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Benefiting from their high concentration of in-plane nitrogen element, superior chemical/thermal stability, tunable electronic band structure and environmental friendly feature, graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as a new promising metal-free material has drawn numerous attention in photo-/electric-catalysis. Comparing to the regulation of band structure in photocatalysis, the deliberately synthesis of g-C3N4 electrocatalysts is mainly focused on the construction of catalytic sites and the modulation of the charge transfer kinetics. Herein, this work reports a rapid method for synthesizing ultrafine g-C3N4 quantum dots (QDs) via electrochemical exfoliation using Al3+ ions. The uniform g-C3N4 QDs with smaller lateral dimension and thickness are collected due to the higher charge density and stronger electrostatic forces of Al3+ ions in the lattice of host materials as compared to the conventional univalent alkali cations. The as-obtained g-C3N4 QDs exhibit average lateral dimension and thickness of 3.5 nm and 1.0 nm, respectively, as determined by the TEM and AFM measurements. Also, the presence of the rich C/N defects is verified by the UV-vis spectra. Encouragingly, the ultrafine g-C3N4 QDs exhibit superior hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance with an ultra-low onset-potential closely approaching to 0 V, and a low overpotential of 208 mV at 10 mA/cm2, as well as a remarkably low Tafel slope (52 mV·dec-1) in acidic electrolyte. Taking the fabrication of the ultrafine g-C3N4 QDs with rich C/N defects as an example, this work provides a simple and feasible way to exfoliate 2D layered materials into low-dimensional nanomaterials towards highly-efficient electrocatalysis, as well as the exploration of their fascinating physic-chemical properties.

A novel biocatalytic system for the synthesis of the industrially relevant C2 chemicals (e.g., ethylene glycol (3)) from formaldehyde (1) was established. The biocatalytic system consisted of a newly discovered thermostable glyoxylate carboligase from Escherichia coli K-12 (EcGCL) and a lactaldehyde reductase (FucO) of E. coli K-12. The affinity for formaldehyde of EcGCL was first improved by engineering the substrate access tunnel. One of the variants (i.e., EcGCLR484MN283QL478M) showed a high substrate affinity and catalytic efficiency of 18 mM and 5.2 M−1·s−1, respectively, for condensation of two molecules of formaldehyde into one molecule of glycolaldehyde. The recombinant E. coli cells expressing both EcGCLR484MN283QL478M and FucO produced ethylene glycol (3) to 6.6 mM from formaldehyde (1) with a bioconversion of 66% via glycolaldehyde (2), without leaving the reactants (1 and 2) in the reaction medium. This study demonstrated biocatalytic synthesis of ethylene glycol from C1 compounds in an environment-friendly way.

Chemical investigation of the culture extract of an endophytic Penicillium citrinum from Dendrobium officinale, afforded nine citrinin derivatives ( 1 – 9 ) and a peptide-polyketide hybrid GKK1032B ( 10 ). The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of spectroscopic methods. The absolute configurations of 1 and 2 were determined for the first time by calculations of electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data. Among them, GKK1032B ( 10 ) showed significant cytotoxicity against human osteosarcoma cell line MG63 with an IC50 value of 3.49 μmol·L–1, and a primary mechanistic study revealed that it induced the apoptosis of MG63 cells via caspase pathway.

Aim and Objective: We investigated the inhibitory effects of fractions from Lycopus lucidus Turcz. leaves on genomic DNA oxidation, Nitric Oxide (NO) production, and Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP) activity. Material and Methods: Oxidative damage of genomic DNA was detected after Fenton reaction with H2O2 using DNA electrophoresis. Western blotting was performed to compare the expression levels of MMP-2 in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced HT-1080 cells. Lipopolysacchride (LPS)-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 cells was measured using Griess reagent. Results: All fractions (n-Hexane, 85% aq. MeOH, n-BuOH, and water fractions) from the leaves of L. lucidus Turcz. significantly inhibited intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (p Conclusion: Overall, these results indicated that L. lucidus Turcz. leaves can be exploited as plant based sources of antioxidants in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, nutraceutical, and food industries.

Glycerol steam reforming (GSR) is one of the promising technologies that can realize renewable hydrogen production and efficient utilization of crude glycerol. To illuminate the functions of Ca content (3%, 6%, 9%, and 12 %, by mass) and preparation method for Ni/ATP catalyst structure and its catalytic behaviors, the Ni-xCa/ATP (x=3%, 6%, 9%, and 12%, by mass) catalysts are prepared by co-impregnation (ci) and hydrothermal synthesis (hs) method and then tested in GSR. Characterization results of XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, H2-TPR, HRTEM, XPS, and NH3/CO2-TPD demonstrate that the combined effect between appropriate Ca additive (6%, by mass) and hs enhance catalyst reducibility, uniform distribution of Ca additive and nickel species over ATP, and adsorption for CO2. This attributes to hs method protects the ATP framework through suppressing the interaction of Ca with ATP and promotes the formation of Ni-CaOx interface sites. Therefore, Ni-6Ca/ATP-hs exhibits the highest conversion (86.77%) of glycerol to gas product and H2 yield (76.17%) and selectivity (58.56%) during GSR. Furthermore, XRD, HRTEM, TG-DTG and Raman analyses confirm that Ni-6Ca/ATP-hs also reveals outstanding anti-sintering and coke resistance. In addition, the structural evolution process of Ni/ATP catalyst with Ca introduction and hs method is presented. Considering the high performance, simple preparation process and low cost, the as-prepared catalyst providing new opportunities for utilization of glycerol derived from biodiesel industry.

Background: Phase I/II clinical trials using fetal retinal pigment epithelium (fRPE), human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived RPE, or human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived RPE as potential sources of materials for cell-based therapy to treat degenerative retinal diseases have been carried out during the past decade. Challenges for successful translational cell-based therapy include cell manufacture, cell quality, cell storage, and cell behavior in vivo. In this study, we investigated the culture-induced changes in passaged fetal RPE, hESC-RPE and hiPSC-RPE cells in vitro and explored the differentiation and maturation effect of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on those RPE cells. Methods: A total of 9 fetal RPE cell lines, hESC-RPE and hiPSC-RPE cell lines were set up using previously described methods. The culture-induced changes in subsequent passages caused by manipulating plating density, dissociation method and repeated passaging were studied by microscope, real-time quantitative PCR, western blot and immunofluorescent assays. Gene and protein expression and functional characteristics of fRPE, hESC-RPE and hiPSC-RPE incubated with ATRA at different concentration were also evaluated.Results: Compared with fRPE, hESC-RPE and hiPSC-RPE showed decreased gene and protein expression of RPE markers. Passage 3 RPE of all three types seeded at a density of 6×105 and 9x105 cells/mL in basal medium maintained pigmented polygonal, cobblestone-like morphology. RPE cells underwent mesenchymal changes showing increased expression of mesenchymal markers including a-SMA, N-cadherin, fibronectin and decreased expression of RPE markers including RPE65, E-cadherin and ZO-1, as a subsequence of low plating density, inappropriate dissociated method, and repeated passaging. fRPE, hESC-RPE and iPSC-RPE treated by ATRA at different concentrations showed increased expression of RPE markers such as RPE65, bestrophin (BEST) and CRALBP, and increased expression of negative complement regulatory proteins (CRP) including complement factor H (CFH), CD46, CD55 and CD59, and increased transepithelial resistance (TER) as well.Conclusion: Although hESC and hiPSC-derived RPE are morphologically similar to fRPE, and also have the tendency to undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) changes during the culturing and passaging process in vitro, differences in protein and gene expression among three RPE types exist. Moreover, ATRA can increase RPE markers expression, as well as to increase the expression levels of CRPs gene and protein in fRPE and stem cell-derived RPE.

In this work, thermodynamic and kinetic factors that affect formation and phase transformation process of different solid forms of levofloxacin hydrochloride were investigated in detail. Dynamic vapor sorption experiments (DVS) and varying temperature-powder X-ray diffraction (VT-PXRD) experiments were carried out to study moisture-dependent stability, thermal stability as well as the transformation process between Form I and Form II. Critical water activities of levofloxacin hydrochloride were determined in temperature range of 5.0–45.0 °C. Raman spectroscopy was applied to in situ monitor the temperature-induced phase transformation and the hydration process of levofloxacin hydrochloride, and one possible mechanism consisting of multiple chemical equilibria was proposed to analyze the effect of thermodynamic and kinetic factors on the formation and transformation of different solid forms. Results show that the anhydrate, Form II would transform to the monohydrate, Form I more easily with the increasing water content. And the transition point moves toward higher water contents as the temperature increases. The results suggested that, except for thermodynamic factors, kinetic factors also play an essential role in controlling the solid forms of polymorphic compounds.

To advance the structural development and fully explore the application potential, it is highly desirable but challenging to elucidate the relationship between the structures and properties of ZnII-LnIII heterometallic species. Herein, three types of ZnII-LnIII heterometallic compounds (LnIII = GdIII, TbIII) formulated as [Zn16Ln4L12(μ3-O)4(NO3)12]·8CH3CN (ZnLn-1), [Zn2Ln2L2(NO3)6(H2O)2]·3CH3CN (ZnLn-2), and [Zn4Ln2L8(OAc)12]·xCH3CN (ZnLn-3: for Ln = Gd, x = 5; for Ln = Tb, x = 4) were dictated by common inorganic anions, NO3- and OAc-, with the aid of the multidentate ligand H2L with propane as the central skeleton and 3-methoxysalicylamide and 3-methoxysalicylaldimine as terminal groups. ZnLn-1 features cubic cages with four {Zn4L3} tetrahedral subunits and four Ln3+ centers positioned at the eight vertices alternately when NO3- was introduced into the reaction system exclusively. An attempt to replace NO3- in ZnLn-1 with OAc- partially led to the formation of {Zn2Ln2L2} heterometallic wheels. Meanwhile, ZnLn-3 featuring double-hairpin-like {Zn4Ln2L4} hemicycles that are orthogonal to each other assisted by intermolecular hydrogen bonds was constructed when NO3- in ZnLn-1 was completely replaced by OAc-. Their structural integrity in solution were ascertained by both emission and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Ascribed to the different Zn2+-containing antenna, ZnTb-2 possesses a relatively strong emission characteristic of Tb3+; ZnTb-1 has moderate Tb3+ luminescence, yet an absence of Tb3+ emission is found in ZnTb-3. Such an emission difference could be mainly attributed to the antenna effect directed by distinct structural characteristics induced by anions. The anion-dictated self-assembly strategy presented herein not only offers a facile approach to regulate the coordination mode of H2L to such an extent to obtain diverse structures of ZnII-LnIII heterometallic species but also provides an understanding of how common inorganic anions tune coordination-driven self-assemblies as well as the subsequent luminescence properties.

Glutathione (GSH) is a key maintainer of cellular redox balance and plays an important role in many physiological effects. For example, GSH has been widely implicated in cancer initiation, progression and metastasis. Moreover, the concentrations of GSH in tumor cells can influence drug resistance. Given the serious harmfulness of cancer and the important roles of GSH in cancer, it has great significance to development probes for screening of tumor cells and real-time monitoring of GSH fluctuations in tumor cells. However, no targetable probe for reversible imaging of GSH in tumor cells has been reported. Herein, we constructed a melatonin-based targetable and reversible fluorescent probe (GR-MT) for screening of tumor cells and real-time imaging of GSH fluctuations in tumor cells. The probe uses coumarin as the skeleton, Michael addition reaction as the reaction mechanism, and melatonin as the targeted groups of tumor cells. The experimental results demonstrate this probe has many advantages including high selectivity, satisfactory sensitivity, excellent reversible ability, rapid reaction speed, and outstanding targetability of tumor cells. Therefore, this study provides a promising tool for tumor cells screening and real-time detection of GSH fluctuations in specific tumor cells.

Intra-articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a promising strategy for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. However, more and more studies reveal that the injected MSCs have poor adhesion, migration, and survival in the joint cavity. A recent study shows that tropoelastin (TE) regulates adhesion, proliferation and phenotypic maintenance of MSCs as a soluble additive, indicating that TE could promote MSCs-homing in regenerative medicine. In this study, we used TE as injection medium, and compared it with classic media in MSCs intra-articular injection such as normal saline (NS), hyaluronic acid (HA), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). We found that TE could effectively improve adhesion, migration, chondrogenic differentiation of infrapatellar fat pad MSCs (IPFP-MSCs) and enhance matrix synthesis of osteoarthritic chondrocytes (OACs) in indirect-coculture system. Moreover, TE could significantly enhance IPFP-MSCs adhesion via activation of integrin β1, ERK1/2 and vinculin (VCL) in vitro. In addition, intra-articular injection of TE-IPFP MSCs suspension resulted in a short-term increase in survival rate of IPFP-MSCs and better histology scores of rat joint tissues. Inhibition of integrin β1 or ERK1/2 attenuated the protective effect of TE-IPFP MSCs suspension in vivo. In conclusion, TE promotes performance of IPFP-MSCs and protects knee cartilage from damage in OA through enhancement of cell adhesion and activation of integrin β1/ERK/VCL pathway. Our findings may provide new insights in MSCs intra-articular injection for OA treatment., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Tropoelastin promotes adhesion and migration of IPFP MSCs. • Tropoelastin promotes IPFP MSCs survival and adhesion in joint cavity. • Injection of IPFP MSCs in tropoelastin reduces OA progression.

Extraction reactor is a major research area of interest within the field of rare earths extraction and separation. SiC foam offers excellent material characteristics as well as three-dimensional (3-D) reticulated structure; however, very little research has been carried out on its application in extraction reactor so far. In this work, a static mixer reactor based on SiC foam was designed and demonstrated to extract and separate Ce(III) and Pr(III) from nitric acid media by using 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (P507) as extractant. The structure–performance relationship between SiC foam and extraction performance was studied by experiment combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The experiment data are in good agreement with the simulation results. Contrast experiment by using a Kenics mixer was carried out, and SiC foam shows better extraction and mass transfer performance. Using the optimal structural SiC foam (pore size D = 2.3 mm, open porosity e = 85%, foam length L = 80 mm), high extraction efficiency η (Pr(III): 94.6%, Ce(III): 88.5%) and separation factor β (2.27) between Ce(III) and Pr(III) is achieved at a high total throughput of 200 mL/min. Besides, overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient KLa of Pr(III) and Ce(III) are 0.519 and 0.378 s−1 at the residence time τ of 3.6 s, respectively, which reach the high level of microchannel reactors and are better than conventional extractors and other static mixers. SiC foam is found to be applicable as a static mixer for efficient and high-throughput extraction and separation of rare earths.

Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) is associated with poor prognosis and represents a terminal event of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). In previous studies, most of LM-patients have detected epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation and responded to the third generation of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). This study aimed to report a case of ERBB2 (HER2) exon 20 insertion mutations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of LM-patient which response to poziotinib. At the beginning, postoperative pathology showed a primary invasive adenocarcinoma with no mutations in EGFR and ROS-1. Pemetrexed plus carboplatin combined with bevacizumab was administered as the first-line followed by bevacizumab alone for continuation maintenance therapy. Targeted therapy and immunotherapy were given after the disease progressed in two months. Subsequently, the patient developed mental symptoms and adenocarcinoma cells were found in the CSF. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) results showed HER2 exon 20 insertion mutations in the primary tissue, CSF and plasma samples. Then, poziotinib was administered and the symptoms improved significantly after 3 days and the progress free survival was nearly 2 months. Therefore, we speculate that the CSF concentration and penetration rate of poziotinib may significantly higher than of other TKIs so that it achieves a higher CSF concentration than standard dosing, and successfully controlled LM. It may provide a new therapeutic option for LM-patient and may be especially who are lung adenocarcinoma with HER2 exon 20 insertion.

Background:. Macrophages are involved in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, partially by activating lung fibroblasts. However, how macrophages communicate with lung fibroblasts is largely unexplored. Exosomes can mediate intercellular communication, whereas its role in lung fibrogenesis is unclear. Here we aim to investigate whether exosomes can mediate the crosstalk between macrophages and lung fibroblasts and subsequently induce fibrosis. Methods:. In vivo, bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis model was established and macrophages infiltration was examined. The effects of GW4869, an exosomes inhibitor, on lung fibrosis were assessed. Moreover, macrophage exosomes were injected into mice to observe its pro-fibrotic effects. In vitro, exosomes derived from angiotensin II (Ang II)-stimulated macrophages were collected. Then, lung fibroblasts were treated with the exosomes. Twenty-four hours later, protein levels of α-collagen I, angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and phospho-Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) in lung fibroblasts were examined. The Student's t test or analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis. Results:. In vivo, BLM-treated mice showed enhanced infiltration of macrophages, increased fibrotic alterations, and higher levels of Ang II and AT1R. GW4869 attenuated BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Mice with exosomes injection showed fibrotic features with higher levels of Ang II and AT1R, which was reversed by irbesartan. In vitro, we found that macrophages secreted a great number of exosomes. The exosomes were taken by fibroblasts and resulted in higher levels of AT1R (0.22 ± 0.02 vs. 0.07 ± 0.02, t = 8.66, P = 0.001), TGF-β (0.54 ± 0.05 vs. 0.09 ± 0.06, t = 10.00, P

Two new ternary Cd(II) coordination polymers (CPs), [Cd2(L)(mip)2·2H2O]n (1) and {[Cd2(L)(hip)2]·3.5H2O}n (2) (L = 1,4-bis(thiabendazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene, H2mip = 5-methylisophthalic acid, H2hip = 5-hydroxyisophthalic acid), have been synthesized and characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. 1 possesses a 1D chained structure while 2 exhibits a 2D hcb layer. Both CPs can be further extended into 2D/3D supramolecular frameworks via π–π stacking interactions. Both 1 and 2 can serve as dual-responsive luminescent probes for the selective detection of benzaldehyde (BZH) and permanganate anions (MnO4−) in aqueous system. The limits of detection (LODs) of 1 for BZH and MnO4− are 0.13 µM and 0.21 µM, separately, whereas the LODs of 2 for BZH and MnO4− are 1.30 µM and 1.95 µM, respectively.

Lentinan is a natural β–glucan with various bioactivities and is combined with chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment. Regorafenib is an oral multi-kinase inhibitor approved by FDA for treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, and metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Regorafenib has poor water solubility and multiple toxicities. We report drug–drug nanosuspensions of regorafenib and lentinan. Results of dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy showed that the mean particle size of the regorafenib–lentinan nanosuspensions was approximately 200 nm and was uniformly distributed. Transmission electron microscopy findings indicated that lentinan stabilized the nanosuspensions by steric manner. Hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions were found between regorafenib and lentinan by molecular dynamics simulation. The results of cytotoxicity assay and pharmacokinetics study in rats showed that the regorafenib–lentinan nanosuspensions reduced the toxicity and enhanced the in vitro anticancer activity and oral bioavailability of regorafenib. Lentinan as a natural stabilizer has the potential using for drug nanosuspensions. Drug–drug nanosuspensions are a new form of combination therapies that can reduce the number of drugs taken by patients and improve their compliance.

Recently in nanophotonics, a rigorous evolution from passive to active metasurfaces has been witnessed. This advancement not only brings forward interesting physical phenomena but also elicits opportunities for practical applications. However, active metasurfaces operating at visible frequencies often exhibit low performance due to design and fabrication restrictions at the nanoscale. In this work, we demonstrate electrochemically controlled metasurfaces with high intensity contrast, fast switching rate, and excellent reversibility at visible frequencies. We use a conducting polymer, polyaniline (PANI), that can be locally conjugated on preselected gold nanorods to actively control the phase profiles of the metasurfaces. The optical responses of the metasurfaces can be in situ monitored and optimized by controlling the PANI growth of subwavelength dimension during the electrochemical process. We showcase electrochemically controlled anomalous transmission and holography with good switching performance. Such electrochemically powered optical metasurfaces lay a solid basis to develop metasurface devices for real-world optical applications.

Background Dried and red ginseng are well-known types of processed ginseng and are widely used as healthy food. The dried and red ginseng quality may vary with the storage period of raw ginseng. Therefore, herein, the effect of the storage period of fresh ginseng on processed ginseng quality was evaluated through multicomponent quantification with statistical analysis. Methods A method based on ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in multiple-reaction monitoring mode (UPLC-MRM-MS) was developed for quantitation of ginsenosides and oligosaccharides in dried and red ginseng. Principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis were conducted to evaluate the dynamic distributions of ginsenosides and oligosaccharides after different storage periods. Results Eighteen PPD, PPT and OLE ginsenosides and nine reducing and nonreducing oligosaccharides were identified and quantified. With storage period extension, the ginsenoside content in the processed ginseng increased slightly in the first 2 weeks and decreased gradually in the following 9 weeks. The content of reducing oligosaccharides decreased continuously as storage time extending, while that of the nonreducing oligosaccharides increased. Chemical conversions occurred during storage, based on which potential chemical markers for the storage period evaluation of fresh ginseng were screened. Conclusion According to ginsenoside and oligosaccharide distributions, it was found that the optimal storage period was 2 weeks and that the storage period of fresh ginseng should not exceed 4 weeks at 0 °C. This study provides deep insights into the quality control of processed ginseng and comprehensive factors for storage of raw ginseng.

The degradation of phenanthrene (PHE) by Fe2+-activated persulfate (PS) has been investigated. The effects of different concentrations of Fe2+ and PS on the degradation of PHE have been explored, a...

Problem: Does sildenafil have an effect on pregnancy outcomes in patients with poor endometrial development?Methods: This study included 472 infertility patients who underwent in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmatic sperm injection and frozen-thawed embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-FET) and suffered from poor endometrial development in the hormone replacement cycle (HRC) from April 2017 to July 2019. The patients were divided into two groups: the sildenafil group(n=88) and the control group(n=384). Endometrial thicknesses and types on endometrial transformation day, as well as pregnancy outcomes after FET (biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, early abortion, late abortion, and live birth rates) between two groups were analyzed. Results: No significant differences were observed in endometrial thicknesses and types on endometrial transformation day between the sildenafil group and the control group. There were also no statistically significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between the two groups. After adjusting for confounding factors, the application of sildenafil could not improve endometrial thickness and type of the day of endometrial transformation and the growth of endometrial thickness. Moreover, the sildenafil was not closely related to clinical pregnancy outcomes.Conclusions: Sildenafil could not better endometrial development and pregnancy outcomes in patients with poor endometrial development.

Rice-acid, a Chinese traditional acidic rice soup (rice-acid), is widely accepted by consumers due to its unique flavor and anti-oxidation, anti-aging and immunity enhancement functions. This study confirmed that L-lactic acid and malic acid were the main organic acids in rice-acid. Low-temperature rice-acid samples produced by enterprises had the highest signal intensity of sour taste. The total content of free amino acids in different fermented rice-acid samples were in the range of 0.003–0.468 mg/g. 42 key volatile flavor compounds were identified in rice-acid. 8 volatile compounds with a higher contribution to the aroma of rice-acid were respectively acetic acid, 1-octen-3-ol, 2-heptanol, ethyl acetate, propyl propionate, hexanal, nonanal, and 2,3-butanedione. The interaction between lactic acid bacteria (3.00 × 103–7.02 × 106 CFU/mL) and yeasts (5.04 × 104–2.25 × 108 CFU/mL) affected the formation of taste and aroma components in rice-acid. The physicochemical characteristics including titratable acidity, pH, reducing sugars, amino acid nitrogen, gamma-aminobutyric acid showed significant differences between low-temperature fermentation samples and high-temperature fermentation samples. In addition, relationships linking all data through Pearson coefficient correlation were also reported. In summary, the study can be used to improve the quality of rice-acid products.

Methanol has been used to prevent hydrate formation in industrial handling of hydrate forming mixtures containing water for many decades. Ethanol is also used for the same purpose in countries that have easy access to low price ethanol, like for instance Brasil. Common to these small alcohols is that they also have surfactant properties that will promote hydrate formation, but when added to water in sufficient amounts the hydrate prevention characteristics will dominate. These alcohols will primarily prevent heterogeneous hydrate formation on the interface between water and a separate hydrate phase. Alcohol effects on both of these routes to hydrate formation are investigated and compared to experimental data. In particular we also investigate the effects of these small alcohols on Gibbs free energy for the hydrate formed on the new, shifted, stability conditions. Gibbs free energy is generally higher than hydrate formed from pure water. Enthalpies of hydrate formation are also higher for hydrate formed from water containing alcohols. These are negative numbers so in absolute values released formation enthalpy is lower. The presence of these alcohols in water will also prevent homogeneous hydrate formation from dissolved hydrate formers in water. Glycols have more important roles in other routes to hydrate nucleation. Heterogeneous hydrate nucleation towards mineral surfaces is feasible in different ways. Polar hydrate formers like H2S and CO2 can adsorb directly on rust, and as discussed here, is able to form hydrate from adsorbed state on rust surface. Non-polar hydrocarbons like for instance methane might get trapped in structured water and then nucleate to hydrate. Some research on this is published and further research is in progress. Glycols have very strong attraction to rust and corresponding chemical potentials for adsorbed glycols on rust are favourable enough to facilitate phase transition from glycols dissolved in water over to adsorption. Injection of glycol in gas processing plants have been used by industry for many years and in many cases it might even be economically and technically feasible compared to expensive drying units. Exceptions are situations that will lead to water/glycol freezing. But even in multiphase transport of hydrocarbons with various water cuts mixtures of alcohols might be a technically efficient solution in which the small alcohols may be very efficient ass discussed above and glycols may go through adsorption phase transition from water solution over to glycol film on rust and as such prevent hydrate nucleation towards rust surface. This possible strategy requires more theoretical work as well as experimental investigation. On the basis of thermodynamic analysis and calculations of hydrate formation from different routes it is argues that real natural and industrial systems are unable to reach thermodynamic equilibrium. It is therefore a need for a consistent thermodynamic platform with a uniforms reference system for all phases. We propose, and demonstrate, a residual thermodynamic model system for all phases.

Graphene has attracted widespread attention for development of high-performance lithium-ion battery anode materials. In this paper, the lithium storage mechanisms of multilayer graphene, few-layer graphene, and reduced graphene oxide electrodes are investigated, and the influences of layers and defects in the microstructure are analyzed. The evolution of microstructure deformation of different graphene electrodes, combined with the diffusivity and distribution of lithium, is systemically investigated by in-situ Raman spectroscopy during lithiation and delithiation. The results show that graphene electrodes with different structures exhibit different mechanical behaviors and thus different lithium storage capacities. Mechanical analysis indicates that although the surfaces and defects are active, interlayer lithium insertion contributes the most lithium storage capacity. As the number of graphene layers increases and/or defects decrease, more interlayer spaces would be provided. Thus, the lithium storage capacity of multilayer graphene is significantly higher than those of few-layer graphene and reduced graphene oxide. An in-depth understanding of the effect of the microstructure on the lithium storage behavior of graphene electrodes will provide an experimental basis for development of high-performance graphene electrodes.

Lead-free relaxor bulk ceramics (LFRBCs) have the advantages of environment-friendliness, diffuse phase transition near room temperature (RT) and large heat absorption capacity, so as to be candidates for medium and large electric refrigeration and cooling equipment. Although considerable efforts have been made to explore LFRBCs with a large adiabatic temperature change (ΔT) near room temperature, the RT ΔT of LFRBCs is still too weak, baffling their practical applications. In addition, common strategy for achieving a large RT ΔT is mainly tuning phase transitions by compositional engineering. Unfortunately, this strategy is not enough to realize the required properties for EC cooling devices. In this work, based on the general phenomenological expressions of EC effect, we proposed a new strategy, i.e. coordinated regulation of phase transitions and applied electric fields, to achieve a large RT ΔT and a wide using temperature range in LFRBCs simultaneously. Encouragingly, the ΔT calculated using the indirect method inclines from 0.96 K to 1.7 K ranging from 300 K to 360 K in 0.25 mol. % La3+ doped Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 ceramic under electric field change of 150 kV cm−1, which is much higher than that calculated using the indirect method so far in many LFRBCs designed using previous strategy for EC refrigeration, demonstrating a big step in LFRBCs for EC refrigeration. The large RT ΔT and broad operating temperature range are mainly attributed to diffuse phase transition near room temperature and a high applied electric field. Most importantly, this work provides a significant guideline to develop new LFRBCs with high comprehensive EC properties for high-efficiency cooling devices, which will bring a series of new LFRBCs with a large room-temperature ΔT in a wide temperature range for next-generation refrigeration in the future.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) has attracted tremendous interest in cancer therapy because it is independent of oxygen and photoirradiation. However, the therapeutic efficacy of CDT is restricted by insufficient H2O2 levels in tumor cells. Herein, employing endogenous GSH as a template and cationic polymeric chitosan (CS) as crosslinker and stabilizer exhibiting easy cell uptake, red luminescent gold nanoclusters (denoted CS-GSH@AuNCs) were successfully synthesized in HeLa cells. The in situ synthesized CS-GSH@AuNCs exhibited both superoxidase dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD)-like activity, which could promote the production of H2O2 from superoxide anion radicals (O2•−) and then •OH. The combination of GSH elimination and H2O2 elevation boosted the generation of •OH, which could trigger cancer cell apoptosis and death. The enzyme-like activity of CS-GSH@AuNCs could be effectively activated under acidic conditions, and showed a high killing effect on tumor cells but minimal toxicity to normal cells. The developed GSH consumption and •OH promotion theranostic platform is an innovative route for enhanced CDT by the amplification of oxidative stress.

Objective: Effective adjuvant therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to overcome MAPK inhibitor (MAPKi) resistance, which is one of the most common forms of resistance that has emerged in many types of cancers. Here, we aimed to systematically identify the genetic interactions underlying MAPKi resistance, and to further investigate the mechanisms that produce the genetic interactions that generate synergistic MAPKi resistance. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive pair-wise sgRNA-based high-throughput screening assay to identify synergistic interactions that sensitized cancer cells to MAPKi, and validated 3 genetic combinations through competitive growth, cell viability, and spheroid formation assays. We next conducted Kaplan-Meier survival analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database and conducted immunohistochemistry to determine the clinical relevance of these synergistic combinations. We also investigated the MAPKi resistance mechanisms of these validated synergistic combinations by using co-immunoprecipitation, Western blot, qRTPCR, and immunofluorescence assays. Results: We constructed a systematic interaction network of MAPKi resistance and identified 3 novel synergistic combinations that effectively targeted MAPKi resistance (ITGB3 + IGF1R, ITGB3 + JNK, and HDGF + LGR5). We next analyzed their clinical relevance and the mechanisms by which they sensitized cancer cells to MAPKi exposure. Specifically, we discovered a novel protein complex, HDGF-LGR5, that adaptively responded to MAPKi to enhance cancer cell stemness, which was up- or downregulated by the inhibitors of ITGB3 + JNK or ITGB3 + IGF1R. Conclusions: Pair-wise sgRNA library screening provided systematic insights into elucidating MAPKi resistance in cancer cells. ITGB3- + IGF1R-targeting drugs (cilengitide + linsitinib) could be used as an effective therapy for suppressing the adaptive formation of the HDGF-LGR5 protein complex, which enhanced cancer stemness during MAPKi stress.

Control of toxic or carcinogenic disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation in drinking water is critical in an effort to improve drinking water safety and safeguard public health, due to the elevation...

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.

The primary objectives of this study were to identify the effectiveness of hydrazine on partial nitrification in a sequencing batch reactor when treating low-strength ammonia wastewater and to inve...

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of feeding starch sugar by-products (SSBs) on in situ disappearance rate, performance, and carcass characteristics of Hanwoo steers in the late finishing stage.Methods: To determine the in situ disappearance rate, nylon bags filled with 5 g of SSB were inserted into the ventral sac of two cannulated Holsteins cows and incubated for 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 h. A total of 30 Hanwoo steers were fed the experimental diets, which were basal diet (control) and 7% SSB on an as-fed basis (4.35% dry matter [DM]), formulated according to requirements of the Korean Feeding Standard for Hanwoo. The experiment was conducted over 80 days using a completely randomized block design.Results: Soluble fraction a of DM and organic matter (OM) was 44.20% and 64.60% DM, fraction b was 23.00% and 19.40% DM, and c values (the rate of degradation of fraction b) were 0.04 and 0.04/h, respectively. The effective degradability of DM at rumen solid outflow rates of 0.02, 0.05, and 0.08/h was 59.83, 54.75, and 52.16, respectively, and for OM was 77.78, 73.52, and 71.34, respectively. Initial and final body weight, average daily gain, DM intake, and gain:feed did not differ significantly between control and SSB groups during the entire experimental period. Carcass traits of Hanwoo steers with SSB supplementation were not significantly different between treatments except for dressing percentage, which was greater with SSB treatment. The content of saturated fatty acid (SFA) was greater and that of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) was lower in the SSB group than in the control group. The ratio of UFA to SFA was significantly lower in the SSB group than in the control group.Conclusion: A total mixed ration containing less than 4.0% DM of SSBs can be used in Hanwoo steers without a decrease in productivity and carcass traits.

There is much interest in identifying new anti-inflammatory and antibacterial compounds from plant sources, especially edible materials. Three new ursane-type triterpenoids, 3-oxours-12-en-20, 28-olide ( 1 ), 3β-hydroxyurs-12-en-20, 28-olide ( 2 ) and 3β-hydroxyurs-11, 13(18)-dien-20, 28-olide ( 3 ), were isolated from a potent anti-inflammatory and antibacterial fraction of the ethanolic extract of Rosmarinus officinalis. Their structures were elucidated by a combination of extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments, mass spectrometry and comparisons with literature data. Compounds 1 - 3 exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-activated mouse RAW264.7 macrophages, but no antibacterial activity was found at a concentration of 128 μg/mL.

Riboflavin (RF) is one of the necessary vitamins. If human body lacks RF, it will lead to inflammation and dysfunction of mouth, lips and skin. Thus sensitive and accurate determination of RF is necessary. Here, an electroactive covalent-organic framework nanobelt (COFTFPB-Thi) with thickness of 1.4 nm was prepared by amine-aldehyde condensation reaction between thionine and 1, 3, 5-tris (p-formylphenyl) benzene, which was then grown vertically on three-dimensional porous carbon derived from kenaf stem (3D-KSC) for double signal ratiometric electrochemical detection of RF. The resulted 3D-KSC/COFTFPB-Thi showed two reduction peaks at −0.08 V and −0.23 V, which came from the reduction of COFTFPB-Thi and the conjugated structure of COFTFPB-Thi, respectively. In the presence of RF, those RF molecules near the electrode surface were oxidized at 0.6 V. Then some oxidized RF (RFox) adsorbed on COFTFPB-Thi would oxidize COFTFPB-Thi into COFTFPB-Thi(ox) while other RFox adsorbed on 3D-KSC kept unchanged. When the potential was scanned from 0.6 V to −0.6 V, both COFTFPB-Thi(ox) and RFox adsorbed on 3D-KSC were reduced at −0.08 V and −0.45 V accordingly, while the reduction peak of −0.23 V of the conjugated structure of COFTFPB-Thi kept constant. When j-0.45/j-0.23 was used as the response signal, the detection limit was 44 nM and the linear range was 0.13 μM −0.23 mM. By using j-0.08/j-0.23 as the response signal, a detection limit of 90 nM and a linear range of 0.30 μM-0.23 mM (S/N = 3) were obtained. By using double signals, the measurement results can be corrected to make the results more accurate and reliable. The sensor also showed good selectivity, reproducibility and stability, which provided a good application prospects.

Ammonia (NH3) is an ideal nitrogen source in terms of availability, reactivity, safety, atom economy, environmental compatibility, and ease of isolation. However, its utility for amine synthesis is...

Background: The synthesis of 5-arylation uracil nucleosides is an imperative challenge, especially for the method of Suzuki reaction using N-unprotected uracil as materials, which holds the potential to enhance the yield. Objective: The objective of the study was to find a more efficient catalyst to increase the yield of aryluracils and aryluridines. Methods: We first constructed the phosphanamine-grafted cellulose (PAGC) from cellulose material. Then, we prepared the nanocatalyst PAGC/Pd(0) through heating and reducing the mixture of PAGC and Pa(OAc)2. Results: When using this nanocatalyst to catalyze the Suzuki reaction of 5-iodouracil or 5-iodouridine and aryl heterocyclic boronic acids, the arylation yields have been significantly improved. Conclusion: This means that the resultant nanocatalyst exhibits a remarkable catalytic efficacy for Suzuki arylation of 5-iodouracil and 5-iodouridine.

The main defense response to Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) infection in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is thought to be blockage of intercellular virus transport by callose deposition on plasmodesmata. But the specific regulatory mechanism remains largely unknown. In this study, we found that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) signal downstream of NO was associated with the regulation of callose accumulation. Abundant H2O2 was produced on the cell membrane and cell wall in the incompatible combination of soybean cultivar Jidou 7 and SMV strain N3, whereas no obvious H2O2 was observed in the compatible combination of Jidou 7 and strain SC-8. When H2O2 production was inhibited, callose accumulation induced by SMV infection decreased to a level insufficient to restrict virus transport in the incompatible combination. The H2O2-associated transcriptome dynamics of soybean during SMV infection was investigated. Transcriptome and functional analysis using virus-induced gene silencing showed that GmSEOB and GmPAP27, two genes regulated by H2O2, functioned in resistance by positively regulating the accumulation of callose in response to SMV infection. These results lay a foundation for further research on the signal transduction and molecular regulation of callose deposition during soybean resistance to SMV infection.

Infected wounds show delayed and incomplete healing processes and even render patients at a high risk of death due to the formed bacterial biofilms in the wound site, which protect bacteria against antimicrobial treatments and immune response. Nitric oxide based therapy is considered a promising strategy for eliminating biofilms and enhancing wound healing, which encounters a significant challenge of controlling the NO release behavior at the wound site. Herein, a kind of phenylalanine based poly(ester urea)s with high thermal stability are synthesized and fabricated to electrospun films as NO loading vehicle for infected wound treatment. The resultant films can continuously and stably release nitric oxide for 360 h with a total concentration of 1.15 μmol L−1, which presents obvious advantages in killing the bacteria and removing biofilms. The results exhibit the films have no cytotoxicity and may accelerate the wound repair without causing inflammation, hemolysis, or cytotoxic reactions as well as stimulate the proliferation of fibroblasts and increase the synthesis of collagen. Therefore, the films may be a suitable NO releasing dressing for removing biofilms and repairing infected wounds.

OBJECTIVES Studies suggest an association between elevated total serum cholesterol (TC), particularly low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and osteoarthritis (OA). We evaluated the association between total cholesterol, LDL, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and risk of knee OA. METHODS We studied participants from the Multicenter Osteoarthritis study (MOST) cohort at risk of developing knee OA. From baseline through 7 years, repeated knee x-rays and MRIs were obtained and knee symptoms were queried. From baseline fasting blood samples, lipids and lipoproteins were analyzed using standard assays. After excluding participants with baseline OA, we defined two sets of cases: those developing radiographic OA and those developing symptomatic OA (knee pain and radiographic OA). Controls did not develop these outcomes. Additionally, we examined worsening of: cartilage loss and synovitis on MRI and of knee pain using the WOMAC scale. We carried out logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, BMI, education, baseline pain, and depressive symptoms, testing total cholesterol and lipoproteins as continuous measures and did sensitivity analyses examining whether commonly used thresholds for high cholesterol, LDL or low HDL increased risk. RESULTS We studied 337 cases with incident symptomatic OA and 283 cases with incident radiographic OA. Mean age at baseline was 62 years (55% women). Neither total cholesterol, LDL nor HDL showed a significant association with radiographic or symptomatic OA. Additionally, we found no association of these lipid measures with cartilage loss, worsening synovitis or worsening knee pain. CONCLUSION Our data do not support an association between total cholesterol, LDL or HDL with OA outcomes.

The housekeeping sortase A (SrtA), a membrane-associated cysteine transpeptidase, is responsible for anchoring surface proteins to the cell wall peptidoglycan in Gram-positive bacteria. This process is essential for the regulation of bacterial virulence and pathogenicity. Therefore, SrtA is considered to be an ideal target for antivirulence therapy. In this study, we report that ML346, a compound with a barbituric acid and cinnamaldehyde scaffold, functions as an irreversible inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus SrtA (SaSrtA) and Streptococcus pyogenes SrtA (SpSrtA) in vitro at low micromolar concentrations. According to our X-ray crystal structure of the SpSrtAΔN81/ML346 complex (Protein Data Bank ID: 7V6K), ML346 covalently modifies the thiol group of Cys208 in the active site of SpSrtA. Importantly, ML346 significantly attenuated the virulence phenotypes of S. aureus and exhibited inhibitory effects on Galleria mellonella larva infection caused by S. aureus. Collectively, our results indicate that ML346 has potential for development as a covalent antivirulence agent for treating S. aureus infections, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus.

An efficient construction of oxazoline-containing polycyclic scaffolds is presented through a Pd-catalyzed addition/cyclization of (hetero)arenes tethered O-acyl cyanohydrin units and arylboronic acids. A diversity of oxazoline-containing polycyclic compounds can be prepared in good to high yields under the mild reaction conditions. This method can be extended to prepare multi-substituted polycyclic heterocyclic compounds via a Pd-catalyzed addition/cyclization/arylation tandem sequence by using arylboronic acid and different heteroarene scaffolds such thiophene, pyrrole and furan analogues.

Expanding on previous demonstrations of the therapeutic effects of adeno‐associated virus (AAV) carrying small‐hairpin RNA (shRNA) in downregulating the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) in in vivo retinal vascular disorders, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)‐stimulated endothelial cells were treated with AAV2‐shmTOR to examine the role of mTOR inhibition in retinal angiogenesis. AAV2‐shmTOR exposure significantly reduced mTOR expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and decreased downstream signaling cascades of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTORC2 under VEGF treatment. Moreover, the angiogenic potential of VEGF was significantly inhibited by AAV2‐shmTOR, which preserved endothelial integrity by maintaining tight junctions between HUVECs. These data thus support previous in vivo studies and provide evidence that AAV2‐shmTOR induces therapeutic effects by inhibiting the neovascularization of endothelial cells., Inhibition of mTOR expression by AAV2‐shmTOR suppresses the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells stimulated by VEGF. mTOR is a major activator in endothelial cells under VEGF stimulation, and inhibition by AAV2‐shmTOR blocked the activation of downstream mTOR signaling molecules. Inhibition of the mTOR pathway consequently affected cell proliferation and the remodeling of tight junctions between endothelial cells.

High entropy perovskite oxides (HEPOs) have been proposed to serve as improved cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs); however, the larger compositional design space introduced by HEPOs urges for a better understanding of the correlation among the composition, phase stability and resulting properties of HEPO cathodes. In this work, a series of LaMnO3 based HEPOs (HEALMOs) were designed systematically to investigate the effect of the A site high entropy composition on the structure and thermochemical/electrical properties of HEALMO materials. The results show that the high entropy effect manifests itself on top of the conventional doping effect. First of all, neither the Goldschmidt tolerance factor nor the cation size difference can be used simply to predict the formation ability of single-phase HEALMOs. Meanwhile, HEALMOs may exhibit higher crystallographic symmetry with much higher cation size differences and at Goldschmidt tolerance factor values deviating more largely from 1. Secondly, while high-temperature stability including both resistance to elemental segregation and chemical compatibility with 8YSZ is affected by the A site cation size difference in a similar way to that of conventional perovskite oxides, HEALMOs show much enhanced stability at larger A site cation size differences. Finally, high entropy contributes to the maintenance of electrical conductivity in the high temperature range. The optimum HEALMO with the composition of (La0.2Nd0.2Sm0.2Ca0.2Sr0.2)MnO3 exhibits a combination of excellent high-temperature stability and good electrical conductivity, highlighting its great potential as a promising cathode material for SOFCs.

The increasingly stringent emission regulations make it urgent to get a fundamental understanding on the catalytic behaviors of rhodium, the most efficient component in three-way catalysts (TWCs) to convert NOx into N2. Herein, the catalytic conversion of NO and CO into N2 and CO2 by gas-phase rhodium-aluminum oxide species (RhAlO0–3 and RhAl2O1–4) was identified by mass spectrometry and quantum chemical calculations. This finding represents a significant step in the field of gas-phase catalysis, given that only elementary reactions for this conversion are commonly observed because it is extremely challenging to rupture the strong N–O bond and couple the N–N bond as well as drive the resulting product to oxidize CO. It emphasized that a polarized Rh–Al bond in gas-phase species is indispensable and the RhAlO0,1 and RhAl2O1,2 species with direct Rh–Al bonding can be involved in catalytic NO reduction by CO.

The core-shell like PdSn-TaN(tantalum nitride)/C catalysts with tunable oxophilicity were prepared through a surfactant-free solvothermal method. The optimized Pd1Sn3-TaN/C exhibited good activity (3293.46 A gPd-1, 15.6 times that of the commercial Pd/C), stability and tolerance to COad-like species towards methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in alkaline media, which can be ascribed to the interfacial structures and bi-functional effects. Briefly, the core-shell like structure can provide an effective Pd-TaN/C interface related to the large ECSA, and the introduction of Sn can further synergistically modulate the interfacial electronic structures, thereby significantly promoting the MOR performances, as revealed by HRTEM, XPS and electrochemical results. Furthermore, in situ ATR-SEIRAS(Attenuated total reflection-surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy) measurements displayed that PdSn-TaN/C preferred to proceeding via non-CO pathway with formate as important intermediate, which is different from the single COad pathway on the commercial Pd/C. The differences may result from the enhanced adsorption of the dangling OH species related to non-hydrogen-bonded adsorbed interfacial H2O with the assistance of TaN and Sn, as evidenced by in situ ATR-SEIRAS results. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that the coadsorption intensity and amount of OH provided the chance for the CO conversion into CO2 on Pd4-SnO2/TaN(001). Compared to Pd(111), the CO binding energy was evidently reduced on Pd4-SnO2/TaN(001). Meanwhile, Pd1Sn3-TaN/C also showed the high mass activity towards formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) in acidic media, which further confirmed that Pd1Sn3-TaN/C may be a promising bi-functional electrocatalyst with high efficiency.

A novel ZnII-based metal-organic framework with the formula of {[Zn2(BBIP)2(NDC)2]·H2O}n (JXUST-5) derived from 3,5-bis(benzimidazol-1-yl)pyridine (BBIP) and 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (H2NDC) has been synthesized. The adjacent ZnII ions are linked through two BBIP ligands to form a [Zn2(BBIP)2] secondary building unit (SBU). The neighbouring SBUs are further connected by NDC2− with μ2-η1:η1 and μ2-η1:η1:η1 bridging modes to form a two-dimensional (2D) framework. Topological analysis shows that JXUST-5 could be simplified as an uninodal fes topology with a point symbol of {4.82}. Furthermore, the 2D framework net could be extended through C-H···π interaction to form the three-dimensional supramolecular structure. Luminescent experiments suggest that JXUST-5 could selectively and sensitively recognize Al3+ and Ga3+ through fluorescence enhancement effect along with a relatively large red shift. The detection limits for Al3+ and Ga3+ are 0.17 and 0.69 ppm, respectively. Interestingly, the sensing process for both Al3+ and Ga3+ could be directly observed with naked eyes under 365 nm UV lamp. Notably, JXUST-5 could be recycled at least five times as a fluorescent sensor toward Al3+ and Ga3+, which is the second example of turn-on MOF based fluorescent sensor toward Ga3+.

In view of the fact, the poor stability and inadequate chemical properties of conductive polymers inhibit their use in gas sensor applications. Aside from this, the elegant two-dimensional (2D) polymeric graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) have attracted numerous attention for the room temperature (RT) gas sensing applications due to its intrinsic porous structure and the lone pair electrons on nitrogen atoms. Herein, we report surface acoustic wave (SAW) NO2 gas sensor using 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets deposited on langasite (LGS). Further, the thickness effect on gas sensing performances were manifested and it was noticed that 220 nm thickness of g-C3N4 coated LGS SAW sensor showed better sensing performances. The g-C3N4/LGS SAW sensor showed a significant negative differential frequency shift (Δf) of ~3.1 kHz at room temperature (RT~27 oC) for 100 ppm of NO2 gas with a quick response/recovery times (42/22 s). Furthermore, our experimental results demonstrated that the effect of temperature remarkably influences the NO2 sensing responses and it was escalated from ~3.1 kHz to ~23.3 kHz in the temperature range of 27 oC to 200 oC for 100 ppm of NO2. Also, the device showed immense sensitivity towards NO2 (100 ppm) under various relative humidity (RH) conditions (20-80%) at RT. Besides, the g-C3N4/LGS SAW sensor showed a low detection limit (~158 ppb), excellent long-term stability, high sensitivity, and selectivity to NO2 gas, which could be ascribed to the enhancement in mass loading effect resulting by the absorption of NO2 gas molecules. Finally, with help of resistive gas sensors, we have deliberately discussed the underlying mechanism associated with the 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets deposited LGS SAW device.

The members of the solute carrier (SLC) superfamily are vital membrane transporters in human cells. In the present study, we determine the expression and function of SLC5 family members in colorectal cancer (CRC). Expression analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database and potential clinical relation analysis based on the Oncomine database indicate that SLC5A7 is downregulated and is predicted to correlate with the staging, and prognosis response of CRC. Additional results demonstrate that SLC5A7 is downregulated and correlates with good prognosis in patients with CRC. Ectopic expression of SLC5A7 either by overexpression, or uptake of choline efficiently inhibits CRC growth. Examination of the molecular mechanism reveals that SLC5A7 promotes p53 protein expression by directly interacting with and modifying p53 and disrupting the interaction between p53 and MDM2 in wild type p53 CRC cells. Our findings establish the clear correlation between SLC5A7 and tumour growth, providing a novel potential therapeutic target for CRC.

The objective of the present study was to explore the desensitization effect of dermatan sulfate (DS) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) from Lophius litulon (Ll) in mice sensitized by major royal jelly protein 1(MRJP1). Firstly, the affinity between six glycosaminoglycans and MRJP1 polyclonal antibody was measured by ELISA method. Lophius litulon dermatan sulfate (Ll DS) and Lophius litulon chondroitin sulfate (Ll CS) were selected due to its highest binding affinity. Secondly, molecular docking method was used to explore the interaction between Ll DS and MRJP1, Ll CS and MRJP1. The results manifested Ll DS and Ll CS combined with MRJP1 successfully, which meant a potential function of relieving the MRJP1-caused allergy. Finally, the MRJP1-sensitized mice model was established and confirmed that Ll DS and Ll CS had the desensitization ability of relieving MRJP1-induced allergic symptoms. To validate the conclusion, the relief of allergic symptoms in mice was observed. The production of total IgE, MRJP1-specific IgE and histamine was measured. The desensitization mechanism was further studied by measuring cytokines (IL-4, IFN-γ) from splenocytes stimulated with MRJP1 in vitro. Based on in vivo and in vitro experiments, it was conform that Ll DS and Ll CS have the ability of alleviating MRJP1-induced allergic symptoms, which proposes a potential candidate material against IgE-mediated food allergy.

To minimize unwanted reactions with high concentrations of reduced glutathione (GSH) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) during chemodynamic therapy (CDT), a simple and effective strategy was developed to fabricate a TME stimuli-responsive theranostic nanomedicine (Fe-CD) for fluorescence imaging-guided GSH depletion and cancer therapy by combining fluorescent imaging carbon dots (CD) and Fe(III). Introducing Fe(III) into Fe-CD not only quenched the fluorescence of CD while reacting with and consuming intracellular GSH for fluorescence imaging of the depletion of GSH but also provided a source of metal ions to generate more abundant hydroxyl radicals (•OH) with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) through the Fenton reaction to improve CDT. Fe-CD showed promising •OH generation under H2O2 to effectively degrade methylene blue in vitro and obviously activate the green fluorescence of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) probe in cells. Benefiting from the fluorescence enhancement in response to TME stimulation, Fe-CD greatly enhanced CDT cytotoxicity while monitoring successful GSH depletion by fluorescence imaging. Fe-CD has the potential to act as a theranostic nanomedicine for fluorescence imaging-guided GSH depletion to amplify CDT.

Zn batteries receive substantial commendation, due to their inherent safety, environmental benignity and low toxicity. However, poor rechargeability of Zn anode have seriously hindered the applications of rechargeable Zn batteries. The challenges induced by thermodynamic instability of Zn in aqueous electrolytes include dendrites, passivation, corrosion (H2 evolution) and shape change. Since Zn anode is the critical aspect in determining the battery performance, cycle life, energy density and capacity retentions etc. The target of this review is to devote the prominent status to Zn metal anode by firstly explicating the previously studied Zn electrochemistry in different electrolyte systems like aqueous (acidic, alkaline, mildly acidic and neutral), non-aqueous (organic, ionic liquids) electrolytes, and then suggesting some ideas to amend Zn anode reversibility and stability. Because of higher thermodynamic Zn stability in organic electrolytes and recent promisingly improved performance of Zn metal anode, we mark organic electrolytes, particularly with intrinsic safe organic solvents as a promising research direction for high-performance zinc ion batteries (ZIBs).

Eco-friendly carbon-based anodes are highly attractive for use as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries because of their accessibility, high conductivity, and satisfactory storage capacity. However, to date, the carbon anodes reported in literature exhibit low capacity, poor cycling stability, and cannot meet the current increasing demands for materials that possess high energy density. Herein, highly nitrogen-doped expandable carbon-based anodes are developed using the zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) ZIF-67 and ZIF-8 as self-sacrificial templates. Compared with pure carbon anodes, such as graphene oxide (GO) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the expandable N-doped with small size CNTs decorated GO (NC-GO) and CNTs (NC-CNTs) anodes developed in this work exhibit gradually increasing reversible specific capacities, as well as high capacities of 790 and 800 mA h g−1, respectively, which can be sustained even after 500 cycles at 100 mA g−1. Moreover, the anodes show ultralong cycling lives with extremely low capacity loss rates in each cycle of 0.0042% for NC-GO over 7000 cycles and 0.0035% for NC-CNTs over 10,000 cycles, which are superior to those in the current literature. This work details a new vision and direction for the development of high-capacity ultralong cycling life carbon-based anodes for use in next generation rechargeable energy storage systems.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for human beings and animals. Traditional plant Se enrichment technology suffers from selenium pollution. Herein, environmentally friendly Se-agarose (Se-Agar) hybrid hydrogels are prepared by simply mixing agar with different Se species including selenocarrageenan (SeCA), selenite and Se yeast under heating and stirring for 0.5 h without any other reagent. Such Se-Agar hybrid hydrogels with excellent biocompatibility were used as natural substrates for the cultivation of Se-enriched mung bean sprouts. Compared with Se yeast, SeCA and selenite show a better Se enrichment effect on mung bean sprouts. Furthermore, the growth indices including plant weight and plant height of mung bean sprouts were investigated with different concentrations and sources of Se. Notably, the Se-Agar hybrid hydrogels could be easily regenerated and reused for multiple cycles. The results indicated that Se-Agar hybrid hydrogels as recyclable natural substrates offer a simple, sustainable and affordable strategy for plant Se enrichment.