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Background: Piroplasmosis is a common and prevalent tick‐borne disease that affects equids. Objectives: To determine the infection and molecular characteristics of the piroplasms in donkeys from Xinjiang, northwestern China, we undertook a cross sectional study by collecting representative samples across several counties within the region. Methods: A total of 344 blood samples were collected from adult domestic donkeys from 13 counties in Xinjiang. PCR was conducted to test for T. equi and B. caballi in the blood samples based on the equine merozoite antigen‐1 (Ema‐1) gene and the 48 kDa rhoptry protein (BC48) gene, respectively. Results: Sixteen blood samples tested positive for piroplasms and the overall infection rate was 4.7% (16/344). Seven of the 13 counties were positive for piroplasms. Among the 16 piroplasm‐positive samples, 15 were singly infected with T. equi with an infection rate of 4.4% (15/344), and coinfection with T. equi and B. caballi was detected in one sample (0.3%, 1/344) from Wushi. Four T. equi sequence genotypes were identified and grouped into different branches of the evolutionary trees. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the infection rate of piroplasms is low in domestic donkeys in southern Xinjiang and that T. equi genotypes have a regional distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of prusogliptin (DBPR108), a novel and highly selective dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor, in individuals with type 2 diabetes who had not been using glucose‐lowering agents regularly for the 8 weeks before the screening period. Materials and Methods: In this multicentre, randomized, double‐blind, phase 3 study, adult patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to receive either DBPR108 100 mg, sitagliptin 100 mg, or placebo once daily during the initial 24‐week double‐blind treatment period, followed by a 28‐week open‐label extension period during which all patients received DBPR108 100 mg once daily. The primary endpoint was the mean change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels from baseline to week 24. Results: In total, 766 patients were enrolled and received DBPR108 100 mg (n = 462), sitagliptin 100 mg (n = 152), or placebo (n = 152). The mean age of all patients was 54.3 ± 10.5 years, with 58% being men. The median duration of type 2 diabetes was 0.38 (0.02, 2.65) years, and the mean HbA1c (SD) at baseline was 7.94% (0.62), 7.88% (0.61) and 7.83% (0.59) for DBPR108, sitagliptin and placebo groups, respectively. At week 24, the least square mean (SE) changes from baseline in HbA1c were −0.63% (0.04%) for DBPR108, −0.60% (0.07%) for sitagliptin and −0.02% (0.07%) for placebo. The mean treatment difference between DBPR108 and placebo was −0.61% (95% CI –0.77% to −0.44%), and between DBPR108 and sitagliptin was −0.03% (95% CI –0.19% to 0.13%). These results indicate that DBPR108 was superior to placebo and non‐inferior to sitagliptin. DBPR108 also significantly reduced fasting and postprandial plasma glucose levels and had little effect on body weight. The mean (SD) changes in HbA1c from baseline to week 52 were −0.50% (0.97%) for the DBPR108 group, −0.46% (0.96%) for the sitagliptin group and −0.41% (0.95%) for the placebo group. The incidence of adverse events was comparable across all three groups. Conclusions: DBPR108 showed superiority to placebo and non‐inferiority to sitagliptin in terms of glycaemic control over the initial 24 weeks in treatment‐naïve patients with type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, its efficacy was sustained for up to 52 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noble metal-based catalysts such as RuO2 and IrO2 are widely used in the catalysis of the OER. However, because of their high price and poor stability, it is urgent to develop transition metal-based electrocatalysts with low precious metal doping as an alternative. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) grown on 3D metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are ideal for doping precious metals owing to abundant defects at the heterointerface, large surface area, and intrinsic oxygen evolution activity. In this study, a novel FeNi LDH/MOF heterostructure was prepared via a two-step solvothermal method using Fe-soc-MOFs as the substrate. Subsequently, Ru was introduced through a hydrothermal process. The as-synthesized Ru@FeNi LDH/MOF has an overpotential of only 242 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and can be used in continuous electrolysis for 48 h. Its unique nanocubic core–shell structure and flower-like LDHs on its surface provide a large number of active sites, which become the key to ensuring high activity and stability. With the doping of Ru, the electronic structure was adjusted and electron transfer was accelerated, further improving electrochemical activity. This study provides a new idea for developing transition metal-based catalysts with low noble metal loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noble metal-based catalysts such as RuO 2 and IrO 2 are widely used in the catalysis of the OER. However, because of their high price and poor stability, it is urgent to develop transition metal-based electrocatalysts with low precious metal doping as an alternative. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) grown on 3D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are ideal for doping precious metals owing to abundant defects at the heterointerface, large surface area, and intrinsic oxygen evolution activity. In this study, a novel FeNi LDH/MOF heterostructure was prepared via a two-step solvothermal method using Fe-soc-MOFs as the substrate. Subsequently, Ru was introduced through a hydrothermal process. The as-synthesized Ru@FeNi LDH/MOF has an overpotential of only 242 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm -2 and can be used in continuous electrolysis for 48 h. Its unique nanocubic core-shell structure and flower-like LDHs on its surface provide a large number of active sites, which become the key to ensuring high activity and stability. With the doping of Ru, the electronic structure was adjusted and electron transfer was accelerated, further improving electrochemical activity. This study provides a new idea for developing transition metal-based catalysts with low noble metal loading.

Metal-Organic frameworks (MOFs) have the advantages of high porosity, angstrom-scale pore size, and unique structure. In this work, a kind of MOFs, UiO-66 and its derivatives (including aminated UiO-66-(NH 2 ) 2 and sulfonated UiO-66-(NH-SAG) 2 ), were constructed on the inner surface of solid-state nanopores for ultra-selective proton transport. UiO-66 and UiO-66-(NH 2 ) 2 nanocrystal particles were in-situ grown at the orifice of glass nanopores firstly, which were used to investigate the ionic current responses in LiCl and HCl solutions when the monovalent anions (Cl - ) were unchanged. Compared with UiO-66-modifed nanopores, the aminated MOFs modification (UiO-66-(NH 2 ) 2 ) can improve the proton selectivity obviously. However, when the UiO-66-(NH-SAG) 2 nanopore is prepared by further post-modification with sulfo-acetic acid, lithium ions can hardly pass through the channel, and the interaction between protons and sulfonic acid groups can promote the transport of protons, thus achieving ultra-high selectivity to protons. This work provides a new way to achieve sub-nanochannels with high selectivity, which can widely be used in ion separation, sensing and energy conversion., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH.)