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A nano-ZnS-decorated hierarchically porous carbon (ZSHPC) was mixed with MWCNTs to obtain ZSHPC/MWCNT nanocomposites.

A bifunctional TPE-based fluorescent sensor (TPE-Q) for both liquid viscosity and amyloid β has been synthesized straightforwardly by the introduction of an ethylene glycol chain and quaternary ammonium to the classical tetraphenyl ethylene core.

Chao Yang, Yin-gen Luo, Hong-cai Yang, Zhi-hang Yao, Xiao Li Department of Interventional Therapy, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiao Li, Department of Interventional Therapy, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research, Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 17 Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100021, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 010 8778 8309, Email simonlixiao@263.netPurpose: To investigate the effect of early transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) refractoriness on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient survival and to explore whether viable lesions > 50% after two consecutive TACE treatments negatively affect the prognosis of HCC patients.Patients and Methods: From January 2014 to August 2017, 323 HCC patients who received TACE as the initial treatment were analyzed. TACE refractoriness was diagnosed according to the Japan Society of Hepatology 2021 version. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to create a 1:1 matched group (nonrefractoriness vs refractoriness). To determine survival outcomes and prognostic factors, the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used.Results: In total, 51.1% of patients developed early TACE refractoriness (n = 165). After PSM, 120 patients from each group were matched and analyzed. The median overall survival (OS) time of the early TACE refractoriness group was significantly shorter than that of the nonrefractory group [21 months (95% CI: 15.7– 26.3) vs 34 months (95% CI: 27.5– 40.5), p = 0.002]. Thirty-eight patients with viable lesions > 50% after two consecutive TACE procedures were identified and matched with patients of non-refractoriness. No significant difference in median OS was observed [35 months (95% CI: 21.6– 48.5) vs 31 months (95% CI: 25.4– 36.6), p = 0.611]. Multivariate analysis revealed that the BCLC stage, tumor size, tumor capsule, tumor distribution, α-fetoprotein level (AFP), and early TACE refractoriness were independent risk factors for prognosis in HCC patients.Conclusion: Early TACE refractoriness may shorten the OS of HCC patients. However, viable lesions > 50% after two consecutive TACE treatments did not impair the survival of patients. It may be inappropriate to consider these patients as having developed TACE refractoriness.Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, transarterial chemoembolization, TACE refractoriness, overall survival, viable lesions

Dansylamide (DNSA) is a typical ICT probe that has a favorable serum albumin sensitivity. Inspired by this, we designed a microenvironment sensitive fluorescent probe 4C-G through introducing DNSA into pillar[5]arene. Unlike DNSA, 4C-G displayed differentiated sensitivity to multiple proteins, which was benefit from pillar[5]arene assisted the probe to form complexes with proteins. 4C-G could not only be applied in imaging of HepG2, but also act as a favorable drug carrier for regorafenib (REG) encapsulation. The 4C-G-REG complex would aggregate into high drug-loading fluorescent nanoparticles in a physiological environment (pH 7.4). Such nanoparticles exhibited pH-triggered enrichment ability, which rapidly enriched REG in the acidic environment (pH 6.0). Furthermore, the complexation between 4C-G and REG maintained the imaging property of the probe and the excellent anticancer activity of the drug on HepG2.

Schematic illustration of the 3D culture model including scaffold-based and scaffold-free systems for in vitro expansion of haematopoietic stem cells.

The early stages of progressive degeneration of cartilage in articular joints are a hallmark of osteoarthritis. Healthy cartilage is lubricated by brush-like cartilage-binding nanofibres with a hyaluronan backbone and two key side chains (lubricin and lipid). Here, we show that hyaluronan backbones grafted with lubricin-like sulfonate-rich polymers or with lipid-like phosphocholine-rich polymers together enhance cartilage regeneration in a rat model of early osteoarthritis. These biomimetic brush-like nanofibres show a high affinity for cartilage proteins, form a lubrication layer on the cartilage surface and efficiently lubricate damaged human cartilage, lowering its friction coefficient to the low levels typical of native cartilage. Intra-articular injection of the two types of nanofibre into rats with surgically induced osteoarthritic joints led to cartilage regeneration and to the abrogation of osteoarthritis within 8 weeks. Biocompatible injectable lubricants that facilitate cartilage regeneration may offer a translational strategy for the treatment of early osteoarthritis. Brush-like biopolymers mimicking the lubrication properties of natural cartilage-binding complexes in articular joints enhance cartilage regeneration in a rat model of early osteoarthritis.

Treatments of atherogenesis, one of the most common cardiovascular diseases (CVD), are continuously being made thanks to innovation and an increasingly in-depth knowledge of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), the most revolutionary medical procedure used for vascular restoration. Combined with an expanding balloon, vascular stents used at stricture sites enable the long-time restoration of vascular permeability. However, complication after stenting, in-stent restenosis (ISR), hinders the advancement of vascular stents and are associated with high medical costs for patients for decades years. Thus, the development of a high biocompatibility stent with improved safety and efficiency is urgently needed. This review provides an overview of current advances and potential technologies for the modification of stents for better treatment and prevention of ISR. In particular, the mechanisms of in-stent restenosis are investigated and summarized with the aim to comprehensively understanding the pathogenesis of stent complications. Then, according to different therapeutic functions, the current stent modification strategies are reviewed, including polymeric drug eluting stents, biological friendly stents, pro-healing stents, and gene stents. Finally, the review provides an outlook of the challenges in the design of stents with optimal properties. Therefore, this review is a valuable and practical guideline for the development of cardiovascular stents.

Two novel fluorophore (BODIPY)-bearing complexes, pyriplatin (mCBP) and pyrimidine-chelated cisplatin (dCBP), were synthesized and characterized. The additional BODIPY-pyridine/pyridimine motifs of the two Pt(II) complexes resulted in stronger interactions with DNA in comparison with those of cisplatin. mCBP and cisplatin caused relative decreases in life span and body length in a cisplatin resistant in vivo model, N2 (wild-type) Caenorhabditis elegans. In contrast, dCBP resulted in a dramatic reduction in the two physiological parameters in N2 C. elegans, indicating high toxicity and sensitivity. The resistance factors (RF) of cisplatin, mCBP, and dCBP were determined to be 2.46, 1.04, and 0.91, respectively. The increasing RF folds for mCBP and dCBP against cisplatin were 2.36 and 2.70, respectively. This suggested they were featured with improved anti-chemoresistance capabilities. It is noteworthy that dCBP showed lowest lethal concentration (LC50) values of 0.56 and 0.61 mM in cisplatin resistant and sensitive in vivo models, respectively. Upregulation of several evolutionary conservation genes that regulate cisplatin chemoresistance through cisplatin effluxing, the DNA damage response, the unfolded protein response, and detoxification (asna-1, parp-1, enpl-1, and skn-1) was observed upon exposure to cisplatin but not to mCBP and dCBP. This could explain the improved anti-chemoresistance performances of synthesized Pt(II) complexes.

Fine‐grained visual classification is challenging due to the inherently subtle intra‐class object variations. To solve this issue, a novel framework named channel attention and progressive multi‐granularity training network, is proposed. It first exploits meaningful feature maps through the channel attention module and captures multi‐granularity features by the progressive multi‐granularity training module. For each feature map, the channel attention module is proposed to explore channel‐wise correlation. This allows the model to re‐weight the channels of the feature map according to the impact of their semantic information on performance. Furthermore, the progressive multi‐granularity training module is introduced to fuse features cross multi‐granularity. And the fused features pay more attention to the subtle differences between images. The model can be trained efficiently in an end‐to‐end manner without bounding box or part annotations. Finally, comprehensive experiments are conducted to show that the method achieves state‐of‐the‐art performances on the CUB‐200‐2011, Stanford Cars, and FGVC‐Aircraft datasets. Ablation studies demonstrate the effectiveness of each part in our module.

With booming development of electronics, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials based on conductive polymer composites (CPCs) have received increasing attention. However, it remains challenging to develop flexible and lightweight CPCs with excellent stretchability, breathability, durability, and high EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE). Here, we propose a facile polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) assisted preparation of highly electrically conductive and durable nanofiber composites for high performance EMI shielding. The PVP layer could not only greatly enhance the interfacial interaction between the Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) and hence the mechanical properties (both tensile strength, Young's modulus and elongation at break) of the polymer nanofiber membrane but also forms a protection layer preventing the AgNPs from oxidizing. The electrical conductivity of the nanofiber composite can reach up to 245.7 ± 30.6 S/cm, which is, to a large degree, maintained after cyclic stretching, abrasion, and ultrasonic washing. In addition, the nanofiber composite exhibits excellent breathability, antibacterial, and Joule heating performance. When used as the EMI shielding material, the nanofiber composite shows an extremely high SE and SSE of ∼96.9 dB and 169.7 dB cm3/g, respectively, and EMI shielding performance possesses outstanding stability and durability. This multifunctional nanofibrous composite membrane exhibits promising applications in wearable electronics.

With SiO2 gel as the main skeleton material, the surface modification with methyl acrylate (MA) and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) was carried out by Michael addition and substitution reaction, after CO2 supercritical drying TEPA and MA modified SiO2 aerogel (TEPA–MA–SA aerogel) was obtained. The sample exhibited selectivity and enormous adsorption capacities for Cu2+ (218.57 mg g–1). The removal rate of Cu2+ in ternary-mixed metal solution reached 49.29%, ranking first among the materials we have known. MA and TEPA both contain rich groups such as –NH2 and –NH–, which provide abundant adsorption sites for adsorbing heavy metal ions. BET test showed that the specific surface area, the pore volume, and the pore diameter was 190.2 m2 g−1, 4.426 cm3 g−1 and 9.306 nm respectively. The above properties facilitated capture for Cu (II). The adsorption data were fitted with Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models, and both models could describe the adsorption process. However, according to the fitting parameters, Langmuir adsorption isotherm model explicates the adsorption process better. Although the pore structure and specific surface area are beneficial to the physical adsorption, chemical chelation still plays a major role. XPS analysis further proved the possible adsorption mechanism that N and O atoms adsorb Cu (II) ions through chelation. Altogether, TEPA–MA–SA aerogel is suitable as an auxiliary adsorbent to purify contaminated water.

The synthesis of Grignard reagents, which are formed by the reaction of magnesium and organic halides (RX), is hazardous because of the highly exothermic nature of this reaction. In this work, calorimetry and infrared (IR) spectroscopy were used to identify the exothermic mechanism and process hazards for the synthesis of n-butylmagnesium bromide Grignard reagent (n-BuMgBr) in diethyl ether (DE), tetrahydrofuran (THF), 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF), cyclopentylmethyl ether (CPME), and diethylene glycol butyl ether (DGBE). The latter three solvents were chosen by the substitution principle of the “inherent safety” design concept, which aims to reduce the risk of the target reaction in a fundamental manner. An EasyMax102 calorimeter was used to characterize the exothermic behavior of the reactions using isothermal and isoperibolic experiments carried out in a semi-batch glass reactor coupled with an IR probe to monitor changes in the species and concentrations during the reaction process. An adiabatic TAC-500A calorimeter was also used to understand the adiabatic decomposition behavior of the products obtained in the isothermal experiments under the worst-case (cooling failure and thermal runaway) scenario. Meanwhile, density functional theory calculations were performed to understand the reaction pathway and associated energies based on the experimental data. Further, the risk assessment of thermal runaway was analyzed using a risk matrix and a Stoessel criticality diagram. The results indicate that the risk of the reactions when using 2-MeTHF, CPME, and DGBE are all class 1, making reactions in these solvents inherently safer than those using DE or THF, which were both class-3 risks. These findings provide further evidence that 2-MeTHF, CPME, and DGBE are safer than the typical solvents used for the industrial production of Grignard reagents.

Nonylphenol ethoxylate-n (NPnEO) is a nonionic surfactant, and can be degraded in chemical and biological ways for short-chain NPnEO with n ≤ 10. However, when n is >10, the degradation of NPEO in ...

The wound healing process is usually susceptible to different bacterial infections due to the complex physiological environment, which significantly impairs wound healing. The topical application of antibiotics is not desirable for wound healing because the excessive use of antibiotics might cause bacteria to develop resistance and even the production of super bacteria, posing significant harm to human well-being. Wound dressings based on adhesive, biocompatible, and multi-functional hydrogels with natural antibacterial agents have been widely recognized as effective wound treatments. Hydrogels, which are three-dimensional (3D) polymer networks cross-linked through physical interactions or covalent bonds, are promising for topical antibacterial applications because of their excellent adhesion, antibacterial properties, and biocompatibility. To further improve the healing performance of hydrogels, various modification methods have been developed with superior biocompatibility, antibacterial activity, mechanical properties, and wound repair capabilities. This review summarizes hundreds of typical studies on various ingredients, preparation methods, antibacterial mechanisms, and internal antibacterial factors to understand adhesive hydrogels with natural antibacterial agents for wound dressings. Additionally, we provide prospects for adhesive and antibacterial hydrogels in biomedical applications and clinical research.

As a typical wide band gap photocatalyst, titania (TiO

To compare the treatment efficacy of thermal ablation versus surgical resection of metachronous colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) and to explore the potential candidates suited for thermal ablation.The data of 319 patients with CRLM who underwent radical treatment at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between November 2007 and January 2021 were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into two groups, the thermal ablation group and the surgical resection group, according to the actual treatments they received. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to balance the baseline characteristics between the two groups. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors for recurrence and survival. Survival analysis was performed for intergroup comparison.Using PSM at 1∶1 ratio, 92 patients were included in the thermal ablation group and 92 patients were included in the surgical resection group.The median overall survival (OS) in the thermal ablation group was 49 (95% confidence interval, 37-76) months, which was shorter than that of the surgical resection group (For the treatment of CRLM, the efficacy of surgical resection was better than that of thermal ablation. However, the efficacy was comparable between the two treatments for early recurrence patients of CRLM.

Adding small molecular plasticizers is the most common route to tailor the stretchability of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). However, how the plasticization along with the nature of the plasticizer governs the structural homogeneity during stretching remains an open question to answer. Herein, two representative plasticizers, glycerol (GLY) and water, are chosen to endow the PVA films with ductility. It is found that large strain cavitations cause obvious stress whitening in the PVA/H

Vegetation phenology is a sensitive indicator which can comprehensively reflect the response of wetland vegetation to external environment changes. However, the time-series monitoring wetland vegetation phenological changes and clarifying its response to hydrology and meteorology still face great challenges. To fill these research gaps, this paper proposed a novel time-series approach for monitoring phenological change of marsh vegetation in Honghe National Nature Reserve (HNNR), Northeast China, using continuous change detection and classification (CCDC) algorithm and Landsat and Sentinel-1 SAR images from 1985 to 2021. We evaluated the spatio-temporal response relationship of phenological characteristics to hydro-meteorological factors by combining CCDC algorithm with partial least squares regression (PLSR). Finally, this study further explored the intra-annual loss and restoration of marsh vegetation in response to hydro-meteorological factors using the transfer entropy (TE) and CCDC-MLSR model constructed by CCDC and Multiple Linear Stepwise Regression (MLSR) algorithms. We found that the bimodal trajectory of phenology reflects two growth processes of marsh vegetation in one year, and high-frequency and high-amplitude loss occurred in shallow-water and deep-water marsh vegetation from April to October, resulting in the loss area within the year was significantly greater than the recovery area. We confirmed that the CCDC algorithm could track the evolution trajectory of time-series phenology of marsh vegetation. We further revealed that precipitation, temperature and frequency of water-level changes are the main driving factors for the spatio-temporal phenological evolution of different marsh vegetation. This study verified the effect of alternative changes of hydrology and climate on loss and recovery of marsh vegetation in each growth stage. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for wetland protection, ecological restoration, and sustainable development.

Transcription Factor 4 (TCF4) has been associated with autism, schizophrenia, and other neuropsychiatric disorders. However, how pathological TCF4 mutations affect the human neural tissue is poorly understood. Here, we derive neural progenitor cells, neurons, and brain organoids from skin fibroblasts obtained from children with Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome carrying clinically relevant mutations in TCF4. We show that neural progenitors bearing these mutations have reduced proliferation and impaired capacity to differentiate into neurons. We identify a mechanism through which TCF4 loss-of-function leads to decreased Wnt signaling and then to diminished expression of SOX genes, culminating in reduced progenitor proliferation in vitro. Moreover, we show reduced cortical neuron content and impaired electrical activity in the patient-derived organoids, phenotypes that were rescued after correction of TCF4 expression or by pharmacological modulation of Wnt signaling. This work delineates pathological mechanisms in neural cells harboring TCF4 mutations and provides a potential target for therapeutic strategies for genetic disorders associated with this gene.

Interfacing affinity between grafts and host tissues is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed for the clinical translation of tissue engineered extracellular matrix (ECM) based grafts. Dopamine is known as a universal adhesive, the catechol groups on which could form chelating bonds with metal ions. Herein we developed an adhesive nano-coating on ECM based grafts which could crosslink in situ with ferric ions for fixation with surrounding tissues after implantation without affecting the porous structures of the grafts. Therefore, decellularized living hyaline cartilage graft (dLhCG), a model ECM-based graft, with dopamine based natural biological material adhesive coatings was manufactured to address the interfacing affinity issue between ECM-based grafts and cartilage. A macromolecule backbone was needed for the coating material to avoid the formation of a rigid crosslinking system and adverse effects caused by small molecules of dopamine. Chondroitin sulfate (CS), a cartilage derived sulfated GAG, was chosen as the backbone to fabricate dopamine modified CS (CSD) with no impurities introduced to the joint. Dopamine modified serum albumin (BCD) was also chosen for the favorable biocompatibility of albumin. Both dLhCG coated with CSD and dLhCG coated with BCD showed enhanced adhesive strength with cartilage after chelating with ferric ions in situ compared to dLhCG and further potential in improving the interfacing affinity of dLhCG with cartilage.

In this paper, the magnetic field and temperature field of transformer are analyzed, and the influence of temperature on electrical steel sheet is considered. Experiment are supplied to obtain the magnetic properties curves (B-H curves, B-P curves, and magnetic permeability curves of 30QG120), which are required for the accurate FEM (finite element method) simulation setup. Finally, the magnetizing characteristics and temperature distribution of the transformer under different temperatures and loads are studied experimentally. The simulation results of a singlephase transformer are verified by the experimental results.

Numerous studies have focused on the development of energy-storage devices, such as batteries and supercapacitors (SCs). As molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and graphene have complementary physical properties and similar layered structures, they can be combined in specific ways to create heterostructures. This capability alleviates the weaknesses of the individual counterparts and optimizes their performance. Recent advances have revealed that the unique structure and morphology, as well as the continuous conductive channels of MoS2/graphene (MoS2/G) composites, provide more active sites, improve the conductivity, and accelerate the charge transport and electrolyte diffusion of the material. Thus, MoS2/G composites could provide new opportunities for energy-storage technologies. In this review, we summarize and discuss recent advances and potential applications of MoS2/G composites in energy-storage devices. More importantly, we expound the improvement in the electrochemical performance of composites with functional materials and via heteroatom-doping. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for the future direction of MoS2/G composites.

Activated astrocytes secrete inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) into the extracellular milieu, damaging surrounding neurons and involving in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Dopamine receptor D2 (Drd2) expresses both in neurons and astrocytes, and neuronal Drd2 is a significant target in therapy of PD. Our previous study reveals that astrocytic Drd2 exerts anti-inflammatory effect via non-classical β-arrestin2 signaling in PD model. Therefore, seeking new biased ligands of Drd2 with better efficacy and fewer side effects to treat PD is desirable and meaningful. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of UNC9995, a novel biased Drd2 agonist on astrocyte-derived neuroinflammation and dopaminergic (DA) neuron degenerationin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mouse model of PD. We showed that UNC9995 rescued the TH+ neurons loss and inhibited glial cells activation in mouse substantia nigra in a Drd2 dependent manner. Focusing on astrocytes, we found UNC9995 shows a relatively safe concentration range and significantly suppresses astrocytic NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by lipopolysaccharide plus ATP. Further study revealed that the anti-inflammatory effect of UNC9995 is independent of Drd2 / Gαi protein pathway. It activates β-arrestin2 by recruiting it to cell membrane. Critically, UNC9995 enhances β-arrestin2 interacting with NLRP3 to interfere inflammasome assembly, which consequently reduces IL-1β production. On the other hand, UNC9995 inhibits IL-1β-induced inflammatory pathway activation in DA neurons and rescues subsequent apoptosis via β-arrestin2 interacting with protein kinases, such as JNK and suppressing their phosphorylation. Furthermore, β-arrestin2 knockout abolishes the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of UNC9995 in PD mouse model, supporting that UNC9995 is a β-arrestin2-biased Drd2 agonist and revealing its novel function in PD treatment. Collectively, this work illustrates that Drd2 agonist UNC9995 prevents DA neuron degeneration in PD and provides a new strategy for developing the β-arrestin2-biased ligands in the therapy of NDDs.

Existing electrochemical biosensing platforms, using traditional rigid and unstretchable electrodes, cannot monitor the biological signaling molecules released by cells in a mechanically deformed state in real time. Here, a stretchable and flexible electrochemical sensor was developed based on nickel metal-organic framework composite/Au nanoparticle-coated carbon nanotubes (Ni-MOF composite/AuNPs/CNTs) for sensitive detection of dopamine (DA) released by C6 living cells in real time. A Ni-MOF composite was obtained by introducing Ni, NiO, and a carbon frame onto the surface of two-dimensional (2D) Ni-MOF nanosheets using an efficient one-step calcination method. The hybrid of Ni-MOF composite/AuNPs/CNTs that deposited on the poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) film endowed the sensor with excellent electrochemical performance with a wide linear range of 50 nM to 15 μM and a high sensitivity of 1250 mA/(cm2 M) and also provided the sensor with desirable stability against mechanical deformation. Furthermore, the stretchable electrode also displayed good cellular compatibility while C6 living cells can be cultured and proliferated on it with strong adhesion. Then, the DA released by C6 living cells with chemical induction in both natural and stretched states was monitored using our stretchable and flexible electrochemical sensor in real time. This indicates that our new design of flexible Ni-MOF composite/AuNPs/CNTs/PDMS (NACP) film electrodes provides more opportunities for the detection of chemical signals released from cells and soft living organisms even under mechanically deformed states.

Cerium-based metal–organic framework (Ce-MOF) materials are promising electrocatalysts, while the catalytic activity of Ce-MOFs is lacking due to their inherent disadvantages (poor conductivity), a...

Roxarsone (3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid) is an extensively used organoarsenic feed additive. The effective removal of arsenic from roxarsone degradation before discharging is of great importance for controlling artificial arsenic pollution in aquatic environment. In this study, a bifunctional TiO2/ferrihydrite (TiO2/FeOOH) hybrid was synthesized by a hydrothermal method for the simultaneously photocatalytic degradation of roxarsone and adsorption removal of released arsenic. The analysis of the prepared TiO2/FeOOH by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the successful formation of the hybrid of crystalline TiO2 and no crystalline FeOOH. TiO2/FeOOH hybrid had better adsorption capacity for As(V) than roxarsone. Compared to TiO2, the TiO2/FeOOH hybrid exhibited much superior UV-driven photocatalytic activities for roxarsone degradation. After 12 h irradiation, more than 96% of roxarsone was degraded by 1:1 TiO2/FeOOH hybrid, and the released As(V) was simultaneously removed from the solution. The residual As(V) concentration was lower than 0.02 mg L−1. The reusability test indicated that TiO2/FeOOH hybrid had excellent stability and reliability. The possible mechanism of roxarsone degradation and released inorganic arsenics removal by this hybrid was also proposed. These results clearly indicated that the TiO2/FeOOH hybrid could be used for the removal of roxarsone and its degradation product.

The function and regulation of different heterogeneous reactive states of astrocytes in depression remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that neurotoxic reactive (A1-like) astrocytes are strongly induced, prior to behavioral impairments and dendritic atrophy, in depression-like mice. More interestingly, global or microglia-specific knockout of Nod-like receptor protein 3 (Nlrp3) markedly mitigates A1-like astrocyte induction, whereas astrocyte-specific Nlrp3 depletion is ineffective. Microglial Nlrp3 ablation also alleviates the neuronal dysfunction induced by A1-like astrocytes both in vitro and in vivo. We further show that in microglia the NF-κB pathway activates the NLRP3 inflammasome which in turn activates caspase-1 to induce the secretion of A1 inductors, leading to the production of A1-like astrocytes. Altogether, this study reveals the function of microglial NLRP3 inflammasome in the induction of neurotoxic astrocytes via activating neuroinflammatory caspase-1 pathway in response to chronic stress and suggests a potential therapeutic strategy for depression.

In this study, different calorimetric and analytical techniques were used to evaluate the thermal behaviour of the preparation of 1-nitronaphthalene through the nitration of naphthalene with mixed acid. Differential scanning calorimetry and adiabatic calorimetry revealed that 1-nitronaphthalene lacks thermal decomposition characteristics. The results of reaction calorimetry, high-performance liquid chromatography, and the density function theory method were combined to analyse the reaction mechanism. An expanded Stoessel criticality diagram was developed to evaluate the process safety of the semibatch nitration reaction. The results revealed a higher degree of risk than that obtained when using the traditional Stoessel criticality diagram. Kinetics parameters of the reaction were investigated.

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent and devastating psychiatric illness. Unfortunately, the current therapeutic practice, generally depending on the serotonergic system for drug treatment is unsatisfactory and shows intractable side effects. Multiple evidence suggests that dopamine (DA) and dopaminergic signals associated with neuroinflammation are highly involved in the pathophysiology of depression as well as in the mechanism of antidepressant drugs, which is still in the early stage of study and well worthy of investigation. Methods We established two chronic stress models, including chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and chronic social defeat stress (CSDS), to complementarily recapitulate depression-like behaviors. Then, hippocampal tissues were used to detect inflammation-related molecules and signaling pathways. Pathological changes in depressive mouse hippocampal astrocytes were examined by RNA sequencing. After confirming the dopamine receptor 2 (Drd2)/β-arrestin2 signaling changes in the depressive mice brain, we then established the depressive mouse model using the β-arrestin2 knockout mice or administrating the β-arrestin2-biased Drd2 agonist to investigate the roles. Label-free mass spectrometry was used to identify the β-arrestin2-binding proteins as the underlying mechanisms. We modeled neuroinflammation with interleukin-6 (IL-6) and corticosterone treatment and characterized astrocytes using multiple methods including cell viability assay, flow cytometry, and confocal immunofluorescence. Results Drd2-biased β-arrestin2 pathway is significantly changed in the progression of depression, and genetic deletion of β-arrestin2 aggravates neuroinflammation and depressive-like phenotypes. Mechanistically, astrocytic β-arrestin2 retains STAT3 in the cytoplasm by structural combination with STAT3, therefore, inhibiting the JAK–STAT3 pathway-mediated inflammatory activation. Furtherly, pharmacological activation of Drd2/β-arrestin2 pathway by UNC9995 abolishes the inflammation-induced loss of astrocytes and ameliorates depressive-like behaviors in mouse model for depression. Conclusions Drd2/β-arrestin2 pathway is a potential therapeutic target for depression and β-arrestin2-biased Drd2 agonist UNC9995 is identified as a potential anti-depressant strategy for preventing astrocytic dysfunctions and relieving neuropathological manifestations in mouse model for depression, which provides insights for the therapy of depression.

Haematopoietic stem cells are the basis for building and maintaining lifelong haematopoietic mechanisms and an important resource for the treatment of blood disorders. Haematopoietic niches are a microenvironment in the body where stem cells tend to accumulate, with some nurse cells protecting and regulating stem cells. On the basis of biology, materials science, and engineering, researchers have constructed stem cell niches to address the current clinical shortage of stem cells and to explore stem cell behaviour for biomedical research. Herein, three main resource categories involved in haematopoietic stem cell niche engineering are reviewed: first, the basic approach to construct bionic cell culture environments is to use cytokines, nurse cells or extracellular matrix; second, microscale technologies are applied to mimic the properties of natural stem cell niches; and finally, biomaterials are used to construct the three-dimensional extracellular matrix-like culture environment.