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A hybrid material, Ca/Mg-MOF/polyamidoxime (Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO), was synthesized and tested for uranium(VI) uptake in solution. The structure and performance of Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO were comprehensively investigated. Adsorption experiments demonstrated that Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO exhibited an extraordinary saturation capacity of 579.5 mg/g for uranium (VI) at pH = 8, surpassing that of most other adsorbents. The adsorption process of Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO on uranium (VI) conformed to Langmuir and PSO models, suggesting chemical rate control and monolayer adsorption, respectively. Furthermore, Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO displayed excellent adsorption-desorption recovery performance for uranium (VI). Its high adsorption capacity and efficient recoverability position Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO as a material with great potential for extracting uranium (VI) from aqueous media. The Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO was synthesized by the integration of polyamide oxime (PAO) into the Ca/Mg-MOF framework. Adsorption experiments demonstrated that Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO exhibited an extraordinary saturation capacity of 579.5 mg/g for uranium(VI) at pH = 8. The main mechanism involves not only the complexing reaction between uranium(VI) and Ca/Mg-OH but also more chelating effect between uranium(VI) and amidoxime groups. [Display omitted] • Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO was synthesized by a facile method. • Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO shows high efficiency uranium (VI) adsorption performance. • The uranium (VI) removal mechanism of Ca/Mg-MOF/PAO was studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Amidoxime grafted polyacrylonitrile (PAN-AO) was constructed. • The maximum iodine capture capacity of PAN-AO reached 1534.4 mg/g. • The introduction of amidoxime enhanced the thermal stability and porosity of PAN. • The mechanism between PAN-AO and iodine was revealed. The exploration of effective gaseous iodine adsorbents is an interesting and challenging task in the field of radwaste disposal. In this study, amidoxime groups (AO) were successfully grafted onto polyacrylonitrile to obtain amidoxime grafted polyacrylonitrile (PAN-AO) for capturing gaseous iodine. The results of the combined characterization analysis have confirmed that the introduction of AO greatly improved its thermostability, porosity and available functional groups of PAN. The impacts of reaction time, iodine concentration and reaction heat on the uptake capacity for gaseous iodine were systematically studied. The PAN-AO exhibited higher iodine capture capacity (1534.4 mg/g) than PAN (72.1 mg/g) at 80 °C and 600 min, which was ascribed to the chemical reaction between electron-rich AO groups and electron-deficient iodine molecules. The studies of kinetic fitting and activation energy (E a = 44.11 kJ/mol) further confirmed that chemical adsorption was the major fashion during the whole uptake process of PAN-AO for iodine. Besides, PAN-AO still had an iodine uptake capacity of 704.4 mg/g after five recycling, manifesting the remarkable cycle performance of PAN-AO. In brief, this study offered a new reference for radioactive iodine uptake and the synthesized PAN-AO was able to serve as an efficient iodine capture material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ketamine is a psychotropic drug that can cause significant neurological symptoms and is closely linked to the activity of the CYP3A4 enzyme. This study aimed to examine the diversity of CYP3A4 activity affects the metabolism of ketamine, focusing on genetic variation and drug-induced inhibition. We used a baculovirus-insect cell expression system to prepare recombinant human CYP3A4 microsomes. Then, in vitro enzyme incubation systems were established and used UPLC-MS/MS to detect ketamine metabolite. In rats, we investigated the metabolism of ketamine and its metabolite in the presence of the CYP3A4 inhibitor voriconazole. Molecular docking was used to explore the molecular mechanism of inhibition. The results showed that the catalytic activity of CYP3A4.5,.17,.23,.28, and.29 significantly decreased compared to CYP3A4.1, with a minimum decrease of 3.13%. Meanwhile, the clearance rate of CYP3A4.2,.32, and.34 enhanced remarkably, ranging from 40.63% to 87.50%. Additionally, hepatic microsome incubation experiments revealed that the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50) of voriconazole for ketamine in rat and human liver microsomes were 18.01 ± 1.20 µM and 14.34 ± 1.70 µM, respectively. When voriconazole and ketamine were co-administered, the blood exposure of ketamine and norketamine significantly increased in rats, as indicated by the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and maximum concentration (C max). The elimination half-life (t 1/2Z) of these substances was also prolonged. Moreover, the clearance (CL z/F) of ketamine decreased, while the apparent volume of distribution (V z/F) increased significantly. This might be attributed to the competition between voriconazole and ketamine for binding sites on the CYP3A4 enzyme. In conclusion, variations in CYP3A4 activity would result in the stratification of ketamine blood exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unbalanced Ca2+ homeostasis serves an essential role in the occurrence and development of septic myocardial injury. However, the mechanism of Ca2+ homeostasis in septic myocardial depression is poorly understood due to the complexity of Ca2+ transporters in excitable cells. It was therefore hypothesized that cardiac dysfunction, myocardial injury and cardiac apoptosis in septic myocardial depression are associated with elevated intracellular Ca2+ concentrations caused by stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1)/Orai calcium release-activated calcium modulator 1 (Orai1)-mediated store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). A septic myocardial depression model was established using the cecal ligation and puncture operation (CLP) in mice and was simulated in H9C2 cells via lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Cardiac function, myocardial injury, cardiac apoptosis and the expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, STIM1 and Orai1 were quantified in vivo at 6, 12 and 24 h. Changes in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration, SOCE and the distribution of STIM1 were assessed in vitro within 6 h. The morphological changes of heart tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Myocardial cellular apoptosis was determined by TUNEL method. The expression of Bax, Bcl-2, STIM1 and Orai1 were visualized by western blot. Cytosolic calcium concentration and SOCE were evaluated by confocal microscopy. The results demonstrated that cardiac contractile function was significantly reduced at 6 h and morphological changes in cardiac tissues, as well as the myocardial apoptosis rate, were markedly increased at 6, 12 and 24 h following CLP. mRNA and protein expression levels of Bax/Bcl-2 were significantly enhanced at 6 and 12 h and glycosylation of Orai1 in the myocardium of septic mice was significantly increased at 6 h following CLP. The intracellular Ca2+ concentration, SOCE, was significantly increased at 1–2 h and the clustering and distribution of STIM1 were markedly changed in H9C2 cells at 1 and 2 h. These findings suggested that myocardial dysfunction, cardiac injury and myocardial depression may be related to increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration resulting from STIM1/Orai1-mediated SOCE, which may provide a potential method to alleviate septic myocardial depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we present a facile method for color-tuning an electrochromic device that switched between two neutral colors through simple color mixing of a conjugated polymer, poly(2,2-dimethyl-3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) and an electrochromic small molecule aromatic diester, diethyl-4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylate. The resulting device had a photopic contrast of ca. 57% across the visible spectrum. In addition, the device exhibited color uniformity and stability over 2,000 switches. Using these mixed coloring materials, a large area electrochromic device of 140 cm2 was fabricated, exceeding the size of ophthalmic lenses and small displays. Image 1 • Subtractive color mixing of blue and yellow provide black color. • Color neutral electrochromic device with large photopic contrast. • Large area black electrochromic device. • Switching stability over 2,000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of ion species and concentration on the extraction percent of Cs+ by 1,3-Diisopropoxycalix [4] arenecrown-6 (BPC6) in octanol/water solvent extraction system has been studied by molecular dynamics simulations and experiments. The results show that the anionic species play an important role on the enhancement of the extraction percent of Cs+. Specifically, the order in which anions promote the extraction percent is different at different total anion concentrations. At a relatively low anion concentration of 0.5 M, the extraction percent follows the sequence: ClO4−> I−> NO3−> Br−> Cl−> SO42−> F−. At a relatively high concentration of 2 M, the extraction percent of Cs+ follows the following sequence: I−> ClO4−> Br−~ NO3−> Cl−> SO42−> F−. It is indicated that the extraction percent is dominated by the anion's interface propensity, which is the probability of anion distribution in the interface compared to the water phase. However, at low concentration of anions, strong coordination effect of NO3− promotes the extraction effect compared to Br−. At the high anion's concentration, the stronger salting-out capacity of Br− leads to a considerable increase of extraction percent. In addition, the cations also slightly affect the extraction percent. The extraction percent is affected by both cations' concentration and the salt-out effect. On this basis, a neutral Cs+ extraction system has been established, and one stage extraction percent could reach 62.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis is characterized by the extensive release of cytokines and other mediators. It results in a dysregulated immune response and can lead to organ damage and death. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties and immunoregulation functions in various disorders such as sepsis, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, lung fibrosis, gallstone formation, and diabetes. This paper investigates the effects of curcumin on immune status and inflammatory response in mice subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Inflammatory tissue injury was evaluated by histological observation. Magnetic microbeads were used to isolate splenic CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells (Tregs), and phenotypes were then analyzed by flow cytometry. The levels of Foxp3 were detected by Western blot and real-time PCR and cytokine levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that the administration of curcumin significantly alleviated inflammatory injury of the lung and kidney in septic mice. The suppressive function of Treg cells was enhanced and the plasma levels of IL-10 increased after treatment with curcumin. Furthermore, the secretion of plasma TNF-α and IL-6 was notably inhibited in septic mice treated with curcumin and administration with curcumin could improve survival after CLP. These data suggest that curcumin could be used as a potential therapeutic agent for sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mortality in patients with paraquat (PQ) poisoning is related to plasma PQ levels. Concentrations lower than 5,000 ng/mL are considered critical but curable. This study assessed the effects of hemoperfusion (HP) and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) on the survival of PQ-poisoned patients with plasma PQ levels below 5,000ng/mL. We analyzed the records of 164 patients with PQ poisoning who were treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in China between January 2011 and May 2015. We divided these patients into six sub-groups based on baseline plasma PQ levels and treatment, compared their clinical characteristics, and analyzed their survival rates. Patient sub-groups did not differ in terms of age, sex, time between poisoning and hospital admission, or time to first gavage. Biochemical indicators improved over time in all sub-groups following treatment, and the combined HP and CRRT treatment yielded better results than HP or CRRT alone. Fatality rates in the three treatment sub-groups did not differ among patients with baseline plasma PQ levels of 50–1,000 ng/mL, but in patients with 1,000–5,000 ng/mL levels, the mortality rate was 59.2% (HP treatment group), 48% (CRRT treatment group), and 37.9% (combined treatment group). Mortality rates were higher 10–30 days after hospitalization than in the first 10 days after admission. In the early stages of PQ poisoning, CRRT is effective in reducing patient fatality rates, particularly when combined with HP. Our data could be useful in increasing survival in acute PQ poisoning patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive textiles with exceptional electrical properties have been prepared by coating the conjugated polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxyphiophene)-polystyrenesulfonate(PEDOT-PSS), on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nonwoven fabrics. Phase segregation from covalent bond formation to surface silica particles generates PEDOT-PSS coated textiles that hold potential for wearable electronics due to the breathability of the fabric, low toxicity, easy processing and lightweight with high current carrying capacity. The conductive textiles were demonstrated for applications such as electrical connections and resistive heating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Electrostatic interaction was weakened by solvent effect, order of binding affinity in CHCl 3 was reverse to that in vacuum. • The coordination property of BPC6 with alkali metal ions depended on the ion size. • The number of oxygens coordinated and the cation-π interaction area was various as different solvents. • The cation-π interaction played a key role in selectivity and coordination stability between BPC6 and alkali metal cations. The combination of 1,3-Diisopropoxycalix [4] arenecrown-6 (BPC6) and alkali metal ions were studied in different solvents by 1H and 133Cs Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, gmx_MMPBSA, and Independent Gradient Model (IGM) non-covalent interactions analysis based on Molecular Dynamics (MD) Simulations. The binding energy of BPC6·M+ complex follows the order: BPC6·Cs+ > BPC6·Rb+ > BPC6·K+ in CHCl 3 , which is completely reverse to that in vacuum. In addition, the coordination properties depend on solvent polarity: In the low polarity solvent such as CHCl 3 , all the oxygens in crown ether chain of BPC6 are involved in the coordination with Cs+ ions. By comparison, in the high polarity solvents such as CH 3 CN and CH 3 OH, the number of oxygens participates in the complexation decreases, and the cation-π interaction areas of complexes are also reduced. That is because the contribution of electrostatic interactions in complexation is weakened by solvent effect. The cation-π interaction plays a very important role in selectivity among alkali metal cations and coordination stability of BPC6·M+ complex in different solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Photopic contrast was increased to 48%. [•] Switch speeds were as low as 1%. [•] Optical memory was as long as 27h with a photopic transmittance loss of only 2%. [•] A defect free device of 171cm2 was constructed using the optimized parameters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Yangtze River estuary (YRE) and the adjacent East China Sea (ECS) inner shelf is an important sink of pollutants originated from mainland China. In this work, we studied the spatial and temporal variations and sources of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediments from the YRE and the ECS inner shelf. Total concentration of 23 PCBs (Σ23PCB) ranged between 24.3 and 343.3pg/g (with a mean value of 126.7pg/g), and higher values occurred in the estuarine region. The homolog profile was dominated by 3–5Cl CBs, accounting for 76.1% of Σ23PCB. The Cl proportion ranged from 45.1% to 58.8% (with a mean value of 49.9%); the lowest level appeared in the estuarine region, and it increased with distance from the YRE. Lower chlorinated congeners were carried mainly by the YR into the ocean, to be finally buried in sediments of the estuary region and vicinity. However, higher chlorinated ones were imported mainly via direct emission from local sources, to be finally buried in sediments farther away from the estuary. Of the PCBs in surface sediments, 40.1% came from the YR, 37.9% from the local sources and the rest 22.0% from atmospheric deposition. In a sediment core, we found that 81% of PCBs were technically produced and 19% unintentionally produced in the last century. Before the 1970s, PCB levels were influenced predominantly by the production and consumption of technical PCBs. While in recent decades, the effect of human activities on PCB levels has been increasing continuously. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]