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Selective catalytic reduction of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes plays a significant role in the present chemical industry. In this article, a series of high entropy catalysts were prepared and employed to catalyze the hydrogen transfer reaction of furan-2-acrolein in alcoholic solvents. As a result, the catalyst containing inexpensive Cu, Co, Al, Ni, and Fe elements exhibited outstanding performance, in which more than 99.9% conversion and 93.3% selectivity to 2-furan propanol are obtained in the presence of the CuCoAlNiFeOxcatalyst; meanwhile, the furan ring-hydrogenated products 3-(tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)propanal and 3-(tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)propan-1-ol are mainly generated using CuCoAlNiFe-250R as the catalyst. Based on the results of control experiments and catalyst characterization, it is concluded that the synergistic effect between the five different metal elements is very crucial to the prominent catalytic activity. Moreover, the presence of metal Cu is advantageous for the hydrogenation of the side chain CC and CO bonds, while the reduced state Ni is responsible for the hydrogen transfer reduction of the furan ring. This study provides an economical and facile approach for the selective reduction of aromatic α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and biomass-derived furanic derivatives.

Succinic anhydride (SAN), a C4 bulk chemical, is selectively produced from bio-based furans with a simple metalloporphyrin as the catalyst under visible light. Typically, 99% conversion of furfuryl alcohol with 87.7% selectivity toward SAN was obtained in the presence of zinc(ii) tetraphenyl porphyrin (ZnTPP) as the photocatalyst. It is confirmed that the generation of singlet oxygen (1O2) plays a crucial role in the transformation of furanic derivatives.

ABSTRACTThe EIF3 gene family is essential in controlling translation initiation during the cell cycle. The significance of the EIF3 subunits as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in breast cancer is not yet clear. We analyzed the expression of EIF3 subunits in breast cancer on the GEPIA and Oncomine databases and compared their expression in breast cancer and normal tissues using BRCA data downloaded from TCGA. Then we performed clinical survival analysis on the Kaplan–Meier Plotter database and clinicopathologic analysis on the bc-genexMiner v4.1 database. And EIF3B was chosen for mutation analysis via the Cancer SEA online tool. Meanwhile, we performed the immunohistochemical assay, real-time RT-PCR, and Western blotting to analyze EIF3B expression levels in breast cancer. An EIF3B knockdown and a negative control cell line were conducted for MTT assay and cell cycle analysis to assess cell growth. Specifically, the results of TCGA and online databases demonstrated that upregulated EIF3B was associated with poorer overall and advanced tumor progression. We also confirmed that EIF3B was more highly expressed in breast cancer cells and tissues than normal and correlated with a worse outcome. And knockdown of EIF3B expression inhibited the cell cycle and proliferation. Furthermore, EIF3B was highly mutated in breast cancer. Collectively, our results suggested EIF3B as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Objective To identify risk factors related to structural incomplete response (SIR) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and develop a nomogram for PTC patients.Methods In this respective study, clinical, ultrasonic, and pathological data of PTC patients treated at our institute between 2016 and 2020 were analyzed. Patients were randomly split into training and validation sets at a ratio of 7:3. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was conducted to determine independent prognostic factors. On the basis of these factors, a nomogram was built to predict SIR. Pvalue, concordance index, calibration plots and decision curve analysis were used to evaluate the model.Results Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that BRAF V600E status, lymph node metastasis, sex, tumor size, margin, and surgical procedure were independent prognostic factors. In the validation set, the concordance index of the nomogram was 0.774 (95% confidence interval: 0.703–0.845). Calibration plots at 3 and 5 years showed no apparent difference between predicted SIR probability and the actual SIR proportion. Additionally, the nomogram had good net clinical benefit according to the decision curve analysis compared with cases that were treat-all or treat-none.Conclusion We build a nomogram to predict individualized outcomes and help postoperative surveillance in PTC patients.

A kind of label-free refractive index biosensor based on long-period gratings (LPGs) inscribed in microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) is theoretically studied. The finite element method is used to visualize the mode field distribution along the grapefruit MOF. The transmission spectrum of LPG in the air or liquid is simulated by the coupled-mode theory. An immobilized biorecognition molecules layer on the inner walls of the holes in the MOF provides the ability to capture analyte molecules selectively. Numerical results show that an ultrahigh refractive index sensitivity of approximately 397.3  nm/RIU over the refractive index range of 1.4–1.5 is achieved. Moreover, the sensitivity of the grapefruit MOF can be improved by reducing the periods of gratings. In addition, the shift of the resonant wavelength is linear to the analyte thickness with good sensitivity about 0.6  nm/nm. It is expected to play a great role in theoretical guidance for further development of biosensors.

Regulation of intracellular pH (pHi) in cardiomyocytes is crucial for cardiac function; however, currently known mechanisms for direct or indirect extrusion of acid from cardiomyocytes seem insufficient for energetically-efficient extrusion of the massive H+loads generated under in vivoconditions. In cardiomyocytes, voltage-sensitive H+channel activity mediated by the HVCN1 proton channel would be a highly efficient means of disposing of H+, while avoiding Na+-loading, as occurs during direct acid extrusion via Na+/H+exchange or indirect acid extrusion via Na+-HCO3-cotransport. PCR and immunoblotting demonstrated expression of HVCN1 mRNA and protein in canine heart. Patch clamp analysis of canine ventricular myocytes revealed a voltage-gated H+current that was highly H+-selective. The current was blocked by external Zn2+and the HVCN1 blocker 5-chloro-2-guanidinobenzimidazole (ClGBI). Both the gating and Zn2+blockade of the current were strongly influenced by the pH gradient across the membrane. All characteristics of the observed current were consistent with the known hallmarks of HVCN1-mediated H+current. Inhibition of HVCN1 and the NHE1 Na+/H+exchanger, singly and in combination, showed that either mechanism was largely sufficient to maintain pHiin beating cardiomyocytes, but that inhibition of both activities caused rapid acidification. These results show that HVCN1 is expressed in canine ventricular myocytes and provides a major H+-extrusion activity, with a capacity similar to that of NHE1. In the beating heart in vivo, this activity would allow Na+-independent extrusion of H+during each action potential and, when functionally coupled with anion transport mechanisms, could facilitate transport-mediated CO2disposal.