarcopenia were effective predictors of OS and RFS. Patients with high FAR and sarcopenia had a poorer prognosis than other patients. OS nomogram was constructed based on age, FAR, and sarcopenia. RFS nomogram was constructed based on FAR and sarcopenia. C‐index for the nomograms of OS and RFS was 0.713 and 0.686. Calibration curves revealed great consistency between actual survival and nomogram prediction. The area under ROC curve (AUC) for the nomograms of OS and RFS was 0.796 and 0.791 in the discovery cohort, 0.823 and 0.726 in the validation cohort. The clinical value of nomograms was confirmed by the DCA. Conclusions: ICC patients with high FAR and sarcopenia had a poor prognosis, the nomograms developed based on these two factors were accurate and clinically useful in ICC patients who underwent radical resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO2 photoreduction into valuable chemicals is a sustainable and prospective technology to alleviate greenhouse effects and the energy crisis. However, the photocatalytic efficiency is impeded by undesirable recombination of photogenerated carriers and poor CO2 activation performance. Herein, oxygen vacancies (OVs) are introduced into BiOBr atomic layers by ultraviolet light assisting to increase the efficiency of carrier separation and CO2 adsorption–activation performance, enhancing the CO2 reduction activity. The introduction of OVs can effectively enhance the visible light absorption, boost the photogenerated carrier separation migration, and tune the adsorption/desorption process for CO2 and products on the surface of photocatalysts. The optimized OVs engineering–mediated photocatalyst achieves a high CO generation rate of 10.15 μmol g−1 under visible light irradiation for 5 h in pure water, which is 1.99 times compared with that of pristine BiOBr atomic layers. The possible photocatalytic mechanism is investigated by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (in situ FT‐IR) spectrometry. Also, an opportunity to design OVs‐rich ultrathin semiconductors for high‐performance CO2 reduction is offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar‐powered water evaporation provides a promising strategy for eco‐friendly and cost‐effective freshwater production. The exploration of high‐performance photothermal materials and the rational design of evaporation architectures are crucial in promoting solar steam generation efficiency. Herein, multidimensional MXene‐based composites with well‐organized heterojunction nanostructures are proposed as bifunctional photothermal materials. The solar thermal conversion, chemical stability, and photocatalysis degradation properties are enhanced by anchoring Co3O4 nanoparticles on delaminated ultrathin MXene nanosheets, compared with that of Ti3C2 MXene. Based on these advantages, an integrated 3D spherical evaporator is constructed using the Co3O4/Ti3C2 MXene‐based fabric. The evaporator shows its distinct advantages in maximizing the harvest of the hybrid energy from sunlight and the ambient environment, making it ideal for solar steam generation and synergetic water purification. An extremely high evaporation rate of 1.89 kg m−2 h−1 with a corresponding light‐to‐vapor energy conversion efficiency beyond the theoretical limit (130.4%) is achieved. More importantly, while the evaporation rate of the 2D evaporator significantly recedes upon the oblique sunlight irradiation, the evaporation rate of the 3D spherical evaporator is constantly high at different incident angles of sunlight, which satisfies the requirement of practical applications under moving sun. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasmall and homogeneous bimetallic PdxBi nanoalloys are well distributed on a Vulcan carbon support by a facile, low-cost synthetic strategy. The electrochemical activity of the as-prepared homogeneous PdxBi nanoalloy/carbon black nanocomposites is closely related to the content of Bi, revealing their excellent electrocatalytic performance for selective oxidation of monohydric alcohols and vicinal diols in alkali medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2 D transition metal dichalcogenide materials with layered nanostructures and specific phases usually exhibit excellent catalytic activities for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). A facile solvothermal process was used to prepare ultrathin noble‐metal‐free 2 D biphasic MoSe2 nanosheets composed of a metastable metallic 1T phase and a semiconducting 2H phase. High metallic 1T phase content and few‐layer‐thick MoSe2 nanosheets were obtained by tuning the amount of NaBH4 used in the reaction. The optimal integration of a metallic 1T phase and an environmentally stable 2H phase in MoSe2 electrocatalysts provides abundant active sites and good conductivity beneficial for the HER. The combination of experimental results and DFT calculations implies that the electrocatalytic activity for the HER on the MoSe2 surface goes through a collaborative Heyrovsky and Volmer reaction process. The theoretical studies suggest that the presence of 1T‐MoSe2 could reduce the band energy relative to 2H‐MoSe2 and, consequently, accelerate the sluggish HER kinetics of 2H‐MoSe2. This work provides valuable and novel insights into the understanding of the structure–activity relationships in 2 D transition metal dichalcogenide electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly sensitive triple-amplification assay for the detection of microRNA (miRNA) let-7a is reported in this work. The assay relies on the formation of magnetic two-dimensional DNA/Fe3O4 nanosheet networks initiated by the target miRNA-associated hybridization chain reaction. The Fe3O4 nanosheets in the DNA/Fe3O4 networks display peroxidase-like catalytic activity towards a colorimetric reaction, thereby producing a highly sensitive signal for the quantification of let-7a. Under optimal conditions, the assay achieved a detection limit of 13 aM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 and a linear calibration plot between 0.05 fM and 12 nM. Successful attempts were made in the quantification of let-7a in serum samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Ag3PO4/AgBr composite with Z-Scheme structure was constructed and synthesized via a simple in situ ion-exchange strategy on the surface of Ag3PO4 tetrahedra in an alkaline environment. The as-prepared Ag3PO4/AgBr composite has an intimate contact interface and exhibited enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity, accompanied by superior stability toward degradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. Also, a variety of pollutants can be degraded without selectivity, and the degradation efficiency was over 96%. Changes in the bandgap and the detailed degradation mechanism of the Ag3PO4/AgBr composite were analyzed and revealed using characterization analysis, theoretical calculations, and further designed experiments. Sufficient interfacial contact between Ag3PO4 and AgBr was favorable for transferring carriers and lengthening the lifetime of the Z-Scheme system, which simultaneously inhibit photocorrosion and maintain a high degradation rate. The trapping experiments indicate that h+ is a dominant reactive species for the degradation of MB. This Ag3PO4/AgBr photocatalyst with Z-Scheme structure shows great potential for replication and large scale impact on the environmental purification of organic pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nickel‐based materials are a type of cost‐effective catalyst for urea oxidation. Herein, we first reported nanostructured Ni2P−C as an efficient catalyst for urea electrooxidation. The Ni2P−C catalyst was prepared by a facile hydrothermal method and the structure and morphology were further characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The hexagonal crystal structure for Ni2P was indicated by the characteristic peaks in the XRD patterns, and lattice fringes of Ni2P were clearly observed in the high‐resolution TEM images. The catalytic ability for urea electrooxidation was studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry techniques. It was found that the current density at 0.5 V was ca. 70.4 mA cm−2, about 2.7 times higher than that of the referenced commercial nickel oxide catalyst. A good catalytic stability for urea oxidation was also obtained. A diffusion‐controlled process was observed for urea oxidation on Ni2P catalyst while the active sites arising from Ni(II) ion oxidation was following a surface‐redox‐reaction‐controlled process. Kinetics studies by impedance spectroscopy and Tafel slope analysis displayed improved charge‐transfer kinetics towards urea electrooxidation. The results demonstrated that Ni2P would have potential applications for catalytic urea oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) have attracted growing interest and attention in the field of supercapacitors owing to their high energy density and power density. In this work, ordered mesoporous Co3O4 samples with different pore sizes (ca. 20 nm and ca. 70 nm) are prepared via a hard template method. Flexible solid-state ASC devices based on mesoporous Co3O4 with pore size of 20 nm and activated carbon possesses a specific capacitance of 215 mF cm−2 (at 1.5 mA cm−2) and show excellent cycling performance. Electrochemical tests reveal that the mesoporous material with a larger specific surface area, that is, a smaller primary particle size, is more suitable for solid-state ASC device. The results provide a potential electrode material for ACSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dextromethorphan is recognized as a substance of abuse around the world. An estimated 3.1 million people between the ages of 12 and 25 years (5.3%) misused over-the-counter cough and cold medications in 2006. In this study, we developed a serum metabolomic method by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to evaluate the effect of abuse of dextromethorphan on rats. The dextromethorphan-treated rats were given 12, 24 and 48 mg/kg (low, medium, high) of dextromethorphan by intragastric administration each day for 3 days. Partial least squares-discriminate analysis revealed that intragastric administration of dextromethorphan induced metabolic perturbations. Compared with the control (healthy) group, the levels of propanoic acid, urea, heptafluorobutanoic acid, 2-hexyldecanoic acid and butanedioic acid of the low group decreased; levels of propanoic acid and heptafluorobutanoic acid of the medium group decreased, while that of benzoic acid increased; and levels of 2-hexyldecanoic acid, glycerol and butanedioic acid of the high group increased. These biomarkers are involved in the citric acid cycle, urea cycle, glycerolipid metabolism and tricarboxylic acid cycle. The results indicate that the metabolomic method by GC-MS may be useful to elucidate abuse of dextromethorphan. According to the pathological changes in the liver at different dosages, dextromethorphan is not hepatotoxic after intragastric administration of 12, 24 and 48 mg/kg for 3 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-SiC is a suitable photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction because of its proper band structure (2.36 eV) and high chemical stability. Porousβ-SiC has a large surface area that can increase the number of reactive sites and shorten the charge transport pathways between the material interior and surface, thereby significantly improving the hydrogen evolution reaction performance. In the present study, hierarchical macroporousβ-SiC monolith composed of nanocrystals was directly prepared using SiO2opal as both template and precursor via the magnesiothermic reduction method at 750 °C. An interfacial magnesiothermic reaction model was presented as well. Theβ-SiC sample exhibited high photoelectric conversion performance and stability as a catalyst for hydrogen evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]