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Lignin is the second largest naturally renewable resource and is primarily a by-product of the pulp and paper industry; however, its inefficient use presents a challenge. In this work, Fe3O4 nanoparticles loaded on lignin nanoparticles (Fe3O4@LNPs) were prepared by the self-assembly method and it possessed an enhanced peroxidase-like activity. Fe3O4@LNPs catalyzed the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H2O2 to generate a blue color, was observable by the naked eye. Under the optimal conditions, Fe3O4@LNPs showed the ability of sensitive colorimetric detection of H2O2within a range of 5–100 μM and the limit of detection was 2 μM. The high catalytic activity of Fe3O4@LNPs allows its prospective use in a wide variety of applications, including clinical diagnosis, food safety, and environmental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Although immunotherapy has been applied in clinical practice, its therapeutic efficacy remains far from satisfactory, necessitating further investigation of the mechanism of CC immune remodeling and exploration of novel treatment targets. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of CC immune remodeling and explore potential therapeutic targets., Methods: We conducted single-cell RNA sequencing on a total of 17 clinical specimens, including normal cervical tissues, high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, and CC tissues. To validate our findings, we conducted multicolor immunohistochemical staining of CC tissues and constructed a subcutaneous tumorigenesis model in C57BL/6 mice using murine CC cell lines (TC1) to evaluate the effectiveness of combination therapy involving indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) inhibition and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). We used the unpaired two-tailed Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test, or Kruskal-Wallis test to compare continuous data between two groups and one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test to compare data between multiple groups., Results: Malignant cervical epithelial cells did not manifest noticeable signs of tumor escape, whereas lysosomal-associated membrane protein 3-positive (LAMP3 + ) dendritic cells (DCs) in a mature state with immunoregulatory roles were found to express IDO1 and affect tryptophan metabolism. These cells interacted with both tumor-reactive exhausted CD8 + T cells and CD4 + regulatory T cells, synergistically forming a vicious immunosuppressive cycle and mediating CC immune escape. Further validation through multicolor immunohistochemical staining showed co-localization of neoantigen-reactive T cells (CD3 + , CD4 + /CD8 + , and PD-1 + ) and LAMP3 + DCs (CD80 + and PD-L1 + ). Additionally, a combination of the IDO1 inhibitor with an ICB agent significantly reduced tumor volume in the mouse model of CC compared with an ICB agent alone., Conclusions: Our study suggested that a combination treatment consisting of targeting IDO1 and ICB agent could improve the therapeutic efficacy of current CC immunotherapies. Additionally, our results provided crucial insights for designing drugs and conducting future clinical trials for CC., (© 2023 The Authors. Cancer Communications published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of SUN YAT-SEN UNIVERSITY CANCER CENTER.)

MnO 2 -deposited lignin-based carbon fiber (MnO 2 -LCF) mats are fabricated for supercapacitor applications. LCF mats are produced from alkali lignin via electrospinning followed by stabilization and carbonization. The carbonization process is carried out at 800, 900, and 1000 °C, and the corresponding mats are denoted as MnO 2 -LCF-800, MnO 2 -LCF-900, and MnO 2 -LCF-1000, respectively. The LCF mats are immersed in a KMnO 4 solution at room temperature for 72 h to obtain MnO 2 -LCF mats. The scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirm the deposition of MnO 2 on the LCFs. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, X-ray spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy reveal that MnO 2 -LCF-800 mat possesses a large number of mesopores and Mn vacancies as compared to MnO 2 -LCF-900 mat and MnO 2 -LCF-1000 mat. Consequently, MnO 2 -LCF-800 mat possesses the best electrochemical properties with a specific capacitance of 131.28 F∙g -1 , an energy density of 14.77 Wh∙kg -1 , and a power density of 135.01 W∙kg -1 at a specific current of 0.3 A∙g -1 . Hence, MnO 2 -LCF-800 mat shows high potential to be used as a high-performance supercapacitor., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.