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Perovskite La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3+δ (LSCF) as a promising cathode material possessed overwhelming electronic conduction along with certain ionic conductivity. Its strong electron conduction capability hinder the application of pure-phase LSCF as electrolyte in semiconductor membrane fuel cell (SMFC). In order to constrain the electron transport and take advantage of the decent ion conduction of LSCF, a thin layer of γ-Al2O3 with insulating property was added as an electron barrier layer and combine with LSCF to form a two-layer structure electrolyte. Through adjusting the weight ratio of LSCF/γ-Al2O3 to optimize the thickness of double layers, an open circuit voltage of 0.98 V and a maximum power density of 690 mW/cm2 was received at 550 °C. At the same time, SEM, EIS and other characterization technology had proven that the LSCF/γ-Al2O3 bi-layer electrolyte can work efficiently at low temperature. The advantage of this work is the application of double-layer (γ-Al2O3/LSCF) structure electrolyte to instead of mixed material electrolyte in low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells. Structural innovation and the using of insulating materials provided clues for the further development of SMFC.

Symmetric solid oxide fuel cells (SSOFCs) have typically drawn interest because of their ability to boost the chemical and thermal stability between electrolytes and electrodes as well as to reduce the manufacturing cost. However, the poor catalytic activity of symmetrical electrodes at low temperatures restricts the development of high-performance SSOFCs. Herein, we employ a well-known Li-ion battery cathode Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2(LNCM) material to SOFCs as a symmetrical electrode that possesses excellent catalytic activity toward both the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In addition, the Schottky junction formed by reduced LNCM at the anode side with the electrolyte eliminates the possibility of electronic shorting circuit problem. Meanwhile, the formation of online Li2CO3 makes the electrolyte membrane fully dense by filling the pores. All factors were combined to show adequate performance by LNCM as symmetric electrode-based SOFCs. Our work successfully demonstrates the rational design of favourable lithium-ion cathode materials for symmetrical electrode applications in low-temperature SOFCs.

Melanoma is a serious malignant form of skin cancer. Euphorbiaceae compound B (ECB, 2,4-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-3-methylacetophenone) is an acetophenone compound that is isolated from Euphorbia ebracteolata Hayata (EEH), an herbaceous perennial, and has antitumor activity. Here, we transplanted human melanoma cells into zebrafish embryos to establish a zebrafish/melanoma model. We showed that this model can be used to evaluate the therapeutic effect of EEH and ECB and discussed its potential mechanism of action. The results showed that ECB was an active ingredient of EEH in inhibiting melanoma-induced hyperplasia of blood vessels in zebrafish embryos, similar to the angiogenic inhibitor vatalanib. ECB inhibited the number and length of subintestinal veins ( p < 0.05 ), as well as the distribution of melanoma in zebrafish embryos ( p < 0.05 ). More importantly, unlike vatalanib, ECB only inhibited melanoma-induced abnormal and excessive growth of blood vessels in xenografts. In addition, ECB inhibited the mRNA expression of vegfr2 and vegfr3 in zebrafish. Both vegfr2 and vegfr3 are essential genes that regulate blood vessel formation and upregulate the expression of p53 and casp3a genes in zebrafish. Together, the above-mentioned results indicate that ECB has a potential antimelanoma effect in vivo, which may be mediated by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor receptors.

Lack of fundamental understanding of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) hampers the development of effective metal oxide catalysts and advance low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs). In this study, we report Ba0.5Sr0.5Fe1–xSbxO3–δ (BSFSb, x = 0, 0.05, and 0.1) cathodes designed from both theoretical and experimental aspects to study a good relationship between a material property and enhanced ORR activity. The BSFSb cathode exhibits a very low area-specific resistance (ASR) of 0.20 Ω cm2 and excellent power output of 738 mW cm−2 using the Sm0.2Ce0.8O2 (SDC) electrolyte at 550 °C. The Sb ions doping significantly enhances electrical conductivity and reduces its ORR activation energy. First-principles calculations screen the potential of designed perovskite by showing very low vacancy formation energy and shift in O-p and Fe3-d band centers near to fermi level by replacing Fe with Sb ions. Correspondingly, wide range coverage of distributed orbitals at the fermi level in BSFSb cathode promotes charge transfer with lower energy barrier. These results demonstrate that this design can impact the development of highly functional ORR electrocatalysts for LT-SOFCs and other electrocatalyst applications.

Yttrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ) used as the state-of-the-art electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) requires high temperature (over 800 °C) to realize sufficient oxygen ion conductivity. Thus, the high operational temperature is the main restriction for the commercial process of YSZ-based SOFCs. To obtain decent ionic conductivity at intermediate-low temperatures, Sr-free cathode LaNiO3 is introduced into YSZ to construct a novel LaNiO3-YSZ composite electrolyte, which is sandwiched by two Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.05LiO2-δ (NCAL) electrodes to assemble systematical fuel cells. This device presents an excellent peak output of 1045 mW cm-2 at 600 °C and even 399 mW cm-2 at 450 °C. A series of characterizations indicates that the oxygen ion conductivity of the LaNiO3-YSZ composite is significantly promoted in comparison with that of pure YSZ, and the LaNiO3 component has certain proton conductivity after hydrogenation. Both of the two factors contributes to the superior performance of such devices at intermediate-low temperatures. Furthermore, the sharp decrease in electronic conductivity for LaNiO3 in hydrogen atmosphere combined with Schottky junction at the anode-electrolyte interface eliminates the short-circuiting problem. Our work demonstrates that incorporating Sr-free cathode LaNiO3 into the YSZ electrolyte is an efficient strategy to boost the performance and reduce the operational temperature of YSZ-based SOFCs.

Nowadays, lowering the operating temperature of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is a major challenge towards their widespread application. This has triggered extensive material studies involving the research for new electrolytes and electrodes. Among these works, it has been shown that CeO2 is not only a promising basis of solid oxide electrolytes, but also capable of serving as a catalytic assistant in anode. In the present work, to develop new electrolytes and electrodes for SOFCs based on these features of CeO2, a new type of functional composite is developed by introducing semiconductor CuO into CeO2. The prepared composites with mole ratios of 7:3 (7CeO2–3CuO) and 3:7 (3CeO2–7CuO) are assessed as electrolyte and anode in fuel cells, respectively. The cell based on 7CeO2–3CuO electrolyte reaches a power outputs of 845 mW cm−2 at 550 °C, superior to that of pure CeO2 electrolyte fuel cell, while an Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ electrolyte SOFC with 3CeO2–7CuO anode achieves high power density along with open circuit voltage of 1.05 V at 550 °C. In terms of polarization curve and AC impedance analysis, our investigation manifests the developed 7CeO2–3CuO composite has good electrolyte capability with a hybrid H+/O2− conductivity of 0.1–0.137 S cm−1 at 500–550 °C, while the 3CeO2–7CuO composite plays a competent anode role with considerable catalytic activity, indicative of the dual-functionalities of CeO2–CuO in fuel cell. Furthermore, a bulk heterojunction effect based on CeO2/CuO pn junction is proposed to interpret the suppressed electrons in 7CeO2–3CuO electrolyte. Our study thus reveals the great potential of CeO2–CuO to develop functional materials for SOFCs to enable low-temperature operation.

Materials are always among the first considerations to the development of low temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this study, we investigate the multifunctionality of a layer-perovskite oxide La2-xCexCuO4 (LCCO) for its applications in SOFC as cathode, anode and electrolyte. The performances of the LCCO cathode and anode fuel cells are characterized by I–V–P and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). Results suggest that LCCO is a good cathode material and it can also deliver impressive anode performance. Though LCCO is noticed to be reduced by H2 in the anode, the cell performance is relatively stable under multiple times of operation. The existing of ceria and reduced Cu in it may be a reason for its anode catalytic activation. For the application in electrolyte, LCCO is mixed with ionic conductor Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ (SDC) in different weight ratios. Differences in power output and open circuit voltage for the cells containing various ratios of LCCO under normal and reverse operation conditions are highlighted. The electronic conductivity of LCCO doesn't bring in electronic leakage if it is kept in a certain range. The multifunctionality of LCCO would enable it to be potentially applied in single layer fuel cell to simplify the structure and fabrication process of SOFC.

The acute liver injury (ALI) and hepatic fibrosis caused by the co-treatment of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/d-galactosamine (D-GalN) have been extensively studied. However, whether LPS/D-GalN are genotoxic has been left unknown. In this study, male mice were divided into eight groups with eight animals in each group. For acute challenge of LPS/D-GalN, the mice in each group received a combination of LPS/D-GalN via intraperitoneal injection at the dose of 25 μg/kg/250 mg/kg, 25 μg/kg/500 mg/kg, or 50 μg/kg/500 mg/kg body weight. An additional group for chronic administration of test compounds was conducted by i.p. injection of LPS/D-GalN (10 μg/kg/100 mg/kg) every other day for 8 weeks. Saline solution (0.9%) and cyclophosphamide (CTX) (50 mg/kg body weight) given by i.p. injection was used as the negative and positive control, respectively. The results of single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay indicated that acute exposure of the mice to LPS/D-GalN caused severe DNA damage in hepatic cells, but not in the brain, sperm or bone marrow cells, which evidenced the genotoxicity of LPS/D-GalN administrated in combination. Interestingly, the chronic administration of LPS/D-GalN triggered significant genotoxic effects not only in hepatic but also in brain cells, with negative results in sperm and bone marrow cells. Histopathological examination in the liver and brain tissues revealed changes consistent with the SCGE results. The present study indicates genotoxic potential of LPS/D-GalN co-administered in mice, which may serve as an in vivo experimental model for relevant genotoxic study.

The ionic electrolyte and compatible cathode are major challenges to develop advanced low temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs). Perovskite La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) has considered as desired SOFC cathodes due to its unique advantages including high mixed electronic and ionic conductivity and excellent catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction. Our present work demonstrates the first application of LSCF tuned as functional electrolyte through composing with sodium carbonate. The mixed ionic and electronic conductor (MIEC)/carbonate LSCF/Na2CO3 nanocomposites can make use of the intrinsic high ionic conductivity of LSCF, and extend the three phase electrocatalytic reaction region into the electrolyte region along with suppress its electronic contribution, ultimately tuned as functional electrolyte material. Through optimizing Na2CO3 content, the novel LSCF/Na2CO3 nanocomposite gives rise to an superior fuel cell performance of 700 mW/cm2 at 550 °C. This work has demonstrated a new approach to develop electrolyte materials tuned from MIEC for advanced LT-SOFCs for next-generation.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are very promising for large-scale electrochemical energy storage. However, dissolution and shuttling of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) intermediates have severely affected their overall electrochemical properties and limited their practical application. Designing polar cathode hosts that can effectively bind LiPSs and simultaneously promote their redox conversion is crucial for realizing high-performance LSBs. Herein, we report bronze TiO2 (TiO2-B) nanosheets (~5 nm in thickness) chemically bonded with carbon as a novel multifunctional cathode host for advanced LSBs. Experimental observation and first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the TiO2-B with exposed (100) plane and Ti3+ ions exhibited high chemical affinity toward polysulfides and effectively confined them at surface. Meantime, Ti3+ ions and interface coupling with carbon promoted electronic conductivity of the composite cathode, leading to enhanced redox conversion kinetics of LiPSs during charge/discharge. Consequently, the as-assembled TiO2-B/S cathode manifested high capacity (1165 mAh/g at 0.2 C), excellent rate capability (244 mAh/g at 5 C) and outstanding cyclability (572 mAh/g over 500 cycles at 0.2 C). This work sheds insights on rational design and fabrication of novel functional electrode materials for beyond Li-ion batteries.

Electrolyte densification, which is often realized by high temperature sintering (i.e. >1000 °C), is an essential process for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). However, it is hard to achieve interfaces with high ionic conductivity because the interfaces between particles would be greatly eliminated during the sintering process. In this study, a novel interface engineering method is designed basing on capillary action to densify the electrolyte and at the meantime achieve ionic conductive interfaces at low temperature. A porous electrolyte layer is found to become dense during fuel cell operation when alkali metal hydroxide (AMH) is added to the NiO anode. The observation of improved open circuit voltage (OCV) indicates gas leakage has been eliminated after AMH modification. Raman images confirm that AMHs can be absorbed into the electrolyte layer when the operating temperature is higher than the melting point of AMH. In addition, using a lithiated metal oxide (i.e. LiNiO2) as the anode, cell performance is further improved. EIS proves that the existing of AMH in the cell may affect gas diffusion in the electrode, but it significantly reduces ohmic resistance due to better interfacial ionic conductivity of the electrolyte. This in-situ electrolyte densification method not only enables us to simplify fuel cell fabrication process and lower the fabrication temperature but also provides ways for maintaining interface conductivity.

Recently, appreciable ionic conduction has been frequently observed in multifunctional semiconductors, pointing out an unconventional way to develop electrolytes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Among them, ZnO and Li-doped ZnO (LZO) have shown great potential. In this study, to further improve the electrolyte capability of LZO, a typical ionic conductor Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (SDC) is introduced to form semiconductor-ionic composites with LZO. The designed LZO-SDC composites with various mass ratios are successfully demonstrated in SOFCs at low operating temperatures, exhibiting a peak power density of 713 mW cm−2 and high open circuit voltages (OCVs) of 1.04 V at 550 °C by the best-performing sample 5LZO-5SDC, which is superior to that of simplex LZO electrolyte SOFC. Our electrochemical and electrical analysis reveals that the composite samples have attained enhanced ionic conduction as compared to pure LZO and SDC, reaching a remarkable ionic conductivity of 0.16 S cm−1 at 550 °C, and shows hybrid H+/O2− conducting capability with predominant H+ conduction. Further investigation in terms of interface inspection manifests that oxygen vacancies are enriched at the hetero-interface between LZO and SDC, which gives rise to the high ionic conductivity of 5LZO-5SDC. Our study thus suggests the tremendous potentials of semiconductor ionic materials and indicates an effective way to develop fast ionic transport in electrolytes for low-temperature SOFCs.

Reducing the operating temperature of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) to 300–600 °C is a great challenge for the development of SOFC. Among the extensive research and development (R&D) efforts that have been done on lowering the operating temperature of SOFCs, nanomaterials have played a critical role in improving ion transportation in electrolytes and facilitating electrochemical catalyzation of the electrodes. This work reviews recent progress in lowering the temperature of SOFCs by using semiconductor-ionic conductor nanomaterial, which is typically a composition of semiconductor and ionic conductor, as a membrane. The historical development, as well as the working mechanism of semiconductor-ionic membrane fuel cell (SIMFC), is discussed. Besides, the development in the application of nanostructured pure ionic conductors, semiconductors, and nanocomposites of semiconductors and ionic conductors as the membrane is highlighted. The method of using nano-structured semiconductor-ionic conductors as a membrane has been proved to successfully exhibit a significant enhancement in the ionic conductivity and power density of SOFCs at low temperatures and provides a new way to develop low-temperature SOFCs.

High power density performance at intermediate (600 °C–450 °C) temperatures (IT) must be considered in the development of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). A niobium and tantalum co-doped perovskite material SCNT (SrCo0.8Nb0.1Ta0.1O3-δ) can be used as a cathode for IT-SOFC due to its (H+/O2−/e−) triple conduction and promising catalysis activity. In this work, the SCNT was composited with ionic conductor SCDC(Ce0.8Sm0.05Ca0.15O2-δ) and processed as electrolyte membrane into semiconductor-ionic membrane fuel cell (SIMFC), which delivered an appreciable performance at IT, i.e., a peak power output of 1016 mW/cm2 at 550 °C and 401 mW/cm2 at 450 °C, respectively. The high performance mainly originated from the (H+/O2−) dual-ion conduction of SCNT as well as the high oxygen ion conductivity of SCDC, the SCNT-SCDC electrolyte layer adjacent to cathode have promoted the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with some extent because of the excellent catalysis activity of SCNT. Moreover, the on-line generated carbonate suppressed the electronic conductivity and resulted in the attractive density of SCNT-SCDC electrolyte to further contribute to the desired cell performance.

Layered nonstoichiometric vanadium oxides have aroused strong interest in energy conversion, storage, chemical catalysis, sensors, and optoelectronic devices. It is still a critical challenge to control unique atomic-layer constructions and oxygen-dependent multivalent states in layered metal oxides. Here, we demonstrate the layered nonstoichiometric V7O16 thin films with controlled multivalent states and crystalline phases obtained by the combination of atomic layer deposition (ALD) and oxygen-dependent crystallization. The nonstoichiometric composition and crystalline microstructures are dominated by the oxidation states of vanadium and the thicknesses of the pristine films during the formation of layered V7O16 thin films. Variable-temperature optical and electrical behaviors suggest that no abrupt electronic and structural transitions are observed in the layered V7O16 thin films at a temperature ranging from 78 to 475 K. We expect that the oxygen-dependent multivalent states and crystalline phases in l...

Bohai Bay, in the western region of northeastern China's Bohai Sea, receives water from large rivers containing various pollutants including dioxin-like compounds (DLCs). This study used the established zebrafish (Danio rerio) model, its known developmental toxicity endpoints and sensitive molecular analyses to evaluate sediments near and around an industrial effluent site in Bohai Bay. The primary objective was to assess the efficacy of rapid biological detection methods as an addition to chemical analyses. Embryos were exposed to various concentrations of sediment extracts as well as a 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) positive control. Exposure to sediment extract nearest the discharge site (P1) resulted in the most severe- and highest rates of change in embryos and larvae, suggesting that DLC contaminated sediment probably did not occur much beyond it. P1 extract resulted in concentration dependent increases in mortality and pericardial edema. Its highest concentration caused up-regulation of P-450 (CYP)-1A1(CYP1A) mRNA expression at 72 h post fertilization (hpf), an increase in its expression in gill arches as observed by whole mount in situ hybridization, and an increased signal in the Tg(cyp1a: mCherry) transgenic line. The pattern and magnitude of response was very similar to that of TCDD and supported the presence of DLCs in these sediment samples. Follow-up chemical analysis confirmed this presence and identified H7CDF, O8CDF and O8CDD as the main components in P1 extract. This study validates the use of biological assays as a rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective method to evaluate DLCs and their effects in sediment samples. Additionally, it provides support for the conclusion that DLCs have limited remobilization capacity in marine sediments. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21267015, 21567019, 81360508, 41807352, 41877366, 641722110 and 41571474), Inner Mongolia University for Nationalities, China (MDXK008), and the Open Project Program of Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Toxicant Monitoring and Toxicology, China (MDK2017012, MDK2017014 and MDK2018027). The authors are grateful for the supports from the Three Hundred Leading Talents in Scientific and Technological Innovation Program of Chongqing, China (No. CSTCCXLJRC201714 to D.S.P.).

Autophagy, which works to remove stress and maintain cellular homeostasis, is usually considered a “pro-survival” signal. Contrarily, apoptosis is programmed “pro-death” machinery. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of ubiquitous industrial pollutants. Our previous studies illustrated that a PCB quinone metabolite, PCB29-pQ, elicited both autophagy and apoptosis. However, the signaling underlying the autophagy and apoptosis cross-talk has not been characterized. Here, we found that PCB29-pQ-induced autophagy mainly occurred at a lower concentration (5 μM), while apoptosis mostly arose at a higher concentration (15 μM) in HepG2 cells. Next, we demonstrated the elevation of intracellular calcium levels and calpain activity with PCB29-pQ treatment; however, the unaffected subcellular location of truncated ATG5 and Beclin1 suggested the irrelevance of calpain towards the autophagy-to-apoptosis signaling shift. HMGB1 and p53 both serve as transcription factors that play crucial roles in the regulation of PCB29-pQ-induced autophagy and apoptosis. PCB29-pQ not only enhanced the expression of HMGB1 and p53 but also promoted their binding and cytosolic translocation. Interestingly, HMGB1 rather than p53 plays a primary role in 5 μM of PCB29-pQ-induced autophagy in the nucleus; however, p53 promoted apoptosis to a great extent in the cytosol at the dose of 15 μM PCB29-pQ. Together, HMGB1 and p53 provided a subtle balance between autophagy and apoptosis, thus determining the fate of PCB29-pQ-treated cells.

Recently, semiconductor-ionic materials (SIMs) have emerged as new functional materials, which possessed high ionic conductivity with successful applications as the electrolyte in advanced low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs). In order to reveal the ion-conducting mechanism in SIM, a typical SIM pellet consisted of semiconductor La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) and ionic conductor Sm and Ca Co-doped ceria Ce0.8Sm0.05Ca0.15O2-δ (SCDC) are suffered from sintering at different temperatures. It has been found that the performance of LSCF-SCDC electrolyte fuel cell decreases with the sintering temperature, the cell assembled from LSCF-SCDC pellet sintered at 600 °C exhibits a peak power density (P max) of 543 mW/cm2 at 550 °C and also excellent performance of 312 mW/cm2 even at LT (500 °C). On the contrary, devices based on 1000 °C pellet presented a poor P max of 106 mW/cm2. The performance difference may result from the diverse ionic conductivity of SIM pellet through different temperatures sintering. The high-temperature sintering could severely destroy the interface between SCDC and LSCF, which provide fast transport pathways for oxygen ions conduction. Such phenomenon provides direct and strong evidence for the interfacial conduction in LSCF-SCDC SIMs.

Zeolite imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) has emerged as an excellent candidate for the preparation of thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes. Nevertheless, it still remains a great challenge to make the effective incorporation of ZIF-8 into the resulting TFN membrane feasible for facile application. Herein, we propose an in situ strategy to fabricate a ZIF-8 nanocrystal hybrid reverse osmosis membrane induced by the ultrafast surface modification of Noria-polyethyleneimine codeposition. By this method, ZIF-8 nanocubes with monodispersity were first formed on a modified support through the step-by-step deposition of precursor solutions. Afterward, a TFN membrane was fabricated by interfacial polymerization (IP) on a ZIF-8 loaded support. Due to the significantly altered IP process induced by the coexistence of Noria and ZIF-8 on the support surface, the TFN membrane depicts a distinct nanostrand-nanoparticle hybrid morphology, which endows the TFN membrane with excellent antifouling ability. Moreover, the permeance of the as-fabricated TFN membrane is up to 3.64 L·m-2·h-1·bar-1, nearly 2.7-fold higher than that of the nascent membrane, while it still maintains a high rejection toward NaCl. The in situ assembly strategy reported here could also pave a promising way for the fabrication of TFN membranes with other nanomaterials in future.

Li+ plays a critically important role in layer-structured LiNiO2 family oxides in that it affects the oxidant state of Ni and catalyst's function. Layer-structured LixNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2-δ (LxNCA, x = 1, 1.2, 1.4) with different lithium content was prepared and applicated as both cathode and anode catalysts in symmetrical solid oxide fuel cell (SSOFC) that using samarium doped ceria (SDC) as electrolyte. Excess Li precursor resulted in the formation of Li2CO3 in L1.2NCA and L1.4NCA materials, whose influence on the performance of LxNCA was studied. Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) of LxNCA as well as its catalytic stability were investigated by impedance spectroscopy. Its ORR process was found to be greatly influenced by the amount of Li in LxNCA while HOR was less related to Li content. Accompanying the on-line reduction and oxidation of LxNCA, fuel cells tested under reverse operation condition revealed enormous improvement in Pmax, which was due to the significant improvement of ORR process and the reduction of interface resistance.

The inflammatory response is a protective process to clear detrimental stimuli, constitutes the defense against infectious pathogens. Clearing pathogen infection requires appropriate immune and inflammatory response, but excessive inflammatory response can lead to uncontrolled inflammation, autoimmune disease, or pathogen transmission. Accumulating evidences show that miRNAs are important and multifunctional regulators of innate immunity and inflammation. However, in the inflammatory response of lower vertebrates, the miRNAs regulatory networks are largely unknown. In this study, a combination of bioinformatics and experimental techniques were used to investigate the functions of miR-148. IL-1β is a hypothetical target gene of miR-148 predicted by bioinformatics. In addition, dual-luciferase reporter gene experiment was used to verify the targeting effect of miR-148 on IL-1β-3'UTR. miR-148 inhibits IL-1β expression in a dose-dependent manner at protein and mRNA levels. It is important that miR-148 participates in regulation of LPS-induced the NF-κB signaling pathway by inhibiting IL-1β. These results will improve our understanding of the regulation of miRNAs in fish on the immune response.

Background Infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, especially MDR Gram-negative strains, have become a global public health challenge. Multifunctional nanomaterials for controlling MDR bacterial infections via eradication of planktonic bacteria and their biofilms are of great interest. Results In this study, we developed a multifunctional platform (TG-NO-B) with single NIR laser-triggered PTT and NO release for synergistic therapy against MDR Gram-negative bacteria and their biofilms. When located at the infected sites, TG-NO-B was able to selectively bind to the surfaces of Gram-negative bacterial cells and their biofilm matrix through covalent coupling between the BA groups of TG-NO-B and the bacterial LPS units, which could greatly improve the antibacterial efficiency, and reduce side damages to ambient normal tissues. Upon single NIR laser irradiation, TG-NO-B could generate hyperthermia and simultaneously release NO, which would synergistically disrupt bacterial cell membrane, further cause leakage and damage of intracellular components, and finally induce bacteria death. On one hand, the combination of NO and PTT could largely improve the antibacterial efficiency. On the other hand, the bacterial cell membrane damage could improve the permeability and sensitivity to heat, decrease the photothermal temperature and avoid damages caused by high temperature. Moreover, TG-NO-B could be effectively utilized for synergistic therapy against the in vivo infections of MDR Gram-negative bacteria and their biofilms and accelerate wound healing as well as exhibit excellent biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that TG-NO-B can be considered as a promising alternative for treating infections caused by MDR Gram-negative bacteria and their biofilms.

Our previous study showed that tetrachlorobenzoquinone (TCBQ) mediated the activation of Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which involves K+ efflux, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and mitochondrial DNA damage. In addition, TCBQ down-regulates NLRP3 ubiquitination and promotes the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. However, the induction of NLRP3 inflammasome by atypical pathways has not yet been characterized. Using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), we discovered that TCBQ activates caspase 1/4/5 and cleaves gasdermin D (GSDMD) into N-terminal and C-terminal cleavage products. In parallel, TCBQ also activates receptor interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3)/mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) signaling pathways. The N-terminal fragments of GSDMD and MLKL translocate from cytoplasm to cell membrane and form oligomers and membrane pores on the cell membrane. The formation of membrane pores not only promotes the extracellular secretion of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) but also affects cellular ion homeostasis, in particular promotes K+ outflow, which further activates NLRP3 inflammasome and aggravates cellular inflammation. These results indicated that GSDMD and MLKL play important roles in TCBQ-induced endothelial pro-inflammatory responses, which may point to potential therapeutic approaches for TCBQ-mediated toxicity.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are emerging organic environmental pollutants, which were accused of various toxic effects. Here, we studied the role of a potential PBDEs quinone metabolite, PBDEQ, on cytotoxicity, oxidative DNA damage, and the alterations of signal cascade in HeLa cells. PBDEQ exposure leads to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) loss, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, increasing terminal transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) positive foci, and the elevation of apoptosis rate. Furthermore, we showed PBDEQ exposure result in increased DNA migration, micronucleus frequency, and the promotion of 8-OHdG and phosphorylation of histone H2AX (γ-H2AX) levels. Mechanism study indicated that PBDEQ caused poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) activation and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) nuclear translocation. All together, these results confirmed the occurrence of parthanatos-like cell death upon PBDEQ exposure.

An intrinsic flame retardant vinyl ester TGIC-AA-DOPO constructed by phosphaphenanthrene and triazine-trione groups was successfully synthesized via the reaction between 1,3,5-triglycidyl isocyanurate (TGIC), acrylic acid and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO). The structure of TGIC-AA-DOPO was characterized in detail by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1 H and 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). The intrinsic P-N-containing flame retardant vinyl ester resin (IFR-VER) was prepared after diluting TGIC-AA-DOPO with styrene (st) and triallyl isocyanurate (TAIC). The flame retardancy, thermal properties and combustion behavior of IFR-VER were respectively investigated by a series of tests involving limited oxygen index (LOI) measurement, UL-94 vertical burning test, cone calorimeter test, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The results showed that the as-obtained resin system exhibited a dramatic improvement in flame retardance. In the case of 40 wt% TAIC in resin system, the LOI value achieved 31%, leading to the UL-94 V-0 rating. In addition, compared with the 901-VER, the peak heat release rate (pk-HRR), average of heat release rate (av-HRR), total heat release (THR) and average effective heat of combustion (av-EHC) of the IFR-VER containing 40% TAIC diluent were decreased by 48%, 60%, 41% and 24% respectively. The diphase flame retardant effect of the prepared IFR-VER during combustion was demonstrated by the results of Py-GC/MS, FTIR, laser raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM).

In the past few years, triple (H+/O2−/e−) conducting materials have been regarded as one of the most promising electrode categories for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this work, a layer-structured LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2-δ (LNCA) with triple conduction has been studied. The semiconductor-ionic conductor (SIC) LNCA-SDC composite has been fabricated by compositing the LNCA material with ionic conductor, i.e., samarium doped ceria (SDC). The electrochemical performance of the LNCA-SDC composite was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, while its electronic conductivity was confirmed by d.c. polarization method. It is found that the ionic conductivity of the composite is higher than the electronic conductivity by several orders of magnitude. The charge carriers and transportation properties of LNCA-SDC were studied using H+ and O2− blocking layer cells respectively. Results prove that the LNCA-SDC composite is a hybrid oxygen ion-proton conducting material. The oxygen ion conduction is dominated at low temperature (425–500 °C), however, it is comparable with H+ conduction at high temperature (550 °C). Additionally, the formation of Li2CO3 under fuel cell operation environment was observed and the mechanism of the hybrid conductivity of LNCA-SDC was studied.

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. Stable and compatible cathode materials are a key factor for realizing the low-temperature (LT, ≤600 °C) operation and practical implementations of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this study, perovskite oxides SrFe 1-x Ti x O 3-δ (x < = 0.1), with various ratios of Ti doping, are prepared by a sol-gel method for cathode material for LT-SOFCs. The structure, morphology and thermo-gravimetric characteristics of the resultant SFT powders are investigated. It is found that the Ti is successfully doped into SrFeO 3-δ to form a single phase cubic perovskite structure and crystal structure of SFT shows better stability than SrFeO 3-δ . The dc electrical conductivity and electrochemical properties of SFT are measured and analysed by four-probe and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) measurements, respectively. The obtained SFT exhibits a very low polarization resistance (R p ),.01 Ωcm 2 at 600◦C. The SFT powders using as cathode in fuel cell devices, exhibit maximum power density of 551 mW cm −2 with open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.15 V at 600◦C. The good performance of the SFT cathode indicates a high rate of oxygen diffusion through the material at cathode. By enabling operation at low temperatures, SFT cathodes may result in a practical implementation of SOFCs.

Serotonin receptors, including ligand-gated ion channel (LGICs) and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), play vital roles in modulating physiological processes and immunoreaction. In the present study, a homologue of serotonin (5-HT) receptor was identified from oyster Crassostrea gigas (designated Cg5-HTR-1). Its open reading frame (ORF) was of 1239 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 412 amino acids with a seven transmembrane region. Cg5-HTR-1 shared high similarity with the 5-HTRs from other animals. The cAMP contents in HEK293T cells decreased significantly after Cg5-HTR-1 transfection and 5-HT incubation (p

In this paper, poly (tetrahydrofuranyl ether diol) and trimethylolpropane (TMP) were used respectively as chain extender and cross-linking agent to fabricate polyurethane resin. The morphol...

Polyphenol chemistry-based surface modification has received extensive attention in membrane science for its simplicity and low-cost. However, the limited molecular structures combined with the generally time-consuming process have largely restricted their further applications. Herein, we report an ultrafast and universal surface modification strategy based on the co-deposition of a macrocycle polyphenol molecule, Noria, and polyethyleneimine (PEI), for which only several seconds are required to obtain a uniform coating. Moreover, nanofiltration membranes were fabricated by traditional interfacial polymerization (IP) using the Noria–PEI co-deposited coating as the interlayer. Interestingly, the host–guest heterogeneous interaction between anchored Noria on the support surface and amine monomers in the aqueous phase could significantly alter the IP process and contribute to a unique nanostrand-hybrid morphology for piperazine and trimesoyl chloride-based membranes. Consequently, such novel morphology-based nanofiltration membranes exhibited a high permeance of up to 28 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 while still maintaining comparable divalent salt (Na2SO4, MgSO4, MgCl2 and CaCl2) rejections of above 96.0%, which are among the best performances for nanofiltration membranes. In addition to membrane science, this ultrafast surface modification strategy could arouse intense interest in host–guest chemistry at interfaces for fabricating multifunctional materials.

Due to the strong emulsion stability of alkaline/surfactant/polymer (ASP) produced water, its treatment and reuse constitute an urgent issue in the petroleum industry. This study presents an effective and economical method to decontaminate emulsified oil via in situ formed magnesium hydroxide (IFM). IFM was directly synthesized in ASP produced water by a wet precipitation method, which is simple for industrial production, and the emulsified oil was simultaneously removed during the precipitation process of IFM. The roles of contact time, pH, interface-active components, temperature, and initial oil concentration in oil removal were systematically investigated. Under optimal experimental conditions, the residue oil concentration could be reduced below 5.0 mg L−1 within 8 min. Even if the emulsion stability was enhanced by an increase in concentration of interface-active components, efficient oil removal could still be achieved. The adsorption capacity of IFM for oil was 10 959 mg g−1 at 293 K. MgOH+ played a significant role during treatment. The oil removal mechanism was mainly dominated by electrostatic attraction and the network structure of IFM. Crude oil could be recovered and the regenerated IFM maintained an oil removal efficiency of 91% in the fifth cycle. The results showed that the co-precipitation/adsorption process by IFM can be used as a promising technology for emulsified oil removal and recovery.

Structural doping is often used to prepare materials with high oxygen-ion conductivity and electrocatalytic function, but its wider application in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is still a major challenge. Here, a novel approach to developing materials with fast ionic conduction and high electrocatalytic activity is reported. A semiconductor-ionic heterostructure of perovskite Ba0.5Sr0.5Fe0.8Sb0.2O3-δ (BSFSb) and fluorite structure Sm0.2Ce0.8O2-δ (SDC) is developed. The BSFSb-SDC heterostructure exhibits a high ionic conductivity >0.1 S cm−1 (vs 0.01 S cm−1 of SDC) and achieves a remarkable fuel cell performance (>1000 mWcm−2) at 550 °C. It was found that the BSFSb-SDC has both electrolyte and electrode (cathode) functions with enhanced ionic transport and electrocatalytic activity simultaneously. When using BSFSb-SDC as an electrolyte, the interface energy-band reconstruction and charge transfer at particle level forming a built-in electric field (BIEF) and it make electronic confinement. The BIEF originates from the potential gradient due to differences in the electron density of BSFSb and SDC particles/grains facilitates ionic conduction at the interface of the BSFSb and SDC particles. This work provides a new insight in designing functional materials with high ionic conductivity and electrocatalytic function, which can be used both for energy conversion and storage device.

The development of the positively charged nanofiltration (NF) membrane is of great importance for water softening. The relative low water permeance restricts its widespread application. Up to now, numerous efforts on the interlayer technologies have been implemented to manipulate the interfacial polymerization (IP) process of the negatively charged NF membrane. However, there are few reports on the interlayer-mediated positively charged NF membrane. Herein, an interlayer-mediated positively charged NF membrane is fabricated via an IP process between polyethyleneimine (PEI) and trimesoyl chloride. A facile interlayer is deposited based on the interaction of a macrocycle polyphenol of Noria and PEI. The fabricated NF membrane possesses a unique surface morphology, less intrusion of the polyamide layer, a low lateral mass transfer resistance and adequate separation layer thickness. Consequently, the interlayer-mediated NF membrane exhibits a high water permeance of 110.4 L·m−2·h−1·MPa−1, which is ~2.6 times over the control group of 41.6 L·m−2·h−1·MPa−1, while preserves a considerable rejection of 95.4% towards MgCl2 solution. More importantly, the water permeance is enhanced not at the expense of membrane thickness, which is conducive to the long-term running stability. This study paves a new way to fabricate a high performance positively charged NF membrane through an interlayer manipulation strategy.

The intramolecular hydrogen transfer reaction (IHTR) of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural can potentially reach a 100% atomic economic efficiency, which is of great significance to the utilization of biomass raw materials. In this work, the feasibility of IHTR on Cu, Pd and Cu3Pd2 bimetallic catalysts was investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Eight intramolecular hydrogen-transfer pathways, consisting of four elementary reactions each, are proposed. The elementary reactions were categorized and discussed as follows: C-H bond cleavage, C2(H)=C3 hydrogenation, O-H bond cleavage and C2=C3(H) hydrogenation. The relevant adsorption, activation and reaction energies were calculated and compared. Results reveal that the C-H bond is not easy to break on Cu(111) . On the surface of Pd(111), both the O-H bond cleavage and C=C bond hydrogenation reactions require higher energy barriers to overcome. Cu3Pd2(111) demonstrates high activity for both hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. The reaction steps of the lowest energy path on Cu3Pd2(111) involve C-H bond cleavage, C2=C3(H) hydrogenation, O-H bond cleavage and C2(H)=C3 hydrogenation. The rate-limiting step is the cleavage of the C-H bond, and its activation barrier is 0.89 eV. As a result, the Cu3Pd2(111) catalyst is predicted to be the most active catalyst for intramolecular hydrogen migration, while the Cu(111) surface is also conducive to the IHTR reaction with slightly higher energy barrier. The calculation results provide valuable theoretical basis for the optimization of experimental research.

Open-circuit photovoltage (Voc ) is among the critical parameters for achieving an efficient light-to-charge conversion in existing solar photovoltaic devices. Natural photosynthesis exploits light-harvesting chlorophyll (Chl) protein complexes to transfer sunlight energy efficiently. We describe the exploitation of photosynthetic fucoxanthin-chlorophyll protein (FCP) complexes for realizing photoelectrochemical cells with a high Voc . An antenna-dependent photocurrent response and a Voc up to 0.72 V are observed and demonstrated in the bio-photovoltaic devices fabricated with photosynthetic FCP complexes and TiO2 nanostructures. Such high Voc is determined by fucoxanthin in FCP complexes, and is rarely found in photoelectrochemical cells with other natural light-harvesting antenna. We think that the FCP-based bio-photovoltaic conversion will provide an opportunity to fabricate environmental benign photoelectrochemical cells with high Voc , and also help improve the understanding of the essential physics behind the light-to-charge conversion in photosynthetic complexes.

A novel solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) incorporating the semiconductor with the ionic conductor to replace the traditional electrolyte layer with improved performance has been recently reported. In the present work, we found that the redox stable electrode material La 0.7 Sr 0.3 Cr 0.5 Fe 0.5 O 3-δ (LSCrF) can be considered as a good candidate for such configuration, electrolyte layer-free fuel cells (EFFCs), due to its high ionic and electronic conductivities, excellent catalytic activity and good chemical stability. EFFCs based on the composite of perovskite oxide LSCrF and ionic conductor Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2 O 2-δ (SDC) offered promising performances, i.e., 1059 mW cm −2 at 550 °C without any electronic short circuiting problem. It even exhibited a highly promising result of 553 mW cm −2 at 470 °C in further low-temperature operation. These high performances can be attributed to the improved conductivity, more triple-phase boundaries (TPB) and accelerated oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of LSCrF-SDC composite. The influence of the weight ratio between LSCrF and SDC on the EFFC electrochemical performance was investigated. This new discovery indicates a great potential for exploring multifunctional perovskites for the new SOFC technologies.

A novel semiconductor-ionic La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-delta (LSCF)-Sm/Ca co-doped CeO2 (SCDC) nanocomposite has been developed as a membrane, which is sandwiched between two layers of Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.0 ...

A fuel cell based on a functional layer of perovskite Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−δ (BSCF) composited samarium doped ceria (SDC) has been developed. The device achieves a peak power density of 640.4 mW cm−2 with an open circuit voltage (OCV) of 1.04 V at 560 °C using hydrogen and air as the fuel and oxidant, respectively. A numerical model is applied to fit the experimental cell voltage. The kinetics of anodic and cathodic reactions are modeled based on the measurements obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Modeling results are in well agreement with the experimental data. Mechanical stability of the cell is also examined by using analysis with field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) associated with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) after testing the cell performance.

In this study，nanocomposites of LaCePr-oxide (LCP) and Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 LiO 2-δ (NCAL) with different contents of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) were prepared and applied to solid oxide fuel cells. The composite materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and electrochemical impedance spectrum (EIS). The effect of PVDF concentration on the conductivity and performance of the fuel cells was investigated. It was found that PVDF plays a template role of pore forming in the nanocomposites, and the changed microstructure by as-formed pores greatly influences the electrochemical property of the nanocomposites. The cell with 3 wt% PVDF heat-treated at 210 °C achieved the highest power density of 982 mW cm −2 at 520 °C, which enhanced performance by more than 57% than when no heat-treatment was implemented. It is 66% higher than the cell with no PVDF and no heat-treatment. Pores formed by PVDF after heat-treatment enlarged the triple phase boundary (TPB), which results in improved fuel cell performance.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been detected ubiquitously in biological and environmental samples. Growing epidemiological data suggested the obvious correlation of PBDEs exposure with adverse health outcomes toward human beings, but exact molecular mechanism(s) are limited. Especially, the toxicological information regarding PBDEs metabolites is missing. Thereafter, this study intends to explore unidentified cell death modalities caused by PBDEs reactive quinone-type metabolite, PBDEQ. We found that PBDEQ induces autophagy in an ROS-dependent manner. Interestingly, the results indicated that PBDEQ degraded ferritin and activated a selective autophagy (termed as ferritinophagy) by using NCOA4 as its cargo receptor. These processes may further promote the release of iron and ROS. These results suggested the incidence of ferritinophagy induced by PBDEQ, which may contribute to PBDE exposure-caused diseases and dysfunctions.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one of the most refractory environmental pollutants. Because of their ubiquitous existence in the biological systems (including human body), it is important to investigate their toxic behavior. Our previous findings demonstrated that a high reactive metabolite of PCB, namely PCB29-pQ, causes several programmed cell death (PCD) such as intrinsic/extrinsic apoptosis and autophagic cell death. The mechanistic study suggested the toxic actions of PCB29-pQ is largely related to its reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generation ability. Pyroptosis is a caspase 1-mediated pro-inflammatory PCD, which was discovered recently. The aim of this study is to seek the linkage between pyroptosis and PCB29-pQ exposures. We first confirmed that PCB29-pQ stimulates Hela cells to produce excess amounts of ROS. Then we found PCB29-pQ activates NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome that mediates caspase 1 activation. The activated caspase 1 (cleaved caspase 1) promotes gasdermin D (GSDMD) cleavage and translocation, which facilitates the release of intracellular inflammatory substances by forming membrane hole, ultimately leading cells to pyroptosis. PCB29-pQ-induced high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) release and subsequent binding to its receptors [toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, TLR9, and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)] are essential for the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. The current study revealed pyroptosis as a new death mode induced by PCB29-pQ, which enriched the understanding of PCBs-induced toxicity and helped to prevent the toxic effects of residual PCBs in the environment.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is related to the occurrence of many diseases, such as measles and inflammatory. In this paper, IgG imprinted polymers (IgGIPs) were fabricated on the surface of nano Au/nano Ni modified Au electrode (IgGIPs/AuNCs/NiNCs/Au) via metal-free visible-light-induced atom transfer radical polymerization (MVL ATRP). The IgGIPs were prepared by IgG conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC-IgG) as both a template and a photocatalyst. After the templates were removed, the photocatalysts (FITC) would not remain in the polymer and avoided all the effect of catalysts on the electrode. The fabricated electrodes were examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Under the optimized conditions, IgGIPs/AuNCs/NiNCs/Au was prepared and used as an electrochemical biosensor. The biosensor could be successfully applied for the determination of IgG by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) measurement. The results showed that the proposed biosensor displayed a broader linear range and a lower detection limit for IgG determination when it was compared to those similar IgG sensors. The linear range from 1.0 × 10−6 mg L−1 to 1.0 × 101 mg L−1 was obtained with a low detection limit (LOD) of 2.0 × 10−8 mg L−1 (S/N = 3). Briefly, the biosensor in this study introduced an easy and non-toxic method for IgG determination and also provided a progressive approach for designing protein imprinted polymers., Graphical abstract Image 1

// Mancheng Gong 1 , Wenjing Dong 2 , Zhirong Shi 3 , Shaopeng Qiu 4 , Runqiang Yuan 1 1 Department of Urology, Zhongshan Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan, Guangdong 528403, China 2 Department of Oncology, Zhongshan Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongshan, Guangdong 528403, China 3 Department of Pharmacy, The Second People’s Hospital of Zhuhai, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519020, China 4 Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China Correspondence to: Runqiang Yuan, email: yuanrunqiang2013@163.com Keywords: vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF, renal cell carcinoma, gene polymorphism, meta-analysis Received: August 20, 2016 Accepted: December 01, 2016 Published: December 27, 2016 ABSTRACT Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein plays important role in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) development and progression. VEGF gene polymorphisms can alter the protein concentrations and might be associated with renal cell carcinoma risk. However, the results of studies investigating the association between VEGF polymorphisms and renal cell carcinoma risk are inconsistent. Thus, a meta-analysis was performed. Methods: We selected eligible studies via electronic searches. Only high-quality studies were included based on specific inclusion criteria and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results: Eight studies primarily focusing on seven polymorphisms were included in our meta-analysis. Our results showed dramatically high risks for renal cell carcinoma were found regarding most genetic models and alleles of the +936C/T polymorphism (except CT vs. CC). In addition, significant increased renal cell carcinoma risks were found regarding all genetic models and alleles of the -2578C/A polymorphism. However, no significant associations were found between renal cell carcinoma risk and the +1612G/A, -460T/C, -634G/C, -405G/C or -1154G/A polymorphisms. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis indicates that the +936C/T and -2578C/A polymorphisms of VEGF are associated with an increased risk for renal cell carcinoma. Additional rigorous analytical studies are needed to confirm our results.

Muscarinic receptors, which selectively take muscarine as their ligand, are critical for the immunological and physiological processes in animals. In the present study, the open region frame (ORF) of a homologue of muscarinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor (mAChR) was amplified from oyster Crassostrea gigas (named as CgmAChR-1), whose full length was 1983 bp and the protein it encoded contained 660 amino acids with a seven transmembrane region. Phylogeny analysis suggested that CgmAChR-1 shared homology with M5 muscarinic receptor found in invertebrates including Habropoda laboriosa, Acromyrmex echinatior and Echinococcus granulosus. After cell transfection of CgmAChR-1 into HEK293T cells and ACh incubation, the level of intracellular Ca(2+) and cAMP increased significantly (p

In the present work, we report a composite of industrial-grade material LaCePr-oxide (LCP) and perovskite La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3−δ (LSCF) for advanced electrolyte layer-free fuel cells (EFFCs). The microstructure, morphology, and electrical properties of the LCP, LSCF, and LCP-LSCF composite were investigated and characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM, and EIS. Various ratios of LCP to LSCF in the composite were modulated to achieve balanced ionic and electronic conductivities. Fuel cell with an optimum ratio of 60 wt% LCP to 40 wt% LSCF reached the highest open circuit voltage (OCV) at 1.01 V and a maximum power density of 745 mW cm −2 at 575 °C, also displaying a good performance stability. The high performance is attributed to the interfacial mechanisms and electrode catalytic effects. The findings from the present study promote industrial-grade rare-earth oxide as a promising new material for innovative low temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LTSOFC) technology.

The construction of multimodal targeting and therapeutic platforms is a promising strategy for combating multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria-associated infections. We report a dual-targeted antibacterial platform integrating a synergistic chemo-photothermal effect based on the boronic acid functionalized graphene-based quaternary ammonium salt (B-CG-QAS). When located at the sites of Gram-negative bacteria associated infections, B-CG-QAS was able to specifically bind to the bacteria and their biofilms via the dual effect of electrostatic adhesion (QAS) and covalent coupling (BA), resulting in a superior targeting ability over the single-targeted agents (B-CG or CG-QAS), improved bactericidal efficacy, a reduced dose of QAS and minimized chemotherapeutic/photothermal toxicity. In addition to the QAS-mediated antibacterial effects, NIR laser irradiation onto CG could further improve the antimicrobial effect via the synergy of hyperthermia. On the other hand, QAS could disrupt the bacterial cell membrane and improve its permeability and sensitivity to heat. Moreover, B-CG-QAS could be effectively utilized for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy against the in vivo infections of MDR Gram-negative bacteria and their biofilms and accelerate bacteria-infected wound healing as well as exhibit outstanding biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, our study demonstrates that B-CG-QAS has great potential to treat MDR Gram-negative bacterial infections and their biofilms.