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Background. Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum (T. pallidum) infection induces significant immune responses, resulting in tissue damage. Gene expression plays an essential role in regulating the progression of syphilis infection. However, little is known about the regulatory role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the immune response to T. pallidum infection. Here, we analyze the differential expression of miRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) between untreated secondary syphilis patients and healthy controls and study the correlation between miRNA expression and clinical features with bioinformatics. Methods. The expression profile of miRNAs was measured by microarray analysis in PBMCs of untreated secondary syphilis patients and healthy controls. Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was used to construct the expression of miRNAs and the clinical data of secondary syphilis patients. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed on target genes of miR-142-3p. Results. 244 miRNAs exhibited at least 1.0-fold differential expression between secondary syphilis patients and healthy controls. The miRNAs were divided into three modules by WGCNA. The blue module was positively correlated with TPHA, TRUST, duration of disease, and erythema. And in the blue module, the expression of miR-142-3p was significantly higher in secondary syphilis patients than in healthy controls ( p = 0.02 ), which is also close to the clinical features of secondary syphilis. GO and KEGG pathway analyses showed that these target genes of miR-142-3p are correlated with endocytosis and positive regulation of the apoptotic process. Conclusion. The elevated miR-142-3p expression in PBMCs may play an important role in the immune response to T. pallidum infection and may be a potential biomarker for secondary syphilis.

Sensitive, accurate, and simultaneous determination of nitrobenzene compounds (NBs) in environmental water samples is of great significance due to their high risk to human health. In this work, a new triazine-based hyper-crosslinked polymer named CC-Py was constructed via the Friedel-Crafts reaction between cyanuric chloride (CC), pyridine (Py) and 1,2-dichloroethane. Due to its excellent stability, high surface area and hydrophilic-lipophilic (amphiphilic) structure, the CC-Py exhibited a high affinity toward the NBs (nitrobenzene, 2-nitrotoluene, 2,6-dimethylnitrobenzene, 3-nitrotoluene, 4-nitrotoluene, 3-nitrochlorobenzene, 4-nitrochlorobenzene, 2-nitrochlorobenzene, 2,4-dimethylnitrobenzene, 3-nitrobromobenzene, 4-nitrobromobenzene and 4-nitroiodobenzene). Then, a CC-Py based solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-flame ionization detection was developed to detect the twelve NBs in real water samples. The results showed that the method had low limits of detection (0.20-0.50 μg L

The 6G Power Internet of Things (PIoT) is considered to be the key enabler for smart grid. In 6G PIoT, ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) can provide deterministic service guarantee for applications with stringent latency and reliability requirements. In recent years, the concept, use cases, and key technologies of URLLC have been thoroughly investigated by 3GPP, while the characteristics of PIoT are not considered in the standardization yet. Confronted with such a problem, this article analyzes the application scenarios and service requirements of URLLC for 6G PIoT, summarizes the key technologies and standardization of 5G/B5G URLLC and end-to-end URLLC guarantee technologies, and outlines the possible evolution directions of URLLC in 6G.

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of ligustilide on sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) and the signaling pathways involved.Methods: Sepsis-induced AKI was established by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in mice. Histopathological renal damage was examined using hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) staining while creatinine and cytokines were measured using commercial kits. Protein levels were determined by Western blotting.Results: Vacuoles, dilations, degeneration, and necrosis were observed in CLP mouse kidneys, but these alterations were countered by 20 mg/kg of ligustilide. Serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 were significantly increased in CLP mice compared with control. Furthermore, the serum levels of these indicators in serum were lowered by ligustilide (p < 0.01). The expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) TLR4 and phosphorylated nuclear factor (NF)-κB in CLP mice were also downregulated by ligustilide. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels increased in CLP mice, but were attenuated by ligustilide (p < 0.01). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) levels decreased in CLP mice but were increased by ligustilide (p < 0.01). Increased expression of Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were observed in CLP mice, and were further enhancced by ligustilide.Conclusion: Ligustilide exerts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on sepsis-induced AKI via TLR4/NF-κB and Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathways. Keywords: Ligustilide, Sepsis, Acute kidney injury, TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway

Background Sebum secretion is affected by many internal and external factors. Objective To identify risk factors in terms of family history, body mass index, selected dietary factors, personal habits, and menstrual history that may be associated with oily skin in young women. Participants and methods We conducted a case-control study of young women aged 18-35 who came to Beijing Tongren Hospital for attending a health checkup. Cases were subjects with subjective skin type as oily skin. Control subjects were people with normal or dry skin. A standardized questionnaire on subjective skin type, family history of oily skin in first-degree relatives, menstrual history, personal habits, and selected dietary factors was administered to 540 subjects. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed for risk factors associated with oily skin. Results A family history in first-degree relatives and a body mass index of more than 24 kg/㎡were risk factors that increases likelihood of oily skin in young women (odds ratio 3.281, 95% confidence interval 2.204-4.882; odds ratio 1.677, 95% confidence interval 1.081-2.600, respectively). For those who consumed more than three servings of milk or sweets per week, the risk increased with the diet (odds ratio 1.634, 95% confidence interval 1.126-2.370; odds ratio 1.970, 95% confidence interval 1.034-3.754, respectively). There was no correlation between smoking, drinking alcohol, or menstrual variables and the risk of oily skin. Conclusions Family history, overweight and obesity, and a diet rich in milk or sweets are risk factors that increase likelihood of oily skin in young women. These findings may provide an opportunity to better guide skin care for patients.

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome 9 (HPS-9) is a recessive disorder caused by BLOC1S6 gene. There are only four variants identified from four HPS-9 patients so far. Here, we reported the first HPS-9 patient in a Chinese population. He had brownish-yellow hair, white skin, brown irises with visual acuity, photophobia and nystagmus. Two novel variants, c.148G>T (p.Glu50*) and c.351dupT (p.Ile118Tyrfs*10) in BLOC1S6 gene were identified by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Absence of platelet dense granules was found by whole-mount platelet electron microscopy and Western blotting assays showed the destabilized BLOC-1 subunits. He had recurrent bruising and was found to have abnormal brain waves by electroencephalogram, but did not develop thrombopenia, immunodeficiency or other symptoms reported in other HPS-9 patients. This is the first case report of BLOC-1 mutation in a Chinese population and our findings expand the mutational spectrum of HPS genes.

A novel hypercrosslinked polymer (API-HCP) was synthesized using as monomer for the first time. API-HCP exhibited high adsorption affinity toward chlorophenols due to the hydrogen bond, halogen bond and π-stacking interactions. With API-HCP as adsorbent, an efficient solid phase extraction method coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (SPE-HPLC) was established for the sensitive detection of chlorophenols in water and honey samples. Under the optimum conditions, the method provided a good linear response in the range of 0.07-100 ng mL

Three magnetic covalent organic frameworks (named M-TpPa-SO

In this paper, the single-phase Li2TiO3 powder was successfully synthesized via non-hydrolytic sol-gel method (NHSG) using anhydrous lithium acetate (LiOAc) as lithium source and tetrabutyl titanate (TBOT) as titanium source. The effects of the temperature and the Li/Ti molar ratio on the synthesis of Li2TiO3 were investigated by XRD. FT-IR and XPS were used to characterize the synthesis mechanism and surface chemistry of Li2TiO3 powder heated at 650 °C for 2 h with 5 °C/min. Furthermore, the Li2TiO3 pebbles were successfully prepared using synthesized powder by indirect wet chemistry method. The results showed that the Li2TiO3 pebbles with diameter of 1.3mm–1.5 mm, crush load of 67 N, sphericity of 0.97, the relative density of 84.9%, the grain size of 2.85 μm and porosity of 19.84% were successfully fabricated when sintering temperature was 1050 °C for 2 h in air. Therefore，the NHSG method could provide a new efficient route for the production of Li2TiO3 ceramic pebbles.

Ubiquitous power Internet of Things (UPIoT) will revolutionize every aspect of the energy sector due to its powerful sensing capability and ubiquitous connectivity. However, the tension between the exponentially increasing number of devices and the limited spectrum resources poses a new challenge on channel selection. In this article, we propose a context-aware learning-based channel selection framework, which can learn the optimal long-term strategy without prior knowledge of global state information. Specifically, we propose a service reliability aware, energy aware, and data backlog aware (SEB) upper confidence bound (UCB)-based channel selection algorithm named SEB-UCB to address the non-adversarial channel selection problem, and propose an SEB exponential weight algorithm for exploration and exploitation (EXP3)-based channel selection algorithm named SEB-EXP3 to address the adversarial channel selection problem. Next, a case study is provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed framework. Finally, we conclude this article and identify several future research issues.

Herein, we introduce a modulation strategy for the synthesis of imine based covalent organic frameworks (COFs) via the condensation of benzene-1,3,5-tricarbaldehyde with 1,3,5-tris (4-aminophenyl) benzene, whereby aniline was adopted as the monofunctional competitor. The introduction of aniline resulted in an enhanced crystallinity, surface area and pore volume, which is beneficial for the enrichment capability of the resulting COFs for the analytes. The optimized COF with the best extraction ability was selected as the solid phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coating for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from honey samples. The adsorbed PAHs were then analyzed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. The merits for the method include: (a) low limits of detection (0.06–0.17 ng/g, S/N = 3), (b) high enrichment factors (290-1566-fold), good reproducibility (relative standard deviations less than 8.4%) and excellent method recoveries for the PAHs (83.0%–116.0%). The enrichment performance of the COFs towards the PAHs could be attributed to the hydrophobic interaction, the high surface area and pore volume of the COF materials.

A new carbazole-based spherical microporous polymer (Car-BDA-POP) was fabricated by employing 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxaldehyde (BDA) and carbazole as monomers via a one-step and non-metal catalyst synthetic approach. It was then explored as an adsorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) of some chlorophenols (CPs). Under the optimized extraction conditions, the established Car-BDA-POP-based SPE coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography ultraviolet detection showed good linearity in the concentration range of 0.1-200 ng mL

The preparation of tyrosine-functional novel hypercrosslinked polymer (HCP@Tyr) was achieved by knitting 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene with l-tyrosine via simple Friedel-Crafts reaction. The HCP@Tyr displayed large surface area (1220 m

In this work, a novel knitting aromatic polymer (KAP) was fabricated for the first time by knitting ferrocene with 1,3,5-tris(bromomethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene via Friedel-Crafts reaction, and then the KAP was magnetically functionalized with Fe

Advancement of novel coating materials for solid-phase microextraction is highly needed for sample pretreatment. Herein, a triazine-based covalent organic polymer was constructed from the monomers of cyanuric chloride and trans-stilbene via the Friedel-Crafts reaction and thereafter used as a solid-phase microextraction fiber coating for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their nitrated and oxygenated derivatives. The newly-developed solid-phase microextraction method coupled with gas chromatography/flame ionization detection gives enhancement factors of 548-1236 and limits of detection of 0.40-2.81 ng/L for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives. The one fiber precision for five replicate determinations of the analytes and the fiber-to-fiber precision with three parallel prepared fibers, expressed as relative standard deviations, was in the range of 4.6-9.4% and 6.2-10.9%, respectively. The relative recoveries of the analytes for environmental water samples were in the range of 88.6-106.4% with the relative standard deviations ranging from 4.0 to 11.7% (n = 5).

Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a rare and heterogeneous disorder characterized by hypopigmentation of the skin, hair and eyes. Thirty OCA type 6 (OCA6) patients with 24 mutations in SLC24A5 have been reported across various populations; however, only one patient has been identified in a Chinese population. This study identifies two novel SLC24A5 frame-shift variants in two unrelated Chinese patients and both are predicted to be pathogenic by American College of Medical Genetics guidelines. The genotypes and phenotypes of all three Chinese OCA6 patients are unique compared with those identified in other populations. All of the mutations identified to date in Chinese OCA6 patients are predicted to be non-functional, a finding that is useful in guiding genetic diagnosis and counseling for OCA6 in China.

Biogenic magnetic nanoparticles (BMNPs) can be formed by numerous microorganisms. However, the significance of their formation and their possible functions have not been explored in detail. To explore a possible function of Fe3 O4 NPs in Burkholderia sp. strain YN01, we investigated their catalytic abilities in the elimination of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Changes in ROS content under different conditions were assessed and showed that low oxygen and high iron concentrations in the growth medium promoted ROS production. However, the levels of ROS gradually decreased with BMNP formation, suggesting that these particles possess intrinsic superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity and catalase (CAT)-like activity, as proven in this study. To ensure that the observed ROS decrease was not due to antioxidase overexpression caused by the oxidative stress response, SOD and CAT were inhibited in vivo to analyse the ROS variation and BMNP yield under microoxic and high-iron conditions respectively. The results demonstrated that the formation of these intracellular iron nanoparticles was required for the efficient scavenging of excess ROS, which was dependent on their antioxidase-like properties. This result reveals a novel physiological function of biogenic intracellular Fe3 O4 nanoparticles.

A porous aromatic framework (PAF), PAF-56P, with a large surface area, high solvent stability and good thermostability, was prepared and utilized as a solid phase microextraction (SPME) adsorbent coating for the efficient enrichment of some triazole fungicides. Coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometric detection, a PAF-56P based SPME method achieved good analytical performance such as low limits of detection (0.15–1.70 ng g−1), wide linear range (2.50–250 ng g−1) and good repeatability (relative standard deviations, RSDs < 9.2%). The PAF-56P SPME coating had a high durability for 100 replicate extractions without a significant decrease in extraction capability. The developed method was feasible for the analysis of triazole fungicides from fruits and vegetables with satisfactory recoveries (81.3–119%).

A covalent organic framework named N-COF was successfully constructed by the aldehyde-amine condensation reaction between 2,4,6-tris (4-formyl phenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine and 1,3-bis(4-aminophenyl) urea for the first time. The prepared N-COF exhibited good stability and high affinity to organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). Thus, the N-COF was served as solid phase microextraction fiber coating for extraction of six OCPs from vegetables and fruits including romaine lettuce, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, apple, pear and peach, followed by quantitation with gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Under the optimal conditions, good linearities for the OCPs existed in the ranges from 0.1 to 1.0 ng g

As plant regulators, auxins can promote plant growth. However, they have toxicity and may cause harm to humans. Due to their low concentrations in food sample matrices, the enrichment and analysis of trace auxins in food samples is a challenging work. In this work, a series of hyper crosslinked polymers (HCPs) were synthesized by Friedel-Crafts acylation to extract four auxins (indole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-propionic acid, indole-3-butyric acid and 1-naphthylacetic acid). Among these HCPs, the QP-TC-HCP, synthesized from p-quaterphenyl (QP) and terephthaloyl chloride (TC), showed the best adsorption performance for the auxins. It was then applied as the adsorbent for the solid-phase extraction of the auxins from environmental water and peach beverage samples, followed by high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection were 3.0-12.0 pg mL

In this work, a porous extended network covalent organic framework designated as TP-NDA-COF was synthesized by the reaction of 2,4,6-trihydroxy-benzene-1,3,5-tricarbaldehyde (TP) and 1,5-naphthalenediamine (NDA). The structure and morphology of the TP-NDA-COF was characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The TP-NDA-COF was applied as a solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the extraction of some chlorophenols from water and lemon black tea beverage samples prior to high performance liquid chromatography-UV detection. The main experimental parameters that affect the extraction efficiency including the type and volume of eluent, sample solution volume, sample loading rate and sample solution pH were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.30-60.0 ng mL

The sensitive and selective determination of acetaminophen (AP) in the human body is highly desirable to ensure human health. In this work, nickel-doping nanoporous carbon (Ni/C) was fabricated by directly calcining Ni based metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF). The Ni/C based electrochemical sensor was developed for sensitive and selective determination of AP in human blood serum and urine samples. The prepared Ni/C composite possess plentiful catalytic active sites, ordered mesoporous structure and large specific surface area, which endow the constructed Ni/C sensor with a prominent performance for acetaminophen sensing. Under the optimal conditions, the developed method offered good linearity in the range of 0.20–53.75 μM with a low detection limit (S/N = 3) of 4.04 × 10−2 μM. The electrocatalytic performance of the sensor towards AP was further measured by differential pulse voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry. The results demonstrated that the Ni/C sensor can be feasibly employed for the determination of AP in human blood serum and urine samples with excellent anti-interference stability and good reproducibility. The research reveals a great promising of the Ni/C electrochemical sensor for clinical applications and paves a way for the construction of high-performance electrochemical sensors for AP determination.

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a rare recessive disorder characterized by oculocutaneous albinism or ocular albinism, bleeding diathesis, and other symptoms such as colitis and pulmonary fibrosis. Eleven causative genes have been identified for HPS-1-HPS-11 subtypes in humans. We have identified 16 newly reported patients including the first HPS-2 case in the Chinese population. In a total of 40 HPS patients, hypopigmentation was milder in HPS-3, HPS-5, and HPS-6 patients than in HPS-1 and HPS-4 patients. HPS-1 accounted for 47.5% (19 of 40) of HPS cases which is the most common subtype. Exons 11 and 19 were the hotspots of the HPS1 gene mutations. In total, 55 allelic variants were identified in HPS1-HPS6 gene, of which 17 variants were previously unreported. These results will be useful for the evaluation of the relationship between HPS genotypes and phenotypes, and for the precise intervention of HPS patients in the Chinese population.

To determine the clinical efficacy and safety of Liangxue Jiedu decoction (LJD) for the treatment of progressive psoriasis vulgaris and to provide the basis for the development of a standardized treatment protocol for psoriasis vulgaris.In this multicenter, randomized, controlled study, patients with blood-heat type psoriasis were randomly assigned to receive either Chinese herbal medicine (LJD; treatment group) or Western Medicine (cetirizine hydrochloride, vitamin C, and vitamin B complex; control group). Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores were calculated in addition to the number of patients who achieved ≥ 50% or ≥ 75% improvement in PASI score from baseline. The change in symptoms of Chinese medicine (color of rash, burning sensation, itchiness, severity of irritation, and anger) was evaluated and safety was assessed as adverse events and laboratory analysis. t test, independent sample non-parametric test and χ2 test were used to analyze the results.A total of 238 participants were included in the study [treatment group, n = 122 (PP analysis 117); control group, n = 116 (PP analysis 104)]. LJD treatment was associated with a significant improvement in skin lesions and symptoms compared with Western Medicine treatment. At the end of the 8-week treatment period, 23.77% (PP analysis 24.79%) of patients in the treatment group had achieved PASI75 and 57.38% (PP analysis 58.97%) had achieved PASI50; the corresponding figures in the control group were 9.48% (9.62%) and 25.00% (25.00%), respectively. The between-group differences were statistically significant (P0.05).Treatment of psoriasis vulgaris of the blood-heat type using LJD was associated with significantly better outcomes compared with those achieved using standard Western Medicine.

A novel nanoporous carbon (NPC) was constructed by utilizing the porous aromatic framework-6 (PAF-6) as both the template and carbon source along with KOH as a chemical activator. The newly-synthesized PAF-6 derived nanoporous carbon (PAF-6-NPC) was then employed as a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coating. Coupled with gas chromatography-flame ionization detection, the PAF-6-NPC fiber-based SPME method exhibited large enhancement factors, low limits of detection, good linearity and acceptable repeatability for the determination of some n-alkanes in various water and soil samples. The method recoveries for the n-alkanes were in the range of 89.5–102.9% for water and 86.0–104.5% for soil samples, respectively. The PAF-6-NPC coated fiber showed no obvious decrease of the extraction efficiency for the analytes after 100 replicate extractions. The PAF-6-NPC fiber-based SPME method was successfully applied for the determination of n-alkanes in water and soil samples.

A novel on-line two-step stacking preconcentration method by sweeping plus micelle to solvent stacking in capillary zone electrophoresis was developed for the simultaneous determination of three organic anions (vanillic acid, ferulic acid and cinnamic acid) in Angelica sinensis. Hexadimethrine bromide was used for electroosmotic flow reversal. The main experimental parameters that affected the separation and sensitivity were investigated and optimized. The best separation was achieved in 50 mM ammonium acetate (pH 12.0) containing 50% methanol (v/v) under a negative voltage of 20 kV. The micellar solution was a mixed solution comprised of 12 mM cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide and 20 mM ammonium acetate. After injecting a short plug (0.5 psi, 30 s) of micellar solution, the sample was introduced into the capillary at 0.5 psi for 45 s. Under the optimal conditions, the sensitivity enhancement factors obtained by the developed method were between 42 and 77. The intra-day (n = 6) and inter-day (n = 5) precisions of the method expressed as their relative standard deviations were found to be less than 7.2%. The Angelica sinensis sample was pulverized and then refluxed in 95% ethanol and filtered. After an aliquot of the extractant was dried, it was reconstituted in 20 mM ammonium acetate for capillary electrophoresis analysis. The recoveries of the analytes by this method for the analysis of Angelica sinensis were in the range of 94.4% to 108.4%.

A high-surface-area nanoporous carbon (NPC) has been successfully synthesized by using the metal-organic framework ZIF-90 as both the template and precursor together with furfuryl alcohol as a secondary carbon source. The prepared ZIF-90 templated NPC (ZIF-90-NPC) was then coated onto a stainless steel wire by a simple physical adhesion approach to prepare solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber. By coupling the ZIF-90-NPC coated fiber-based SPME with gas chromatography-microelectron capture detection (GC-μECD), the developed method gave a large enhancement factor (984-2869), low limit of detection (0.1–0.5 ng g−1) and good linearity (0.3–50 ng g−1) for the determination of some pyrethroid pesticides (bifenthrin, fenpropathrin, cyhalothrin, permethrin, cyfluthrin, flucythrinate, fenvalerate and deltamethrin) from different fruits and vegetables. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for six replicate extractions of the pyrethroids by the ZIF-90-NPC coated fiber ranged from 4.3% to 8.0%. The recoveries of the spiked pyrethroids (5 ng g−1 and 20 ng g−1) from fruit and vegetable samples were in the range of 88.0–104.0% and 86.0–103.5% with the RSDs ranging from 4.8% to 12.9% and 5.0–10.8%, respectively. Besides, the ZIF-90-NPC coated fiber was stable enough for 100 extraction cycles without a significant loss of extraction efficiency. The method was successfully applied to the determination of the pyrethroids in fruit and vegetable samples.

Magnetic spherical carbon was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal carbonization procedure with biomass glucose as the carbon precursor and nanoclusters iron colloid as magnetic precursor. The textures of the as-prepared magnetic spherical carbon were characterized by nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and vibration sample magnetometry. Results indicated that the magnetic spherical carbon possessed high surface area as well as strong magnetism, which endows the material with good adsorption capability and easy separation properties. To assess its absorption performance, the magnetic spherical carbon was employed as adsorbent for the extraction and preconcentration of phthalate esters from lake water and milk samples before high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis. Some key parameters that could influence the enrichment efficiency were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, a good linearity was achieved with the linear correlation coefficients higher than 0.9973. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) were 0.05-0.08 ng/mL for lake water and 0.1-0.2 ng/mL for milk samples. The recoveries of the analytes for the method were in the range 80.1-112.6%.

A new kind of magnetic N-doped mesoporous carbon was prepared by the one-step carbonization of a hybrid precursor (glucose, melamine, and iron chloride) in a N2 atmosphere with a eutectic salt (KCl/ZnCl2 ) as the porogen. The obtained magnetic N-doped mesoporous carbon showed excellent characteristics, such as strong magnetic response, high surface area, large pore volume, and abundant π-electron system, which endow it with a great potential as a magnetic solid-phase extraction adsorbent. To evaluate its adsorption performance, the magnetic N-doped mesoporous carbon was used for the extraction of three phthalate esters from soft drink samples followed by high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis. Under the optimum conditions, the developed method showed a good linearity (1.0-120.0 ng/mL), low limit of detection (0.1-0.3 ng/mL, S/N = 3), and good recoveries (83.2-119.0%) in soft drink samples. The results indicated that the magnetic N-doped mesoporous carbon has an excellent adsorption capacity for phthalate esters and the present method is simple, accurate, and highly efficient for the extraction and determination of phthalate esters in complex matrix samples.

In this work, biomass derived hierarchical porous carbon (BHPC) was prepared via a facile, cost-effective and green route by carbonizing banana peel waste. Textural characterization shows that the material possesses hierarchical pores and a large Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 561.8 m2 g−1. The BHPC was used as a solid phase extraction sorbent for the enrichment of carbamate pesticides from cucumber and watermelon samples coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector. Under the optimal conditions, good linearity was obtained in the concentration range of 0.2–80.0 ng g−1 for propoxur and bassa, and 0.5–80 ng g−1 for isoprocarb, with a correlation coefficient (r) larger than 0.9969. The limits of detection of the method were in the range of 0.05–0.20 ng g−1. The results show that BHPC has great potential to be applied for the isolation and preconcentration of organic analytes from complex matrices.

Triazine-based porous organic frameworks (POFs) were constructed through a Friedel-Crafts reaction of cyanuric chloride (CC) with triphenylamine (TPA) monomers. The obtained POFs (CC-TPAs) were explored as the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coatings for the extraction of the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). It was found that the mesoporous volume of the CC-TPAs was the main factor for their SPME adsorption performance. The CC-TPA-based fiber was successfully used for the SPME of the OCPs from fruit samples (apple, peach and pear). With the help of gas chromatography-micro-electron capture detection, the CC-TPA-based SPME method showed high enrichment factors (146-456), low limits of detection (0.032-0.090 ng g-1), good linearity (0.11-20 ng g-1, r2 > 0.991) and satisfactory repeatability (relative standard deviations

Summary Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a rare recessive disorder characterized by hypopigmentation, bleeding diathesis and other symptoms due to multiple defects in lysosome-related organelles. Ten HPS subtypes have been identified with mutations in HPS1 to HPS10. Only four HPS-1 patients have been reported in Chinese population. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS), we have screened 100 hypopigmentation genes and identified four HPS-1, two HPS-3, one HPS-5, and three HPS-6 in Chinese HPS patients with typical ocular or oculocutaneous albinism and the absence of platelet dense granules together with other variable phenotypes. All these patients except one homozygote were compound heterozygotes. Among these mutations, 14 were previously unreported alleles (4 in HPS1, 3 in HPS3, 2 in HPS5, 5 in HPS6). Our results demonstrate the feasibility and utility of NGS-based panel diagnostics for HPS. Genotyping of HPS subtypes is a prerequisite for intervention of subtype-specific symptoms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Honey, a highly nutritious functional food, might be contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during its production and/or harvest. The preconcentration and analysis of trace levels of PAHs from the complex sample matrices like honey still poses challenges for analytical researchers. In this study, three different covalent triazine-based frameworks (CTFs) were synthesized and explored as the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coating for the extraction of some PAHs from various honey samples. Among the CTFs, cyanuric chloride-p-quaterphenyl (CC-QP) exhibited the highest extraction capability toward PAHs due to its largest specific surface area and π-electrons system. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the CC-QP based SPME method exhibited wide linearity (0.10–100 ng g−1), low limits of detection (0.03–0.19 ng g−1) and good reproducibility (relative standard deviations