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To better understand the benzene alkylation with chloroaluminate ionic liquids (ILs) as catalyst, the interfacial properties between the benzene/butene binary reactants and chloroaluminate ILs with varying cation alky chain length and different anions were investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results indicate that ILs can obviously improve the interfacial width, solubility and diffusion of reactants compared to H2SO4. The longer alkyl chains of cations present a density enrichment at the interface and protrude into the binary reactants phase. Furthermore, the ILs consisting of 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium cations ([Omim]+) and the stronger acidity heptachlorodialuminateanions ([Al2Cl7]–) are more beneficial to promote the interfacial width and facilitate the dissolution and diffusion of benzene in both the IL bulk and the interfacial region in comparison to the ones with shorter alkyl chains cations and weaker acidity anions. The information gives us a better guideline for the design of ILs for benzene alkylation.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a debilitating skeletal abnormality involving bone remodeling and bone cell homeostasis characterized by decreased bone strength and high fracture risk. A novel therapeutic intervention for OP by manipulating cellular autophagy–apoptosis processes to promote skeletal homeostasis are presented. Protective effects of the naturally occurring plant extract Liquiritigenin (LG) were demonstrated in an ovariectomy (OVX)-OP mouse model and preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. Micro-CT and histological staining assessments of skeletal phenotype were applied alongside detection of autophagy activity in osteocytes and MC3T3-E1 cells by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of LG on chloroquine (CQ)- and the apoptosis-inducing TS-treated osteogenic differentiations and status of lysosomes within MC3T3-E1 cells were analyzed by Neutral red, Alizarin red S and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and Western blot assays. Treatment with LG prevented bone loss, increased osteogenic differentiation in vivo and in vitro, and inhibited osteoclast formation to some extent. TEM analyses revealed that LG can improve auto-lysosomal degradation within osteocytes from OVX mice and MC3T3-E1 cells. The abnormal status of lysosomes associated with CQ and TS treatments was notably alleviated by LG which also reduced levels of apoptosis-induced inhibition of osteogenic differentiation and averted abnormal osteogenic differentiation as a consequence of a blockage in autolysosome degradation. Overall, LG stimulates bone growth in OVX mice through increased osteogenic differentiation and regulation of autophagy-apoptosis mechanisms, presenting an auspicious natural therapy for OP.

Reservoir quality is one of the important geological factors controlling the development of tight oil in the Honghe oilfield, Ordos Basin, northwestern China. Analyses of core, well logging, mud logging and geophysical data as well as thin sections (casting and fluorescence) were combined with testing methods (such as grain size analysis, constant-rate mercury injection, and scanning electron microscopy) to characterize the micropore–throat development in reservoirs of the eighth member of Yanchang Formation in the oilfield. From the perspective of sedimentation and diagenesis, the mechanisms causing reservoir quality difference were explored and a method for characterizing reservoir quality difference and distribution was proposed. The results show that complex and diverse pore–throat configurations and multi-scale throat development are the microscale manifestations of reservoir quality differences in the member. Three types of pore–throat combinations are recognized, including intergranular pore-wide lamellar throat, intergranular and intragranular pore-wide lamellar throat, and intergranular/clustered micropore-wide lamellar throat. Different diagenesis processes and intensities under the control of sedimentary conditions determine the differential development of the reservoirs. Diagenetic facies are the indicators of reservoir quality. Diagenetic facies with chlorite cementation-moderate dissolution indicates reservoirs with the most ideal physical properties for hydrocarbon accumulation, while that with moderate calcite and kaolinite cementations are usually observed in reservoirs with less ideal physical properties. Reservoirs with the worst physical properties often correlate with diagenetic facies with strong calcite cementation and compaction facies. A multi-level constrained method under the control of sedimentation and diagenetic facies is proposed for characterizing tight reservoir quality difference in the member. The spatial distribution of sedimentary elements is analyzed through sedimentary configurations, the diagenetic facies distribution is constrained by sedimentary elements and the reservoir quality distribution is predicted with constraint of diagenetic facies. It suggests that the high-quality reservoirs in the member occur vertically in the middle of thick channel sandstone, while poor reservoirs occur in the upper or lower parts of the channel sandstone due to intensive compaction and cementation. Laterally, the quality of reservoirs enhances along the channels with a change in shape to lens or strips along the middle and downstream sections.

The scaled-up synthesis of organic-free monolayer nanomaterials is highly desirable, especially in obtaining green energy by electrocatalysis. In this study, a method for the scaled-up synthesis of the series of monolayer layered double hydroxides (LDHs) without the addition of organic solvents is reported via the separate nucleation and aging steps process. The resulting monolayer LDHs with the thicknesses of less than 1 nm showed a narrow thickness distribution. X-ray absorption fine-structure revealed that monolayer NiFe-LDH nanosheets have a number of oxygen and metal vacancies defects. As a practical application, monolayer NiFe-LDH nanosheets containing defects showed an enhanced electrocatalytic water oxidation activity compared with that of bulk NiFe-LDH. Density functional theory calculations uncovered that excellent catalytic activity is attributed to vacancies defects. The proposed method is an economical and universally applicable strategy for the scaled-up production of monolayer LDHs.

Iron dyshomeostasis is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. However, the role of iron in HCC metastasis is unknown. This study aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of iron’s enhancement activity on HCC metastasis. In addition to the HCC cell lines and clinical samples in vitro, iron deficient (ID) mouse models were generated using iron-free diet and transferrin receptor protein knock out, followed by administration of HCC tumors through either orthotopic or ectopic route. Clinical metastatic HCC samples showed significant ID status, accompanied by overexpression of sphingosine-1-phosphate transporter spinster homologue 2 (SPNS2). Mechanistically, ID increased SPNS2 expression, leading to HCC metastasis in both cell cultures and mouse models. ID not only altered the anti-tumor immunity, which was indicated by phenotypes of lymphatic subsets in the liver and lung of tumor-bearing mice, but also promoted HCC metastasis in a cancer cell autonomous manner through the SPNS2. Since germline knockout of globe SPNS2 showed significantly reduced HCC metastasis, we further developed hepatic-targeting recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors to knockdown SPNS2 expression and to inhibit iron-regulated HCC metastasis. Our observation indicates the role of iron in HCC pulmonary metastasis and suggests SPNS2 as a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of HCC pulmonary metastasis.

Self-assembled supramolecular structures with efficient singlet oxygen (1O2)-generation ability are expected to enable photocatalytic oxidation reactions. Herein, we use two photosensitizers, peryl...

The analysis of microplastics (MP) becomes more difficult for smaller sizes, especially in complex matrices such as sediment of natural waters. In this work, we analyzed MPs in sediment using laser direct infrared (LDIR) imaging, a relatively new technique in environmental MP studies. Sediment samples were spiked with analytical surrogates (polyethylene spheres), and subjected to density separation, wet peroxide oxidation, calcite removal, and filtration. The extracted particles were coated on to a low-emissivity glass slide which was first examined on a stereomicroscope. Six slides (two sediment samples and four different blanks) were further analyzed using an Agilent LDIR system. Approximately 520 and 430 MP/g were found in the two samples, with diameter ranging 20–3384 μm and 84% being smaller than 100 μm. The increase in particle count with decreasing particle sizes followed a power law curve, suggesting that a large portion of the smaller MPs was generated by the breakdown of larger plastic pieces. Major polymers found in this work included polyamide, polyester, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyacetal. Most MPs were fragments, while beads and fiber were also found. In the two sediment samples, 14% and 46% of the total particles, respectively, were composed of non-plastic micro-sized particles, including natural polyamide, cellulose, chitin, rubber, and “unknown”. Challenges, potential biases, and uncertainties are discussed. This work is the first application of LDIR imaging on MPs in natural sediment.

Rely on the density functional theory (DFT) calculation, the catalytic performance of PdxCuy/GDY (x = 1, 2, 3, 4; x + y ≤ 4) for CO oxidative coupling reaction was obtained. The Pdx/GDY (x = 1, 2, 3, 4) are not ideal catalyst for dimethyl oxalate (DMO) formation because by-product dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is easily formed on Pd1/GDY and Pd2/GDY, and high activation energies are needed on Pd3/GDY and Pd4/GDY. Therefore the second metal Cu is doped to regulate the performance of Pdx/GDY (x = 1, 2, 3, 4). Doping Cu not only improve the activity of DMO formation, but more importantly, controlling the ratio of Cu:Pd can effectively regulate the selectivity of DMO. Thus taking into account the activity and selectivity of the reaction for the preparation of DMO by CO oxidative coupling, the Pd1Cu1/GDY and Pd1Cu2/GDY with the activation energies of 105.2 and 99.2 kJ/mol to generate DMO show excellent catalytic activity and high DMO selectivity, which are considered as good catalysts for CO oxidative coupling. The differential charge density analysis shows the decrease in the charge density of metal clusters is an important reason for improving the selectivity of the catalyst.

Propylene molecule owns two active sites, the direct epoxidation of propylene by dioxygen is still a challenge due to the limitation of selectivity. In this work, the direct liquid-phase propylene aerobic epoxidation protocol by chloride manganese meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (MnTPPCl) was developed. The conversion of propylene was 12.7%, and the selectivity towards PO (propylene oxide) reached up to 80.5%. The formation of PO was attributed to the mechanism via high-valent Mn species, which was confirmed by means of in situ UV-vis spectrum.

Two novel seco-polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAPs), hyperbenzones A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the roots of Hypericum beanii, together with one known biosynthetic congener 3. Compound 1 incorporates a 6/5/5 ring system with an unprecedented spiro[bicyclo[3.3.0]octane-3,1ʹ-cyclohexane]-2,2ʹ-dione motif. The structures of 1 and 2 were determined by a combination of high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HRESIMS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analyses, gauge-independent atomic orbital (GIAO) NMR chemical shift calculation with DP4+ analyses, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation, and X-ray diffraction analysis. A 1,2-seco retro-Claisen rearrangement from a bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane PPAP precursor and following chemodivergent radical cascade cyclizations are proposed as the key steps in the biosynthetic pathway to yield compounds 1 and 2. Biological investigations indicated that compounds 1 and 3 could decrease intracellular lipid accumulation in a palmitic acid-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) cell model.

Graphical abstract, Introduction Face masks are regarded as effective Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the dominant polypropylene (PP)-based masks are devoid of antiviral/antibacterial activities and create enormous environmental burdens after disposal. Objectives Here we report a facile and potentially scalable method to fabricate biodegradable, breathable, and biocidal cellulose nonwovens (BCNWs) to address both environmental and hygienic problems of commercially available face masks. Methods TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nonwovens are rendered antiviral/antibacterial via covalent bonding with disinfecting polyhexamethylene guanidine or neomycin sulfate through carbodiimide coupling chemistry. Results The obtained results showed that the BCNWs have virucidal rate of >99.14%, bactericidal efficiency of >99.51%, no leaching-out effect, and excellent air permeability of >1111.5 mm s−1. More importantly, the as-prepared BCNWs can inactivate SARS-CoV-2 instantly. Conclusions This strategy provides a new platform for the green fabrication of multifunctional cellulose nonwovens as scalable bio-protective layers with superior performance for various PPE in fighting COVID-19 or future pandemics. Additionally, replacing the non-biodegradable non-antimicrobial PP-based masks with the cellulose-based masks can reduce the plastic wastes and lower the greenhouse gas production from the incineration of disposed masks.

Two novel species of the genus Deinococcus, designated SYSU M49105T and SYSU M42101T, were isolated from freshwater samples of the Pearl River estuary in Guangdong, China. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strains SYSU M49105T and SYSU M42101T showed the highest sequence similarities to Deinococcus aetherius JCM 11751 T (93.6%) and Deinococcus multiflagellatus NBRC 112888 T (97.3%), respectively. Cells of both strains were Gram-staining positive, aerobic, coccus-shaped, oxidase-negative and non-motile. The cell wall contained meso-diaminopimelic acid as their diagnostic diamino acid. MK-8 was the predominant respiratory quinone for both strains. The polar lipid profile of SYSU M49105T contained two unidentified phosphoglycolipids, nine unidentified glycolipids, and five unidentified polar lipids. SYSU M42101T had one unidentified phosphoglycolipid, nine unidentified glycolipids, one unidentified aminophospholipid and four unidentified polar lipids. The major fatty acids of strains SYSU M49105T and SYSU M42101T were summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c and/ or C16:1 ω6c) and C16:0. The G + C contents of the novel isolates based on genomic DNAs were 69.6% and 67.4%, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic data, strains SYSU M49105T and SYSU M42101T should be considered to represent two novel species in the genus Deinococcus, for which the names Deinococcus aestuarii sp. nov. and Deinococcus aquaedulcis sp. nov. were proposed with the type strains SYSU M49105T (= KCTC 43258 T = CGMCC 1.18609 T) and SYSU M42101T (= KCTC 43257 T = CGMCC 1.18614 T), respectively.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) based on the intracellular Fenton reaction has become increasingly explored in cancer treatment. However, the mildly acidic tumor microenvironment and the limited amount of intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) will create issues for CDT to perform a sustained and high-efficiency treatment. Therefore, how to selectively reduce the pH value and augment the amount of H2O2 in tumor tissues has become the key factor for realizing excellent CDT. Besides, the majority of the reported CDT systems have been constructed from iron-based inorganic or metal-organic framework nanomaterials due to the decisive role of metals in CDT, which restricts the development of CDT. In this study, inspired by the host-guest interactions between pillar[6]arene and ferrocene, a ternary pillar[6]arene-based supramolecular nanocatalyst (GOx@T-NPs) for CDT is reported for the first time. GOx@T-NPs not only exhibited a high-efficiency catalytic ability to convert glucose into hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and to reduce the pH value inside cancer cells for significant enhancement of the CDT effect, but they also showed sensitive glutathione-induced camptothecin (CPT) prodrug release capacity for further improving the efficiency of CDT. Hence, GOx@NPs possessed excellent ability to synergistically enhance the CDT. Additionally, an antitumor mechanism study showed that the prominent tumor inhibition capacity of GOx@T-NPs was derived from trimodal synergistic interactions of CDT, starvation therapy, and chemotherapy. Moreover, GOx@T-NPs manifested good biocompatibility and tumor selectivity with few side effects in major organs. This work broadens the range of materials available for CDT and demonstrates new developments in pillar[n]arene-based multimodal synergistic treatment systems.

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the second most deadly cancer worldwide. Therapies that take advantage of DNA repair defects have been explored in various tumors but not yet systematically in CRC. Here, we found that Diphosphoinositol Pentakisphosphate Kinase 2 (PPIP5K2), an inositol pyrophosphate kinase, was highly expressed in CRC and associated with a poor prognosis of CRC patients. In vitro and in vivo functional studies demonstrated that PPIP5K2 could promote the proliferation and migration ability of CRC cells independent of its inositol pyrophosphate kinase activity. Mechanically, S1006 dephosphorylation of PPIP5K2 could accelerate its dissociation with 14-3-3 in the cytoplasm, resulting in more nuclear distribution. Moreover, DNA damage treatments such as doxorubicin (DOX) or irradiation (IR) could induce nuclear translocation of PPIP5K2, which subsequently promoted homologous recombination (HR) repair by binding and recruiting RPA70 to the DNA damage site as a novel scaffold protein. Importantly, we verified that S1006 dephosphorylation of PPIP5K2 could significantly enhance the DNA repair ability of CRC cells through a series of DNA repair phenotype assays. In conclusion, PPIP5K2 is critical for enhancing the survival of CRC cells via facilitating DNA HR repair. Our findings revealed an unrecognized biological function and mechanism model of PPIP5K2 dependent on S1006 phosphorylation and provided a potential therapeutic target for CRC patients.

We have previously reported that the long-term exposure of Isocarbophos, a kind of organophosphorus compounds, induces vascular dementia (VD) in rats. Studies have also shown that organophosphorus compounds have adverse effects on offsprings. Vitamin B6 is a coenzyme mainly involved in the regulation of metabolism and has been demonstrated to ameliorate VD. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a biologically active lipid, plays a vital role in the cardiovascular system. However, whether S1P is involved in the therapeutic effects of Vitamin B6 on posterior cerebral artery injury has yet to be further answered. In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential influence of Vitamin B6 on Isocarbophos-induced posterior cerebral artery injury in offspring rats and the role of the S1P receptor in this process. We found that Vitamin B6 significantly improves the vasoconstriction function of the posterior cerebral artery in rats induced by Isocarbophos by the blood gas analysis and endothelium-dependent relaxation function assay. We further demonstrated that Vitamin B6 alleviates the Isocarbophos-induced elevation of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, IL-1, and IL-6 by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. By performing immunofluorescence and the western blot assay, we revealed that Vitamin B6 prevents the down-regulation of S1P in posterior cerebral artery injury. It is worth noting that Fingolimod, the S1P inhibitor, significantly inhibits the Vitamin B6-induced up-regulation of S1P in posterior cerebral artery injury. Collectively, our data indicate that Vitamin B6 may be a novel drug for the treatment of posterior cerebral artery injury and that S1P may be a drug target for its treatment.

To discuss the effect of hydrophobic groups of a polymer on the structural properties and function of polymer nanoparticles (NPs), we grafted chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) with pullulan (PU) to form hydrophobically modified PU (PUC). Three PUC polymers, namely, PUC-1, PUC-2, and PUC-3, with different degrees of substitution were designed by changing the feed ratio of CDCA and PU. 1H-NMR spectra showed that the PUC polymer was successfully synthesized, and the degrees of hydrophobic substitution for PUC-1, PUC-2, and PUC-3 were calculated to be 10.66%, 13.92%, and 16.94%, respectively. The PUC NPs were prepared by the dialysis method and were shown to be uniformly spherical by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The average sizes were about (220±10) nm, (203±7) nm, and (163±6) nm under dynamic light scattering (DLS) for PUC-1 NPs, PUC-2 NPs, and PUC-3 NPs, respectively. Drug release experiments showed that the three PUC/DOX NPs exhibited good sustained release. At 48 h, the IC50 of doxorubicin in inhibiting colon cancer HCT116 cells was 0.0904 μg/mL. A cell study showed that PUC-3/DOX NPs had the highest uptake efficiency by HCT116 cells with the most cytotoxicity and inhibited the migration of HCT116 cells with the highest efficiency. The structural properties and function of polymer NPs were closely related to the hydrophobic groups in the polymer, and NPs with higher hydrophobicity showed a smaller size, higher drug capacity, and greater cell efficiency.

Patients with cancer are at increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. Guidelines do not address lipid profile targets for these patients. Within the lipid profiles, we hypothesized that patients with cancer develop MI or stroke at lower low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations than patients without cancer and suffer worse outcomes. We linked nationwide longitudinal MI, stroke and cancer registries from years 2007–2017. We identified 42,148 eligible patients with MI (2421 prior cancer; 39,727 no cancer) and 43,888 eligible patients with stroke (3152 prior cancer; 40,738 no cancer). Median LDL-C concentration was lower in the prior cancer group than the no cancer group at incident MI [2.43 versus 3.10 mmol/L, adjusted ratio 0.87 (95% CI 0.85–0.89)] and stroke [2.81 versus 3.22 mmol/L, adjusted ratio 0.93, 95% CI 0.91–0.95)]. Similarly, median triglyceride and total cholesterol concentrations were lower in the prior cancer group, with no difference in high density lipoprotein cholesterol. Prior cancer was associated with higher post-MI mortality [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.48, 95% CI 1.37–1.59] and post-stroke mortality (adjusted HR 1.95, 95% CI 1.52–2.52). Despite lower LDL-C concentrations, patients with prior cancer had worse post-MI and stroke mortality than patients without cancer.

Background: Cryopreserved whole blood, all-cell pellets (ACPs), and buffy coats in biobanks are widely used to obtain DNA for genetic testing. However, there are few studies concerning the quality ...

Two phosphorylcarboxylic acids, 3-((bis(2-ethylhexyloxy))phosphoryl)propanoic acid (PPA) and 3-((bis(2-ethylhexyloxy))phosphoryl)-3-phenylpropanoic acid (PPPA), were synthesized for separating yttrium from other rare earths in the chloride feed of ion-adsorption type rare earth concentrate. The effect of the factors such as pH1/2, temperature, saponification degree and phase modifiers was investigated. The separation efficiencies of PPA and PPPA are obviously better than the typical extractants such as sec-octylphenoxy acetic acid (CA-12) and naphthenic acid (NA). The extraction process of rare earths by PPA and PPPA is a cation exchanging reaction, which is similar to those of CA-12 and NA. The loaded rare earths in both PPA and PPPA systems can be effectively back-extracted by 0.5 mol/L HCl or higher concentration. A cascade extraction process for separating yttrium from other rare earths was developed using PPPA as the extractant. The yttrium product with the purity of 97.20 wt% was obtained by 35 stages of extraction and 12 stages of scrubbing.

Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) reaction can significantly reduce the viscosity and sulfur content of heavy oil, while the HDS reaction mechanism of tetrahydrothiophene as the main sulfide in heavy oil is still unclear. The HDS experiment of tetrahydrothiophene catalyzed by nickel phosphide (Ni2P) is carried out at 200–300 °C. The results indicate that the H2S production under the catalysis of Ni2P increases obviously within 200–250 °C. The main gas products of HDS reaction are butane, butene and H2S. Meanwhile, the mechanism of tetrahydrothiophene catalyzed by Ni2P is analyzed based on Density Functional Theory (DFT). It is revealed that the adsorption model is most stable when tetrahydrothiophene is vertically adsorbed on the V–Ni-Hcp1 site of Ni2P (001). The C–S bond is elongated and the C–C bond is shortened after adsorption. Hydrogenation (HYD) is the most possible reaction route of tetrahydrothiophene on Ni2P (001) surface. There are two routes with the lowest activation energy, which are C4H8S→C4H8SH∗→C4H9SH∗→C4H10+H2S and C4H8S→C4H9S∗→C4H9∗+SH∗→C4H10+H2S. Butane and H2S are produced in the reaction, corresponding to the experimental results. This study provides a basis for understanding of the HDS mechanism of tetrahydrothiophene catalyzed by Ni2P.

Crystallization of sodium sulfate into mirabilite in sulfate saline soil harms the soil potential and intensifies the reparative expenses for subgrade. However, the effects of pore relative humidity (PRH) on the salt swelling behavior have not been thoroughly explored. The multiple-humidity cycles experiments, in this paper, were performed to investigate salt swelling behavior in sulfate saline soil. The effects of different salinity, temperatures, and PRH values on salt swelling displacement (SSD) and salt swelling rate (SSR) of sulfate saline soil were analyzed. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) technique was employed to investigate the mineral composition of post-experiment soil samples. All test results show that the SSD and SSR of soil samples increase with the increase of PRH and salinity and decreases as the increasing temperature. The enhancement of salt swelling in the presence of PRH was 80-90-80%. Besides, XRD results denote that the existence of mirabilite in the test soil samples verified for the salt swelling to be closely related to PRH in terms of microstructure. All the results further improve the mechanism of salt swelling in sulfate saline soil in the presence of PRH, which is of great significance to analysis and remediation of salt swelling behavior.

Owing to the exorbitant overpotential and serious carrier recombination of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), noble metal (NM) is usually served as the H2 evolution co-catalyst. Although the NM (such as Pt) nanoparticles can reduce the H2 evolution overpotential, the weak Van der Waals interaction between Pt and g-C3N4 makes against the charge transfer. Herein, the solvothermal method is developed to achieve semi-chemical interaction between Pt and g-C3N4 nanotube (Pt-CNNT) for fast charge transfer. Moreover, the generated in-plane homojunction of CNNT can accelerate charge separation and restrain recombination. Meanwhile, the metallic Pt is an excellent H2 evolution co-catalyst. Photo/electrochemical tests verify that the semi-chemical interaction can improve photogenerated charge separation and transferability of CNNT. As a result, the photocatalytic H2 evolution turnover frequency (TOF) of Pt-CNNT under visible light irradiation reaches up to 918 h−1, which is one of the highest in the g-C3N4-based photocatalysts. This work provides a new idea to improve the charge transfer for efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution.

The regulation of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) copolymer composition and sequence structure is the precondition for producing high-quality carbon fiber high quality. In this work, the sequential structure control of acrylonitrile (AN), methyl acrylate (MA) and itaconic acid (IA) aqueous copolymerization was investigated by Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. The parameters used in Monte Carlo were optimized via machine learning (ML) and genetic algorithms (GA) using the experimental data from batch copolymerization. The results reveal that it is difficult to control the aqueous copolymerization to obtain PAN copolymer with uniform sequence structure by batch polymerization with one-time feeding. By contrary, it is found that the PAN copolymer with uniform composition and sequence structure can be obtained by adjusting IA feeding quantity in each reactor of a train of five CSTRs. Hopefully, the results obtained in this work can provide valuable information for the understanding and optimization of AN copolymerization process to obtain high-quality PAN copolymer precursor.

Dividing-wall columns (DWCs) are widely used in the separation of ternary mixtures, but rarely seen in the separation of petroleum fractions. This work develops two novel and energy-efficient designs of lubricant-type vacuum distillation process (LVDP) for the separation of hydroisomerization fractions (HIF) of a hydrocracking tail oil (HTO). First, the HTO hydroisomerization reaction is investigated in an experimental fixed-bed reactor to achieve the optimum liquid HIF by analyzing the impact of the operating conditions. A LVDP used for HIF separation is proposed and optimized. Subsequently, two thermal coupling intensified technologies, including side-stream (SC) and dividing-wall column (DWC), are combined with the LVDP to develop side-stream vacuum distillation process (SC-LVDP) and dividing-wall column vacuum distillation process (DWC-LVDP). The performance of LVDP, SC-LVDP, and DWC-LVDP are evaluated in terms of energy consumption, capital cost, total annual cost, product yields, and stripping steam consumption. The results demonstrates that the intensified processes, SC-LVDP and DWC-LVDP significantly decreases the energy consumption and capital cost compared with LVDP. DWC-LVDP further decreases in capital cost due to the removal of the side stripper and narrows the overlap between the third lube oils and fourth lube oils. This study attempts to combine DWC structure into the separation of petroleum fractions, and the proposed approach and the results presented provide an incentive for the industrial implementation of high-quality utilization of HTO through intensified LVDP.

A copper-catalyzed three-component reaction of alkenes, cycloketone oximes and DABCO•(SO2)2 is developed, which provides a convenient route for the synthesis of diverse (E)-cyanoalkylsulfonyl alkenes in moderate to good yields with excellent regio- and stereoselectivity. A broad substrate scope with excellent functional group tolerance is observed. A plausible radical pathway is proposed, which involves copper-catalyzed ring-opening C-C bond cleavage of O-acyl oxime and insertion of sulfur dioxide. During the reaction process, cyanoalkyl radical and cyanoalkylsulfonyl radical are the key intermediates.

The present study focused on the potential mechanism of betulin (BT), a pentacyclic triterpenoid isolated from the bark of white birch (Betula pubescens), against chronic alcohol-induced lipid accumulation and metaflammation. AML-12 and RAW 264.7 cells were administered ethanol (EtOH), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or BT. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets containing 5% EtOH for 4 weeks, followed by single EtOH gavage on the last day and simultaneous treatment with BT (20 or 50 mg/kg) by oral gavage once per day. In vitro, MTT showed that 0-25 mM EtOH and 0-25 μM BT had no toxic effect on AML-12 cells. BT could regulate sterolregulatory-element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1), lipin1/2, P2X7 receptor (P2X7r) and NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) expressions again EtOH-stimulation. Oil Red O staining also indicated that BT significantly reduced lipid accumulation in EtOH-stimulated AML-12 cells. Lipin1/2 deficiency indicated that BT might mediate lipin1/2 to regulate SREBP1 and P2X7r expression and further alleviate lipid accumulation and inflammation. In vivo, BT significantly alleviated histopathological changes, reduced serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and triglyceride (TG) levels, and regulated lipin1/2, SREBP1, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α/γ (PPARα/γ) and PGC-1α expression compared with the EtOH group. BT reduced the secretion of inflammatory factors and blocked the P2X7r-NLRP3 signaling pathway. Collectively, BT attenuated lipid accumulation and metaflammation by regulating the lipin1/2-mediated P2X7r signaling pathway.

Chylothorax is an infrequent pleural effusion often caused by traumatic or nontraumatic injury to the thoracic duct. Nontraumatic chylothorax caused by chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is rarely reported. Previous experience has implied that the main factor affecting the treatment of chylothorax is whether the anti-cancer treatment is effective. The patient diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/ small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) before the hospital admission, and not received any treatment. After four months, he had progressive dyspnea. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed bilateral pleural effusion with progressive lymphadenopathy, and massive chylous pleural effusion was drained by closed thoracic drainage. After a course of chemotherapy including fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab (FCR), the patient developed agranulocytosis and his pleural effusion was still abundant. After careful consideration, the patient refused to receive following chemotherapy and chose to take ibrutinib orally. Two months after oral ibrutinib, ultrasound examination showed that pleural effusion completely disappeared. In the next one year, the patient had a routine follow-up and was in good condition. To our knowledge, this is the first report of ibrutinib in the treatment of chylothorax associated with CLL. Ibrutinib provides a more palliative treatment for elderly CLL patients with chylothorax.

Adsorption and separation of C4 hydrocarbons are crucial steps in petrochemical processes. Employment of porous materials for enhancing the separation efficiency have paid much attention. Covalent-organic frameworks of diamond-topology, dia-COFs, often exhibit unique structural properties such as interpenetration isomerism and pedal motion. Herein, in order to get a deep insight into the structure-performance correlation of such dia-COFs, a series of dia-COF materials have been proposed and theoretically investigated on the C4 separation. It is found that these dia-COFs display an excellent adsorption and separation property towards isobutene with respect to other C4 hydrocarbons (i.e., 1,3-butadiene, 1-butene, 2-cis-butene, 2-trans-butene, isobutane and n-butane). What’s more, the correlation between the topology parameters and experimental synthesis feasibility has been established for COF-300 (dia-cN), and the unreported COF-300 (dia-c3) is predicted to be experimentally feasible synthesized. Our findings not only provide a deep insight into the mechanism of topology characteristics of dia-COFs on C4 adsorption and separation properties but also guide the design and synthesis of novel highly-effective porous materials.

The organic compounds contaminated soil substantially threatens the growth of plants and food safety. In this study, we synthesis zero-valent bimetallic Fe/Cu catalysts for the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) in soils with persulfate (PS) in combination of organic surfactants and exploring the main environmental impact factors. The kinetic experiments show that the wt5% dosage of Fe/Cu exhibits a higher degradation efficiency (86%) of DCP in soils, and the degradation efficiency of DCP increases with the increase of the initial PS concentration. Acidic conditions are favorable for the DCP degradation in soils. More importantly, the addition of Tween-80, and Triton-100 can obviously desorb DCP from the soil surface, which enhances the degradation efficiency of DCP in soils by Fe/Cu and PS reaction system. Furthermore, the Quenching experiments demonstrate that SO 4 ·- and ·OH are the predominant radicals for the degradation of DCP during the Fe/Cu and PS reaction system as well as non-radical also exist. The findings of this work provide an effective method for remediating DCP from soils. © 2020 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Background: In this study, Near-field electrospinning (NFES) technique used with a cylindrical collector to fabricate a large area permanent piezoelectric micro and nanofibers by a prepared solution. NFES requires a small electric field to fabricate fibers. Objective: The objective of this paper to investigate silver nanoparticle (Ag-NP)/ Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite as the best piezoelectric material with improved properties to produced tremendously flexible and sensitive piezoelectric material with pertinent conductance. Method: In this paper we used controllable electrospinning technique based on Near-field electrospinning (NFES)The process parameter for Ag-NP/PVDF composite electrospun fiber based on pure PVDF fiber. A PVDF solution concentration of 18 wt.% and 6 wt.% silver nitrate which is relative to the weight of PVDF wt.% with 1058 µS conductivity fibers have been directly written on a rotating cylindrical collector for aligned fiber PVDF/Ag-NP fibers are patterned on fabricated copper (Cu) interdigitated electrodes were implemented on a thin flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate and Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) used as a package to enhance the durability of the PVDF/ Ag-NP device. Results: A notable effect on the piezoelectric response has been observed after Ag-NP addition confirmed by XRD characterization and tapping test of Ag-NP/PVDF composite fiber. The morphology of the PVDF/Ag-NP fibers and measure diameter by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Optical micrograph (OM), of fiber. Finally, The result shows that diameter of PVDF/Ag-NP fibers up to ~7 μm. The. High diffraction peak at 2θ = 20.5˚ was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) in the piezoelectric crystal β-phase structure. While the electromechanical conversion is found enhance from ~0.1 V to ~1 V by the addition of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in the PVDF solution. Conclusion: In conclusion, we can say that confirmed and validated the addition of Ag-NP in PVDF could enhance the piezoelectric property by using NFES technique with improved crystalline phase content can be useful for a wide range of power and sensing applications like biomedical devices and energy harvesting, among others.

Osmotic stress caused by drought and high salinity is a significant environmental threat that limits plant growth and agricultural yield. Redox regulation plays an important role in plant stress responses, but the mechanisms by which plants perceive and transduce redox signals are still underexplored. Here, we report a critical function for the thiol peroxidase GPX1 in osmotic stress response in rice, where it serves as a redox sensor and transducer. GPX1 is quickly oxidized upon exposure to osmotic stress and forms an intramolecular disulfide bond, which is required for the activation of bZIP68, a VRE-like basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor involved in the ABA-independent osmotic stress response pathway. The disulfide exchange between GPX1 and bZIP68 induces homo-tetramerization of bZIP68 and thus positively regulates osmotic stress response by regulating osmotic-responsive gene expression. Furthermore, we discovered that the nuclear translocation of GPX1 is regulated by its acetylation under osmotic stress. Taken together, our findings not only uncover the redox regulation of the GPX1-bZIP68 module during osmotic stress but also highlight the coordination of protein acetylation and redox signaling in plant osmotic stress responses.

Background: Copper complex has been gaining much attention in anticancer research as a targeted agent since cancer cells uptake more copper than non-cancerous cells. Our group synthesised a ternary copper complex, which is composed of 1,10-phenanthroline and tyrosine [Cu(phen)(L-tyr)Cl].3H20. These two payloads have been designed to cleave DNA and inhibit protein degradation system (proteasome) concurrently in cancer cells, making this copper complex a dual-target compound. Objective: The current study was carried out to investigate the mode of cell death and the role of autophagy induced by [Cu(phen)(L-tyr)Cl].3H20 in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Methods: Growth inhibition of [Cu(phen)(L-tyr)Cl].3H20 towards MDA-MB-231 and human non-cancerous MCF10A breast cells was determined by MTT assay. Annexin-V-FITC/PI and cell cycle analysis were evaluated by flow cytometry. The expression of p53, Bax, caspase-9, caspase-7, caspase-3 and LC3 was determined using western blot analysis. The cells were then co-treated with hydroxychloroquine to ascertain the role of autophagy induced by [Cu(phen)(L-tyr)Cl].3H20. Results: [Cu(phen)(L-tyr)Cl].3H20 inhibited the growth of cancer cells dose-dependently with less toxicity towards MCF10A cells. Additionally, [Cu(phen)(L-tyr)Cl].3H20 induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest towards MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells possibly via regulation of p53, Bax, caspase-9, caspase-3 and capase-7. The expression of LC3II was upregulated in both cancer cell lines upon treatment with [Cu(phen)(L-tyr) Cl].3H20, indicating the induction of autophagy. Co-treatment with autophagy inhibitor hydroxychloroquine significantly enhanced growth inhibition of both cell lines, suggesting that autophagy induced by [Cu(phen)(L-tyr) Cl].3H20 in both breast cancer cells promoted cell survival. Conclusion: [Cu(phen)(L-tyr)Cl].3H20 holds great potential to be developed for breast cancer treatment.

Background/Purpose Viruses-bacteria synergistic interaction is associated with destructive periodontal diseases. However, the underlying mechanism for tissue destruction is not fully elucidated. In this study, lipopolysaccharide from Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg-LPS) and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) were used to simulate bacteria and viruses, respectively. The possible combined effects of both molecular patterns on secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) from osteoblasts were determined. The effects of povidone-iodine (PVP-I) on the secretion of IL-6 and PGE2 were also examined. Methods Viability of treated osteoblastic cells (MG63) was examined by detection the mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity. Secretion of IL-6 and PGE2 was detected using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were determined using the Western blotting analysis. Results Pg-LPS or poly I:C significantly enhanced the production of IL-6 and PGE2 in MG63 cells. The additive/synergistic effects of Pg-LPS/poly I:C on production of IL-6 and PGE2 were evident. The levels of phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and expression of COX-2 protein were enhanced by Pg-LPS and/or poly I:C. On the other hand, the level of phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was reduced by Pg-LPS and/or poly I:C. The stimulatory secretion of PGE2 by poly I:C was significantly reduced by PVP-I. Conclusion Concomitant infection of viruses and bacteria may be potentially harmful to the tooth supporting tissues by production of proinflammatory mediators. The results suggest the potential anti-inflammatory effect of PVP-I on bacterial or viral infection.

Base editing using CRISPR technologies is an invaluable tool for crop breeding. One of the major base editors, the adenine base editor (ABE), has been successfully used in both model plants and many crops. However, owing to limited editing efficiency, the ABE has been difficult to apply in polyploid crops such as allohexaploid bread wheat that often require simultaneous mutation of multiple alleles for fast breeding. We have designed a wheat high-efficiency ABE (WhieABE), using the newly developed high-activity adenosine deaminase TadA8e. In vivo and in vitro analysis demonstrated the improved applicability of TadA8e over the commonly used TadA7.10. Dinitroaniline is a widely used herbicide with high effectiveness and low toxicity to animals. However, wheat cultivars with tolerance to dinitroaniline are rare, limiting the application of dinitroaniline in wheat planting. Using A-to-G editing with WhieABE, we found that a Met-to-Thr mutation in wheat tubulin alleles located on chromosomes 1A, 1B, 1D, 4A, and 4D increased the resistance of wheat to dinitroaniline, revealing a dosage effect of edited tubulins in resistance. The WhieABE promises to be a valuable editing tool for accelerating crop improvement and developing herbicide-resistant wheat germplasm.

Erythromycin thiocyanate is widely used for the production of other macrolide antibiotics. In this work, a novel heterosolvate of this pharmaceutical compound has been obtained and characterized for the first time, which was transformed from the dihydrate form in the acetone solvent through evaporation crystallization. Thermal behavior together with compositional analysis revealed that both water and acetone molecules participated in the formation of the crystal lattice which is rarely reported before. The general chemical name of the heterosolvate may be defined as erythromycin thiocyanate sesquihydrate hemiacetonate. Furthermore, studies on solid-state spectral analysis provided strong evidence of intermolecular hydrogen bonds in heterosolvate crystals. According to the crystal structure determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, the formation mechanism of the heterosolvate is proposed in which strong multi-hydrogen bondings between water and solute molecules form the layer structure. While acetone molecules form single-hydrogen bonds with solutes and reside in channels between layers. This well explains why acetone solvent is easy to escape from the crystal structure during desolvation.

Lignin recovery and valorization is desirable to optimize the process economics of the biorefinery with lignocellulose biomass as a feedstock. The recovery of high purity lignin from the brown solid (BS) residual obtained from a mid-stream waste of the rice straw biorefinery using the soda extraction process by adding ethylene glycol (EG) as a co-solvent is investigated in this study. The best extraction result was obtained with a lignin recovery of 94% and lignin content (purity) of 92% when the reaction time was 300 min at 190 ℃. The addition of EG increased the lignin solubility in the solution so that higher lignin yield and recovery could be obtained than that from the neat Soda process. The kinetic analysis indicated that the delignification reaction was composed of a fast bulk phase and a slow residue phase with a transition time at 60 min, corresponding to different levels of fragmentation, depolymerization and solubilization of lignin. In the fast phase, about 80% lignin can be solubilized in the solution quickly due to the predominant nucleophile attacks on the ether linkages (C-O-C, α-O-4, β-O-4, etc.). In the slow phase, the carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds are broken in the remaining residue lignin.

Two previously undescribed diarylheptanoids, diosniponol E (1) and F (2), and a new phenylhexanol derivative, (rel-2R,4R)-6-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-hexane-1,2,4-triol (3), together with seven known compounds, were isolated from the bulbils of Dioscorea opposita Thunb.. Their structures were elucidated by HRESIMS and 1D/2D NMR as well as by comparison with the literature, and absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 2 were deduced by comparison of their experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroic (ECD) spectra. All the isolated compounds were evaluated in vitro for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The results indicated that compounds 3 and 7 exhibited inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase with the IC50 values of 16.2 ± 2.2 and 8.7 ± 1.6 μM, respectively. Molecular docking experiments were performed to identify the probable binding mode of compound 7 in the binding sites of α-glucosidase and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to evaluate the stability over time of the main interactions observed in docking experiments.

A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the optimal dietary selenium requirement for coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch W.) alevins. Six experimental diets (contained about 42.2% crude protein and 10.5% crude lipid) were formulated to contain selenium level of 0.07, 0.15, 0.24, 0.41, 0.75, and 1.38 mg/kg, respectively. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of fish with initial mean body weight of 0.38 ± 0.01 g, which were randomly assigned to 18 plastic tanks (80 × 60 × 60 cm, length × width × height, water volume 240 L), and each tank was stocked initially with 50 fish. Fish were fed four times daily and used the method of overfeeding (15–20% body weight) to fish. The sampling procedure was implemented after 24 h of fasting. Results showed that specific growth rate (SGR) in 0.24, 0.41, and 0.75 mg Se/kg groups were significantly higher than those in 0.07 and 1.38 mg Se/kg groups (P .05). Hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content significantly declined with increasing dietary up to 0.41 mg Se/kg and increased as selenium further increased. The hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) significantly increased with increasing dietary selenium up to 0.41 mg/kg and decreased significantly as selenium further increased (P .05) but significantly higher than those in 0.07, 0.15, and 0.24 mg Se/kg groups (P < .05). Broken-line regression analyses based on SGR, hepatic, and whole-body selenium contents indicated that the optimum dietary selenium requirements were in the range of 0.39–0.43 mg/kg for coho salmon alevins.

BACKGROUND Dysregulation of eicosanoids is associated with asthma and a composite of oxylipins, including exhaled leukotriene B4 (LTB4 ), characterizes childhood asthma. While fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) has been used as the standard for monitoring steroid responsiveness, the potential utility of eicosanoids in monitoring the therapeutic outcomes remains unclear. We aimed to examine the levels of major eicosanoids representing different metabolic pathways in exhaled breath condensates (EBCs) of children with asthma during exacerbation and after treatment. METHODS Levels of 6 exhaled eicosanoid species in asthmatic children and healthy subjects were evaluated using ELISA. RESULTS In addition to those previously reported, including LTB4 , the levels of exhaled 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE), but not thromboxane B2 (TXB2 ), showed significant difference between asthmatics (N = 318) and healthy controls (N = 97), particularly the severe group showed the lowest levels of exhaled 15-HETE. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses revealed similar distinguishing power for the levels of 15-HETE, FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in the first second), and FeNO, while the 15-HETE/LTB4 ratio was significantly lower in subjects with asthma as compared to that of healthy controls (p

BACKGROUND Many studies have examined associations between dietary isoflavones and atherosclerosis, but few used objective biomarkers. OBJECTIVES We examined the associations of isoflavone biomarkers (primary analyses) and equol production (secondary analyses) with the progression of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), and whether inflammation, systolic blood pressure (SBP), blood lipids, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) mediated these associations, in Chinese adults. METHODS This 8.8-y prospective study included 2572 subjects (40-75 y old) from the GNHS (Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study; 2008-2019). The concentrations of daidzein, genistein, and equol were assayed by an HPLC-tandem MS in serum (n = 2572) at baseline and in urine (n = 2220) at 3-y intervals. The cIMT of the common carotid artery (CCA) and bifurcation segment were measured by B-mode ultrasound every 3 y, and the progressions of cIMT ( ∆cIMT) were estimated using the regression method. RESULTS Multivariable linear mixed-effects models (LMEMs) and ANCOVA revealed that subjects with higher serum isoflavones tended to have lower increases of CCA-cIMT. The mean ± SEM differences in 8.8-y ∆CCA-cIMT between extreme tertiles of serum isoflavones were -17.1 ± 8.4, -20.6 ± 8.3, and -23.3 ± 10.4 μm for daidzein, total isoflavone, and equol (P-trends

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the clinical detection and prognosis of coagulation function in patients with liver failure and sepsis. METHODS: The plasma fibrinogen (FIB), factor II, factor VII, factor V, factor IV, antithrombin III (ATIII), platelet (PLT), mean PLT volume (MPV), D-dimer, prothrombin activity (PTA), and fibrin degradation product (FDP) levels and thromboelastogram values were detected in patients with liver failure complicated with sepsis and compared with those in the liver failure and liver cirrhosis groups. The patients with liver failure complicated with sepsis were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression, and the regression equation was established. RESULTS: The levels of FIB, factor II, factor VII, factor V, ATIII, PLT, MPV, D-dimer, and FDP in the patients with liver failure complicated with sepsis were compared with those in the control group patients, and the differences were statistically significant (p

The modern lithium-ion battery (LIB) configuration was enabled by the “magic chemistry” between ethylene carbonate (EC) and graphitic carbon anode. Despite the constant changes of cathode chemistries with improved energy densities, EC-graphite combination remained static during the last three decades. While the interphase generated by EC protects the fragile graphitic structure, the intrinsic disadvantages of EC (high viscosity, high melting point, excessive interphase growth) lead to mediocre power density and poor performances of LIB at sub-zero temperatures, where lithium depositions form upon charging. Such performance compromises arise from the fundamental dilemma between requiring effective interphase protection and high impedance from excessive growth of interphase. In this work, we designed and synthesized a “double EC” molecule as electrolyte additive to resolve the above dilemma. Erythritol bis(carbonate) (EBC) possesses lower LUMO energy level than EC and hence tends to decompose prior to EC reduction, but its weak solvation toward Li+ restricts the extent of its reduction, thus minimizing the interphase thickness and the corresponding impedances. Electrolytes containing EBC enables both the charging and discharging of ampere-size LIB pouch cells at sub-zero temperatures from 0 to -20℃, demonstrating that the key approach to improve low temperature performances lies in how to tailor interphasial chemistry rather than the bulk electrolyte composition.

Controllable self-assembly of photonic molecules for precise biomedicine is highly desirable but challenging to prepare multifunctional nano-phototheranostics. Herein, we developed a generic self-assembly approach to design nano-phototheranostics that provides NIR-II fluorescence imaging and phototherapy. We first designed and synthesized two amphiphilic photonic molecules, PEG2000-IR806 and BODIPY. Then, we prepared the co-self-assembled phototheranostic agents, PEG2000-IR806/BODIPY nanoparticles (PIBY NPs). The morphology of the PIBY NPs is controllable by adjusting the ratio of PEG2000-IR806 and BODIPY during self-assembly. The NIR-II fluorescence properties and phototherapy capability of the PIBY NPs were demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. By tuning the ratio of PEG2000-IR806 and BODIPY, the PIBY NPs showed various morphologies (e.g. spherical nanoparticles, nanovesicles and rod-like nanoparticles). The PEG2000-IR806 plays two roles in the co-self-assemblies, one is second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) agent, the other is the surfactant for BODIPY encapsulation. The phototherapeutic PIBY NPs all show bright NIR-II fluorescence and effective phototherapeutic (photothermal and photodynamic) properties, which are attributed to IR806 and BODIPY, respectively. The driving force of the self-assembly can be attributed to the electrostatic interaction between NIR806 and BODIPY and their hydrophobicity. The rod-like PIBY NPs (rPIBY NPs) demonstrated a low half inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 3.96 μg/mL on U87MG cells. The NIR-II imaging showed the accumulation of rPIBY NPs in the tumor region. After systemic injection of rPIBY NPs at low dose (0.5 mg/kg), the tumor growth was greatly inhibited upon laser irradiation without noticeable side effects. This study provides a generic self-assembly approach to fabricate NIR-II imaging and phototherapeutic platform for cancer phototheranostics. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Nanophototheranostics providing NIR-II fluorescence imaging and phototherapy are expected to play a critical role in modern precision medicine. Controllable self-assembly of optical molecules for the fabrication of efficient nanophototheranostics is highly desirable but challenging. This work reports for the first time the co-assembly of a NIR-II imaging contrast agent and a phototherapeutic agent to yield nanophototheranostics with various morphologies. The design of molecular co-assembly with complementary optical functions can be a generic method for future the development of phototheranostics.

The expression of voltage-gated potassium Kv1.3 channels is increased in activated microglia, with non-selective blockade reported to attenuate microglial-mediated neuroinflammation. In this study, we evaluated the impact of a potent and selective peptidic blocker of Kv1.3 channels, HsTX1[R14A], on microglial-mediated neuroinflammation in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with both 0.1 and 1 µg/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly (p

To evaluate the ocular and systemic determinants of the choriocapillaris flow deficits percentage (CC FD%) in normal eyes.Observational cross-sectional study.Healthy Chinese participants without ocular or systemic diseases underwent detailed ophthalmic evaluations, including swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) with 6- × 6-mm macular choriocapillaris images. The CC FD% was assessed in circular regions with diameters of 1.0 and 5.0 mm, rings with 1.0- to 2.5-mm diameters, and rings with 2.5- to 5.0-mm diameters.The study included 830 individuals (mean ± SD age 58.66 ± 8.75 years). CC FD% (mean ± SD 22.05% ± 1.13%) was the lowest in the 2.5- to 5.0-mm ring, followed by the 1.0- to 2.5-mm ring, and highest in the 1.0-mm circle. In multivariable analysis, a higher CC FD% was associated with older age (β = 0.16 [95% confidence interval {CI}] 0.08-0.24, P.001), higher intraocular pressure (β = 0.34 [95% CI 0.25-0.42], P.001), higher serum concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β = 0.24 [95% CI 0.17-0.32], P.001), and lower image quality score (β = -0.22 [95% CI -0.30 to -0.14], P.001). CC FD% was also independent of axial length.In healthy adult Chinese individuals, a higher CC FD% was associated with older age, higher intraocular pressure, and higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol serum concentration. These factors may influence clinical assessments of the choriocapillaris. The lack of an association between CC FD% and axial length is consistent with similar findings for Bruch membrane thickness, macular retinal thickness, and macular retinal pigment epithelium cell density.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are major products of intestinal microbial fermentation with beneficial effects for human health. The dynamic balance and real-time monitoring of endogenous SCFA biosynthesis are important for understanding their physiological functions. We discuss the promising future of applying CRISPRi genetic systems and biosensors for targeted SCFA improvement.

Aims The adsorption of lead ions from aqueous solution by macroporous Ca-alginate-lignin (MCAL) beads immobilized with Clostridium tyrobutyricum and free strains was evaluated. Methods and Results The effects of different factors including pH, adsorption time, adsorbent dosage and initial concentration of lead ions were explored. Different characterization methods were used to evaluate the adsorption process of lead ions. Meanwhile, the adsorption kinetics models and adsorption isotherm models were applied. The fitting results showed that the adsorption behaviour of C. tyrobutyricum immobilized in MCAL beads and free strains was better described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the adsorption process followed the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum biosorption of lead ions by C. tyrobutyricum immobilized in MCAL beads and free strains was 144.9 and 106.4 mg/g respectively. Conclusions The C. tyrobutyricum immobilized in MCAL beads proved to be practicable and had better adsorption effects on lead ions compared with the free strains. Significance and Impact of the Study The paper demonstrated a new insight and strategy for the effective treatment of lead ions from aqueous solutions by the novel function of C. tyrobutyricum.

Photocatalytic upgrading of renewable biomass is a promising way to relieve energy crisis and environmental pollution. However, low photocatalytic efficiency and uncontrollable selectivity still limit its development. Herein, ultrathin SnNb2O6 nanosheets with high dispersed Pt nanoparticles (Pt/SN) were successfully developed as an efficient photocatalyst for the precise hydrogenation of furfural (FUR) to furfuryl alcohol (FOL) under visible light irradiation and exhibited the high conversion of FUR (99.9%) with the high selectivity for FOL (99.9%). It was revealed that SN with only 4.1 nm thickness possess good separation ability of photo-generated carriers and abundant surface Lewis acid sites (Nb5+) which would selectively chemisorb and activate FUR molecules via the Nb···O = C coordination. Meanwhile, Pt nanoparticles would gather photo-generated electrons for greatly promoting the generation of active H species to support the hydrogenation of FUR to FOL. The synergistic effects between SnNb2O6 nanosheets and Pt nanoparticles remarkably facilitate the photocatalytic performance for hydrogenation. This work not only confirms the great potential of ultrathin nanosheet photocatalyst with functional metal sites for precise upgrading of biomass but also provides an in-depth view to understand the surface/interface interaction between reactant molecules and surface sites of a photocatalyst.