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The malignancy of lung cancer (LC) is serious in the world. Exosomes are well-known natural nanovesicles, which are reported to have the potential to carry functional miRNAs as natural carriers and deliver chemotherapeutic drugs. However, the safety and functions of the engineered exosomes for delivering miRNA for the treatment of LC remain to be evaluated. In this study, we found that miR-563 is related to lung cancer from GeneCard database. RT-qPCR and in situ hybridization (ISH) were used to assess miR-563 expression in clinical samples. We prepared and verified the engineered exosomes loaded with miR-563 both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, flow cytometry, Western blot, and other experimental methods were performed to evaluate the antitumor effect of miR-563 loaded exosomes. In in vivo, the LC mouse model was used to observe the effect of the prepared exosomes. The safety of using this exosomes was accessed by liver function test, hematological analysis, and H&E staining in major organs of the mice. Our findings indicated that the miR-563 loaded engineered exosomes inhibit the A549 cells growth in vitro, by inhibiting the tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoting apoptosis. In in vivo, these engineered exosomes were enriched in tumor tissue after injecting to LC model mice and impacted tumor tissue by inhibiting the tumor volume and tumor weight. Importantly, our study indicated that miR-563 loaded engineered exosomes have the potential for clinical application for LC treatment with acceptable safety profiles. Our findings indicate a novel potential therapeutic target for lung cancer patients by miR-563 loaded engineered exosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead‐free halide double perovskites (A2BIBIIIX6) with attractive optical and electronic features are considered to be a promising candidate to overcome the toxicity and stability issues of lead halide perovskites (APbX3). However, their poor absorption profiles limit device performance. Here the absorption band edge of Cs2AgBiBr6 double perovskite to the near‐infrared range is significantly broadened by developing doped double perovskites, Cs2(Ag:Cu)BiBr6. The partial replacement of Ag ions by Cu ions in the crystal lattice is confirmed by the X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) measurements. Cu doping barely affects the bandgap of Cs2AgBiBr6; instead it introduces subbandgap states with strong absorption to the near‐infrared range. More interestingly, the near‐infrared absorption can generate band carriers upon excitation, as indicated by the photoconductivity measurement. This work sheds new light on the absorption modulation of halide double perovskites for future efficient optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmentally friendly halide double perovskites with improved stability are regarded as a promising alternative to lead halide perovskites. The benchmark double perovskite, Cs2AgBiBr6, shows attractive optical and electronic features, making it promising for high‐efficiency optoelectronic devices. However, the large band gap limits its further applications, especially for photovoltaics. Herein, we develop a novel crystal‐engineering strategy to significantly decrease the band gap by approximately 0.26 eV, reaching the smallest reported band gap of 1.72 eV for Cs2AgBiBr6 under ambient conditions. The band‐gap narrowing is confirmed by both absorption and photoluminescence measurements. Our first‐principles calculations indicate that enhanced Ag–Bi disorder has a large impact on the band structure and decreases the band gap, providing a possible explanation of the observed band‐gap narrowing effect. This work provides new insights for achieving lead‐free double perovskites with suitable band gaps for optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is an acute and severe disease with high mortality, which is prone to be misdiagnosed or ignored especially when complicated with tuberculosis (TB). Even though TB has been considered as a risk factor for PTE, there is rare report of TB with PTE worldwide. Which TB patients are more susceptible to PTE is still not clear. Here, we described a case report of PTE with pulmonary TB in a 28-year-old man, who had no risk factors for pulmonary thrombosis at admission and developed a medium-high PTE after initiating anti-TB therapy. After local thrombolysis with interventional therapy and sequential intravenous thrombolysis, combined with long-term anticoagulation, the PTE of the patient disappeared. At follow-up of 4 months, the patient was re-examined with chest enhanced CT and no obvious emboli was found. We emphasize that acute or severe TB infection should be included in the thromboembolism risk assessment and prophylactic use of anticoagulants may be considered even if there are no other obvious risk factors. Interventional therapy is a good option for thrombolysis treatment if hospital condition permits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To elucidate the role of Hox genes in limb cartilage development, we identified the target genes of HOXA11 and HOXA13 by ChIP‐Seq. The ChIP DNA fragment contained evolutionarily conserved sequences and multiple highly conserved HOX binding sites. A substantial portion of the HOXA11 ChIP fragment overlapped with the HOXA13 ChIP fragment indicating that both factors share common targets. Deletion of the target regions neighboring Bmp2 or Tshz2 reduced their expression in the autopod suggesting that they function as the limb bud‐specific enhancers. We identified the Hox downstream genes as exhibiting expression changes in the Hoxa13 knock out (KO) and Hoxd11‐13 deletion double mutant (Hox13 dKO) autopod by Genechip analysis. The Hox downstream genes neighboring the ChIP fragment were defined as the direct targets of Hox. We analyzed the spatial expression pattern of the Hox target genes that encode two different categories of transcription factors during autopod development and Hox13dKO limb bud. (a) Bcl11a, encoding a repressor of cartilage differentiation, was expressed in the E11.5 autopod and was substantially reduced in the Hox13dKO. (b) The transcription factors Aff3, Bnc2, Nfib and Runx1t1 were expressed in the zeugopodal cartilage but not in the autopod due to the repressive or relatively weak transcriptional activity of Hox13 at E11.5. Interestingly, the expression of these genes was later observed in the autopodal cartilage at E12.5. These results indicate that Hox13 transiently suspends the cartilage differentiation in the autopodal anlage via multiple pathways until establishing the paddle‐shaped structure required to generate five digits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) has been proven to be effective for nonunion fractures. It was, thus, hypothesized that it may be used as a supplement therapy to promote osteochondral regeneration when combined with a scaffold previously prepared by our research group. In the present study, to verify this hypothesis, New Zealand white adult rabbits were anaesthetized and divided into three groups, as follows: Untreated control group, in which full-thickness cylindrical osteochondral defects were created without repairing; scaffold group, in which rabbits were implanted with the scaffolds; scaffold plus rESWT group, in which rabbits were implanted with scaffolds and then treated with rESWT at 2 weeks post-surgery. At 6 and 12 weeks after surgery, the animals were sacrificed. Nitric oxide (NO) levels in the synovial cavity of the knee joints were measured by the Griess method. In addition, macroscopic observation and the gross score according to the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) histological scoring system were determined. Histological evaluation was also performed by hematoxylin-eosin and Safranin O/fast green staining. The results demonstrated that both the scaffold and scaffold plus rESWT treatments significantly reduced NO levels in the synovial cavity at 6 weeks after surgery (P<0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed at 12 weeks after surgery. The ICRS scores of the scaffold and scaffold plus rESWT groups were significantly higher in comparison with those in the control group (P<0.05), and rESWT further increased these scores at 12 weeks after surgery (P<0.05). Histological results revealed that osteochondral regeneration was improved after treatment with scaffold or scaffold plus rESWT, with the latter displaying better results. These data suggested that rESWT improved the osteochondral regeneration when applied in combination with the scaffold, and that one of the underlying mechanisms may involve the reduction of NO in the synovial fluid. Therefore, rESWT may be a useful treatment for knee osteochondral regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable development of nanotechnology requires a thorough understanding of the life cycle of synthesized nanomaterials, including environmental release, deposition, exposure, and potential health risks. Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) materials containing nanosized TiO 2 (nTiO 2 ) are commonly used as food additives. Thus, dietary intake through foods is the most important route for the exposure of TiO 2 materials. Given the toxic effects of nTiO 2 on the gastrointestinal tract and other tissues, it is imperative to investigate their sources and concentrations in popular foods. Therefore, we conducted a survey on TiO 2 particles in white-colored seafood and surimi products in Beijing. Our data indicated that the total Ti levels reached 6–12 μg/g (dry weight) in some white-colored seafood products, such as squid and cuttlefish, whereas relatively low concentrations were observed in jellyfish at approximately 1–3 μg/g (dry weight). For the locally favorite surimi-based food products in the market, the Ti concentrations ranged from 2 to 81 μg/g (dry weight). The exposure assessment showed that the average daily intake of TiO 2 particles through foods varied from 0.02 to 3.09 μg TiO 2 /kg bw /day, reflected by the Ti concentrations in this study, and that young people of age 20–30 showed the highest exposure level. Together, these results show relatively high concentrations of TiO 2 particles in some seafood and surimi products available in the market, and our findings therefore call for attention on TiO 2 particle exposure and uptake through daily foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroportin (FPN) is the only known iron exporter in mammalian cells, and is universally expressed in most types of cells. FPN signaling plays a crucial role in maintaining iron homeostasis through governing the level of intracellular iron. Serum iron storage is conversely related with the estrogen level in the female bodies, and women in post-menopause are possibly subjected to iron retention. However, the potential effects of estrogen on iron metabolism are not clearly understood. Here, FPN mRNA transcription in all selected estrogen receptor positive (ER +) cells was significantly reduced upon 17β-estradiol (E2) treatment; and this inhibitory effect could be attenuated by ER antagonist tamoxifen. Likewise, in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), FPN reduction with elevated intracellular iron (reflected by increased ferritin) was observed in response to E2; however, ferritin level barely responded to E2 in FPN-null BMDMs. The observation of inhibition of FPN mRNA expression was not replicated in ER − cells upon E2. A functional estrogen response element (ERE) was identified within the promoter of FPN, and this ERE was responsible for the suppressive effect of E2 on FPN expression. Moreover, ovariectomized (OVX) and sham-operated (SHAM) mice were used to further confirm the in vitro finding. The expression of hepatic FPN was induced in OVX mice, compared to that in the SHAM mice. Taken together, our results demonstrated that estrogen is involved in regulating FPN expression through a functional ERE on its promoter, providing additional insights into a vital role of estrogen in iron metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a generic E-Commerce process model with full E-Commerce service coverage is propose. Based on this model, a generic service composition platform is proposed as an individual middleware layer to support the pervasive E-Commerce. The platform consists of an orchestration component and several atomic service components (ASCs). It is in charge of dynamic and automatic general service (GS) construction taking the user preferences and demanded quality of service (QoS) into account. The designed platform is flexible and extensible thanks to the service oriented architecture (SOA) (service oriented architecture)-based atomic reusable and sharable service components (SCs). And it employs efficient peer-to-peer (P2P) interaction between two components. In our method, global QoS is guaranteed by the runtime QoS monitoring and dynamic adjusted two-dimensional orchestration plan. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As) is an omnipresent metalloid toxicant, which has elicited serious environmental pollution and health risky problems. Previous studies have uncovered that the As exposure could also cause markedly reduction of serum triglycerides in mice. However, the regulation mechanisms are still largely unknown. The present study is aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in As-induced lipid metabolic disequilibrium. We demonstrated that lncRNA PU.1 AS was significantly induced in the liver of As-feed mice companied with lower serum triglycerides contents; further in vitro experiment confirmed that PU.1 AS regulated liver cells lipid accumulation by nile red fluorescence staining. Intensive mechanistic investigations illustrated that PU.1 AS could interact with EZH2 protein to regulate its downstream target gene expression, and As-induced PU.1 AS attenuated EZH2-supppressed Sirt6 expression, thereafter leading to a decreased SREBP-1c protein expression, as well as the diminished synthesis of triglycerides in hepatocytes. In conclusion, this study provided a new lncRNA-related regulatory signaling pathway participating in As-induced abnormal lipid metabolism. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Osteoporosis is one of the leading disorders among aged people. Bone loss results from a number of physiological alterations, such as estrogen decline and aging. Meanwhile, iron overload has been recognized as a risk factor for bone loss. Systemic iron homeostasis is fundamentally governed by the hepcidin–ferroportin regulatory axis, where hepcidin is the key regulator. Hepcidin deficiency could induce a few disorders, of which iron overload is the most representative phenotype. However, there was little investigation of the effects of hepcidin deficiency on bone metabolism. To this end, hepcidin-deficient (Hamp1 −/−) mice were employed to address this issue. Our results revealed that significant iron overload was induced in Hamp1 −/− mice. Importantly, significant decreases of maximal loading and maximal bending stress were found in Hamp1 −/− mice relative to wildtype (WT) mice. Moreover, the levels of the C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-1) increased in Hamp1 −/− mice. Therefore, hepcidin deficiency resulted in a marked reduction of bone load-bearing capacity likely through enhancing bone resorption, suggesting a direct correlation between hepcidin deficiency and bone loss. Targeting hepcidin or the pathway it modulates may thus represent a therapeutic for osteopenia or osteoporosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Lead‐free halide double perovskites (A2BIBIIIX6) with attractive optical and electronic features are considered to be a promising candidate to overcome the toxicity and stability issues of lead halide perovskites (APbX3). However, their poor absorption profiles limit device performance. Here the absorption band edge of Cs2AgBiBr6 double perovskite to the near‐infrared range is significantly broadened by developing doped double perovskites, Cs2(Ag:Cu)BiBr6. The partial replacement of Ag ions by Cu ions in the crystal lattice is confirmed by the X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) measurements. Cu doping barely affects the bandgap of Cs2AgBiBr6; instead it introduces subbandgap states with strong absorption to the near‐infrared range. More interestingly, the near‐infrared absorption can generate band carriers upon excitation, as indicated by the photoconductivity measurement. This work sheds new light on the absorption modulation of halide double perovskites for future efficient optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://qims.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/qims-24-193/coif). All authors report that this work was supported by the Nanjing Health Science and Technology Development Special Fund (grant number: M2021073). The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://qims.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/qims-23-1696/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

The quantum-confinement effect profoundly influences the exciton energy-level structures and recombination dynamics of semiconductor nanostructures but remains largely unexplored in traditional one-dimensional nanowires mainly due to their poor optical qualities. Here, we show that in defect-tolerant perovskite material of highly luminescent CsPbBr 3 nanowires, the exciton's center-of-mass motion perpendicular to the axial direction is severely confined. This is reflected in the two sets of photoluminescence spectra emitted from a single CsPbBr 3 nanowire, each of which consists of doublet peaks with linear polarizations perpendicular and parallel to the axial direction. Moreover, different exciton states can be mixed by the Rashba spin-orbit coupling effect, resulting in two single photoluminescence peaks with linear polarizations both along the nanowire axis. The above findings mark the emergence of an ideal platform for the exploration of intrinsic one-dimensional exciton photophysics and optoelectronics, thus bridging the long-missing research gap between the well-studied two- and zero-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures.

Bandgap tuning through mixing halide anions is one of the most attractive features for metal halide perovskites. However, mixed halide perovskites usually suffer from phase segregation under electrical biases. Herein, we obtain high-performance and color-stable blue perovskite LEDs (PeLEDs) based on mixed bromide/chloride three-dimensional (3D) structures. We demonstrate that the color instability of CsPb(Br 1- x Cl x ) 3 PeLEDs results from surface defects at perovskite grain boundaries. By effective defect passivation, we achieve color-stable blue electroluminescence from CsPb(Br 1- x Cl x ) 3 PeLEDs, with maximum external quantum efficiencies of up to 4.5% and high luminance of up to 5351 cd m -2 in the sky-blue region (489 nm). Our work provides new insights into the color instability issue of mixed halide perovskites and can spur new development of high-performance and color-stable blue PeLEDs.

CsPbI 3 perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have recently emerged as promising materials for optoelectronic devices because of their superior properties. However, the poor stability of the CsPbI 3 NCs induced by easy ligand desorption represents a key issue limiting their practical applications. Herein, we report stable and highly luminescent black-phase CsPbI 3 NCs passivated by novel ligands of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Theoretical calculation results reveal a stronger adsorption energy of SDS molecules at the CsPbI 3 surface than that of commonly used oleic acid. As a result, the defect formation caused by the ligand loss during the purification process is greatly suppressed. The optimized SDS-CsPbI 3 NCs exhibit significantly reduced surface defects, much enhanced stability, and superior photoluminescence efficiency. The red perovskite light-emitting diodes based on the SDS-CsPbI 3 NCs demonstrate an external quantum efficiency of 8.4%, which shows a 4-fold improvement compared to the devices based on the oleic acid-modified CsPbI 3 NCs.

Environmentally friendly halide double perovskites with improved stability are regarded as a promising alternative to lead halide perovskites. The benchmark double perovskite, Cs 2 AgBiBr 6 , shows attractive optical and electronic features, making it promising for high-efficiency optoelectronic devices. However, the large band gap limits its further applications, especially for photovoltaics. Herein, we develop a novel crystal-engineering strategy to significantly decrease the band gap by approximately 0.26 eV, reaching the smallest reported band gap of 1.72 eV for Cs 2 AgBiBr 6 under ambient conditions. The band-gap narrowing is confirmed by both absorption and photoluminescence measurements. Our first-principles calculations indicate that enhanced Ag-Bi disorder has a large impact on the band structure and decreases the band gap, providing a possible explanation of the observed band-gap narrowing effect. This work provides new insights for achieving lead-free double perovskites with suitable band gaps for optoelectronic applications., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.)

Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have emerged as novel semiconductor nanostructures possessing great potential for optoelectronic, photovoltaic, and quantum information processing applications. Success in these applications requires a comprehensive understanding of the perovskite NCs' electronic structures, which mysteriously exhibit either doublet or triplet peaks of exciton luminescence at the single-particle level. Here we show that the transition from doublet- to triplet-exciton peaks can be triggered in single CsPbI 3 NCs from the same batch of samples when they are stored in the ambient environment. We propose theoretically that the doublet-exciton peaks originate from two in-plane dipole moments, while the optical transition arising from the out-of-plane dipole moment becomes prominent only after the crystal-field splitting is strongly reduced by the structural transformation in the deterioration process. Furthermore, the quantum-confinement effect is strongly reinforced in the single CsPbI 3 NCs with a triplet-exciton configuration, leading to enhanced Auger recombination and allowing us to extract the emission-energy dependence of the exciton-energy-level fine structure.

The hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) have attracted much attention recently due to their preeminent efficiency in solar cells. According to the difference on the crystalline structure, the HOIPs could be classified into layered and non-layered perovskites. Very recently, it has been realized that the non-layered HOIPs with common-vertex structure possess even better opto-electrical performance. Yet the carrier recombination mechanism in perovskite remains not very clear, and a clear understanding of this mechanism is essential to pinpoint the working mechanism of photovoltaic and electroluminescent materials. Here we report the optical studies on the hybrid perovskite crystalline nano-sheet of CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 with common-vertex structure. It is shown that the non-layered perovskite crystalline nanosheets possess the exciton binding energy about two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the layered perovskite and the colloidal nanoplates, which is beneficial for the designing of the high-efficiency photovoltaic devices. By measuring the temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectra, the excitation-power-variant PL spectra, and the time-resolved PL spectra, we identify that both the free-carrier and the localized exciton recombination channels may coexist in the crystallites. Further, for the thin crystallite (∼60 nm), the free-carrier recombination channel dominates; whereas when the thickness increases beyond 200 nm, the localized exciton recombination channel plays the major role. We suggest these results are helpful to improve further the photovoltaic and electroluminescent performances of perovskite devices.

Rationale: Graphene oxide (GO) has shown great promises in biomedical applications, such as drug delivery and thermotherapeutics, owing to its extraordinary physicochemical properties. Nonetheless, current biomedical applications of GO materials are premised on the basis of predesigned functions, and little consideration has been given to the influence of bio-transformation in the physiological environment on the physicochemical properties and predesigned functionalities of these materials. Hence, it is crucial to uncover the possible influence on GO's physicochemical properties and predesigned functionalities for better applications. Methods: Bio-transformed GOs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra, Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared transmission (FT-IR) spectra. The morphologies of various GO materials were assessed via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. The photothermal (PTT) performance of different GO materials in vitro and in vivo were measured using 808 nm laser at a power density of 2 W/cm 2 . The PTT efficacy was determined using transplanted 4T1 cells-derived breast tumors in mice. Results: Bio-transformation of GO in the lung (a main target organ for GO to localize in vivo ) can induce dramatic changes to its physicochemical properties and morphology, and consequently, its performances in biomedical applications. Specifically, GO underwent significant reduction in two simulated lung fluids, Gamble's solution and artificial lysosomal fluid (ALF), as evidenced by the increase of C/O ratio (the ratio of C content to O content) relative to pristine GO. Bio-transformation also altered GO's morphology, characterized by sheet folding and wrinkle formation. Intriguingly, bio-transformation elevated the PTT performance of GO in vitro , and this elevation further facilitated PTT-based tumor-killing efficacy in tumor cells in vitro and in a mouse model with transplanted tumors. Bio-transformation also compromised the interaction between drug with GO, leading to reduced drug adsorption, as tested using doxorubicin (DOX). Conclusions: Transformation in Gamble's solution and ALF resulted in varied degrees of improved performances of GO, due to the differential effects on GO's physicochemical properties. Our findings unveiled an overlooked impact of GO bio-transformation, and unearthed a favorable trait of GO materials in thermotherapeutics and drug delivery in the lung microenvironment., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.

Low-dimensional halide perovskite (HP) has triggered lots of research attention in recent years due to anisotropic optoelectronic/semiconducting properties and enhanced stability. High-quality low-dimensional HPs via controllable engineering are required to fulfill the encouraging promise for device applications. Here, we introduce, for the first time, postsynthetic ultrasonic-assisted refinement of two-dimensional homologous HPs (OA 2 PbBr 4 , OA is octadecylamine). The solution-prepared OA 2 PbBr 4 , either in the form of large-sized microcrystal or nanosheet, obtains significantly enhanced crystallinity after ultrasonic treatment. We further show that OA 2 PbBr 4 nanosheets can be used as a template to construct low-dimensional CsPbBr 3 with the size and morphology inherited. Importantly, we found the ultrasonic-treated OA 2 PbBr 4 crystals, compared with pristine ones, lead to enhanced optoelectronic properties for the resultant low-dimensional CsPbBr 3 , as demonstrated by improved photodetection performances, including prolonged charge-carrier lifetime, improved photostability, increased external quantum yield/responsivity, and faster response speed. We believe this work provides novel engineering of low-dimensional HPs beyond the reach of straightforward synthesis.