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Direct conversion of syngas to aromatics (STA) over oxide-zeolite composite catalysts is promising as an alternative method for aromatics production. However, the structural effect of the oxide component in composite catalysts is still ambiguous. Herein, we investigate the size effect by selecting ZnCr2O4 spinel, as a probe oxide, mixing with H-ZSM-5 zeolite as a composite catalyst for STA reaction. The CO conversion, aromatics selectivity and space-time yield (STY) of aromatics are all significantly improved with the crystal size of ZnCr2O4 oxide decreases, which can mainly attribute to the higher oxygen vacancy concentration and thus the rapid generation of more C1 oxygenated intermediate species. Based on the understanding of the size–performance relationship, ZnCr2O4-400 with a smaller size mixing with H-ZSM-5 can achieve 32.6% CO conversion with 76% aromatics selectivity. The STY of aromatics reaches as high as 4.79 mmol gcat−1 h−1, which outperforms the previously reported some typical catalysts. This study elucidates the importance of regulating the size of oxide to design more efficient oxide-zeolite composite catalysts for conversion of syngas to value-added chemicals.

Climate change has had large impacts on marine animals, including neon flying squid Ommastrephes bartramii (O. bartramii) in the North Pacific Ocean. O. bartramii statoliths from 2012, 2015, and 2016 were used to evaluate the variations in life cycle events. The relationship between mantle length and body weight showed significant differences between years and gender. The oldest squid was collected in 2016 at 271 days old, further proving that O. bartramii has nearly a 1-year life span. The hatching season ranged from December to May and the peak hatching time in 2015 was one-half month later than in 2012 and 2016. Growth rates varied with environmental factors such as sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll a concentration (chl. a), indicating that higher SST and chl. a concentrations led to faster growth. An extreme El Nino event with lower SST in 2015 also led to younger age class and slower growth rates. The occurrence of differences in body size and growth rates between years, caused by the interannual variations of environmental factors, makes it necessary to use separate growth curves for different years when analyzing North Pacific O. Bartramii populations.

Copper-catalyzed divergent annulations between α-diketones and alkynyl α-diketones have been achieved, delivering a series of highly functionalized and biologically important cis-hexahydro-2H-cyclopenta[b]furan (HCPF) and 2-hydroxydihydrofuran-3(2H)-one (HDFO) products with high levels of stereoselectivity under identical conditions. The protocol features the use of earth-abundant copper catalyst, mild conditions, shortening synthetic routes in constructing different molecular frameworks, and reducing the corresponding possible waste production. The substituents of the nucleophilic α-diketones play crucial roles in switching the reaction pathways.

The asymmetric carbenoid C-H insertion of 3-diazooxindoles into 1,4-cyclohexadiene has been accomplished in the presence of chiral bis-(imidazoline) NCN pincer iridium(III) complexes as the catalysts. With a catalyst loading of 0.5 mol%, the reactions proceeded smoothly at 0 °C to afford a variety of chiral 3-substituted oxindoles in good yields with moderate to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). The protocol exhibits good functional group tolerance with respect to 3-diazooxindoles and is readily scaled up to 2 mmol scale without any loss in activity and enantioselectivity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to better understand the reaction mechanism and to explain the stereochemical outcome of the reactions.

Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the predominant cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), which is a problem in prisons and jails. We conducted this study to understand MRSA molecular characteristics among inmates with SSTIs, and we chose MRSA isolates from a community hospital as a comparison. Methods A total of 219 MRSA isolates from three custodial facilities and 134 isolates from a community hospital in Taiwan were collected in the 2017 calendar year. MRSA isolates were investigated molecularly by staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec) type, mupirocin, and chlorhexidine genotypical resistance, and multi-locus sequence typing (ST). Results Of the 219 MRSA isolates from custodial facilities, SCCmec IV was the most prevalent type (65.3%), followed by type VT (32.4%) and type V (1.8%). Regarding sequence types, ST59 (36.4%), 8 (35.3%), and 45 (17.9%) were the leading three predominant types out of 184 selected MRSA isolates, and ST45 MRSA was more prevalent in custodial facilities (p = 0.019). The antimicrobial resistance rates varied for different MRSA strains, with ST45 MRSA having the lowest rates of resistance to most antimicrobials. Overall, 91.5% of isolates carried mupA gene and 25.8% were positive for qacA/B gene, this was independent of the MRSA sequence types. Conclusions ST59, ST8, and ST45 MRSA are the leading three MRSA strains causing SSTIs in Taiwan, 2017, but the molecular distribution varied distinctly between the custodial facilities and hospital settings. The genotypical mupirocin resistance rate is quite high in this study. The frequency of chlorhexidine resistance gene is relatively low, especially in MRSA isolates from custodial facilities.

Canola meal is a low-value agricultural residue obtained after oil extraction from canola, the utilization of which requires further attention. On the other hand, plastic waste disposal is also another leading issue that creates severe environmental challenges. Supercritical water gasification is considered an environmentally friendly technology to produce hydrogen from plastic residues and organic wastes. This study deals with hydrothermal co-gasification of canola meal and plastic wastes (i.e., low-density polyethylene) while exploring the influence of temperature (375–525°C), residence time (15–60 min) and plastic-to-biomass ratio (0:100, 20:80, 50:50, 80:20 and 100:0) on hydrogen yield. Maximum hydrogen yield (8.1 mmol/g) and total gas yield (17.9 mmol/g) were obtained at optimal temperature and residence time of 525°C and 60 min, respectively. A change in the gas yield with variable plastic-to-biomass ratio showed synergistic effects between both feedstocks. The trend of catalytic performance towards improving hydrogen yield was in the following order: WO3–TiO2 (18.5 mmol/g) > KOH (16.9 mmol/g) > TiO2 (9.5 mmol/g) > ZrO2 (7.8 mmol/g) > WO3–ZrO2 (7.4 mmol/g).

Background Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that causes diseases mostly in immunocompromised individuals. Recently, hypervirulent K. pneumoniae strains also cause severe disease in healthy individuals. Capsular polysaccharide (CPS) is the major virulence determinant in hypervirulent K. pneumoniae and protects the cell against the bactericidal activity of the immune system. Gallic acid (GA), a natural phenolic compound, is known to exhibit wide spectrum antibacterial activity; however, its effect on hypervirulent K. pneumoniae remains largely unresolved. We aimed to identify the effects of GA on CPS biosynthesis in hypervirulent K. pneumoniae. Methods Antibacterial activity of GA was evaluated by counting colonies. CPS amount was determined by glucuronic acid content. The transcriptions of cps gene cluster were measured by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) and the β-galactosidase activity. The effect of GA on the resistance of K. pneumoniae to streptonigrin (SNG), an iron-activated antibiotic, was evaluated. The effect of GA on the resistance of K. pneumoniae to serum killing and phagocytosis by macrophages was observed. Results GA inhibited the growth and CPS biosynthesis in K. pneumoniae. GA may affect the iron availability in K. pneumoniae, thus possibly repressing the cps transcription. In addition, GA reduced the resistance of K. pneumoniae to serum killing and enhanced its susceptibility to phagocytosis. Conclusion GA possesses bactericidal activity and inhibits the CPS biosynthesis in hypervirulent K. pneumoniae, thereby facilitating pathogen clearance by the host immune system. Therefore, GA may represent a promising strategy for the prevention or treatment of patients with hypervirulent K. pneumoniae infections.

Ru and Mo bimetallic catalysts supported on active carbon modified by Phosphotungstic acid (PW) were designed and applied in glycerol hydrogenolysis reaction. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized and the presence of active sites was investigated from the perspective of the glycerol hydrogenolysis performance. The MoOx is highly selective for the C-O bond cleavage of glycerol molecules, which can reasonably regulate the strong C-C bond cleavage activity of Ru nanoparticles. By using sequential deposition of Ru and Mo supported on mesoporous PW-C, the characterization results show that the combination of isolated low-valence MoOx with metal Ru particles can form “MoOx-Ru-PW”, which provides highly catalytic activity toward C-O bond cleavage, selectively producing more C3 alcohols (mainly 1,2(3)-propanediol). The glycerol conversion of 1 % Mo/Ru/PW-C catalyst was 59.6 %, the selectivity of C3 alcohol was 96.1 %, and the selectivity of propanediol (1,2(3)-propanediol) was 94.9 %. It is noteworthy that the selectivity of 1,3-propanediol reached 20.7 % when the PW was 21.07 % (mass). This study provides experimental evidence for the tandem dehydration and hydrogenation mechanism of the multifunctional Mo/Ru/PW-C catalyst.

To investigate the efficacy of combined immunosuppressive regimens of cyclosporine (CsA), tacrolimus (TAC), or cyclophosphamide (CTX) combined with steroids in the treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN).A total of 150 biopsy-proven IMN patients were divided into three groups: CTX, TAC, and CsA groups (50 cases each). Patients received a selected regimen for 48 weeks. The efficacy (remission rate, 24h urinary protein, and serum albumin and creatinine) and safety (adverse events) profiles of administered regimens were evaluated at 12, 24 and 48 weeks.At 12 weeks, the response rates for CsA, TAC, and CTX groups were 14%, 50%, and 22%, respectively. This increased to 74%, 84%, and 82%, respectively at 48 weeks. During follow-up, 24h urinary protein significantly reduced from baseline in all regimens (P0.05), while serum albumin increased in TAC and CTX groups after 12 weeks (P0.05), and CsA group at 48 weeks (P0.05). No significant changes in serum creatinine levels were noted in all three regimens (P0.05). Safety was comparable in all groups, with lower respiratory tract infection being the most frequent adverse event.The combined regimens (i.e., TAC, CsA, and CTX) are effective in the treatment of patients with IMN at 48 weeks, while TAC and CTX might be more beneficial in terms of shortened time to remission and increased complete response rate.

The immune response after implantation is a primary determinant of the tissue-repair effects of three-dimensional (3D)-printed scaffolds. Thus, scaffolds that can subtly regulate immune responses may display extraordinary functions. Inspired by the angiogenesis promotion effect of humoral immune response, we covalently combined mesoporous silica microrod (MSR)/polyethyleneimine (PEI)/ovalbumin (OVA) self-assembled vaccines with 3D-printed calcium phosphate cement (CPC) scaffolds for local antigen-specific immune response activation. With the response activated, antigen-specific CD4+ T helper 2 (Th2) cells can be recruited to promote early angiogenesis. The silicon (Si) ions from MSRs can accelerate osteogenesis, with an adequate blood supply being provided. At room temperature, scaffolds with uniformly interconnected macropores were printed using a self-setting CPC-based printing paste, which promoted the uniform dispersion and structural preservation of functional polysaccharides oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) inside. Sustained release of OVA was achieved with MSR/PEI covalently attached to scaffolds rich in aldehyde groups as the vaccine carrier. The vaccine-loaded scaffolds effectively recruited and activated dendritic cells (DCs) for antigen presentation and promoted the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vitro. When embedded subcutaneously in vivo, the vaccine-loaded scaffolds increased the proportion of Th2 cells in the spleen and locally recruited antigen-specific T cells to promote angiogenesis in and around the scaffold. Furthermore, the result in a rat skull defect-repair model indicated that the antigen-specific vaccine-loaded scaffolds promoted the regeneration of vascularized bone. This method may provide a novel concept for patient-specific implant design for angiogenesis promotion.

Piezocatalysis, driven by mechanical energy and piezoelectric effect, is of great potential in addressing the environmental issues. In this work, a piezoelectric catalyst was fabricated by growing few-layer MoS2 nanosheets onto CuS, for the piezocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB) and hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)). The excellent removal efficiency of Cr (VI) and RhB can be reached 100% within 180 s, through the piezocatalysis of CuS/MoS2-0.6 driven by mechanical stirring in the dark. Impressively, the piezoelectric current of CuS/MoS2-0.6 is 48 and 35.7 times higher than that of pure CuS and MoS2, respectively. The significantly enhanced piezocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the formation of CuS/MoS2 heterojunction and the piezoelectric field generated by MoS2 nanosheets, which promotes the efficient separation of electrons and holes. This study provides insights into strategies to improve catalytic performance through utilizing mechanical energy and opens a new horizon for environmental remediation.

We and others have shown that MPM (micropeptide in mitochondria) regulates myogenic differentiation and muscle development. However, the roles of MPM in cancer development remain unknown. Here we revealed that MPM was downregulated significantly in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and its decrease was associated with increased metastasis potential and HCC recurrence. Gain- and loss-of-function investigations disclosed that in vitro migration/invasion and in vivo liver/lung metastasis of hepatoma cells were repressed by restoring MPM expression and increased by silencing MPM. Mechanism investigations revealed that MPM interacted with NDUFA7. Mitochondrial complex I activity was inhibited by overexpressing MPM and enhanced by siMPM, and this effect of siMPM was attenuated by knocking down NDUFA7. The NAD(+)/NADH ratio, which was regulated by complex I, was reduced by MPM but increased by siMPM. Treatment with the NAD(+) precursor nicotinamide abrogated the inhibitory effect of MPM on hepatoma cell migration. Further investigations showed that miR-17-5p bound to MPM and inhibited MPM expression. miR-17-5p upregulation was associated with MPM downregulation in HCC tissues. These findings indicate that a decrease in MPM expression may promote hepatoma metastasis by increasing mitochondrial complex I activity and the NAD(+)/NADH ratio.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, are strongly associated with hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Profilin‐1, an actin‐binding protein, has been documented to be involved in endothelial injury and in the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells resulting from hypertension. However, the role of profilin‐1 in ADMA‐induced vascular injury in hypertension remains largely unknown. Forty healthy subjects and forty‐two matched patients with essential hypertension were enrolled, and the related indexes of vascular injury in plasma were detected. Rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) were treated with different concentrations of ADMA for different periods of time and transfected with profilin‐1 small hairpin RNA to interrupt the expression of profilin‐1. To determine the role of the Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) pathway, RASMCs were pretreated with AG490 or rapamycin. The expression of profilin‐1 was tested using real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was measured by flow cytometry and 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazoliumbromide assays. Compared with healthy subjects, the levels of ADMA and profilin‐1 were markedly elevated in hypertensive individuals, while the levels of NO were significantly decreased (p

A mild one-step radical-to-radical synthetic strategy has been developed to directly produce a new family of diarylamine substituted tris(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl (TTM) radicals TTM-DPA, TTM-DB...

Spherical CeO2 synthesized by the hydrothermal process was used as support to prepare Pt/WO3/CeO2, and the effects of tungsten (W) contents on activity, stability and polychlorinated by-products was investigated to understand the role of W for vinyl chloride (VC) catalytic oxidation. The introduction of 12 wt% W to Pt/CeO2 (P12WC) exhibits the highest catalytic activity with 90% conversion of VC at 250 °C, meanwhile the stability improves and the polychlorinated by-products in the tail gas significantly decrease due to the removal of dissociated Cl species in the formation of HCl. The beneficial effects of W on Pt/CeO2 are closely related to the chemical state of Pt, redox and surface acid sites distribution. The doping W not only makes Pt disperse evenly on the support with the high valence, but also weakens the interaction between Pt and CeO2 by the formation of Pt-O-W and Pt-O-W-O-Ce species, which facilitates oxygen mobility. In addition, the modification of W species also significantly increases the surface acidity amount and changes the distribution of acid sites.

Sinomenine (SIN) is commonly used as part of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy in China, but there is still no published evidence of the efficacy of SIN monotherapy. This work investigates the efficacy and safety of SIN in treating RA patients and analyzes the correlation between ornithine level and the alleviation of disease activity in RA patients. In this 24 week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial, people with mild to moderate RA were randomly assigned (1:1:1, stratified by hospital) to receive SIN (120 mg, twice daily), methotrexate (MTX) (10 mg per week), or SIN + MTX therapy. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who achieved a 50% improvement in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria at week 24 and who showed improvement according to the clinical disease activity index (CDAI). In this prospective subgroup analysis, we also assessed whether the 24 week alterations of disease activity in the treatment group were significantly correlated to the levels of blood ornithine. Of the 135 enrolled participants, 38, 39, and 36 patients were treated with SIN, MTX, and SIN + MTX, respectively. In the SIN-treated group, 52.63% of patients achieved ACR50 after 24 weeks of treatment, which was comparable to the results in the MTX-treated and SIN + MTX-treated groups. Hepatic and gastrointestinal disorders were the main adverse events; however, the ratio of patients suffering from hepatic disorder in the SIN group (1/38) was much lower than that in the MTX (10/39) and SIN + MTX (8/36) groups. A total of 221 serum samples were collected at the four follow-up time points in the three treatments, and the levels of ornithine, citrulline, and arginine were obtained through ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS). The serum ornithine level decreased after the 24 week treatment along with a decrease in disease activity, and may reflect therapeutic responses with a sensitivity value of 80%. In conclusion, SIN revealed a comparable efficacy to MTX for treating RA patients, but with fewer side effects. In addition, the serum ornithine level was found for the first time to have a close correlation with the alleviation of RA, which shows the value of this measure as an assessment indicator of drugs in treating RA.

The uncontrolled growth of lithium dendrites and accumulation of “dead lithium” upon cycling are among the main obstacles that hinder the widespread application of lithium metal anodes. Herein, an ionic liquid (IL) consisting of 1-methyl-1-propylpiperidinium cation (Pp13+) and bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide anion (FSI−), was chosen as the additive in propylene carbonate (PC)-based liquid electrolytes to circumvent the shortcoming of lithium metal anodes. The optimal 1% Pp13FSI acts as the role of electrostatic shielding, lithiophobic effect and participating in the formation of solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer with enhanced properties. The in-situ optical microscopy records that the addition of IL can effectively inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites and the corrosion of lithium anode. This study delivers an effective modification to optimize electrolytes for stable lithium metal batteries.

Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (Ln-UCNPs) are a new type of nanomaterials with excellent fluorescence properties, which are well applied in fluorescent biosensing. Herein we developed a multifunctional probe based on the surface engineering of core-shell structure UCNPs with polyacrylic acid (PAA). The developed PAA/UCNPs probe could be highly selective to detect and respond to Cu2+ at different pH. Cu2+ could easily combine with the carboxylate anion of PAA to quench the fluorescence of UCNPs. Therefore, we creatively proposed a fluorescent array sensor (PAA/UCNPs-Cu2+), in which the same material acted as the sensing element by coupled with pH regulation for pattern recognition of 5 thiols. It could also easily identify the chiral enantiomer of cystine (L-Cys and D-Cys), and distinguish their mixed samples with different concentrations, and more importantly, it could be combined with urine samples to detect actual level of homocysteine (Hcys) to provide a new solution for judging whether the human body suffers from homocystinuria.

Efficient and applicable catalysts are highly desirable for advanced biomass transformation industry, here, we fabricated a series of Nd-Co-P catalysts for hydrogenation of furfural (FAL) to furfuryl alcohol (FOH). By comprehensive characterizations, it is demonstrated that the prepared Nd-Co-P samples are structured as (NdPO4)m/Co2P nanocomposites with molar ratio (m) in range of 0.24–1.1; by manipulating m, the outstanding catalytic efficiency comparable with the performance of precious metal catalysts, such as turnover frequency (TOF) up to 0.50 s−1 (being ten-fold higher than Co2P) and FOH yield up to 97%, is achieved on the reusable (NdPO4)m/Co2P composites. Temperature programmed desorption (TPD), in-situ infrared spectroscopy (IR) and kinetic-mechanism studies further disclose that Co2P is decisive for activating FAL, instead, NdPO4 possesses unique capability of activating hydrogen which readily facilitate the selective hydrogenation of FAL to FOH through a rapid Langmuir–Hinshelwood process over (NdPO4)m/Co2P catalyst. These results indicate that rare-earth phosphates like NdPO4 can act as the promising and reliable catalytic component to activate hydrogen, which can be of interest not only for innovating novel and applicable non-metallic catalysts for sustainable biomass transformation analogous to hydrogenation of FAL, but also for expanding material base for other green mass transformation techniques involving hydrogen.

Background Ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) is capable of regulating lipid and glucose metabolism through its action on adipocytes. However, the beneficial role of GRb1-induced up-regulation of adiponectin in liver steatosis remains unelucidated. Thus, we tested whether GRb1 ameliorates liver steatosis and insulin resistance by promoting the expression of adiponectin. Methods 3T3-L1 adipocytes and hepatocytes were used to investigate GRb1's action on adiponectin expression and triglyceride (TG) accumulation. Wild type (WT) mice and adiponectin knockout (KO) mice fed high fat diet were treated with GRb1 for 2 weeks. Hepatic fat accumulation and function as well as insulin sensitivity was measured. The activation of AMPK was also detected in the liver and hepatocytes. Results GRb1 reversed the reduction of adiponectin secretion in adipocytes. The conditioned medium (CM) from adipocytes treated with GRb1 reduced TG accumulation in hepatocytes, which was partly attenuated by the adiponectin antibody. In the KO mice, the GRb1-induced significant decrease of TG content, ALT and AST was blocked by the deletion of adiponectin. The elevations of GRb1-induced insulin sensitivity indicated by OGTT, ITT and HOMA-IR were also weakened in the KO mice. The CM treatment significantly enhanced the phosphorylation of AMPK in hepatocytes, but not GRb1 treatment. Likewise, the phosphorylation of AMPK in liver of the WT mice was increased by GRb1, but not in the KO mice. Conclusions The up-regulation of adiponectin by GRb1 contributes to the amelioration of liver steatosis and insulin resistance, which further elucidates a new mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of GRb1 on obesity.

Gadolinium (III)-based T1 contrast agent have been widely used in clinical MRI. In this study, salicylic acid-gadolinium chelate was prepared via directly coordination reaction of gadolinium ion and salicylic acid. Then, three polyethylene glycols with different molecular weight were modified on the surface of salicylic acid-gadolinium by simple chemical coupling to construct three core-shell structural Gd based composites. The SEM and TEM characterization results show that the composite is a spherical particle with a diameter of about 100–200 nm. The longitudinal relaxation rate r1 of the Gal-PEG-2000 is 11.097 (mmol/L)–1/s, and the ratio of r2/r1 is as low as 2.53. The composite shows good liver and intestines MRI performances after being used in in vivo imaging, showing a good prospect of biological application.

The distribution of titanium (Ti) active sites in the framework of TS-1 zeolite is one of the critical factors affecting its catalytic performance, since it can influence accessibility of the Ti active sites and the catalytic utilization of Ti atoms. Here, TS-1 zeolite with homogeneous distribution of titanium atoms in the framework (named BUS-TS-1) is successfully synthesized via bottom-up strategy at high basicity conditions, and BUS-TS-1 zeolite exhibits better catalytic performance for both olefin and alkane oxidation. The comprehensive explorations on the crystallization behavior of BUS-TS-1 zeolite show that, the gripper-like silicon species, as condensed matter in Q2 and Q3 states (detected by 29Si NMR), can be obtained by the condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) at high alkalinity conditions. The gripper-like silicon species can condense with Ti-OH to form stable and isolated Si-O-Ti species, so that the phase transfer rates of Si and Ti species match during the entire crystallization process, resulting in the homogeneous distribution of Ti atoms. This work offers a useful strategy for the synthesis of high-performance catalysts by regulating the distribution of Ti active-site within TS-1 framework.

Radiation is an integral part of cancer therapy. With the emergence of oncolytic vaccinia virus immunotherapy, it is important to study the combination of radiation and vaccinia virus in cancer therapy. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor effect of and immune mechanisms underlying the combination of high-dose hypofractionated stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and oncolytic vaccinia virus in preclinical murine models. The combination enhanced the in vivo anti-tumor effect and increased the numbers of splenic CD4+Ki-67+ helper T lymphocytes and CD8+Ki-67+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Combinational therapy also increased tumor-infiltrating CD3+CD4+ helper T lymphocytes and CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, but decreased tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cells. In addition, SBRT combined with oncolytic vaccinia virus enhanced in vitro cell death, partly through necroptosis, and subsequent release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), and shifted the macrophage M1/M2 ratio. We concluded that SBRT combined with oncolytic vaccinia virus can trigger tumor cell necroptosis and modify macrophages through the release of DAMPs, and then generate potent anti-tumor immunity and effects. Thus, combined therapy is potentially an important strategy for clinical cancer therapy.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT), deemed as a cutting-edge antineoplastic therapeutic tactics, efficaciously suppresses tumors via catalytically yielding hydroxyl radicals (•OH) in tumor regions. Nevertheless, its biomedical applications are often restricted by the limited hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) level and upregulated antioxidant defense. Herein, a versatile nanoreactor is elaborately designed via integrating Cu2-xS and MnO2 for T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided CDT, synergistically enhanced through hypothermal ablation and oxidation resistance reduction, thereby displaying splendid antitumor efficiency as well as suppression on pulmonary metastasis. The as-synthesized Cu2-xS@MnO2 nanoreactors afford acid-dependent Cu-based and glutathione (GSH)-activated Mn-based catalytic properties for bimodal CDT. Owing to excellent absorbance at the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window, the Cu2-xS furnishes hypo-photo-thermal therapy (PTT) against tumor growth and ameliorates the catalytic performance for thermal-enhanced CDT. Additionally, MnO2 significantly downregulates GSH and glutathione peroxidase 4, which synergistically boosts CDT via promoting oxidative stress, simultaneously generating Mn2+ for MR contrast improvement and activatable tumor imaging. Therefore, this study proffers a new attempt centered on the collaborative strategy integrating NIR-II hypothermal PTT and synergistically enhanced CDT for tumor eradication.

Heat generation and serious energy consumption of normal-conductive suspension electromagnets influence the performance and stability of suspension systems. With the development of second generation (2G) high temperature superconducting (HTS) technologies, HTS suspension electromagnets are being considered for energy saving purpose. In this paper, a suspension system with three suspension electromagnets is designed, which is comprised of two normal-conductive suspension electromagnets and a 2G-HTS suspension electromagnet. A three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic field simulation based on finite element method (FEM) is carried out, and the force test platform of suspension electromagnet is built for performance evaluation of the HTS suspension electromagnet. The experimental results show that the current of HTS suspension electromagnet is steady loaded from 0 A to 70 A under 77 K working conditions, with the suspension force meet the requirements. This work provides a certain theoretical and practical foundation for the future superconducting suspension projects.

Background: Thiourea is a classical urease inhibitor which is usually used as a positive control, and many N,N'-disubstituted thioureas have been determined as urease inhibitors. However, due to steric hindrance, N,N'-disubstituted thiourea motif could not bind urease as thiourea. On the contrary, N-monosubstituted thiourea with a tiny thiourea motif could theoretically bind into the active pocket as thiourea. Objective: A series of N-monosubstituted aroylthioureas were designed and synthesized for evaluation as urease inhibitors. Methods: Urease inhibition was determined by the indophenol method and IC50 values were calculated using computerized linear regression analysis of quantal log dose-probit functions. The kinetic parameters were estimated via surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and by nonlinear regression analysis based on the mixed type inhibition model derived from Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Results: Compounds b2, b11, and b19 reversibly inhibited urease with a mixed mechanism, and showed excellent potency against both cell-free urease and urease in the intact cell, with IC50 values being 90- to 450-fold and 5- to 50-fold lower than the positive control acetohydroxamic acid, respectively. The most potent compound b11 showed an IC50 value of 0.060 ± 0.004μM against cell-free urease, which bound to urea binding site with a very low KD value (0.420±0.003nM) and a very long residence time (6.7 min). Compound b11 was also demonstrated to have very low cytotoxicity to mammalian cells. Conclusion: The results revealed that N-monosubstituted aroylthioureas bound to the active site of urease as expected, and represent a new class of urease inhibitors for the development of potential therapeutics against infections caused by urease-containing pathogens.

Introduction In the event-driven GRIPHON randomised-controlled trial, the oral prostacyclin receptor agonist selexipag significantly reduced the risk of disease progression (composite primary endpoint of morbidity/mortality), compared with placebo, in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The ongoing open-label extension study (GRIPHON OL) collects further data on long-term safety, tolerability, and survival of PAH patients treated with selexipag. Methods Patients randomised to selexipag or placebo in GRIPHON could enter GRIPHON OL either after experiencing a morbidity event during double-blind treatment or at the end of the study. Patients were followed for adverse events (AE) and survival from selexipag initiation up to 3 days and 30 days after end of treatment, respectively. Data are presented up to a cut-off date of 1 September 2019. Results Overall, 953 patients in GRIPHON and GRIPHON OL were treated with selexipag. At the time of selexipag initiation, 81.2% of patients were receiving background PAH therapy. Median (min, max) exposure to selexipag was 31.7 months (0, 106), corresponding to a total of 3054.4 patient-years. The most frequently reported AEs were related to known prostacyclin-related effects or underlying disease. There were 305 (32.0%) patients who experienced an AE leading to treatment discontinuation. Survival during GRIPHON and GRIPHON OL was assessed for the 574 patients randomised to selexipag in GRIPHON. Kaplan–Meier survival estimates (95%CI) at 1, 3, 5 and 7 years were 92.0% (89.4, 94.0), 79.3% (75.4, 82.6), 71.2% (66.5, 75.3) and 63.0% (57.4, 68.1), respectively. Conclusions These results provide the longest follow-up period published to date for a PAH therapy. The safety profile of selexipag over this extended treatment period was consistent with that observed in GRIPHON. A large proportion of the population was receiving background therapy at selexipag initiation, providing further insight into the long-term safety of selexipag as part of a combination therapy regimen. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT01106014 and NCT01112306 Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12325-021-01898-1.

Process mineralogy of low-grade laterite nickel ore in Indonesia was systematically characterized and the beneficiation process of mineral components such as limonite, serpentine and chromite was studied on the basis of process mineralogy. The results show that the low-grade laterite nickel ore is a typical weathering sedimentary metamorphic oxidized ore, with the main valuable elements of Ni, Co and Cr and the main mineral components of limonite, serpentine, chromite, etc. There is no independent carrier mineral of Ni and Co in the raw ore, and the occurrence states of Ni and Co are relatively dispersed. For the limonite in laterite nickel mine, the nickel bearing magnetite concentrate with nickel grade of 1.98% and recovery rate of 88.42% can be obtained by reduction roasting magnetic separation process. For the serpentine in laterite nickel mine, the cobalt bearing concentrate with Co grade of 0.17% and recovery rate of 23.17% can be obtained by positive and reverse flotation process. A chromium concentrate containing 35.17% Cr2O3 and a recovery of 33.42% can be obtained by using the combined process of coarse and fine classification and gravity and magnetic.

Background Intercropping, especially with legumes, as a productive and sustainable system, can promote plants growth and improves the soil quality than the sole crop, is an essential cultivation pattern in modern agricultural systems. However, the metabolic changes of secondary metabolites and the growth in tea plants during the processing of intercropping with soybean have not been fully analyzed. Results The secondary metabolomic of the tea plants were significant influence with intercropping soybean during the different growth stages. Especially in the profuse flowering stage of intercropping soybean, the biosynthesis of amino acids was significantly impacted, and the flavonoid biosynthesis, the flavone and flavonol biosynthesis also were changed. And the expression of metabolites associated with amino acids metabolism, particularly glutamate, glutamine, lysine and arginine were up-regulated, while the expression of the sucrose and D-Glucose-6P were down-regulated. Furthermore, the chlorophyll photosynthetic parameters and the photosynthetic activity of tea plants were higher in the tea plants-soybean intercropping system. Conclusions These results strengthen our understanding of the metabolic mechanisms in tea plant’s secondary metabolites under the tea plants-soybean intercropping system and demonstrate that the intercropping system of leguminous crops is greatly potential to improve tea quality. These may provide the basis for reducing the application of nitrogen fertilizer and improve the ecosystem in tea plantations.

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) has become the most common type of arthritis, and the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in OA is complex and not fully understood. Inflammation and matrix degradation have been indicated to play vital roles in pathogenesis of OA. Apart from biochemical molecules such as anti-oxidants which have been suggested to reduce inflammatory responses, photobiomodulation has become interesting targets for developing therapeutic strategies of cartilage repair and regeneration. Methods To investigate the effect of photobiomodulation on OA, red light-emitting diode (LED) was preventatively applied to hydrogen peroxide induced OA-like chondrocytes. Lumen density was measured for the level of free radicals and gene expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, MMP-1, MMP-13, and COL-2 was analyzed. Significant Findings Our results showed that pre-treatment of 635-nm LED for 2 h significantly reduced free radical formation (from 100% to 8.25%) and inflammatory gene IL-1β, TNF-α expression in OA-like cells while matrix gene COL-2 was enhanced. Furthermore, combination of preventative LED treatment with anti-oxidant(s) (vitamin E or/and resveratrol) exerted synergistic effects of anti-inflammation and MMP-13 reduction. In conclusion, preventative LED irradiation combined with anti-oxidants provides a novel therapeutic strategy for treating early OA prior to the progression of the disease.

Hydrogenation of methyl acetate is a key step in ethanol synthesis from dimethyl ether carbonylation and Cu-based catalysts are widely studied. We report here that the hydrogenation activity of Cu/ZnO catalysts can be enhanced by the addition of MgO promoter. The evolution of crystal phases during coprecipitation and the physicochemical properties of calcined and reduced catalysts by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric (TG)-mass spectrometry (MS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2O titration, in situ CO-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and H2-temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR) reveal that the promoter effect likely lies in the presence of Mg2+. A proper amount of Mg2+ mediates the precipitation process of Cu and Zn, leading to preferable formation of aurichalcite (CuxZn1−x)5(CO3)2(OH)6 crystal phase and a small amount of basic carbonates such as hydrozincite Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 and malachite Cu2CO3(OH)2. The presence of aurichalcite strengthens the interaction between Cu and Zn species, and thus enhances the dispersity of Cu0 species and helps generation of Cu+ species on reduced catalysts. Furthermore, the performance of Cu/ZnO catalysts exhibits an optimal dependence on the Mg loading, i.e., 17.5%. However, too much Mg2+ in the precipitation liquid prohibits formation of aurichalcite but enhances formation of basic nitrates, leading to a dramatically reduced hydrogenation activity. These findings may find applications for optimization of other Cu-based catalysts in a wider range of hydrogenation reactions.

The uranyl with two U=O double bonds is a well-known and predominant form of uranium in the environment, but the carbon-based analog with two U=C double bonds has rarely been synthesized. Here, we ...

We have fabricated a new perylene bisimide (PBI) folda-dimer (BPBI-CB-1) by tethering two PBI moieties to the ortho-carbon positions of a carborane unit. The synthesized compound adopted distinct c...

Nicotine ingested from smoking exerts neuroprotection and developmental neurotoxicity in central nervous system. It can produce several changes of cognitive behaviors through regulating the release of different neurotransmitters in the brain. However, the effects of nicotine exposure or withdrawal on neurotransmitter metabolism of hippocampus are still unclear. In this study, we real-time evaluated the dynamic alterations in neurotransmitter metabolism of hippocampal neuronal (HT22) cells induced by nicotine exposure and withdrawal at relevant exposure levels of smoking and secondhand smoke by using a microfluidic chip-coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MC-LC-MS) system. We found HT22 cells mainly released related neurotransmitters of tryptophan and choline metabolism, both nicotine exposure and withdraw altered its neurotransmitters and their metabolites release. Exposure to nicotine mainly altered the secretion of serotonin, kynurenic acid, choline and acetylcholine of HT22 cells to improve hippocampal dependent cognition, and the change are closely related to the dose and duration of exposure. Moreover, the altered metabolites could rapidly recover after nicotine withdrawal, but picolinic acid was elevated. MC-LC-MS system used in present study showed a greater advantage to detect unstable metabolites than conventional method by using in vitro model, and the results of dynamic alterations of neurotransmitter metabolism induced by nicotine might provide a potential targets for drug development of neuroprotection or cognitive improvement.

In this paper, a novel compound was developed by mixing H3PO4-modified cauliflower leaves hydrochar (CLH) and coal gangue-based Na-X zeolite (ZL). An alkaline soil contaminated with cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) was amended through the individual and synergistic application of CLH and ZL (1%CLH, 2%CLH, 1%ZL, 2%ZL and 1%CLH+1%ZL), and Chinese cabbage was grown on it. Individual application of CLH was superior to ZL on decreasing the pH of alkaline soil and increasing soil available phosphorus (Olsen-P) and soil organic matter (SOM). In contrast, their combined application significantly improved the soil cation exchange capacity (CEC). Besides, the 1%CLH+1%ZL was the most efficient treatment in decreasing DTPA-extractable Cd/Pb and concentrations of these two metals in cabbage root and shoot. Their synergistic application could better increase Cd and Pb immobilization and cabbage yield than their alone application. Furthermore, the immobilization of Pb for all treatments was higher than that of Cd. The synergistic immobilization mechanism of CLH and ZL reflected that the CLH precipitated and complexed with these two metals, which may block the pores of hydrochar or wrap on the surface of hydrochar. So the continuous adsorption and complexation were prevented. Nevertheless, ZL could probably alleviate this obstacle. This finding provides helpful information about using CLH combined with ZL as a soil stabilizer to immobilize heavy metals in contaminated alkaline soil.

Biomass-derived dynamic covalent thermoset has been considered as a promising solution to the high dependence on fossil resources and the difficulty in recyclability after curing of conventional bisphenol A epoxy resins. However, the design and preparation of a dynamic covalent biobased epoxy thermoset with both comparable thermal and mechanical performances to bisphenol A epoxy resins and reprocessibility remains a significant challenge. Herein, based on imine chemistry, a novel Schiff base-containing dynamic covalent epoxy thermoset was facilely fabricated from biobased protocatechualdehyde and synthetic siloxane diamine. Due to the more reactive epoxides in the epoxy monomer than in bisphenol A epoxy oligomer, the thermoset exhibited a high cross-linking density, resulting in high thermal stability and glass transition temperature. The rigid aromatic Schiff base moieties endowed the thermoset with excellent mechanical properties: thanks to the plasticization of the flexible siloxane, the thermoset displayed high impact strength. Meanwhile, owing to the high segmental mobility, the fast exchange of imine bonds was guaranteed; and the thermoset was able to be recycled through reprocessing. Taking these features, this work provided great potential for designing and preparing sustainable substitutes for bisphenol A epoxy resins in the high-performance applications.

A simple and efficient dithizone-functionalized solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure, online coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, was developed for the first time for enrichment and determination of ultra-trace mercury (Hg) species (inorganic divalent Hg (Hg(II)), methylmercury (CH3Hg(II)) and ethylmercury (C2H5Hg(II)) in cereals and environmental samples. In the proposed method, functionalization of the commercial C18 column with dithizone, enrichment, and elution of the above Hg species can be completed online with the developed SPE device. A simple solution of 2-mercaptoethanol (1% (V/V)) could be used as an eluent for both the SPE and HPLC separation of Hg species, significantly simplifying the method and instrumentation. The online SPE method was optimized by varying dithizone dose, 2-mercaptoethanol concentration, and sample volume. In addition, the effect of pH, coexisting interfering ions, and salt effect on the enrichment was also discussed. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits of Hg species for 5 mL water sample were 0.15 ng/L for Hg(II), 0.07 ng/L for CH3Hg(II), and 0.04 ng/L for C2H5Hg(II) with recoveries in the range of 85%–100%. The developed dithizone-functionalized C18 SPE column can be reused after a single functionalization, which significantly simplifies the enrichment step. Moreover, the stability of Hg species enriched on the SPE column demonstrated its suitability for field sampling of Hg species for later laboratory analysis. This environment-friendly method offers a robust tool to detect ultra-trace Hg species in cereals and environmental samples.

In this study, single crystal ZnO microwires (MW) with size of ∼5.4 mm × 30 μm are prepared through a chemical vapor deposition technique at high temperature (1200 °C). Subsequently, p-type conducting polyaniline (PANI) polymers with different conductivities are densely coated on part of the ZnO MW to construct organic/inorganic core-shell heterojunction photodetectors. The hetero-diodes reach an extremely high rectification ratio (I+3V/I-3V) of 749230, and a maximum rejection ratio (I350nm/Idark) of 3556 (at -3 V), indicating great potential as rectified switches. All the heterojunction devices exhibit strong response to ultraviolet (UV) radiation with high response speed. Moreover, the obvious photovoltaic behavior can also be obtained, allowing the device to operate as an independent and stable unit without externally supplied power. Under 0 V bias voltage, the self-powered photodetector shows a maximum responsivity of 0.56 mA W−1 and a rapid response speed of 0.11 ms/1.45 ms (rise time/decay time). Finally, a finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation is performed to further demonstrate the interaction mechanism between the incident light field and the hexagonal cavity, which strongly supports the enhancement of the light absorption in whispering-gallery-mode resonator.

The organic compounds contaminated soil substantially threatens the growth of plants and food safety. In this study, we synthesis zero-valent bimetallic Fe/Cu catalysts for the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) in soils with persulfate (PS) in combination of organic surfactants and exploring the main environmental impact factors. The kinetic experiments show that the wt5% dosage of Fe/Cu exhibits a higher degradation efficiency (86%) of DCP in soils, and the degradation efficiency of DCP increases with the increase of the initial PS concentration. Acidic conditions are favorable for the DCP degradation in soils. More importantly, the addition of Tween-80, and Triton-100 can obviously desorb DCP from the soil surface, which enhances the degradation efficiency of DCP in soils by Fe/Cu and PS reaction system. Furthermore, the Quenching experiments demonstrate that SO 4 ·- and ·OH are the predominant radicals for the degradation of DCP during the Fe/Cu and PS reaction system as well as non-radical also exist. The findings of this work provide an effective method for remediating DCP from soils. © 2020 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Pharmaceutical salt formation is the most preferred and effective method to enhance the physicochemical properties of APIs. The aim of the study was to design and synthesize a series of new salts to improve the solubility of Imatinib (IM). Two stable salts with malonic acid (S1) and citric acid (S5), one metastable salt with fumaric acid (S2), two unstable salts with citric acid (S3, S4) were obtained for the first time. Single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the novel salts. The solubility and stability of the solid were also evaluated, and three salts (S1, S2, S5) had a more than 20 folds of solubility and a faster dissolution rate improved as compared to the pure drug in water and pH 6.8 buffer, respectively.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common syndrome that has a significant impact on prognosis in various clinical settings. To evaluate whether new evidence supports changing the current definition/classification/staging systems for AKI suggested by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 2012 Clinical Practice Guideline, the Taiwan AKI-TASK Force, composed of 64 experts in various disciplines, systematically reviewed the literature and proposed recommendations about the current nomenclature and diagnostic criteria for AKI. The Taiwan Acute Kidney Injury (TW-AKI) Consensus 2020 was established following the principles of evidence-based medicine to investigate topics covered in AKI guidelines. The Taiwan AKI-TASK Force determined that patients with AKI have a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, and death. After a comprehensive review, the TASK Force recommended using novel biomarkers, imaging examinations, renal biopsy, and body fluid assessment in the diagnosis of AKI. Clinical issues with regards to the definitions of baseline serum creatinine (sCr) level and renal recovery, as well as the use of biomarkers to predict renal recovery are also discussed in this consensus. Although the present classification systems using sCr and urine output for the diagnosis of AKI are not perfect, there is not enough evidence to change the current criteria in clinical practice. Future research should investigate and clarify the roles of the aforementioned tools in clinical practice for AKI.

There is a close connection between epigenetic regulation, cancer metabolism, and immunology. The combination of epigenetic therapy and immunotherapy provides a promising avenue for cancer management. As an epigenetic regulator of histone acetylation, panobinostat can induce histone acetylation and inhibit tumor cell proliferation, as well as regulate aerobic glycolysis and reprogram intratumoral immune cells. JQ1 is a BRD4 inhibitor that can suppress PD-L1 expression. Herein, we proposed a chemo-free, epigenetic-based combination therapy of panobinostat/JQ1 for metastatic colorectal cancer. A novel targeted binary-drug liposome was developed based on lactoferrin-mediated binding with the LRP-1 receptor. It was found that the tumor-targeted delivery was further enhanced by in situ formation of albumin corona. The lactoferrin modification and endogenous albumin adsorption contribute a dual-targeting effect on the receptors of both LRP-1 and SPARC that were overexpressed in tumor cells and immune cells (e.g., tumor-associated macrophages). The targeted liposomal therapy was effective to suppress the crosstalk between tumor metabolism and immune evasion via glycolysis inhibition and immune normalization. Consequently, lactic acid production was reduced and angiogenesis inhibited; TAM switched to an anti-tumor phenotype, and the anti-tumor function of the effector CD8+ T cells was reinforced. The strategy provides a potential method for remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME).

Rice has a large number of nitrate or peptide transporter family (NPF) genes, but the effects of most members on rice growth and development are unknown. We report that OsNPF5.16, a nitrate transporter gene with natural variation in its promoter sequence, is essential for rice growth and yield. The promoter sequence showed various differences between indica and japonica cultivars, and higher expression of OsNPF5.16 was found in indica cultivars with higher plant weight and more tillers than japonica cultivars. OsNPF5.16 was highly expressed in roots, tiller basal parts, and leaf sheaths, and its protein was localized on the plasma membrane. In cRNA-injected Xenopus laevis oocytes, OsNPF5.16 transport of nitrate at high nitrate concentration depended on pH. Overexpression of OsNPF5.16 increased nitrate content and total nitrogen content in leaf sheath as well as biomass and tiller bud length in rice. Elevated expression of OsNPF5.16 increased rice tiller number and grain yield by regulating cytokinin levels. Inhibition of OsNPF5.16 expression showed the opposite effects. Regulating OsNPF5.16 expression has potential for improving rice grain yield.

A magnetically recoverable RuCo bimetallic catalyst was reported for the catalytic hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol under ambient H2 pressure. The magnetic catalyst was prepared by H2 treatment of the RuCo composite precursor from a facile one-pot hydrolysis of Co and Ru salts by NaBH4 solution. This catalyst can totally convert furfural to 98-100% furfuryl alcohol at 120 °C under 1 bar H2 in isopropanol or water using only molecular H2 as hydrogen source. Moreover, the catalyst showed excellent stability during recycling test and can be easily and completely recovered by magnet from reaction solution. The influence of Ru/Co ratio and H2-treatment temperature was studied, which were shown to be important for the structural evolution and the metal interaction in RuCo active sites, based on the comprehensive characterizations including XRD, TGA, TEM, XPS, H2-TPR, CO adsorbed DRIFT-IR. It was demonstrated that the cooperative Ru0-Co0 bimetallic active sites in strong interaction can significantly promote activity and selectivity of the catalyst due to an enhanced adsorption and activation of furfural and H2, and simultaneously created a strong magnetism in the RuCo catalyst for simple physical separation.

Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) represent a diverse group of diseases and challenges remain for the current medications. Herein, we present an activatable and targeted nanosystem for detecting and imaging IMIDs foci and treating them through blocking NF-κB/NLRP3 pathways. A ROS-activatable prodrug BH-EGCG is synthesized by coupling a near-infrared chromophore with the NF-κB/NLRP3 inhibitor epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) through boronate bond which serves as both the fluorescence quencher and ROS-responsive moiety. BH-EGCG molecules readily form stable nanoparticles in aqueous medium, which are then coated with macrophage membrane to ensure the actively-targeting capability toward inflammation sites. Additionally, an antioxidant precursor N-acetylcysteine is co-encapsulated into the coated nanoparticles to afford the nanosystem BH-EGCG&NAC@MM to further improve the anti-inflammatory efficacy. Benefiting from the inflammation-homing effect of the macrophage membrane, the nanosystem delivers payloads (diagnostic probe and therapeutic drugs) to inflammatory lesions more efficiently and releases a chromophore and two drugs upon being triggered by the overexpressed in-situ ROS, thus exhibiting better theranostic performance in the autoimmune hepatitis and hind paw edema mouse models, including more salient imaging signals and better therapeutic efficacy via inhibiting NF-κB pathway and suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation. This work may provide perceptions for designing other actively-targeting theranostic nanosystems for various inflammatory diseases., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • A multifunctional nanosystem has been developed for targeting, imaging and treating immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. • Once activated the nanosystem generates fluorescent/optoacoustic signals for diagnosis and evaluating therapeutic efficacy. • The released drugs EGCG and NAC in inflammation site treat the diseases via inhibiting NF-κB/NLRP3 pathways.

Nickel molybdate (NiMoO4) attracts superior hydrogen desorption behavior but noticeably poor for efficiently driving the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media due to the sluggish water dissociation step. Herein, we successfully accelerate the water dissociation kinetics of NiMoO4 for prominent HER catalytic properties via simultaneous in situ interfacial engineering with molybdenum dioxide (MoO2) and doping with phosphorus (P). The as-synthesized P-doped NiMoO4/MoO2 heterostructure nanorods exhibit outstanding HER performance with an extraordinary low overpotential of −23 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, which is highly comparable to the performance of the state-of-art Pt/C coated on nickel foam (NF) catalyst. The density functional theory (DFT) analysis reveals the enhanced performance is attributed to the formation of MoO2 during the in situ epitaxial growth that substantially reduces the energy barrier of the Volmer pathway, and the introduction of P that provides efficient hydrogen desorption of NiMoO4. This present work creates valuable insight into the utilization of interfacial and doping systems for hydrogen evolution catalysis and beyond.

Silica chemical vapor deposition (Si-CVD) technique was applied in the silylation of ZSM-5 zeolite to enhance para isomer product selectivity in the disproportionation of toluene (TDP) and ethylbenzene (EBDP). A threshold value in Si-CVD deposition for enhancement in para isomer selectivity in TDP and EBDP was determined. Beyond the threshold value, the para selectivity increased with increasing silica deposition amount. Upon Si-CVD modification, while the micropore size of the MFI zeolite stayed the same with the parent MFI zeolite, the enhancement in para selectivity could be due to the passivation of external active sites. The p-diethylbenzene isomer selectivity of>99 % was demonstrated at EB conversion up to 35 %. Nevertheless, p-xylene isomer product selectivity of around 83 % was obtained only at a reasonable conversion level of 20 %. The difference in selectivation efficiency between TDP and EBTDP reactions could be attributed to the difference in the relative ratio of reaction kinetics rate to the diffusion rate in associated with different reaction temperature range.

Theranostic visualization of dextran at the nanoscale is beneficial for understanding the bioregulatory mechanisms of this molecule. In this study, we applied structured illumination microscopy (SIM) to capture the distribution of Cy5-Dextran at different incubation periods in living cells. The results showed that Cy5-Dextran could be absorbed by HeLa cells. In addition, we clarified that Cy5-Dextran exhibited differential organelle distribution (lysosomal or mitochondrial) in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, lysosomal Cy5-Dextran localization was found to be independent of the autophagy process, while Cy5-Dextran localized to the mitochondria triggered a pro-apoptotic event, upregulating the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to accelerate mitochondrial fragmentation. This work uses a visualized strategy to reveal the anti-tumor bioactivity of dextran, which was achieved by regulating apoptosis and autophagy.

Titanium silicon carbide (Ti3SiC2) film was synthesized by molten salt synthesis route of titanium and silicon powder based on polymer-derived SiC fibre substrate. The pre-deposited pyrolytic carbon (PyC) coating on the fibre was utilized as the template and a reactant for Ti3SiC2 film. The morphology, microstructure and composition of the film product were characterized. Two Ti3SiC2 layers form the whole film, where the Ti3SiC2 grains have different features. The synthesis mechanism has been discussed from the thickness of PyC and the batching ratio of mixed powder respectively. Finally, the obtained Ti3SiC2 film was utilized as interphase to prepare the SiC fibre reinforced SiC matrix composites (SiCf/Ti3SiC2/SiC composites). The flexural strength (σF) and fracture toughness (KIC) of the SiCf/Ti3SiC2/SiC composite is 460 ± 20 MPa and 16.8 ± 2.4 MPa∙m1/2 respectively.

Exosomal microRNA (miRNA) is an ideal candidate of noninvasive biomarker for the early diagnosis of cancer. Sensitive and accurate sensing of abnormal exosomal miRNA plays essential role for clinical promotion due to its close correlation with tumor proliferation and progression. Herein, a microfluidic surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor was proposed for an on-line detection of exosomal miRNA based on rolling circle amplification (RCA) and tyramine signal amplification (TSA) strategy. The microfluidic chip consists of a magnetic enrichment chamber, a serpentine fluidic mixer and a plasmonic SERS substrate functionalized with capture probes. The released miRNA activates the capture probe, triggers RCA reaction, and generates a large number of single-stranded DNA products to drive the catalysis of nanotags deposition via TSA, producing numerous “hot spots” to enhance the SERS signals. In merit of the microfluidics chip and nucleic acid-tyramine cascade amplification, the developed SERS sensor significantly improves the sensitivity for the exosomal miRNA assay, resulting in a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 1 pmol/L and can be successfully applied in the analysis of exosomes secreted from breast tumor cells, which demonstrates the potential utility in practical applications.