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By polymerization of gadolinium methacrylate (Gd (MAA)3), lead methacrylate (Pb(MAA)2) and methyl methacrylate (MMA), Gd and Pb were chemically bonded into polymers. The X-ray shielding performance was evaluated by Monte Carlo simulation method, and the results showed that the more metal functional organic monomer, the better the shielding performance of terpolymers. When the X-ray energy is 65 keV, Gd (MAA)3-containing polymers have better shielding performance than Pb(MAA)2-containing polymers. Gd could compensate for the weak absorption region of Pb. Therefore, polymers containing both Gd and Pb enhanced shielding efficiency against X-ray in various low-energy ranges. For obtaining terpolymers with uniform monomer compositions, the relationship between the monomer composition of the terpolymers and the conversion level was optimized by calculating the reactivity ratios. The value of reactivity ratios of r (Gd (MAA)3/Pb(MAA)2), r (Pb(MAA)2/Gd (MAA)3), r (Gd (MAA)3/MMA), r (MMA/Gd (MAA)3), r (Pb(MAA)2/MMA) and r (MMA/Pb(MAA)2) was 0.483, 0.004, 0.338, 2.508, 0.255, 0.029. The terpolymers with uniform monomer composition could be obtained by controlling the monomer compositions or conversion levels. The results can provide new radiation protection materials and contribute to the improvement in nuclear safety.

Herein, we report a surface modified TiO2 nanowire arrays (NAs) photoanode based photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) towards simultaneous enhancement of actual wastewater treatment and electricity generation under visible light irradiation. TiO2 NAs were facile fabricated via two-step anodization process in ethylene glycol and glycerin solution, respectively. Actual wastewater samples were directly applied to evaluate the PFC performance in terms of wastewater degradation and electricity generation through the as-prepared TiO2 NAs photoanode without loading noble-metals or semiconductors. TiO2 NAs photoanode prepared from ethylene glycol solution demonstrated a highly ordered surface network, exhibiting short-circuit current density and fill factor nearly 4.3 times and 1.4 times higher than pristine TiO2 NAs photoanode prepared according to previous reports. The experimental results revealed that the fabrication of TiO2 NAs by a facile surface modification in ethylene glycol solution can be considered a low-cost and scalable routine for enhancing performance of PFC photoanode towards efficient actual wastewater treatment and electricity generation.

Allicin, a chemical found in functional foods, has a variety of beneficial bioactivities but the unpleasent odor and unstability hinder its applications. Isolating products from cyclodextrin (CD) complexation, using β-CD and its derivatives, is usually a time and energy-consuming process. Herein, a high-efficiency and eco-friendly preparation method of an inclusion (allicin@α-CD) formed by allicin and α-CD was designed, which turned liquid allicin into crystal particles with high-speed stirring (10,000 r/min) at 25°C for 10 min in water. In vivo and in vitro masking evaluations showed that the inclusion particles could decrease the unpleasant odor of allicin. Molecular docking and experimental characterization results illustrated that the main reason of odor masking was due to the disulfide and thiocarbonyl groups of allicin being partially encapsulated by the cavity of α-CD. Compared with the physical mixture, the stability of allicin in allicin@α-CD at 60°C for 10 days was 33-fold improved. Overall, this efficient strategy of inclusion provided a promising approach for the industrialization of allicin-related formulations. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In this study, an environmentally friendly method of α-CD inclusion without the use of organic reagents was designed to solidify and stabilize allicin, which effectively masked the unpleasant odor and taste of allicin. It has contributed greatly to improving the compliance of consumers and provided a new and effective approach to broaden the application of allicin.

Fluoropolymers get increasing attention in energetic materials application due to the high fluorine content. To explore the effect of poly(vinylidene fluoride -co- hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) on Al/MnO2 nanothermite, the samples with different contents are prepared and characterized by SEM, TG-DSC, XRD, and their ignition and combustion behavior are tested and recorded. The results show that P(VDF-HFP) as an energetic binder can combine the nanothermite components together, even exist in the gaps. The integrity of energetic materials has been improved. Thermal analysis shows that the addition of P(VDF-HFP) greatly changes the thermal reaction processes, and the exothermic peaks appear early, but the utilization of fuel and oxidizer is not efficient from the XRD results. Furthermore, the appropriate addition of P(VDF-HFP) can directly reduce the ignition energy threshold and increase the combustion time, which is necessary for the potential ignition charge application. The possible reasons for above phenomena are discussed and analyzed. This research provides a reference for improvement of thermite-based ignition charge formulation.

We propose and demonstrate on-chip all-optical control of a single resonance in a graphene-on-silicon nanobeam cavity using thermo-optic (TO) effect. In the design, the graphene sheet covered on the nanobeam cavity is patterned in a “U” shape, which enables the device to maintain a constant quality factor and a high extinction ratio (ER) after graphene transfer. Benefiting from the ultra-small optical mode volume of the nanobeam cavity and the high thermal conductivity of graphene, efficient all-optical control of a single resonance is implemented with a tuning efficiency of 0.0346 nm/mW. All-optical switching is also demonstrated with a switching power of 47 mW at a high ER of ∼16 dB. Moreover, the 10%–90% switching times are 3.24 μs and 5.52 μs for the rising edge and the falling edge, respectively. Such graphene-assisted device potentially could be a good candidate to realize efficient on-chip all-optical control of an individual resonance with a high ER.

The non-fully conjugated polymer as a new class of acceptor materials has shown some advantages over its small molecular counterpart when used in photoactive layers for all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs), despite a low power conversion efficiency (PCE) caused by its narrow absorption spectra. Herein, a novel non-fully conjugated polymer acceptor PFY-2TS with a low bandgap of ~1.40 eV was developed, via polymerizing a large π-fused small molecule acceptor (SMA) building block (namely YBO) with a non-conjugated thioalkyl linkage. Compared with its precursor YBO, PFY-2TS retains a similar low bandgap but a higher LUMO level. Moreover, compared with the structural analog of YBO-based fully conjugated polymer acceptor PFY-DTC, PFY-2TS shows a similar absorption spectrum and electron mobility, but significantly different molecular crystallinity and aggregation properties, which results in optimal blend morphology with a polymer donor PBDB-T and physical processes of the device in all-PSCs. As a result, PFY-2TS-based all-PSCs achieved a PCE of 12.31% with a small energy loss of 0.56 eV enabled by the reduced non-radiative energy loss (0.24 eV), which is better than that of 11.08% for the PFY-DTC-based ones. Our work clearly demonstrated that non-fully conjugated polymers as a new class of acceptor materials are very promising for the development of high-performance all-PSCs. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

The memristor-based neuromorphic computing application, which is highly flexible and capable of handling large amounts of parallel information, is one of the major breakthroughs in the past decade....

Upon infection of hepatocyte, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genomic DNA in nucleocapsid is transported into the nucleus and converted into a covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA to serve as the template for transcription of viral RNAs. Viral DNA in the cytoplasmic progeny nucleocapsid is another resource to fuel cccDNA amplification. Apparently, nucleocapsid disassembly, or viral genomic DNA uncoating, is an essential step for cccDNA synthesis from both de novo infection and intracellular amplification pathways, and has a potential to activate DNA sensors and induce an innate immune response in infected hepatocytes. However, where and how the nucleocapsid disassembly occurs is not well understood. The work reported herein showed that the enhanced disassembly of progeny mature nucleocapsids in the cytoplasm supported cccDNA intracellular amplification, but failed to activate the cGAS-STING-mediated innate immune response in hepatocytes. Interestingly, while expression of a cytoplasmic exonuclease TREX1 in human hepatoma cells supporting HBV replication significantly reduced the amounts of cccDNA as well as its precursor, deproteinized relaxed circular (rc) DNA, expression of TREX1 in sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide-expressing human hepatoma cells did not inhibit cccDNA synthesis from de novo HBV infection. The results from this cytoplasmic nuclease protection assay imply that the disassembly of progeny mature nucleocapsids and removal of viral DNA polymerase covalently linked to the 5′ end of minus strand of rcDNA take place in the cytoplasm. On the contrary, the disassembly of virion-derived nucleocapsids during de novo infection may occur at a different subcellular compartment and possibly via distinct mechanisms.

Mammalian sperm is highly susceptible to reactive oxygen species (ROS) during the cryopreservation process. Astaxanthin (AST), a red pigment of the carotenoid family, is recognized as having a variety of beneficial biological activities and effects, including antioxidant, anticancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory. The present study aimed to investigate whether the presence of AST protected boar sperm from ROS stress during cryopreservation. Boar sperm was diluted with a freezing medium supplemented with different concentrations of AST (0, 0.5, 1, 2, or 5 μM). The addition of AST, especially at a concentration of 2 μM, exerted positive effects on post-thaw sperm motility parameters. Meanwhile, sperm plasma membrane integrity and acrosome integrity of post-thaw sperm were significantly increased, while lipid peroxidation was inhibited in response to 2 μM AST treatment. Interestingly, compared to the control, supplementation with 2 μM AST increased unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) levels and decreased saturated fatty acids (SFAs) content in post-thaw sperm, leading to a decreased ratio of SFAs/UFAs in the AST group. In conclusion, the addition of AST to freezing extenders inhibited lipid peroxidation and regulated fatty acid composition of the sperm membrane, improved post-thaw sperm quality, and had no adverse effect on boar sperm in vitro fertilization (IVF) capacity and potential for embryonic development. Our data provide a novel insight into understanding the mechanisms of AST concerning protecting boar sperm quality against ROS damage during cryopreservation.

Benzoxazine resin exhibits excellent properties and is widely used in many fields. Herein, the synthesis of a novel compound, the bis(2,4-dihydro-2 H-3-(4- N-maleimido)phenyl-1,3-benzoxazinyl)biphenyl (BMIPBB), has been reported, which was synthesized by reacting N-(4-aminophenyl)maleimide (APMI), formaldehyde, and 4,4’-dihydroxybiphenyl. 1,3,5-three(4-(maleimido)phenyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TMIPT) was formed as an intermediate during the reaction. The proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy experiments were conducted to determine the structure of BMIPBB. BMIPBB was obtained as a reddish-brown solid in 40.1% yield. The thermal properties of BMIPBB were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. Analysis of the DSC curves revealed that the broad peak representing the release of curing reaction heat appeared in the temperature range of 140–330°C. The peak temperature was 242.59°C and the heat of the reaction was 393.82 J/g, indicating that the rate of the curing reaction was low and the heat of the reaction was high. Analysis of the TGA results revealed that the weight loss rate was 5% at 110°C. The monomer exhibited a significant weight loss in the range of 320–500°C. The compound lost 50% of its weight at a temperature of 427°C.

Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to formate provides a method for the synthesis of valuable fuels and chemical products. Herein, SnS nanoparticles were grown in situ on Sn-atom-mo...

We report herein the synthesis and evaluation of phenyl ureas derived from 4-oxotetrahydropyrimidine as novel capsid assembly modulators of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Among the derivatives, compound 27 (58031) and several analogs showed an activity of submicromolar EC50 against HBV and low cytotoxicities (>50 μM). Structure–activity relationship studies revealed a tolerance for an additional group at position 5 of 4-oxotetrahydropyrimidine. The mechanism study indicates that compound 27 (58031) is a type II core protein allosteric modulator (CpAMs), which induces core protein dimers to assemble empty capsids with fast electrophoresis mobility in native agarose gel. These compounds may thus serve as leads for future developments of novel antivirals against HBV.

Rationale: Recurrent and metastatic cancers often undergo a period of dormancy, which is closely associated with cellular quiescence, a state whereby cells exit the cell cycle and are reversibly arrested in G0 phase. Curative cancer treatment thus requires therapies that either sustain the dormant state of quiescent cancer cells, or preferentially, eliminate them. However, the mechanisms responsible for the survival of quiescent cancer cells remain obscure. Methods: Dual genome-editing was carried out using a CRISPR/Cas9-based system to label endogenous p27 and Ki67 with the green and red fluorescent proteins EGFP and mCherry, respectively, in melanoma cells. Analysis of transcriptomes of isolated EGFP-p27highmCherry-Ki67low quiescent cells was conducted at bulk and single cell levels using RNA-sequencing. The extracellular acidification rate and oxygen consumption rate were measured to define metabolic phenotypes. SiRNA and inducible shRNA knockdown, chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays were employed to elucidate mechanisms of the metabolic switch in quiescent cells. Results: Dual labelling of endogenous p27 and Ki67 with differentiable fluorescent probes allowed for visualization, isolation, and analysis of viable p27highKi67low quiescent cells. Paradoxically, the proto-oncoprotein c-Myc, which commonly drives malignant cell cycle progression, was expressed at relatively high levels in p27highKi67low quiescent cells and supported their survival through promoting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). In this context, c-Myc selectively transactivated genes encoding OXPHOS enzymes, including subunits of isocitric dehydrogenase 3 (IDH3), whereas its binding to cell cycle progression gene promoters was decreased in quiescent cells. Silencing of c-Myc or the catalytic subunit of IDH3, IDH3α, preferentially killed quiescent cells, recapitulating the effect of treatment with OXPHOS inhibitors. Conclusion: These results establish a rigorous experimental system for investigating cellular quiescence, uncover the high selectivity of c-Myc in activating OXPHOS genes in quiescent cells, and propose OXPHOS targeting as a potential therapeutic avenue to counter cancer cells in quiescence.

The fabrication of intracrystalline secondary pores is an important approach to improve the catalytic performance of microporous zeolites. Herein, a two-step crystallization process using only TEAOH/TEA has been developed for the hydrothermal synthesis of hierarchical SAPO-34. When crystalline AlPO4 characterized with four-coordinated aluminum and phosphorus atoms was applied, hierarchical SAPO-34 could hydrothermally be synthesized under the nH2O : nAl2O3 > 20 condition, and the crystallization process was analyzed. The crystalline AlPO4 is beneficial for the SAPO-34 synthesis, and hierarchical SAPO-34 with abundant intracrystalline secondary porosity can be efficiently synthesized in 2 h. Although both the distribution range and volume of the mesopores decrease with time, the mesopore volume of hierarchical SAPO-34-31 achieved 0.069 cm3 g−1. Furthermore, the silicon atoms in hierarchical SAPO-34-31 are mainly in the Si(OAl)4 and Si(OSi)(OAl)3 states, and the accessibility would be improved by the intracrystalline mesopores (16–20.3 nm). SAPO-34-31 exhibited more excellent MTO activity than the nano-sized SAPO-34, and the selectivity of ethylene and propylene achieved more than 80%, while the nC2H4 : nC3H6 is always about 0.8.

It was found that, just by adding easily accessible and low-cost straight chain fatty acid additives into the co-polymerization reaction system of lead methacrylate with methyl methacrylate, the optical properties of the produced lead-containing plexiglass could be significantly improved. In comparison with the material free of straight chain fatty acid, the light transmittance could be enhanced obviously from 42.97% to 91.84% at the highest, while the haze value was reduced from 94.83% to only 0.39%. Besides, the as-prepared lead-containing plexiglass was of good toughness and mechanical strength. This work may provide key techniques for the fabrication of γ-ray shielding plexiglasses with good optical properties and comprehensive mechanical properties to meet the requirements for atomic energy facilities. This is a significant progress in the atomic energy industry. The technique has been successfully applied in the large-scale production of 1 m × 1 m × 8.0 mm size plexiglass.

Photothermal therapy is a new type of tumor therapy with great potential. An ideal photothermal therapy agent should have high photothermal conversion effect, low biological toxicity, and degradability. The development of novel photothermal therapy agents with these properties is of great demand. In this study, we synthesized boron quantum dots (BQDs) with an ultrasmall hydrodynamic diameter. Both in vitro and in vivo studies show that the as-synthesized BQDs have good biological safety, high photoacoustic imaging performance, and photothermal conversion ability, which can be used for photoacoustic imaging-guided photothermal agents for tumor treatment. Our investigations confirm that the BQDs hold great promise in tumor theranostic applications.

An energy-saving and eco-friendly method for the efficient construction of various tri- and tetra-substituted pyrrolecarbonitriles through ultrasound-assisted multicomponent tandem reaction of readily available alkenes, TMSCN and N,N-disubstituted formamides within 40 min under metal-, solvent-free and mild conditions was developed. The dual role of iodine (catalyst and oxidant) notably simplified the reaction conditions and reduced the chemical waste generated

Quantitative detection of two different forms of SN-38 in biological samples is, currently, cumbersome and difficult. A revisit to the mechanism of supramolecular complexation-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy helps to optimize the determination of SN-38 in plasma and the cellular pharmacokinetics in A549 cells based on the supramolecular complexation. Firstly, the inclusion mechanism dominated by thermodynamic constants was determined by measuring kinetic/thermodynamic parameters (kon , koff , ΔG, ΔH, ΔS). On this basis, the best effect of fluorescence sensitization was optimized through screening the interaction conditions (cyclodextrin species and concentrations, drug levels, temperature, pH of the buffer, and reaction time). Furthermore, the proportional relationship between the concentration of the inclusion complex and the fluorescence intensity was confirmed. Finally, a highly sensitive, selective spectrofluorimetric method was established and validated for quantitative analysis of the lactone and carboxylate molecular states of SN-38 plasma levels in rats and cell membrane transfer kinetics in A549 cell lines. The limits of detection for the lactone and carboxylate forms in plasma were found to be 0.44 ng·ml-1 and 0.28 ng·ml-1 , respectively. Precision and accuracy met the requirements of biological samples analysis. The proposed detection method provided a reference for elucidating the biodistribution of SN-38.

BACKGROUND: Epigenome-wide association studies identified the cg00574958 DNA methylation site at the carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1A (CPT1A) gene to be associated with reduced risk of metabolic diseases (hypertriglyceridemia, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome), but the mechanism underlying these associations is unknown. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to elucidate whether carbohydrate and fat intakes modulate cg00574958 methylation and the risk of metabolic diseases. METHODS: We examined associations between carbohydrate (CHO) and fat (FAT) intake, as percentages of total diet energy, and the CHO/FAT ratio with CPT1A-cg00574958, and the risk of metabolic diseases in 3 populations (Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network, n = 978; Framingham Heart Study, n = 2331; and REgistre GIroní del COR study, n = 645) while adjusting for confounding factors. To understand possible causal effects of dietary intake on the risk of metabolic diseases, we performed meta-analysis, CPT1A transcription analysis, and mediation analysis with CHO and FAT intakes as exposures and cg00574958 methylation as the mediator. RESULTS: We confirmed strong associations of cg00574958 methylation with metabolic phenotypes (BMI, triglyceride, glucose) and diseases in all 3 populations. Our results showed that CHO intake and CHO/FAT ratio were positively associated with cg00574958 methylation, whereas FAT intake was negatively correlated with cg00574958 methylation. Meta-analysis further confirmed this strong correlation, with β = 58.4 ± 7.27, P = 8.98 x 10(-16) for CHO intake; β = −36.4 ± 5.95, P = 9.96 x 10(-10) for FAT intake; and β = 3.30 ± 0.49, P = 1.48 x 10(-11) for the CHO/FAT ratio. Furthermore, CPT1A mRNA expression was negatively associated with CHO intake, and positively associated with FAT intake, and metabolic phenotypes. Mediation analysis supports the hypothesis that CHO intake induces CPT1A methylation, hence reducing the risk of metabolic diseases, whereas FAT intake inhibits CPT1A methylation, thereby increasing the risk of metabolic diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the proportion of total energy supplied by CHO and FAT can have a causal effect on the risk of metabolic diseases via the epigenetic status of CPT1A. Study registration at https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/: the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN)—NCT01023750; and the Framingham Heart Study (FHS)—NCT00005121.

The adverse effects of chemotherapeutic drugs to healthy organs/cells greatly limit their clinical efficacy and patient compliance. The unique behavior of azobenzene photoswitch offers a remarkable tool to address the side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. The azobenzene moiety has been integrated within some chemotherapeutic drugs to realize photo-triggered activation of drug cytotoxicity. However, the clinical translation of these agents has been facing a few barriers. In this short review, we present our viewpoints on potential solutions to address the following challenges associated with azobenzene-based photoswitchable chemotherapeutic drugs, including poor tissue penetration of light, hypoxia-induced drug degradation in solid tumor and the autonomous cis-trans relaxation.

A general intermolecular anti-Michael reductive Heck reaction of α,β-unsaturated esters with organobromides has been developed. Most topical classes of aryl, heteroaryl, and vinyl bromides were found to efficiently react with a variety of internal conjugated alkenes. This protocol set up a platform toward diverse α-arylated 1,6-dicarbonyl frameworks found in natural products and drugs, which are still highly challenging targets in traditional α-arylation protocols because of competitive selectivity of enolation. A removable directing group, gram-scale reaction, and modification of complex molecules have additionally demonstrated that the anti-Michael reductive Heck reaction is a powerful complementary strategy to the classical α-arylation approaches. Preliminary mechanistic studies are consistent with our proposed mechanistic design. We gratefully acknowledge funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21602104), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK 20160986), the Starting Funding of Research (3983500176) from Nanjing Tech University. We thank Dr. Victor Gray and Dr. Sanyang Han (from Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge) for proofreading.

Herein, we constructed a nano-CuO film on copper foil for the in situ generation of reactive chlorine species (RCS) for the contact killing of bacteria and biofilm suppression and dispersal. Both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were susceptible to this treatment. Additionally, we demonstrate the solid nano-CuO interface-based heterogeneous Fenton chemistry rather than leached copper-ion-based homogeneous Fenton chemistry is responsible for RCS generation and bacterial cytotoxicity. This process is modulated by the H2O2 and Cl− concentrations in bacterial growth environment. The potential applications for in situ generation of RCS might be the incorporation of CuO nanoparticles into functional food contact surfaces as well as coating materials for marine biofouling control.

Tumor‐immune crosstalk within the tumor microenvironment (TME) occurs at all stages of tumorigenesis. Tumor‐associated M2 macrophages play a central role in tumor development, but the molecular underpinnings have not been fully elucidated. We demonstrated that M2 macrophages produce interleukin 1β (IL‐1β), which activates phosphorylation of the glycolytic enzyme glycerol‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD2) at threonine 10 (GPD2 pT10) through phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase‐mediated activation of protein kinase‐delta (PKCδ) in glioma cells. GPD2 pT10 enhanced its substrate affinity and increased the catalytic rate of glycolysis in glioma cells. Inhibiting PKCδ or GPD2 pT10 in glioma cells or blocking IL‐1β generated by macrophages attenuated the glycolytic rate and proliferation of glioma cells. Furthermore, human glioblastoma tumor GPD2 pT10 levels were positively correlated with tumor p‐PKCδ and IL‐1β levels as well as intratumoral macrophage recruitment, tumor grade and human glioblastoma patient survival. These results reveal a novel tumorigenic role for M2 macrophages in the TME. In addition, these findings suggest possible treatment strategies for glioma patients through blockade of cytokine crosstalk between M2 macrophages and glioma cells., Tumor‐associated macrophages regulate glioma cell glycolysis through GPD2. GPD2 pT10 correlates with grades and prognosis in glioblastoma patients.

It is essential to develop new carriers for laryngeal drug delivery in light of the lack of therapy in laryngeal related diseases. When the inhalable micron-sized crystals of γ-cyclodextrin metal-organic framework (CD-MOF) was utilized as dry powder inhalers (DPIs) carrier with high fine particle fraction (FPF), it was found in this research that the encapsulation of a glycoside compound, namely, scutellarin (SCU) in CD-MOF could significantly enhance its laryngeal deposition. Firstly, SCU loading into CD-MOF was optimized by incubation. Then, a series of characterizations were carried out to elucidate the mechanisms of drug loading. Finally, the laryngeal deposition rate of CD-MOF was 57.72 ± 2.19% improved by SCU, about two times higher than that of CD-MOF, when it was determined by Next Generation Impactor (NGI) at 65 L/min. As a proof of concept, pharyngolaryngitis therapeutic agent dexamethasone (DEX) had improved laryngeal deposition after being co-encapsulated with SCU in CD-MOF. The molecular simulation demonstrated the configuration of SCU in CD-MOF and its contribution to the free energy of the SCU@CD-MOF, which defined the enhanced laryngeal anchoring. In conclusion, the glycosides-like SCU could effectively enhance the anchoring of CD-MOF particles to the larynx to facilitate the treatment of laryngeal diseases., Graphical abstract Glycoside scutellarin enhanced inhalable γ-cyclodextrin metal-organic framework particles anchoring in larynx. As a proof-of-concept, dexamethasone co-delivered with scutellarin (SCU) had enhanced laryngeal deposition. Laryngeal deposition of dried powders was evaluated using the Next Generation Pharmaceutical Impactor. Molecular simulation revealed the scutellarin incorporation in CD-MOF and its effect to the surface properties.Image 1

Alkaloids and lignans in Zanthoxylum armatum display important biological activities, but the quanitification method of alkaloids has not been reported. In this study, an effective extraction method was developed through an orthogonal design, and ten compounds in roots, stems, branches and leaves of Zanthoxylum armatum were simultaneously quantified by ultra-fast liquid chromatography–tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UFLC–MS/MS). The roots, stems, branches and leaves of Z. armatum were ultrasonically extracted with methanol (solvent–to–sample ratio 100 : 1, v/w) for 10 min. An UFLC–MS/MS method was developed with a gradient UFLC mobile phase and triple quadruple tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode. The method was validated for linearity, precision, repeatability and accuracy. The limits of detection and quantification were within 0.01–7.5 and 0.04–30 ng/mL, respectively. The root samples collected from Tian’e County were abundant in N-methylanhydrotetrahydroberberrubine A, escholidine perchlorate and pinoresinol monomethyl ether, eudesminthe.

To investigate the impact of oxygen for the feature parameters of the coal oxidation process, the coal samples were selected from mines of Liuhuanggou and Ewirgol in Xinjiang Province, China. TGA/DSC–FTIR was employed to conduct the coal mass, heat, and functional groups under oxygen concentrations of 3, 6, 9, 15, and 21 vol% from 30 to 950 °C. In the entire coal–oxygen reaction, the characteristic temperatures were divided into T1 (adsorption temperature), T2 (oxygen-adsorption mass-gain starting temperature), T3 (oxygen-adsorption mass-gain maximum temperature), T4 (ignition temperature), T5 (max mass loss rate temperature), and T6 (burnout temperature). The results indicated that with the decrease in oxygen concentration, the feature temperature point gradually transferred to the high-temperature area. The coal samples maximum exothermic temperature rose, the maximum exothermic power decreased, and the net thermal release decreased along the entire reaction process of coal sample. The feature temperature excursion of the coal–oxygen composite reactive incurred the hysteresis effect, which was obvious when the oxygen concentration was 3 vol%. Furthermore, the content of main functional groups of coal microstructure was the highest at T2, and the content gradually decreased with the temperature increase continuously. As the increase in oxygen concentration, the content of main functional groups increased. Among them, there was no considerable change in the hydroxyl content in the coal microstructure on the characteristic temperatures of 75, 140, and 350 °C. As the temperature rose to 140 °C, the content of main functional groups with a varying degree grew. When the temperature reached 350 °C, the oxygen-containing functional group began to decrease.