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Abstract The human methyltransferase and transcriptional coactivator MLL4 and its paralog MLL3 are frequently mutated in cancer. MLL4 and MLL3 monomethylate histone H3K4 and contain a set of uncharacterized PHD fingers. Here, we report a novel function of the PHD2 and PHD3 (PHD2/3) fingers of MLL4 and MLL3 that bind to ASXL2, a component of the Polycomb repressive H2AK119 deubiquitinase (PR-DUB) complex. The structure of MLL4 PHD2/3 in complex with the MLL-binding helix (MBH) of ASXL2 and mutational analyses reveal the molecular mechanism which is conserved in homologous ASXL1 and ASXL3. The native interaction of the Trithorax MLL3/4 complexes with the PR-DUB complex in vivo depends solely on MBH of ASXL1/2, coupling the two histone modifying activities. ChIP-seq analysis in embryonic stem cells demonstrates that MBH of ASXL1/2 is required for the deubiquitinase BAP1 recruitment to MLL4-bound active enhancers. Our findings suggest an ASXL1/2-dependent functional link between the MLL3/4 and PR-DUB complexes.

Hericium erinaceus mycelium extract (HEM), containing erinacine A (HeA) and erinacine S (HeS), has shown promise in promoting the differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) into mature oligodendrocytes (OLs), crucial for myelin production in the central nervous system (CNS). The main aim of this study was to characterize the protective effects of HEM and its components on OLs and myelin in demyelinating rodents by exposure to cuprizone (CPZ), a copper chelating agent commonly used to induce demyelination in the corpus callosum of the brain. Rats were fed by CPZ-containing diet and simultaneously orally administered HEM, HeA, or HeS on a daily basis for three weeks. We found that HEM and HeS preserved myelin and OLs in the corpus callosum of CPZ-fed rats, along with reduced microglia and astrocyte activation, and downregulated IL-1β expression. Furthermore, post-treatment with HeS, in mouse models with acute (6 weeks) or chronic (12 weeks) CPZ-induced demyelination demonstrated oral administration during the final 4 weeks (HeS4/6 or HeS4/12) effectively preserved myelin in the corpus callosum. Additionally, HeS4/6 and HeS4/12 inhibited anxious and depressive-like behaviors in CPZ-fed mice. In summary, simultaneous administration of HEM and HeS in rats during short-term CPZ intoxication preserved OLs and myelin. Furthermore, post-administration of HeS not only inhibited demyelination and gliosis but also alleviated anxiety and depression in both acute and chronic CPZ-fed mice. This study presents compelling evidence supporting the potential of HeS as a promising small active compound for protecting OLs and preserving myelin in demyelinating diseases associated with emotional disorders.

Biomaterials possess extraordinary properties due to intricate structures on the microscale. Learning from these microstructures is critical for the design of high-performance materials with multiple functions. However, explicit modeling of the microstructures is not always feasible. This study developed a deep generative network with a self-attention mechanism to generate three-dimensional (3D) bioinspired microstructures. The robustness of the model was first checked by generating a series of gyroids, a mathematically well-defined microstructure, which showed excellent consistency with the desired structures. The model was then applied to the microstructure of the elk antlers, which are complex and cannot be directly expressed mathematically. The results showed that the model also performs well in complex, ill-defined biological materials. The model learned the inherent patterns, generating different structures with similar geometric features. This study demonstrates the potential of using Transformer-based deep generative models that can be used to generate novel 3D microstructures from limited high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography data.

Abstract Background In recent years, several studies have demonstrated that stress hyperglycemia is significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In the present study, we aimed to investigate the potential associations between various markers of stress hyperglycemia, such as admission blood glucose (ABG), fasting blood sugar (FBS), and stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) with different definitions, and the occurrence of adverse cardiovascular events in patients diagnosed with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods Our study enrolled a total of 1099 patients diagnosed with STEMI who underwent PCI from 2016 to 2021. The primary outcomes of this study were in-hospital death and all-cause mortality. Results Stress hyperglycemia was associated with a higher incidence of in-hospital death (ABG OR: 1.27 95% CI 1.19–1.36; FBS OR: 1.25 95% CI 1.16–1.35; SHR1 OR: 1.61 95% CI 1.21–2.14; SHR2 OR: 1.57, 95%CI 1.22–2.01; SHR3 OR: 1.59, 95%CI 1.24–2.05) and all-cause mortality (ABG HR: 1.10, 95% CI 1.07–1.14; FBS HR: 1.12, 95 CI 1.07–1.17; SHR1 HR: 1.19 95% CI 1.03–1.39; SHR2 HR: 1.28, 95%CI 1.14–1.44; SHR3 HR: 1.29, 95%CI 1.14–1.45) after adjusting for ischemic time, age, gender, BMI, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus (DM), current smoking history, chronic kidney disease (CKD), previous history of coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), stroke, cancer, culprit vessel, multi-vessel disease. These associations exhibited a non-linear, J-shaped pattern, wherein the risk significantly increased when the ABG and FBS levels exceeded 5mmol/L. Moreover, the inflection point for SHR was estimated to be 1.2. Conclusions Stress hyperglycemia was significantly associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death and all-cause mortality in STEMI patients treated with PCI. Stress hyperglycemia should be considered a high-risk prognostic marker in all STEMI patients, regardless of with or without diabetes.

An efficient carbon material was prepared using hydrothermal carbonization of birch-wood chips in the water under elevated pressure, subsequent chemical activation, and doping with nitrogen. The obtained catalyst had a large specific surface area of 2431 m2 g−1 and a high nitrogen content of 4.60 at.%. Most of the nitrogen was in the pyridinic-N (57.61 at.%) form. The synthesized material exhibits excellent electro-catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction with an onset potential of 0.9 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode, showing the 4e− electrons transfer path in 0.1 M KOH solution.

Abstract Background Machine Learning is increasingly used to predict rehabilitation outcomes in stroke in the context of precision rehabilitation and patient-centered care. However, predictors for patient-centered outcome measures for activities and participation in stroke rehabilitation requires further investigation. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed data collected for our previous studies from 124 participants. Machine Learning models were built to predict postintervention improvement of patient-reported outcome measures of daily activities (i.e, the Motor Activity Log and the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living) and participation (i.e, the Activities of Daily Living domain of the Stroke Impact Scale). Three groups of 18 potential predictors were included: patient demographics, stroke characteristics, and baseline assessment scores that encompass all three domains under the framework of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. For each target variable, classification models were built with four algorithms, logistic regression, k-nearest neighbors, support vector machine, and random forest, and with all 18 potential predictors and the most important predictors identified by feature selection. Results Predictors for the four target variables partially overlapped. For all target variables, their own baseline scores were among the most important predictors. Upper-limb motor function and selected demographic and stroke characteristics were also among the important predictors across the target variables. For the four target variables, prediction accuracies of the best-performing models with 18 features ranged between 0.72 and 0.96. Those of the best-performing models with fewer features ranged between 0.72 and 0.84. Conclusions Our findings support the feasibility of using Machine Learning for the prediction of stroke rehabilitation outcomes. The study was the first to use Machine Learning to identify important predictors for postintervention improvement on four patient-reported outcome measures of activities and participation in chronic stroke. The study contributes to precision rehabilitation and patient-centered care, and the findings may provide insights into the identification of patients that are likely to benefit from stroke rehabilitation.

An integrated automatic optical inspection (iAOI) system with a procedure was proposed for a printed circuit board (PCB) production line, in which pattern distortions and performance deviations appear with process variations. The iAOI system was demonstrated in a module comprising a camera and lens, showing improved supportiveness for commercially available hardware. The iAOI procedure was realized in a serial workflow of image registration, threshold setting, image gradient, marker alignment, and geometric transformation; furthermore, five operations with numerous functions were prepared for image processing. In addition to the system and procedure, a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays sequential image operation results with analyzed characteristics was established for simplicity. To demonstrate its effectiveness, self-complementary Archimedean spiral antenna (SCASA) samples fabricated via standard PCB fabrication and intentional pattern distortions were demonstrated. The results indicated that, compared with other existing methods, the proposed iAOI system and procedure provide unified and standard operations with efficiency, which result in scientific and unambiguous judgments on pattern quality. Furthermore, we showed that when an appropriate artificial intelligence model is ready, the electromagnetic characteristic projection for SCASAs can be simply obtained through the GUI.

One new compound with an isoindolinone skeleton, along with erinacines A, C, and S, was isolated from the mycelia of Hericium erinaceus, an edible fungus with a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. Based on analysis of MS and NMR spectral data, the structure of the compound was identified as (2E,6E)-8-(2-(1-carboxy-3-methylbutyl)-4,6-dihydroxy-1-oxoisoindolin-5-yl)-2,6-dimethylocta-2,6-dienoic acid. In light of this discovery, we have given this compound the name erinacerin W. Using a co-culture in vitro LPS-activated BV2 microglia-induced SH-SY5Y neuroinflammation model, the results showed that erinacerin W demonstrated protection against the LPS-activated BV-2 cell-induced overexpression of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α on SH-SY5Y cells. This finding may provide potential therapeutic approaches for central nervous disorders.

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) predominantly affects preterm infants, particularly very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants weighing

In the present study, unmodified nitrogen-doped carbon material (N-doped C) and modified with copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) nitrogen-doped carbon material (Cu-N-doped C) have been synthesized using wood biomass as a carbon precursor, dicyandiamide as a nitrogen precursor, and anhydrous copper acetate as the precursor of Cu. The morphology, structure, and chemical composition of the obtained materials have been analyzed by performing nitrogen sorption experiments and described using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning-electron microscopy (SEM). The electrocatalytic performance of N-doped C and Cu-N-doped C materials has been evaluated for the electro-reduction of oxygen (ORR) in alkaline media using linear scan voltammetry (LSV) and the rotating disk and ring-disk electrode (RDE and RRDE) methods.It has been determined that the nitrogen-doped carbon material and that modified with CuNPs have been synthesized with graphene-like structures and especially high specific surface areas of 2631 m2 g−1 and 2243 m2 g−1, respectively. The onset potential (Eonset) and half-wave (E1/2) potential values are approximately 0.921 V and 0.828 V, respectively, for the N-doped carbon with the loading of 0.0889 mgcat cm−2 and 0.975 V and 0.843 V, respectively, for Cu–N-doped carbon (0.4044 mgcat cm−2), comparable with the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

ObjectiveNon-invasive methods for hemoglobin (Hb) monitoring can provide additional and relatively precise information between invasive measurements of Hb to help doctors' decision-making. We aimed to develop a new method for Hb monitoring based on mask R-CNN and MobileNetV3 with eye images as input.MethodsSurgical patients from our center were enrolled. After image acquisition and pre-processing, the eye images, the manually selected palpebral conjunctiva, and features extracted, respectively, from the two kinds of images were used as inputs. A combination of feature engineering and regression, solely MobileNetV3, and a combination of mask R-CNN and MobileNetV3 were applied for model development. The model's performance was evaluated using metrics such as R2, explained variance score (EVS), and mean absolute error (MAE).ResultsA total of 1,065 original images were analyzed. The model's performance based on the combination of mask R-CNN and MobileNetV3 using the eye images achieved an R2, EVS, and MAE of 0.503 (95% CI, 0.499–0.507), 0.518 (95% CI, 0.515–0.522) and 1.6 g/dL (95% CI, 1.6–1.6 g/dL), which was similar to that based on MobileNetV3 using the manually selected palpebral conjunctiva images (R2: 0.509, EVS:0.516, MAE:1.6 g/dL).ConclusionWe developed a new and automatic method for Hb monitoring to help medical staffs' decision-making with high efficiency, especially in cases of disaster rescue, casualty transport, and so on.

Abstract Background Dynamic prediction of patient mortality risk in the ICU with time series data is limited due to high dimensionality, uncertainty in sampling intervals, and other issues. A new deep learning method, temporal convolution network (TCN), makes it possible to deal with complex clinical time series data in ICU. We aimed to develop and validate it to predict mortality risk using time series data from MIMIC III dataset. Methods A total of 21,139 records of ICU stays were analysed and 17 physiological variables from the MIMIC III dataset were used to predict mortality risk. Then we compared the model performance of the attention-based TCN with that of traditional artificial intelligence (AI) methods. Results The area under receiver operating characteristic (AUCROC) and area under precision-recall curve (AUC-PR) of attention-based TCN for predicting the mortality risk 48 h after ICU admission were 0.837 (0.824 -0.850) and 0.454, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of attention-based TCN were 67.1% and 82.6%, respectively, compared to the traditional AI method, which had a low sensitivity (

We herein report two cases involving children who died of influenza A (H3N2) virus infection-associated encephalopathy/encephalitis (IAE). Both children developed convulsions and impaired consciousness within a relatively short period and eventually died of brainstem failure. Patient 1 presented with high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Laboratory tests indicated persistently high lactate, alanine aminotransferase, and urea nitrogen concentrations in the blood as well as a high protein concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid. Patient 2 presented with persistent hyperthermia and progressive disturbance of consciousness, but the cerebrospinal fluid remained normal during the disease course. Both patients were actively given oseltamivir antiviral treatment after diagnosis of influenza virus infection. However, the disease progressed and invasive mechanical ventilation was performed. Both children’s condition quickly progressed to IAE, and they eventually died. IAE is a rare complication of influenza virus infection with high mortality, and its pathogenesis remains unclear. The purpose of this report is to draw attention to the serious central nervous system complications of influenza infection and raise awareness of the fatal consequences of this disease among pediatricians.

IntroductionPerioperative critical events will affect the quality of medical services and threaten the safety of patients. Using scientific methods to evaluate the perioperative risk of critical illness is of great significance for improving the quality of medical services and ensuring the safety of patients.MethodAt present, the traditional scoring system is mainly used to predict the score of critical illness, which is mainly dependent on the judgment of doctors. The result is affected by doctors' knowledge and experience, and the accuracy is difficult to guarantee and has a serious lag. Besides, the statistical prediction method based on pure data type do not make use of the patient's diagnostic text information and cannot identify comprehensive risk factor. Therefore, this paper combines the text features extracted by deep neural network with the pure numerical type features extracted by XGBOOST to propose a deep neural decision gradient boosting model. Supervised learning was used to train the risk prediction model to analyze the occurrence of critical illness during the perioperative period for early warning.ResultsWe evaluated the proposed methods based on the real data of critical illness patients in one hospital from 2014 to 2018. The results showed that the critical disease risk prediction model based on multiple modes had faster convergence rate and better performance than the risk prediction model based on text data and pure data type.DiscussionBased on the machine learning method and multi-modal data of patients, this paper built a prediction model for critical adverse events in patients, so that the risk of critical events can be predicted for any patient directly based on the preoperative and intraoperative characteristic data. At present, this work only classifies and predicts the occurrence of critical illness during or after operation based on the preoperative examination data of patients, but does not discuss the specific time when the patient was critical illness, which is also the direction of our future work.

IL-22 induces IL-18 expression by intestinal epithelial cells. Authors show here that IL-18 is a key barrier maintenance factor during adherent-invasive E. coli invasion, inducing expression of anti-microbial genes in Paneth cells via Stat3, prompting IFNγ expression in T cells and triggering intestinal Lgr5+ stem cell expansion via Tcf4.

This study presents a deep learning-based speech signal-processing mobile application known as CITISEN. The CITISEN can perform three functions: speech enhancement (SE), model adaptation (MA), and background noise conversion (BNC), which allow CITISEN to be used as a platform for utilizing and evaluating SE models and flexibly extend the models to address various noise environments and users. For SE, CITISEN downloads pretrained SE models on the cloud server and then uses these models to effectively reduce noise components from prerecordings or instant recordings provided by users. When it encounters noisy speech signals with unknown speakers or noise types, the MA function allows CITISEN to improve the SE performance effectively. A few audio files of unseen speakers or noise types are recorded and uploaded to the cloud server and then used to adapt the pretrained SE model. Finally, for BNC, CITISEN removes the original background noise using an SE model and then mixes the processed speech signal with new background noise. The novel BNC function can evaluate SE performance under specific conditions, cover people’s tracks, and provide entertainment. The experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of SE, MA, and BNC functions. Compared with the noisy speech signals, the enhanced speech signals by SE achieved about 6% and 33% of improvements, respectively, in terms of short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) and perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ). With MA, the STOI and PESQ could be further improved by approximately 6% and 11%, respectively. Note that the SE model and MA method are not limited to the ones described in this study and can be replaced with any SE model and MA method. Finally, the BNC experiment results indicated that the speech signals of original and converted backgrounds have a close scene identification accuracy and similar embeddings in an acoustic scene classification model. Therefore, the proposed BNC can effectively convert the background noise of a speech signal and be a data augmentation method when clean speech signals are unavailable.

Computer-assisted surgery (CAS) has occupied an important position in modern surgery, further stimulating the progress of methodology and technology. In recent years, a large number of computer vision-based methods have been widely used in surgical workflow recognition tasks. For training the models, a lot of annotated data are necessary. However, the annotation of surgical data requires expert knowledge and thus becomes difficult and time-consuming. In this paper, we focus on the problem of data deficiency and propose a knowledge transfer learning method based on artificial neural network to compensate a small amount of labeled training data. To solve this problem, we propose an unsupervised method for pre-training a Convolutional-De-Convolutional (CDC) neural network for sequencing surgical workflow frames, which performs neural convolution in space (for semantic abstraction) and neural de-convolution in time (for frame level resolution) simultaneously. Specifically, through neural convolution transfer learning, we only fine-tuned the CDC neural network to classify the surgical phase. We performed some experiments for validating the model, and it showed that the proposed model can effectively extract the surgical feature and determine the surgical phase. The accuracy (Acc), recall, precision (Pres) of our model reached 91.4, 78.9, and 82.5%, respectively.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a very large dsDNA virus. The accepted shape of the WSSV virion has been as ellipsoidal, with a tail-like extension. However, due to the scarcity of reliable references, the pathogenesis and morphogenesis of WSSV are not well understood. Here, we used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cryogenic electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) to address some knowledge gaps. We concluded that mature WSSV virions with a stout oval-like shape do not have tail-like extensions. Furthermore, there were two distinct ends in WSSV nucleocapsids: a portal cap and a closed base. A C14 symmetric structure of the WSSV nucleocapsid was also proposed, according to our Cryo-EM map. Immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) revealed that VP664 proteins, the main components of the 14 assembly units, form a ring-like architecture. Moreover, WSSV nucleocapsids were also observed to undergo unique helical dissociation. Based on these new results, we propose a novel morphogenetic pathway of WSSV.

BackgroundVenoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) has been increasingly used in patients with refractory cardiogenic shock (CS) or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. It is difficult to perform VA-ECMO weaning, which may cause circulatory failure and death. Levosimendan is an effective inotropic agent used to maintain cardiac output, has a long-lasting effect, and may have the potential benefit for VA-ECMO weaning. The study aimed to explore the relationship between the early use of levosimendan and the rate of VA-ECMO weaning failure in patients on VA-ECMO support for circulatory failure.MethodsAll patients who underwent VA-ECMO in our hospital for CS between January 2017 and December 2020 were recruited in this cohort study and divided into two groups: without and with levosimendan use. Levosimendan was used as an add-on to other inotropic agents as early as possible after VA-ECMO setting. The primary endpoint was VA-ECMO weaning success, which was defined as survival without events for 24 h after VA-ECMO withdrawl. The secondary outcomes were cardiovascular and all-cause mortality at the 30-day and 180-day follow-up periods post-VA-ECMO initialization.ResultsA total of 159 patients were recruited for our study; 113 patients were enrolled in the without levosimendan-use group and 46 patients were enrolled in the levosimendan-use group. In levosimendan-use group, the patients received levosimendan infusion within 24 h after VA-ECMO initialization. Similar hemodynamic parameters were noted between the two groups. Poorer left ventricular ejection fraction and a higher prevalence of intra-aortic balloon pumping were observed in the levosimendan group. An improved weaning rate (without vs. with: 48.7 vs. 82.6%; p < 0.001), lower in-hospital mortality rate (without vs. with: 68.1 vs. 43.5%; p = 0.007), and 180-day cardiovascular mortality (without vs. with: 75.3 vs. 43.2%; p < 0.001) were also noted. Patients administered with levosimendan also presented a lower rate of 30-day (without vs. with: 75.3 vs. 41.3%; p = 0.034) and 180-day (without vs. with: 77.0 vs. 43.2%; p < 0.001) all-cause mortality.ConclusionEarly levosimendan administration may contribute to increasing the success rate of VA-ECMO weaning and may help to decrease CV and all-cause mortality.

Abstract Parahydrogen-induced polarization of 13C nuclei by side-arm hydrogenation (PHIP-SAH) for [1-13C]acetate and [1-13C]pyruvate esters with application of PH-INEPT-type pulse sequences for 1H to 13C polarization transfer is reported, and its efficiency is compared with that of polarization transfer based on magnetic field cycling (MFC). The pulse-sequence transfer approach may have its merits in some applications because the entire hyperpolarization procedure is implemented directly in an NMR or MRI instrument, whereas MFC requires a controlled field variation at low magnetic fields. Optimization of the PH-INEPT-type transfer sequences resulted in 13C polarization values of 0.66 ± 0.04% and 0.19 ± 0.02% for allyl [1-13C]pyruvate and ethyl [1-13C]acetate, respectively, which is lower than the corresponding polarization levels obtained with MFC for 1H to 13C polarization transfer (3.95 ± 0.05% and 0.65 ± 0.05% for allyl [1-13C]pyruvate and ethyl [1-13C]acetate, respectively). Nevertheless, a significant 13C NMR signal enhancement with respect to thermal polarization allowed us to perform 13C MR imaging of both biologically relevant hyperpolarized molecules which can be used to produce useful contrast agents for the in vivo imaging applications.

Abstract Oligodendrocytes (OLs), myelin-producing glia in the central nervous system (CNS), produce a myelin extension that enwraps axons to facilitate action potential propagation. An effective approach to induce oligodendrogenesis and myelination is important to foster CNS development and promote myelin repair in neurological diseases. Hericium (H.) erinaceus, an edible and culinary-medicinal mushroom, has been characterized as having neuroprotective activities. However, its effect on OL differentiation has not yet been uncovered. In this study using oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) cultures and an ex vivo cerebellar slice system, we found that the extract from H. erinaceus mycelium (HEM) not only promoted the differentiation of OPCs to OLs in the differentiation medium, but also increased the level of myelin basic protein (MBP) on neuronal fibers. Moreover, daily oral administration of HEM into neonatal rat pups for 7 days enhanced MBP expression and OLs in the corpus callosum of the postnatal rat brain. The effect of HEM-derived bioactive compounds, the diterpenoid xylosides erinacine A (HeA) and HeC and a sesterterpene with 5 isoprene units called HeS, were further evaluated. The results showed that HeA and HeS more potently stimulated MBP expression in OLs and increased the number of OLs. Moreover, overlap between MBP immunoreactivity and neuronal fibers in cultured cerebellar tissue slices was significantly increased in the presence of HeA and HeS. In summary, our findings indicate that HEM extract and its ingredients HeA and HeS display promising functional effects and promote OL maturation, providing insights into their potential for myelination in neurodevelopmental disorders.

(1) Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a significant health burden worldwide. This study aimed to determine the potentials of Refametinib, an orally bioavailable selective MEK1/2 inhibitor, to increase the effectiveness of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), a common cytotoxic drug, in the SCC4 cell line. (2) Methods: SCC4 cells were treated with increasing concentrations of 5-FU, either alone or in combination with Refametinib. The chemosensitivity to treatment was assessed via cell viability assay, microscopic observation, colony formation assay, and detection of apoptotic markers using Western blotting. The whole-cell expression and surface expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), an immune checkpoint protein which contributes to chemoresistance and affects treatment response, were also determined using Western blotting and flow cytometry, respectively. (3) Results: The combined treatment suppressed cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis in a more potent way than 5-FU treatment alone did. Additionally, MEK/ERK inhibition mitigated 5-FU-induced PD-L1 upregulation. (4) Conclusions: This is the first report of an enhanced anticancer effect and reduced PD-L1 expression for the combination of 5-FU with Refametinib in OSCC, suggesting a new promising combination strategy.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Background/purpose: Treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) has entered a new era since the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Numerous clinical trials have shown that treatment response as well as tolerability of DAAs are superior to those of conventional therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. However, the results of clinical trials may not be directly applied to real-world practice. Therefore our study tried to investigate the effectiveness of various DAA regimens in Taiwanese patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods: We performed a retrospective study on 400 CHC patients. The primary endpoint was undetectable HCV RNA (an HCV RNA level of

Abstract Background Pneumococcus is one of the most common human airway pathogens that causes life-threatening infections. Ambient fine particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) is known to significantly contribute to respiratory diseases. PM2.5-induced airway inflammation may decrease innate immune defenses against bacterial infection. However, there is currently limited information available regarding the effect of PM2.5 exposure on molecular interactions between pneumococcus and macrophages. Results PM2.5 exposure hampered macrophage functions, including phagocytosis and proinflammatory cytokine production, in response to pneumococcal infection. In a PM2.5-exposed pneumococcus-infected mouse model, PM2.5 subverted the pulmonary immune response and caused leukocyte infiltration. Further, PM2.5 exposure suppressed the levels of CXCL10 and its receptor, CXCR3, by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways. Conclusions The effect of PM2.5 exposure on macrophage activity enhances pneumococcal infectivity and aggravates pulmonary pathogenesis.

Objectives: We compared the outcomes between percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) for revascularization in patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF) and severe coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: Between February 2006 and February 2020, a total of 797 patients received coronary angiograms due to left ventricular EF ≤ 40% at our hospital. After excluding diagnoses of dilated cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, prior CABG, acute ST-segment myocardial infarction, and CAD with low Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score (≤22), 181 patients with severe coronary artery disease (CAD) with SYNTAX score >22 underwent CABG or PCI for revascularization. Vascular characteristics as well as echocardiographic data were compared between CABG (n = 58) and PCI (n = 123) groups. Results: A younger age (62 ± 9.0 vs. 66 ± 12.1; p = 0.016), higher new EuroSCORE II (8.6 ± 7.3 vs. 3.2 ± 2.0; p < 0.001), and higher SYNTAX score (40.5 ± 9.8 vs. 35.4 ± 8.3; p < 0.001) were noted in the CABG group compared to those in the PCI group. The CABG group had a significantly higher cardiovascular mortality rate at 1-year (19.6% vs. 5.0%, p = 0.005) and 3-year (25.0% vs. 11.4%, p = 0.027) follow-ups but a lower incidence of heart failure (HF) hospitalization at 1-year (11.1% vs. 28.2%, p = 0.023) and 3-year (3.6% vs. 42.5%, p = 0.001) follow-ups compared to those of the PCI group. Conclusions: Compared with PCI, revascularization with CABG was related to a lower incidence of HF hospitalization but a worse survival outcome in patients with severe CAD and reduced EF. CABG-associated reduction in HF hospitalization was more notable when SYNTAX score ≥33.

This proof-of-concept study looked at the feasibility of using a thiol–water proton exchange (i.e., CEST) MRI contrast to detect in vivo hepatic N-acetylcysteine (NAC) uptake. The feasibility of detecting NAC-induced glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis using CEST MRI was also investigated. The detectability of the GSH amide and NAC thiol CEST effect at B0 = 7 T was determined in phantom experiments and simulations. C57BL/6 mice were injected intravenously (IV) with 50 g L−1 NAC in PBS (pH 7) during MRI acquisition. The dynamic magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) and partial Z-spectral data were generated from the acquisition of measurements of the upfield NAC thiol and downfield GSH amide CEST effects in the liver. The 1H-NMR spectroscopy on aqueous mouse liver extracts, post-NAC-injection, was performed to verify hepatic NAC uptake. The dynamic MTR and partial Z-spectral data revealed a significant attenuation of the mouse liver MR signal when a saturation pulse was applied at −2.7 ppm (i.e., NAC thiol proton resonance) after the IV injection of the NAC solution. The 1H-NMR data revealed the presence of hepatic NAC, which coincided strongly with the increased upfield MTR in the dynamic CEST data, providing strong evidence that hepatic NAC uptake was detected. However, this MTR enhancement was attributed to a combination of NAC thiol CEST and some other upfield MT-generating mechanism(s) to be identified in future studies. The detection of hepatic GSH via its amide CEST MRI contrast was inconclusive based on the current results.

Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) refers to congenital heart diseases (CHD) with reversal flow associated with increased pulmonary pressure and irreversible pulmonary vascular remodeling. Previous reports showed limited therapeutic strategies in ES. In this study, 5 ES patients (2 males and 3 females), who had been followed regularly at our institution from 2010 to 2019, were retrospectively reviewed. We adopted an add-on combination of sildenafil, bosentan, and iloprost and collected the clinical characteristics and outcomes as well as findings of echocardiography, computed tomography, pulmonary perfusion-ventilation scans, positron emission tomography, and biomarkers. The age of diagnosis in these ES patients ranged from 23 to 54 years (38.2 ± 11.1 years; mean ± standard deviation), and they were followed for 7 to 17 years. Their mean pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance index were 56.4 ± 11.3 mmHg and 24.7 ± 8.5 WU.m2, respectively. Intrapulmonary arterial thrombosis was found in 4 patients, ischemic stroke was noted in 2 patients, and increased glucose uptake of the right ventricle was observed in 4 patients. No patient mortality was seen within 5 years of follow-up. Subsequently, 2 patients died of right ventricular failure, 1 died of sepsis related to brain abscess, and another died of sudden death. The life span of these patients was 44–62 years. Although these patients showed longer survival, the beneficial data on specific-target pharmacologic interventions in ES is still preliminary. Thus, larger trials are warranted, and the study of cardiac remodeling in ES from various CHD should be explored.

Exploring the representational effect of tourism, this study examines factors that influence perceptions that Chinese outbound tourists are representatives or de facto ambassadors of the Chinese government advancing its national objectives abroad. The paper finds that the Chinese government is ambivalent, and at times inconsistent about endowing individual tourists with the responsibility to serve as its de facto ambassadors. In addition, the paper argues that the role of tourism in China’s bilateral relations with South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe influence general perceptions among bureaucrats and elites in the three countries that Chinese outbound tourists are representatives of the Chinese government. Keywords: Outbound Tourism, Tourists, Representation, China, Bilateral Relations

Journal of China and International Relations, Aalborg University. Volume 7, Issue 1. 2019

Objectives: This study investigated how different concentrations of doxorubicin (DOX) can affect the function of cardiac cells. This study also examined whether activation of prokineticin receptor (PKR)-1 by a nonpeptide agonist, IS20, prevents DOX-induced cardiovascular toxicity in mouse models. Background: High prevalence of heart failure during and following cancer treatments remains a subject of intense research and therapeutic interest. Methods: This study used cultured cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells (ECs), and epicardium-derived progenitor cells (EDPCs) for in vitro assays, tumor-bearing models, and acute and chronic toxicity mouse models for in vivo assays. Results: Brief exposure to cardiomyocytes with high-dose DOX increased the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by inhibiting a detoxification mechanism via stabilization of cytoplasmic nuclear factor, erythroid 2. Prolonged exposure to medium-dose DOX induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes, ECs, and EDPCs. However, low-dose DOX promoted functional defects without inducing apoptosis in EDPCs and ECs. IS20 alleviated detrimental effects of DOX in cardiac cells by activating the serin threonin protein kinase B (Akt) or mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Genetic or pharmacological inactivation of PKR1 subdues these effects of IS20. In a chronic mouse model of DOX cardiotoxicity, IS20 normalized an elevated serum marker of cardiotoxicity and vascular and EDPC deficits, attenuated apoptosis and fibrosis, and improved the survival rate and cardiac function. IS20 did not interfere with the cytotoxicity or antitumor effects of DOX in breast cancer lines or in a mouse model of breast cancer, but it did attenuate the decreases in left ventricular diastolic volume induced by acute DOX treatment. Conclusions: This study identified the molecular and cellular signature of dose-dependent, DOX-mediated cardiotoxicity and provided evidence that PKR-1 is a promising target to combat cardiotoxicity of cancer treatments.

In the paper, we present and design a self-restored wavelength multiplexing division passive optical network (WDM-PON) configuration to prevent the fiber failure and data disconnection. Here, the new remote node (RN) and optical network unit (ONU) are proposed in the fiber network to provide the protection behavior to increase the network reliability and flexibility. Moreover, the network performances of WDM signals are also analyzed and discussed.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an age-related disorder that affects the joints and causes functional disability. Hericium erinaceus is a large edible mushroom with several known medicinal functions. However, the therapeutic effects of H. erinaceus in OA are unknown. In this study, data from Sprague-Dawley rats with knee OA induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) indicated that H. erinaceus mycelium improves ACLT-induced weight-bearing asymmetry and minimizes pain. ACLT-induced increases in articular cartilage degradation and bone erosion were significantly reduced by treatment with H. erinaceus mycelium. In addition, H. erinaceus mycelium reduced the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α in OA cartilage and synovium. H. erinaceus mycelium shows promise as a functional food in the treatment of OA.

Air pollution in cities is a severe and worrying problem because it causes threats to economic development and health. Furthermore, with the development of industry and technology, rapid population growth, and the massive expansion of cities, the total amount of pollution emissions continue to increase. Hence, observing and predicting the air quality index (AQI), which measures fatal pollutants to humans, has become more and more critical in recent years. However, there are insufficient air quality monitoring stations for AQI observation because the construction and maintenance costs are too high. In addition, finding an available and suitable place for monitoring stations in cities with high population density is difficult. This study proposes a spatial-temporal model to predict the long-term AQI in a city without monitoring stations. Our model calculates the spatial-temporal correlation between station and region using an attention mechanism and leverages the distance information between all existing monitoring stations and target regions to enhance the effectiveness of the attention structure. Furthermore, we design a hybrid predictor that can effectively combine the time-dependent and time-independent predictors using the dynamic weighted sum. Finally, the experimental results show that the proposed model outperforms all the baseline models. In addition, the ablation study confirms the effectiveness of the proposed structures.

Background: Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO), first mentioned in 1901, is a severe and rare chronic lung disease in children. BO has various etiologies and the most common in children is post-infectious BO (PIBO). High resolution CT (HRCT) is an often-used image tool for the diagnosis of BO, and pulmonary scintigraphy is an alternative tool that can functionally evaluate BO. Recently, dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) have also been applied to BO for its accuracy and safety. Here we described the characteristics of HRCT, pulmonary scintigraphy, DECT, and the clinical profiles of patients with PIBO.Methods: This is a retrospective and descriptive study. Data were collected from patients diagnosed with PIBO from 2014 to 2019 in the Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Outpatient Clinics of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital. The diagnosis was based on clinical, chest X-ray, and HRCT findings. Clinical profile, radiological characteristics, and images of pulmonary scintigraphy were documented.Results: Eight children (4 boys and 4 girls) were diagnosed with PIBO at a mean age of 25.8 months (range 15 to 41 months). Two of our patients developed pulmonary hypertension. The most common HRCT finding is mosaic pattern, where match ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) defects is a general feature in pulmonary scintigraphy. DECT pulmonary blood vasculature images revealed various degrees of decreased perfusion and is compatible with the decreased perfusion on pulmonary scintigraphy.Conclusion: The therapeutic strategy of PIBO is still lacking of standardization. HRCT and V/Q scans are important image tools in diagnosis and follow-up of BO. DECT may be used in BO patients as it has no additional radiation exposure and add value on functional information of HRCT.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) is closely correlated with respiratory diseases. Microbiota plays a key role in maintaining body homeostasis including regulation of host immune status and metabolism. As reported recently, PM2.5 exposure causes microbiota dysbiosis and thus promotes disease progression. However, whether PM2.5 alters pulmonary microbiota distribution and aggravates bacteria-induced pathogenesis remains unknown. In this study, we used mouse experimental models of PM2.5 exposure combined with Streptococcus pneumonia infection. We characterized the airway microbiota of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) by sequencing the 16S rRNA V3–V4 amplicon on the Illumina MiSeq platform, followed by a combination of bioinformatics and statistical analyses. Shannon-diversity index, observed ASVs, and Fisher’s diversity index indicated that microbiota richness was significantly decreased in the mice treated with either PM2.5 or pneumococcus when compared with the control group. The genera Streptococcus, Prevotella, Leptotrichia, and Granulicatella were remarkably increased in mice exposed to PM2.5 combined with pneumococcal infection as compared to mice with pneumococcal infection alone. Histopathological examination exhibited that a more pronounced inflammation was present in lungs of mice treated with PM2.5 and pneumococcus than that in mouse groups exposed to either PM2.5 or pneumococcal infection alone. Our results demonstrate that PM2.5 alters the microbiota composition, thereby enhancing susceptibility to pneumococcal infection and exacerbating lung pathogenesis.

To alleviate the impact of fake news on our society, predicting the popularity of fake news posts on social media is a crucial problem worthy of study. However, most related studies on fake news emphasize detection only. In this paper, we focus on the issue of fake news influence prediction, i.e., inferring how popular a fake news post might become on social platforms. To achieve our goal, we propose a comprehensive framework, MUFFLE, which captures multi-modal dynamics by encoding the representation of news-related social networks, user characteristics, and content in text. The attention mechanism developed in the model can provide explainability for social or psychological analysis. To examine the effectiveness of MUFFLE, we conducted extensive experiments on real-world datasets. The experimental results show that our proposed method outperforms both state-of-the-art methods of popularity prediction and machine-based baselines in top-k NDCG and hit rate. Through the experiments, we also analyze the feature importance for predicting fake news influence via the explainability provided by MUFFLE.

Metabolite identification, in the early stage, for compound discovery is necessary to assess the knowledge for the pharmaceutical improvement of drug safety and efficacy. Even if the drug has been released into the market, identification and continuous evaluation of the metabolites are required to avoid the risk of post-marketing withdrawal. Hericium erinaceus (HE), a medicinal mushroom, has broadly documented nutraceutical benefits, including anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, anti-aging, hypolipidemic, and gastric mucosal protection effects. Recently, erinacine A has been reported as the main natural bioactive compound in the mycelium of HE for functional food development. In neurological studies, the consumption of enrinacine A enriched HE mycelium demonstrates its significant nutraceutical effects in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and ischemic stroke. For the first time, we explored the metabolic process of erinacine A molecule and identified its metabolites from the rat and human liver S9 fraction. Using a liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometer for quantitative analysis, we observed that 75.44% of erinacine A was metabolized within 60 min in rat, and 32.34% of erinacine A was metabolized within 120 min in human S9. Using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS) to identify the metabolites of erinacine A, five common metabolites were identified, and their possible structures were evaluated. Understanding the metabolic process of erinacine A and establishing its metabolite profile database will help promote the nutraceutical application and discovery of related biomarkers in the future.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of three H. erinaceus mycelia (EAHE) capsules (350 mg/capsule; containing 5 mg/g erinacine A active ingredient) per day for the treatment of patients with mild Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).MethodsThis study comprised a 3-week no-drug screening period, followed by a 49-week double-blind treatment period with 2-parallel groups in which eligible patients were randomized to either three 5 mg/g EAHE mycelia capsules per day or identical appearing placebo capsules. Cognitive assessments, ophthalmic examinations, biomarker collection, and neuroimaging were followed throughout the study period.ResultsAfter 49 weeks of EAHE intervention, a significant decrease in Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument score was noted in the placebo group, a significant improvement in Mini-Mental State Examination score was observed in the EAHE group and a significant Instrumental Activities of Daily Living score difference were found between the two groups. In addition, EAHE group achieved a significantly better contrast sensitivity when compared to the placebo group. Moreover, only the placebo group observed significantly lowered biomarkers such as calcium, albumin, apolipoprotein E4, hemoglobin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor and significantly elevated alpha1-antichymotrypsin and amyloid-beta peptide 1–40 over the study period. Using diffusion tensor imaging, the mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values from the arcuate fasciculus region in the dominant hemisphere significantly increased in the placebo group while no significant difference was found in the EAHE group in comparison to their baselines. Moreover, ADC values from the parahippocampal cingulum region in the dominant hemisphere significantly decreased in the EAHE group whereas no significant difference was found in the placebo group when compared to their baselines. Lastly, except for four subjects who dropped out of the study due to abdominal discomfort, nausea, and skin rash, no other adverse events were reported.ConclusionThree 350 mg/g EAHE capsules intervention for 49 weeks demonstrated higher CASI, MMSE, and IADL scores and achieved a better contrast sensitivity in patients with mild AD when compared to the placebo group, suggesting that EAHE is safe, well-tolerated, and may be important in achieving neurocognitive benefits.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04065061.

Exploring the representational effect of tourism, this study examines factors that influence perceptions that Chinese outbound tourists are representatives or de facto ambassadors of the Chinese government advancing its national objectives abroad. The paper finds that the Chinese government is ambivalent, and at times inconsistent about endowing individual tourists with the responsibility to serve as its de facto ambassadors. In addition, the paper argues that the role of tourism in China’s bilateral relations with South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe influence general perceptions among bureaucrats and elites in the three countries that Chinese outbound tourists are representatives of the Chinese government. Keywords: Outbound Tourism, Tourists, Representation, China, Bilateral Relations

We developed a new probe, Gd-DO3A-Am-PBA, for imaging tumors. Our results showed active targeting of Gd-DO3A-Am-PBA to sialic acid (SA) moieties, with increased cellular labeling in vitro and enhanced tumor accumulation and retention in vivo, compared to the commercial Gadovist. The effectiveness of our newly synthesized probe lies in its adequate retention phase, which is expected to provide a suitable time window for tumor diagnosis and a faster renal clearance, which will reduce toxicity risks when translated to clinics. Hence, this study can be extended to other tumor types that express SA on their surface. Targeting and MR imaging of any type of tumors can also be achieved by conjugating the newly synthesized contrast agent with specific antibodies. This study thus opens new avenues for drug delivery and tumor diagnosis via imaging.

A series of PtRu/carbon black catalysts were prepared by means of deposition-precipitation and reduced by various reducing agents. NaBH4, HCHO and NaH2PO2, respectively, were used as the reduction agents. Some of the samples were reduced by various amounts of NaH2PO2 to investigate the effects of P/Pt ratios on the characteristics and activity of the catalyst. These catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The components of these catalysts were detected by X-ray fluorescence, X-ray photoelectron microscopy, and extended X-ray absorption of fine structures (EXAFS). The methanol oxidation ability of the catalysts was tested by cyclic voltammetry measurement. The results show that NaH2PO2 could effectively reduce the particle size of PtRu metal. It can suppress the growth of metal particles. In addition, the P/Pt ratio is crucial. The catalyst reduced by NaH2PO2 with a P/Pt ratio of 1.2 had the highest activity among all catalysts. It had the higher Pt and Ru metal contents and smaller metal particle size than the other catalysts. Its activity was 253.12 A/g, which is higher that than the commercial catalyst (Johnson Matthey H10100, 251.32 A/g).

Recurrent primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a troublesome problem and a major concern for the patients. This study examined whether nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) expression in alveolar type I pneumocytes was associated with the clinical manifestations of PSP patients including disease recurrence. Eighty-eight PSP patients who were managed with needlescopic video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (NVATS) were included in this study. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was assessed to determine Nrf2 expression in resected lung tissues and the results were correlated with clinicopathological characteristics by the chi-square or the Fisher's exact test. The prognostic value of Nrf2 for overall recurrence was evaluated by univariate and multivariable Cox regression model. The expression of Nrf2 was observed in type I pneumocytes of lung tissues from PSP patients by IHC. We found that low Nrf2 expression in PSP patients, especially in young (age ≤ 20, p = 0.033) and body mass index (BMI) ≥18 kg/m2 (p = 0.019) groups, was significantly correlated with PSP recurrence. In the univariate and multivariate analyses, high Nrf2 expression was a significant protective factor for overall recurrence in PSP patients (univariate: p = 0.026; multivariate: p = 0.004). The expression level of Nrf2 in alveolar type I pneumocytes was a potential factor involved in PSP recurrence. Our findings suggest that elevated Nrf2 expression in PSP patients may be a promising way for reducing PSP recurrence.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of reaction temperature on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 with Pd and Cu cocatalysts. N2 sorption, transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the specific surface area, pore volume, pore size, morphology and metal distribution of the catalysts. The photocatalytic destruction of methylene blue under UV light irradiation was used to test its activity. The concentration of methylene blue in water was determined by UV-vis spectrophotometer. Pd/TiO2 catalyst was more active than Cu/TiO2 and TiO2. At 0–50 °C reaction temperature, the activity of TiO2 and Pd/TiO2 increased with an increase of reaction temperature. When the temperature was as high as 70 °C, the reaction rate of TiO2 drop slightly and Pd/TiO2 became less effective. In contrast, Cu/TiO2 was more active at room temperature than the other temperatures. The results indicate that the photocatalytic activity of the catalyst is influenced by the reaction temperature and the type of cocatalyst. When the reaction temperature is higher than 70 °C, the recombination of charge carriers will increase. The temperature range of 50–80 °C is regarded as the ideal temperature for effective photolysis of organic matter. The effects of reaction temperature mainly influence quantum effect, i.e., electron-hole separation and recombination.

In this study, high-surface-area carbon black is used to support PtRu. In order to increase the functional groups on the surface of carbon black and to have a more homogenous dispersed PtRu metal, the surface of carbon black is functionalized by H2O2. PtRu/carbon black is synthesized by the deposition–precipitation method. NaH2PO2 is used as the reducing agent in preparation. These catalysts are characterized by N2 sorption, temperature-programmed desorption, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The methanol oxidation ability of the catalyst is tested by cyclic voltammetry measurement. Using H2O2 to modify carbon black can increase the amount of functional groups on the surface, thereby increasing the metal dispersion and decreasing metal particle size. NaH2PO2 as a reducing agent can suppress the growth of metal particles. The best modified carbon black catalyst is the one modified with 30% H2O2. The methanol oxidation activity of the catalyst is mainly related to the particle size of PtRu metal, instead of the surface area and conductivity of carbon black. The PtRu catalyst supported by this modified carbon black has very high activity, with an activity reaching 309.5 A/g.

Nano-gold catalyst has been reported to have high activity and selectivity for liquid phase hydrogenation reaction. In this study, gold-containing bimetals were loaded on TiO2. For bimetallic catalysts, gold and different metals were prepared by the deposition-precipitation method, and then used NaBH4 to reduce metal cations. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The catalytic properties of these catalysts were tested by hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene (p-CNB) in a batch reactor at 1.1 MPa H2 pressure, 373 K and 500 rpm. Cu, Ag, Ru, and Pd formed nano-alloy with Au. In addition, Cu–Au, Ag–Au, and Ru–Au alloy had Cu-, Ag-, and Ru-enriched surface, respectively. Instead, Pd–Au alloy had Pd-enriched surface. There are two kinds of alloy effects: (1) geometric effects, i.e., the surface-enriched metal would change the distance of Au–Au atoms that is required for facilitating the hydrogenation of chloronitrobenzene; and (2) electronic effects, which involve charge transfer between the metals. The activity decreased in the following order: PdAu/TiO2 > Au/TiO2 > NiAu/TiO2 > AgAu/TiO2 > RuAu/TiO2 > CuAu/TiO2. Comparing with other metals, adding Pd in Au showed a higher activity. Adding palladium could reduce gold-valence state, and increased active sites for reaction.