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Immune cells are indispensable defenders of the human body, clearing exogenous pathogens and toxicities or endogenous malignant and aging cells. Immune cell dysfunction can cause an inability to recognize, react, and remove these hazards, resulting in cancers, inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, and infections. Immune cells regulation has shown great promise in treating disease, and immune agonists are usually used to treat cancers and infections caused by immune suppression. In contrast, immunosuppressants are used to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the key to maintaining health is to restore balance to the immune system, as excessive activation or inhibition of immune cells is a common complication of immunotherapy. Nanoparticles are efficient drug delivery systems widely used to deliver small molecule inhibitors, nucleic acid, and proteins. Using nanoparticles for the targeted delivery of drugs to immune cells provides opportunities to regulate immune cell function. In this review, we summarize the current progress of nanoparticle-based strategies for regulating immune function and discuss the prospects of future nanoparticle design to improve immunotherapy.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of entecavir(ETV) versus ETV maleate in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB). This was a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, controlled, multicentre study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 48 weeks of treatment with 0.5 mg/day ETV (group A) or 0.5 mg/day ETV maleate (group B), then, all patients received treatment with 0.5 mg/day ETV maleate from week 49 onwards. Patients were regularly followed up. Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers were detected. Adverse events (AE) were recorded. The primary endpoint was the decline in HBV DNA in each group at the end of treatment. Secondary endpoints included the rate of HBV DNA below the lower limit of detection (LLOD) (20 I U/ml) at the end of treatment, the rate of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) loss, the rate of HBeAg seroconversion and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization. One hundred and thirty-seven (71 in group A) patients with HBeAg-positive CHB and 46 (21 in group A) patients with HBeAg-negative CHB completed the 240-week treatment and follow-up. Baseline characteristics were well balanced between the two groups. For the HBeAg-positive CHB patients, the mean HBV DNA level had similarly decreased from baseline in both groups (A: by 6.67 log

The Yangtze River Economic Belt is one of the major strategic development regions in China. It is of great significance to clarify the characteristics and sources of heavy metal pollution in farmland soil of the Yangtze River Economic Belt for the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution and to ensure safe agricultural production. After collecting extensive literature data, we analyzed the pollution characteristics, environmental risk, and potential sources of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Hg, As, Pb, Cu, Zn, and Ni) in farmland soil of the Yangtze River Economic Belt through the integrated use of spatial and geo-accumulation index analyses. The results showed that:① the proportion of soil samples exceeding the risk screening values for soil contamination of agricultural land of Cd, Cu, Pb, Hg, Zn, and As were 39.8%, 18.5%, 8.3%, 6.9%, 6.9%, and 6.4%, respectively. Compared with the risk standard, soil Cd had the highest rate of exceeding the standard. ② The contents of Cr, Cu, Zn, and Ni in the upper reaches were higher than those in the middle and lower reaches, and the contents of Cd, As, and Pb in the middle reaches were higher than those in the upper and lower reaches. ③ The results of the geo-accumulation index analysis showed that the contamination degree of the eight heavy metals decreased in the order of Cd(0.42)Hg(-0.28)Pb(-0.32)Zn(-0.39)Cu(-0.42)Cr(-0.7)As(-0.81)Ni(-0.73), where the accumulation risk of soil Cd and Hg was relatively higher. ④ Higher environmental background and mining activities were the main factors affecting the accumulation of heavy metals in soils in the upper and middle reaches. By contrast, rapid urbanization, industrial production, and intensive agricultural activities were the main factors affecting the heavy metal accumulation in soils in the middle and lower reaches. In view of the current status and control needs of heavy metal pollution in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, it is recommended to strengthen source prevention and control and to also carry out hierarchical control and regional classification management of heavy metal pollution in farmland soils according to the degree of heavy metal pollution, geological background, and quality of agricultural products. The ultimate objective of this research was to archive the farmland soil environmental quality safety and agricultural green sustainable production in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

By designing a tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-based AIEgen-ligand with reduced symmetry, we obtained two alkaline-earth metal-based MOFs (LIFM-102 and LIFM-103) with dense packing structures and low porosity as proved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and CO

Organic LPL (long-persistent luminescence) materials have sparked extensive research interest due to the ultralong-lived triplet states. Although numerous organic LPL materials have been reported, most of the triplet emission was static and monotonous. Therefore, LPL materials with dynamic triplet emission are urgently required. A triamino-s-triazine derivative 1 with dynamic LPL was fabricated. The single-crystal structure shows that the abundant intermolecular interactions and small free volume restrict the molecular motion and avoid the quenchers. Spectral and theoretical calculations upheld the existence of multiple excited states in 1, and the migration of electrons between multiple excited states is very sensitive to external stimuli. By modulating the stimulus, the residence of electrons in different triplet states can be manipulated to achieve RGB LPL. Importantly, blue LPL was achieved by manipulating the anti-Kasha emission. And the red LPL can still be observed at high temperature.

In molecular level lanthanide complexes, it is still challenging to achieve near-infrared (NIR) down-conversion luminescence (DCL) and visible up-conversion luminescence (UCL) efficiently under amb...

Nanotechnology has shown great promise in treating diverse diseases. However, developing nanomedicines that can cure autoimmune diseases without causing systemic immunosuppression is still quite challenging. Herein, we propose an all-in-one nanomedicine comprising an autoantigen peptide and CRISPR-Cas9 to restore specific immune tolerance by engineering dendritic cells (DCs) into a tolerogenic phenotype, which can expand autoantigen-specific regulatory T (Treg) cells. In brief, we utilized cationic lipid-assisted poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PEG-PLGA) nanoparticles to simultaneously encapsulate an autoimmune diabetes-relevant peptide (2.5mi), a CRISPR-Cas9 plasmid (pCas9), and three guide RNAs (gRNAs) targeting costimulatory molecules (CD80, CD86, and CD40). We demonstrated that the all-in-one nanomedicine was able to effectively codeliver these components into DCs, followed by simultaneous disruption of the three costimulatory molecules and presentation of the 2.5mi peptide on the genome-edited DCs. The resulting tolerogenic DCs triggered the generation and expansion of autoantigen-specific Treg cells by presenting the 2.5mi peptide to CD4+ T cells in the absence of costimulatory signals. Using autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D) as a typical disease model, we demonstrated that our nanomedicine prevented autoimmunity to islet components and inhibited T1D development. Our all-in-one nanomedicine achieved codelivery of CRISPR-Cas9 and the peptide to DCs and could be easily applied to other autoimmune diseases by substitution of different autoantigen peptides.

Known for excellent stability, porosity and functionality, the high-valent Zr4+ metal-organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) still meets synthetic challenge in modulating the strength of Zr-Ocarboxylate linkage. Herein we explore the unusual coordination dynamics of fluorinated Zr-MOFs by designing two trifluoromethyl modified ligands with distinct geometry preference to form a family of thermodynamic and kinetic products. The low-connecting kinetic Zr-MOFs possess substitutable coordination sites to endow Zr6 -cluster with extra dynamic behaviors, thus opening a post-synthetic pathway to sequential reassembly/disassembly processes. Comprehensive factors, including ligand geometry, Zr6 -cluster connectivity, acid modulator and reaction temperature/concentration, have been studied for controllable syntheses. The stability, hydrophobicity and gas adsorption/separation properties of obtained Zr-MOFs are explored. This work sheds light on the understanding of the dynamic coordination chemistry of Zr-MOFs beyond strong Zr-O bond, which poses a versatile platform for modification and functionalization of Zr-MOFs.

The indoor air quality is of prime importance for human daily life and health, for which the adsorbents like zeolites and silica-gels are widely used for air dehumidification and harmful gases capture. Herein, we develop a pore-nanospace post-engineering strategy to optimize the hydrophilicity, water-uptake capacity and air-purifying ability of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with long-term stability, offering an ideal candidate with autonomous multi-functionality of moisture control and pollutants sequestration. Through variant tuning of organic-linkers carrying hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups in the pore-nanospaces of prototypical UiO-67, a moderately hydrophilic MOF (UiO-67-4Me-NH 2 -38%) with high thermal, hydrolytic and acid-base stability is screened out, featuring S-shaped water sorption isotherms exactly located in the recommended comfortable and healthy ranges of relative humidity for indoor ventilation (45%-65% RH) and adverse health effects minimization (40-60% RH). Its exceptional attributes of water-uptake working capacity/efficiency, contaminates removal, recyclability and regeneration promise a great potential in confined indoor environment application.

Continuum manipulators are a class of special compliant robots that have important potential applications in the field of human-machine interactive operations, or work in cluttered and constrained environments. In these application scenarios, the most popular operation tasks are those with coupling force-position constraints. To simultaneously stabilize the desired operation force and the position of the manipulator, variable impedance control issues of the cable driven continuum manipulators are investigated in this paper. On the basis of constructing a novel Lyapunov function, a variable impedance control law is presented and the stability of the closed-loop system has also been analyzed. Then the operation space variable impedance control for a single segment cable driven continuum manipulator is realized by the aid of a pseudo-rigid-body model. Some numerical simulations also demonstrate the stability of the variable impedance control system.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have been widely applied in electrochemical conversion technologies, especially toward the water oxidation reaction (WOR) in metal–air batteries and water splitting. Here, we demonstrate a facile ligand-assisted synthetic method, promoting the transformation of 2D layered double hydroxides (LDHs) into 2D metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The CoFe-LDH precursor acts as an adjustable metal release source, controlling heterogeneous nucleation for 2D MOFs. Compared with most cobalt-based electrocatalysts, the optimized CoFe 2D MOFs exhibit a superior WOR performance on glassy-carbon electrodes (overpotential of 274 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 46.7 mV dec−1) and long-term stability, due to the unique 2D characteristics and coupling effect between Co and Fe ions. More importantly, this work highlights the ability to transform 2D LDHs into 2D MOFs and reveals the intrinsic factors for excellent performance in the WOR.

Selective hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to achieve high selectivity towards a desirable product is still a great challenge mainly because of the complex conjugate system. Herein, Rh nanoclusters encapsulated in MIL-101 (Cr), synthesized by the double solvent method, are able to selectively hydrogenate CC of cinnamaldehyde, an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde and achieve over 98% selectivity with a conversion of 98% to a saturated aldehyde under mild conditions. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirms that MIL-101 acts as an aldehyde protector to suppress the reactivity of CO, and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data indicate that the electropositive Rh, owing to the electron transfer from Rh to MIL-101, preferentially absorbs CC rather than CO leading to improvement of the selectivity towards saturated aldehydes. In addition, Rh@MIL-101 can also efficiently catalyse hydrodefluorination of aryl fluorides with good stability. This work provides a basic strategy to develop other selective heterogeneous catalysts via structural modulation for synergetic catalysis.

Advanced photoluminescent (PL) materials with unique and unclonable photophysical behaviors are important for potential applications in hazardous material detection and optical encryption. We herein present new detecting and encrypting models based on the uncommon reverse photoluminescence response of Eu(III) and Tb(III) complexes with isomorphic structures. Upon the stimulus of methanol vapor, the characteristic red emission of Eu(III) shows an unusual turn on magnification depending on crystal morphologies, manifesting a more sensitive response from the lamellar crystals with not so perfect crystalline forms, while the green emission of Tb(III) turns down conversely. This clarifies an unprecedent proof for the differentiated energy transfer (ET) pathway, i.e., triplet ET to Eu(III), while singlet ET to Tb(III) in lanthanide complexes. Furthermore, patterned taggants can be designed from the interweaving of unary and binary Eu/Tb(III) complexes, presenting new optical detecting and encrypting models with pixel-selective responding and methanol vapor detecting capacities.

A novel metal–organic framework (MOF) with long persistent luminescence (LPL) for multilevel oxygen detection is proposed, for which, the phosphorescence intensity, phosphorescence lifetime and LPL performance were applied to detect oxygen levels in 300–100 mbar, 0–150 mbar and

Long persistent luminescence (LPL) materials have been fascinating from ancient times till today, whereas the generation and modulation of LPL are still uncontrollable in most cases. In this paper,...

International audience; The development of cost-effective, high-performance, and robust bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting remains highly desirable yet quite challenging. Here, by selecting appreciate precursors of dopamine and a Co-containing metal-organic framework of ZIF-67, we subtly couple their reaction processes to develop a facile approach for the synthesis of a hollow CoP nanostructure with N-doped carbon skeleton (H-CoP@NC). Benefiting from the highly porous nanostructure and conductive carbon skeleton, H-CoP@NC is capable of working as highly active and durable bifunctional electrocatalyst for both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction. When further used as the electrocatalyst for overall water splitting, H-CoP@NC delivers excellent activity (cell voltage of 1.72 V at a current density of 10 mA cm(-2)), close to that of the noble-metal-based benchmark catalyst couple of Pt/C parallel to RuO2. Our work thus provides new insights into the development of transitional metal phosphides based hollow hybrid nanostructures, particularly those with multiple functionalities in sustainable energy conversion technologies and systems.

In multiphoton excited fluorescence (MPEF), high-energy upconversion emission is obtained from low-energy excitation by absorbance of two or more photons simultaneously. In a pressure-induced fluorochromic process, the emission energy is switched by outer pressure stimuli. Now, five metal-organic frameworks containing the same ligand with simultaneous multiphoton absorption and pressure-induced fluorochromic attributes were studied. One-, two-, and three-photon excited fluorescence (1/2/3PEF) can be achieved in the frameworks, which exhibit pressure-induced blue-to-yellow fluorochromism. The performances are closely dependent with the topologies, flexibilities, and packing states of the frameworks and chromophores therein. The multiphoton upconversion performance can be intensified by pressure-related structural contraction. Over ten-fold increment in the 2PA active cross-section up to 2217 GM is achieved in pressed LIFM-114 compared with the 210 GM for pristine sample at 780 nm.

Molecular or supramolecular level photoluminescence (PL) modulation combining chemical and photonic input/output signals together in an integrated system can provide potential high-density data memorizing and process functions intended for miniaturized devices and machines. Herein, a PL-responsive supramolecular coordination cage has been demonstrated for complex interactions with redox-active guests. PL signals of the cage can be switched and modulated by adding or retracting Fc derivatives or converting TTF into different oxidation states through chemical or photochemical pathways. As a result, reversible or stepwise PL responses are displayed by these host-guest systems because of the occurrence of photoinduced electron-transfer (PET) or fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FREnT) processes, providing unique nanodevice models bearing off/on logic gates or memristor-like sequential memory and Boolean operation functions.

The workspace of parallel robot is limited, and the distribution characteristics of kinematics and force maneuverability are complex in the workspace. In addition, there are often operational singularities. The redundant actuation technology can not only overcome singularity problem of force maneuverability of parallel mechanism, but also eliminate the clearance of the mechanism, dynamically adjust the operating stiffness, realize the optimized operation of energy consumption, etc. In this paper, with the goal of realizing dexterous dynamic output control, the variable impedance control technology of redundantly actuated parallel robot based on operation space is studied. Compared with the traditional invariable impedance control, the variable impedance control can adapt to the change of unknown environment by time-varying controlling parameters, which provides the possibility to realize the polishing of complex curved surfaces and thin-walled parts, assembly task and improves the performance of the system and the machining quality of the parts. In order to avoid the influence of unmodeled errors and external interferences on the system, based on the sliding mode control (SMC) strategy, the variable impedance control (VIC) in the operating space of 4RRR redundantly actuated parallel robot (4RAPR) is proposed. The robust stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed and verified by Matlab programming simulation.

Tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells (TIDCs) are mostly immature and immunosuppressive, usually mediating immune inhibition. The utilization of cytosine-guanine oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODNs) to stimulate the activation of TIDCs has been demonstrated to be effective for improving antitumor immunity. However, a series of biological barriers has limited the efficacy of previous nanocarriers for delivering CpG to TIDCs. Herein, we developed a dual-sensitive dendrimer cluster-based nanoadjuvant for delivering CpG ODNs into TIDCs. We show that the tumor acidity triggers the rapid release of CpG conjugated polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers from the nanoadjuvant, thus facilitating its perfusion deep into tumors and phagocytosis by TIDCs. Thereafter, the reductive condition of the endolysosomes led to the subsequent release of CpG, which promotes the DCs activation and enhances antitumor immunotherapies. Programmable delivery of immune adjuvant efficiently overcomes the barriers for targeted delivery to TIDCs and provides a promising strategy for improving cancer immunotherapy.

This study explored the expression of BACE1 (β-amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1) in the rat carotid body and the effect of CIH (cyclic intermittent hypoxia) on the expression of BACE1. We found that BACE1 was expressed in the rat carotid body and located in the nerve endings and type II cells but not in type I cells. CIH reduced BACE1 level in the carotid body, and reoxygenation or ROS scavenger alleviated this reduction. Furthermore, we found that CIH augmented the mRNA level of PGC-1α but attenuated the mRNA level of BACE1 in the carotid body. Taken together, our results suggest that CIH promotes the production of ROS that upregulates the level of PGC-1α, which may in turn inhibits the transcription of BACE1, and that a reduction in the BACE1 level may be related to CIH-induced reversible and ROS-dependent carotid body plasticity. Our study provides a new candidate molecule for further study of the mechanism of carotid body plasticity.

Despite great progress, the development of anode materials with excellent properties for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) remains challenging. Rational design and synthesis of novel hybrid nanomaterials that synergistically integrate the structural/compositional advantages of their components provides exciting opportunities and solutions. Here, we demonstrate a dilute atmosphere pyrolysis strategy for the one-step synthesis of a new hybrid nanomaterial, CoO/C yolk–shell nanostructures (CoO/C YSNSs), from a Co-containing metal–organic framework precursor, ZIF-67. The CoO/C YSNSs integrate CoO and carbon into a unique hierarchical and quasi-homostructural architecture, in which both the yolk and shell comprise ultrafine CoO nanoparticles homogeneously embedded in highly porous, conductive and N-doped carbon. Benefiting from such structural and compositional features, CoO/C YSNSs deliver ultrahigh and stable lithium storage performances (retained capacity up to 1970 and 680 mA h g−1 even after 1000 charge/discharge cycles at a current density of 100 and 1000 mA g−1, respectively), and rank among the best cobalt oxide-based anode materials. The formation of CoO/C YSNSs is also investigated and attributed to two synergistic processes of dynamic redox competition and heterogeneous contraction. Our work provides new stimuli to the development of complex hybrid nanostructure-based advanced electrode materials for high-performance batteries.

Summary Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have intriguing and tunable photophysical properties owing to predesignable structures from well-defined metal and/or organic chromophores. We propose a one-pot two-step assembly strategy for engineering dual-functional coordination interspace where two kinds of organic linkers are segregated in predefined positions. This design endows the three-dimensional coordination framework with unidirectional deformation character, leading to an orientation-dependent and pressure-responsive photoluminescence color change. For the first time, unique piezofluorochromic anisotropism is achieved and can be accumulated stepwise and visualized by a metal-organic framework single crystal, providing a basic model for application in stimuli-responsive photoluminescence sensing, barcoding, signal switching, harvesting, and magnifying micro-devices.

Luminescent thermometers have attracted much attention, because of their fast response, high sensitivity, and noninvasive operation, relative to other traditional thermometers. The extensive studies on the temperature-dependent luminescent properties of Cu(I) complexes make this low-cost metal source a promising candidate as a component of thermometers. Herein, we prepared three luminescent phosphinine Cu(I) complexes whose emission lifetimes are precisely dependent on the temperature variations. For practical utilization, sensor films have been fabricated by doping these Cu(I) complexes into the matrices of polyacrylamide. These films not only exhibit excellent linear correlations between the temperature and emission lifetime over the wide range of 77-337 K, but also show high sensitivity (with the best one to -6.99 μs K-1). These are essential factors for the application in luminescent molecular thermometers. Moreover, the emission mechanism for these Cu(I) complexes are rationalized by the combination of experimental and theoretical results.

Nanoreactors constructed by encapsulation of catalytic species in hierarchically porous metal–organic framework (HPMOF) nanostructures have emerged as a type of promising catalysts that deliver enhanced conversion and excellent selectivity/stability. However, the controlled synthesis of small HPMOF nanocrystals with tunable size and nanostructures remains challenging. Here, by coupling external ultrasonication with the inherent binding competitions between the metal ions of bimetallic Co/Zn-ZIF, we design and develop a new strategy, dynamic growth, for the facile synthesis of small (down to ca. 95 nm), single-crystalline and structure-/size-tunable HPMOF nanocrystals through a one-pot, additive-free procedure. Benefiting from the combined structure/size regulation, nanoreactors based on our small nanocrystals of meso-HP-Co/Zn-ZIF-50% are able to deliver exceptional conversion while keeping their excellent selectivity and stability. Insights gained from this work opens a new avenue for the development of c...

A Co-MOF, [Co3(HL)2·4DMF·4H2O] was simply synthesized through a one-pot solvothermal method. With the semiconductor nature, its band gap was determined to be 2.95 eV by the Kubelka–Munk method. It is the first trinuclear Co-MOF employed for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and CO2 reduction with cobalt–oxygen clusters as catalytic nodes. Hydrogen evolution experiments indicated the activity was related to the photosensitizer, TEOA, solvents, and size of catalyst. After optimization, the best activity of H2 production was 1102 μmol/(g h) when catalyst was ground and then soaked in photosensitizer solution before photoreaction. To display the integrated design of Co-MOF, we used no additional photosensitizer and cocatalyst in the CO2 reduction system. When −NH2 was used for light absorption and a Co–O cluster was used as catalyst, Co-MOF exhibited an activity of 456.0 μmol/(g h). The photocatalytic mechanisms for hydrogen evolution and CO2 reduction were also proposed.

Creep damage of austenitic stainless steels was evaluated by Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) analysis of creep deformation induced grain lattice distortion in this research. Based on the existing work of plasticity characterization by EBSD misorientation parameters, we used the grain lattice distortion parameter “Grain Reference Orientation Deviation (GROD)” obtained from EBSD analysis to estimate the creep strain e creep of austenitic stainless steels by their linear correlation e creep = ( 7.2 ∙ GROD − 2.4 ) % independent of creep conditions (stress σ 0 & temperature T) and average grain size D Grain . Then the creep damage ratio (creep time fraction t / t r ) was further evaluated from the estimated creep strain e creep by constitutive equation describing the e creep ~ t / t r creep curve, which takes the influence of creep conditions ( σ 0 , T ) into consideration. Compared with the previous work, this research developed a quantitative creep damage evaluation model with EBSD misorientation parameter GROD as input, creep damage ratio t / t r as output, and creep conditions ( σ 0 , T ) as environmental parameters. The final accuracy of the creep damage ratio evaluated by this new model can reach up to ± 30%.

B cells exert multiple effector functions, and dysfunctions of B cells often lead to initiation and progression of diseases, including autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Therefore, B cell intervention may be an effective strategy to treat diseases involving B cells. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 gene editing system has been widely used for DNA deletion, insertion, and replacement. Nanocarriers have been developed as relatively mature systems and may be applied to deliver the CRISPR-Cas9 system to B cells in vivo. In this study, we created a library of nanoparticles (NPs) with different polyethylene glycol densities and zeta potentials and screened an optimal NP for in vivo B cell targeting. The selected NP could deliver the CRISPR-Cas9 system to B cells and induce Cas9 expression inside the cell environment. Injection of the NP encapsulated with Cas9/gB220 (NPCas9/gB220) into mice could disrupt B220 expression in B cells, suggestive of its applications to intervene the expression of the target molecule in B cells. Moreover, the treatment with NPCas9/gBAFFR could decrease the number of B cells and exert therapeutic effect in rheumatoid arthritis, as B-cell activating factor receptor (BAFFR) is vital for the survival and functions of B cells. In conclusion, we developed a carrier for the delivery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system for B cell intervention that could be used for the treatment of diseases related to B cell dysfunctions.

A bright blue emitting excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) molecule, 2-(4,5-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-4-chlorolphenol (HPICl) has been designed and synthesized, whose solvent-dependent PLQY is up to 0.53 in EtOH, and 0.46 as solid state. Fluorescence quenching experiments manifest the selective detection of picric acid (PA) and p-nitrophenol (p-NP) over other nitroaromatic explosive compounds, which is closely related with the presence of OH groups on these two molecules that affect the ESIPT-based luminescence character of HPICl.

Searching for highly active and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting, e.g., for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), is dominating in terms of bringing future renewable energy storage and conversion processes to reality. In this work, a kind of two-dimensional ultrathin manganese (Mn) doped polyhedral cobalt phosphide (Mn-CoP) has been synthesized via the etching-carbonization-phosphidation of Co-centered metal-organic frameworks. The as-prepared porous Mn-CoP nanosheets had a larger specific surface area and higher porosity, furnishing them with more plentiful catalytically active sites than their counterpart hollow CoP and Mn-CoP nanoparticles, and thus showed much better electrocatalytic activity for both HER and OER in acidic and alkaline media. In addition, the Mn-CoP nanosheets also demonstrated excellent durability after long-term operation. These high performances are attributed to the synergistic effects of the CoP nanosheets with intrinsic activity, the graphitic carbon and the controllable electronic structure doped by Mn and N elements. This synthetic methodology of using a classical MOF as a precursor to build a new 2D sheet-like composite may create opportunities to search for highly efficient and robust non-precious metal catalysts for energy-related reactions.

A facilely available zwitterionic ligand, 1,1′-(1,4-phenylenebis(methylene))dipyridin-4(1H)-one (PBPO), has been designed to bear intraligand charge transfer (ILCT) energy states. PBPO was used to assemble two series of Ln(III) complexes with either 2D (6,3)-hcb network (LIFM-24(Ln), Ln = Pr, Nd, and Sm), or 1D loop-and-chain (LIFM-25(Ln), Ln = Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb) polymeric structures, as determined by the radius of the lanthanide ions. Highly efficient photoluminescence (PL) in the visible to near-infrared (NIR) regions can be obtained in these Ln-complexes, due to the extended energy transfer from both the triplet and ILCT states of the zwitterionic ligand. Among these complexes, LIFM-24(Pr) and LIFM-25(Dy) display excitation-dependent color tunable luminescence and white-light emission based on the combination of ligand-centered (LC) and metallic-centered (MC) emissions. Uniquely, a strict linear relationship was established between the excitation wavelength and the emission CIE (Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage) coordinates in a wide color range (orange to blue for LIFM-24(Pr), and yellow to blue for LIFM-25(Dy)), thereby providing prototype models for programmable PL color tuning and white-light emission, which are rarely achievable in homometallic Ln-complexes.

Message RNA-based vaccines with prominent advantages such as facile production, no requirement for nuclear entry and high safety without the need for integration into host genome have been shown to be potent activators of the cytotoxic immune system. However, wider applications of mRNA-based therapeutics have been hindered because of their intrinsically high vulnerability to expressed nucleases and difficulty while entering antigen-presenting cells (APCs) directly. Here, we investigated the potential of cationic lipid-assisted nanoparticles (CLAN), which form a clinically translatable nucleic acid delivery system working as a carrier of an mRNA vaccine. We found that CLAN encapsulating mRNA encoding antigen could effectively stimulate the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and promote the activation and proliferation of antigen-specific T cells both in vitro and in vivo. Intravenous immunization of mice with CLAN containing mRNA encoding ovalbumin (OVA) provoked a strong OVA-specific T-cell response and slowed tumor growth in an aggressive E·G7-OVA lymphoma model. Collectively, CLAN proved to be a promising platform for mRNA vaccine delivery.

Tripodal ligand triCB-NTB (4,4′,4″-(2,2′,2″-nitrilotris(methylene)tris(1H-benzo[d]imidazole -2,1-diyl)tris(methylene))tribenzoic acid) was applied to assemble Pb(II) or Cd(II) coordination complexes, resulting in single-component near white light emission.

Glutamate and its receptors have been demonstrated to promote both basal and nicotine-evoked catecholamine release in bovine chromaffin cells. Multiple glutamate receptors, including metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), are found in the adrenal glands of several species, as well as in chromaffin cells. However, there is limited information available regarding the expression of glutamate metabotropic receptor (GRM)1-8 mRNAs and the detailed localization of group I mGluRs (mGluR1 and mGluR5) in the rat and human adrenal cortex and medulla. Therefore, we examined mRNA expression of GRM1-8 subunits using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the distribution of mGluR1 and mGluR5 by immunostaining. The results showed that the GRM1-8 mRNAs were expressed in both the cortex and medulla of rat and human adrenal glands with the exception of GRM1, which was not detectable in the rat adrenal cortex. Immunostaining of mGluR1 revealed that it was localized only in the adrenal medulla of rats but was present in both the adrenal cortex and medulla in humans. In the adrenal medulla, the central part of the adrenal glands, mGluR1 was detected in chromaffin cells but not in nerve fibers and ganglion cells. Immunoactivity of mGluR5 was visible in the capillary wall throughout the adrenal cortex and medulla in rat and human samples. Its immunoactivity was also observed in ganglion cells in the rat adrenal medulla. There was no mGluR5 immunoactivity detected in chromaffin cells and nerve fibers in the rat and human adrenal medulla. Using dissected rat adrenal medulla as a model, we found that treatment with a mGluR1 agonist activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and increased the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme of catecholamine synthesis. Moreover, these results showed that mGluR1 signaling was involved in hypoxia-induced upregulation of TH in the rat adrenal medulla. This study shows the expression of GRM1-8 mRNAs in rat and human adrenal glands and indicates that glutamate, through the activation of mGluRs, may play various physiological roles in the adrenal gland. Furthermore, mGluR1 may be involved in catecholamine biosynthesis by regulating TH, and mGluR5 may affect cortical and medullar hormone levels by regulating microvascular function.

A new Eu-MOF was designed from an amino-functionalized ligand and Eu(iii) ions under solvothermal conditions. It is a highly porous, water-stable, and luminescent material, exhibiting pH sensing in the acidic range of pH = 7-3 with selective detection for Cd

Near-infrared (NIR) luminescence detection of picric acid (PA) was achieved sensitively and selectively by using a nanosized Nd-III metal-organic cage (MOC) for the first time.

By anchoring lanthanide coordination monomers onto a PMMA polymer backbone via a pre-designed vinylbenzyl-substituted NTB-type ligand, we succeeded in the fabrication of homo or hetero Ln-metallopolymers that can emit tunable and designable multicoloured photoluminescence as well as white light emission. Copolymerization results in the fine-tuning of the energy state of the ligand in the metallopolymer compared with that in the coordination monomer, thereby changing the energy transfer efficiency to Eu3+ and Tb3+ centers in opposite ways. And further designing of hetero-lanthanide metallopolymers leads to additional energy transfer between Eu3+ and Tb3+, facilitating the generation of pure white light emission. In general, the facile and controllable synthesis procedure, versatile and reproducible combination of lanthanides, ligands and polymer backbones, and relatively high white light emitting luminous efficiency (>5%) prove this method to be promising in future lighting WPLED applications.