Search

Uniform bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) and bismuth subcarbonate ((BiO)2CO3) nanotubes were successfully synthesized by a facile solvothermal method without the need for any surfactants or templates. The synergistic effect of ethylene glycol (EG) and urea played a critical role in the formation of the tubular nanostructures. These Bi2O3 and (BiO)2CO3 nanotubes exhibited excellent CrVI-removal capacity. Bi2O3 nanotubes, with a maximum CrVI-removal capacity of 79 mg g−1, possessed high removal ability in a wide range of pH values (3-11). Moreover, Bi2O3 and (BiO)2CO3 nanotubes also displayed highly efficient photocatalytic activity for the degradation of RhB under visible-light irradiation. This work not only demonstrates a new and facile route for the fabrication of Bi2O3 and (BiO)2CO3 nanotubes, but also provides new promising adsorbents for the removal of heavy-metal ions and potential photocatalysts for environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurons coordinate their activity to produce an astonishing variety of motor behaviors. Our present understanding of motor control has grown rapidly thanks to new methods for recording and analyzing populations of many individual neurons over time. In contrast, current methods for recording the nervous system's actual motor output - the activation of muscle fibers by motor neurons - typically cannot detect the individual electrical events produced by muscle fibers during natural behaviors and scale poorly across species and muscle groups. Here we present a novel class of electrode devices ('Myomatrix arrays') that record muscle activity at unprecedented resolution across muscles and behaviors. High-density, flexible electrode arrays allow for stable recordings from the muscle fibers activated by a single motor neuron, called a 'motor unit,' during natural behaviors in many species, including mice, rats, primates, songbirds, frogs, and insects. This technology therefore allows the nervous system's motor output to be monitored in unprecedented detail during complex behaviors across species and muscle morphologies. We anticipate that this technology will allow rapid advances in understanding the neural control of behavior and identifying pathologies of the motor system., Competing Interests: BC, MZ, KT, JM, AJ, AP, MW, KN, LT, EA, LO, NO, RG, PA, JL, YW, MK, TO, RK, AM, SO, RW, HM, AM, CL, GK, JK, WO, KQ, PP, GG, AT, SC, TK, TS, BB, MZ, CT, SG, AP, MG, EA, NT, DO, BT, SL, MC, RC, JP, SS No competing interests declared, CP, MB Reviewing editor, eLife, (© 2023, Chung, Zia et al.)

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern compromises vaccine efficacy and emphasizes the need for further development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics, in particular orally administered take-home therapies. Cocktail therapy has shown great promise in the treatment of viral infection. Herein, we reported the potent preclinical anti-SARS-CoV-2 efficacy of a cocktail therapy consisting of clinically used drugs, e.g. colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS) or bismuth subsalicylate (BSS), and N -acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC). Oral administration of the cocktail reduced viral loads in the lung and ameliorated virus-induced pneumonia in a hamster infection model. The mechanistic studies showed that NAC prevented the hydrolysis of bismuth drugs at gastric pH via the formation of the stable component [Bi(NAC) 3 ], and optimized the pharmacokinetics profile of CBS in vivo . Combination of bismuth drugs with NAC suppressed the replication of a panel of medically important coronaviruses including Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), Human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) and SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) with broad-spectrum inhibitory activities towards key viral cysteine enzymes/proteases including papain-like protease (PL pro ), main protease (M pro ), helicase (Hel) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Importantly, our study offered a potential at-home treatment for combating SARS-CoV-2 and future coronavirus infections., Competing Interests: H. S., K.-Y. Y., S. Y., R. W., H. L., J. F.-W. C., T. C. and S. W. have a pending patent application related to this manuscript. J. F.-W. C. has received travel grants from Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong and Astellas Pharma Hong Kong Corporation Limited and was an invited speaker for Gilead Sciences Hong Kong Limited and Luminex Corporation. The other authors declare no competing interests., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)