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Three strained Ru(II) metal-organic dyads were prepared and characterized by NMR, mass spectrometry, and analytical HPLC to probe whether these constructs could act as multifunctional photochemotherapy (PCT) agents. The compounds incorporated the crowded 6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine (6,6'-dmb) ligand to impart stoichiometric photocisplatin activity, and imidazo[4,5-f] [1,10]phenanthroline (IP) appended with n thiophene units (nT; n=1-3) to add capacity for singlet oxygen sensitization. With visible light activation, each complex of the series underwent rapid and selective photoejection of 6,6'-dmb in less than 10min, with half-lives (t1/2) as short as 46.3s for [Ru(6,6'-dmb)2(IP-1T)](2+). Photo-triggered ligand loss slowed with increasing n, and was slowest for [Ru(6,6'-dmb)2(IP-3T)](2+) (t1/2=273s). This trend also held for photoadduct formation with DNA; [Ru(6,6'-dmb)2(IP-1T)](2+) produced relaxed circular DNA at the lowest concentrations. Singlet oxygen yields (ΦΔ) increased with n, whereby ΦΔ for [Ru(6,6'-dmb)2(IP-1T)](2+) was only 3%, but increased to 42% on going to [Ru(6,6'-dmb)2(IP-3T)](2+). This photosensitization process was reflected by single-strand breaks in the gel-mobility shift assays of [Ru(6,6'-dmb)2(IP-3T)](2+), but was not discernible for the other compounds. Despite different photochemical and photophysical reactivities, all of the compounds were potent phototoxic agents toward cancer cells (EC50=1-2μM) with relatively short compound-to-light intervals and moderate visible light doses. [Ru(6,6'-dmb)2(IP-3T)](2+) was exceptionally photoactive toward cancer cells at longer intervals (EC50=200nM, PI=750). Phototherapeutic margins increased with n due to decreased dark cytotoxicity for the more π-expansive complexes, making metal-organic dyad [Ru(6,6'-dmb)2(IP-3T)](2+) the best multifunctional PCT agent.

As promising and environmentally friendly catalysts, tungsten-containing heteropoly acids combined with supported noble metals were used for one-pot hydrothermal conversion of cellulose into polyols in the presence of pressurized hydrogen. The microcrystalline cellulose was completely converted over a mixed catalyst consisting of a low concentration of phosphotungstic acid (PTA) (0.03 wt%) and Ru/activated carbon (Ru/AC) via an one-pot hydrothermal reaction, with an ethylene glycol (EG) yield of up to 53.1% under optimal conditions. The catalytic activity of the mixed catalyst gradually decreased with increasing reaction runs, which could be mainly ascribed to the aggregation of Ru/AC particles, and to the coverage of the active sites of Ru due to the deposition of organic materials. Cellobiose was used as a model feedstock for a comparative study on the reaction pathways of the conversion of cellulose, and the results revealed that catalytic conversion of cellobiose consisted of at least three important parallel reactions under the present hydrothermal conditions, which were also most likely involved during the catalytic conversion of cellulose for EG production. Effective control of these reactions would be helpful to further maximize the EG yield during the catalytic conversion of cellulose.

The synthesis, photophysics, reverse saturable absorption, and photodynamic therapeutic effect of six cationic biscyclometalated Ir(III) complexes (1–6) with extended π-conjugation on the diimine ligand and/or the cyclometalating ligands are reported in this paper. All complexes possess ligand-localized 1π,π* absorption bands below 400 nm and charge-transfer absorption bands above 400 nm. They are all emissive in the 500–800 nm range in deoxygenated solutions at room temperature. All complexes exhibit strong and broad triplet excited-state absorption at 430–800 nm, and thus strong reverse saturable absorption for ns laser pulses at 532 nm. Complexes 1–4 are strong reverse saturable absorbers at 532 nm, while complex 6 could be a good candidate as a broadband reverse saturable absorber at 500–850 nm. The degree of π-conjugation of the diimine ligand mainly influences the 1π,π* transitions in their UV-vis absorption spectra, while the degree of π-conjugation of the cyclometalating ligand primarily affects the nature and energies of the lowest singlet and emitting triplet excited states. However, the lowest-energy triplet excited states for complexes 3–6 that contain the same benzo[i]dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine (dppn) diimine ligand but different cyclometalating ligands remain the same as the dppn ligand-localized 3π,π* state, which gives rise to the long-lived, strong excited-state absorption in the visible to the near-IR region. All of the complexes exhibit a photodynamic therapeutic effect upon visible or red light activation, with complex 6 possessing the largest phototherapeutic index reported to date (>400) for an Ir(III) complex. Interactions with biological targets such as DNA suggest that a novel mechanism of action may be at play for the photosensitizing effect. These Ir(III) complexes also produce strong intracellular luminescence that highlights their potential as theranostic agents.

Transition metal complexes are of increasing interest as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and, more recently, for photochemotherapy (PCT). In recent years, Ru (II) polypyridyl complexes have emerged as the most widely studied systems for both PDT and PCT. Their rich photochemical and photophysical properties derive from a variety of excited-state electronic configurations accessible with visible and near-infrared light, and these properties can be exploited for both energy- and electron-transfer processes that can yield highly potent oxygen-dependent and/or oxygen-independent photobiological activity. Selected examples highlight the use of rational design in coordination chemistry to control the lowest-energy triplet excited state configurations for eliciting a particular type of photoreactivity for PDT and/or PCT effects. These principles are also discussed in the context of the development of TLD1433, the first Ru(II)-based photosensitizer for PDT to enter a human clinical trial. The design of TLD1433 arose from a tumor-centered approach, as part of a complete PDT package that included the light component and the protocol for treating nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer. Briefly, this review summarizes the challenges to bringing PDT into mainstream cancer therapy. It considers the chemical and photophysical solutions that transition metal complexes offer, and it puts into context the multidisciplinary effort needed to bring a new drug to clinical trial.

A series of cationic dinuclear iridium(III) complexes (Ir1 - Ir5) bearing terpyridine-capped fluorenyl bridging ligand and different polypyridyl or cyclometalating terminal tridentate ligands were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for their photophysical and photobiological activities. The influence of the bridging and terminal ligands on the photophysical properties of the complexes was investigated by UV-vis absorption, emission, and transient absorption spectroscopy, and simulated by TDDFT calculations. All of the complexes displayed strong bridging-ligand localized visible (1)π,π* absorption and red- or near-infrared (NIR) phosphorescence as well as broad triplet excited-state absorption across both visible and NIR wavelengths. These triplet states were assigned as predominantly (3)π,π* for Ir1 (τ = 3.1 μs) and Ir4 (τ = 48 μs), and predominantly (3)CT (charge transfer) for Ir2, Ir3 and Ir5 (τ = 1.7–2.7 μs). Complexes Ir1 – Ir5 acted as in vitro photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents toward human SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells when activated with visible light, with submicromolar photocytotoxicity and phototherapeutic indices (PIs) ranging from 20 to almost 300. The in vitro PDT effects with visible light did not correlate with singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) quantum yields or DNA photocleaving capacity probed under cell-free conditions. All of the Ir(III) complexes phosphoresced brightly when associated with compromised cells (with or without a light treatment) and exhibited photoactivated cellular uptake, highlighting the theranostic potential of this new class of Ir(III) complex photosensitizers.

The photophysical and photobiological properties of a new class of cyclometalated ruthenium(II) compounds incorporating π-extended benzo[h]imidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IBQ) cyclometalating ligands (C^N) bearing thienyl rings (n=1–4, compounds 1–4) were investigated. Their octanol-water partition coefficients (log P(o/w)) were positive, and increased with n. Their absorption and emission energies were red-shifted substantially compared to the analogous Ru(II) diimine (N^N) complexes. They displayed C^N-based intraligand (IL) fluorescence and triplet excited-state absorption that shifted to longer wavelengths with increasing n, and N^N-based metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) phosphorescence that was independent of n. Their photoluminescence lifetimes (τ(em)) ranged from 4–10 ns for (1)IL states and 12–18 ns for (3)MLCT states. Transient absorption lifetimes (τ(TA)) were 5–8 μs with 355-nm excitation, ascribed to (3)IL states that became inaccessible for 1–3 with 532-nm excitation (1–3, τ(TA)=16–17 ns); the (3)IL of 4 only was accessible by lower energy excitation, τ(TA)=3.8 μs. Complex 4 was nontoxic (EC(50) >300 μM) to SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells and CCD1064-Sk normal skin fibroblasts in the dark, while 3 was selectively cytotoxic to melanoma (EC(50)= 5.1 μM) only. Compounds 1 and 2 were selective for melanoma cells in the dark, with submicromolar potencies (EC(50)=350–500 nM) and selectivity factors (SFs) around 50. The photocytotoxicities of compounds 1–4 toward melanoma cells were similar, but only compounds 3 and 4 displayed significant phototherapeutic indices (PIs) (3, 43; 4, >1,100). The larger cytotoxicities for compounds 1 and 2 were attributed to increased cellular uptake and nuclear accumulation, and possibly related to the DNA-aggregating properties of all four compounds as demonstrated by cell-free gel mobility-shift assays. Together, these results demonstrate a new class of thiophene-containing Ru(II) cyclometalated compounds that contain both highly selective chemotherapeutic agents and extremely potent photocytotoxic agents.

Ce3+, Nd3+ codoped (Sr0.6Ca0.4)3(Al0.6Si0.4)O4.4F0.6 phosphors were synthesized through the high-temperature solid-state reaction method. Luminescence spectra, absorption spectra, and decay lifetimes of these samples have been measured to prove the energy-transfer process from Ce3+ to Nd3+. Under UV and blue light excitation, (Sr0.6Ca0.4)3(Al0.6Si0.4)O4.4F0.6:Ce3+,Nd3+ phosphors exhibit near-infrared (NIR) emission, mainly peaking at 1093 nm and secondarily at 916 nm. The NIR emission matches well with the band gap of c-Si. Results of this work suggest that the (Sr0.6Ca0.4)3(Al0.6Si0.4)O4.4F0.6:Ce3+, Nd3+ phosphors have potential application as down-shifting luminescent convertor for enhancing the photoelectric conversion efficiency of c-Si solar cell.

Streptomyces venezuelae ISP5230 was grown in the presence of phenylalanine analogues to observe whether they could be incorporated into novel jadomycin structures. It was found that the bacteria successfully produced jadomycins incorporating 4-aminophenylalanine enantiomers. Upon isolation and characterization of jadomycin 4-amino-l-phenylalanine (1), it was synthetically derivatized, using activated succinimidyl esters, to yield a small jadomycin amide library. These are the first examples of oxazolone-ring-containing jadomycins that have incorporated an amino functionality subsequently used for derivatization.

Ru(II) dyads derived from organic units that impart low-lying 3IL excited states combine the most attractive features of organic photosensitizers with those of coordination complexes. The result is a bichromophoric system with excited-state lifetimes that are significantly longer than those associated with traditional 3MLCT states. Incorporation of α-oligothiophenes as the organic chromophore leads to systems that act as dual Type I/II photosensitizers, opening up the possibility of treating hypoxic tumors with photodynamic therapy (PDT) and overcoming problems with in vivo dosimetry. These photosensitizers, particularly those that consist of three thiophene units and higher, are remarkable DNA binders and photocleavers when exposed to light, exhibiting no interference with DNA structural integrity in the absence of a light-trigger. Such light-responsive agents localize in the nuclei of cells without the need for a carrier and produce a potent PDT response with minimal dark toxicity. This phototherapeutic effect translates directly to animals and is superior to the clinical agent Photofrin® in this model. These Ru(II) dyads can be activated with light in the PDT window, despite very low molar extinction coefficients in this region, and this phenomenon can be attributed to the efficiency with which these agents operate. The ability to activate these prodrugs with ultraviolet to near-infrared light marks an unprecedented versatility that can be exploited to match treatment depth to tumor invasion depth without compromising potency, giving rise to photosensitizers for multiwavelength PDT.

According to the inevitable nonlinear torque disturbances in the photoelectric tracking position servo system using the permanent magnet torque motor, two diffident suppression methods are put forward into the application for high stability and accuracy of the servo system in this paper. The design of control structure of two diffident regulators and its mechanisms for the motor torque ripple interferences are discussed. Based on the modeling for the controlled photoelectric servo system and the torque ripple of the permanent magnet torque motor, we adopt Matlab to analyze the control methods of the permanent magnet torque motor servo system. The simulation results of the two controllers demonstrate that the feedback regulator with three closed loops is better than the position-velocity regulator. The results indicate that the adoption of the additional control loop is more effective in improving the steady-state tracking accuracy, obtaining satisfactory dynamic characteristics and restraining the corresponding motor torque disturbances in the controller with position, velocity and acceleration closed loops than the double-loop feedback control compensator.

The synthesis and characterization of a series of heteroleptic ruthenium(II) dyads derived from pyrrole-2-carboxylate thionoesters are reported. Ligands bearing a conjugated thiocarbonyl group were found to be more reactive toward Ru(II) complexation compared to analogous all-oxygen pyrrole-2-carboxylate esters, and salient features of the resulting complexes were determined using X-ray crystallography, electronic absorption, and NMR spectroscopy. Selected complexes were evaluated for their potential in photobiological applications, whereupon all compounds demonstrated in vitro photodynamic therapy effects in HL-60 and SK-MEL-28 cells, with low nanomolar activities observed, and exhibited some of the largest photocytotoxicity indices to date (>2000). Importantly, the Ru(II) dyads could be activated by relatively soft doses of visible (100 J cm–2, 29 mW cm–2) or red light (100 J cm–2, 34 mW cm–2), which is compatible with therapeutic applications. Some compounds even demonstrated up to five-fold selectivit...

Five heteroleptic tris-diimine ruthenium(II) complexes [RuL(N^N)2](PF6)2 (where L is 3,8-di(benzothiazolylfluorenyl)-1,10-phenanthroline and N^N is 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) (1), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) (2), 1,4,8,9-tetraazatriphenylene (tatp) (3), dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine (dppz) (4), or benzo[i]dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine (dppn) (5), respectively) were synthesized. The influence of π-conjugation of the ancillary ligands (N^N) on the photophysical properties of the complexes was investigated by spectroscopic methods and simulated by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT. Their ground-state absorption spectra were characterized by intense absorption bands below 350 nm (ligand L localized 1π,π* transitions) and a featureless band centered at ∼410 nm (intraligand charge transfer (1ILCT)/1π,π* transitions with minor contribution from metal-to-ligand charge transfer (1MLCT) transition). For complexes 4 and 5 with dppz and dppn ligands, respectively, broad but very weak absorption (...

Here we report a modified “two in one” strategy through depositing of ZnO particles onto the macroporous α-alumina tubes with average pore size of 2–3 μm for synthesis of ZIF-8 membranes. The LTA or Al 2 O 3 particles as fillers were firstly deposited to patch the large defects in the support then the ZnO particles were deposited. The ZnO particles reduce the pore size and simultaneously act as “metal source” to create a high supersaturation degree to promote high heterogeneous nucleation sites. Through such strategy, continuous and crack-free ZIF-8 membranes were successfully obtained, exhibiting H 2 permeance of 3.4 × 10 −7 mol m −2 s −1 Pa −1 at 150 °C, with ideal selectivities for H 2 /CO 2 , H 2 /N 2 , H 2 /CH 4 and H 2 /C 3 H 8 system of 7.4, 8.8, 8.2 and 37.8, respectively. When the supports deposited with ZnO particles were treated by pre-reacting with the ligand of 2-methylimidazole, big cracks/gaps occurred at the interface between the ZIF-8 membranes and the supports. This modified “two in one” strategy can be extended for synthesis of large variety of MOFs membranes on large-pore supports through the rational selection of metal oxides.

Combining the best attributes of organic photosensitizers with those of coordination complexes is an elegant way to achieve prolonged excited state lifetimes in Ru(II) dyads. Not only do their reduced radiative and nonradiative rates provide ample time for photosensitization of reactive oxygen species at low oxygen tension but they also harness the unique properties of (3)IL states that can act as discrete units or in concert with (3)MLCT states. The imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline framework provides a convenient tether for linking π-expansive ligands such as pyrene to a Ru(II) scaffold, and the stabilizing coligands can fine-tune the chemical and biological properties of these bichromophoric systems. The resulting dyads described in this study exhibited nanomolar light cytotoxicities against cancer cells with photocytotoxicity indices exceeding 400 for some coligands employed. This potency extended to bacteria, where concentrations as low as 10 nM destroyed 75% of a bacterial population. Notably, these dyads remained extremely active against biofilm with light photocytotoxicities against these more resistant bacterial populations in the 10-100 nM regime. The results from this study demonstrate the versatility of these highly potent photosensitizers in destroying both cancer and bacterial cells and expand the scope of compounds that utilize low-lying (3)IL states for photobiological applications.

The stems of Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo, named Tie-pi-shi-hu, is one of the most endangered and precious species in China. Because of its various pharmacodynamic effects, D. officinale is widely recognized as a high-quality health food in China and other countries in south and south-east Asia. With the rising interest of D. officinale, its products have a high price due to a limited supply. This high price has led to the proliferation of adulterants in the market. To ensure the safe use of D. officinale, a fast and convenient method combining normal and fluorescence microscopy was applied in the present study to distinguish D. officinale from three commonly used adulterants including Zi-pi-shi-hu (D. devonianum), Shui-cao-shi-hu (D. aphyllum), Guang-jie-shi-hu (D. gratiosissimum). The result demonstrated that D. officinale could be identified by the characteristic “two hat-shaped” vascular bundle sheath observed under the fluorescence microscopy and the distribution of raphides under normal light microscopy. The other three adulterants could be discriminated by the vascular bundle differences and the distribution of raphides under normal light microscopy. This work indicated that combination of normal light and fluorescence microscopy is a fast and efficient technique to scientifically distinguish D. officinale from the commonly confused species.

Small-molecule fluorescent reporters of disease states are highly sought after, yet they remain elusive. Anthranilic acids are extremely sensitive environmental probes, and hold promise as general but selective agents for cancer-cell detection if they can be equipped with the appropriate targeting groups. The optical properties of a small library of N-isopropyl invariant anthranilic acids were investigated in methanol and chloroform. Points of variation included: fluoro, trifluoromethyl, or cyano substitution on the aromatic ring, and derivitization of the parent carboxylic acid as esters or secondary carboxamides. Phenylboronic acid conjugation at the carboxylic acid alongside un-, mono-, and dimethylated 2-amino groups was also explored. The boron-containing anthranilic acids were also evaluated as sensitive fluorescent probes for cancer cells using laser scanning confocal microscopy. In general, the compounds produced blue fluorescence that was strongly influenced by substitution and environment. 4-Trifluoromethyl and 4-cyano esters proved to be the most sensitive environmental probes with quantum yields as large as 100% in chloroform, and enhancements of up to 30-fold on going from methanol to chloroform. Stokes shifts ranged from 63 to 120 nm, generally increasing with ortho-substitution and environmental polarity. It was demonstrated that phenylboronic acid conjugation was an attractive method for cancer cell detection via boronate ester formation with overexpressed glycoproteins (with no interference from normal, healthy cells), presumably due to favorable boron-sialic acid interactions.

Members of a family of Ru(II)-appended pyrenylethynylene dyads were synthesized, characterized according to their photophysical and photobiological properties, and evaluated for their collective potential as photosensitizers for metal-organic photodynamic therapy. The dyads in this series possess lowest-lying (3)IL-based excited states with lifetimes that can be tuned from 22 to 270 μs in fluid solution and from 44 to 3440 μs in glass at 77 K. To our knowledge, these excited-state lifetimes are the longest reported for Ru(II)-based dyads containing only one organic chromophore and lacking terminal diimine groups. These excited states proved to be extremely sensitive to trace amounts of oxygen, owing to their long lifetimes and very low radiative rates. Herein, we demonstrate that (3)IL states of this nature are potent photodynamic agents, exhibiting the largest photocytotoxicity indices reported to date with nanomolar light cytotoxicities at very short drug-to-light intervals. Importantly, these new agents are robust enough to maintain submicromolar PDT in pigmented metastatic melanoma cells, where the presence of melanin in combination with low oxygen tension is known to compromise PDT. This activity underscores the potential of metal-organic PDT as an alternate treatment strategy for challenging environments such as malignant melanoma.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of π-expansive cyclometalating ligands on the photophysical and photobiological properties of organometallic Ru(II) compounds. Four compounds with increasing π conjugation on the cyclometalating ligand were prepared, and their structures were confirmed by HPLC, 1D and 2D (1)H NMR, and mass spectrometry. The properties of these compounds differed substantially from their Ru(II) polypyridyl counterparts. Namely, they were characterized by red-shifted absorption, very weak to no room temperature phosphorescence, extremely short phosphorescence state lifetimes (10 ns), low singlet oxygen quantum yields (0.5-8%), and efficient ligand-centered fluorescence. Three of the metal complexes were very cytotoxic to cancer cells in the dark (EC50 values = 1-2 μM), in agreement with what has traditionally been observed for Ru(II) compounds derived from small C^N ligands. Surprisingly, the complex derived from the most π-expansive cyclometalating ligand exhibited no cytotoxicity in the dark (EC50300 μM) but was phototoxic to cells in the nanomolar regime. Exceptionally large phototherapeutic margins, exceeding 3 orders of magnitude in some cases, were accompanied by bright ligand-centered intracellular fluorescence in cancer cells. Thus, Ru(II) organometallic systems derived from π-expansive cyclometalating ligands, such 4,9,16-triazadibenzo[a,c]napthacene (pbpn), represent the first class of potent light-responsive Ru(II) cyclometalating agents with theranostic potential.

A thin tubular CAU-1 membrane of 2-3 μm exhibiting a high CO2 permeance of up to 1.34 × 10(-6) mol m(-2) s(-1) Pa(-1) and a CO2-N2 selectivity of 17.4-22.8 for CO2-N2 mixtures was achieved, demonstrating for the first time that amino-functionalized MOF membranes can provide high CO2-N2 selectivity and possess the potential for CO2 capture from flue gas.

Jadomycin Oct (1) was isolated from Streptomyces venezuelae ISP5230 and characterized as a structurally unique eight-membered l-ornithine ring-containing jadomycin. The structure was elucidated through the semisynthetic derivatization of starting material via chemoselective acylation of the l-ornithine α-amino group using activated succinimidyl esters. Incorporation of 5-aminovaleric acid led to jadomycin AVA, a second eight-membered ring-containing jadomycin. These natural products illustrate the structural diversity permissible from a non-enzymatic step within a biosynthetic pathway and exemplifies the potential for discovery of novel scaffolds.

The purpose of the present investigation was to ascertain whether (3)IL excited states with microsecond lifetimes are universally potent for photodynamic applications, and if these long-lived states are superior to their (3)MLCT counterparts as in vitro PDT agents. A family of blue-green absorbing, Ru(II)-based transition metal complexes derived from the π-expansive dppn ligand was prepared and characterized according to its photodynamic activity against HL-60 cells, and toward DNA in cell-free media. Complexes in this series that are characterized by low-energy and long-lived (3)IL excited states photocleaved DNA with blue, green, red, and near-IR light. This panchromatic photodynamic effect translated to in vitro multiwavelength photodynamic therapy (PDT) with red-light cytotoxicities as low as 1.5 μM (EC50) for the parent complex and 400 nM for its more lipophilic counterpart. This potency is similar to that achieved with Ru(II)-based dyads containing long-lived (3)IL excitons located on appended pyrenyl units, and appears to be a general property of sufficiently long-lived excited states. Moreover, the red PDT observed for certain members of this family was almost 5 times more potent than Photofrin with therapeutic indices 30 times greater. Related Ru(II) complexes having lowest-lying (3)MLCT states of much shorter duration (≤1 μs) did not yield DNA photodamage or in vitro PDT with red or near-IR light, nor did the corresponding Os(II) complex with a submicrosecond (3)IL excited state lifetime. Therefore, metal complexes that utilize highly photosensitizing (3)IL excited states, with suitably long lifetimes (≫ 1 μs), are well-poised to elicit PDT at wavelengths even where their molar extinction coefficients are very low (

Through deposition of APTES-functionalized Al2O3 particles onto a coarse macroporous support, a new strategy to reduce the pore size and simutaneously promote a high density of heterogeneous nucleation sites was developed, and a continuous and thin ZIF-8 membrane exhibiting remarkably high H2 permeance of 5.73 × 10(-5) mol m(-2) s(-1) Pa(-1) and H2/N2 ideal selectivity of 15.4 was achieved.

Human parvovirus B19 (B19) is a common pathogen which causes a variety of diseases. Persistent B19 infection is related to the degree of host immunodeficiency in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, the existence, loading, virus evolution and distribution of B19 in Chinese HIV-positive patients have not been determined.We investigated 573 HIV-positive blood donors and AIDS patients in Sichuan, China in the last two decades. Bl9-specific serology and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to determine the prevalence of B19/HIV co-infection. Viral genome fragments were subjected to phylogeny and haplotype analysis.B19 genomic DNA was found in 26 of 573 (4.5%) HIV-positive individuals, a higher prevalence than in blood donors. DNA levels ranged from 5.3×10(2)-1.1×10(5) copies/mL. The seroprevalence of IgG was significantly lower in HIV-positive samples than in HIV-negative blood donors, indicating deficient production of B19-specific IgG in the former. The B19 isolates were genotype-1 subtype B19-1A which formed a monophyletic group; seven distinct haplotypes were discovered with 60% of the B19/HIV co-infected variants sharing one central haplotype.This study on the prevalence, phylogeny and distribution of human parvovirus B19 in Sichuan, China, demonstrates the persistence of B19 in the circulation of both immunocompetent and immunocompromised subjects, with implications for blood safety.

A methodology of pretreatment for the determination of alkyl-mercury compounds in aqueous samples using capillary gas chromatography (GC) was described, which mainly comprised of sulfhydryl cotton fiber (SCF) adsorption/NaCl-HCl elution/toluene extraction. The factors with regard to the effect of adsorption were evaluated, which involved pH value and flow through SCF tube. The other factors affecting pretreatment were optimized, including eluent volume, elution time, extractant volume and shaking time. The extraction efficiency of alkyl-mercury from the eluent with toluene extraction was closer to 100% compared with benzene extraction. For methyl-mercury (ethyl-mercury), the detection limit was 0.58 ng/L (0.59 ng/L), the recovery 82.1-94.3% (87.9-101.7%) and the relative standard deviation 2.58-4.89% (3.19-5.04%).

One-step thermal desorption (without cryotrap, method I) and two-step thermal desorption (with two cryotraps, method II) were used for the pretreatment of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, o, m, p-xylene, styrene)-containing samples. The determination coefficients (R2), precisions, detection limits and thermal desorption remaining of the two methods were compared. The results showed that determination coefficients of the standard curves were practically the same using both method I and method II ranging from 0.9924-0.9983 (except benzene in method I); Method I gave a better precision for the higher boiling-point compounds (styrene, o-xylene) while a lower precision for the lower boiling-point compounds (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, m, p-xylene); The detection limit and thermal desorption remaining in method II were about 50% and 12% of that in method I.

Background In China, high prevalence of HBV and HCV parallels with the growing epidemic of syphilis and HIV in the general population poses a great threat to blood safety. This study investigated the prevalence of serologic markers for transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) among four Chinese blood centers. Methods We examined whole blood donations collected from January 2000 through December 2010 at four Chinese blood centers. Post-donation testing of TTIs (HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis) were conducted using two different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits for each seromarker. The prevalence of serologic markers for TTIs (%) was calculated and additional analysis was conducted to examine donor characteristics associated with positive TTIs serology. Results Of the 4,366,283 donations, 60% were from first-time donors and 40% were from repeated donors. The overall prevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis was 0.08%, 0.86%, 0.51% and 0.47%, respectively. The prevalence profile of TTIs varied among different blood centers and appeared at relatively high levels. Overall, the prevalence of HBsAg and HCV demonstrated a decline trend among four blood centers, while the prevalence of HIV and syphilis displayed three different trends: constantly steady, continually increasing and declining among different centers. Conclusions This study reflects the risk of TTIs has been greatly reduced in China, but blood transfusion remains an ongoing risk factor for the spread of blood-borne infections, and further work and improvements are needed to strengthen both safety and availability of blood in China.