Search

Designing highly active and selective electrocatalysts for converting CO2 into value-added chemicals and fuels by electrochemical method is still a challenge. Herein, we have successfully fabricated a lotus-like morphology of Sn/Cu alloy on carbon fiber cloth via a facile electrodeposition method followed by air-dried treatment. Owing to the presence of Sn2+ and Cu+ on the surface of Sn/Cu alloy, this bimetallic Sn/Cu electrode exhibits the outstanding FE of formate with a maximum value of 95.81% at −1.07 V versus RHE, and the total current density at −0.97 V versus RHE keeping unchanged at 33.78 mA cm−2 under the 20 h electrolysis even with the replacement of electrolyte. This work provides an effective strategy for highly boosting the selective production of formate from electrochemical CO2 reduction by stabilizing the intermediate valence of bimetallic alloy.

For anti-counterfeiting and full-color display applications, adjusting the Yb3+ concentrations or excitation conditions is the basic and simple way to control luminescence color and intensity. However, this approach is significantly limited because the luminescence color is not very sensitive to the response of doped Yb3+ concentrations or excitation conditions. Herein, we have demonstrated that the as-synthesized NaLuF4:Yb/Er and their annealed counterpart LuOF:Yb/Er microrods exhibit upconversion/downshifting double-mode luminescence with complementary and rich colors from green, yellow to red under 980/365/488 nm excitation. The anti-counterfeiting patterns printed with these microrods inks have the ability of the color response to the excitation wavelength, excitation power and laser scanning speed, which make them be hard to duplicate. This study indicates that Yb/Er doping NaLuF4 and their complementary LuOF microrods have great potential in multilevel anti-counterfeiting application and display. In addition, heat treatment way also brings novel ideas to the synthesis of high efficient luminescence materials.

Layer-structured interphase, existing between reinforcing fiber and ceramics matrix, is an indispensable constituent for fiber-reinforced ceramic composites due to its determinant role in the mechanical behavior of the composites. However, the interphase may suffer high residual stress because of the mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients in the constituents, and this can exert significant influence on the mechanical behavior of the composites. Here, the residual stress in the boron nitride (BN) interphase of continuous SiC fiber-reinforced SiC composites was measured using a micro-Raman spectrometer. The effects of the residual stress on the mechanical behavior of the composites were investigated by correlating the residual stress with the mechanical properties of the composites. The results indicate that the residual stress increases from 26.5 to 82.6 MPa in tension as the fabrication temperature of the composites rises from 1500 to 1650 °C. Moreover, the increasing tensile residual stress leads to significant variation of tensile strain, tensile strength, and fiber/matrix debonding mode of the composites. The sublayer slipping of the interphase caused by the residual stress should be responsible for the transformation of the mechanical behavior. This work can offer important guidance for residual stress adjustment in fiber-reinforced ceramic composites.

Psathyrostachys huashanica Keng f. ex P.C.Kuo (2n = 2x = 14, NsNs) harbor numerous useful genes and exhibit application prospects as a breeding resource via distant hybridization. Here, a Wheat-P. huashanica alien substitution line, derived from common wheat 7182 and P. huashanica, was characterized by Multiple experimental evidences. The cytological results showed the chromosome number of the line was 42. Genomic in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization (GISH-FISH) analysis indicated the line had a pair of chromosomes Ns from P. huashanica, and 40 chromosomes from common wheat. Verification using expressed sequence tag–sequence tagged site (EST-STS) (BE497584, BE443796, BG313767), polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based landmark unique gene (PLUG) (TNAC1026-HaeIII, TNAC1043-TaqI, TNAC1091-HaeIII) and high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) markers confirmed that a pair of wheat chromosomes 1D in the line were substituted by a pair of P. huashanica chromosomes 1Ns. Therefore, we can conclude that the alien chromosome line was a wheat- P. huashanica 1Ns(1D) disomic substitution line and named as wheat-Ph1D. In comparison to the common wheat parent 7182, agronomic trait evaluations showed that wheat-Ph1D exhibited significant improvements, including plant height, grain length, thousand-grain weight, the contents of crude protein and gluten protein, starch content, dough stability time and resistant to stripe rust at the adult stage. Consequently, wheat-Ph1D could be a potential bridge material in wheat breeding with specific agronomic traits.

A tetraimidazole-decorating tetraphenylpyrazine has been designed and utilized for the fabrication of a novel metal-organic framework (MOF), denoted as {Mn(Tipp)(A)2}n·2H2O (TippMn, where Tipp = 2,3,5,6-tetrakis[4-[(1H-imidazol-1-yl)methyl]phenyl]pyrazine and A = deprotonation of 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid), through hydrothermal synthesis. Structural analysis reveals that TippMn possesses a 2-fold-interpenetrated 4,8-connected three-dimensional (3D) network with an unprecedented {416·612}{44·62} topology. Fluorescent spectral investigations indicate that TippMn shows discriminative fluorescence when treated by Cr3+ and Cu2+, giving an INHIBIT logical gate performance. Meanwhile, TippMn can be further used as a sensor for MnO4- and 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP) by fluorescence quenching. Notably, the sensing processes toward Cu2+, Cr3+, MnO4-, and TNP are labeled with high selectivity and sensitivity, quick response, and good recyclability. It is anticipated that this MOF-based versatile sensor could shed light on the exploration of MOFs for fluorescent sensors, optical switches, etc.

Bio-inertness and post-surgery infection on titanium (Ti) are the main causes of failure of biomedical implants in vivo. Near-infrared (NIR) photoactivated antibacterial therapy including photothermal and photodynamic therapies has attracted increasing attention due to the high bactericidal efficiency and little side effects. Although micro-arc oxidation (MAO) is an effective method to improve the biological activity of Ti implants, the porous TiO2 coatings prepared by MAO do not respond to near-infrared (NIR) light to kill bacteria by the photothermal and photodynamic effects. In this work, graphene oxide (GO)-modified TiO2 coatings (TiO2/GO) are prepared on Ti to improve the photothermal and photodynamic ability of the MAO coatings. The TiO2/GO coatings exhibit excellent antibacterial activity both in vitro and in vivo against Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) under 808-nm NIR light irradiation due to the synergistic effects rendered by hyperthermia and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The NIR light-responsive antibacterial MAO coatings have large potential in combating implant-associated infections in clinical applications.

Jiuzhou Liu,1,* Shasha Ren,2,* Xiangyu Zhang,3 Yun Feng,2 Zhenglun Qiu,2 Li Ma,4 Jingwen Huang4 1Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Luoyang Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Luoyang, 471009, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, Jining First People’s Hospital, Jining Medical University, Jining, 272000, People’s Republic of China; 4The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233004, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jingwen Huang; Jiuzhou Liu Email byyfyhjw1988@163.com; Liu_JiuzhouBC@163.comBackground: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer among women worldwide, and about 30% of males will have recurrent disease.Methods: In order to treat recurrent BC, we designed a type of silica nanodelivery system loaded with epirubicin and curcumin (composite nanoparticles, CNPs). To promote CNPs clinical application, the stability, the blood, immune and cell compatibility, skin stimulation experiments, anti-tumor activity in vivo and in vitro were studied.Results: In our study, the CNPs had a particle size of 73.9 nm and a uniform size and morphology; moreover, they maintained physical and chemical stability in the blood protein environment. Additionally, results showed that nanoparticles had good blood and immune compatibility, and they did not affect intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) and intracellular catalase (CAT). Skin stimulation experiments showed that CNPs did not cause any obvious irritative damage to the intact skin of rabbits. In the cytotoxicity study, CNPs showed strongest antitumor activity. The results of cell cycle and apoptosis studies showed that CNPs could mainly induce apoptosis of S and G2/M phase cells. In vivo, CNPs showed strongest aggregation in the tumor after 6 h of tail vein administration, and a large amount of CNPs continued to accumulate in the blood after 12 h of administration, indicating that CNPs had long circulation ability. The in vivo antitumor activities showed that CNPs had the strongest antitumor activity and tumor targeting ability, and hematoxylin-eosin staining of internal organs showed no obvious difference between treatment groups and negative control.Conclusion: CNPs have an ideal biosafety and therapeutic effect for recurrent BC, and they have potential clinical application value.Keywords: nanoparticles, breast cancer, chemotherapy, targeting, biocompatibility

Microbial infection and the limitation of tissue regeneration are main obstacles to chronic wound healing. Herein, a biofunctional hydrogel is prepared to simultaneously kill bacteria efficiently and promote would healing. First, a rose bengal/polypyrrole hybrid poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (RB/PPy PVA HD) is synthesized and its antibacterial property is investigated under coirradiation of 550 nm visible light and 808 near-infrared light. The hydrogel exhibits excellent antibacterial activity within 10 min below 45 °C in vitro due to the synergistic effect of photothermal and photodynamic antibacterial therapy. Next, the recombined human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) is physically absorbed on the surface of the porous hydrogel to form a RB/PPy/rhEGF hybrid PVA HD (rhEGF/RB/PPy PVA HD). The introduction of rhEGF enables the hydrogel to promote fibroblast proliferation and collagen secretion. Furthermore, the in vivo results indicate that the rhEGF/RB/PPy PVA HD can control infection effectively and promote wound healing significantly.

The autophagy-lysosome system is an important cellular degradation pathway that recycles dysfunctional organelles and cytotoxic protein aggregates. A decline in this system is pathogenic in many human diseases including neurodegenerative disorders, fatty liver disease, and atherosclerosis. Thus there is intense interest in discovering therapeutics aimed at stimulating the autophagy-lysosome system. Trehalose is a natural disaccharide composed of two glucose molecules linked by a ɑ-1,1-glycosidic bond with the unique ability to induce cellular macroautophagy/autophagy and with reported efficacy on mitigating several diseases where autophagy is dysfunctional. Interestingly, the mechanism by which trehalose induces autophagy is unknown. One suggested mechanism is its ability to activate TFEB (transcription factor EB), the master transcriptional regulator of autophagy-lysosomal biogenesis. Here we describe a potential mechanism involving direct trehalose action on the lysosome. We find trehalose is endocytically taken up by cells and accumulates within the endolysosomal system. This leads to a low-grade lysosomal stress with mild elevation of lysosomal pH, which acts as a potent stimulus for TFEB activation and nuclear translocation. This process appears to involve inactivation of MTORC1, a known negative regulator of TFEB which is sensitive to perturbations in lysosomal pH. Taken together, our data show the trehalose can act as a weak inhibitor of the lysosome which serves as a trigger for TFEB activation. Our work not only sheds light on trehalose action but suggests that mild alternation of lysosomal pH can be a novel method of inducing the autophagy-lysosome system. Abbreviations: ASO: antisense oligonucleotide; AU: arbitrary units; BMDM: bone marrow-derived macrophages; CLFs: crude lysosomal fractions; CTSD: cathepsin D; LAMP: lysosomal associated membrane protein; LIPA/LAL: lipase A, lysosomal acid type; MAP1LC3: microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3; MFI: mean fluorescence intensity; MTORC1: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase complex 1; pMAC: peritoneal macrophages; SLC2A8/GLUT8: solute carrier family 2, (facilitated glucose transporter), member 8; TFEB: transcription factor EB; TMR: tetramethylrhodamine; TREH: trehalase

Pure organic multi-color luminescent materials were developed using a supramolecular complex strategy based on a high-efficiency blue-emitting anthracene derivative, in which the emission color can be finely tuned from blue through green to red due to the different co-former compositions and stacking modes in the crystal. Experimental and theoretical investigations demonstrate that the excited-state characteristics are essentially responsible for multi-color fluorescence emission with tunable lifetime and efficiency, corresponding to the different excited-state species (e.g., monomer, excimer-like aggregate and exciplex) in the crystals, respectively. Meanwhile, these supramolecular complexes exhibit intriguing mechanochromic and solvent-induced luminescence switching in the stimuli-responsive field. This work not only provides a better understanding of the structure–property relationship between intermolecular complexes and fluorescence properties, but also suggests a feasible strategy to develop a new class of organic solid-state luminescent materials with multi-color fluorescence.

In this paper, the hydroxyl radical yield of a cavitation bubble and its influencing factors in the process of chitosan degradation with hydrodynamic cavitation in a single-hole orifice plate was investigated by a numerical simulation method. The hydroxyl radical yield of the cavitation bubble was calculated and analyzed by the Gilmore equation as the dynamic equation combined with the mass transfer equation, heat transfer equation, energy balance equation, and the principle of Gibbs free energy minimization. The influence of geometric parameters of the orifice plate and operating parameters on the formation of hydroxyl radicals was investigated. The results showed that the hydroxyl radicals produced at the moment of cavitation bubble collapse increased with the increase of the initial radius (R0), upstream inlet pressure (P1), downstream recovery pressure (P2), downstream pipe diameter (dp), and the ratio of the orifice diameter to the pipe diameter (β). The simulation results provide a certain basis for the regulation of hydrodynamic cavitation degradation of chitosan.

In this work, we found that the pressure-induced emission enhancement (PIEE) phenomenon can be produced by the restriction of intramolecular chemical bond vibration, which differs from the mechanism of restricting intramolecular motion (RIM). Dibenzo[b,d]thiophene 5,5-dioxide (DBTS) is an aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) material. In the crystal state of DBTS, the high pressure strengthens intermolecular C–H⋯OS hydrogen bonds, which greatly restricts the vibration of C–H and SO bonds and then rigidifies the molecular skeleton, thereby suppressing the non-radiative process and promoting emission enhancement. In situ high-pressure infrared spectroscopy and angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction analysis combined with reorganization energy and Hirshfeld surface theory calculation provide clear evidence that the restriction of the deformation vibration C–H bonds plays an essential role in PIEE, and SO bonds can act as the powerful controller that enhances intermolecular C–H⋯OS hydrogen bonds. This study introduces a new AIEE and PIEE fluorophore and provides deep insights into the influence of intermolecular interactions on intramolecular chemical bond vibration and luminescence, which will play an important role in the development of precision optical sensors.

Titanium alloys are widely used in the aviation and aerospace industries due to their unique mechanical and physical properties. Specifically, thin-walled titanium (Ti) cylinders have received increasing attention for their applications as rocket engine casings, aircraft landing gear, and aero-engine hollow shaft due to their observed improvement in the thrust-to-weight ratio. However, the conventional cutting (CC) process is not appropriate for thin-walled Ti cylinders due to its low thermal conductivity, high strength, and low stiffness. Instead, high-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting (HUVC) assisted processing has recently proved highly effective for Ti-alloy machining. In this study, HUVC technology is employed to perform external turning of a thin-walled Ti cylinder, which represents a new application of HUVC. First, the kinematics, tool path, and dynamic cutting thickness of HUVC are evaluated. Second, the phenomenon of mode-coupling chatter is analyzed to determine the effects and mechanism of HUVC by establishing a critical cutting thickness model. HUVC can increase the critical cutting thickness and effectively reduce the average cutting force, thus reducing the energy intake of the system. Finally, comparison experiments are conducted between HUVC and CC processes. The results indicate that the diameter error rate is 10% or less for HUVC and 51% for the CC method due to a 40% reduction in the cutting force. In addition, higher machining precision and better surface roughness are achieved during thin-walled Ti cylinder manufacturing using HUVC.

Based on the targeting of ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4) and the drug-loading property of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a novel Span-PEG-composited Fe3O4-CNTs-DOX multifunctional ultrasound contrast agent was designed and applied to tumor lesions. In situ liquid phase synthesis was employed to prepare the Fe3O4-CNTs magnetic targeting complex, and the physical method was used to obtain the Fe3O4-CNTs-DOX complex by loading doxorubicin (DOX) onto Fe3O4-CNTs. The targeted drug-loading complex Fe3O4-CNTs-DOX was combined with the membrane material of Span-PEG by the acoustic vibration cavitation method. The maximum tolerance for Span-PEG-composited Fe3O4-CNTs-DOX microbubbles was 450 times higher, which has good safety. The loading rate of DOX in the obtained composite microbubbles was 17.02%. The proliferation inhibition rate of Span-PEG-composited Fe3O4-CNTs-DOX microbubbles on liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells reached 48.3%. Span-PEG-composited Fe3O4-CNTs-DOX microbubbles could significantly enhance ultrasonic imaging and enrich at a specific location under an external magnetic field, and the extended imaging time could ensure the effective observation and diagnosis of lesions.

In this work, three-dimensional (3D) Cf/SiBCN composites were fabricated by polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) with poly(methylvinyl)borosilazane as SiBCN precursor. The 3D microstructure evolution process of the composites was investigated by an advanced X-ray computed tomography (XCT). The effect of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) initiator addition on the crosslinking process, microstructure evolution, and mechanical properties of the composites were uncovered. With the addition of a DCP initiator, the liquid precursor can cross-linking to solid-state at 120 °C. Moreover, DCP addition decreases the release of small molecule gas during pyrolysis, leading to an improved ceramic yield 4.67 times higher than that without DCP addition. After 7 PIP cycles, density and open porosity of the final Cf/SiBCN composite with DCP addition are 1.73 g·cm−3 and ∼10%, respectively, which are 143.0% higher and 30.3% lower compared with the composites without DCP addition. As a result, the flexural strength and elastic modulus of Cf/SiBCN composites with DCP addition (371 MPa and 31 GPa) are 1.74 and 1.60 times higher than that without DCP addition (213 MPa and 19.4 GPa), respectively.

Iron and oxygen co-doped graphite phase carbon nitride (Fe@O CN) is synthesized via a simple one-pot in-situ pyrolysis method. It is used in a favorable peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation oxidation system to enhance Orange I (OI) degradation. The effects of dopant contents, different water conditions and the reusability are conducted to evaluate the removal efficacy of PMS catalytic over Fe@O CN in water. Moreover, OI degradation is almost stable under several typical anions (H2PO4−, Cl− and HCO3−) and humic acid existence. Theoretical calculation results reveal that effective-directional transfer of electrons is obtained by Fe@O CN, building the formation of high electron density areas around Fe and O. The quenching tests display that O2•− and 1O2 are responsible for OI removal, and SO4•− and •OH only donate a very small contribution. The electron transfer between electron-rich Fe, O element and HSO5− cycles facilitate HSO5− activation to generate reactive oxygen species. After co-doping, DFT calculations confirm the stronger binding energy, greater charge transferability and longer O O bond length for PMS activation in Fe@O CN/PMS system. Our findings provide a valuable insight for the development of efficient catalysts for PMS activation via metal and nonmetal co-doping, which display a promising application for polluted aquatic environment.

Treatment of implant-associated infection is becoming more challenging, especially when bacterial biofilms form on the surface of the implants. Developing multi-mechanism antibacterial methods to combat bacterial biofilm infections by the synergistic effects are superior to those based on single modality due to avoiding the adverse effects arising from the latter. In this work, TiO2 nanorod arrays in combination with irradiation with 808 near-infrared (NIR) light are proven to eradicate single specie biofilms by combining photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and physical killing of bacteria. The TiO2 nanorod arrays possess efficient photothermal conversion ability and produce a small amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Physiologically, the combined actions of hyperthermia, ROS, and puncturing by nanorods give rise to excellent antibacterial properties on titanium requiring irradiation for only 15 min as demonstrated by our experiments conducted in vitro and in vivo. More importantly, bone biofilm infection is successfully treated efficiently by the synergistic antibacterial effects and at the same time, the TiO2 nanorod arrays improve the new bone formation around implants. In this protocol, besides the biocompatible TiO2 nanorod arrays, an extra photosensitizer is not needed and no other ions would be released. Our findings reveal a rapid bacteria-killing method based on the multiple synergetic antibacterial modalities with high biosafety that can be implemented in vivo and obviate the need for a second operation. The concept and antibacterial system described here have large clinical potential in orthopedic and dental applications., Graphical abstract In this work, TiO2 nanorod arrays in combination with irradiation with 808 near-infrared (NIR) light are proven to eradicate biofilms by combining photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and physical killing of bacteria.Image 1, Highlights • Various TiO2 nanostructures were prepared on titanium. • The TiO2 nanorod arrays exhibited excellent antibacterial properties under the irradiation of 808 nm NIR light. • The combined actions of hyperthermia, ROS, and puncturing produced superior antibacterial activity in vitro and in vivo. • In this antibacterial system, besides the biocompatible TiO2 nanorod arrays, an extra photosensitizer is not needed.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of short administration with the combination (GMF) of galactooligosaccharides (GOS), milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) on microbiota, intestinal barriers, and growth performance of neonatal piglets. Sixteen newborn piglets were divided into two groups: GMF group and CON group; GMF solution (5 mL) and saline (5 mL) were, respectively, administered to piglets in the GMF group and CON group once a day during the first week after birth. The results showed that GMF administration improved the growth performance of neonatal piglets on day 8 and day 21, coupled with the enriched genus Lactobacillus on day 8 and the increased genera norank_f__Muribaculaceae, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Enterococcus, and Romboutsia on day 21. Additionally, GMF administration increased luminal acetate and propionate levels, upregulated the gene expressions of intestinal tight junctions (Occludin, Claudins, and ZO-1), mucins (Mucin-1, Mucin-2, Mucin-4, and Mucin-20), and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-22) while decreased the plasma diamine oxidase (DAO) level on day 21. The correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between the colonized beneficial microbiota and the modified intestinal barrier genes. In conclusion, the first week administration of GMF facilitated the colonization of beneficial bacteria, promoted intestinal development by enhancing microbiota-associated intestinal barrier functions, and improved the growth performance of the piglets during the whole neonatal period. Our findings provide guidelines for combined prebiotics application in modulating the microbial colonization and intestinal development of the neonates.

Neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) plays a pivotal role in vascular restenosis after revascularization. We previously identified that chemokine‐like factor 1 (CKLF1) could aggravate NIH by arresting smooth muscle cells in G2/M phase and preventing apoptosis via phosphoinositide 3‐kinase/AKT/nuclear factor‐kappa B signaling. Here, we demonstrate that CKLF1 promotes monocyte adhesion and smooth muscle cell migration via VCAM‐1. Our work furthers our understanding of how CKLF1 contributes to NIH causality., Neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) is a complicated inflammatory process contributing to vascular restenosis. The present study aimed to explore whether chemokine‐like factor 1 (CKLF1) aggravates NIH via the nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB)/vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (VCAM‐1) pathway. We found the expression of CKLF1 and VCAM‐1 significantly increased in human carotid plaques compared to the control. In vivo, CKLF1 overexpression induced a thicker neointimal formation and VCAM‐1 expression was correspondingly upregulated. In vitro, CKLF1 activated NF‐κB and induced VCAM‐1 upregulation in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs). Functional experiments demonstrated that CKLF1 promoted monocyte adhesion and HASMC migration via VCAM‐1. These results suggest CKLF1 accelerates NIH by promoting monocyte adhesion and HASMC migration via the NF‐κB/VCAM‐1 pathway. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the causality of CKLF1 on NIH and could prove beneficial in designing therapeutic modalities with a focus on CKLF1.

Uncertainties regarding optimized air pollution control remain as the underlying mechanisms of city-specific ambient particulate matter (PM)-induced health effects are unknown. Here, water-soluble extracts of PMs collected from four global cities via automobile air-conditioning filters were consecutively injected three times by an amount of 1, 2, and 2 mg into the blood circulation of Wistar rats after filtration by a 0.45 μm pore size membrane. Acute health effects, such as immune and inflammatory responses and hemorrhage in alveoli, were observed right after the PM extraction injection. Significant differences between cities in biomarker tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels were detected following the second and third PM injections. Rats’ inflammatory responses varied substantially with the injections of city-specific PMs. Repeated PM extract exposure rendered the rats more vulnerable to subsequent challenges, and downregulation of certain microRNAs was observed in rats. Among the studied miRNAs, miR-125b, and miR-21 were most sensitive to the PM exposure, exhibiting a negative dose–response-type relationship with a source-specific PM (oxidative potential) toxicity (r² = 0.63 and 0.57; p-values < 0.05). The results indicated that city-specific PMs could induce different health effects by selectively regulating different miRNAs, and that certain microRNAs, e.g., miR-125b and miR-21, may be externally mediated to neutralize PM-related health damages.

Stability of the calcined dolomite in catalyzing transesterification during the reused cycles is poor due to the leaching out of the calcium active sites and dolomite is incorporated with cerium to overcome the drawback in this study. Three different methods of the wet impregnation, direct wet impregnation and solid mixing are used for the cerium incorporation, where the wet impregnation method with the cerium to calcium molar ratio of 0.6 is preferred for the best catalytic performance. The maximum biodiesel yield of 97.21% is achieved with the catalyst to oil mass ratio of 0.05 and methanol to oil molar ratio of 15 at 65 °C for 2 h. Attributed to the strong synergistic effect between CaO and CeO2, the leaching out of the calcium active sites from the cerium incorporated dolomite catalyst into the liquid transesterification products is greatly reduced and the biodiesel yield of 88.63% is obtained for the fifth reused cycle. The physical properties of the produced biodiesel are in accordance with the ASTM D 6751 or EN 14214 standard to guarantee its industrial application.

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine upregulated in many inflammatory diseases, and a potent inducer of endothelial cell-derived microparticle (EMP) formation. In this study, we identified the protein kinase PAK4 as a key regulator of the TNF-induced EMP release from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). TNF induces dose- and time-dependent EMP release and downregulation of PAK4 and upstream cdc42 in HUVECs. PAK4 suppression or inhibition of its kinase activity increases TNF-induced EMP release and apoptosis in HUVECs, while PAK4 overexpression reduces EMP release and apoptosis in TNF-stimulated cells. Collectively, these data indicate that PAK4 suppresses TNF-induced EMP generation occurring during apoptosis, and suggest that modulation of PAK4 activity may represent a novel approach to suppress the TNF-induced EMP levels in pro-inflammatory disorders and other pathological conditions.

Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is a histone-modifying enzyme, which has been proposed as a promising target for anticancer drug development. Extensive research on LSD1 inhibitors has been performed since its discovery. In order to get more information for lead identification and optimization, we carried out a molecular modeling study on a set of 43 thieno[3,2-b]pyrrole competitive inhibitors of LSD1 using three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR), molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Based on the co-crystallized conformer-based alignment (CCBA) method, 3D-QSAR model of thieno[3,2-b]pyrrole derivatives as LSD1 inhibitors was established. The significant statistics (q2 = 0.595, r2 = 0.959, r2pred = 0.846) of the 3D-QSAR indicated the good predictive power and statistical reliability of this model. Based on the corresponding contour maps six LSD1 inhibitors were designed and their activities were predicted by 3D-QSAR model. Meanwhile, molecular docking was performed to simulate the probable binding modes between ligands and LSD1 protein. The molecular interactions mainly contributions to the binding affinity for LSD1 inhibitions were further supplemented by 100 ns MD simulations and binding free energy calculation. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

The development of highly efficient, stable and earth-abundant bifunctional electrocatalysts for water splitting is of great significance for confronting the environmental and energy crisis. In this work, we reported the design and synthesis of oxygen vacancies engineered CoMoO4 nanosheet arrays grown on three-dimension (3D) porous Ni foam (NF) support by hydrothermal synthesis followed by reducing gas heat treatment used H2 or NH3, and explored their practical application as bifunctional electrocatalysts for water splitting. The unique 3D nanosheet array can facilitate the interfacial electron transfer and ion transport, as well as promote hydrogen and oxygen gas diffusion, and the formation of oxygen vacancies in CoMoO4 nanosheets can significantly improve efficiency of both hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction. When using as self-supported bifunctional electrocatalyst to make an electrolyzer, NF/H-CoMoO4 approached 10 mA cm−2 under the cell voltages of 1.56 V, along with excellent durability in an alkaline water electrolyzer, which hold great promise in energy conversion application.

In order to facilitate pyrene (PY) excimer formation in solids, several imidazole-containing PY derivatives were designed and synthesized. Among them, a new compound 1,4,5-triphenyl-2-(pyren-1-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole (IM-PY) was achieved with two crystalline polymorphs (crystal-G and crystal-B), both of which presented PY dimer stacking. One crystal showed green PY excimer emission while the other one exhibited blue monomer emission, despite their similar π–π stacking of PY dimers. Both experimental and theoretical investigations revealed the nature of this distinct emission: the dimer in crystal-B had a smaller overlap area of π–π stacking than that in crystal-G, which substantially hindered PY excimer formation in crystal-B. Through the analysis of PY-based excimer from a series of samples, the π–π overlap area of PY dimer plays a more crucial role in the formation of an excimer than interplanar π–π distance in crystals. This work not only reveals a key structural factor on PY excimer formation in solids, but also provides us with a better understanding of the structure–property relationship between the PY dimer structure and fluorescence property.

Introduction Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers threatening public health worldwide. Although chemotherapy plays an important role in treating prostate cancer, it leads to many adverse effects and is prone to drug resistance. Quercetin, a natural product, is used in traditional Chinese medicine because of its strong antitumor activity and few side effects. Methods In this study, we combined quercetin and paclitaxel to kill prostate cancer cells in vivo and in vitro, and we investigated the relevant mechanism of this combination treatment. After the cancer cells were treated with quercetin or/and paclitaxel, cell growth inhibition, apoptosis, the cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and several endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway related gene expressions were evaluated. Results The combined treatment with quercetin and paclitaxel significantly inhibited cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, arrested the cell cycle at the G2/M phase, inhibited cell migration, dramatically induced ER stress to occur, and increased ROS generation. In a PC-3 cancer-bearing murine model, this combination treatment exerted the most beneficial therapeutic effects, and quercetin increased the cancer cell-killing effects of paclitaxel, with nearly no side effects compared with the single paclitaxel treatment group. Conclusion Combination treatment possessed enhanced anti-cancer effects, and these results will provide a basis for treating prostate cancer using a combination of quercetin and paclitaxel.

By attaching ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4) to drug-carrying carbon nanotubes (CNTs), we generated a new Span-PEG composite with Fe3O4-CNT multifunctional microbubbles for inflammation and thrombus niduses. The Fe3O4-CNT magnetic targeting complex was prepared by in situ synthesis, and then acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and gentamicin (GM) were loaded onto the Fe3O4-CNT complex by physical methods to produce Fe3O4-CNT-ASA and Fe3O4-CNT-GM complexes, respectively. Span-PEG-composited Fe3O4-CNT-ASA or Fe3O4-CNT-GM microbubbles were synthesized with Span and PEG as the membrane materials by the acoustic cavitation method. The obtained composite microbubbles were smooth, hollow spheres with an average particle size of 425 nm. The ASA and GM loading rates in Span-PEG-composited Fe3O4-CNT-ASA and Fe3O4-CNT-GM microbubbles were 1.12% and 19.05%, respectively. Span-PEG-composited Fe3O4-CNT-ASA microbubbles inhibited thrombosis and demonstrated an anticoagulation effect in vitro. Additionally, Span-PEG-composited Fe3O4-CNT-ASA microbubbles showed significantly enhanced ultrasound imaging of rabbit abdominal aorta and extended the signal time under the action of an external magnetic field. Thus, Span-PEG-composited Fe3O4-CNT-GM microbubbles inhibited Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, enhanced the ultrasound imaging of rabbit abdominal uterus and had better stability and fluidity.

Background: Glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has been demonstrated to promote the therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stem cells on ameliorating renal injury. The mechanism may involve the transfer of endogenous molecules, but these factors remain unknown. Methods: GDNF was transfected into human adipose mesenchymal stem cells via a lentiviral transfection system and exosomes were isolated (GDNF-AMSC-exos). Using unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mouse models and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) against hypoxia/serum deprivation (H/SD) injury models we investigated whether GDNF-AMSC-exos ameliorate peritubular capillary (PTC) loss in tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and whether this effect is meditated by SIRT1 signaling pathway. Additionally, by using SIRT1 activators or siRNA, the roles of the candidate mRNA and its downstream gene in GDNF-AMSC-exo-induced regulation of endothelial cell function were assessed. Findings: GDNF-AMSC-exos resulted in significantly decreased PTC rarefaction and renal fibrosis scores in mice with UUO. In vitro studies revealed that GDNF-AMSC-exos exert cytoprotective effects on HUVECs against H/SD injury by stimulating migration, angiogenesis and conferring apoptosis resistance. Mechanistically, GDNF-AMSC-exos enhanced SIRT1 signaling, which accompanied by increased protein levels of phosphorylated eNOS (p-eNOS). In addition, we have confirmed the SIRT1-eNOS interaction in HUVECs by immunoprecipitation. Interpretation: Our study unveils a mechanism by which exosomes ameliorate renal fibrosis: GDNF-AMSC-exos may activate an angiogenesis program in surviving PTCs after injury by activating the SIRT1/eNOS signaling pathway. This finding suggests that inhibition of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression requires long-term suppression of fibrosis via renal microvascular repair and angiogenesis and that GDNF-AMSC-exos therapy is a promising strategy for achieving this goal. Funding Statement: This work were supported by projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81270769 and 81803473); a project of the Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation (BK20161172); a project of the Jiangsu Provincial Commission of Health and Family Planning (H201628); projects of the Jiangsu Provincial Post Graduate Innovation Plan (KYCX18-2178, KYCX17-1708, SJCX17-0560, SJCX18-0715); the Municipal Key Research and Development Project of Xuzhou (KC18212); the “Liu ge yi Gong Cheng” project of Jiangsu High-Level Personnel (LGY2016043); a school class project of Xuzhou Medical University (2017KJ13); and the Xuzhou Science and Technology Bureau Applied Basic Research Program( KC18041 and KC 19069). Declaration of Interests: All the authors declared no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: Approval of all research involving human participants was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University (permit number: xyfylw2013032). All experiments involving animals followed the animal use protocol enacted by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Xuzhou Medical University.

Prevention of bacterial infection and promotion of osseointegration are two important issues for titanium (Ti) implants in medical research. In addition, after a biofilm is formed on the surface of implants, the immune system and antibiotic therapy may fail. In this work, bio-functionalized titanium dioxide (TiO2)/molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)/polydopamine (PDA)/arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) nanorod arrays (NAs) are prepared on Ti implants to not only kill bacteria noninvasively upon co-irradiation of 660 nm visible light (VL) and 808 nm near infrared (NIR) light, but also promote the osteogenic activity simultaneously. Dual light irradiation triggers the TiO2/MoS2 NA to generate hyperthermia and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in 10 min. The synergistic effects of the generated hyperthermia and ROS increase the bacterial membrane permeability and bacteria are killed rapidly and efficiently in vitro and in vivo. The biofilm is also eradicated and RGD on the nanorods improves cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation. The strategy described here for the design of bio-functionalized coatings on Ti implants has great clinical potential in orthopedics, dentistry, and other medical fields.

In this study, a photocurable hydrogel based on an ε-poly-l-lysine (EPL) composite was fabricated by a grafting reaction using glycidyl methacrylate and then complexed with tannic acid (TA) to improve the mechanical stability and antibacterial performance of the EPL hydrogels. UV-visible spectrophotometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were introduced to characterize the chemical construction. The obtained EPLMA hydrogel was immersed into TA solution to induce the forming of the H-bond between EPL and TA, resulting in double networks in the composite hydrogel (EPLMA-TA). Due to the additional hydrogen-bond interaction between TA and EPLMA, the mechanical properties of hydrogels were improved and supported cell growth and proliferation. In addition, the antibacterial properties and antioxidant activities of the EPLMA-TA hydrogels were greatly enhanced due to the addition of TA. All the findings indicate that the EPLMA-TA hydrogels with multiple properties show great potential for biomedicine applications.

Titanium (Ti) has been extensively used in medical devices owing to their low density, high strength, excellent corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. However, thrombus formation and bacterial infections are still challenges for their application in specific clinical cases. Hence, we have developed a simple, efficient, and stable strategy that endow Ti with anticoagulant and antibacterial properties through chemical bonding and electrostatic bonding. A large number of hydroxyl groups were produced on the surface of Ti by annealing at 500 °C. Then, heparin was immobilized on annealed surface with chemical bonding and chitosan was captured in an electrostatically bound manner by simply soaking in solution. The results indicated that the surface-functionalized Ti exhibited excellent anticoagulant properties by a reduction in platelet adhesion and prolonged blood clotting time. Furthermore, the modified Ti also showed antibacterial properties against both Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).

Objective: LIPA (lysosomal acid lipase) mediates cholesteryl ester hydrolysis, and patients with rare loss-of-function mutations develop hypercholesterolemia and severe disease. Genome-wide association studies of coronary artery disease have identified several tightly linked, common intronic risk variants in LIPA which unexpectedly associate with increased mRNA expression. However, an exonic variant (rs1051338 resulting in T16P) in linkage with intronic variants lies in the signal peptide region and putatively disrupts trafficking. We sought to functionally investigate the net impact of this locus on LIPA and whether rs1051338 could disrupt LIPA processing and function to explain coronary artery disease risk. Approach and Results: In monocytes isolated from a large cohort of healthy individuals, we demonstrate both exonic and intronic risk variants are associated with increased LIPA enzyme activity coincident with the increased transcript levels. To functionally isolate the impact of rs1051338, we studied several in vitro overexpression systems and consistently observed no differences in LIPA expression, processing, activity, or secretion. Further, we characterized a second common exonic coding variant (rs1051339), which is predicted to alter LIPA signal peptide cleavage similarly to rs1051338, yet is not linked to intronic variants. rs1051339 also does not impact LIPA function in vitro and confers no coronary artery disease risk. Conclusions: Our findings show that common LIPA exonic variants in the signal peptide are of minimal functional significance and suggest coronary artery disease risk is instead associated with increased LIPA function linked to intronic variants. Understanding the mechanisms and cell-specific contexts of LIPA function in the plaque is necessary to understand its association with cardiovascular risk.

Herein, we describe the synthesis of multifunctional silicon carbide matrix composites by the in-situ growth of SiC in three-dimensionally printed graphene scaffolds by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI). Graphene-based scaffolds with various graphene contents, which are first assembled by three-dimensional (3D) printing, exhibit good adhesion and interlayer bonding. The content and morphology of the SiC matrix in the composite is controlled by optimizing the values of the CVI parameters, such as the holding time and gas pressure. The 3D graphene/SiC multifunctional composites exhibit outstanding mechanical performance, delivering a maximum compressive strength of 193 ± 15.7 MPa, which is 394% higher than that of the directly mixed product. The toughening mechanism induced by the graphene sheets, including pull-out and crack deflection, are clearly observed. The combination of 3D graphene scaffold and SiC matrix generates a larger number of conductive channels and provides a material that outperforms traditional ceramic materials in terms of electrical conductivity. It is expected that high-performance 3D graphene reinforced ceramic matrix composites with structural and functional integration will be prepared by introducing ceramic matrices into 3D graphene scaffolds.

The photocatalysis technique has been proven to be a promising method to solve environmental pollution in situations of energy shortage, and has been intensively investigated in the field of pollutant degradation. In this work, a band structure-controlled solid solution of BiOBrXI1−X (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 1.00) with highly efficient light-driven photocatalytic activities was successfully synthesized via simple solvothermal methods. The phase composition, crystal structure, morphology, internal molecular vibration, optical properties, and energy band structure were characterized and analyzed by XRD, SEM, HRTEM, XPS, Raman, and UV Vis DRS. To evaluate the photocatalytic activity of BiOBrXI1−X, rhodamine B was selected as an organic pollutant. In particular, BiOBr0.15I0.85 displayed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity by virtue of modulating the energy band position, optimizing redox potentials, and accelerating carrier separation. Moreover, the enhancement mechanism was elucidated on the basis of band structure engineering, which provides ideas for the design of highly active photocatalysts for practical application in the fields of environmental issues and energy conservation.