Search

Objective: Sex differences in outcomes of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) remain controversial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the sex differences in the prognosis of patients with aSAH. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of aSAH patients admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery of General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, from April 2020 to January 2022. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to evaluate outcomes at 3-month post-discharge. Baseline characteristics, in-hospital complications and outcomes were compared after 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM). Results: A total of 665 patients were included and the majority (63.8%) were female. Female patients were significantly older than male patients (59.3 ± 10.9 years vs. 55.1 ± 10.9 years, P < 0.001). After PSM, 141 male and 141 female patients were compared. Comparing postoperative complications and mRS scores, the incidence of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and hydrocephalus and mRS ≥ 2 at 3-month were significantly higher in female patients than in male patients. After adjustment, the analysis of risk factors for unfavorable prognosis at 3-month showed that age, sex, smoking, high Hunt Hess grade, high mFisher score, DCI, and hydrocephalus were independent risk factors. Conclusion: Female patients with aSAH have a worse prognosis than male patients, and this difference may be because females are more vulnerable to DCI and hydrocephalus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in consumers' awareness of healthy diet, the development of green foods has become a significant research direction for the modern food industry. Umami peptides, derived from the hydrolysis of natural proteins, which possess nutritional and functional properties. However, protein hydrolysates face many problems, such as a low amount of effective umami peptides, insufficient umami intensity and poor stability. Therefore, the article introduced different pathways to enhance the intensity of umami peptides, and emphatically illustrated the protection and controlled release of these peptides through encapsulation transport systems, including the development of umami peptides, encapsulation materials, methods, quality standards, and their release mechanisms. The review can provide a valuable reference for the development of umami peptides into new flavorings, which aligns with the future trends in the flavoring industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employed the foam scanning method to investigate the foam properties of erucamide propyl amine oxide under various conditions, including different concentrations, temperatures, mineralization levels, salts, polymers, and weak alkaline conditions. The study covered aspects such as foaming ability, foam stability, foam carrying liquid capacity, drainage rate, and foam morphology. The research results indicated that as the concentration of the surfactant increased, the foaming ability and foam-carrying liquid capacity of erucamide propyl amine oxide increased, while foam stability and drainage rate remained relatively stable. With an increase in temperature, the foaming ability, maximum carrying liquid capacity, and drainage speed gradually increased significantly, while foam stability slightly decreased. The maximum carrying liquid capacity and drainage speed of the system increased nearly nine-fold. Different levels of mineralization, salt, and sodium carbonate had little impact on the foaming ability and foam stability of the foam system but increased the foam carrying liquid capacity and drainage rate. At the same salt concentration, the magnesium chloride system exhibited better foaming ability and foam stability but lower carrying liquid capacity and drainage rate compared to the sodium chloride system. As the temperature increased, the number of foams initially increased and then decreased, and 55°C was identified as a critical point. With the increase of time, the number of small bubbles decreased, the size of the foam increased, and the size became more uniform. The number of bubbles with a radius greater than 0.1 mm was almost unchanged with temperature increased at 200 s after N2-blowing. Therefore, erucamide propyl amine oxide exhibited excellent foam properties and demonstrated good salt and weak alkaline resistance. However, it was significantly influenced by temperature and polymers. This work provided data support for its application in the fields of daily chemicals, agriculture, medicine, and energy. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For general nanoparticle-like gas-sensing materials, high dispersion, low agglomeration, and high active surface available for gas adsorption are highly desirable for achieving high sensing performance. Inspired from the distribution structure of olfactory cells of mice, this work describes a macroporous nanocomposite of polypyrrole/three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (PPy/3D-rGO) with biomimetic structure for highly sensitive application. The PPy/3D-rGO nanocomposite was prepared via in-situ chemical polymerization of sensitive PPy nanoparticles on the pore wall of rGO with 3D architecture. The 3D-rGO, pre-prepared by a facile hydrothermal reduction method, serves as 3D skeleton to provide solid support for sensitive PPy nanoparticles attachment. The as-formed nanocomposite displays loose 3D morphology and the fine PPy nanoparticles with high dispersion and low agglomeration distribute on the pore walls of 3D-rGO uniformly. The NH 3 -sensing properties of the PPy/3D-rGO nanocomposite and the single components were evaluated at room temperature. It is found that the bioinspired PPy/3D-rGO nanocomposite displays a 4–5 times enhancement in gas response compared with pure PPy and can rapidly response NH 3 with sub-ppm level. It also demonstrates good dynamic characteristic, satisfactory selectivity and stability for PPy/3D-rGO nanocomposite sensor. The enhanced sensing performances of PPy/3D-rGO nanocomposite are analyzed reasonably based on its unique microstructure and the effective nanocompositeization between rGO and PPy nanoparticles. Image 10437750 • Bioinspired PPy/3D-rGO nanocomposite for gas-sensing were reported. • 3D-rGO was prepared as a 3D skeleton to provide solid support for PPy attachment. • PPy attached on 3D-rGO displays features of high dispersion and low agglomeration. • The nanocomposite can rapidly response to sub-ppm NH 3 with enhanced response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Independent operation of single microgrids (MGs) faces problems such as low self-consumption of local renewable energy, high operation cost and frequent power exchange with the grid. Interconnecting multiple MGs as a multi-microgrid (MMG) is an effective way to improve operational and economic performance. However, ensuring the optimal collaborative operation of a MMG is a challenging problem, especially under disturbances of intermittent renewable energy. In this paper, the economic and collaborative operation of MMGs is formulated as a unit commitment problem to describe the discrete characteristics of energy transaction combinations among MGs. A two-stage adaptive robust optimization based collaborative operation approach for a residential MMG is constructed to derive the scheduling scheme which minimizes the MMG operating cost under the worst realization of uncertain PV output. Transformed by its KKT optimality conditions, the reformulated model is efficiently solved by a column-and-constraint generation (C&CG) method. Case studies verify the effectiveness of the proposed model and evaluate the benefits of energy transactions in MMGs. The results show that the developed MMG operation approach is able to minimize the daily MMG operating cost while mitigating the disturbances of uncertainty in renewable energy sources. Compared to the non-interactive model, the proposed model can not only reduce the MMG operating cost but also mitigate the frequent energy interaction between the MMG and the grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ramp-up the utilization of wind energy, the uncertainty of wind power needs to be properly addressed in its integration into the power grid. The main challenge is to well tackle the risk induced by the uncertain wind power generation in different operation stages of a wind farm. This paper studies a novel bi-level multi-timescale scheduling approach for accommodating the wind power uncertainty via a robust optimization formulation. Wind farm day-ahead and intra-day operations consider different scheduling timescales. A two-stage robust optimization model is developed to plan the day-ahead power generation commitments to the power grid. A multi-stage robust optimization model is proposed to refine intra-day wind farm operation instructions. The overall decision-making process aims to minimize the wind farm operational cost. The proposed models are solved by using computationally tractable optimization methods, which offer a desired performance guarantee. A comprehensive case study based on real datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed approach is carried out. Average cost reductions of 46.648% and 6.883% are achieved by comparing with the deterministic method and the static robust method, respectively. Results verify that the proposed method can provide optimal and robust wind farm operations schedules with a lower cost, higher flexibility, and less conservativeness. Results also demonstrate the feasibility of applying the proposed approach to the real-world wind farm and providing reliable operation guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Simultaneously scheduling power productions and maintenance activities of an offshore wind farm is studied. • A two-stage model is developed to offer different time-scale schedule of power productions and maintenance. • Uncertainty of wind power and tide conditions on scheduling is considered. • Robust schedules of the two-stage model tackle uncertainties while optimize operations and maintenance. This paper studies the model for scheduling both offshore wind farm maintenance tasks and power productions in consideration of their distinct scheduling timescales and the wind power uncertainty. A two-stage adaptive robust optimization model is formulated to derive the optimal schedule, which well handles wind turbine maintenance tasks and maximizes wind farm power productions by anticipating the worst wind power output scenario based on a wind power uncertainty set and a set of metocean conditions. In two decision stages, we schedule maintenance tasks daily and power productions hourly respectively. The proposed model is equivalently transformed to a form which can be efficiently solved by the column-and-constraint generation algorithm. Numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed model considering wind farms of different large sizes. Results show that the developed model can maximize the total power production of the wind farm and enhance the robustness of obtained maintenance schedules against the wind power uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platelet hyperreactivity contributes to the pathogenesis of COVID‐19, which is associated with a hypercoagulability state and thrombosis disorder. It has been demonstrated that Vitamin D deficiency is associated with the severity of COVID‐19 infection. Vitamin D supplement is widely used as a dietary supplement due to its safety and health benefits. In this study, we investigated the direct effects and underlying mechanisms of 1,25(OH)2D3 on platelet hyperreactivity induced by SRAS‐CoV‐2 spike protein via Western blot and platelet functional studies in vitro. Firstly, we found that 1,25(OH)2D3 attenuated platelet aggregation and Src‐mediated signaling. We further observed that 1,25(OH)2D3 attenuated spike protein‐potentiated platelet aggregation in vitro. Mechanistically, 1,25(OH)2D3 attenuated spike protein upregulated‐integrin αIIbβ3 outside‐in signaling such as platelet spreading and the phosphorylation of β3, c‐Src and Syk. Moreover, using PP2, the Src family kinase inhibitor to abolish spike protein‐stimulated platelet aggregation and integrin αIIbβ3 outside‐in signaling, the combination of PP2 and 1,25(OH)2D3 did not show additive inhibitory effects on spike protein‐potentiated platelet aggregation and the phosphorylation of β3, c‐Src and Syk. Thus, our data suggest that 1,25(OH)2D3 attenuates platelet aggregation potentiated by spike protein via downregulating integrin αIIbβ3 outside‐in signaling. Significance Statement: Platelets exhibit enhanced platelet function and play a crucial role in thrombotic disorders in patients with COVID‐19. Several studies also explore the positive effects of vitamin D supplement on COVID‐19. However, the antiplatelet effect of vitamin D on spike protein‐potentiated platelet hyperreactivity is still unknown. In this study, we have observed that 1,25(OH)2D3 could attenuate spike protein‐potentiated platelet aggregation via inhibiting integrin αIIbβ3 outside‐in signaling in vitro. This study revealed the effects and mechanisms of 1,25(OH)2D3 on spike protein‐potentiated platelet aggregation. However, Clinical trials are needed to further confirm this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type IV collagen is an integral component of basement membranes. Mutations in COL4A1, one of the key genes encoding Type IV collagen, can result in a variety of diseases. It is clear that a significant proportion of mutations that affect splicing can cause disease directly or contribute to the susceptibility or severity of disease. Here, we analyzed exonic mutations and intronic mutations described in the COL4A1 gene using bioinformatics programs and identified candidate mutations that may alter the normal splicing pattern through a minigene system. We identified seven variants that induce splicing alterations by disrupting normal splice sites, creating new ones, or altering splice regulatory elements. These mutations are predicted to impact protein function. Our results help in the correct molecular characterization of variants in COL4A1 and may help develop more personalized treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solved the energy dispatch problem for multi-stakeholder MMGs under uncertainty. • Proposed a robust distributed optimization based MMGs energy dispatch approach. • Designed a hierarchical dispatch framework to aggregate and coordinate energy trading. • Mitigated the disturbances of uncertainties in distributed decision making of stakeholders. • Realized parallel computing for energy dispatch optimization problems for all stakeholders. This paper addresses the energy dispatch problem for multi-stakeholder multiple microgrids (MMGs) under uncertainty while considering independent market operators (IMOs) based energy trading forms. Firstly, a collaborative hierarchical dispatch framework is proposed to adapt to decentralized multiple stakeholders and coordinate energy trading between IMOs and microgrids (MGs). And then this framework is further decomposed into different independent optimization problems for stakeholders based on an analytical target cascading (ATC) algorithm, in which Lagrangian penalty terms are introduced to ensure consistency in energy trading. In these optimization problems, energy trading and production of an individual MG is formulated as a two-stage adaptive robust optimization model to hedge against uncertainties from random renewable energy sources and loads. Moreover, in order to realize parallel computing for all independent optimization problems, a diagonal quadratic approximation method is applied to linearize quadratic terms. We integrate the ATC algorithm with a column-and-constraint generation algorithm to derive robust energy dispatch schemes in parallel. Finally, simulations on different cases are conducted to testify the rationality and validity of the proposed robust distributed energy dispatch approach. The results show that the hierarchical energy dispatch framework with IMOs has advantages over that without IMOs. Moreover, the proposed approach can reduce the impacts of uncertainties on distributed decision making of multiple stakeholder and enhance the computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purine rich element binding protein A (Purα), encoded by the Purα gene, is an important transcriptional regulator that binds to DNA and RNA and is involved in processes such as DNA replication and RNA translation. Purα also plays an important role in the nervous system. To identify the function of Pura, we performed RNA sequence (RNA-seq) analysis of Purɑ-KO mouse hippocampal neuron cell line (HT22) to analyze the effect of Purα deletion on neuronal expression profiles. And combined with ChIP-seq analysis to explore the mechanism of Purα on gene regulation. In the end, totaly 656 differentially expressed genes between HT22 and Purα-KO HT22 cells have been found, which include 7 Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related genes and 5 Aβ clearance related genes. 47 genes were regulated by Purα directly, the evidence based on CHIP-seq, which include Insr, Mapt, Vldlr, Jag1, etc. Our study provides the important informations of Purα in neuro-development. The possible regulative effects of Purα on AD-related genes consist inthe direct and indirect pathways of Purα in the pathogenesis of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data-driven predictions of wind turbine power outputs have received numerous discussions with using turbine data from the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system itself. It is of a high curiosity on studying the feasibility of extending the prediction capability with additionally considering data of other sources and the data-driven modeling principle of doing so. To respond such problem and introduce more innovative prediction techniques, this paper presents a pioneering attempt of studying a two-channel deep network modeling method for wind power predictions which leverage both the wind farm data and farm geoinformation. Novelty can be profiled as follows: 1) To accommodate multi-source data in the input, a new high-dimensional input form of two components, a tensor and a graph, is developed; 2) To advance predictions with such input, a deep graph attention convolutional recurrent (GACR) method, which develops one novel deep network channel with stacking multiple graph convolution and long short term memory (GCN-LSTM) layers for engineering high-level latent features from high-dimensional inputs and another classical feature selection channel for directly engaging valuable wind turbine attributes, is proposed. Comprehensive computational experiments are conducted to verify the value of such modeling development by comparing it with a set of competitive benchmarking models. An ablation study is also conducted to explain the necessity and value of network modules in the proposed method. A new state-of-the-art prediction performance is achieved. • A deep learning wind power prediction method leveraging multi-source data is developed. • A double channel feature engineering is developed for parallel latent feature learning and raw feature selection. • A graph attention convolutional recurrent network is designed for more accurate wind power predictions. • A new state-of-the-art short-term wind power prediction performance is achieved by our proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of extensively used photocatalysts, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) can generate free radicals under proper light irradiation, thereby achieving excellent antibacterial performance. However, the requirement of using light activation has limited its application to wider fields. In addition, nano-copper (Cu NPs) have gradually attracted the attention of researchers due to their excellent antibacterial properties. However, the high surface activity of nanoparticles makes them easy to agglomerate, and Cu NPs are easily oxidized, which affect the antibacterial activity. By synthesizing Cu–ZnO composite nanoparticles and loading the particles onto low melting-point polyethylene terephthalate (LMPET) fibers, we have developed a novel catalytic fiber (Cu–ZnO@LMPET) that can generate active species without needing light. It was found that Cu–ZnO@LMPET fibers with the copper content of 5 wt% (vs. ZnO NPs) or above could achieve 99% antibacterial effects on S. aureus and E. coli under dark conditions. Moreover, the antibacterial rates against E. coli and S. aureus could still be larger than 97 and 98%, respectively, even if the fibers were washed 50 times. In-vitro biocompatibility assessment also displayed that the as-prepared fibers had superb cytocompatibility. These results indicate that our developed fibers have highly efficient antibacterial properties, good washing resistance and high stability. Thus, our work has shed new light on the use of Cu–ZnO NPs for antibacterial purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve better economic and environmental benefits of microgrids (MGs) under multiple uncertainties in renewable energy resources and loads, a novel energy production scheduling method is proposed based on robust multi-objective optimization with minimax criterion. Firstly, a mixed integer minimax multi-objective formulation is developed to capture uncertainties as well as minimize economic and environmental objectives. Secondly, the primal problem is decomposed into a bi-level optimization problem, which attempts to seek robust scheduling scheme set under the worst-case realization of uncertainties in a multi-objective framework. Finally, a hierarchical meta-heuristic solution strategy, including multi-objective cross entropy algorithm and δ+ indicator, is designed to solve the reconstructed problem. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed scheduling method can effectively attenuate the disturbance of uncertainties as well as reduce energy costs and emissions, as compared with single-objective robust optimization and multi-objective optimization scheduling approaches. This study could offer useful insights which help decision-makers balance robustness and comprehensive benefits in the operation of MGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platelet hyperreactivity and oxidative stress are the important causes of thrombotic disorders in patients with COVID-19. Oxidative stress, induced by the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), could increase platelet function and the risk of thrombus formation. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), exhibits strong antioxidative activity and anti-platelet effect. However, the effects and mechanisms of CoQ10 on attenuating platelet aggregation induced by spike protein have never been studied. This study aims to investigate whether the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein potentiates human platelet function via ROS signaling and the protective effect of CoQ10 in vitro. Using a series of platelet function assays, we found that spike protein potentiated platelet aggregation and oxidative stress, such as ROS level, mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, and lipid damage level (MDA and 8-iso-PGF2α) in vitro. Furthermore, CoQ10 attenuated platelet aggregation induced by spike protein. As an anti-platelet mechanism, we showed that CoQ10 significantly decreased the excess production of ROS induced by spike protein. Our findings show that the protective effect of CoQ10 on spike protein-potentiated platelet aggregation is probably associated with its strong antioxidative ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The paper adopted a green and environmentally friendly methyl ester method to synthesize three new N-myristyol aromatic amino acid surfactants with aromatic ring. • The surface/interface property, foam property, emulsification property and decontamination property were studied and compared with N-lauryl amino acid sodium. • The paper can provide the key directions on the research and application of amino acid surfactant in related fields. In this paper, three N-myristyol amino acid surfactants were synthesized by methyl myristate method. The structures were characterized by MS, FTIR and 1HNMR. The surface/interface, foam, emulsification and decontamination property were studied and compared with N-lauryol amino acid sodium. The results showed that the order of foam property was SMTr > SMTy > SMP, the order of emulsification was SMP > SMTr > SMTy. The presence of phenolic hydroxyl group and indolyl group, surface/interfacial and foam property increased and emulsification property decreased. N-myristyol amino acid sodium had better surface/interface, emulsification and foam property, while the decontamination property was lower than that of N-lauryol amino acid sodium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We constructed the SCN1A knockdown cell model using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. • We found that many genes have changed in the SCN1A knockout cell line. • The glycolytic metabolism of cells was impaired after SCN1A knockdown. • The spliceosome is closely related to the pathogenesis of Dravet syndrome. Abstract Dravet syndrome (DS) is a disease that is primarily caused by the inactivation of the SCN1A-encoded voltage-gated sodium channel alpha subunit (Nav1.1). In this study, we constructed an SCN1A gene knockout model using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology to deprive the Nav1.1 function in vitro. With mRNA-seq analysis we found abundant gene changes after SCN1A knockout, which associated with various signaling pathways, such as cancer pathways, the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, the MAPK signaling pathway, and pathways involved in HTLV-I infection. We also noticed changes in the spliceosome, decreased glycolytic capacity, disturbances in calcium signaling pathways, and changes in the potassium, sodium, chloride, and calcium plasma channels after SCN1A knockout. In this study, we have been the first time to discover these changes and summarize them here and hope it would provide some clue for the study of Nav1.1 in the nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Electrospun fiber-based composite membrane with interconnected porous structure has drawn significant attention for application in lithium-ion battery (LIB) owing to its high ion transportation. Here, we report a facile approach to fabricate the hierarchically micro/nanostructured ultrathin SiO 2 -PAN skin layer on the PAN-PU fibrous membrane surface via electrospinning and sequential electrospraying techniques. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of the micro/nanostructure and the superior electrolyte affinity of the SiO 2 -PAN skin layer, the as-prepared SiO 2 -PAN@PAN-PU membrane demonstrates the decreased pore size (1.18 μm), enhanced ionic conductivity (1.4 mS cm−1) and robust electrochemical stability up to 5.08 V. Moreover, the introduction of skin layer endows the as-prepared SiO 2 -PAN@PAN-PU membrane with improved stress strength (15.7 MPa) and excellent thermostability of 200 °C. Compared with the PAN-PU and Celgard membranes, the dual-layer micro/nanostructured SiO 2 -PAN@PAN-PU fibrous membrane based Li/LiFePO 4 cell assembled with high mass-loading LiFePO 4 demonstrates a more stable cycling lifetime with a high discharge capacity (107.4 mAh g−1 at the 105th cycles) and higher rate capability (75.2 mAh g−1 at 1 C). The strategy using electrospraying technique demonstrated in this work will open the door to narrow fibrous membrane pore size and enhance ionic conductivity for potential application in the high-power LIB. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • Introduction of SiO 2 -PAN decreased pore size & possibility of internal shorting. • Synergetic effect of SiO 2, PAN, PU improved ionic conductivity and thermostability. • A facile way to tune pore structure of electrospun nanofibers was proposed. • SiO 2 -PAN@PAN-PU nanofibers based cell exhibited high stability and rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As some of the most promising alternatives to traditional non-degradable materials, photodegradable materials have advantages of environmental benignity and rapid degradation under simple conditions. In this work, nontoxic TiO 2 and cost-effective g-C 3 N 4 have been compounded in a weight of 9:1 to form a photocatalytic additive with high activity. A 25 wt% loading of this photocatalytic additive has been incorporated into the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) by centrifugal electrospinning to prepare an abiotic degradable PAN material. Our results showed that the PAN chain could be almost fully degraded within 90 h in an aqueous medium under simulated sunlight in the absence of microorganisms. Product analysis implied that degradation of the PAN chain mainly involved the breaking of –CN and C–C bonds by radicals, followed by oxidation of terminal groups to carboxyl and gradual mineralization to CO 2 and H 2 O. This design strategy may provide new insight for the production and degradation mechanism of photodegradable polymer. [Display omitted] • A PAN material can be abiotic biodegraded completely under sunlight. • The heterojunction structure of TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 greatly improved photocatalytic activity. • A new opinion to solve microplastic pollution in water environment is proposed. • The photodegradation mechanism of PAN is systematically analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The peroxymonosulfate-based advanced oxidation process (PMS-AOP) is widely studied as a powerful technology for organic pollutants degradation in wastewater. In this paper, an inventive one-step method utilizing potassium persulfate (KPS) as an oxidizing agent was put forward to prepare metal-free carboxyl modified graphite phase carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 (KPS)), which was applied to significantly activate PMS for the degradation of organic compound carbamazepine (CBZ) under solar radiation. Without strong acids and organic solvents, the process was considered green, low-cost, and facile. The characterizations showed that g-C 3 N 4 (KPS) was successfully doped with carboxyl groups on g-C 3 N 4. Besides, •OH, 1O 2 , •O 2 − and h+ were generated in the photocatalytic system of g-C 3 N 4 (KPS)/PMS. As a result, a possible CBZ photocatalytic degradation pathway was proposed. This work not only discovered a novel method of activating PMS but also offered valuable insights for the preparation of efficient metal-free catalysts for wastewater environmental governance. [Display omitted] The carboxyl-modified g-C 3 N 4 prepared by a novel one-step method could efficiently activate PMS under solar radiation. The photogenerated electron-hole pairs of g-C 3 N 4 (KPS) were effectively separated to enhance the ability of organic pollutants degradation. g-C 3 N 4 (KPS) exhibited excellent cyclability in wastewater containing a variety of anions and a wide pH range. The catalytic mechanism of g-C 3 N 4 (KPS)/PMS/solar radiation system was proposed, and •OH, 1O 2 , •O 2 −, h+ were the main active species of the catalytic system. A possible photocatalytic degradation process of CBZ was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical behavior of resveratrol was studied in Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer solution (pH = 4.0) at glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using cyclic voltammetry (CV). Resveratrol showed an irreversible anodic peak at 0.570 V which was involving one electron and one proton. Also, the interaction of resveratrol with double-stranded fish sperm DNA was investigated by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and UV-vis spectra. The results showed that peak potentials shifted to more positive value and peak currents decreased in electrochemical experiment and the maximum absorption decreased with red shift in UV-vis spectra experiment with the addition of DNA, indicating the resveratrol interacted with DNA by intercalating into the double helix of DNA. Besides, the binding of resveratrol with DNA, analyzed in terms of the cooperative Hill model, yields the association constant Ka = 3.18 × 105 and a Hill coefficient m = 1.06. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The development of Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been associated with the balance of Th17 and Treg cells. IL-2 and rapamycin can influence the populations of both Th17 and Treg cells. However, it is unclear whether low dose of IL-2 and rapamycin can relieve the symptoms of SLE patients and what is the mechanisms. In this study, we aim to analyze the effect of low dose of IL-2 plus rapamycin on the number of Tregs, Th17 cells and the ratio of Th17/Treg cells, as well as to evaluate its therapeutic efficacy in refractory SLE patients. Result: Fifty refractory SLE patients and 70 healthy controls were enrolled and followed up for 24 weeks. We found that compared with HC, the refractory SLE patients had a lower number of Tregs, a similar number of Th17 cells, but an increased ratio of Th17/Treg. After the treatment, the number of Tregs of the patients at 12th and 24th week was significantly increased. While the number of Th17 cells was unchanged, the ratio of Th17/Treg was significantly decreased at both 6 weeks and 24 weeks. After 6, 12 and 24 weeks of treatment, the SLEDAI score was significantly reduced. The prednison dosage at 6th,12th and 24th week post treatment was significantly decreased. Conclusion: Our results support that the reduction of Tregs and the imbalance of Th17/Treg cells were correlated with the occurrence and development of refractory SLE. Low dose of IL-2 combined with rapamycin was able to restore the number of Tregs and the balance of Th17/Treg cells. As a result, this approach was able to induce immune tolerance and promote disease remission, allowing for the reduction in prednisone dosage. Trial registration: ChiCTR-IPR-16009451 Registration date: 2016/10/16 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]