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Hesperetin-7-O-glucoside (Hes-7-G) is a naturally occurring flavonoid monoglucoside in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium and exhibits relatively high biological activities. To explore the anti-inflammatory capacity of dietary Hes-7-G, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis mice were used here as in vitro and in vivo inflammation models. The results showed that Hes-7-G (5 μM) significantly restored cellular metabolic disorders and inflammation in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. In the in vivo study, dietary Hes-7-G (1 mg/kg body weight) markedly alleviated the inflammatory status in DSS-induced colitis mice, manifested by the recovered colon length from 5.91 ± 0.66 to 6.45 ± 0.17 cm, histopathological changes, and mRNA levels of colonic inflammatory factors including Tnf-α and Il-22. Furthermore, dietary Hes-7-G not only profoundly regulated the gut microbiota composition including phyla Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Desulfobacterota, and Deferribacteres and genus Enterorhabdus, Prevotellaceae, Gastranaerophilales, Enterococcus, Intestinimonas, Ruminococcaceae, and Eubacterium in the cecal contents but also especially adjusted the co-metabolites such as short chain fatty acids and indole metabolites (indole-3-propionic, indole acetic acid), which were markedly altered by DSS treatment in mice. These findings demonstrated that Hes-7-G has strong anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in vivo and potential preventive or therapeutic effects for chronic inflammation diseases.

The authors would like to thank Jia-Wern Chen, Dr. Cheng-Hung Chu, Tomoki Watanabe, and Prof. Masanobu Haraguchi for useful discussions. We also acknowledge use of an optical measurement setup supported by Prof. Min-Hsiung Shih. We acknowledge financial support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (Grant No. MOST-109-2112-M-001-043-MY3 (Y.J.L.); MOST-110-2124-M-001-008-MY3 (Y.J.L.); MOST-110-2636-E-007-020 (H.H.C.); MOST-110-2622-8-007-015 (H.H.C.)) and Academia Sinica (Grant No. AS-CDA-108-M08 (Y.J.L.)). H.W.L. acknowledges the financial support from the AFOSR-AOARD (Award Number: FA2386-18-1-4099). V.T. is indebted to the support from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under Award No. OSR-2018-CARF/CCF-3079.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is defined as a specific form of chronic, progressive fibrosing interstitial pneumonia. It is unknown why fibrosis in IPF distributes in the peripheral or named sub-pleural area. Migration of pleural mesothelial cells (PMC) should contribute to sub-pleural fibrosis. Calpain is known to be involved in cell migration, but the role of calpain in PMC migration has not been investigated. In this study, we found that PMCs migrated into lung parenchyma in patients with IPF. Then using Wt1tm1(EGFP/Cre)Wtp /J knock-in mice, we observed PMC migration into lung parenchyma in bleomycin-induced pleural fibrosis models, and calpain inhibitor attenuated pulmonary fibrosis with prevention of PMC migration. In vitro studies revealed that bleomycin and transforming growth factor-β1 increased calpain activity in PMCs, and activated calpain-mediated focal adhesion (FA) turnover as well as cell migration, cell proliferation, and collagen-I synthesis. Furthermore, we determined that calpain cleaved FA kinase in both C-terminal and N-terminal regions, which mediated FA turnover. Lastly, the data revealed that activated calpain was also involved in phosphorylation of cofilin-1, and p-cofilin-1 induced PMC migration. Taken together, this study provides evidence that calpain mediates PMC migration into lung parenchyma to promote sub-pleural fibrosis in IPF.

A bioactivity-guided study on the leaves of Picrasma javanica led to the isolation of 19 quassinoids, including 13 new compounds. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by a combination of spectroscopic data analysis, X-ray crystallography studies, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data interpretation. Compounds 1-7 are rare examples of quassinoids with a keto carbonyl group at C-12. The biological activities of 11 of the more abundant isolates were evaluated against five phytopathogenic fungi in vitro, and several of them including 6 and 15 showed moderate inhibitory effects that were comparative to those of the positive control, carbendazim. In addition, the preliminary structure-activity relationships (SARs) of these quassinoids were also investigated.

Room-temperature photoluminescence enhancement of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) monolayers on epitaxial titanium nitride (TiN) thin films grown by molecular-beam-epitaxy as well as magnetron-sputtered TiN films is observed by a confocal laser scanning microscope with excitation wavelengths covering the transition of TiN's macroscopic optical properties from dielectric to plasmonic. The photoluminescence enhancement increases as TiN becomes more metallic, and strong enhancement is obtained at the excitation wavelengths equal to or longer than the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) wavelength of TiN films. A good agreement is observed between measured and calculated enhancements. The enhancement is attributed to the increased excitation field in MoS2 at TiN's ENZ wavelength and interference effects for thick spacers that separate the MoS2 flakes from TiN films in the metallic regime. This study enriches the fundamental understanding of emission properties on ENZ substrates that could be important for the development of advanced nanoscale lasers/light sources, optical/biosensors, and nano-optoelectronic devices.

We presented and demonstrated a new type of vertical nanowire (NW) and nanosheet (NS) field-effect transistors (FETs), named vertical sandwich gate-all-around FETs or VSAFETs, which were formed with the process compatible in the main stream industry. The VSAFETs with self-aligned high- ${k}$ metal gates (HKMGs) were fabricated with epitaxy of Si/SiGe/Si sandwich structure, an isotropic quasi-atomic-layer-etch (qALE) process, and gate replacement process. The gate-length of VSAFETs is mainly determined by the thickness of SiGe film grown by epitaxy. The NW diameter and NS thickness could be obtained by the isotropic qALE method, which can be used to the Si-selective etching of SiGe. As a result, p-type NS and NW VSAFETs with good device characteristics were fabricated. Device performance and the influence of silicide, Ge fraction, Si cap, and high thermal process were investigated; threshold voltage tuning and reliability were also discussed.

Simply constructing multiple responsive polymers with obvious shape and dimension variations on their assemblies upon different stimuli is still rarely reported. In this study, we report a hyperbranched polymer named HPAzoBAHB-star-PEG9 with quadruple-response to light, temperature, pH and oxidation stimuli. The polymer contains azobenzene chromophore, sulfide, amide and amine groups in its hydrophobic hyperbranched core, and the core is capped with hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG9) arms. HPAzoBAHB-star-PEG9 could assemble into unusual leaf-like lamellar micelles at 25 °C under the guidance of orderly arranged H-aggregate of azobenzene moieties. These leaf-like lamellar micelles can transform into vesicles upon UV irradiation and lower temperature, or convert to smaller spherical micelles in acidic or oxidative environments, respectively, with the destroy of ordered azobenzene arrangements. This quadruple-responsive hyperbranched polymer is suitable to construct multiple stimuli-responsive micro/nanostructures, or accurate delivery and release following subtle stimuli sequences.

BACKGROUND N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) plays critical roles in regulating sympathetic outflow. Studies showed that acute application of the antagonists of NMDAR or its subunits would reduce sympathetic nerve discharges. However, little is known about the effect of long-term management of NMDAR in hypertensive animals. METHODS PEAQX, the specific antagonist of NMDAR subunit 2A (GluN2A) was injected into both sides of the PVN of two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) renal hypertensive rats and control (normotensive rats) for 3 weeks. RESULTS Three weeks of PEAQX infusion significantly reduced the blood pressure of the 2K1C rats. It managed to resume the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neural transmitters, reduce the level of proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species in the PVN, and reduce the level of norepinephrine in plasma of the 2K1C rats. PEAQX administration also largely reduced the transcription and translation levels of GluN2A and changed the expression levels of NMDAR subunits 1 and 2B (GluN1 and GluN2B). In addition, NMDAR was known to function through activating the extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathways. In our study, we found that in the PVN of 2K1C rats treated with PEAQX, the phosphorylation levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), ERK1/2, and cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) significantly reduced, while the phosphorylation level of PI3K did not change significantly. CONCLUSIONS Chronic blockade of GluN2A alleviates hypertension through suppression of MEK/ERK/CREB pathway.

Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), direct bandgap materials with an atomically thin nature, are promising materials for electronics and photonics, especially at highly scaled lateral dimensions. However, the characteristically low total absorption of photons in the monolayer TMD has become a challenge in the access to and realization of monolayer TMD-based high-performance optoelectronic functionalities and devices. Here, we demonstrate gate-tunable plasmonic phototransistors (photoFETs) that consist of monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) photoFETs integrated with the two-dimensional plasmonic crystals. The plasmonic photoFET has an ultrahigh photoresponsivity of 2.7 × 104 AW-1, achieving a 7.2-fold enhancement in the photocurrent compared to pristine photoFETs. This benefits predominately from the combination of the enhancement of the photon-absorption-rate via the strongly localized-electromagnetic-field and the gate-tunable plasmon-induced photocarrier-generation-rate in the monolayer MoS2. These results demonstrate a systematic methodology for designing ultrathin plasmon-enhanced photodetectors based on monolayer TMDs for next-generation ultracompact optoelectronic devices in the trans-Moore era.

Layering AgNO3 in alcohol onto octavinylsilsesquioxane (OVS) in CHCl3 results in a one-dimensional coordination polymer, {Ag4(NO3)4(OVS)·solvents}n (SD/Ag4a-d), consisting of unprecedented flat weakly bonded Ag4(NO3)4 alternating with the firmly covalent OVS through AgI-πC═C bonds. The preferential assembling medium for SD/Ag4a is proven to be alcohols, where a 4:1 silver-OVS adduct is detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The present outcomes may assist our knowledge of particular interactions for supramolecular architectures of a polynuclear silver system built from OVS containing eight pendent olefin tails.

A series of fluorescent ligands, which were systematically constructed from thiazole orange scaffold, was investigated for their interactions with G-quadruplex structures and antitumor activity. Among the ligands, compound 3 was identified to exhibit excellent specificity toward telomere G4-DNA over other nucleic acids. The affinity of 3-Htg24 was almost 5 times higher than that of double-stranded DNA and promoter G4-DNA. Interaction studies showed that 3 may bind to both G-tetrad and the lateral loop near the 5'-end. The intracellular colocalization with BG4 and competition studies with BRACO19 reveal that 3 may interact with G4-structures. Moreover, 3 reduces the telomere length and downregulates hTERC and hTERT mRNA expression in HeLa cells. The cytotoxicity of 3 against cancer cells (IC50 = 12.7-16.2 μM) was found to be generally higher than noncancer cells (IC50 = 52.3 μM). The findings may support that the ligand is telomere G4-DNA specific and may provide meaningful insights for anticancer drug design.

Particulate matter (PM) contributes to air pollution and primarily originates from unregulated industrial emissions and seasonal natural dust emissions. Fucoxanthin (Fx) is a marine natural pigment from brown macroalgae that has been shown to have various beneficial effects on health. However, the effects of Fx on PM-induced toxicities in cells and animals have not been assessed. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of the Fx-rich fraction (FxRF) of Sargassum fusiformis against PM-mediated inflammatory responses. The FxRF composition was analyzed by rapid-resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Fx and other main pigments were identified. FxRF attenuated the production of inflammatory components, including prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 from PM-exposed HaCaT keratinocytes. PM exposure also reduced the levels of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and PGE2 in PM-exposed RAW264.7 macrophages. Additionally, the culture medium from PM-exposed HaCaT cells induced upregulation of NO, iNOS, PGE2, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in RAW264.7 macrophages. FxRF also significantly decreased the expression levels of factors involved in inflammatory responses, such as NO, reactive oxygen species, and cell death, in PM-exposed zebrafish embryos. These results demonstrated the potential protective effects of FxRF against PM-induced inflammation both in vitro and in a zebrafish model.

Flexible hydroxyapatite nanofibers (HANFs) exhibit great potential in various biomedical fields, especially in bone tissue regeneration as a load-bearing implant material. In this study, flexible HANFs have been successfully synthesized through a solvothermal method using different kinds of fatty acids, including linoleic acid, oleic acid, ricinoleic acid, stearic acid, and palmitic acid, as surfactants. The influences of various fatty acids on the composition, thermal stability and microstructure of the products are investigated by XRD, FT-IR, TG, FESEM, EDS and TEM. The as-prepared flexible HANFs with aspect ratios up to >10 000 are composed of multiple short nanofibers with low Ca/P ratios (∼1.3), high crystallinity (>83%) and diameters of ∼10 nm. However, microrods do not exist in the final products by using oleic acid or palmitic acid as surfactants, and products with a higher crystallite size are found when ricinoleic acid or stearic acid is used. The method reported herein may be applicable for the synthesis of HANFs using other fatty acids as surfactants.

An oleic acid-assisted solvothermal method has been utilized to prepare hydroxyapatite (HA) nanofibers with a high flexibility and aspect ratio. Understanding the role of oleic acid in the synthesis of HA may provide effective routes for the design of advanced biomaterials. The concentration of OH− ions ([OH−]) has a great impact on the reaction system, which in turn affects the nucleation and crystal growth of HA. In this work, the effect of oleic acid on the morphology and structure of the as-prepared products under different concentrations of NaOH was investigated by XRD, FTIR and FE-SEM. The formation process of HA was also explored to better explain the role of oleic acid based on structured characteristics and morphology evolution. These results showed that oleic acid molecules absorbed on the surface of HA would effectively induce a one-dimensional crystal growth, even if the crystal growth habit had been changed under different [OH−]. For [OH−] < 1.50 M, [OH−]-responsive oleic acid and its corresponding behavior as a pH buffer can regulate pH at a relatively constant value. Besides, the flexible ultralong HA nanofibers can be formed at [OH−] = 1.25–1.50 M, while the crystallite size and preferred growth along the c-axis were both improved with an increase in [OH−] added.

Hesperetin-7-O-glucoside (Hes-7-G) is a typical flavonoid monoglucoside isolated from Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP), which is commonly used as a food adjuvant and exhibits potential biological activities. To explore the interaction between Hes-7-G ingestion and microbiome and host metabolism, here, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was first used to analyze the alteration of fecal microbiome in mice after Hes-7-G intake. Metabolic homeostasis in mice was subsequently investigated using untargeted 1H NMR-based metabolomics and targeted metabolite profiling. We found that dietary Hes-7-G significantly regulated fecal microbiota and its derived metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and tryptophan metabolites (indole and its derivatives), in feces of mice. Regulation of microbiota was further confirmed by the significantly changed urinary hippurate and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), co-metabolites of the microbe and host. We also found that dietary Hes-7-G modulated the host tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) involved in energy metabolism. These findings suggested that Hes-7-G exhibits potential beneficial effects for human health.

In this work, copper (Cu2+) substituted zinc ferrite (CuxZn1-xFe2O4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1)) hollow micro-nanospheres were synthesized using a facile solvothermal and annealing technology. We investigated the effects of Cu2+ substitution on morphology, structure and gas sensing properties of CuxZn1-xFe2O4 hollow micro-nanospheres. The results confirmed the successful substitution of Zn2+ with Cu2+ and the cations redistribution. In addition, the testing results revealed that CuxZn1-xFe2O4 (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 1) based sensors showed significantly enhanced responses to low concentration acetone vapor. Especially, Cu0.75Zn0.25Fe2O4 and CuFe2O4 displayed high responses of 2.37 and 2.43 to 0.8 ppm acetone at 125 °C respectively, while that of ZnFe2O4 was only 1.17. Moreover, CuFe2O4 demonstrated an excellent sensor response, ultra-low limit of detection and remarkable selectivity. The fast response speed and high stability of CuFe2O4 sensor further indicated that it was promising to apply for practical medical diagnosis. The enhanced sensing properties of Cu0.75Zn0.25Fe2O4 and CuFe2O4 sensors were explained by the effect of Cu2+ on lattice cation distribution, electron depletion layer thickness and adsorbing capacity.

Methane metabolism in deep subsurface petroleum reservoirs is of paramount interest in the global biogeochemical cycle of carbon. Methanogenesis in such habitats is driven mostly by methanogens in ...

In our previous study, the anticancer effect of the active fucoidan (JHCF4) isolated from acid-processed Sargassum fusiformis was evaluated. In this study, the liver-protective effects of JHCF4 against ethanol-induced Chang liver cell damage and apoptosis-related responses were investigated. Furthermore, the low cytotoxicity and high cell viability of JHCF4 against ethanol-induced cell damage, as well as its protective effect against ethanol-induced cell apoptosis, were observed via nuclear staining with Hoechst 33342 in Chang liver cells. Additionally, the treatment of the 72 h post-fertilization (hpf) zebrafish model with JHCF4 increased the ethanol-stimulated survival rates as well as decreased oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and cell death levels. JHCF4 was found to significantly decrease steatosis production in the 128 hpf zebrafish model by Oil Red O staining, as well as attenuate the malondialdehyde and increase the glutathione contents, compared with the untreated group. These results demonstrate that JHCF4 has a potential hepato-protective effect against ethanol-induced damage both in vitro and in vivo.

The operation characteristics of polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) gate-all-around (GAA) junctionless (JL) charge-trapping (CT) flash memory devices with the Zr-based stacked trapping layer were studied in this work. Devices with the Si3N4/ZrO2 stacked trapping layer show enhanced erasing speeds and comparable retention characteristics in comparison to Si3N4/HfO2 due to many shallow energy traps and smaller valance band offset in the ZrO2 layer. By inserting Al2O3 between Si3N4 and ZrO2 trapping layer, the retention and endurance characteristics are improved. The erasing speed can be further improved by a Zr-rich oxide layer near the tunneling oxide since the energy barrier can confine more injected electrons near the tunneling oxide. The retention characteristic can be improved without sacrificing the erasing speed because some of the shallow traps can be passivated by NH3 plasma treatment on ZrO2. Hence, the ZrO-based stacked trapping layer is very promising for the poly-Si GAA JL CT flash devices for nonvolatile memory applications.

Obese sarcopenia is associated with palmitic acid (PA), an abundant circulating saturated fatty acid. This study examined a non-cytotoxic concentration of PA to provide mechanistic insights into PA-impaired skeletal myogenesis and potential medicinal and dietary interventions through edible brown seaweed, Ishige okamurae (IO). C2C12 cells were examined for myogenic markers, adipogenic factors, and regenerative capacity through growth regulators against PA interference to assess IO and purified diphloroethohydoxycarmalol (DPHC) as potential treatments. Both IO and DPHC improved myogenic marker (myogenin, MyoD, and MyHC) levels. PA down-regulated myogenic markers while improving adipogenic factors (PPARγ, c/EBPα, A-FABP), DPHC significantly arbitrated the negative effects. DPHC treatment also improved phosphorylation of the growth regulatory PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis over the adverse effects of PA. The results of this study suggested regulatory mechanisms through which the bioactive components IO and DPHC based on the sustainable utilization of I. okamurae inhibited the PA-induced impairment of skeletal myogenesis.

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were modified with an amine functional group to obtain amine-functionalized graphene (AMG) nanosheets and then blended with the aniline curing agent of bisphenol-A (BPA) epoxy resin to crosslink BPA epoxy resin. The AMG-blended curing agent and BPA epoxy resin formed an intermolecular hydrogen bond that was stronger than the π–π stacking force between benzene rings of graphene nanosheets. Therefore, AMG nanosheets exhibited excellent dispersion in the aniline curing agent. The amine group of AMG-blended curing agents and the epoxy functional group of BPA epoxy resin exhibited strong chemical activity and underwent crosslinking and polymerization. AMG nanosheets were mixed with BPA epoxy resin to form a crosslinked structure through the epoxy ring-opening polymerization of the resin. The mechanical properties of the epoxy resin nanocomposites were significantly improved by the added 1 wt.% AMG nanosheets. The tensile strength was enhanced by 98.1% by adding 1 wt.% AMG in epoxy. Furthermore, the impact resistance of the epoxy resin was enhanced by 124.4% after adding 2.67 wt.% of AMG nanosheets. Compared with other reinforced fillers, AMG nanosheets are very light and can therefore be used as nanocomposite materials in coating applications, the automotive industry, aerospace sheet materials, wind power generation, and other fields.

Hydrothermal methods are widely used in chemical synthesis of target products with specific morphology and nanostructure. Those methods are very efficient for the preparation of well-controlled structures but the reaction time is usually long. The assistance of microwave makes the reaction system heat up faster, more uniformly and reactions are accelerated, it also can be utilized to change the morphology or structure of materials, which improves the physic-chemical properties of synthesized products and influences its gas-sensing performance. Copper oxide (CuO) is widely applied in semiconductor gas sensors because of its good reactivity and stability. This review article briefly introduces the principle, mechanism and recent development of CuO nanostructures obtained by microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis (MWHS) process. It also discussed the relation between endopathic factors of material and its gas-sensitive performance. The technical challenges and prospective solutions for high-performance CuO-based gas-sensitive materials with unique nanostructure are proposed. It is pointed out that the hierarchical CuO-based nanostructures and their composite materials prepared by MWHS process are efficacious methods to improve the gas-sensitive performance of the materials. On the basis of the morphology, the materials are divided into nanorods, nanoflowers, nanosheets, nanospheres and other nanostructures. The influence of microwave parameters on the properties of synthetic products is analyzed. The influence followed by metal element loading on the structure and properties of CuO-based materials by MWHS process is further discussed. Then this review summarizes the research progress of graphene-CuO and metal oxide-CuO composites prepared by MWHS process in recent years.

In view of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the processing and molding easy degradation, the stability effect of different components is not good when used alone, and PVC in thermal degradation with the release of hydrogen chloride will lead to the formation of toxic gas dioxins to the environment and human problems. For this purpose, the nanosized titanium dioxide (NT), calcium–zinc (Ca-Zn)*, dipentaerythritol (Dip) and organotin (OT) were modified with butyl titanate (BT), coupling agent to synthesize the composite material and used as the strengthening agent for PVC. The composites and PVC were characterized, and their properties were determined using Raman, XRD, TG, TG-IR, Congo red and DMA. The results showed that the BT/NT/Dip/OT/(Ca-Zn)* complex not only kept the basic configuration of NT particles, but also had strong interaction between components due to BT coupling, which had synergistic effect on PVC. Similarly, BT was involved in the coupling between PVC and Dip/OT, resulting in prolonged initial discoloration time. When 3.8mass%BT/NT, 0.32mass%OT, 0.32mass%(Ca-Zn)* and 0.63mass% Dip were added to the PVC film, compared with blank sample and only 1phr of OT stabilizer, the new composite material was formed. The longest initial discoloration time was observed by Congo red, and the temperature was improved when TG was used to analyze the maximum mass loss rate, and the maximum mass loss rate was reduced by 115%. As the conversion rate reached 1%, the decomposition temperatures of PVC composite film and blank sample were 234.7 °C and 175.2 °C, respectively, indicating that the formed PVC film had excellent thermal stability. TG-FTIR analysis showed that after adding OT at 0.5 phr, (Ca-Zn)* at 0.5 phr and Dip at 1.0 phr, the composite film was around 331.1 °C and 476.6 °C, and the peak strength of CH4 gas released by thermal degradation was 114.0 and 262.0% higher than that of blank sample, respectively. It can be seen that pentaerythritol has a promoting effect on CH4 release of PVC, and the peak strength of CO2 is shifted to the high temperature zone, contrary to the blank sample, there is no formation of hydroxyl or water, which means that the thermal degradation pathway of PVC has changed, and it is possible to inhibit the generation of aromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins. By introducing 3.8 mass% BT/NT composite reinforcement, compared with the blank sample, the observed storage modulus increased by 22.4%, and the mechanical properties of PVC composite material were improved.

Urothelial carcinomas (UCs) are highly prevalent in patients with end-stage renal disease. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the predecessor of end-stage renal disease, and it is also associated with UC. However, the interplay between CKD and UC lacks solid evidence. Acrolein is produced by polyamines and has been suggested to be the uremic "toxin." The level of acrolein correlates well with chronic renal failure. We recently found that acrolein-induced DNA damage and inhibited DNA repair in urothelial cells, which contribute to bladder cancer. Therefore, we hypothesize that acrolein is involved in the formation of UC in patients with CKD.A total of 62 UC patients and 43 healthy control subjects were recruited. Acrolein-DNA (Acr-dG) adducts and p53 gene mutations in UC tissues, plasma acrolein-protein conjugates (Acr-PC) and S-(3-hydroxypropyl)-N-acetylcysteine levels, and urinary Acr metabolites were analyzed in these patients.Acr-dG levels were statistically correlated with CKD stages in UC patients (P0.01). Most p53 mutations were G to A and G to T mutations in these patients, and 50% of mutations at G:C pairs occurred in CpG sites, which is similar to the mutational spectra induced by Acr-dG adducts. Acr-PC levels in the plasma of UC patients with CKD were significantly higher than those of control subjects (P0.001). Altered urinary S-(3-hydroxypropyl)-N-acetylcysteine was also found in UC patients with CKD compared to control subjects (P0.005).These results indicate that acrolein acts as an endogenous uremic toxin and contributes to UC formation in patients with CKD.

An Ir8Pd4-heteronuclear metal-organic cage (MOC-51) was assembled from bipodal metalloligand [Ir(ppy)2(qpy)(BF4)] (qpy = 4,4′:2′,2″:4″,4‴-quaterpyridine; ppy = 2-phenylpridine) with Pd(II) salt. The cubic barrel shaped MOC shows one-photon and two-photon excited deep-red emission, as well as large singlet oxygen quantum yields under visible light irradiation, therefore exhibiting great potentials in organelles-targeted cell imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Compared with the Ir(III) metalloligand, the Ir8Pd4-MOC showed less dark toxicity and higher mitochondria-targeting efficiency. The localization in mitochondria overcomes the limitation of short lifetime and diffusion distance of ROS in cell, thus improved PDT effect can be obtained in low light dose usage of the MOC. This study presents the first case of Ir-based metal-organic cages for bio-applications in successful integration of imaging diagnosis and photodynamic therapy

Although the photodimerization of acenaphthylene (ACE) has been known for 100 years, the asymmetric cycloaddition of its 1-substituted derivatives is unknown. Herein, we report a supramolecular photochirogenic approach in which a homochiral and photoactive Δ/Λ-[Pd6 (RuL3 )8 ]28+ metal-organic cage (Δ/Λ-MOC-16) is used as a supramolecular reactor for the enantioselective exited-state photocatalysis of 1-Br-ACE. Owing to preorganization of the substrates by the supramolecular cage, stereochemical control of the triplet state, and nanospace transfer of energy and chirality, the cycloaddition of ACE proceeded with high selectivity for the formation of anti over syn stereoisomers, whereas the regio-, stereo-, and enantioselective cycloaddition of unsymmetrical 1-Br-ACE showed effective enantiodifferentiation of a pair of anti head-to-head stereoisomers. The enzyme-mimicking photocatalysis was verified by catalytic turnover, rate enhancement, and competing-guest inhibition experiments.

We applied environmentally friendly ferric complexes (i.e., FeCl3/PPh3) to one of the most widely-used controlled/living polymerizations (CRP), atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP), for the preparation of well-defined poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) homo- and block (co)polymers. Iron-catalysed supplemental activator and reducing agent (SARA) and activators regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET) ATRPs were investigated using cost-effective Cu(0), Fe(0), and the natural antioxidant proanthocyanidins (PC) as reducing agents. With different ratios of Fe(III)/Cu(0) and Fe(III)/Fe(0) for ATRPs of MMA, the former exhibited fast apparent reaction rates (kapps >3 × 10−5 s−1), but showed large PDI values (>1.6); the latter exhibited moderate kapps ( = ca. 7 × 10−6–3 × 10−5 s−1) with low PDI values (

Oleanolic acid is an analogue of pentacyclic triterpenoids. It has been used as a hepatic drug for over 20 years in China. Currently, there are only five approved drugs derived from pentacyclic triterpenoids, including oleanolic acid (liver diseases), asiaticoside (wound healing), glycyrrhizinate (liver diseases), isoglycyrrhizinate (liver disease) and sodium aescinate (hydrocephalus). To understand more about the bioactivity and functional mechanisms of oleanolic acid, it can be developed as a potent therapeutic agent, in particular, for the prevention and treatment of heart diseases that are the leading cause of death for people worldwide. The primary aim of this mini-review is to summarize the new applications of oleanolic acid and its derivatives as cardioprotective agents reported in recent years and to highlight their therapeutic perspectives in cardiovascular diseases.

A novel modified polyoxometalate, {PMo12O40[Cu(2,2′-bpy)]}[Cu(2,2′-bpy)(en)(H2O)]2 [2,2′-bpy is 2,2′-bipyridyl (C10H8N2) and en is ethylenediamine (C2H8N2)], has been synthesized hydrothermally and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, TG, IR, XPS and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structural analysis reveals that the compound contains the reduced Keggin polyanion [PMo12O40]6− as the parent unit, which is monocapped by [Cu(2,2′-bpy)]2+ fragments via four bridging O atoms on an {Mo4O4} pit and bi-supported by two [Cu(2,2′-bpy)(en)(H2O)]2+ coordination cations simultaneously. There exist strong intramolecular π–π stacking between the capping and supporting units, which play a stabilizing role during the crystallization of the compound. Adjacent POM clusters are further aggregated to form a three-dimensional supramolecular network through noncovalent forces, hydrogen bonding and π–π stacking interactions. In addition, the photocatalytic properties were investigated in detail, and the results indicated that the compound can be used as a photocatalyst towards the decomposition of the organic pollutant methylene blue (MB).

Photophobic (white) films were prepared by mixing hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) of different molecular weights with sodium citrate (SC). Wide angle X-ray diffractometry, small angle X-ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, whiteness determination and texture analysis were used to investigate the effect of HPMC molecular weight on the aggregation structures and properties of HPMC film. The crystalline integrity decreased with the increased molecular weight of HPMC for these HPMC/SC films. Similar crystallinity was observed for 6HPMC/SC and 15HPMC/SC, which was larger than that of 50HPMC/SC. All the three HPMC/SC film showed surface fractal structure with similar Ds. With the increasing molecular weight of HPMC, the HPMC/SC film showed honeycomb structures with smaller holes and more compact porous structure, Tg first increased and then decreased a little, the tensile strength and elongation increased with the increasing HPMC molecular weight. 50HPMC/SC films with the smallest pores showed the largest whiteness. A new Tg' peak was observed for HPMC/SC film.

Using titanium (Ti) for clinical implants often requires surface modification to improve long-term stability and biological activity. However, due to the presence of stable oxide film, modifying the surface of Ti by chemical conversion is difficult. In this research, an electro-assisted method was used to rapidly form chemical transformation coatings on Ti. The effects of Fe2+ and temperature on the phase composition, microstructures, properties, and the formation mechanism of coatings were investigated. The temperature affected the hydrogen evolution by changing the overpotential of hydrogen, thereby affecting the composition of the coatings. The coatings formed at 60 °C were mainly composed of hopeite, whereas those formed at 30 °C mainly composed of elemental zinc (Zn). Fe2+ promoted the reduction of Zn2+ by abnormal co-deposition with Zn2+ and then changed the morphology and properties of the conversion coating.

Supramolecular catalysis of artificial synthetic-hosts is originally bio-inspired for reactivities intrinsic to enzymes, but more exceptional properties and functions may be expected beyond enzyme mimics. Herein we demonstrate that, based on the creation of dynamic nanospaces in solution by highly charged positive coordination cage of [Pd 6 (RuL 3 ) 8 ] 28+ , multirole and multi-way cageconfined catalysis is accomplishable for versatile functions and anomalous reactivities with the aid of biomimetic cage effect. The high cationic-host charges drive partial deprotonation of 24 imidazole-NHs on cage sphere alike imidazole-residuals in proteins, generating amphoteric heterogeneity in solution to enforce effective cavitybasicity against solution-acidity. Synergistic actions arisen from cage hydrophobicity, host-guest electrostatic interactions and imidazole-N coordination facilitate C(sp)-H activation and carbanionic intermediate stabilization of terminal alkynes to achieve unusual H/D-exchange and Glaser coupling under acidic conditions, and enable phase transfers of water-insoluble substrates/products/co-catalysts to make immiscible-phase and bi-phase catalysis feasible, thus providing a useful catalytic protocol to combine merits from homogeneous, heterogeneous, enzymatic and phase transfer catalysis.

Liver disorders are a major health concern. Saikosaponin-d (SSd) is an effective active ingredient extracted from Bupleurum falcatum, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, its hepatoprotective properties and underlying mechanisms are unknown. We investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of SSd treatment for thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver injury and high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in male C57BL/6 mice. The SSd group showed significantly higher food intake, body weight, and hepatic antioxidative enzymes (catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) and lower hepatic cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) compared with controls, as well as reduced expression of inflammation-related genes (nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)) messenger RNA (mRNA). In NAFLD mice, SSd reduced serum ALT, AST, triglycerides, fatty acid–binding protein 4 (FABP4) and sterol regulatory element–binding protein 1 (SREBP1) mRNA, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress-related proteins (phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α subunit (p-eIF2α), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP). SSd has a hepatoprotective effect in liver injury by suppressing inflammatory responses and acting as an antioxidant.

Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan is a heavy industry area in China. Many studies just focused on the basic contamination statues of heavy metals there; however, few of them had a deep study on chemical species in micro aggregate or samples with different particle sizes. This study focused on a comprehensive research of Pb in typical arable soil collected from Zhuzhou. Soil properties, particle size distributions, and Pb chemical species in different soil particles were investigated. Species of Pb were characterized by sequential extraction and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra. Little variance was shown on basic properties between different soil fractions, expect for mass distribution and Pb concentration. Sequential extraction results suggested that Pb species were similar in different soil fractions and about 90% of Pb species were consisted of carbonate binding, Fe/Mn oxide binding, and organic binding fraction. The percentage of water-soluble and exchangeable fraction Pb was less than 1%. XAFS was further applied to confirm the Pb chemical species. Results showed that the chemical species of Pb in soil were mainly consisted of PbSO4, Pb(OH)2, and PbO. However, 8.2% of Pb3O4 was presented in 250–53 μm fraction, which was different from other particle size fractions. The XAFS analysis suggested that the dominant chemical species was PbSO4 which was corresponding to the species of Fe/Mn oxide binding fraction in sequential extraction method. Pb(OH)2 was the secondary species that can be explained as carbonate and organic binding fraction. These combined results indicated that Pb in the studied soil was in a uniform, stable, and less bioavailability state within all particle sizes.

The etiology of alcohol dependence is not completely understood. Increasing evidence reveals that gut microbiota dysbiosis is associated with certain psychiatric disorders, including alcoholism, through the "microbiota-gut-brain" axis. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of alcohol abuse on the gut microbiota, intestinal permeability and serum metabolic profile and to determine whether alcohol-induced alterations in gut microbiota are correlated with gut permeability and serum metabolic phenotype changes. 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing and nontarget metabolomics techniques were applied in an alcohol-dependent rat model in the present study. The results showed that alcohol intake altered the composition and structure of the colonic microbiota, especially the relative abundances of commensal microbes in the families Lachnospiraceae and Prevotellaceae, which were significantly decreased. Alcohol-dependent rats developed gut leakiness and a serum metabolic phenotype disorder. The valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis pathways and arginine and proline metabolism pathways were obviously influenced by alcohol intake. Moreover, alcohol consumption disturbed the brain's neurotransmitter homeostasis. Regression analysis showed that alcohol-induced colonic microbiota dysbiosis was strongly associated with increased intestinal permeability and serum metabolic phenotype and neurotransmitter disorders. These results revealed that gut microbiota dysbiosis and serum metabolite alteration might be a cofactor for developing of alcohol dependence. IMPORTANCE Gut microbiota dysbiosis is associated with certain psychiatric disorders through the "microbiota-gut-brain" axis. Here, we revealed that alcohol consumption induced colonic microbiota dysbiosis, increased intestinal permeability, and altered the serum metabolic phenotype in rats, and there was a strong correlation between gut microbiota dysbiosis and serum metabolite disorders. Thus, gut microbiota dysbiosis and serum metabolite alteration may be a cofactor for development of alcohol dependence.

We present a high-energy wet-milling grinding method to prepare the NiO NPs at a room temperature and a low-temperature solution-processing method for the intercalation of Cs2CO3 into NiO, resulting in bipolar charge-carrier extraction capability for inverted (p–i–n) and conventional planar (n–i–p) PSCs. In comparison with the corresponding device featuring an HTL of NiO alone, the Cs2CO3-intercalated NiO layer exhibited enhanced electron extraction without sacrificing its hole extraction capability. This new material for bipolar charge-carrier extraction has the potential to serve as an inexpensive, scalable, and environmentally stable interconnection layer for emerging flexible tandem photovoltaic devices.

Simple Summary Adavosertib is a first-in-class Wee1 inhibitor that has demonstrated activity against certain cancers. We evaluated the effects of adavosertib in treating differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) using four DTC cell lines (BHP7-13, K1, FTC-133, FTC-238). Adavosertib accumulated cells in the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis in four DTC cell lines. Baseline Wee1 levels correlated with adavosertib sensitivity. Single-agent adavosertib therapy was sufficient to inhibit the growth of K1 and FTC-133 tumor models. Adavosertib potentiated the anti-tumor effect of dabrafenib and trametinib in K1 xenografts harboring the BRAFV600E mutation, with promising safety profiles. Adavosertib also improved the anti-tumor efficacy of lenvatinib in FTC-133 xenografts. Our results suggest the clinical efficacy of adavosertib for DTC patient therapy. Abstract Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients are usually known for their excellent prognoses. However, some patients with DTC develop refractory disease and require novel therapies with different therapeutic mechanisms. Targeting Wee1 with adavosertib has emerged as a novel strategy for cancer therapy. We determined the effects of adavosertib in four DTC cell lines. Adavosertib induces cell growth inhibition in a dose-dependent fashion. Cell cycle analyses revealed that cells were accumulated in the G2/M phase and apoptosis was induced by adavosertib in the four DTC tumor cell lines. The sensitivity of adavosertib correlated with baseline Wee1 expression. In vivo studies showed that adavosertib significantly inhibited the xenograft growth of papillary and follicular thyroid cancer tumor models. Adavosertib therapy, combined with dabrafenib and trametinib, had strong synergism in vitro, and revealed robust tumor growth suppression in vivo in a xenograft model of papillary thyroid cancer harboring mutant BRAFV600E, without appreciable toxicity. Furthermore, combination of adavosertib with lenvatinib was more effective than either agent alone in a xenograft model of follicular thyroid cancer. These results show that adavosertib has the potential in treating DTC.

Iron (Fe) transport and reallocation are essential to Fe homeostasis in plants, but it is unclear how Fe homeostasis is regulated, especially under stress. Here we report that NPF5.9 and its close homolog NPF5.8 redundantly regulate Fe transport and reallocation in Arabidopsis. NPF5.9 is highly upregulated in response to Fe deficiency. NPF5.9 expresses preferentially in vasculature tissues and localizes to the trans-Golgi network, and NPF5.8 showed a similar expression pattern. Long-distance Fe transport and allocation into aerial parts was significantly increased in NPF5.9-overexpressing lines. In the double mutant npf5.8 npf5.9, Fe loading in aerial parts and plant growth were decreased, which were partially rescued by Fe supplementation. Further analysis showed that expression of PYE, the negative regulator for Fe homeostasis, and its downstream target NAS4 were significantly altered in the double mutant. NPF5.9 and NPF5.8 were shown to also mediate nitrate uptake and transport, although nitrate and Fe application did not reciprocally affect each other. Our findings uncovered the novel function of NPF5.9 and NPF5.8 in long-distance Fe transport and homeostasis, and further indicated that they possibly mediate nitrate transport and Fe homeostasis independently in Arabidopsis., Iron (Fe) is essential to plant growth and development, but its transport and homeostasis are very complex. This study reports that two nitrate transporters, NPF5.9 and NPF5.8, act redundantly in long-distance Fe transport and homeostasis independent of their nitrate transport function, revealing a novel mechanism of Fe reallocation mediated by NPF family members.

To improve the environmental friendliness of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and inhibit the agglomeration of nanotitanium dioxide, a PVC composite film reinforced by folic acid-modified titanium dioxide was synthesized and characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The average grain size of the folic acid-modified titanium dioxide particles decreased by 1.3 nm, indicating that the cohesiveness of nanoparticles decreased. The induction period of hydrogen chloride release for PVC pyrolysis at 195°C was much higher than that of the control sample. After reinforcement with modified TiO2, the lowest temperature for 1.0% thermal decomposition of PVC was 230.0°C, which is higher than the temperatures of the control sample. During the first decomposition stage, the peak temperature was 309.5°C, and the degradation progressed to the high-temperature zone. The decomposition rate at this peak temperature is 39.6% lower than that of the control sample. Energy spectrum analysis shows that after adding modified TiO2, the stability of the PVC improved due to an increased number of surface oxygen atoms and a lower number of surface chlorine atoms, as well as the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Infrared spectroscopic analysis shows that after modification, the vibration peak intensities of ester groups 1264, 1736 and 1106 cm-1 from the plasticizer decreased significantly. The enhanced PVC film suppressed the release of CO2, and the strongest vibration peak at 1264 cm-1 was 17.2% lower than that of the blank sample, indicating that the decomposition of plasticizer was inhibited by additives.

Highlights • Toujie Quwen Granules play an important role in the treatment of COVID-19. • SARS-CoV-2 3CL hydrolase, RdRP, ACE2, IL-6 and S protein are the crucial enzymes for treating COVID-19. • Molecular docking revealed the proposed binding characteristics between five enzymes and quercetin, calycosin, astragaloside IV, rutin, isoquercitrin. • Contrary to rutin and astragaloside IV, quercetin and isoquercitrin bound to Spike protein rather than ACE2., Background The Coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia broke out in 2019 (COVID-19) and spread rapidly, which causes serious harm to the health of people and a huge economic burden around the world. Purpose In this study, the network pharmacology, molecular docking and surface plasmon resonance technology (SPR) were used to explore the potential compounds and interaction mechanism in the Toujie Quwen Granules (TQG) for the treatment of coronavirus pneumonia 2019. Study design The chemical constituents and compound targets of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, Pseudostellariae Radix, Artemisia Annua L, Peucedani Radix, Forsythiae Fructus, Scutellariae Radix, Hedysarum Multijugum Maxim, Isatidis Folium, Radix Bupleuri, Fritiliariae Irrhosae Bulbus, Cicadae Periostracum, Poria Cocos Wolf, Pseudobulbus Cremastrae Seu Pleiones, Mume Fructus, Figwort Root and Fritillariae Thunbrgii Bulbus in TQG were searched. The target name was translated to gene name using the UniProt database and then the Chinese medicine-compound-target network was constructed. Protein-protein interaction network (PPI), Gene ontology (GO) function enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the core targets were performed in the Metascape to predict its mechanism. The top 34 compounds in the Chinese medicine-compound-target network were docked with SARS-CoV-2 3CL enzyme and SARS-­CoV­-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and then the 13 compounds with lowest affinity score were docked with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and interleukin 6 to explore its interaction mechanism. Lastly, SPR experiments were done using the quercetin, astragaloside IV, rutin and isoquercitrin, which were screened from the Chinese medicine-compound-target network and molecular docking. Results The Chinese medicine-compound-target network includes 16 medicinal materials, 111 compounds and 298 targets, in which the degree of PTGS2, TNF and IL­6 is higher compared with other targets and which are the disease target exactly. The result of GO function enrichment analysis included the response to the molecule of bacterial origin, positive regulation of cell death, apoptotic signaling pathway, cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, cytokine receptor binding and so on. KEGG pathway analysis enrichment revealed two pathways: signaling pathway­ IL-17 and signaling pathway­ TNF. The result of molecular docking showed that the affinity score of compounds including quercetin, isoquercitrin, astragaloside IV and rutin is higher than other compounds. In addition, the SPR experiments revealed that the quercetin and isoquercitrin were combined with SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein rather than Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, while astragaloside IV and rutin were combined with ACE2 rather than SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. Conclusion TQG may have therapeutic effects on COVID-19 by regulating viral infection, immune and inflammation related targets and pathways, in the way of multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway., Graphical abstract Image, graphical abstract

Wee1 is a kinase that regulates the G2/M progression by the inhibition of CDK1, which is critical for ensuring DNA damage repair before initiation of mitotic entry. Targeting Wee1 may be a potential strategy in the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer, a rare but lethal disease. The therapeutic effects of adavosertib, a Wee1 inhibitor for anaplastic thyroid cancer was evaluated in this study. Adavosertib inhibited cell growth in three anaplastic thyroid cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Cell cycle analysis revealed cells were accumulated in the G2/M phase. Adavosertib induced caspase-3 activity and led to apoptosis. Adavosertib monotherapy showed significant retardation of the growth of two anaplastic thyroid cancer tumor models. The combination of adavosertib with dabrafenib and trametinib revealed strong synergism in vitro and demonstrated robust suppression of tumor growth in vivo in anaplastic thyroid cancer xenograft models with BRAFV600E mutation. The combination of adavosertib with either sorafenib or lenvatinib also demonstrated synergism in vitro and had strong inhibition of tumor growth in vivo in an anaplastic thyroid cancer xenograft model. No appreciable toxicity appeared in mice treated with either a single agent or combination treatment. Our findings suggest adavosertib holds the promise for the treatment of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular parasite that can cause liver diseases in the host, including hepatitis and hepatomegaly. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is the main inflammatory mediator causing cell injury or necrosis. HMGB1 binds to toll like receptor 4 (TLR4), then activates the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, which promotes the release of inflammatory factors. Our previous studies showed that HMGB1 mediated TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway plays an important role in liver injury induced by T. gondii infection. Resveratrol (RSV) is a small polyphenol, which has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-T. gondii effect. However, the effect of RSV on liver injury caused by T. gondii infection is unclear. This study used the RH strain tachyzoites of T. gondii to infect murine liver line, NCTC-1469 cells to establish an in vitro model and acute infection of mice for the in vivo model to explore the protective effect of RSV on liver injury induced by T. gondii infection. The results showed that RSV inhibited the proliferation of T. gondii in the liver, reduced the alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase levels and pathological liver damage. Additionally, RSV inhibited the production of tumor necrosis factor-α, inducible nitric oxide synthase and HMGB1 by interfering with the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. These results indicate that RSV can protect liver injury caused by T. gondii infection by intervening in the HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. This study will provide a theoretical basis for RSV treatment of T. gondii infection induced liver injury.

As important signal metabolites within enterohepatic circulation, bile acids (BAs) play a pivotal role during the occurrence and development of diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here, we evaluated the functional effects of BAs and gut microbiota contributing to sucralose consumption-induced NAFLD of mice. The results showed that sucralose consumption significantly upregulated the abundance of intestinal genera Bacteroides and Clostridium, which produced deoxycholic acid (DCA) accumulating in multiple biological matrixes including feces, serum, and liver of mice. Subsequently, elevated hepatic DCA, one of the endogenous antagonists of the farnesol X receptor (Fxr), inhibited hepatic gene expression including a small heterodimer partner (Shp) and Fxr leading to sucralose-induced NAFLD in mice. Dietary supplements with fructo-oligosaccharide or metformin markedly restored genera Bacteroides and Clostridium abundance and the DCA level of sucralose-consuming mice, which eventually ameliorated NAFLD. These findings highlighted the effects of gut microbiota and its metabolite DCA on sucralose-induced NAFLD of mice.

Perfect absorbers (PAs) at near infrared allow various applications such as biosensors, nonlinear optics, color filters, thermal emitters and so on. These PAs, enabled by plasmonic resonance, are typically powerful and compact, but confront inherent challenges of narrow bandwidth, polarization dependence, and limited incident angles as well as requires using expensive lithographic process, which limit their practical applications and mass production. In this work, we demonstrate a non-resonant PA that is comprised of six continuous layers of magnesium fluoride (MgF2) and chromium (Cr) in turns. Our device absorbs more than 90% of light in a broad range of 900-1900 nm. In addition, such a planar design is lithography-free, certainly independent with polarization, and presents a further advantage of wide incidence up to 70°. The measured performance of our optimized PA agrees well with analytical calculations of transfer matrix method (TMM) and numerical simulations of finite element method, and can be readily implemented for practical applications.

Organic small molecules with near-infrared (NIR) absorption hold great promise as the phototheranostic agents for clinical translation by virtue of their inherent merits such as well-defined chemical structure, high purity and good reproducibility. Probes that happen to be based on cyanine dyes exhibit strong NIR-absorbing and efficient photothermal conversion, representing a new class of photothermal agents (PAs) for photothermal therapy (PTT), and taking into account the heat susceptibility of Mitochondria (Mito), we designed and prepared a mitochondria-targeted organic small molecule (Mito-BWQ) based on thiazole orange maternal unit that can effectively kill tumor cells through the hyperpyrexia generated in the lesions under exogenous laser irradiation. The Confocal laser scanning microscope was employed to determine the preferential targeting of Mito-BWQ to the mitochondria of MCF-7 cells and U87 cells. When subjected to 600 nm laser radiation, Mito-BWQ produced an increase in temperature in test systems and this increase was dependent on both the laser power and probe concentration. In vitro tests, cytotoxicity was observed when cells were incubated with Mito-BWQ and exposed to laser irradiation. The PTT in vivo also showed that Mito-BWQ performed remarkably in tumor inhibition. This study thus provides a vital starting point for the creation of thiazole orange-based PTT formulations and promotes further advances in the field of PAs-based anticancer research and therapy.

By using a new 4,6-bis(imidazol-1-yl) isophthalic acid ligand (H2 bimip) with imidazolyl and carboxyl bifunctional groups, three new MOFs, [Co(bimip)(H2 O)0.5 ]⋅0.5 H2 O (1), [Zn(bimip)] (2), and [Mn(bimip)(H2 O)2 ]⋅H2 O (3), have been solvothermally synthesized in different solvent systems. H2 bimip displays three different coordinated modes through the imidazolyl and carboxyl groups, and different cis-cis and trans-cis configurations, which result in distinct 3D topological frameworks: a (4,8)-connected scu net for 1; a twofold interpenetrated (4,4)-connected pts net for 2; and a four-connected sra net for 3. Compounds 1 and 3 show antiferromagnetic properties, and 2 emits strong solid-state blue luminescence. Compound 1 shows good chemical stability in acidic and basic environments and in boiling water. Additionally, the polar channels in 1, which are decorated by uncoordinated carboxylate O atoms and imidazolyl fragments, allow it to adsorb CO2 molecules selectively over CH4 , and the CO2 binding sites in the framework were distinguished by molecular simulations.

The synthesis and chemistry of heterocyclic N-oxide derivatives such as those from pyridine and indazole are very well-known due to their usefulness as versatile synthetic intermediates and their biological importance. These classes of organic compounds have been demonstrated in many interesting and amazing functionalities, particularly vital in the areas including metal complexes formation, catalysts design, asymmetric catalysis and synthesis, and medicinal applications (some potent N-oxide compounds with anticancer, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory activity, etc.). Therefore, the heterocyclic N-oxide motif has been successfully employed in a number of recent advanced chemistry and drug development investigations. In the present review, our primary aim was to provide a relevant summary focusing on the topics of organic synthesis and medical application potential of the compounds cited, which could be attractive and give some insights to researchers in the field. Therefore, we mainly highlight the importance of heterocyclic N-oxide derivatives including those synthesized from imidazole, indazole, indole, pyridazine, pyrazine, pyridine, and pyrimidine in organic syntheses and catalysis, and drug applications. Over the past years, a number of reviews have been published on the organic synthesis and catalysis of N-oxides. We thus concentrated on highlighting those rarely mentioned or recently reported systems.

Sanguinarine (SAN), a quaternary benzophenanthridine alkaloid extracted from the root of Papaveraceae plants, has shown antitumour effects in multiple cancer cells. However, the therapeutic effects and the underlying mechanisms of SAN in gastric cancer (GC) remain elusive. In this study, the in vitro proliferation inhibition effect of SAN in GC cells was determined using CCK-8 assay, the in vivo antitumor effect of SAN was evaluated in mice with xenotransplanted tumor. The mechanism underlying the antitumor activity of SAN was explored by gene microarray assay and bioinformatics analysis. The levels of differentially expressed miRNAs and target genes were verified by real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. SAN inhibited the proliferation of BGC-823 cells in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro and in vivo. The miR-96-5p and miR-29c-3p were significantly upregulated in untreated BGC-823 cells and significantly downregulated in SAN treated cells. The mRNA and protein expression of their target gene MAP4K4 were upregulated in SAN treated xenotransplanted tumors, and pMEK4 and pJNK1 proteins in the MAPK/JNK signaling pathway were also upregulated by SAN. These indicate that SAN may inhibit the proliferation of BGC-823 cells through the inhibition of miR-96-5p and miR-29c-3p expression, and subsequent activation of the MAPK/JNK signaling pathway.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) films containing the mercaptan methyltin (S), zinc stearate (Z) and dipentaerythritol (D) additives were prepared. The thermal degradation kinetics of the films were investigated by nonisothermal thermogravimetry and TG–FTIR techniques. Using the nonmodel method and the Kissinger, the Friedman, the Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose and the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa methods, the average apparent activation energies of the PVC–SZD films in the first and second thermal decomposition stages obtained were 127.5 and 261.6 kJ mol−1, respectively. Compared with the experimental master plot by the generalized master plot, the experimental and theoretical master plots on the master plot of θ/θ0.5 versus α show that the thermal degradation of PVC-SZD film conforms to the chemical reaction F1.5 mechanism model. TG–FTIR analysis showed that the infrared vibration peaks ordered from strong to weak after adding SZD components were: νCO2 (638 °C) > ν(–COOR) (275 °C) > νHCl (299 °C). The thermal degradation of the film did not show hydroxyl or moisture formation compared to the blank. The removal of carboxyl groups of plasticizer dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) in PVC was significantly inhibited, and the CO2 gas released by thermal degradation was reduced by 85.2%. This suggests that SZD has a strong interaction with the ester groups in DOTP, and there is the possibility of generating a more stable carboxyl group-containing metal complex, which creates favorable conditions for the recovery of DOTP. When the heating rates were 2.5, 5.0, 10 and 20 °C min−1, the lowest temperatures at which the conversions reached 5 and 10% were 226.1 °C and 239.1 °C, respectively.