Search

In this study, we explored the pyroptosis-related biomarkers and signatures of colorectal cancer (CRC). Gene expression profiles were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-COADREAD and were analyzed for differentially expressed genes (DEGs). DEGs in CRC‒pyroptosis-related genes (CRC‒PRGs) were obtained by intersecting DEGs associated with CRC and PRGs. The CRC‒PRGs were verified; functional enrichment analysis was performed with Gene Ontology (GO) followed by cluster analysis. Cox analyses and LASSO regression were used in TCGA dataset to construct a prognostic model for patients with CRC. A prognostic risk assessment model was constructed and efficacy was evaluated. Decision curve analysis was utilized to assess the role of the Lasso-Cox regression prognostic model for clinical utility at 1, 3, and 5 years. Twelve CRC‒PRGs were identified as prognostic pyroptosis-related DEGs. CXCL8, IL13RA2, MELK, and POP1 were selected as prognostic genes to construct features with a good prognostic performance in GEO and TCGA. Functional enrichment indicated that the 4-gene signature might be involved in CRC tumorigenesis and development through various pathways by playing a prognostic role in CRC. Furthermore, the results of the immune landscape analysis showed that the expression of CXCL8 and IL13RA2 in TCGA-COADREAD dataset was positively correlated with significant differential enrichment of most immune cells. A novel prognostic model consisting of four key genes, CXCL8, IL13RA2, MELK, and POP1, can accurately predict the survival of patients with CRC. This finding may provide a new perspective for the treatment of pyroptosis-related CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foodborne infections are an important global health problem due to their high prevalence and potential for severe complications. Bacterial contamination of meat during processing at the enterprise can be a source of foodborne infections. Polymeric coatings with antibacterial properties can be applied to prevent bacterial contamination. A composite coating based on fluoroplast and Ag2O NPs can serve as such a coating. In present study, we, for the first time, created a composite coating based on fluoroplast and Ag2O NPs. Using laser ablation in water, we obtained spherical Ag2O NPs with an average size of 45 nm and a ζ-potential of −32 mV. The resulting Ag2O NPs at concentrations of 0.001–0.1% were transferred into acetone and mixed with a fluoroplast-based varnish. The developed coating made it possible to completely eliminate damage to a Teflon cutting board. The fluoroplast/Ag2O NP coating was free of defects and inhomogeneities at the nano level. The fluoroplast/Ag2O NP composite increased the production of ROS (H2O2, OH radical), 8-oxogualnine in DNA in vitro, and long-lived active forms of proteins. The effect depended on the mass fraction of the added Ag2O NPs. The 0.01–0.1% fluoroplast/NP Ag2O coating exhibited excellent bacteriostatic and bactericidal properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria but did not affect the viability of eukaryotic cells. The developed PTFE/NP Ag2O 0.01–0.1% coating can be used to protect cutting boards from bacterial contamination in the meat processing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias (IVAs) are a spectrum of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) without structural heart disease (SHD), that includes premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and ventricular tachycardia (VT). The clinical characteristics of patients with PVCs or VT remain unclear, including distribution of the origin of arrhythmias, age and gender differences, comorbidities, laboratory tests, and electrocardiographic parameters.Objective: The study intended to compare the clinical characteristics of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT)- and left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT)-VT of a large group of consecutive patients, to investigate the distribution of the origin of the arrhythmias, age and gender differences, comorbidities, laboratory-examination results, and echocardiographic parameters.Methods: The research team designed a retrospective study to collect data on the above-mentioned variables.Setting: The study occurred at the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University in Shijiazhuang, China.Participants: Participants were 774 patients with symptomatic ventricular arrhythmias, 328 males and 446 females with the mean age of 48.6 ± 15.7 years, who underwent catheter ablation between January 2015 and January 2019. Participants were divided into the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) group and left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) group, according to the different origins of their arrhythmias, with 428 participants in the RVOT group and 180 in the LVOT group.Outcome Measures: The research team collected and analyzed the data for the original sites of the IVAs; ages; genders; comorbidities; laboratory examinations, including routine blood tests, liver function, kidney function, blood lipid and potassium; and echocardiographic parameters.Results: Among the 774 participants, 76 had experienced VTs and 698 PVCs. The original site of IVAs was 2.38 times more likely to be in the RVOT than the LVOT, with the ratio for RVOT/LVOT = 2.38. IVAs usually occurred in participants between 50 and 70 years old and exhibited a decreasing incidence after 70 years of age. IVAs derived from the His bundle were more common in older participants, with a mean age of 60.4 ± 10.4 years, while IVAs derived from the fascicular were more common in younger patients, with a mean age of 36.08 ± 16.01 years. Compared with the LVOT group, the RVOT group was younger, 51.91 ± 14.65 years vs 46.95 ± 14.95 years, respectively (P < .001). PVCs in the RVOT group were more common in women, with the ratio of females/males = 2.10, and no gender difference existed in the overall incidence of IVAs in the LVOT group (P > .05). The most common cardiovascular comorbidities of outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias (OTVAs) were hypertension, coronary heart disease, and hyperlipidemia, while the most common noncardiovascular comorbidities were diabetes, ischemic stroke, and thyroid disease. The red-blood-cell counts, hemoglobin, creatinine, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) of the LVOT group were higher than those from the RVOT, with P = .008, P = .009, P = .001, and P < .001, respectively. The left atrial diameter (LAD), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), interventricular septal thickness (IVS), and left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPWT) in the LVOT group were larger than those in the RVOT group (P <.001), while the LVOT group's left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF%) was lower than that of the RVOT group.Conclusions: The outflow tract served as the major original site of IVAs, and significant differences existed between participants in the LVOT and RVOT groups in age; gender; comorbidities; results of laboratory examinations, including red-blood-cell counts, hemoglobin, creatinine, and GGT; and echocardiographic parameters, including LVEF%, LAD, LVEDD, IVS, and LVPWT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the important components of a city, traditional buildings in different regions just reflect the differences of cities in different regions, and the analysis of the value hierarchy of its constituent elements can reveal the corresponding urban characteristics. This paper selects the representative traditional buildings in the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the Bohai Rim region as the research object, takes "perception" as the core concept, combines questionnaires, status surveys, and other methods to obtain and filter traditional architectural elements, and uses the principal components with the help of SPSS software. The analysis method calculates the filtered traditional building elements in the three regions and obtains the principal component composition and hierarchical order of them. Finally, the data results are combined with qualitative analysis to judge the different orders of the traditional building elements in the three regions and their impact on the development of their respective urban contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ulcerative colitis (UC) manifests clinically with chronic intestinal inflammation and microflora dysbiosis. Although biologics can effectively control inflammation, efficient delivery to the colon and colon epithelial cells remains challenging. Milk‐derived extracellular vesicles (EV) show promise as an oral delivery tool, however, the ability to load biologics into EV presents challenges to therapeutic applications. Here, we demonstrate that fusing cell‐penetrating peptide (TAT) to green fluorescent protein (GFP) enabled biologics loading into EV and protected against degradation in the gastrointestinal environment in vitro and in vivo after oral delivery. Oral administration of EV loaded with anti‐tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) nanobody (VHHm3F) (EVVHH) via TAT significantly reduced tissue TNF‐α levels and alleviated pathologies in mice with acute UC, compared to VHH alone. In mice with chronic UC, simultaneously introducing VHH and an antimicrobial peptide LL37 into EV (EVLV), then administering orally improved intestinal barrier, inflammation and microbiota balance, resulted in relief of UC‐induced depression and anxiety. Collectively, we demonstrated that oral delivery of EVLV effectively alleviated UC in mice and TAT efficiently loaded biologics into EV to confer protection from degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. This therapeutic strategy is promising for UC and is a simple and generalizable approach towards drug‐loaded orally‐administrable EV treatment for other diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: It is important for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment that the targets related to its progression are identified. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-associated nuclease 9 (Cas9)-based genetic screening is a powerful tool for identifying genes with loss-of-function mutations that are critical for tumour growth and metastasis. Methods: We transduced the human SMMC7721 HCC cell line expressing Cas9 with a human genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout (GeCKO) lentiviral library A (hGeCKOa) of 65,383 single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) targeting 19,050 human genes; we then subcutaneously transplanted the transduced cells into nude mice. Results: The transduced cells were found to proliferate and metastasize faster than the untransduced cells. Through next-generation sequencing, the genes potentially related to HCC proliferation and metastasis were identified. The sgRNAs targeting the ADAMTSL3 and PTEN genes appeared twice on the list of genes related to HCC proliferation and metastasis, respectively. Analysis based on the data mining of Oncomine revealed that the ADAMTSL3 and PTEN genes were expressed at lower levels in HCC cells than they were in normal liver cells, indicating their tumour-suppressive roles. Downregulation of ADAMTSL3 and PTEN displayed poor overall survival (OS) and predicted poor relapse-free survival (RFS), further supporting their tumour-suppressive roles. Moreover, knocking out either the ADAMTSL3 or PTEN genes promoted either the proliferation or metastasis of HCC cells, respectively. Conclusions: Using both in vitro and in vivo approaches, we described the profound role of the ADAMTSL3 and PTEN genes. This study indicates novel candidate targets for use in HCC treatment and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When an NPN bipolar junction transistor (BJT) is exposed to the pulsed gamma (or X) irradiation, photocurrent is generated, containing the primary photocurrent and the secondary photocurrent. TID experiments and transient irradiation experiments were carried out. The results show that, as accumulating total ionizing dose (TID), the secondary photocurrent decays more severely, whereas the primary photocurrent is almost impervious. Moreover, the influence of TID on the secondary photocurrent decay is related to the BJT's collector current. If the BJT is working under the condition of high injection, the influence of TID is quite weak, but it's evident when the BJT is working under the medium or low injection condition. The charge control model is used to analyze the decay time of the secondary photocurrent. As a result, the base minority lifetime determines the decay time, and a method how to obtain the equivalent lifetime after TID accumulation is proposed to predict the change of the decay time. Consequently, the deductive results give good agreement with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A real-time measuring circuit for neutron (1 MeV equivalent) fluence measurement is presented in this paper. The discrete bipolar junction transistor (BJT) is used as the neutron fluence monitor, according to the change in the reciprocal of the current gain varying linearly with the neutron fluence. However, a measuring error cannot be neglected due to the temperature dependence of the BJT current gain. By analyzing the temperature parameters of the current gain equation, the analytic relation between current gain and temperature is obtained, and the correction method of the measurement error caused by the change in temperature is represented. The experimental results show that the corrected measurement error decreases obviously in a larger temperature range. As a result, the measurement accuracy is improved evidently. • A real-time measuring system for neutron (1 MeV equivalent) fluence measurement. • A method based on temperature-dependent analysis in the semiconductor monitor for error correction. • The system can obtain neutron fluence (1 MeV equivalent) conveniently for displacement damage (DD) research in devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synergistic effects of the total ionizing dose (TID) and analog transient radiation effects in electronics (ATREE) in vertical NPN (VNPN) bipolar transistor were explored experimentally. The technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation was also accomplished to analyze the impact of TID-induced positive charge and Si/SiO2 interface traps on the primary and secondary photocurrents of the transistor under the transient ionizing radiation environments. The results indicate that the TID-ATREE synergistic effects in the VNPN bipolar transistor include faster decrease of secondary photocurrents and shorter transient durations across various dose rates. TID-induced Si/SiO2 interface traps enhance the carrier recombination, decreasing the number of electrons emitted from the emitter to the base region near the oxide layer and the number of carriers collected by the collector contact, which is the dominant cause of the synergistic effects, however, TID-induced positive charge in the oxide layer has little influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the difference in the probability of latch-up occurrence in complementary metal–oxide–silicon (CMOS) circuits exposed to neutron radiation and total ionizing dose (TID), which are subsequently exposed to pulsed gamma rays. First, we irradiate three types of CMOS circuits in a reactor for neutron exposure and in a Co-60 unit for TID exposure respectively, which are then placed in a pulsed gamma-ray environment. The latch-up induced by pulsed gamma-ray irradiation is studied. Our experimental results indicate that the manifestation of the latch-up phenomenon is different among the devices after neutron irradiation and TID exposure, thereby indicating that the influences of neutron and TID exposures on the latch-up sensitivity are different. To understand how the latch-up sensitivity changes, we study a dynamic model for latch-up occurrence and analyse the influences of neutron and TID exposure using the model. Our results indicate that neutron injection reduces the susceptibility of latch-up occurrence, whereas TID exposure increases the latch-up occurrence susceptibility. Therefore, in the case of CMOS circuits exposed to pulsed gamma-ray irradiation, the latch-up threshold decreases with TID accumulation, but increases with neutron fluence augmentation. Interestingly, the latch-up threshold drops when the neutron fluence is sufficiently large, mainly because concomitant gamma rays in the reactor environment play an important role in affecting the threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Latch up (LU), an inherent destructive phenomenon owning to P-N-P-N structure in bulk Complementary Metal-Oxide -Silicon (CMOS) circuits, is highly sensitive to pulsed irradiation. A criterion for LU is concluded, and the impact of total ionizing dose (TID) on LU criterion is discussed. In the progress of accumulating TID, generated oxide trapped charges and interface states enhance surface recombination in the base of the parasitic bipolar junction transistor (PBJT), leading to increase of the base recombination current; and the trapped charges in the shallow trench isolation (STI) can also increase leakage current. In spite of hindering effect of the base recombination in PBJTs to LU, the STI leakage current plays a dominant role to gain sensitivity of LU. Experimental results confirm the fact that TID can lower the dose rate threshold for LU. For instance, the threshold in the device with doses 150 krad(Si) is nearly 50% lower than that in the pristine device. Simulations in SPICE and Sentaurus are conducted, and the results agree with that of experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the significance and values of 3.0T diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) to differentially diagnose benign and malignant space-occupying liver lesions. A total of 91 patients with liver space-occupying lesions (145 lesions) were admitted into Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University (Wuhan, China) from November 2015 to May 2016. Routine scanning, DWI and high-resolution T2-weighted imaging using spin-echo echo-planar imaging were performed on all patients, to compare the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of three regions of interest in lesions with normal liver tissue. The ADC values of malignant liver lesions compared with benign liver cysts demonstrated a statistically significant difference in low b-value (P<0.05) and there was also a significant difference between malignant lesion and hepatic cyst, hepatic hemangioma or hepatic abscess in middle b-value (P<0.05). The measured ADC value may be more conducive to identify the nature of the liver space-occupying lesions; as the ADC values of malignant liver lesion, liver cyst, and liver abscesses demonstrated a statistical significance in high b-value (P<0.05). The mean ADC values between malignant liver tumors compared with benign lesions indicated a statistically significant difference. In the present study, liver space-occupying lesions demonstrated different DWI features and ADC ranges, and 3.0T DWI may be a potential means to accurately determine the nature of lesions, identifying benign and malignant space-occupying lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdoor airflow fields have received increasing attention in the building aerodynamics community in virtue of the airflow distributions around buildings are closely related to issues such as thermal comfort, building ventilation, and pollutant dispersion. Field observations, wind tunnel tests and numerical simulations are the three prime investigation methods. Among them, wind tunnel tests can realize the quantitative studies of wind speed, direction and temperature in a human-controlled environment. Thereupon, this method has been widely used in the studies of urban microclimate. The focus of this paper is on the airflow distributions around buildings obtained through wind tunnel tests, and such studies are mostly conducted in boundary layer wind tunnels with long test section. First, this paper reviews current techniques for boundary layer wind tunnel tests of airflow distributions in urban outdoor environments, and distinguishes the numbers of dominant similarity characteristic for scaled-down models. Then, the advantages, limitations and applications of existing wind tunnel measurement instruments are compared. Finally, the characteristics of airflow fields around buildings in three typical configurations from previous studies (i.e. isolated building, street canyon, and building complexes) are elucidated, and the results are discussed. This review accentuates that it is difficult to ensure a comfortable environment around buildings only through design experience. Therefore, the proposed building models should be carefully assessed in combination with wind tunnel tests at the design stage. In addition, it is important to obtain wind tunnel test data for buildings with thermal effects by matching appropriate similarity criteria, and the importance of laying out the underlying surfaces during the test is also emphasized. This review concludes with a summary of challenging issues intended to provide reference for future studies. • A review of current techniques for boundary layer wind tunnel tests of airflow distributions. • The dominant similarity characteristic numbers of scale-down models are identifies. • The advantages and limitations of the existing test instruments are analyzed. • The characteristics of airflow fields around buildings are elucidated. • Summarized challenging study questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three schemes for fast solving N-S equations are implemented in OpenFOAM. • Computational speed of three FFD models is SIPC > NIPC > RIPC from fast to slow. • There is no difference in number of grids to achieve independence for these models. • SIPC model is suitable to quickly evaluate the airflow distribution in urban areas. Conventional CFD models can resolve complex physical fields around single or multiple buildings with high spatial resolution, but they are unable to meet the demand for fast simulations with meter-level spatial resolution and minute-level temporal resolution due to the huge computational domain with numerous grids for urban residential areas. In this paper, three fast fluid dynamics (FFD) models with different pressure-correction schemes (i.e., SIPC, NIPC and RIPC) for solving Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations are implemented in OpenFOAM. The computational accuracy and speed of these FFD models is validated and analyzed through three cases. For the prediction of airflow distribution in urban residential areas, the average relative error between the simulation results of the FFD models and the wind tunnel experimental data is less than 15 %. The speeds of these FFD models show SIPC > NIPC > RIPC from fast to slow under the same number of grids, turbulence model and time step size, and these speeds are about 15 times faster than the commercial CFD code Ansys Fluent. The computing time of the three FFD models approximately shows a linear increase with the number of grids, and the difference in computing time between the other two FFD schemes and the SIPC scheme becomes larger and larger as the number of grids increases from 0.3 million to 3.0 million. There is almost no difference in the number of grids required to achieve grid independence for the three FFD models. On the premise of ensuring accuracy, the SIPC scheme has the fastest computational speed, and it could be preferred to quickly evaluate the airflow distribution of different residential areas in urban planning stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A nanomaterial, folate and iron difunctionalized multiwall carbon nanotube (FA-MWCNT@Fe), has been synthesized by conjugating folate and iron nanoparticles with oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and applied as a dual-targeted drug nanocarrier to deliver doxorubicin into HeLa cells with the assistance of an external magnetic field. The prepared FA-MWCNT@Fe was characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. This nanocarrier has a sufficient load capacity (doxorubicin/FA-MWCNT@Fe, 32μg/mg) and a prolonged release property controlled by near infrared radiation. It also demonstrated both biologically (active) and magnetically (passive) targeting capabilities toward HeLa cells in vitro with ca. 6-fold higher delivery efficiency of doxorubicin than free doxorubicin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The Wells-Riley equation was modified to adapt to quantum spatial distribution. • Assuming SARS-CoV-2 has the characteristics of airborne transmission. • The effects of divider on blocking airborne transmission in canteens were studied. • New suggestions were proposed due to the unsatisfactory effects of diner divider. The large-scale outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has prompted the restaurants and canteens to take corresponding measures such as installing diner dividers and controlling the number of diners and the distance between personals. At present airborne transmission has been deemed as one of the main spread routes of the respiratory infectious diseases. This paper adopts computational fluid dynamics to explore the impacts of dividers installation in two different dining environments on the distribution of aerosols exhaled by infectors and uses a modified Wells-Riley model to analyze the infection risk of surrounding diners. The results show that the effects of dividers on blocking the path of aerosol transmission and protecting the surrounding susceptible personals are limited to some extent. Meanwhile, the aerosols will gather in the breathing zone inside the partitioned space, and the next diner sitting in the previous infector's seat has a certain infection risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet the challenges posed by the explosive growth of mobile traffic, data caching at the network edge has been considered a key technology in future mobile networks, while the potential of device-to-device (D2D) communications in areas such as traffic offloading is also of great interest. Existing work does not have a network switching mechanism, which would ensure load balancing and improve quality of service are also ignored. Existing simulators perform poorly in terms of algorithmic compatibility, and require a high level of coding ability which are difficult to get started. In this paper, an edge simulator called SimEdgeIntel is presented for resource management that opens up detailed configuration options, enabling researchers quickly deploy mobile with edge intelligence. It supports researchers to customize the development of mobility models, caching algorithms and switching strategies. The interface-oriented system architecture helps researchers achieve cross-platform and cross-language algorithm import with machine learning techniques. In the experimental section, we perform a comprehensive evaluation of SimEdgeIntel based on real-world tracing, proving its scalability and effectiveness in terms of cache hit rate, delivery latency, and backhaul traffic, and evaluating its performance in terms of CPU and memory, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To master the quality of life among the middle age and elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to investigate its influencing factors. Methods 162 cases of T2DM rehabilitated in Nanzhuang town community were selected and performed the evaluation on the quality of life by using the SF-36 scale and the diabetes specific quality of life (DSQL) scale. The obtained data were statistically analyzed. Results The quality of life in the middle age and elderly patients with T2DM was generally declined. The damage in the overall health dimension of SF-36 and psychological/mental dimension of DSQL was maximal. The scores of SF-36 were generally lower than those in the norm of 6 provinces and cities (Jilin,Beijing, Lanzhou, Chongqing, Suzhou, Wuhan),while the scores of DSQL were superior to those in the domestic norm,the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01) ;The taste, eating fruit time, health knowledge, medical assurance satisfaction, dietary control, milk and soytbean milk, poor sleep and monthly burden cost were the changeable factors influencing the quality of life. Conclusion The quality of life among the middle age and elderly patients with T2DM rehabilitated in the community is decreased. In the community standardized management, the comprehensive measures are adopted to promote the influencing factors conducive to change of the quality of life, thus which improves the quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPECs) of polysaccharides are multifunctional polymer materials that improve the mechanical and physicochemical properties of individual polysaccharides. In this study, highly porous (>90%) materials based on IPECs of versatile natural polysaccharides, chitosan (30 and 1,200 kDa) and pectin, are obtained by freeze-drying technique. To enhance the interaction between chitosan and pectin macromolecules, the latter are chemically functionalized with dialdehyde groups. The chitosan-/aldehyde-functionalized pectin (Chit/AF-Pect) polyelectrolyte complex sponges obtained are characterized using SEM, FTIR spectroscopy, and TGA. The swelling capacity study reveals a higher swelling ratio of IPEC sponges with an increase in both the molecular weight and content of chitosan: for Chit30/AF-Pect, the swelling ratio rises from 327% to 480%, while for Chit1200/AF-Pect, from 681% to 1,066%. Additionally, the in vitro degradation test demonstrates higher stability of Chit1200/AF-Pect sponges in comparison with those of Chit30/AF-Pect: after 4 days of incubation, the weight losses are found to be 9%–16% and 18%–41%, respectively. The cytotoxicity study shows that Chit30/AF-Pect sponges are noncytotoxic, with cell viability values >70%. Furthermore, the Chit30/AF-Pect sponges, obtained at chitosan:pectin weight ratio of 5:1, exhibit bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli BIM B-984 G, Pseudomonas aeruginosa BIM B-807 G, Staphylococcus aureus BIM B-1841, and slightly inhibit the growth of Enterococcus faecalis BIM B-1530 G. These findings indicate that the obtained Chit30/AF-Pect sponges can be used to create wound dressings for wound healing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of total ionizing dose (TID) on the transient radiation upset sensitivity of commercial static random access memories (SRAMs) were investigated. Commercial SRAMs of three technology nodes were irradiated with Co-60 gamma rays for total dose effects and with pulsed x rays generated using a "Chen-Guang" accelerator for doserate effects. It is shown that TID irradiation and the memory pattern written to the memory array during TID irradiation can substantially affect the transient radiation upset sensitivity of all the SRAMs. First, the memory pattern written to the memory array during TID irradiation is more sensitive to pulsed x rays for all SRAMs. Second, the variation in transient radiation upset sensitivity with total dose has different tendencies for different SRAMs, but the static power current increased with the increase in total dose for all SRAMs. The increase in static power current with total dose and the increasing sensitivity of the memory pattern during TID irradiation are caused by the increasing TID induced leakage current, which results in an asymmetric noise margin of individual memory cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Co-based perovskite La0.6Sr0.4CoO3 has received significant attention as a potential electrocatalyst for its oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to its abundance, facile synthesis, and high oxygen kinetics. However, research on the catalytic performance of Ni-doped La0.6Sr0.4Co1−xNixO3 as a bifunctional cathode catalyst for Zn-air batteries (ZABs) is still scarce. In this work, lanthanum strontium cobalt-based perovskite catalysts with various Ni contents (La0.6Sr0.4Co1−xNixO3, x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, and 0.8) were synthesized using a simple combustion method. The effects of Ni doping on the morphology, structure, surface oxygen-related species, and valence states of the transition metals of the perovskite were characterized. The electrochemical behaviors of the perovskite catalysts in both ORR and OER were also assessed. The characterization results revealed that proper Ni doping can decrease particle size, increase surface oxygen vacancies, and create mixed valence states of the transition metal and, thus, lead to improvement of the electrocatalytic activity of perovskite catalysts. Among the different perovskite compositions, La0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Ni0.2O3 exhibited the best ORR/OER activity, with a higher limiting current density, smaller Tafel slope, higher half-wave potential, lower overpotential, and lower potential difference than the other compositions. When La0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Ni0.2O3 was applied as the cathodic catalyst in a primary ZAB, it delivered a peak power density of 81 mW cm−2. Additionally, in rechargeable ZABs, the La0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Ni0.2O3 catalyst exhibited a lower voltage gap (0.94 V) and higher stability during charge–discharge cycling than the commonly used catalyst Pt/C. These results indicate that Ni-doped La0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Ni0.2O3 is a promising bifunctional electrocatalyst for ZAB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobial drugs is an important problem worldwide. To solve this problem, active searches for antimicrobial components, approaches and therapies are being carried out. Selenium nanoparticles have high potential for antimicrobial activity. The relevance of their application is indisputable, which can be noted due to the significant increase in publications on the topic over the past decade. This review of research publications aims to provide the reader with up-to-date information on the antimicrobial properties of selenium nanoparticles, including susceptible microorganisms, the mechanisms of action of nanoparticles on bacteria and the effect of nanoparticle properties on their antimicrobial activity. This review describes the most complete information on the antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal effects of selenium nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood plasma is the most popularly used sample matrix for metabolite profiling studies, which aim to achieve global metabolite profiling and biomarker discovery. However, most of the current studies on plasma metabolite profiling focused on either the polar metabolites or lipids. In this study, a comprehensive analysis approach based on HILIC-FTMS was developed to concurrently examine polar metabolites and lipids. The HILIC-FTMS method was developed using mixed standards of polar metabolites and lipids, the separation efficiency of which is better in HILIC mode than in C5 and C18 reversed phase (RP) chromatography. This method exhibits good reproducibility in retention times (CVs < 3.43%) and high mass accuracy (<3.5 ppm). In addition, we found MeOH/ACN/Acetone (1:1:1, v/v/v) as extraction cocktail could achieve desirable gathering of demanded extracts from plasma samples. We further integrated the MeOH/ACN/Acetone extraction with the HILIC-FTMS method for metabolite profiling and smoking-related biomarker discovery in human plasma samples. Heavy smokers could be successfully distinguished from non smokers by univariate and multivariate statistical analysis of the profiling data, and 62 biomarkers for cigarette smoke were found. These results indicate that our concurrent analysis approach could be potentially used for clinical biomarker discovery, metabolite-based diagnosis, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the radiation biological response of cancer cells to different fractional irradiation doses and investigates the optimal fractional irradiation dose with improved biological effects. Radiobiological studies were performed at the molecular and cellular levels to provide insights into DNA damage and repair, and the apoptosis mechanism of cells that were exposed to different doses of X-ray irradiation (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12.5, 15 and 20 Gy). Evidence of increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA double strand breaks (DSB), cellular apoptosis, G2/M phase proportion and inhibition of cell proliferation were observed following irradiation. Differences in the ROS amount and apoptotic percentages of cells between the 2 and 4 Gy groups were insignificant. Compared with 0 Gy, the expression of the apoptosis suppression protein B-cell lymphoma-2 was decreased following at increased irradiation doses. However, apoptosis-associated protein Bcl-2-associated X (Bax), caspase-9 and BH3 interacting domain death agonist (Bid) were elevated following irradiation, compared with the control group (0 Gy). Furthermore, the expression levels of Bax in the 6, 8, 10 and 12.5 Gy groups were significantly increased, compared with the other groups. Caspase-9 expression with 2, 4, 6 and 8 Gy were increased compared with other groups, and the Bid levels with 6 and 8 Gy were also increased compared with other groups. G2/M phase arrest was associated with the increase of checkpoint kinase 1 and reduction of cyclin dependent kinase 1. DNA damage repair was associated with the protein Ku70 in the 2, 8, 10, 12.5, 15 and 20 Gy groups were less than other group. Compared with other group, Ku80 levels were reduced in the 6 and 8 Gy groups, and Rad51 levels were reduced in the 2, 8 and 10 Gy groups. The expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α, c-Myc and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) demonstrated an increasing trend following irradiation in a dose-dependent manner, but the expression of pyruvate kinase M2, in the 2–10 Gy irradiation groups, and GLUT1, in the 12.5, 15 and 20 Gy irradiation groups, were reduced, compared with the other groups. Considering the DNA damage repair and apoptosis mechanisms at molecular and cellular levels, it was concluded that 2, 6, 8 and 10 Gy may be the optimal fractional dose that can promote cell apoptosis, and inhibit DNA damage repair and glycolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis, featuring an iron‐dependent peroxidation of lipids, is a novel form of programmed cell death that may hold great potential in cancer therapy. Our study found that palmitic acid (PA) inhibited colon cancer cell viability in vitro and in vivo, in conjunction with an accumulation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. The ferroptosis inhibitor Ferrostatin‐1 but not Z‐VAD‐FMK (a pan‐caspase inhibitor), Necrostatin‐1 (a potent necroptosis inhibitor), or CQ (a potent inhibitor of autophagy), rescued the cell death phenotype induced by PA. Subsequently, we verified that PA induces ferroptotic cell death through excess iron as cell death was inhibited by iron chelator deferiprone (DFP), while it was exacerbated by a supplement of ferric ammonium citrate. Mechanistically, PA affects intracellular iron content by inducing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress leading to ER calcium release and regulating transferrin (TF) transport through increasing cytosolic calcium levels. Furthermore, we observed that cells with high expression of CD36 were more vulnerable to PA‐induced ferroptosis. Altogether, our findings reveal that PA engages in anti‐cancer properties by activating ER stress/ER calcium release/TF‐dependent ferroptosis, and PA might serve as a compound to activate ferroptosis in colon cancer cells with high CD36 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilm formation is a major threat to industry, the environment and human health. While killing of embedded microbes in biofilms may inevitably lead to the evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), catalytic quenching of bacterial communications by lactonase is a promising antifouling approach. Given the shortcomings of protein enzymes, it is attractive to engineer synthetic materials to mimic the activity of lactonase. Herein, an efficient lactonase‐like Zn−Nx−C nanomaterial was synthesized by tuning the coordination environment around zinc atoms to mimic the active domain of lactonase for catalytical interception of bacterial communications in biofilm formation. The Zn−Nx−C material could selectively catalyze 77.5 % hydrolysis of N‐acylated‐L‐homoserine lactone (AHL), a critical bacterial quorum sensing (QS) signal in biofilm construction. Consequently, AHL degradation downregulated the expression of QS‐related genes in antibiotic resistant bacteria and significantly prevented biofilm formation. As a proof of concept, Zn−Nx−C‐coated iron plates prevented 80.3 % biofouling after a month exposure in river. Overall, our study provides a nano‐enabled contactless antifouling insight to avoid AMR evolution by engineering nanomaterials for mimicking the key bacterial enzymes (e.g. lactonase) functioning in biofilm construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilm formation is a major threat to industry, the environment and human health. While killing of embedded microbes in biofilms may inevitably lead to the evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), catalytic quenching of bacterial communications by lactonase is a promising antifouling approach. Given the shortcomings of protein enzymes, it is attractive to engineer synthetic materials to mimic the activity of lactonase. Herein, an efficient lactonase‐like Zn−Nx−C nanomaterial was synthesized by tuning the coordination environment around zinc atoms to mimic the active domain of lactonase for catalytical interception of bacterial communications in biofilm formation. The Zn−Nx−C material could selectively catalyze 77.5 % hydrolysis of N‐acylated‐L‐homoserine lactone (AHL), a critical bacterial quorum sensing (QS) signal in biofilm construction. Consequently, AHL degradation downregulated the expression of QS‐related genes in antibiotic resistant bacteria and significantly prevented biofilm formation. As a proof of concept, Zn−Nx−C‐coated iron plates prevented 80.3 % biofouling after a month exposure in river. Overall, our study provides a nano‐enabled contactless antifouling insight to avoid AMR evolution by engineering nanomaterials for mimicking the key bacterial enzymes (e.g. lactonase) functioning in biofilm construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to the environment and health. AMR rapidly invalidates conventional antibiotics, and antimicrobial nanomaterials have been increasingly explored as alternatives. Interestingly, several antimicrobial nanomaterials show AMR‐independent antimicrobial effects without detectable new resistance and have therefore been suggested to prevent AMR evolution. In contrast, some are found to trigger the evolution of AMR. Given these seemingly conflicting findings, a timely discussion of the two faces of antimicrobial nanomaterials is urgently needed. This review systematically compares the killing mechanisms and structure‐activity relationships of antibiotics and antimicrobial nanomaterials. We then focus on nano‐microbe interactions to elucidate the impacts of molecular initiating events on AMR evolution. Finally, we provide an outlook on future antimicrobial nanomaterials and propose design principles for the prevention of AMR evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to the environment and health. AMR rapidly invalidates conventional antibiotics, and antimicrobial nanomaterials have been increasingly explored as alternatives. Interestingly, several antimicrobial nanomaterials show AMR‐independent antimicrobial effects without detectable new resistance and have therefore been suggested to prevent AMR evolution. In contrast, some are found to trigger the evolution of AMR. Given these seemingly conflicting findings, a timely discussion of the two faces of antimicrobial nanomaterials is urgently needed. This review systematically compares the killing mechanisms and structure‐activity relationships of antibiotics and antimicrobial nanomaterials. We then focus on nano‐microbe interactions to elucidate the impacts of molecular initiating events on AMR evolution. Finally, we provide an outlook on future antimicrobial nanomaterials and propose design principles for the prevention of AMR evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to linear accelerators, pulsed lasers have the characteristics of high efficiency, low cost, stable pulse output, and low environment interference for researching the transient dose rate effect (TDRE) on semiconductor devices. In this paper, pulsed laser radiation experiments are performed on a level-shifting transceiver. The experimental results are consistent with the results of the transient γ-ray radiation experiment, demonstrating the feasibility of using the pulsed laser in TDRE research on the level-shifting transceiver. This paper obtains theoretical and experimental conversion factors (CFs) through theoretical analysis and equivalency of the peak photocurrents, which are measured in pulsed laser and transient γ-ray radiation experiments. The CF results from the two approaches are within 7% of each other. In pulsed laser radiation experiments, an uncommon phenomenon is found. At the I/O (Input/Output) ports of the level-shifting transceiver, a trend of a positive photocurrent followed by a negative pulse is observed. A hypothesis is proposed that this photocurrent is produced by the turn-on and turn-off of the parasitic PNP (Positive-Negative-Positive) transistors in electrostatic discharge circuits at the level-shifting transceiver I/O ports. In addition, this hypothesis is verified by TCAD (Technology Computer Aided Design) simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) is unfriendly to the activity and function of immune cells in the TME. Here, we report inorganic nanozymes (i.e., SnSe NSs) that mimic the catalytic activity of lactate dehydrogenase to degrade lactate to pyruvate, contributing to the metabolic treatment of tumors. As found in this study, SnSe NSs successfully decreased lactate levels in cells and tumors, as well as reduced tumor acidity. This is associated with activation of the immune response of T cells, thus alleviating the immunosuppressive environment of the TME. More importantly, the nanozyme successfully inhibited tumor growth in mutilate mouse tumor models. Thus, SnSe NSs show a promising result in lactate depletion and tumor suppression, which exemplifies its potential strategy in targeting lactate for metabolic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the transient dose rate effect (TDRE) on the system-in-package (SiP) SZ0501 experimentally. A specialized program is designed for TDRE tests. With the increase of dose rates, the failure features of the SiP are recorded. Photocurrents on each power supply line are also measured to assist in analyzing SiP failures. In addition, both enabled and disabled programmable read-only memory (PROM) cases are considered to compare their discrepancies. The experimental results show that high frequency (HF) signals in the SiP are much sensitive to TDRE. Also, the logical resource in its field-programmable gate array (FPGA) presents a higher sensitivity than the clock resource, which is a contrary finding to the previous results. Besides, it is found that there seems to be a micro latch-up window in the SiP. Moreover, this SiP demonstrates different TDRE for enabled PROM and disabled PROM cases, and it has an automatic reconfiguration process in the case of enabled PROM. These findings are followed by a detailed analysis and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron displacement effects in LM158L and LM158V bipolar amplifiers with lateral p-n-p (LPNP) and substrate p-n-p (SPNP) input transistors, respectively, were investigated based on neutron irradiation experiments and TCAD simulation. Experimental results suggest that the type of input transistor of the amplifier has great impact on the neutron displacement degradation. The input bias current and input offset current of the amplifier with SPNP input transistor increase more than that with LPNP input transistor, and more severe degradation in SPNP than that in LPNP leads to the corresponding more severe degradation in the specific amplifier. TCAD simulations were performed to analyze the physical mechanism of neutron displacement effects in these two kinds of input transistors. For LPNP, the hole current is much closer to the surface of the silicon, however for SPNP, the hole current is much deeper into the bulk silicon, so the displacement traps in whole bulk all contribute to the total recombination. Therefore, the total recombination in SPNP is larger than that in LPNP, resulting in more severe degradation under neutron irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fates of nanomaterials (NMs) in vivo are greatly dependent on their interactions with human serum proteins. However, the interfacial molecular details of NMs-serum proteins are still difficult to be probed. Herein, the molecular interaction details of human serum albumin (HSA) with Au and SiO2 nanoparticles have been systematically interrogated and compared by using lysine reactivity profiling mass spectrometry (LRP-MS). We demonstrated the biocompatibility of Au is better than SiO2 nanoparticles and the NMs surface charge state played a more important role than particle size in the combination of NMs-HSA at least in the range of 15–40 nm. Our results will contribute to the fundamental mechanism understanding of NMs-serum protein interactions as well as the NMs rational design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of mymargin elastic scattering to upsets caused by 1–10-MeV terrestrial neutrons in a 40-nm bulk SRAM and the influence of cascade recoils are investigated using Geant4 simulations. It is shown that elastic scattering, rather than ($n$ , $p$) or ($n$ , $\alpha$), is a dominant mechanism, contributing ~66% of the total upsets induced by 1–10-MeV neutrons. The dominance is attributed to the major role it plays in upset cross sections below ~6 MeV, and the abundance of lower energy neutrons due to $E^{- 1}$ dependence characteristic of the terrestrial neutron differential flux below 10 MeV. After considering ionization energy deposition of cascade recoils in Geant4 simulations, remarkable rises in upset cross sections of 27%, 18%, and 9% are observed for reactor, 2.5- and 1–10-MeV neutrons, which are the consequence of cascade recoils induced by primary Si ions. In-depth TRIM calculations on the ionization energy deposition of incident Si ions and cascade recoils have been performed, revealing that the underlying mechanism is the reduction in the threshold energy of Si ions from ~50 to ~30 keV if cascade recoils are taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the transient dose rate effect (TDRE) of two types of level-shifting transceivers. Experimental results show that both transceivers have a high latch-up threshold. One uncommon phenomenon is found that there are photocurrents generated at the input ports for both transceivers when exposed to transient $\gamma $ radiation. Moreover, the polarity and amplitude of the photocurrents are related to the input voltage level. A hypothesis is proposed that this uncommon phenomenon is caused by the electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuits at the input ports and then it is successfully verified by TCAD simulations. The simulation results show that the vertical parasitic p-n-p transistor in pMOS of the ESD circuit could turn on under transient $\gamma $ radiation, and generate a positive photocurrent when the input port is configured to high-level voltage. On the contrary, when the input port is configured to low-level voltage, its lateral parasitic p-n-p transistor in pMOS could turn on and generate a negative photocurrent. The amplitude of the positive photocurrent is obviously larger than the negative photocurrent due to different gains of the parasitic transistors. Simulation results also show the number of pMOSs in n-well has significant impacts on the amplitude of photocurrents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Temperature stratification stability (TSS) and temperature stratification recovery time (TSRT) were put forward to quantify the influence of dynamic factors on temperature stratification. • The order of importance that influence TSS and TSRT is identified by orthogonal experiments among four important indices, i.e. manikin moving velocity (v), manikin moving duration (t), manikin heat generation intensity (P) and indoor air change rate (ACH). • The main dimensionless number which dominates TSS was found and the function between main dimensionless number and TSS was established. Temperature stratification generally exists in an indoor environment with floor-level air-supply systems, such as displacement ventilation (DV) and underfloor air distribution (UFAD). The systems with vertical temperature differences possess many advantages over mixing ventilation, including lower energy consumption and better indoor air quality. Some dynamic factors, including the movement of the human body, the door opening and closing processes, can disrupt or weaken the temperature stratification. However, the mechanisms by which these factors affect temperature stratification remain unclear. In this study, a series of experiments was conducted to investigate the temperature stratification of the DV system in an environmental chamber by adopting a moving manikin. We employed temperature stratification stability (TSS) and temperature stratification recovery time (TSRT) to quantify the influence of dynamic factors on temperature stratification. The primary and secondary factors which influencing TSS and TSRT were identified using orthogonal experiments among four important indices, i.e. manikin moving velocity (v), manikin moving duration (t), manikin heat generation intensity (P) and air change rate of the chamber (ACH). Results show factors destruct the mean TSS , ranked from the most to least significant, are v , ACH , P and t , and those for mean TSRT are v , t , P and ACH. In the manikin activity area, TSS increases with the vertical height. Manikin moving velocity exerts a primary effect on temperature stratification. There is a negative correlation between Re number and TSS in our experiment. The area affected by the movement is observed mainly around the manikin, not the whole chamber. The temperature stratification still exists after the termination of the manikin movement, but is relatively weakened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of NIR‐II emitters for gastrointestinal (GI) tract imaging remains challenging due to fluorescence quenching in the digestive microenvironment. Herein, we report that red‐shifting of the fluorescence emission of Au nanoclusters (AuNCs) into NIR‐II region with improved quantum yields (QY) could be achieved by engineering a protein corona structure consisting of a ribonuclease‐A (RNase‐A) on the particle surfaces. RNase‐A‐encapsulated AuNCs (RNase‐A@AuNCs) displayed emissions at 1050 nm with a 1.9 % QY. Compared to rare earth and silver‐based NIR‐II emitters, RNase‐A@AuNCs had excellent biocompatibility, showing >50‐fold higher sensitivity in GI tract, and migrated homogenously during gastrointestinal peristalsis to allow visualization of the detailed structures of the GI tract. RNase‐A@AuNCs could successfully examine intestinal tumor mice from healthy mice, indicating a potential utility for early diagnosis of intestinal tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of NIR‐II emitters for gastrointestinal (GI) tract imaging remains challenging due to fluorescence quenching in the digestive microenvironment. Herein, we report that red‐shifting of the fluorescence emission of Au nanoclusters (AuNCs) into NIR‐II region with improved quantum yields (QY) could be achieved by engineering a protein corona structure consisting of a ribonuclease‐A (RNase‐A) on the particle surfaces. RNase‐A‐encapsulated AuNCs (RNase‐A@AuNCs) displayed emissions at 1050 nm with a 1.9 % QY. Compared to rare earth and silver‐based NIR‐II emitters, RNase‐A@AuNCs had excellent biocompatibility, showing >50‐fold higher sensitivity in GI tract, and migrated homogenously during gastrointestinal peristalsis to allow visualization of the detailed structures of the GI tract. RNase‐A@AuNCs could successfully examine intestinal tumor mice from healthy mice, indicating a potential utility for early diagnosis of intestinal tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of NIR‐II emitters for gastrointestinal (GI) tract imaging remains challenging due to fluorescence quenching in the digestive microenvironment. Herein, we report that red‐shifting of the fluorescence emission of Au nanoclusters (AuNCs) into NIR‐II region with improved quantum yields (QY) could be achieved by engineering a protein corona structure consisting of a ribonuclease‐A (RNase‐A) on the particle surfaces. RNase‐A‐encapsulated AuNCs (RNase‐A@AuNCs) displayed emissions at 1050 nm with a 1.9 % QY. Compared to rare earth and silver‐based NIR‐II emitters, RNase‐A@AuNCs had excellent biocompatibility, showing >50‐fold higher sensitivity in GI tract, and migrated homogenously during gastrointestinal peristalsis to allow visualization of the detailed structures of the GI tract. RNase‐A@AuNCs could successfully examine intestinal tumor mice from healthy mice, indicating a potential utility for early diagnosis of intestinal tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While dehydrogenases play crucial roles in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle of cell metabolism, which are extensively explored for biomedical and chemical engineering uses, it is a big challenge to overcome the shortcomings (low stability and high costs) of recombinant dehydrogenases. Herein, it is shown that two‐dimensional (2D) SnSe is capable of mimicking native dehydrogenases to efficiently catalyze hydrogen transfer from 1‐(R)‐2‐(R′)‐ethanol groups. In contrary to susceptible native dehydrogenases, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) for instance, SnSe is extremely tolerant to reaction condition changes (pH, temperature, and organic solvents) and displays extraordinary reusable capability. Structure–activity analysis indicates that the single‐atom structure, Sn vacancy, and hydrogen binding affinity of SnSe may be responsible for their catalytic activity. Overall, this is the first report of a 2D SnSe nanozyme to mimic key dehydrogenases in cell metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While dehydrogenases play crucial roles in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle of cell metabolism, which are extensively explored for biomedical and chemical engineering uses, it is a big challenge to overcome the shortcomings (low stability and high costs) of recombinant dehydrogenases. Herein, it is shown that two‐dimensional (2D) SnSe is capable of mimicking native dehydrogenases to efficiently catalyze hydrogen transfer from 1‐(R)‐2‐(R′)‐ethanol groups. In contrary to susceptible native dehydrogenases, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) for instance, SnSe is extremely tolerant to reaction condition changes (pH, temperature, and organic solvents) and displays extraordinary reusable capability. Structure–activity analysis indicates that the single‐atom structure, Sn vacancy, and hydrogen binding affinity of SnSe may be responsible for their catalytic activity. Overall, this is the first report of a 2D SnSe nanozyme to mimic key dehydrogenases in cell metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical reason behind the much more rapid short-term annealing progress in the presence of electrons in P-type silicon irradiated by pulse neutrons is investigated. Continuum equations coupled with defect reactions are used for the numerical simulation on the temporary evolutions of defects at different electron injection ratios. It is indicated that electron injections can significantly accelerate the creations of boron and carbon interstitials, but may have little influence on the creation of the vacancy-oxygen complex. The calculations on the relative concentrations of interstitials and vacancies in different charge states via the electron injection ratio show that more and more interstitials in the doubly positive charge state change into neutral ones, and neutral vacancies are always dominant with an increase in the electron concentration. The thermal diffusion coefficient of neutral interstitials is much larger than the ones of interstitials in other charge states. As a consequence, normal ionization enhanced diffusion for interstitials in the presence of electrons can significantly accelerate the short-term annealing progress in P-type silicon. Ionization enhanced diffusion coefficients for interstitials due to athermal diffusion are further estimated using the Bourgoin mechanism, and results indicate that the diffusion coefficients of positively charged interstitials are improved by several orders of magnitude when compared to their corresponding thermal diffusion coefficients. However, the production of boron and carbon interstitials is only accelerated by about one order of magnitude, which would be ascribed into such large thermal diffusion coefficients of neutral interstitials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth is widely used in metallurgy, cosmetic industry, and medical diagnosis and recently, bismuth nanoparticles (NPs) (BiNP) have been made and proved to be excellent CT imaging agents. Previously, we have synthesized bovine serum albumin based BiNP for imaging purpose but we found a temporary kidney injury by BiNP. Due to the reported adverse events of bismuth on human health, we extended our studies on the mechanisms for BiNP induced nephrotoxicity. Blood biochemical analysis indicated the increase in creatinine (CREA) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and intraluminal cast formation with cell apoptosis/necrosis was evident in proximal convoluted tubules (PCTs) of mice. BiNP induced acute kidney injury (AKI) was associated with an increase in LC3II, while the autophagic flux indicator p62 remained unchanged. Chloroquine and rapamycin were used to evaluate the role of autophagy in AKI caused by BiNP. Results showed that BiNP induced AKI was further attenuated by rapamycin, while AKI became severe when chloroquine was applied. In vitro studies further proved BiNP induced autophagy in human embryonic kidney cells 293, presented as autophagic vacuole (AV) formation along with increased levels of autophagy-related proteins including LC3II, Beclin1, and Atg12. Specifically, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by BiNP could be the major inducer of autophagy, because ROS blockage attenuated autophagy. Autophagy induced by BiNP was primarily regulated by AMPK/mTOR signal pathway and partially regulated by Akt/mTOR. Our study provides fundamental theory to better understand bismuth induced nephrotoxicity for better clinical application of bismuth related compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable effort has been made to develop nanocarriers for controlled drug delivery over the last decade, while it remains unclear how the strength of adverse drug effect will be altered when a drug is loaded on the nanocarrier. Drug-induced phospholipidosis (DIP) is characterized with excessive accumulation of phospholipids in cells and is common for cationic amphiphilic drugs (CAD). Previously, we have reported that PEGylated graphene oxide (PEG-GO) loaded with several CAD can potentiate DIP. In current study, we extended our study on newly identified phospholipidosis (PLD) inducers that had been identified from the Library of Pharmacologically Active Compounds (LOPAC), to investigate if PEO-GO loaded with these CAD can alter DIP. Twenty-two CAD were respectively loaded on PEG-GO and incubated with RAW264.7, a macrophage cell line. The results showed that when a CAD was loaded on PEG-GO, its strength of PLD induction can be enhanced, unchanged or attenuated. PEG-GO loaded with Ifenprodil exhibited the highest PEG-GO potentiation effect compared to Ifenprodil treatment alone in RAW264.7 cells, and this effect was confirmed in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2, another cell line model for PLD induction. Primary hepatocyte culture and spheroids mimicking in vivo conditions were used to further validate nanocarrier potentiation on DIP by Ifenprodil. Stronger phospholipid accumulation was found in PEG-GO/Ifenprodil treated hepatocytes or spheroids than Ifenprodil treatment alone. Therefore, evidences were provided by us that nanocarriers may increase the adverse drug effects and guidance by regulatory agencies need to be drafted for the safe use of nanotechnology in drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Bacterial infections may lead to diverse acute or chronic diseases (e.g., inflammation, sepsis and cancer). New antibiotics against bacteria are rarely discovered in recent years, which necessitates the exploration of new antibacterial agents. Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have been extensively studied for antibacterial use because of their long lasting killing effects in wide spectra of bacteria. Graphene oxide (GO) is one of the most widely studied ENMs and exhibit strong bactericidal effects. The physicochemical properties of GO play important roles in bacterial killing by triggering a cascade of toxic events. Many studies have explored the signaling pathways of GO in bacteria. Although molecular initiating events (MIEs) of GO in bacteria dominate its killing efficiency as well as toxicity mechanisms, they have been rarely reviewed. In this report, we discussed the structure–activity relationships (SARs) involved in GO-induced bacterial killing and the MIEs including redox reaction with biomolecules, mechanical destruction of membranes and catalysis of extracellular metabolites. Furthermore, we summarized the clinical or commercial applications of GO-based antibacterial products and discussed their biosafety in mammal. Finally, we reviewed the remaining challenges in GO for antibacterial applications, which may offer new insights for the development of nano antibacterial studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro/nanoplastics (MNPs) are widespread environmental pollutants that cause high health risks. However, high heterogeneity in particle sizes and chemical compositions of MNPs make their accurate characterization extremely challenging. Herein, we established a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-FTICR MS) strategy for the unambiguous characterization of different types of MNPs with high performance, including polystyrene, polyethylene glycol terephthalate, polyamide, polymethyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer, and polycarbonate. The MNP sample preparation and detection conditions were systematically optimized by using response surface methodology, and the MS detection signal-to-noise ratios were improved 1.5 times on average. The ultrahigh mass resolution of FTICR MS is crucial to the unambiguous elucidation of MNP structures. We demonstrate that this MS strategy is highly efficient in the characterization of polymer constitutions of environmental MNPs derived from foam, bottles, cable ties, and compact discs, providing a promising tool for MNP detection and safety evaluation. [Display omitted] • PS, PET, PA, PMMA, ABS, and PC MNPs were unambiguously characterized by MALDI-FTICR MS. • The MS SNRs were improved by an average of 1.5 times after detection condition optimization. • MNPs derived from foam, bottles, cable ties, and compact discs were successfully identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenols have extensively been found in various environmental matrices and caused public concerns due to their endocrine-disrupting potential. Herein, we developed a ZIF-67@ZIF-8-derived CoZn/nitrogen-doped carbon (CoZn/NC) as a robust adsorbent for bisphenols in wastewaters. The self-generating carbon nanotubes and the open metal sites provided sufficient adsorption sites. The Co component endowed the derivative with strong magnetism facilitating its separation from water. CoZn/NC exhibited exceeding water stability in pH 3 − 12 solution and withstood water up to 15 days. The great applicability of CoZn/NC was validated with 16 real wastewaters from different sources (recoveries exceeding 97.9%). Fast adsorption kinetics were observed with removal efficiencies above 96.5% within 1 min. The adsorption isotherms were well fitted with the Langmuir model, with adsorption capacities of 222, 200, 193, and 321 mg g−1 for bisphenol A, bisphenol F, bisphenol S, and bisphenol AF, respectively. Variations in external conditions, including pH 3 − 9, humic acid (50 mg L−1), and NaCl (0.1 mol L−1), had negligible impacts on the adsorption process. The characterizations and density functional theory computation demonstrated that electrostatic, hydrophobic, π − π, and cation− π interactions are the driving forces in this system. The as-prepared CoZn/NC exhibits great promise in real wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • Magnetic MOF derivative with self-generating CNTs was developed as robust adsorbent. • CoZn/NC showed appreciable stability under pH 3 − 12 and in water up to 15 days. • The adsorbent had fast adsorption rate, high loading capacity and well reusability. • The performance of CoZn/NC was verified with 16 wastewaters from various sources. • Adsorption mechanism was elucidated by the DFT calculation and material characterizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor-targeting peptides have profound clinical implications in early detection and delineation of microscopic lesions for surgical resection, and also delivery of therapeutics with reduced systemic toxicity. Here, we demonstrate that a peptide (RS), evolved from a previously reported hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-targeting peptide P47, enables improved HCC micrometastasis discrimination and delineation from noncancerous tissues in murine orthotopic mice and patient biopsies, with up to 21-fold contrast. Importantly, RS targets non-small cell lung (NSCLC) and colon cancers in mice and patient biopsies, with higher selectivity for highly proliferative tumor nodules. Moreover, RS localizes to cell nucleoli of HCC, NSCLC, breast, colon and cervical cancer cells and induces nucleolar stress when conjugated with chemotherapeutic Oxaliplatin (OXA) (RS-OXA), demonstrating both cellular and subcellular targeting. RS-delivered OXA elicits significant tumor retardation in orthotopic HCC mice with markedly reduced systemic toxicity compared to OXA alone. Injection of fluorescence-labeled RS enables dynamic visualization of tumor growth in RS-OXA-treated subcutaneous HCC mice. Our study demonstrates that RS targets a spectrum of tumors and localizes to cell nucleolus, thus enabling functional imaging and targeted delivery of OXA in HCC mice, and consequently provides a versatile tool for tumor imaging and targeted therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apoptosis dysregulation is an important mechanism responsible for the intrinsic and acquired resistance of melanoma, which necessitates the exploration of oncological treatments to activate nonapoptotic cell death. Herein, we developed nano-enabled photosynthesis in tumours to activate lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis to overcome melanoma resistance. Controlled photosynthesis was conducted in tumours to construct a hyperoxic microenvironment with photosynthetic microcapsules (PMCs), which were prepared by encapsulating cyanobacteria and upconversion nanoparticles in alginate microcapsules and driven by external near infrared photons. The combination of PMCs and X-rays evoked lipid peroxidation, Fe2+ release, glutathione peroxidase 4 suppression, glutathione reduction and ferroptosis in melanoma cells and xenografts. Consequently, the intrinsic and acquired resistance in melanoma could be overcome by the combined treatment, which further inhibited tumour metastases and improved the survival rate of melanoma-bearing mice. Overall, the development of nano-enabled photosynthesis in tumours will inspire the exploration of oncological treatments. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]