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Sucrose nonfermenting-related protein kinase 1 (SnRK1) is one of the critical serine/threonine protein kinases. It commonly mediates plant growth and development, cross-talks with metabolism processes and physiological responses to biotic or abiotic stresses. It plays a key role in distributing carbohydrates and sugar signal transporting. In the present study, eight SnRK1 coding genes were identified in sorghum (Sorghum bicolorL.) viasequences alignment, with three for α subunits (SnRK1α1to SnRK1α3), three for β (SnRK1β1to SnRK1β3), and one for both γ (SnRK1γ) and βγ (SnRK1βγ). These eight corresponding genes located on five chromosomes (Chr) of Chr1–3, Chr7, and Chr9 and presented collinearities to SnRK1s from maize and rice, exhibiting highly conserved domains within the same subunits from the three kinds of cereals. Expression results viaqRT-PCR showed that different coding genes of SnRK1sin sorghum possessed similar expression patterns except for SnRK1α3with a low expression level in grains and SnRK1β2with a relatively high expression level in inflorescences. Results of subcellular localization in sorghum leaf protoplast showed that SnRK1α1/α2/α3/γ mainly located on organelles, while the rest four of SnRK1β1/β2/β3/βγ located on both membranes and some organelles. Besides, three combinations were discovered among eight SnRK1 subunits in sorghum through yeast two hybrid, including α1-β2-βγ, α2-β3-γ, and α3-β3-γ. These results provide informative references for the following functional dissection of SnRK1 subunits in sorghum.

Small-diameter vascular grafts fabricated from synthetic biodegradable polymers exhibit beneficial mechanical properties but often face poor regenerative potential. Different tissue engineering approaches have been employed to improve tissue regeneration in vascular grafts, but there remains a requirement for a new generation of synthetic grafts that can orchestrate the host response to achieve robust vascular regeneration. Vascular stem/progenitor cells (SPCs) are mostly found in quiescent niches but can be activated in response to injury and participate in endothelium and smooth muscle regeneration during neo-artery formation. Here, we developed a functional vascular graft by surface immobilization of stem cell antigen-1 (Sca-1) antibody on an electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) graft (PCL-Sca-1 Ab). PCL-Sca-1 Ab promoted capture and retainment of Sca-1+SPCs in vitro.In rat abdominal aorta replacement models, PCL-Sca-1 Ab stimulated in vivorecruitment of Sca-1+SPCs, and drove SPCs differentiation towards vascular cell lineages. The origin of infiltrated Sca-1+SPCs was further investigated using a bone marrow transplantation mouse model, which revealed that Sca-1+SPCs originating from the resident tissues and bone marrow contributed to rapid vascular regeneration of vascular grafts. Our data indicated that PCL-Sca-1 Ab vascular grafts may serve as a useful strategy to develop next generation cell-free vascular grafts.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious and frequently debilitating psychiatric condition that can occur in people who have experienced traumatic stressors, such as war, violence, sexual assault and other life‐threatening events. Treatment of PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI) in veterans is challenged by diagnostic complexity, partially due to PTSD and TBI symptoms overlap and to the fact that subjective self‐report assessments may be influenced by a patient's willingness to share their traumatic experiences and resulting symptoms. Corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) is one of the main mediators of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA)‐axis responses in stress and anxiety. We analyzed serum CRF levels in 230 participants including heathy controls (64), and individuals with PTSD (53), TBI (70) or PTSD + TBI (43) by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Significantly lower CRF levels were found in both the PTSD and PTSD + TBI groups compared to healthy control (PTSD vs. Controls: P = 0.0014, PTSD + TBI vs. Controls: P = 0.0011) and chronic TBI participants (PTSD vs. TBI: P < 0.0001, PTSD + TBI vs. TBI: P < 0.0001), suggesting a PTSD‐related mechanism independent from TBI and associated with CRF reduction. CRF levels negatively correlated with PTSD severity on the Clinically Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS‐5) scale in the whole study group. Hyperactivation of the HPA axis has been classically identified in acute stress. However, the recognized enhanced feedback inhibition of the HPA axis in chronic stress supports our findings of lower CRF in PTSD patients. This study suggests that reduced serum CRF in PTSD should be further investigated. Future validation studies will establish if CRF is a possible blood biomarker for PTSD and/or for differentiating PTSD and chronic TBI symptomatology. The HPA axis is activated under acute stress conditions, but an enhanced feedback inhibition may be prevalent in chronic stress conditions such as PTSD.We observed a reduction in serum CRF levels in veterans with PTSD and PTSD + TBI, but not in veterans with chronic TBI alone.A serum CRF reduction may be indicative of CNS mechanisms specific to PTSD and should be further evaluated as a possible peripheral biomarker. The HPA axis is activated under acute stress conditions, but an enhanced feedback inhibition may be prevalent in chronic stress conditions such as PTSD. We observed a reduction in serum CRF levels in veterans with PTSD and PTSD + TBI, but not in veterans with chronic TBI alone. A serum CRF reduction may be indicative of CNS mechanisms specific to PTSD and should be further evaluated as a possible peripheral biomarker.

Active-duty Army personnel can be exposed to traumatic warzone events and are at increased risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared with the general population. PTSD is associated with high individual and societal costs, but identification of predictive markers to determine deployment readiness and risk mitigation strategies is not well understood. This prospective longitudinal naturalistic cohort study—the Fort Campbell Cohort study—examined the value of using a large multidimensional dataset collected from soldiers prior to deployment to Afghanistan for predicting post-deployment PTSD status. The dataset consisted of polygenic, epigenetic, metabolomic, endocrine, inflammatory and routine clinical lab markers, computerized neurocognitive testing, and symptom self-reports. The analysis was computed on active-duty Army personnel (N= 473) of the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Machine-learning models predicted provisional PTSD diagnosis 90–180 days post deployment (random forest: AUC = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.67–0.89, sensitivity = 0.78, specificity = 0.71; SVM: AUC = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.78–0.98, sensitivity = 0.89, specificity = 0.79) and longitudinal PTSD symptom trajectories identified with latent growth mixture modeling (random forest: AUC = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75–0.96, sensitivity = 0.88, specificity = 0.69; SVM: AUC = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.79–0.96, sensitivity = 0.80, specificity = 0.85). Among the highest-ranked predictive features were pre-deployment sleep quality, anxiety, depression, sustained attention, and cognitive flexibility. Blood-based biomarkers including metabolites, epigenomic, immune, inflammatory, and liver function markers complemented the most important predictors. The clinical prediction of post-deployment symptom trajectories and provisional PTSD diagnosis based on pre-deployment data achieved high discriminatory power. The predictive models may be used to determine deployment readiness and to determine novel pre-deployment interventions to mitigate the risk for deployment-related PTSD.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Nitric oxide (NO) is a signalling molecule that plays a vital role in protecting and regulating cardiovascular function and homeostasis. Despite several successful outcomes of exogenous supplementation of NO for cardiovascular disease therapy, a great challenge lies in controlled and long-term delivery due to the short half-life and instability of NO. Recently, increasing attention has been paid to the in situconversion of endogenous NO donors catalysed by functional surfaces. Based on bioinspired and biomimicking strategies, a series of surface functionalization methods for cardiovascular stents has been successfully developed. By further combining NO catalysis with other biofunctionalities, improved endothelium healing and long-term patency can be anticipated.

Traumatic stress can adversely affect physical and mental health through neurobiological stress response systems. We examined the effects of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on telomere length, a biomarker of cellular aging, and volume of the amygdala, a key structure of stress regulation, in combat-exposed veterans. In addition, the relationships of psychopathological symptoms and autonomic function with telomere length and amygdala volume were examined.

Here a continuous axial-spiral phase microplate (CAsPP), based on combining a logarithmic axicon and a spiral phase plate, was proposed for generating high-quality higher-order Bessel vortex beams. The novel optical component implemented via femtosecond laser direct writing possesses compact geometry and unique optical properties. The CAsPP with a diameter of 80 µm possesses a controllable long focus ranging from 50 to 600 µm and exhibits a good self-healing ability after free transmission of about 45 µm. Unique optical properties were demonstrated in both experiments and simulations, which were well matched to each other. This Letter provides new opportunities for applications in integrated optics, optical trapping, laser machining, and information reconstruction.

Novel high-performance non-labeled fluoro-sensing micro/nano-optics require lithographically fabricable stimuli-fluorescence transductive materials well-tailored in molecular levels, towards superior processibility, stability, sensitivity, on-chip integration and portability, and real-time and in situanalysis. Here, aggregation-induced-emission fluorophores with oxetane groups (AIEoxes) and their covalently co-crosslinkable epoxy composites are customized for the fabrication of micro/nano-devices viasingle/multi-photon lithography. The oxetane modification increases the AIEoxe miscibility in the epoxy matrix (doping ratio up to 10 wt%), and consequently improves the as-formed devices’ quality, stability, and fluorescence intensity and sensitivity. The multi-color-AIEoxe polymeric micro/nano-devices allow fluorescence-resonance-energy-transfer among AIEoxes, which enables sensitive and specifically spectral detection of VOCs. With the micro/nano-waveguide configuration, solvent-responsive AIE fluorescence and evanescent-field/refractive-index sensing enhance the AIE-fluorescent detection of trace organic solvents in aqueous solutions (detection limit, ∼0.004% v/v, tetrahydrofuran/water) and their facile integration in functional micro/nano-systems like optofluidics.

Ligand modulation of transition-metal catalysts to achieve optimal reactivity and selectivity in alkene hydrofunctionalization is a fundamental challenge in synthetic organic chemistry. Hydroaminoalkylation, an atom-economical approach for alkylating amines using alkenes, is particularly significant for amine synthesis in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and fine chemical industries. However, the existing methods usually require specific substrate combinations to achieve precise regio- and stereoselectivity, which limits their practical utility. Protocols allowing for regiodivergent hydroaminoalkylation from the same starting materials, controlling both regiochemical and stereochemical outcomes, are currently absent. Herein, we report a ligand-controlled, regiodivergent nickel-catalyzed hydroaminoalkylation of unactivated alkenes with N-sulfonyl amines. The reaction initiates with amine dehydrogenation and involves aza-nickelacycle intermediates. Tritert-butylphosphine promotes branched regioselectivity and syndiastereoselectivity, whereas ethyldiphenylphosphine enables linear selectivity, yielding regioisomers with inverse orientation. Systematic evaluation of diverse monodentate phosphine ligands reveals distinct regioselectivity cliffs, and % Vbur(min), a ligand steric descriptor, was established as a predictive parameter correlating ligand structure to regioselectivity. Computational investigations supported experimental findings, offering mechanistic insights into the origins of regioselectivity. Our method provides an efficient and predictable route for amine synthesis, demonstrating broad substrate scope, excellent tolerance toward various functional groups, and practical advantages. These include the use of readily available starting materials and cost-effective nickel(II) salts as precatalysts.

Microbial degradation plays a major role in the dissipation of pendimethalin, and nitroreduction is an initial and detoxicating step. Previously, a pendimethalin nitroreductase, PNR, was identified in Bacillus subtilisY3. Here, another pendimethalin nitroreductase from strain Y3, LNR, was identified. LNR shares only 40% identity with PNR and reduces the aromatic ring C-6 nitro group of pendimethalin and both nitro groups of trifluralin, butralin, and oryzalin. The catalytic activities against the four dinitroanilines were much higher for LNR than for PNR. lnrdeletion significantly reduced the pendimethalin-reduction activity (60% activity loss), while pnrdeletion led to only 30% activity loss, indicating that both LNR and PNR were involved in pendimethalin nitroreduction in strain Y3; however, LNR played the major role. This study facilitates the elucidation of pendimethalin catabolism and provides degrading enzyme resources for the removal of dinitroaniline herbicide residues in environment and agricultural products.

Background and Objectives: Myricetin is a flavonoid compound that is abundant in teas, red wine, berries, herbs and vegetables with a variety of pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. Although there are in vitro studies showing that myricetin inhibits human cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 and CYP3A, the inhibitory mechanisms of myricetin on CYP enzymes are still unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of myricetin on human and rat CYPs, including CYP3A2/3A4, CYP2B1/2B6, CYP2C9/2C11 and CYP2D1/2D6. Methods: This study was performed to investigate the inhibitory effects of myricetin on human CYP3A4, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2D6 and rat CYP3A2, CYP2B1, CYP2C11, CYP2D1 through the cocktail approach using ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Typical probe substrates were used as follows—midazolam for CYP3A2/3A4, dextromethorphan for CYP2D1/2D6, tolbutamide for CYP2C9/2C11, and bupropion for CYP2B1/2B6. Results: The results of this study showed that myricetin might not be a time-dependent inhibitor. Moreover, myricetin inhibited CYP3A4 in an uncompetitive way with an inhibition constant (Ki) value of 143.1 µM. It was also a noncompetitive inhibitor of CYP2C9 and CYP2D6 with Kivalues of 31.12 and 53.44 µM and a competitive inhibitor of CYP2B1 with a Kivalue of 69.70 µM, as well as a mixed inhibitor of CYP3A2, CYP2C11 and CYP2D1with Kivalues of 37.57, 14.88 and 17.39 µM, respectively. Conclusions: In conclusion, this study indicates that myricetin inhibited CYP3A4/3A2, CYP2C9/2C11, CYP2D6/2D1 and CYP2B1 by various mechanisms with different Kivalues. Given that our experiments are established in vitro, further in vivo work is needed to confirm the interaction between myricetin and CYP enzymes, thus providing better guidance for the safe clinical use of myricetin.

Cabozantinib is a multityrosine kinase inhibitor and has a wide range of applications in the clinic, whose metabolism is predominately dependent on CYP3A4. This study was performed to characterize the enzymatic properties of 29 CYP3A4 alleles toward cabozantinib and the functional changes of five selected alleles (the wild-type, CYP3A4.2.8.14 and .15) toward cabozantinib in the presence of ketoconazole. Cabozantinib, 1–100 μM, with/without the presence of ketoconazole and CYP3A4 enzymes in the incubation system went through 30 min incubation at 37 °C, and the concentrations of cabozantinib N-oxide were quantified by UPLC–MS/MS to calculate the corresponding kinetic parameters of each variant. Collectively, without the presence of ketoconazole, most variants displayed defective enzymatic activities in different degrees, and only CYP3A4.14 and .15 showed significantly augmented enzymatic activities. With the presence of ketoconazole, five tested CYP3A4 alleles, even CYP3A4.14 and .15, exhibited obvious reductions in intrinsic clearance. Besides, we compared cabozantinib with regorafenib in relative clearance to confirm that CYP3A4 has the property of substrate specificity. As the first study of CYP3A4 genetic polymorphisms toward cabozantinib, our observations can provide prediction of an individual’s capability in response to cabozantinib and guidance for medication and treatment of cabozantinib.

A facile approach of in situ electrochemical oxidation has been utilized to modify carbons, including activated carbon, mesoporous few-layer carbon, graphite, carbon fiber, and carbon nanotube, which induces oxygen-containing functional groups on its surface and simultaneously enhances its wettability, contributing to the improvement of capacitance. By this approach, the capacitance of commercialized activated carbon is increased by 86% in an acidic electrolyte, reaching 320 F g–1, of which more than 96% was maintained after 10 000 cyclic tests. The huge improvement stems from electrochemical redox reactions enabled by oxygen-associated groups, which do not adversely affect the porous structure and electrical conductivity. Such improvement will put carbon-based electrochemical capacitors into more practical application areas.

Esterase SulE detoxicates a variety of sulfonylurea herbicides through de-esterification. SulE exhibits high activity against thifensulfuron-methyl but low activity against other sulfonylureas. In this study, two variants, m2311 (P80R) and m0569 (P80R and G176A), with improved activity were screened from a mutation library constructed by error-prone PCR. Variant m2311 showed a higher activity against sulfonylureas in comparison variant m0569 and was further investigated. The kcat/Kmvalue of variant m2311 for metsulfuron-methyl, sulfometuron-methyl, chlorimuron-ethyl, tribenuron-methyl, and ethametsulfuron-methyl increased by 3.20-, 1.72-, 2.94-, 2.26- and 2.96-fold, respectively, in comparison with the wild type. Molecular modeling suggested that the activity improvement of variant m2311 is due to the substitution of Pro80 by arginine, leading to the formation of new hydrogen bonds between the enzyme and substrate. This study facilitates further elucidation of the structure and function of SulE and provides an improved gene resource for the detoxification of sulfonylurea residues and the genetic engineering of sulfonylurea-resistant crops.

Green hydrogen production via electrochemical water splitting is a promising approach for future sustainable energy and industry. Among the existing water electrolysis technologies, solid oxide steam electrolysis exhibits the highest electrical efficiency, and hence potentially considerable cost-effectiveness. Moreover, from thermodynamic considerations, the efficiency can be increased further by integrating external high temperature heat to reduce the electrical energy required for the water splitting reaction. Therefore, this paper proposes an innovative system for cost-competitive solar hydrogen production by integrating concentrated solar heat into the solid oxide electrolysis steam generation process. Economic viability of such solar-driven solid oxide electrolysis hydrogen production system is assessed over the long term (from current status to 2030) by taking into account the cost reduction of essential components and the expansion of the solid oxide electrolysis load range. Heat cascade utilization in each time step is optimized using multi-time heat and mass integration technology to maximize cost savings. The results showed that, for a hydrogen yield of 200 kg/day, levelized cost of hydrogen production has a significant amount of space to fall from its current 4.6 Euro/kg to 1.7 Euro/kg in 2030, achieving cost-competitiveness with hydrogen produced by traditional non-renewable energy sources, and the main drivers of this decrease are cost reductions of SOE unit and PV. To achieve hydrogen production cost below 2.7 Euro/kg and even 2 Euro/kg, the investment costs of SOE unit should be decreased by at least to 1000 Euro/kWe and 500 Euro/kWe respectively. Compared with the system using photovoltaic-battery to provide electricity and heat for hydrogen production, the system coupling concentrated solar heat-thermal energy storage-steam generation subsystem with photovoltaic-battery subsystem showed higher economic viability. Employing 134 kWth concentrated solar heat with 420 kWhth thermal storage allows for maximum 3.2 Euro/kg hydrogen production cost reduction via significantly saving capacities of battery and solid oxide electrolyzer.

Black materials are the key to convert solar light to thermal energy, but it is not easy to economically achieve full solar-spectrum light absorption and maximally harvest solar energy. Herein, we develop a “popcorn” approach based on a space-confined pyrolysis of copper carbodiimide to synthesis Cu nanodot-embedded N-doped graphene urchins. In situ formed Cu nanodots are rigidly fixed and spatially scaffolded in the graphene matrix, achieving nearly full-spectrum solar light absorption (99%) over a wide spectral range (300–1800 nm). Such a highly efficient solar harvest is endowed by an intensively hybridized localized surface plasmon resonance and stabilized by graphene matrix. When applied in solar desalination, the N-doped graphene urchins provide structural interconnectivity and freeway for water transports and enable the as-formed plasmonic absorber to naturally self-float on water. By localizing the absorbed energy at the interfaces, efficient (~ 82%) and stable desalination is ultimately achieved under a simulated solar light. Practically, a solar desalination system of the plasmonic absorber can produce fresh water with a rate of ~ 5 L m−2day−1under solar irradiation.

Highly capacitive carbons are viewed as promising commercial materials for supercapacitors, but few species satisfy the requirements of high capacitance and low cost. Here, we demonstrate an extraordinary porous few-layer carbon by facile Pechini combustion of magnesium nitrate gel, which combined salicylic acid as a complexing agent with magnesium nitrate as an inorganic metal salt. The as-synthesized carbon material delivers a capacitance of 415 F g–1, mostly stemming from a large specific surface area (∼1312 m2g–1), a fluent channel for transport of the electrolyte, as well as electrochemical redox reactions at O,N-associated active sites. Such porous few-layer carbons may accelerate the adoption of carbon-based supercapacitors for commercial high-power energy storage applications.

The stability and catalytic activity of Au10, Au13and Au20clusters in water gas shift (WGS) reaction were investigated by density functional theory (DFT); the adsorption behavior of reaction species and the reaction mechanism of WGS on various Aunclusters were explored. The results indicated that the stability of three Aunclusters follows the order Au10< Au13< Au20, whereas their electron delocalization and adsorption capacity decreases in the sequence of Au13> Au10> Au20. Three Aunclusters exhibit the same rate-determining step for WGS, i.e. H2O dissociation; however, they are quite different in the actual reaction routes. Over Au10cluster, the WGS reaction follows the carboxyl mechanism, characterized by the direct dissociation of COOH*; over Au13cluster, the redox mechanism applies, suggested by the disproportionation of two OH*; over Au20cluster, the WGS reaction proceeds via the carboxyl mechanism, represented by the disproportionation of COOH* and OH*. A comparison for the optimal reaction paths over three Aunclusters suggests that the Au13cluster has the highest catalytic activity in the WGS reaction at low temperature.

A novel supported catalyst is prepared through immobilization of water soluble phthalocyanine, which is synthesized by modifying tetraminophthalocyanine with cyanuric chloride, onto the supporting material Mg-Al hydrotalcite via co-precipitation method. The structure of the catalyst is characterized by infrared spectroscopy instrument (FT-IR) and X-ray diffractometer. Catalytic activity is examined through comparative experiments. The results show that it exhibits high catalytic activity for degradation of methylene blue (MB) in the presence of H2O2, the remaining rate of MB is 12.02% after 6 h. The reaction process conforms to the equation of pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the correlation coefficient R2> 0.99. The recycling tests for five times are also carried out and prove its reusability in catalytic application.

The adsorption behavior, decarbonylation and hydrogenation reaction mechanisms of furfural on best Pd/Cu(111) bimetallic model were investigated by density functional theory method. The results show that the initial adsorption at O3-Pd-top and O7-Cu-hcp site is most stable, with the adsorption energy of 73.4 kJ/mol. On the Pd/Cu(111) bimetallic surface, decarbonylation reaction of furfural is more likely to occur. The decarbonylation reaction of furfural has low activation energy. Each steps of decarbonylation mechanism is exothermic reaction. Furfural tends to form (C4H3O)CO by losing the H atom from the branch chain, and furan is then formed by decarbonylation and hydrogenation of the intermediate. Throughout the process, the hydrogenation of C4H3O is the rate-determining step with the highest activation energy barrier of 72.6 kJ/mol. For the hydrogenation of furfural, reacting with the first hydrogen is the rate-determining step, and it has the highest reaction energy barrier of 290.4 kJ/mol.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of Diagnosis-related group (DRG) based payment on inpatient quality of care. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science from their inception to December 30, 2022. Included studies reported associations between DRGs-based payment and length of stay (LOS), re-admission within 30 days and mortality. Two reviewers screened the studies independently, extracted data of interest and assessed the risk of bias of eligible studies. Stata 13.0 was used in the meta-analysis. A total of 29 studies with 36 214 219 enrolled patients were analyzed. Meta-analysis showed that DRG-based payment was effective in LOS decrease (pooled effect: SMD = −0.25, 95% CI = −0.37 to −0.12, Z= 3.81, P< .001), but showed no significant overall effect in re-admission within 30 days (RR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.62-1.01, Z= 1.89, P= .058) and mortality (RR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.72-1.15, Z= 0.82, P= .411). DRG-based payment demonstrated statistically significant superiority over cost-based payment in terms of LOS reduction. However, owing to limitations in the quantity and quality of the included studies, an adequately powered study is necessary to consolidate these findings.

A photocatalyst iron phthalocyanine/calcium alginate gel bead (FePc@SA) was prepared through the mixture including iron tetra (N-carbonylacrylic) aminophthalocyanine (FePc) and sodium alginate dropped into 5 % (w/v) CaCl2 solution to get gel beads. The color of gel ball was black and the average diameters of gel ball before and after drying were 3.19 mm and 1.20 mm, respectively. Methyl orange was selected as a substrate to investigate the photocatalytic activity of FePc@SA. The results shown that the remaining rate of methyl orange was 19.51 % under the condition of methyl orange 10 mg/L 25 mL, pH value was 3, the dosage of H2O2 was 50 μL, FePc@SA was 0.2 g and visible light irradiation for 3 h. The results indicated that FePc@SA/H2O2 system had an obvious synergistic effect on photocatalytic oxidative decolorization of methyl orange. The decolorization process conformed to the first order kinetics equation, and the half-life of FePc@SA was 76.7 min. Simple preparation methods and excellent photocatalytic properties made FePc@SA became an ideal high performance photocatalytic material, which was applied to deal with wastewater containing organic pollutants.

Oxidative decolorization of azo dyes with a heterogeneous catalyst copper phthalocyanine supported Mg-Al hydrotalcites was studied and the influence factors such as initial pH value, temperature, H2O2 and CuPc-LDHs/H2O2 system were discussed. The results indicated that acidic solution and high temperature were conducive to oxidative decoloration of methyl orange. CuPc-LDHs/H2O2 system showed excellent oxidative decoloration capacity to remove azo dyes. The effects of oxidative decolorization of azo dyes were related to the molecular structure and weight of azo dyes. Oxidative decoloration effects followed the order as congo red > amido black > methyl blue> methyl orange> methylene blue.

Surface modification of nanoAl2O3 with stearic acid by dry method was researched. The structures of nanoAl2O3 before and after modified were characterized by IR. The modification effect on nanoAl2O3 was measured with the activation index. In addition, the influence factors of modifier dosage, modification time and modification temperature were also discussed. The results showed that nanoAl2O3 had been successfully modified with stearic acid. The hydrophily and lipophilicity experiments indicated that modified nanoAl2O3 possessed lipophilicity property and could disperse in xylene. The optimal conditions of modification were as follows: the stearic acid was 7.5 wt%, based on the quality of nanoAl2O3, modification time was 50 min and temperature was 150 ○C.

Vascular bypass surgery continues to use autologous grafts and often suffers from a shortage of donor grafts. Decellularized xenografts derived from porcine veins provide a promising candidate because of their abundant availability and low immunogenicity. Unfortunately, transplantation outcomes are far from satisfactory because of insufficient regeneration and adverse pathologic remodeling. Herein, a nitrate-functionalized prosthesis has been incorporated into a decellularized porcine vein graft to fabricate a bio-hybrid vascular graft with local delivery of nitric oxide (NO). Exogenous NO efficiently promotes vascular regeneration and attenuates intimal hyperplasia and vascular calcification in both rabbit and mouse models. The underlying mechanism was investigated using a Sca1 2A-CreER; Rosa-RFPgenetic-lineage-tracing mouse model that reveals that Sca1+stem/progenitor cells (SPCs) are major contributors to vascular regeneration and remodeling, and NO plays a critical role in regulating SPC fate. These results support the translational potential of this off-the-shelf vascular graft.

The prognostic value of mitotic rate in melanoma is increasingly recognized, particularly in thin melanoma in which the presence or absence of a single mitosismm2can change staging from T1a to T1b. Still, accurate mitotic rate calculation (mitosesmm2) on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained sections can be challenging. Antimonoclonal mitotic protein-2 (MPM-2) and antiphosphohistone-H3 (PHH3) are 2 antibodies reported to be more mitosis-specific than other markers of proliferation such as Ki-67. We used light microscopy and computer-assisted image analysis software to quantify MPM-2 and PHH3 staining in melanoma. We then compared mitotic rates by each method with conventional H&E-based mitotic rate for correlation with clinical outcomes. Our study included primary tissues from 190 nonconsecutive cutaneous melanoma patients who were prospectively enrolled at New York University Langone Medical Center with information on age, gender, and primary tumor characteristics. The mitotic rate was quantified manually by light microscopy of corresponding H&E-stained, MPM-2-stained, and PHH3-stained sections. Computer-assisted image analysis was then used to quantify immunolabeled mitoses on the previously examined PHH3 and MPM-2 slides. We then analyzed the association between mitotic rate and both progression-free and melanoma-specific survival. Univariate analysis of PHH3 found significant correlation between increased PHH3 mitotic rate and decreased progression-free survival (P=0.04). Computer-assisted image analysis enhanced the correlation of PHH3 mitotic rate with progression-free survival (P=0.02). Regardless of the detection method, neither MPM-2 nor PHH3 offered significant advantage over conventional H&E determination of mitotic rate.

Due to the high stability and potential characteristics to the economical and environmental, the Li3V2(PO4)3 increased the global concern on the polyanionic materials. In this work, we using Li2CO3, V2O5, NH4H2PO4 and PEG as raw materials to compared the flow phase reaction and high temperature solid state synthesis of lithium vanadium phosphate composites. The results of this study can be considered in making decision which conditions of achieved precipitation of carbon source can be efficiently applied in a real Electrochemical performance manufactory. The obtained results indicated that using Glucose as carbon source, and calcined at 800 ℃, 0.1C rate current conditions, high temperature solid state sintering of lithium vanadium phosphate composites for the first time following a discharge capacity of 119.31mAh/g, which has a good reusability performance.

The sentinel lymph node is the initial site of metastasis. Downregulation of antitumor immunity has a role in nodal progression. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between immune modulation and sentinel lymph node positivity, correlating it with outcome in melanoma patients. Lymph node/primary tissues from melanoma patients prospectively accrued and followed at New York University Medical Center were evaluated for the presence of regulatory T cells (Foxp3+) and dendritic cells (conventional: CD11c+, mature: CD86+) using immunohistochemistry. Primary melanoma immune cell profiles from sentinel lymph node-positive/-negative patients were compared. Logistic regression models inclusive of standard-of-care/immunological primary tumor characteristics were constructed to predict the risk of sentinel lymph node positivity. Immunological responses in the positive sentinel lymph node were also compared with those in the negative non-sentinel node from the same nodal basin and matched negative sentinel lymph node. Decreased immune response was defined as increased regulatory T cells or decreased dendritic cells. Associations between the expression of these immune modulators, clinicopathological variables, and clinical outcome were evaluated using univariate/multivariate analyses. Primary tumor conventional dendritic cells and regression were protective against sentinel lymph node metastasis (odds ratio=0.714, 0.067; P=0.0099, 0.0816, respectively). Antitumor immunity was downregulated in the positive sentinel lymph node with an increase in regulatory T cells compared with the negative non-sentinel node from the same nodal basin (P=0.0005) and matched negative sentinel lymph node (P=0.0002). The positive sentinel lymph node also had decreased numbers of conventional dendritic cells compared with the negative sentinel lymph node (P<0.0001). Adding sentinel lymph node regulatory T cell expression improved the discriminative power of a recurrence risk assessment model using clinical stage. Primary tumor regression was associated with prolonged disease-free (P=0.025) and melanoma-specific (P=0.014) survival. Our results support an assessment of local immune profiles in both the primary tumor and sentinel lymph node to help guide therapeutic decisions.

The sentinel lymph node is the initial site of metastasis. Downregulation of antitumor immunity has a role in nodal progression. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between immune modulation and sentinel lymph node positivity, correlating it with outcome in melanoma patients. Lymph node/primary tissues from melanoma patients prospectively accrued and followed at New York University Medical Center were evaluated for the presence of regulatory T cells (Foxp3+) and dendritic cells (conventional: CD11c+, mature: CD86+) using immunohistochemistry. Primary melanoma immune cell profiles from sentinel lymph node-positive/-negative patients were compared. Logistic regression models inclusive of standard-of-care/immunological primary tumor characteristics were constructed to predict the risk of sentinel lymph node positivity. Immunological responses in the positive sentinel lymph node were also compared with those in the negative non-sentinel node from the same nodal basin and matched negative sentinel lymph node. Decreased immune response was defined as increased regulatory T cells or decreased dendritic cells. Associations between the expression of these immune modulators, clinicopathological variables, and clinical outcome were evaluated using univariate/multivariate analyses. Primary tumor conventional dendritic cells and regression were protective against sentinel lymph node metastasis (odds ratio=0.714, 0.067; P=0.0099, 0.0816, respectively). Antitumor immunity was downregulated in the positive sentinel lymph node with an increase in regulatory T cells compared with the negative non-sentinel node from the same nodal basin (P=0.0005) and matched negative sentinel lymph node (P=0.0002). The positive sentinel lymph node also had decreased numbers of conventional dendritic cells compared with the negative sentinel lymph node (P<0.0001). Adding sentinel lymph node regulatory T cell expression improved the discriminative power of a recurrence risk assessment model using clinical stage. Primary tumor regression was associated with prolonged disease-free (P=0.025) and melanoma-specific (P=0.014) survival. Our results support an assessment of local immune profiles in both the primary tumor and sentinel lymph node to help guide therapeutic decisions.

Copper (Cu) accumulation and tolerance mechanisms in Elsholtzia haichowensis, an indicator plant of Cu mines, were investigated under hydroponics supplied with different concentrations (0.32, 50.0, 100.0 and 200.0 μM) of Cu for 8 days. Cu at 100 and 200 μM significantly decreased the root dry weight, but had no significant effect on shoot dry weight. The plants grown in the presence of 200 μM Cu accumulated 288 and 7626 μg g−1 DW total Cu in the shoots and roots, respectively. A greater proportion of accumulated Cu was water-soluble accounting for 42–93% of the total Cu content in the shoots. The concentrations of reduced glutathione (GSH) and protein thiols were significantly enhanced under excess Cu supply. However, the concentrations of these compounds, particularly protein thiols, were much higher in the leaves than that in the roots. Three UV-absorbing peaks could be eluted out through gel filtration chromatography on Sephadex G-50. A large amount of Cu was detected in the UV-absorbing peaks in 40–50 and 70–90 ml elution fractions of the root extract, and in 40–50 and 120–140 ml elution fractions of the leaf extract. The results suggested that the adaptive Cu tolerance mechanism in E. haichowensis might involve the active participation of protein thiols which had a more important role in the leaves than in the roots.

Heteroatom doping and a porous structure are two significant factors that improve the capacitance performance of carbon‐based electrodes, but there are often one‐sided considerations between them. Herein, effective B, N co‐doping and trimodal‐porous structure from the carbonization of sustainable natural wood are obtained at the same time. The unique pore structure is coarsely tuned by a modified ZnAc2‐assisted hypersaline route and further fine‐tuned by controlling the doping levels of boron and nitrogen. The high specific surface area of porous carbon up to 1201 m2g−1is coordinated with the trimodal foam‐like nanopores. This carbon‐based material as a supercapacitor electrode can provide not only trimodal‐porous ion transfer highways but also doping‐induced pseudocapacitance. The resulting pore and heteroatom reengineered wood‐derived carbon harvests a remarkable capacitance of 479 F g−1at 1 A g−1, among the highest values in reported B, N co‐doped carbon electrodes. The aqueous symmetric supercapacitor exhibits energy density of 18.5 Wh kg−1and power density of 6.4 kW kg−1, along with >90% capacitance retention, both in H2SO4and Li2SO4electrolyte over 10 000 cycles. Wood‐derived carbon, integrating B, N co‐doping, and a trimodal‐porous structure, are obtained from a green modified hypersaline route. The resulting pore and heteroatom reengineered porous carbon harvests a remarkable specific capacitance of 479 F g−1and high energy density of 18.5 Wh kg−1, as well as good rate capability in aqueous supercapacitors.