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Polymorphism control of metal-organic frameworks is highly desired for elucidating structure-property relationships, but remains an empirical process and is usually done in a trial-and-error approach. We adopted the rarely used actinide cation Th4+ and a ditopic linker to construct a series of thorium-organic frameworks (TOFs) with a range of polymorphs. The extraordinary coordination versatility of Th4+ cations and clusters, coupled with synthetic modulation, gives five distinct phases, wherein the highest degree of interpenetration (threefold) and porosity (75.9 %) of TOFs have been achieved. Notably, the O atom on the capping site of the nine-coordinated Th4+ cation can function as a bridging unit to interconnect neighboring secondary building units (SBUs), affording topologies that are undocumented for other tetravalent-metal-containing MOFs. Furthermore, for the first time HCOOH has been demonstrated as a bridging unit of SBUs to further induce structural complexity. The resulting TOFs exhibit considerably different adsorption behaviors toward organic dyes, thus suggesting that TOFs represent an exceptional and promising platform for structure-property relationship study.

Mycotoxins are toxic contaminants in foods and feeds that are naturally occurring and largely unavoidable. Determining their contents in these products is essential to protect humans from harm. Immunoassays of mycotoxins have been well-established because they are fast, sensitive, simple, and cost-effective. However, a major limitation of immunoassays is the requirement of toxic mycotoxins as competing antigens, standards, or competing tracers. Mimotopes are peptides or proteins that can specifically bind to antibodies and compete with analytes for binding sites by mimicking antigenic epitopes. They can be employed as substitutes for competing antigens, standards, or competing tracers to avoid use of mycotoxins. This review summarizes the production and functionalization of the two main kinds of mimotopes, mimic peptides and anti-idiotypic antibodies (Ab2), and their applications in rapid analysis of mycotoxins.

A new six coordinated tetra-nuclear macrocyclic Zn(II) complex, ZnL4(Phen)2 (1) (HL= 3-bromo-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde-pyridine-2-carbohydrazone, Phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) has been synthesized by the self-assembly of 3-bromo-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde-pyridine-2-carbohydrazone, Zn(CH3COO)2•2H2O, NaOH and 1,10-phenanthroline in water/ethanol (v:v = 1:3) solution. Complex 1 was characterized by elemental analysis, infra red (IR), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results show that Zn1 and Zn1b ions are six-coordinated with a distorted octahedral geometric configuration by four O atoms of two different L ligands and two N atoms of two different L ligands, Zn1a and Zn1c ions are also six-coordinated with a distorted octahedral geometric configuration by two N atoms of two different L ligands, two N atoms of Phen ligands and two O atoms of two different L ligands. Complex (1) forms 3D network structure by the - interaction. The selective oxidation reactions of benzyl alcohols catalyzed by complex (1) was investigated. The highest benzyl alcohol conversion and benzaldehyde selectivity were obtained at 100 °C for 4 h under 5 bar of O2. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Background The current study was conducted to investigate the individual and combined occurrence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) in feeds from various Provinces of China during 2018 to 2020. A total of 3,507 feed samples, including 2,090 feed ingredients and 1,417 complete feed samples, were collected from different areas of China for mycotoxins analysis. Results The individual contamination of AFB1, DON and ZEN were present in more than 81.9%, 96.4% and 96.9% of feed samples, respectively, with average concentration ranges of AFB1 between 1.2–27.4 μg/kg, DON between 458.0–1,925.4 μg/kg and ZEN between 48.1–326.8 μg/kg. Notably, 0.9%, 0.5% and 0.1% of feed ingredients, and 1.2–12.8%, 0.9–2.9% and 0–8.9% of complete feeds for pigs, poultry and ruminants with AFB1, ZEN and DON that exceeded China’s safety standards, respectively. Moreover, more than 81.5% of feed ingredients and 95.7% of complete feeds were co-contaminated with various combinations of these mycotoxins. Conclusion This study indicates that the feeds in China were universally contaminated with AFB1, DON and ZEN during the past 3 years. These findings highlight the significance of monitoring mycotoxin contaminant levels in the domestic animal feed, and the importance of carrying out feed administration and remediation strategies for mycotoxin control.

Chemoresistance is the most significant reason for the failure of cancer treatment following radical cystectomy. The response rate to the first-line chemotherapy of cisplatin and gemcitabine does not exceed 50%. In our previous research, elevated BMI1 (B-cell specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration region 1) expression in bladder cancer conferred poor survival and was associated with chemoresistance. Herein, via analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas database and validation of clinical samples, BMI1 was elevated in patients with bladder cancer resistant to cisplatin and gemcitabine, which conferred tumor relapse and progression. Consistently, BMI1 was markedly increased in the established cisplatin- and gemcitabine-resistant T24 cells (T24/DDP&GEM). Functionally, BMI1 overexpression dramatically promoted drug efflux, enhanced viability and decreased apoptosis of bladder cancer cells upon treatment with cisplatin or gemcitabine, whereas BMI1 downregulation reversed this effect. Mechanically, upon interaction with p53, BMI1 was recruited on the promoter of miR-3682-3p gene concomitant with an increase in the mono-ubiquitination of histone H2A lysine 119, leading to transcription repression of miR-3682-3p gene followed by derepression of ABCB1 (ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 1) gene. Moreover, suppression of P-glycoprotein by miR-3682-3p mimics or its inhibitor XR-9576, could significantly reverse chemoresistance of T24/DDP&GEM cells. These results provided a novel insight into a portion of the mechanism underlying BMI1-mediated chemoresistance in bladder cancer.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a type of progressive neurodegenerative disease, and amyloid β-protein 42 (Aβ42) serves an important role in the pathological process of development of AD. Paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B (PirB) is a functional receptor for myelin inhibitors of neuron regeneration in the CNS, and it has also been identified to function as a high-affinity receptor for Aβ. Here, we used a phage display to identify a specific PirB antagonist peptide 11(PAP11, PFRLQLS), which could reverse Aβ42-induced neurotoxicity and promote neurite outgrowth in vitro. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that PAP11 colocalized with PirB on the membrane of cortical neurons. Horseradish peroxidase-streptavidin-biotin assay further proved that PAP11 directly binds to PirB and the dissociation constant (Kd) was 0.128μM. PAP11 functionally antagonized the neurite outgrowth inhibitory effect induced by Aβ42 in cortical neurons, and the underlying mechanism was associated with a PirB-ROCK2/CRMP2 signaling pathway. The novel PirB antagonist peptide PAP11 may be a promising candidate therapeutic agent for the treatment of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. KEY POINTS: • PAP11 was the first PirB antagonist peptide screened by phage display technology. • PAP11 could protect neurons by blocking the binding of Aβ42 and PirB. • PAP11 reverse inhibitory effect of neurite outgrowth through ROCK2/CRMP2 pathway.

Oxidase-mimicking nanozymes are more desirable than peroxidase-mimicking ones since H2 O2 can be omitted. However, only a few nanomaterials are known for oxidase-like activities. In this work, we compared the activity of Mn2 O3 , Mn3 O4 and MnO2 and found that Mn2 O3 had the highest oxidase activity. Interestingly, the activity of Mn2 O3 was even inhibited by H2 O2 . The oxidase-like activity of Mn2 O3 was not much affected by the presence of proteins such as bovine serum albumin (BSA), but the physisorption of antibodies to Mn2 O3 was not strong enough to withstand the displacement by BSA. We then treated Mn2 O3 with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane to graft an amine group, which was used to conjugate antibodies using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker. A one-step indirect competitive ELISA (icELISA) was developed for the detection of isocarbophos, and an IC50 of 261.7 ng/mL was obtained, comparable with the results of the standard two-step assay using horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled antibodies. This assay has the advantage of significant timesaving for rapid detection of large amounts of samples. This work has discovered a highly efficient oxidase-mimicking nanozyme useful for various nano- and analytical applications.

Oxidized carbon foam (oxidized CF) was prepared by using a facile chemical oxidation treatment at relatively low temperature of 450 °C and applied to capture uranyl cation [U(VI)] from aqueous solutions. The effects of pH, contact time, initial U(VI) concentration, and temperature on the U(VI) absorption performance of oxidized CF were investigated by batch experiments. The oxidized CF was illustrated to exhibit fast sorption kinetics (92% removal within 15 min and 98% removal in 2 h) and high sorption capacity (305.77 mg g-1 at pH 5) toward U(VI). Integrated analyses combining energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were applied on the U(VI)-loaded oxidized CF, showing the introduction of carboxyl groups as U(VI) sorption sites on the surface of CF after oxidation treatment. Furthermore, extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy was employed to identify the binding modes of U(VI) indicating that each UO22+ cation is coordinated with one or two carboxyl groups on the equatorial plane. Notably, the low content of U(VI) in wastewater can be efficiently immobilized by the oxidized CF, and the immobilized U(VI) can be further concentrated and converted into Na2U2O7 or U3O8 by a simple sintering step. These findings presented in this work suggest the potential of using oxidized CF for further treatment of low concentration wastewater containing U(VI).

Four air-stable cyclometalated half-sandwich iridium complexes 1–4 with C,N-donor Schiff base ligands were prepared through C–H activation in moderate-to-good yields. These complexes have been well...

Reduced nerve growth factor (NGF) is associated with cardiac sympathetic nerve denervation in heart failure (HF) which is characterized by increased oxidative stress. Apocynin is considered an antioxidant agent which inhibits NADPH oxidase activity and improves reactive oxygen species scavenging. However, it is unclear whether apocynin prevents reduced myocardial NGF, leading to improvement of cardiac function in HF. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that apocynin prevents reduced myocardial NGF, contributing to amelioration of myocardial apoptosis and failure. Rabbits with myocardial infarction (MI) or sham operation were randomly assigned to receive apocynin or placebo for 4 weeks. MI rabbits exhibited left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and elevation in oxidative stress, as evidenced by a decreased reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio and an increased 4-hydroxynonenal expression, and reduction in NGF and NGF receptor tyrosine kinase A (TrKA) expression in the remote non-infarcted myocardium. Apocynin treatment ameliorated LV dysfunction, reduced oxidative stress, prevented decreases in NGF and TrKA expression and reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis after MI. In cultured H9C2 cardiomyocytes, hypoxia or hydrogen peroxide decreased NGF expression, and apocynin normalized hypoxia-induced reduction of NGF. Recombinant NGF attenuated hypoxia-induced apoptosis. Apocynin prevented hypoxia-induced apoptosis, and the suppressive effect of apocynin on apoptosis was abolished by NGF receptor TrKA inhibitor K252a. We concluded that apocynin prevented reduced myocardial NGF, leading to attenuation of cardiomyocyte apoptosis and LV remodelling and dysfunction in HF after MI. These findings suggest that strategies to prevent NGF reduction by inhibition of oxidative stress may be of value in amelioration of LV dysfunction in HF.

C36H26N4O5Co, triclinic, P212121 (no. 19), a = 10.6380(5) Å, b = 10.6639(5) Å, c = 26.5443(15) Å, V = 3011.2(3) Å3, Z = 4, R gt (F) = 0.0330, wR ref (F 2) = 0.0681, T = 200 K.

C34H26N4O5Zn, monoclinic, C2/c (no. 15), a = 29.3891(18) Å, b = 10.3260(5) Å, c = 19.9101(11) Å, V = 5783.1(6) Å3, Z = 8, R gt (F) = 0.0334, wR ref(F 2) = 0.0759, T = 199.99(10) K.

A series of cationic cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes with o-carborane cage on the main ligand of 2-phenylbenzothiazole were synthesized. The prepared iridium complexes (C1-C6) were fully characterized by UV-vis, NMR, and FT-IR spectra. The exact molecular structure of complex C1 was further studied by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The different substitution position of o-carborane on the 2-phenylbenzothiazole ring lead to obvious differences in the emission properties of the synthesized complexes. The o-carboranyl unit results in a bathochromic shift of 10 nm in the fluorescence emission spectrum of C2. In addition, the presence of an o-carborane fragment promoted the strong fluorescence intensity of C1 and C4, which can be used as a tool to effectively boost the intensity of fluorescence properties. The emission fluorescent behavior of iridium(III) complexes can be facilely tuned by structural variations in the main ligands of these materials.

Rational design and synthesis of new photochromic sensors have been active research areas of inquiry, particularly on how to predict and tailor their properties and functionalities. Herein, two thulium 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine-4'-carboxylate (TPC)-functionalized metal-organic hybrids, Tm(TPC)2(HCOO)(H2O) (TmTPC-1) and Tm(TPC)(HCOO)2 (TmTPC-2) with different photochromic response behaviors, have been successfully prepared, allowing for straightforward investigations of the structure-property correlation. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction and electron paramagnetic resonance analyses revealed that the incorporation of a unique dangling decorating TPC unit in TmTPC-1 offers a shorter and more accessible π-π interaction pathway between the adjacent TPC moieties than that in TmTPC-2. Such a structural feature leads to the production of radical species via a photoinduced intermolecular electron-transfer (IeMCT) process upon UV or X-ray irradiation, which ultimately endows TmTPC-1 with a rather unusual UV and X-ray dual photochromism. A linear relationship between the change of UV-vis absorbance intensity and X-ray dose was established, making TmTPC-1 a promising dosimeter for X-ray radiation with an extremely high energy threshold (30 kGy). To advance the development for real-world application, we have fabricated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes incorporating TmTPC-1 for functioning either as a UV imager or as an X-ray radiation indicator. Lastly, TmTPC-1 exhibits high thermal stability (up to 400 °C) and radioresistance (at least 900 kGy), and also excellent reversibility of photochromic transformation (at least 5 cycles).

Having the benefits of low cost, excellent stability and tolerance to extreme conditions, nanozymes are a potential alternative of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or other enzymes for bioanalytical chemistry, especially immunoassays. CeO2 nanoparticles have oxidase-mimicking activity and can avoid the use of unstable H2O2. For robust assays, the effect of proteins on the activity of CeO2 needs to be carefully studied. Herein, we studied the adsorption and desorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) from CeO2. The CeO2 nanoparticles exhibited a higher protein adsorption capacity compared to the other tested metal oxide nanoparticles. Although the oxidase-like activity of CeO2 was inhibited by BSA, low concentrations of phosphate and fluoride ions boosted the activity of protein-capped CeO2. CeO2 was still active under strong acidic conditions and at high temperature, while HRP lost its activity. For immunoassay development, we covered CeO2 with an amine-modified silane for covalent conjugation to antibodies. A one-step indirect competitive ELISA for fenitrothion was developed, and an IC50 value of 35.6 ng mL-1 and a limit of detection of 2.1 ng mL-1 were obtained.

A set of neutral C,C-chelate half-sandwich iridium(III) complexes have been prepared with NHC ligands that contain pendant aromatic rings as potentially chelating donor sites. The catalytic activity of such iridium complexes has been investigated for the acceptorless dehydrogenation (AD) reactions of alcohols and for the transfer hydrogenation reactions of ketones. The prepared iridium(III) complexes show excellent catalytic activity for AD reactions of a wide range of secondary alcohols, and they are also shown to be effective for the synthesis of aldehydes from primary alcohols without the observation of undesired byproducts such as esters. Additionally, these complexes are also highly efficient in transfer hydrogenation of ketones and aldehydes, which give the alcohols in good yields under mild conditions. The exact structure and bonding mode of the NHC-based iridium complexes was identified using various spectroscopic methods and single crystal X-ray analysis.

Abstarct In the last few years, sildenafil and its analogues have emerged as an illegal ingredient in health food and products, causing illness and death. To address this problem, herein, a gold nanoparticle-based immunochromatographic assay for simultaneous detection sildenafil and its analogues was developed by using just one monoclonal antibody. This method can realize qualitative and quantitative analysis of sildenafil and its analogues with a detection range (IC20-IC80) of 0.12–28.05 ng mL−1, the IC50 was 0.31–8.45 ng mL−1 and the cut-off value was 5.0–80.0 ng mL−1. Meanwhile, this method could also accomplish semi-quantitative analysis of vardenafil with a cut-off value of 0.625 ng mL−1. The detection can be finished in 6 min and showed no cross-reactivity with avanafil and tadalafil. The recoveries of spiked samples ranged from 70.5 to 118.9% with a coefficient variation less than 15%, which confirmed the assay was sensitive, accurate and adapted to the rapid determination of sildenafil and its analogues.

The collection of high-purity noble gases with recyclable nuclides provides substantial economic benefits and minimizes the risk of environmental pollution, which is a future development tendency for nuclear industries. Here, Ce-SINAP-1, with its radiation-resistance (up to 20 kGy of γ-ray irradiation) and suitable pore channels for the separation of noble gases (Ar, Kr and Xe), was synthesized. Ce-SINAP-1 exhibited the selective adsorption of Xe (2.02 mmol g−1) over Kr (0.67 mmol g−1) and Ar (0.27 mmol g−1) at 293 K (1 bar) with a Henry's selectivity of 8.24 (Xe/Kr), and an ideal adsorbed solution theory selectivity of 14.9 (Xe : Kr 20 : 80). The result of the dynamic breakthrough experiment also indicates a good separation for Xe/Kr with Ar.

Diazinon (DAZ) is an organophosphorus pesticide (OP), which is commonly used to prevent and control harmful pests that endanger agricultural products. In this study, we developed a novel heterology coating strategy for the immunoassay of DAZ. The DAZ coating hapten can be directly conjugated to the carrier protein without requiring a spacer arm. This proposed hapten coating strategy is time-saving and significantly improves the sensitivity of the immunoassay due to the lack of a spacer arm. The as-synthesized coating antigen was used to screen the monoclonal antibody (mAb). Finally, the developed indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay (icELISA) showed IC50 and limit of detection (LOD) values of 0.58 ng mL−1 and 8 pg mL−1, respectively. This method exhibited negligible cross-reactivity towards other analogues, and the recoveries of samples (cucumber, cabbage, and lettuce) ranged from 92.6% to 125.4%, with coefficients of variance (CV) below 12%. Good correlation between icELISA and high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was obtained. The proposed icELISA was an ideal tool for monitoring DAZ residues in food samples.

By first applying a thorium-organic framework (Th-SINAP-2) as a radiation attenuator and by incorporating a terpyridine derivative (Htpbz) as a photo-responsive guest, selective photochromism in response to X-rays was achieved in the host-guest assembly of Htpbz@Th-SINAP-2. Such a combination endows the afforded material with the lowest detection limit of X-ray dose among all photochromic sensors and a brand-new function of X-ray dosimetry for thorium containing materials.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and has a poor prognosis due to the high incidence of invasion and metastasis-related progression. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive, and valuable biomarkers for predicting invasion, metastasis, and poor prognosis of HCC patients are still lacking. Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on HCC tissues (n = 325), and the correlations between MST4 expression of the clinical HCC tissues, the clinicopathologic features, and survival were further evaluated. The effects of MST4 on HCC cell migratory and invasive properties in vitro were evaluated by Transwell and Boyden assays. The intrahepatic metastasis mouse model was established to evaluate the HCC metastasis in vivo. The PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, and a specific siRNA against Snail1 were used to investigate the roles of PI3K/AKT pathway and Snail1 in MST4-regulated EMT, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, respectively. Results: In this study, by comprehensively analyzing our clinical data, we discovered that low MST4 expression is highly associated with the advanced progression of HCC and serves as a prognostic biomarker for HCC patients of clinical-stage III-IV. Functional studies indicate that MST4 inactivation induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC cells, promotes their migratory and invasive potential in vitro, and facilitates their intrahepatic metastasis in vivo, whereas MST4 overexpression exhibits the opposite phenotypes. Mechanistically, MST4 inactivation elevates the expression and nuclear translocation of Snail1, a key EMT transcription factor (EMT-TF), through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thus inducing the EMT phenotype of HCC cells, and enhancing their invasive and metastatic potential. Moreover, a negative correlation between MST4 and p-AKT, Snail1, and Ki67 and a positive correlation between MST4 and E-cadherin were determined in clinical HCC samples. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that MST4 suppresses EMT, invasion, and metastasis of HCC cells by modulating the PI3K/AKT/Snail1 axis, suggesting that MST4 may be a potential prognostic biomarker for aggressive and metastatic HCC.

Motor neurons (MNs) are highly energetic cells and recent studies suggest that altered energy metabolism precede MN loss in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an age-onset neurodegenerative disease. However, clear mechanistic insights linking altered metabolism and MN death are still missing. In this study, induced pluripotent stem cells from healthy controls, familial ALS, and sporadic ALS patients were differentiated toward spinal MNs, cortical neurons, and cardiomyocytes. Metabolic flux analyses reveal an MN-specific deficiency in mitochondrial respiration in ALS. Intriguingly, all forms of familial and sporadic ALS MNs tested in our study exhibited similar defective metabolic profiles, which were attributed to hyper-acetylation of mitochondrial proteins. In the mitochondria, Sirtuin-3 (SIRT3) functions as a mitochondrial deacetylase to maintain mitochondrial function and integrity. We found that activating SIRT3 using nicotinamide or a small molecule activator reversed the defective metabolic profiles in all our ALS MNs, as well as correct a constellation of ALS-associated phenotypes.

Several types of β-ketoamino based N,O-coordinate half-sandwich ruthenium complexes have been synthesized in moderate to good yields. The stable ruthenium complexes displayed good and diverse catal...

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare but severe disease characterized by immune hyperactivation and cytokine storm. Given the high mortality rate of HLH, there is a need for more effective diagnostic tools and treatments. The present study developed a dendrimer‑based protein biochip for rapid, sensitive and simultaneous detection of serum interferon (IFN)‑γ and endogenous anti‑IFN‑γ antibody (Ab) in patients with HLH. A gold biochip was modified with 1, 4‑phenylene diisothiocyanate (PDITC), polyamidoamine (PAMAM) or PDITC‑activated PAMAM. The optimal immobilization concentration for Ab capture and the reaction concentration for detecting Ab on the PDITC‑activated PAMAM‑modified biochip were 6.25 and 3.12 µg/ml, respectively; the limit of detection of IFN‑γ protein was 50 pg/ml. The efficiency of the protein‑probed biochip in detecting IFN‑γ and anti‑IFN‑γ Ab in serum samples from 77 patients with HLH was evaluated; the positive rates for IFN‑γ and anti‑IFN‑γ IgG Ab were 63.6% (49/77) and 61.0% (47/77), respectively. The present results demonstrated that the PDITC‑activated PAMAM‑modified biochip might be a sensitive tool for the specific detection of IFN‑γ and anti‑IFN‑γ Ab in serum, and might have clinical applicability for the diagnosis of HLH.

Probing the inversion kinetics of a molecular helix is inherently a challenging task. We demonstrate herein that a fast-rotating pentiptycene component could function as an external NMR probe to afford the kinetic information on the inversion of a neighboring helical stiff-stilbene unit.

Objective: To study the effects of the novel vanillin derivative BVAN08 on the radiosensitivity of hepatic cancer cells for the purpose of providing evidence for its potential use as a potential radiosensitive drug. Methods: Hepatic cancer Huh-7 ​cells labeled with luciferase were used to investigate the radiosensitivity induced by BVAN08 in vivo. Colony formation assays and flow cytometry were used to measure the apoptosis and radiosensitivity of Huh-7 ​cells in vitro produced by BVAN08. Histology and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the toxicity of BVAN08 in vivo. Results: BVAN08 induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of Huh-7 ​cells in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, BVAN08 combined with radiation increased the sensitivity of Huh-7 ​cells to γ-ray radiation and significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo. The tumor inhibition rates of the BVAN08 treatment group, irradiation treatment group, and combined therapy group were 58%, 38%, and 85%, respectively. The DNA-PKcs expression in tumor tissues of the BVAN08 treatment group was lower than that of the control group (P ​

The synthesis of a large family of heterobimetallic lanthanide copper sulfates was realized via stoichiometric hydrothermal reactions among Ln2O3, CuO, and H2SO4, giving rise to four distinct phases, namely Ln2Cu(SO4)2(OH)4 (Ln = Sm-Ho) (LnCuSO4-1), Ln4Cu(SO4)2(OH)10 (Ln = Tm-Lu) (LnCuSO4-2), LnCu(SO4)(OH)3 (Ln = Nd-Gd, except Pm) (LnCuSO4-3), and LnCu(SO4)(OH)3 (Ln = Dy-Lu) (LnCuSO4-4), with completely different topologies. The passage from LnCuSO4-1 and LnCuSO4-3 to LnCuSO4-2 and LnCuSO4-4 across the 4f series, respectively, can be ascribed to the effect of lanthanide contraction, which progressively induces shrinking of the Ln-O distance, reduction in the Ln coordination number, and eventually structural transitions. The incorporation of identical 3d-4f metal ions into different spin-lattices, in conjunction with substitution of diverse Ln3+ cations within the same spin-lattice, gives rise to tunable magnetic properties varying from ferromagnetic ordering in GdCuSO4-3 and HoCuSO4-4 to antiferromagnetic ordering in YbCuSO4-4, and to paramagnetic correlations found in GdCuSO4-1 and YbCuSO4-2.

The progress towards the development of a nucleoside analogue with inhibitory properties against SETDB1, a histone methyltransferase (HMT), is described. Based on the structure of the natural cofactor S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM), novel fluorinated nucleoside analogues were synthesized. Two of these compounds bearing a C2′-F and C5′-primary amine moiety showed moderate inhibition of SETDB1, a lysine HMT for which there is only one reported inhibitor.

In this paper, Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used in the activating process of cotton filter cloth to improve its further hydrophobic modification reaction between cotton fabric and 1-octadecene via an electron transfer (ARGET) atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) mechanism. The major influences of DMSO on ARGET-ATRP process was discussed, and meanwhile, the microstructure changes, morphology feature and performance characteristics of cotton filter cloth during the reaction was explored by the SEM, AFM, EDS, XRD and TGA techniques.The result shows that DMSO can leads to cotton fibers adhesion and surface roughening under the ARGET-ATRP grafting reaction conditions, but has little changes on the crystal form, crystallinity and thermal properties of cellulose. At a DMSO dosage of 10%, the hydrophobically modified cotton filter cloth has a water contact angle (CA) of up to 141°. While naturally placed for 1 hour, the CA of hydrophobically modified cotton filter cloth can be stable at 116° with a decay rate of 17.5%, which proves that the hydrophobic stability of cotton filter cloth has been improved markedly. Furthermore, a better improvement for the hydrophobic stability of cotton filter cloth will significantly enhance the application of hydrophobic functional modified cellulosic materials.

Self-healing polymers based on dynamic crosslinkers have drawn rapidly increasing interest over the last decade. Here, a self-healable epoxy network with exchangeable disulfide bonds was synthesized by polymerizing two epoxies with an aromatic amine containing a disulfide bond. The bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) and poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (DER736) were used as rigid and soft components, respectively. The crosslinking densities of studied polymers decreased with the increasing amount of DER736, resulting in the lower glassy temperature and weaker mechanical strength. The dynamic covalent network character of disulfide bond and its low active energy were also investigated through stress relaxation experiments at various temperatures. The self-healing performance of healable epoxy resins with varied flexibility was measured by tensile tests. The tensile strength of a full-cut sample was restored to 84% (13 MPa) of the initial values (16 MPa) at moderate temperature. Its healed fracture strain was up to 505%. Moreover, the effect of healing time and temperature on the self-healing properties was also studied. A model was proposed to investigate the self-repairing efficiency evolution with healing time, suggesting that hydrogen bonds mainly contributed to the initial sticking or interfacial adhesion while disulfide links and chain interdiffusion assisted time dependent reformation of networks to restore the original mechanical strength.

Two novel thorium-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), namely Th-SINAP-7 and Th-SINAP-8, have been synthesized via the solvothermal reactions of thorium nitrate and 1,4- or 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid in the presence of acid modulators. Bearing the rigid aromatic architectures, Th-SINAP-7 and Th-SINAP-8 exhibit exceptional chemical (from pH 1 to 12) and thermal stabilities (up to 520 °C), as well as ionizing radioresistance (2 × 105 Gy β and γ irradiations). The highly porous nature and conjugated π-electrons of naphthalene on the organic linkers endow high affinity of both MOFs toward I2 molecules owning to the charge transfer between π-electrons of the host networks and the guest iodine molecules, as evidenced by combined techniques including of FTIR, PXRD, SEM-EDS, UV-vis spectroscopy, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy. Particularly, Th-SINAP-8 can efficiently remove >99% I2 from cyclohexane solution and exhibit guest uptake of iodine vapor with an adsorption capacity of 473 mg/g.

Background: Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a progressive stage of diabetic retinopathy featured by the formation of neovascular and proliferative membrane. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) acts as a pivot factor in the development of neovascularization. This study was to investigate the changes of intravitreal VEGF concentrations of severe PDR after intravitreal injection of conbercept (IVC) and its potential advantages to the following vitrectomy. Methods: This was a prospective, interventional, randomized controlled study. Sixty eyes (60 patients) with severe PDR and 20 eyes from 20 patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment complicated with proliferative vitreoretinopathy were enrolled in this study. PDR eyes were randomly assigned to three groups by sortation randomization method with 20 eyes in each based on the interval of preoperative IVC (group A: 7 days, group B: 14 days, group C: non-IVC). Another 20 eyes without diabetes were enrolled as the non-diabetic control group (group D), receiving PPV directly. Vitreous specimens of all 80 patients were collected and evaluated afterwards. The intravitreal VEGF concentration of the four groups, and the total surgical time and the intraoperative bleeding rate of the PDR groups were recorded. Results: The mean intravitreal VEGF concentrations of groups A-D were 66.6 ± 43.3, 93.1 ± 52.3, 161.4 ± 106.1 and 1.8 ± 1.2 pg/mL, respectively. It increased significantly in PDR patients (groups A, B and C) (P = 0.002

A simple binary synthetic approach with variable [HCOOH]/[Th(IV)] ratios and the addition of water resulted in the self-assembly of six novel thorium formate complexes with well-controlled structures ranging from 0D clusters and 2D layered networks to 3D frameworks. Specifically, small [HCOOH]/[Th(IV)] promoted the formation of the hexanuclear Th6O4(OH)4(HCOO)12 core, a secondary building unit for the construction of 3D [Th6Na(μ3-O)4(μ3-OH)4(HCOO)14]·[NH2(CH3)2]·(DMF)3(H2O)5 (Th-SINAP-1), 2D [Th6(μ3-O)4(μ3-OH)4(HCOO)12(DMF)2]·(H2O)10 (Th-SINAP-2), and 0D [Th6(μ3-O)4(μ3-OH)4(HCOO)12(H2O)6]·G (Th-SINAP-3). The large [HCOOH]/[Th(IV)] inhibited the olation/oxolation reaction, affording 3D frameworks of [Th2(HCOO)9]·[NH2(CH3)2]·(DMF)(H2O)2 (Th-SINAP-4), [Th2(HCOO)9]·[NH2(CH3)2]·(DMF)(H2O)4 (Th-SINAP-5), and [Th2(HCOO)8(H2O)(DMF)]·(H2O)3 (Th-SINAP-6) with monomeric Th(IV) cations as the metal nodes. The addition of water not only affected the hydrolysis of Th(IV) to form nucleophilic hydroxo/oxo-aquo Th species, but also influenced the overall solid-state packing via the competition between H2O, HCOO−, OH−/O2−, and DMF for coordination with Th4+ cations. This unexpected structural complexity of thorium formates opens a new avenue for the targeted design and synthesis of atypical coordination polymers, e.g. open-framework materials of actinides, for applications in diverse fields such as radionuclide adsorption.

Modulated synthesis and isoreticular expansion of Th-MOFs enable the stepwise construction of hierarchical complexes in which porosity and functionality can be fine-tuned, affording new Th-MOFs with a record high void space (74.0%), the largest surface area (3396.5 m2 g-1) among thorium materials, and excellent adsorption capacities toward radioactive iodine.

The excessive use of carbaryl has resulted in the risk of its exposure. In this study, we isolated six nanobodies (Nbs) from a camelid phage display library against the biomarker of carbaryl, 1-naphthol (1-NAP). Owing to its characteristics of easy genetic modifications, we produced a nanobody-alkaline phosphatase (Nb-CC4-ALP) fusion protein with good stability. A dual-emission system based ratiometric fluoroimmunoassay (RFIA) for quick and highly sensitive determination of 1-NAP was developed. Silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) was used as an internal reference and for aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) of gold nanoclusters (AuNCs), while AuNCs could be quenched by MnO2 via oxidation. In the presence of ALP, ascorbic acid phosphate (AAP) can be transformed into ascorbic acid (AA), the later can etch MnO2 to recover the fluorescence of the AuNCs. Based on optimal conditions, the proposed assay showed 220-fold sensitivity improvement in comparison with conventional monoclonal antibody-based ELISA. The recovery test of urine samples and the validation by standard HPLC-FLD demonstrated the proposed assay was an ideal tool for screening 1-NAP and provided technical support for the monitoring of carbaryl exposure.

Aristolochic acid (AA) toxicity has been shown in humans regarding carcinogenesis, nephrotoxicity, and mutagenicity. Monitoring the AA content in drug homologous and healthy foods is necessary for the health of humans. In this study, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) with high sensitivity for aristolochic acid I (AA-I) was prepared. Based on the obtained mAb, a chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLEIA) against AA-I was developed, which showed the 50% decrease in the RLUmax (IC50) value of 1.8 ng/mL and the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.4 ng/mL. Carbon dots with red emission at 620 nm, namely rCDs, were synthesized and employed in conventional indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) to improve the assay sensitivity of a fluoroimmunoassay (FIA). Oxidized 3,3′′,5,5′′-tetramethylbenzidine dihydrochloride (oxTMB) can quench the emission of the rCDs through the inner-filter effect; therefore, the fluorescence intensity of rCDs can be regulated by the concentration of mAb. As a result, the assay sensitivity of FIA was improved by five-fold compared to CLEIA. A good relationship between the results of the proposed assays and the standard ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS) of real samples indicated good accuracy and practicability of CLEIA and FIA.

Background: Invasive fungal infections (IFI) is an important contributing factor in morbidity and mortality of immunocompromised and critically ill patients. Although the therapeutic effects of these drugs on IFI have been well documented, the long-term use of antifungal agents has raised concerns about drug tolerability and treatment-related toxicity risks.Methods: We searched articles published before June 30, 2020 in four electronic databases: Web of Science, Cochrane Library, embase and PubMed.Results: 66 trials were determined to meet our inclusion criteria, providing data on 18,230 participants. We sorted out 23 AEs by system organ classes and six laboratory AEs, 13 of these were used to construct 13 network meta-analyses. Compared with LAmB, anidulafungin, caspofungin, micafungin, fluconazole, and posaconazole had a significantly low incidence of discontinuation of therapy due to AEs (OR = 0.24 (0.09,0.65), 0.24 (0.13,0.43), 0.32 (0.19,0.52), 0.38 (0.23,0.62) and 0.35 (0.17,0.69), respectively).Conclusion: We found that echinocandins are the most tolerated antifungal agents with high safety. The AEs of triazole drugs are mainly concentrated on the increase in liver enzymes, nervous system disorders, especially visual disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and cardiac diseases. LAmB is the least tolerated and has the most abundant AEs.

This study has determined whether hydroxy-selenomethionine (OH-SeMet) exerts a better protective action on broilers against environmental stress than sodium selenite (SS) or seleno-yeast (SY). Day-old male Cobb 500 broilers (12 cages/diet, 9 broilers/cage) were fed a selenium (Se)-deficient diet (0.047 mg/kg) supplemented with SS, SY or OH-SeMet at 0.3 mg Se/kg under a high stocking density and heat stress condition for six weeks. OH-SeMet improved the FCR and Se concentration in the tissues than SS and SY. SY and OH-SeMet both reduced the serum cortisol, T3, IL-6, IgA, IgM and LPS, more than SS, while only OH-SeMet further increased IL-10 and IgG. SY and OH-SeMet improved the intestinal morphology and increased the T-AOC, TXRND, SELENON and OCCLUDIN activities but decreased CLAUDIN2 in the jejunum than SS, while OH-SeMet further improved these values than SY. SY and OH-SeMet both increased SELENOS and TXNRD2 in the muscles than SS, and OH-SeMet further raised T-AOC, GPX4, SELENOP, SELENOW and TXNRD1, and reduced malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl in the muscles than SS and SY. OH-SeMet showed a better ability to maintain the performance and the redox and immune status of broilers under a high stocking density and heat stress challenge than SS and SY.

Cadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metal contaminants in soils and water bodies and poses a serious threat to ecosystems and humans. However, cadmium is also an important resource widely used in many industries. The recovery of cadmium in the form of high-value products is considered as an ideal disposal strategy for Cd-contaminated environments. In this work, Pistia stratiotes was used to recycle cadmium from wastewaters through phytoaccumulation and then transformed into carbon-supported cadmium sulfide photocatalyst (CdS@C) through carbonization and hydrothermal reaction. The CdS@C photocatalyst contained a mixture of cubic and hexagonal CdS with lower band gap energy (2.14 eV) and high electron-hole separation efficiency, suggesting an excellent photoresponse ability and photocatalytic efficiency. The impressive stability and photocatalytic performance of CdS@C were demonstrated in efficient photodegradation of organic pollutants. •OH and O2•- were confirmed as the major active species for organic pollutants degradation during CdS@C photocatalysis. This work provides new insights into addressing Cd contaminated water bodies and upcycling in the form of photocatalyst.