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Objectives: Recurrent thrombosis is one of the main clinical features of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), and recent studies revealed that APS shares similar pathophysiological mechanisms with atherosclerosis. Oxidised low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) and antibodies against OxLDL (anti-OxLDL) are involved in the development of atherosclerosis. This study aims to investigate the clinical significance of OxLDL and anti-OxLDL in APS patients., Methods: One hundred and seventy APS patients and 39 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. Clinical and laboratory data were collected from Clinical Data Center of Peking University People's Hospital. OxLDL and anti-OxLDL were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay., Results: Among the 170 APS patients, 106 had isolated thrombotic APS. Compared with HC, APS patients exhibited higher titres of OxLDL [413.86 (220.11-853.67) ng/mL vs. 45.54 (0-105.98) ng/mL, p<0.001] and anti-OxLDL [107.62 (75.68-174.18) U/L vs. 44.13 (18.44-79.76) U/L, p<0.001]. Also, APS patients exhibited a higher positivity rate for OxLDL (88.2% vs. 5.1%, p<0.001) and anti-OxLDL (84.1% vs. 36.5%, p<0.001) compared to HC. APS patients with elevated levels of OxLDL had a higher rate of LAC positivity (68.0% vs. 45.0%, p=0.042). Furthermore, APS patients with positive anti-OxLDL demonstrated a higher occurrence of venous thrombosis (46.2% vs. 18.5%, p=0.008) and a lower rate of Coomb's test positivity (52.6% vs. 76.2%, p=0.049). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that anti-OxLDL positivity (OR 12.424, 95%CI 1.108-139.330, p=0.041) were risk factors for venous thrombotic APS., Conclusions: This study indicates that the presence of anti-OxLDL may serve as potential markers for venous thrombosis in APS patients. OxLDL and anti-OxLDL may function as valuable biomarkers for monitoring APS.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the performance of radionuclide-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitors (Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04) PET/CT in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) and compare it with fluorine-18 ( 18 F) labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) imaging., Methods: Fifty-eight participants with ARDs were prospectively enrolled from April 2022 to February 2024 and underwent dual-tracer PET/CT imaging. For both 18 F-FDG and Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT, imaging findings were interpreted and compared. The clinical significance was compared between 18 F-FDG PET/CT and Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT imaging., Results: 18 F-FDG imaging was positive in 53 out of 58 cases (91.4%) while Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 imaging was positive in 55 out of 58 cases (94.8%). Overall positive rate of Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 imaging was as high as 18 F-FDG imaging (P = 0.625). 18 F-FDG imaging detected more lesions in lymph node, spleen, and bone marrow. Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 imaging detected more lesions in the lung, muscle, and tendon/ligament. There was no statistical difference of composing ratio of grades of clinical significance between two imaging modalities (χ 2  = 2.875, P = 0.238). The superior rate of Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT imaging was higher than 18 F-FDG imaging (P = 0.020). In subgroup of adult-onset Still's disease, 18 F-FDG imaging showed better performance than Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 imaging. In most of the other subgroup of ARDs, Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT imaging overperformed 18 F-FDG imaging., Conclusion: Both 18 F-FDG and Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT imaging have excellent sensitivity in ARDs. The detection capabilities of two tracers varied according to the involving organs of ARDs. In most of ARDs except adult-onset Still's disease, Al 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT imaging overperformed 18 F-FDG imaging. Key Points • 18 F-FDG and Al18F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT imaging have excellent sensitivity in diagnosing of ARDs. • 18 F-FDG PET/CT imaging detected more lesions in lymph node, spleen, and bone marrow. • 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT imaging detected more lesions in the lung, muscle, and tendon/ligament. • 18 F-NOTA-FAPI-04 PET/CT imaging overperformed 18 F-FDG in most subgroups of ARDs., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR).)

This study aims to explore the link between Apo-E, brain white matter, and suicide in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) to investigate the potential neuroimmune mechanisms of Apo-E that may lead to suicide. Thirty-nine patients with MDD (22 patients with suicidality) and 57 age, gender, and education-matched healthy controls participated in this study, provided plasma Apo-E samples, and underwent diffusion tensor imaging scans. Plasma Apo-E levels and white matter microstructure were analyzed among the MDD with suicidality, MDD without suicidality, and HC groups using analysis of variance with post hoc Bonferroni correction and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) with threshold-free cluster enhancement correction. Mediation analysis investigated the relationship between Apo-E, brain white matter, and suicidality in MDD. The MDD with suicidality subgroup had higher depressive and suicide scores, longer disease course, and lower plasma Apo-E levels than MDD without suicidality. TBSS revealed that the MDD non-suicide subgroup showed significantly increased mean diffusivity in the left corticospinal tract and body of the left corpus callosum, as well as increased axial diffusivity in the left anterior corona radiata and the right posterior thalamic radiation compared to the suicidal MDD group. The main finding was that the increased MD of the left corticospinal tract contributed to the elevated suicide score, with Apo-E mediating the effect. Preliminary result that Apo-E's mediating role between the left corticospinal tract and the suicide factor suggests the neuroimmune mechanism of suicide in MDD. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03790085)., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

Nerve agents have posed a huge threat to national and human security, and their sensitive detection is crucial. Herein, based on the oxidation of Ce 4+ and the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) of glutathione-protected gold nanoclusters (GSH-Au NCs), a cascade reaction was designed to prepare oxidized 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (oxTMB) and GSH-Au NCs crosslinked by Ce 3+ (Ce 3+ -GSH-Au NCs). oxTMB had a broad UV-visible absorption range (500-700 nm) and was capable of quenching the fluorescence of Ce 3+ -GSH-Au NCs at 590 nm through the internal filtration effect (IFE). Thiocholine (TCh), the hydrolysis product of acetylthiocholine chloride (ATCl) catalyzed by acetylcholinesterase (AChE), reduced oxTMB completely, resulting in a decrease in the absorption of oxTMB and the recovery of IFE-quenched fluorescence of Ce 3+ -GSH-Au NCs. Nerve agent sarin (GB) hindered the production of TCh and the reduction of oxTMB by inhibiting the AChE activity, leading to the fluorescence of Ce 3+ -GSH-Au NCs being quenched again. The dual-output sensing system (AChE + ATCl + oxTMB + Ce 3+ -GSH-Au NCs) exhibited a low limit of detection to GB (2.46 nM for colorimetry and 1.18 nM for fluorimetry) and excellent selectivity toward common interferences being unable to inhibit AChE. Moreover, the intelligent logic gate constructed based on the sensing system showed promising applications in the field of smart sensing of nerve agents.

Five covalently bonded polyoxometalate (POM)-porphyrin hybrids were synthesized by reacting the Wells-Dawson type polyoxometalate [N(C 4 H 9 ) 4 ] 5 H 4 P 2 W 15 V 3 O 62 with five tris-functionalized porphyrins containing different numbers of tris groups at different peripheral positions. These hybrids were thoroughly characterized using elemental analysis, NMR ( 1 H, 31 P, and 51 V), mass spectrometry (ESI-MS, MALID-TOF-MS), FT-IR, UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopies. The results proved that different quantities (one, two, and three) of the vanadium-capped Wells-Dawson type metal-oxide cluster P 2 W 15 V 3 O 62 9- can be grafted onto a porphyrin moiety via covalent bonding with different orientations, depending on the number and position of peripheral functional groups on the porphyrin. Interestingly, remarkable fluorescence quenching (60% in 3Py-P@1POM, 75% in trans -2PyP@2POM, 80% in cis -2PyP@2POM, 85% in cis -2PhP@2POM, and 55% in 1Py-P@3POM, as compared to the fluorescence intensity of their corresponding porphyrin precursor) was observed under excitation ( λ exc = 328 nm), indicating electron transfer from the porphyrin moiety to the POM moiety through covalent linkage.

It is very important to establish a sustained-release pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM) drug system with brain targeting function for the treatment of neurotoxicant poisoning. Herein, Vitamin B1 (VB1), also known as thiamine, which can specifically bind to the thiamine transporter on the surface of the blood-brain barrier, was incorporated onto the surface of MIL-101-NH 2 (Fe) nanoparticles with a size of ∼100 nm. Pralidoxime chloride was further loaded within the interior of the above resulted composite by soaking, and a resulting composite drug (denoted as 2-PAM@VB1-MIL-101-NH 2 (Fe)) with a loading capacity of 14.8% (wt) was obtained. The results showed that the drug release rate of the composite drug was increased in PBS solution with the increase of pH (2-7.4) and a maximum drug release rate of 77.5% at pH 4. Experiments on the treatment of poisoning by gavage with the nerve agent sarin in mice combined with atropine revealed that sustained release of 2-PAM from the composite drug was achieved for more than 72 h. Sustained and stable reactivation of poisoned acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was observed with an enzyme reactivation rate of 42.7% in the ocular blood samples at 72 h. By using both zebrafish brain and mouse brain as models, we found that the composite drug could effectively cross the blood-brain barrier and restore the AChE activity in the brain of poisoned mice. The composite drug is expected to be a stable therapeutic drug with brain targeting and prolonged drug release properties for nerve agent intoxication in the middle and late stages of treatment.

In this work, CAU-10-H@γ-AlOOH is prepared, and then UTSA-16 is loaded on CAU-10-H@γ-AlOOH to obtain UTSA-16@CAU-10-H@γ-AlOOH. Using the as-prepared composites as stationary materials by cryogenic gas chromatography at 77 K, while CAU-10-H@γ-AlOOH achieves the complete separation of ortho -H 2 ( o -H 2 ) and D 2 with a resolution R of 1.66 and a separation time t of 9.52 min, UTSA-16@CAU-10-H@γ-AlOOH achieves higher efficiency separation of hydrogen isotopes in a shorter separation time (4.56 min) with R = 1.7. Molecular simulation results show that CAU-10-H has both chemical affinity quantum sieving and kinetic sieving effects for H 2 /D 2 at 77 K, and UTSA-16 can only exert the kinetic sieving effect. UTSA-16's load on CAU-10-H@γ-AlOOH weakens the adsorption of hydrogen isotopes, and the presence of Co 2+ in UTSA-16 promotes the conversion of para -H 2 to ortho -H 2 . In gas chromatography, H 2 was preferentially desorbed from the system due to strong D 2 adsorption caused by the chemical affinity quantum sieving effect and faster H 2 diffusion caused by the kinetic sieving effect. These additive effects achieved efficient hydrogen isotope separation at 77 K.

Purposes: To analyze the difference of 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro-D-glucose ( 18 F-FDG) uptake between vasculitis and non-vasculitic patients in PET/CT imaging and the factors related to vascular uptake in non-vasculitic patients. To investigate the feasibility of identifying vasculitis of the lower limb and physiological uptake with delayed imaging., Procedures: Among 244 patients who underwent PET/CT examination, imaging features of patients with or without vasculitis were retrospectively analyzed. The factors related to FDG uptake in the lower limb vessels of non-vasculitic patients were analyzed. Another 44 patients with suspected systemic vasculitis in PET/CT were prospectively studied to analyze the efficacy of delayed imaging on differentiating vascular uptake in lower limbs., Results: In PET/CT imaging of patients with vasculitis, involvement of trunk vessels showed segmental or diffuse FDG distribution. Lower limb vascular involvement showed reticular uptake accompanied by nodular or patchy changes. In non-vasculitic patients, vascular uptake mainly showed linear uptake in lower limb vessels and there was no significant difference in uptake degree compared with vasculitis patients. Body weight and interval time were the independent influence factors of vascular uptake in lower limbs of non-vasculitic patients. In delayed imaging, lower limb vasculitis all showed reticular uptake and physiological uptake all showed a linear pattern. ROC analysis showed the change rate of SUV max (≥ 20%) between early and delayed imaging could delineate physiological vascular uptake with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 81.0%., Conclusions: When PET/CT is used for the diagnosis and classification of vasculitis, the physiological uptake of lower limb vessels may mislead the diagnosis. PET/CT imaging features or delayed imaging improved diagnostic efficacy., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to The Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine.)

A 2-PAM@bio-MOF-1 composite was prepared by cationic exchange of counter N , N -dimethylammonium cations in the pores of the anionic, biocompatible metal-organic framework (bio-MOF-1) with pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM-Cl) by impregnation. In vitro drug release measurements revealed that the release rate of 2-PAM from 2-PAM@bio-MOF-1 in simulated body fluid (SBF) was more than four-fold higher than that in deionized water, indicating that the presence of endogenous cations in SBF triggered the release of 2-PAM through cation exchange. The release of 2-PAM was rapid within the first 10 h but was much slower over the period of 10-50 h. At room temperature, the maximum release rate of 2-PAM was 88.5% (15 mg of 2-PAM@bio-MOF-1 in 1 mL of SBF), indicating that the drug was efficiently released from the composite MOF in SBF. In simulated gastric fluid, 64.3% of 2-PAM was released from bio-MOF-1 into the simulated gastric fluid after 50h. This suggested that 2-PAM@bio-MOF-1 might be effective for enabling the slow release of 2-PAM in the human body. Indeed, the maximum reactivation rate of acetylcholinesterase in sarin-poisoned mice reached 82.5%. In addition, 2-PAM@bio-MOF-1 demonstrated the ability to adsorb and remove sulfur mustard (HD) in solution and from the skin of guinea pigs., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

By combining the anionic salt meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP 4- ) and the Keggin polyoxometalate cation cluster [Al 13 O 4 (OH) 24 (H 2 O) 12 ] 7+ via a simple ion-exchange method, a hybrid (C 48 H 26 N 4 O 8 )[Al 13 O 4 (OH) 24 (H 2 O) 12 ] 2 (OH) 10 ·18H 2 O (Al 13 -TCPP) was prepared and thoroughly characterized as a prototype of polyoxometalate-porphyrin hybrids for the photocatalytic degradation of the mustard gas simulant 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES). The experimental results showed that the catalytic degradation rate of CEES in the presence of Al 13 -TCPP reached 96.16 and 99.01% in 180 and 90 min in methanol and methanol-water solvent mixture (v/v = 1 : 1), respectively. The reaction followed first-order reaction kinetics, and the half-life and kinetic constant in methanol and solvent mixture were 39.8 min, -0.017 min -1 and 14.7 min, -0.047 min -1 . Mechanism analysis indicated that under visible light irradiation in air, CEES was degraded through a combination of oxidation and alcoholysis/hydrolysis in methanol and the methanol-water solvent mixture. The superoxide radical (O 2 ˙ - ) and singlet molecular oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) generated by Al 13 -TCPP selectively oxidized CEES into a non-toxic sulfoxide. The singlet oxygen capture experiments showed that Al 13 -TCPP ( Φ = 0.236) had a higher quantum yield of singlet oxygen generation than H 4 TCPP ( Φ = 0.135) under visible light irradiation in air. The material Al 13 -TCPP has good reusability, and the degradation rate of CEES can still reach 98.37% after being recycled five times., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a disorder associated with thromboembolic diseases, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Given that AMI is a relatively common condition with poor prognostic features, identification of risk factors for AMI in APS is important., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed consisting of 332 patients with APS, and 239 patients with thrombotic APS were finally included. Patients were followed up in the outpatient department for 5 years. Clinical data and laboratory parameters were analyzed to identify the risk factors for AMI in APS. The primary and secondary clinical outcomes were all-cause mortality and recurrence of thrombosis, respectively., Results: AMI was observed in 12.1% (29/239) of patients with APS. Compared to patients without AMI, patients with AMI had multiple organ thrombosis (55.1 vs. 34.3%, p = 0.029), recurrent thrombosis (58.6 vs. 34.3%, p = 0.011), a higher incidence of atherosclerosis (62.1 vs. 23.8%, p < 0.001), higher neutrophil count (×10 9 /L) [4.68 (3.25, 8.17) vs. 3.71 (2.64, 5.80), p = 0.036], longer QT interval (ms) [438 ms (423, 454) vs. 425 ms (410, 446), p = 0.016], and fewer venous thrombosis events (27.6 vs. 63.3%, p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis (adjusted for age and gender) identified several factors that were positively associated with AMI, including multiple organ thrombosis [odds ratio (OR) 8.862, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.817-43.212, p = 0.007), atherosclerosis (OR 5.397, 95%CI: 1.943-14.994, p = 0.001), and elevated neutrophil count (>6.3 ×10 9 /L) (OR 3.271, 95%CI: 1.268-8.440, p = 0.014). The venous thrombosis was negatively associated with AMI (OR 0.106, 95%CI: 0.036-0.314, p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the recurrence rates of arterial thrombosis differed significantly between patients with AMI and those without AMI [hazard ratio (HR) = 3.307, p = 0.038]., Conclusion: Atherosclerosis, multiple organ thrombosis, an increased number of neutrophils are variables positively associated with AMI in APS, and venous thrombosis had a negative association with AMI. AMI only predicts the subsequent recurrence of arterial thrombosis. These findings suggest that distinct pathophysiological mechanisms may exist and contribute to the development of venous or arterial thrombotic APS., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Gan, Zhao, Li, Ye, Zhou, Hou, Wang, Guo and Li.)

Background: We examined attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine, potential factors underlying these attitudes, and ways to increase vaccination willingness in autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD) patients., Methods: A multicenter, web-based, observational survey using an online questionnaire was conducted among AIIRD patients aged ≥18 years from May 24, 2021, to June 3, 2021. Participants were 3104 AIIRD patients (2921 unvaccinated and 183 vaccinated)., Results: Of the unvaccinated patients, 32.9% were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, 45.0% were uncertain, and 14.8% were unwilling. When vaccination was recommended by physicians, patients' willingness increased to 93.8%. Participants' main concerns were that the vaccine may aggravate AIIRD disease (63.0%) and may cause vaccine-related adverse events (19.9%). Female patients were less likely to be vaccinated. However, patients who had children aged ≤18 years were more willing to be vaccinated. In addition, vaccination willingness was higher in patients with trust in the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. Notably, 183 (5.9%) patients were vaccinated. The major vaccination side effects were injection reaction, myalgia, and fatigue. At a median follow-up of 88 (38, 131) days, patients' disease activities were stable., Conclusions: The findings show that AIIRD patients were unwilling to receive the COVID-19 vaccine because of fears of potential disease exacerbation and additional adverse events. Sociodemographic characteristics and concerns about COVID-19 disease and vaccines had a significant effect on vaccination willingness., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests., (© 2022 The Authors. Rheumatology & Autoimmunity published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Chinese Medical Association.)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an aggressive autoimmune arthritis, and current therapies remain unsatisfactory due to low remission rate and substantially adverse effects. Low-dose interleukin-2 (Ld-IL2) is potentially a therapeutic approach to further improve the disease. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ld-IL2 in patients with active RA. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive Ld-IL2, defined as a dose of 1 million IU, or placebo in a 12-week trial with a 12-week follow-up. Three cycles of Ld-IL2 or placebo were administered subcutaneously every other day for 2 weeks (a total of 7 doses), followed by a 2-week break. All patients received a stable dose of methotrexate (MTX). The primary outcomes were the proportion of patients achieving the ACR20, DAS28-ESR <2.6, and the change from baseline in CDAI or SDAI at week 24. Secondary endpoints included other clinical responses and safety. The primary outcomes were achieved in the per-protocol population. The improvements from baseline in CDAI and SDAI were significantly greater across time points for the Ld-IL2 + MTX group (n = 17) than for the placebo+MTX group (n = 23) (P = 0.018 and P = 0.015, respectively). More patients achieved ACR20 response in the Ld-IL2 + MTX group than those in the placebo+MTX group at week 12 (70.6% vs 43.5%) and at week 24 (76.5% vs 56.5%) (P = 0.014). In addition, low Treg and high IL-21 were associated with good responses to Ld-IL2. Ld-IL-2 treatment was well-tolerated in this study. These results suggested that Ld-IL2 was effective and safe in RA. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT02467504., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Maintaining a long-term continuous and stable reactivator blood concentration to treat organophosphorus nerve agent poisoning using acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivator pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM) is very important yet difficult. Because the flexible framework of MIL-88B(Fe) nanoparticles (NPs) can swell in polar solvents, pralidoxime chloride (2-PAM) was loaded in MIL-88B(Fe) NPs (size: ca. 500 nm) by stirring and incubation in deionized water to obtain 2-PAM@MIL-88B(Fe), which had a maximum drug loading capacity of 12.6 wt %. The as-prepared composite was characterized by IR, powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ζ-potential, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). The results showed that under constant conditions, the maximum drug release rates of 2-PAM@MIL-88B(Fe) in absolute ethanol, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution (pH = 7.4), and PBS solution (pH = 4) at 150 h were 51.7, 80.6, and 67.1%, respectively. This was because the composite showed different swelling behaviors in different solvents. In PBS solution with pH = 2, the 2-PAM@MIL-88B(Fe) framework collapsed after 53 h and released 100% of 2-PAM. For mice after intragastric poisoning with sarin (a neurotoxic agent), an atropine-assisted 2-PAM@MIL-88B(Fe) treatment experiment revealed that 2-PAM@MIL-88B(Fe) continuously released 2-PAM for more than 72 h so that poisoned AChE was continuously and steadily reactivated. The reactivation rate of AChE was 56.7% after 72 h. This composite is expected to provide a prolonged, stable therapeutic drug for the mid- and late-stage treatment of neurotoxic agent poisoning.

Due to the unpredictable nature of a battlefield environment, in the simultaneous degradation of sulfur mustard and nerve agents it is preferable to use just one decontaminant. Herein, the new composite HPVMo@MOF-808 (HPVMo = H 5 PV 2 Mo 10 O 40 ) was deliberately synthesized via a simple impregnation method and thoroughly characterized. The results showed that the decontamination rate of the composites (30-40 mg) with optimal HPVMo loadings for HD (4 μL) and GD (4 μL) under ambient conditions was 97.2% (within 120 min) and 90.8% (within 30 min), respectively. Due to the combinational/synergistic effect of MOF-808 and encapsulated homogeneously dispersed HPVMo, the composite can very efficiently oxidize HD to nontoxic products in a single system, while retaining the inherent excellence of MOF-808 in hydrolytically degrading GD. The decontamination process was found to follow first-order reaction kinetics, and the rate constant and half-life of the composite for HD and GD were 0.0231 min -1 , 30.13 min and 0.0795 min -1 , 8.72 min, respectively. In addition, experimental results in guinea pigs and Kunming mice used as animal models showed that the composite provided effective skin protection against HD and GD, showing great potential for application in skin decontamination and protection.

Objectives: Open-labelled clinical trials suggested that low-dose IL-2 might be effective in treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A double-blind and placebo-controlled trial is required to formally evaluate the safety and efficacy of low-dose IL-2 therapy., Methods: A randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trial was designed to treat 60 patients with active SLE. These patients received either IL-2 (n=30) or placebo (n=30) with standard treatment for 12 weeks, and were followed up for additional 12 weeks. IL-2 at a dose of 1 million IU or placebo was administered subcutaneously every other day for 2 weeks and followed by a 2-week break as one treatment cycle. The primary endpoint was the SLE Responder Index-4 (SRI-4) at week 12. The secondary endpoints were other clinical responses, safety and dynamics of immune cell subsets., Results: At week 12, the SRI-4 response rates were 55.17% and 30.00% for IL-2 and placebo, respectively (p=0.052). At week 24, the SRI-4 response rate of IL-2 group was 65.52%, compared with 36.67% of the placebo group (p=0.027). The primary endpoint was not met at week 12. Low-dose IL-2 treatment resulted in 53.85% (7/13) complete remission in patients with lupus nephritis, compared with 16.67% (2/12) in the placebo group (p=0.036). No serious infection was observed in the IL-2 group, but two in placebo group. Besides expansion of regulatory T cells, low-dose IL-2 may also sustain cellular immunity with enhanced natural killer cells., Conclusions: Low-dose IL-2 might be effective and tolerated in treatment of SLE., Trial Registration Number: ClinicalTrials.gov Registries (NCT02465580 and NCT02932137)., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Four new organic-inorganic hybrids, [N(C 4 H 9 ) 4 ] 5 H[{HNC 2 O(CH 2 O) 3 P 2 V 3 W 15 O 59 }C 44 N 4 H 29 O 3 ] (TPPOH-1POM), [N(C 4 H 9 ) 4 ] 10 H 2 [{HNC 2 O(CH 2 O) 3 P 2 V 3 W 15 O 59 } 2 C 44 N 4 H 28 O 2 ] (TPPOH-2POM trans), [N(C 4 H 9 ) 4 ] 10 H 2 [{HNC 2 O(CH 2 O) 3 P 2 V 3 W 15 O 59 } 2 C 44 N 4 H 28 O 2 ] (TPPOH-2POM cis), and [N(C 4 H 9 ) 4 ] 15 H 3 [{HNC 2 O(CH 2 O) 3 P 2 W 15 V 3 O 59 } 3 C 44 N 4 H 27 O] (TPPOH-3POM), have been synthesized by covalently grafting the Dawson-type polyoxometalate (POM) [N(C 4 H 9 ) 4 ] 5 [H 4 P 2 W 15 V 3 O 62 ] onto new porphyrins N-[1,3-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)propan-2-yl]-4-[10,15,20-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin-5-yl]benzamide (TPPOH-1Tris), 4,4'-[5,15-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin-10,20-diyl]bis[ N-[1,3-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)propan-2-yl]benzamide] (TPPOH-2Tris trans), 4,4'-[10,15-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin-5,20-diyl]bis[ N-[1,3-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)propan-2-yl]benzamide] (TPPOH-2Tris cis). and 4,4',4″-[20-(4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin-5,10,15-triyl]tris[ N-[1,3-dihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)propan-2-yl]benzamide] (TPPOH-3Tris), respectively, in N, N-dimethylacetamide under nitrogen. The hybrid compounds were thoroughly characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, NMR ( 1 H, 2D NOESY, 31 P, and 51 V), ESI-MS, MALDI-TOF-MS, UV-vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. All porphyrins and their corresponding hybrids exhibited remarkable third-order nonlinear-optical responses under laser irradiation, with the intensity of light at focus E 0 being 4.2 μJ at wavelength 532 nm, pulse duration τ = 6 ns, and repetition rate 10 Hz. The molecular second hyperpolarizability (γ) values of the hybrids (TPPOH-1POM, TPPOH-2POM trans, TPPOH-2POM cis, TPPOH-3POM) were calculated to be 8.48 × 10 -28 esu, 8.94 × 10 -28 esu, 10.16 × 10 -28 esu, and 8.93 × 10 -28 esu, while the molecular second hyperpolarizability (γ) of their corresponding porphyrin precursors (TPPOH-1Tris, TPPOH-2Tris trans, TPPOH-2Tris cis, and TPPOH-3Tris) were 7.19 × 10 -28 esu, 8.09 × 10 -28 esu, 9.07 × 10 -28 esu, and 7.24 × 10 -28 esu, respectively. The γ values of the cis forms were found to be superior to those of all other compounds, indicating the significant role of the greater dipole moment and low symmetry of the cis form compared to other compounds. It was also found that the fluorescence intensity was decreased by 81.52%, 90.37%, 93.93%, and 84.62% for the hybrids TPPOH-1POM, TPPOH-2POM trans, TPPOH-2POM cis, and TPPOH-3POM with respect to their corresponding precursors, respectively, which reveals the Dawson-type POM as a strong quencher. This quenching phenomenon not only indicates again unequivocally the formation of hybrid compounds but also may imply a photoinduced electron/energy-transfer process favored from a porphyrin moiety to a Dawson-type POM moiety.

Three new isostructural chiral silver-lanthanide heterometal-organic frameworks [Ag 3 Ln 7 (μ 3 -OH) 8 (bpdc) 6 (NO 3 ) 3 (H 2 O) 6 ](NO 3 )·2H 2 O [Ln = Eu (1), Tb (2, Sm (3); H 2 bpdc = 2,2'-bipyridine-3,3'-dicarboxylic acid] based on heptanuclear lanthanide clusters [Ln 7 (μ 3 -OH) 8 ] 13+ comprised of one-dimensional triple right-handed helical chains were hydrothermally synthesized. Various means such as UV-vis spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis were used to characterize the compounds, wherein compound 3 was crystallographically characterized. In the structure of compound 3, eight μ 3 -OH - groups link seven Sm 3+ ions, forming a heptanuclear cluster, [Sm 7 (μ 3 -OH) 8 ] 13+ , and the adjacent [Sm 7 (μ 3 -OH) 8 ] 13+ clusters are linked by the carboxylic groups of bpdc 2- ligands, leading to the formation of a one-dimensional triple right-handed helical chain. The adjacent triple right-handed helical chains are further joined together by coordinating the pyridyl N atoms of the bpdc 2- ligands with Ag + , resulting in a chiral three-dimensional silver(I)-lanthanide(III) heterometal-organic framework with one-dimensional channels wherein NO 3 - anions and crystal lattice H 2 O molecules are trapped. The compounds were studied systematically with respect to their photoluminescence properties and energy-transfer mechanism, and it was found that H 2 bpdc (the energy level for the triplet states of the ligand H 2 bpdc is 21505 cm -1 ) can sensitize Eu 3+ luminescence more effectively than Tb 3+ and Sm 3+ luminescence because of effective energy transfer from bpdc 2- to Eu 3+ under excitation in compound 1.

This study aimed to investigate the multiple values of 18 F-FDG PET/CT in detecting malignant tumors, evaluating myopathy, and determining interstitial lung disease in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM). We retrospectively analyzed the data of 38 patients who were examined by 18 F-FDG PET/CT and eventually diagnosed as IIM. We also collected the data of another 22 cases with negative PET/CT as the control. Pulmonary HRCT images were acquired simultaneously with regular 18 F-FDG PET/CT imaging for each patient. Image analysis included the presence of malignant lesions, muscular FDG uptake, and interstitial lung disease and its imaging features. IIM was classified into polymyositis (PM), classic dermatomyositis (CDM), and clinical amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM). All suspected malignant lesions were confirmed by histopathological examination. Interstitial lung disease was diagnosed by HRCT. Rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD) was determined according to clinical follow-ups. The significance of 18 F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of malignancy, observation of activity of myopathy, and determination of interstitial lung disease in IIM patients was explored based on the final clinical diagnosis. In the 38 patients with IIM, 3 cases were classified as PM, 18 as CDM, and 17 as CADM. PET/CT correctly detected 7 cases (18.4%) of malignant tumors, and all of which were found in CDM and PM patients. The muscular FDG uptake in IIM patients was higher than the control population, and it was higher in patients with myopathy (including PM and CDM) than in patients with CADM. The muscular FDG uptake in IIM patients was correlated with elevated serum creatine kinase level (r = 0.332, P = 0.042) and impaired muscle strength (r = -0.605, P < 0.001). Interstitial lung disease was detected by HRCT in 30 patients (78.9%), and 7 of them were eventually confirmed as RP-ILD, according to the clinical outcome. The FDG uptake in lung lesions of RP-ILD patients was higher than those with chronic interstitial lung diseases, even though no significant difference was found between the CT features of RP-ILD and chronic interstitial lung disease. When SUV max  ≥ 2.4 was employed as the threshold for RP-ILD prediction, the diagnostic efficiency was yield with a sensitivity of 100.0% (7/7), specificity of 87.0% (20/23), and accuracy of 90.0% (27/30), respectively. For IIM patients, 18 F-FDG PET/CT has multiple values in identifying malignancies, observing the status of inflammatory myopathy, detecting interstitial lung disease, and predicting the occurrence of RP-ILD. Therefore, it is recommended to use PET/CT in the clinical course of diagnosis and management of IIM.

Cu 3 (BTC) 2 (H 3 BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid) was anchored onto the surface of carboxymethylated chitosan non-woven fabrics by a controllable layer-by-layer technique in alternating solution baths of Cu(OAc) 2 ·H 2 O and H 3 BTC solutions, and the resulting [Cu 3 (BTC) 2 ] n @chitosan non-woven fabric composite materials (n = number of alternate deposition cycles) were thoroughly characterized. The results showed that the composite materials not only exhibited excellent decontamination ability against sulfur mustard (HD), with an enhanced degradation rate of HD with increasing n, but also possessed remarkable haemostasis performance. The degradation efficiency of sulfur mustard by [Cu 3 (BTC) 2 ] 4 @chitosan was found to be much higher than that of pristine [Cu 3 (BTC) 2 ] 4 . The inherent haemostatic capabilities of the chitosan non-woven fabrics were not affected by the growth of Cu 3 (BTC) 2 on the surface of chitosan. Oral and histological toxicity examinations of the pristine Cu 3 (BTC) 2 sample showed that damage and toxicity in the viscera of mice was very low, even if the intra-gastric administration dose of Cu 3 (BTC) 2 reached a very high level (50 mg of Cu 3 (BTC) 2 per kg of mouse). The results have shown that the as-prepared composite can be used safely as a promising haemostatic decontaminant with good recyclability against sulfur mustard.

A series of isostructural compounds Na(HL)(CH 3 COO)Ln(Al(OH) 6 Mo 6 O 18 )(H 2 O) 6 ·10H 2 O [L = nicotinate; Ln = Eu (1), Tb (2)] and Na(HL)(CH 3 COO)Eu m Tb n La 1-m-n (AlMo 6 (OH) 6 O 18 )(H 2 O) 6 ·10H 2 O (3-8, L = nicotinate), wherein Anderson-type polyanions AlMo 6 (OH) 6 O 18 3- as basic inorganic building blocks are connected by Eu(CH 3 COO)(HL)(H 2 O) 3 ] 2 4+ and [Na 2 (H 2 O) 8 ] 2+ cations, resulting in formation of three-dimensional lanthanide metal-organic open frameworks, were synthesized successfully with AlCl 3 ·6H 2 O, Na 2 MoO 4 ·2H 2 O, nicotinic acid, and lanthanide nitrates as starting materials. The compounds were characterized by UV-vis, IR, elemental analysis, powder XRD, and TG-DTA measurements. The single-crystal structures of compounds 1 and 2 show that the two compounds display three-dimensional open frameworks with 1D channels along the b and c axes. Investigation of the energy transfer mechanism indicated that the organic nicotinate ligand can transfer energy efficiently to Tb 3+ rather than Eu 3+ . The influence of the POM moiety on the fluorescence of the compounds is also studied. Compounds 1-8 exhibit tunable luminescence color, and emitting of white light was realized through adjusting the molar ratio of Eu:Tb:La within the compounds.

A new sensitive quaternary photoluminescence enhancement system has been successfully developed to determine trace amounts of Eu(3+) and Zn(2+). The photoluminescence intensity of Eu - N-(o-vanilin)-1,8-diaminonaphthalene systems was greatly increased by the addition of specific concentrations of 1, 10-phenanthroline and Zn(2+). The excitation and emission wavelengths were 274 and 617 nm, respectively. Under optimal system conditions, the photoluminescence intensity showed a linear response toward Eu(3+) in the range of 5.0 × 10(-6)  ~ 2.0 × 10(-5)  M with a limit of detection (= 2.2 × 10(-9)  M) and the photoluminescence intensity of the system decreased linearly by increasing the Zn(2+) concentration in the range of 5.0 × 10(-8)  ~ 1.0 × 10(-6)  M with a limit of detection (= 8.8 × 10(-11)  M). This system was successfully applied for the determination of trace amounts of Eu(3+) in a high purity La2O3 matrix and in the synthetic rare earth oxide mixture, and of Zn(2+) in a high purity Mg(NO3)2 · 6H2O matrix and in synthetic coexisting ionic matrixes. The energy transfer mechanism, photoluminescence enhancement of the system and interference of other lanthanide ions and common coexisting ions were also studied in detail., (Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The highly charged nanocontainer capsule of the type [pentagon]12[linker]30 identical with [(Mo)Mo5O21(H2O)6]12[Mo2O4(SO4)]30 with 20 nanosized pores and channels allows the entrance of cations like Pr3+: the latter are positioned at two different sites and have two different coordination shells, corresponding to a coordination chemistry under confined conditions; a fascinating aspect is that capsule encapsulated water shells fixed by hydrogen bonds act formally as polydentate ligands., (Copyright 2004 The Royal Society of Chemistry)