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The electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) from two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e- ORR) is a promising alternative for producing chemicals on demand, but its widespread application is still hampered by the low efficiency. Here, we successfully prepared a boron and nitrogen co-doped porous carbon (B/N C) aerogel with a tunable B, N co-doped configuration by the gelation of PVA-graphene, borax and PANI, followed by pyrolysis. Due to a hierarchical porous structure and optimized B, N co-doping, B/N C aerogel showed an excellent electrocatalytic performance for H2O2 production in alkaline solution with a high H2O2 selectivity (94.16%) at positive applied potential (0.6 V vs. RHE), superior than most of the other reported electrocatalysts. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) coupled with neighboring pyridinic-N species act as the active sites to lower free energy barrier for formation of HOO* intermediate, thus facilitating H2O2 production. Practically, B 2p electron plays an important role for the adsorption of HOO* intermediates. B and N co-doping into carbon materials provides an effective and facile method to reasonably construct carbon-based catalysts for electroreduction of O2 to H2O2.

Doped-carbon nanomaterials as effective electrocatalysts have been received widespread attention in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and supercapacitors system. Herein, the high-active Fe atoms dispersed on hierarchically porous N-doped carbon (FeNC-X) is synthesized via inflating the Fe-ion-denatured egg-white, followed by activation and pyrolysis. Among them, the as-prepared FeNC-900 for ORR that has an inner-connecting hierarchically porous structure shows a superior performance with a limiting current density of 5.28 mA cm−2 and half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.839 V (vs RHE), and exhibits a 4 e− ORR pathway in the alkaline medium. FeNC-900 also shows better durability and good methanol tolerance than those of commercial Pt/C. Besides, FeNC-900 exhibits an outstanding specific capacity of 258 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 for supercapacitor. The method presented here may provide a cost-efficient approach to fabricate carbon-based materials for ORR and supercapacitors.

Porous hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (p-BNNS) have demonstrated advantages in hydrogen storage, water purification and catalyst support. Boron nitride (BN) is generally considered chemically inert, but functionalized h-BN by physical or chemical methods breed new properties and applications and can catalyze some reactions. Herein, we developed a strategy to prepare a Ag/p-BNNS nanocatalyst via in-situ thermal decomposition of AgNO 3 at 400 °C in air (Ag/p-BNNS-Air). Results suggested that Ag nanoparticles (NPs) with a diameter of ca. 2.41 nm can be evenly anchored and dispersed on the p-BNNS and the new B O Ag chemical bonds were formed between Ag NPs and the boron dangling bonds at the edges of p-BNNS. Ag/p-BNNS-Air exhibits 20–55 fold for catalytic performance enhancement compared with that of p-BNNS-Air and Ag/p-BNNS-N2, which is attributed to the small-sized, uniformly dispersed Ag NPs and the synergistic effect between Ag and the B O bonds of p-BNNS. Our results provide a new approach for the rational design and development of metal composites and open the way to a range of important applications of p-BNNS-based materials.

Traditional metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), although have the ability to accumulate some chemicals from solution, are usually electrochemically inert. Here, spherical MIL-53(NiFe) MOFs have been synthesized via a simple solvothermal method. A series of characterization methods including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and element mapping were used to investigate this material. An MIL-53(NiFe)/AB/GCE-modified electrode was constructed using acetylene black (AB) as the conductive substrate, which can make up for the electrochemical inertness of metal in the MOFs to some extent. Moreover, the bimetallic center can coordinate with the azo functional group in Sudan I to some extent, which is beneficial to the binding of the molecules to the electrode. Thus, the sensitive and rapid detection of Sudan I can be realized. The quantitative determination of Sudan I was carried out via the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) method in a wider linear range (0.005–10 μM) and lower detection limit (0.002 μM, S/N = 3). The developed method can be successfully applied to the detection of Sudan I in chilli powder and tomato paste with satisfactory results.

Pancreatic β-cell dysfunction plays a decisive role in the progression of type 2 diabetes. Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) is a prominent adipokine in type 2 diabetes, although its effect on β-cell function remains elusive, and the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we found that elevated circulating RBP4 levels were inversely correlated with pancreatic β-cell function in db/db mice across different glycemic stages. RBP4 directly suppressed glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) in primary isolated islets and INS-1E cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. RBP4 transgenic (RBP4-Tg) overexpressing mice showed a dynamic decrease of GSIS, which appeared as early as 8 weeks old, preceding the impairment of insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Islets isolated from RBP4-Tg mice showed a significant decrease of GSIS. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that the stimulated by retinoic acid 6 (STRA6), RBP4’s only known specific membrane receptor, is expressed in β-cells and mediates the inhibitory effect of RBP4 on insulin synthesis through the Janus kinase 2/STAT1/ISL-1 pathway. Moreover, decreasing circulating RBP4 level could effectively restore β-cell dysfunction and ameliorate hyperglycemia in db/db mice. These observations revealed a role of RBP4 in pancreatic β-cell dysfunction, which provides new insight into the diabetogenic effect of RBP4.

To understand how the RuvC catalytic domain of Class 2 Cas proteins cleaves DNA, it will be necessary to elucidate the structures of RuvC-containing Cas complexes in their catalytically competent states. Cas12i2 is a Class 2 type V-I CRISPR-Cas endonuclease that cleaves target dsDNA by an unknown mechanism. Here, we report structures of Cas12i2–crRNA–DNA complexes and a Cas12i2–crRNA complex. We reveal the mechanism of DNA recognition and cleavage by Cas12i2, and activation of the RuvC catalytic pocket induced by a conformational change of the Helical-II domain. The seed region (nucleotides 1–8) is dispensable for RuvC activation, but the duplex of the central spacer (nucleotides 9–15) is required. We captured the catalytic state of Cas12i2, with both metal ions and the ssDNA substrate bound in the RuvC catalytic pocket. Together, our studies provide significant insights into the DNA cleavage mechanism by RuvC-containing Cas proteins., Cas12i, class 2 type V CRISPR-Cas system protein, uses a single RuvC domain for cleavage of both strands of target DNA. Structures of Cas12i2–crRNA–DNA complexes not only provide insight into the mechanism of DNA recognition and cleavage by Cas12i2, but also the DNA cleavage mechanism by RuvC-containing Cas proteins.

Aim: To reveal the alterations of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) epitranscriptome profile in kidney after unilateral ureteral obstruction in mice. Materials & methods: Total renal m6A and expressions of methyltransferases and demethylases were detected by colorimetric quantification method, real-time PCR and western blot, respectively. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing was performed to map epitranscriptome-wide m6A profile. Results: Total m6A levels were time-dependent decreased within 1 week, with the lowest level detected at day 7. A total of 823 differentially methylated transcripts in 507 genes were identified. Specifically, demethylated mRNAs selectively acted on multiple pathways, including TGF-β and WNT. Conclusion: m6A modification has a functional importance in renal interstitial fibrosis during obstructive nephropathy and might be a promising therapeutic target.

Various strains of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) cause different forms of infectious bronchitis with different clinical signs. Here, primary chicken embryo kidney (CEK) cells and specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens were infected with three pathogenic IBV strains, and it was observed that the TLR7-MYD88 pathway was inhibited but the TLR3-TIRF pathway was activated. After treatment with poly(I:C)-LMW, poly (I:C)-LMW/LyoVec, and Imiquimod, the replication of IBV was significantly suppressed after 24 h. However, treatment with TLR3 pathway inhibitors such as Pepinh-TRIF, celastrol, chloroquine, and BX795 resulted in increased replication of IBV after 36 h. These results also showed that chloroquine and celastrol were most effective inhibitors of the antiviral response at 48 hpi.

The occurrence of acesulfame (ACE) in two full-scale drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in Zhejiang Province, China, was investigated. The results showed that ACE was commonly detected in the ...

A high-performing interpretable model is proposed to predict the risk of deterioration in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. The model was developed using a cohort of 3028 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and exhibiting common clinical symptoms that were internally verified (AUC 0.8517, 95% CI 0.8433, 0.8601). A total of 15 high risk factors for deterioration and their approximate warning ranges were identified. This included prothrombin time (PT), prothrombin activity, lactate dehydrogenase, international normalized ratio, heart rate, body-mass index (BMI), D-dimer, creatine kinase, hematocrit, urine specific gravity, magnesium, globulin, activated partial thromboplastin time, lymphocyte count (L%), and platelet count. Four of these indicators (PT, heart rate, BMI, HCT) and comorbidities were selected for a streamlined combination of indicators to produce faster results. The resulting model showed good predictive performance (AUC 0.7941 95% CI 0.7926, 0.8151). A website for quick pre-screening online was also developed as part of the study.

Scope Anthocyanin cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Cy3G) has a great potential in prevention of diabetes and its vascular complications while the underlying mechanisms are still far from clear. Accumulating evidence suggests that endothelial insulin transport plays a critical role in regulating metabolic insulin sensitivity. Whether Cy3G could modulate metabolic insulin resistance via regulating endothelial insulin transport has not been reported yet. Methods and results Palmitic acid (PA)-treated mouse aortic endothelial cells (MAECs) model and high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice model were used. Compared with HFD mice, Cy3G supplementation decrease exogenous insulin content in skeletal muscle and ameliorate metabolic insulin resistance. In culture, Cy3G could directly ameliorate PA-induced impairment on FITC-insulin uptake in MAECs. Mechanistically, Cy3G could effectively decrease inflammatory cytokines and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/ nuclear factor-kappa-B inhibitor alpha (IκBα) activation, and restore the attenuated Akt/eNOS signaling pathway. Blunted nitric oxide synthase with N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) could effectively abolish the protective role of Cy3G on endothelial insulin transport and insulin-stimulated glucose utilization in HFD-fed mice. Conclusions These findings suggest that Cy3G supplementation could directly restore the attenuated nitic oxide-mediated endothelial insulin transport and thereby ameliorate metabolic insulin resistance. Our finding might provide a novel explanation for the anti-diabetic effects of Cy3G. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Using a simple one-pot method, the reduction of liquid terminated-carboxyl fluoroelastomers (LTCFs) by sodium borohydride and samarium chloride (NaBH4/SmCl3) was successfully realized and liquid terminated-hydroxyl fluoroelastomers (LTHFs) were obtained. The structure and functional group content of LTCFs and LTHFs were analyzed by FTIR, 1H-NMR, 19F-NMR and chemical titration. The results showed that –CC– and carboxyl groups of LTCFs were reduced efficiently, the reduction rate reached 92% under optimum reaction conditions. Compared with other frequently-used metal chlorides, SmCl3 with a high coordination number could increase the reduction activity of NaBH4 more effectively and the reduction mechanism was explored.

Background Eimeria tenella is a highly pathogenic coccidian that causes avian coccidiosis. Both nitromezuril (NZL) and ethanamizuril (EZL) are novel triazine compounds with high anticoccidial activity, but the mechanisms of their action are still unclear. This study explored the response of E. tenella to NZL and EZL by the study of changes in protein composition of the second-generation merozoites. Methods Label-free quantification (LFQ) proteomics of the second-generation merozoites of E. tenella following NZL and EZL treatment were studied by LC-MS/MS to explore the mechanisms of action. The identified proteins were annotated and analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks analysis. Results A total of 1430 proteins were identified by LC-MS/MS, of which 375 were considered as differential proteins in response to drug treatment (DPs). There were 26 only found in the NZL treatment group (N-group), 63 exclusive to the EZL treatment group (E-group), and 80 proteins were present in both drug groups. In addition, among the DPs, the abundant proteins with significantly altered expression in response to drug treatment (SDPs) were found compared with the C-group, of which 49 were upregulated and 51 were downregulated in the N-group, and 66 upregulated and 79 downregulated in the E-group. Many upregulated proteins after drug treatment were involved in transcription and protein metabolism, and surface antigen proteins (SAGs) were among the largest proportion of the downregulated SDPs. Results showed the top two enriched GO terms and the top one enriched pathway treated with EZL and NZL were related, which indicated that these two compounds had similar modes of action. Conclusions LFQ proteomic analysis is a feasible method for screening drug-related proteins. Drug treatment affected transcription and protein metabolism, and SAGs were also affected significantly. This study provided new insights into the effects of triazine anticoccidials against E. tenella.

In this study, mild temperature was applied to enhance norfloxacin (NOR) degradation in nanoscale zero-valent copper (nZVC) activated persulfate (PS) process and the underlying activation mechanism was detailedly elaborated. Results showed that the activation performance of nZVC was far superior than that of micro zero-valent copper (mZVC), and almost complete elimination of 31.32 μM NOR was achieved within only 5 min in the condition of 0.05 g/L nZVC and 1.0 mM PS at 40 °C. The in-situ generated Cu+ was found to be the pivotal active copper species for PS activation and the presence of dissolved oxygen was favorable for its release. Mild temperature not only accelerated the Cu+ release from the nZVC corrision, but provided more opportunity for intermolecular collision to quickly form reactive oxygen species. SO4−∙ and ∙OH played the primary role for NOR destruction, while O2−· and H2O2 served as the mediators for copper cycling. The higher PS concentration favored NOR removal, whereas overdosing nZVC exerted the negative impact. Further increasing reaction temperature significantly accelerated the elimination of NOR in nZVC/PS process. The satisfactory removal of NOR was achieved under the acidic and neutral conditions. The NOR oxidation in the tested process was found to follow four routes and the cleavage of piperazine ring was determined to be the primary one. These encouraging results demonstrated that mild temperature enhanced nZVC/PS process was a promising strategy for the treatment of refractory and non-biodegradable industrial wastewater.

Ordered mesoporous Co3O4 (OM-Co3O4) displayed superior performance for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. While, the separation and recovery of the catalyst after catalytic oxidation needed tedious operation. In this study, the as-synthesized iron-doped OM-Co3O4 not only inherited the merits of ordered mesoporous materials such as high surface area and abundant mesoporous structure, but endowed them with ferromagnetism, facilitating their separation from the solution. Compared with spinel Co3O4, iron-doped OM-Co3O4 showed superior catalytic activity, wide application scope, excellent reusability and long-term stability, fully validated that iron-doped OM-Co3O4 can be a promising heterogeneous PMS activator for environmental application. High catalyst loading and PMS concentration were both beneficial to CIP degradation. The best CIP degradation occurred under base conditions. Chlorine and bicarbonate presented completely opposite two-side effects. The mechanism of CIP degradation was primarily attributed to SO4− and OH to a lesser extent. The rapid redox cycles of M2+/M3+ (M = Co, Fe) and O2−/O2 ensured the continuous generation of reactive oxygen species and the efficient degradation of CIP. The cleavage of piperazine ring, hydroxylation and defluorination were identified as the main oxidation pathways for CIP degradation in iron-doped OM-Co3O4 activated PMS system.

In this study, a mitochondria-targeted dual-reactable fluorescent probe was developed, which can rapidly react with H2S in physiological buffer (pH = 7.4) to give red emission. This probe exhibited good selectivity to H2S over other biologically relevant species based on dual-reactable groups (7-nitro-1,2,3-benzoxadiazole amine and aromatic azide). Furthermore, the probe could be used to image chiral cysteine-induced endogenous mitochondrial biosynthetic of H2S in HEK293A cells, and could also be applied to detect H2S in mice.

The objective of present studies was to evaluate and compare the anticoccidial activity of triazine compounds in broiler chickens infected with E. tenella, E. necatrix, E. acervulina, E. maxima, and two field mixed Eimeria species. The anticoccidial efficacy was evaluated using the anticoccidial index (ACI). The results showed that Aminomizuril (AZL) and Ethanamizuril (EZL) were active metabolites of nitromezuril, which demonstrated excellent effectiveness against E. tenella, E. necatrix, E. acervulina, E. maxima, and the field Eimeria isolates in broiler chickens at a dosage of 10 mg/kg in feed. The anticoccidial activities of AZL and EZL at dose 10 mg/kg were roughly equivalent to the parent nitromezuril at a dosage of 3 mg/kg in feed. The decrease in metabolite anticoccidial activity is probably due to an increasing polarity of compounds in the metabolic processes. The sensitivity of two field Eimeria isolates to triazines EZL, diclazuril and toltrazuril was tested using 4 indices including anticoccidial index (ACI), percent of optimum anticoccidial activity (POAA), reduction of lesion scores (RLS) and relative oocysts production (ROP). Results showed that the sensitivity of EZL treatment against the two field Eimeria isolates were relatively superior to that of diclazuril and toltrazuril treatment. The field Eimeria isolates from Gansu Province was determined to be slightly, moderately and highly resistant to EZL, diclazuril and toltrazuril respectively. The field Eimeria isolates from Zhejiang Province was slightly, highly and slightly resistant to EZL, diclazuril and toltrazuril respectively. The results above indicated that the anticoccidial activity of metabolites was lower than that of the parent nitromezuril and there was partial cross-resistance among triazines EZL, diclazuril and toltrazuril. However the field Eimeria isolates had higher sensitive to EZL than the triazines diclazuril and toltrazuril. It was suggested that the site of C4 substituents of phenol of triazine anticoccidials may have important biological functions and the metabolite EZL would be a potential novel anticoccidial agent worthy of more attention.

A series of Co3O4-CeO2 mixed metal oxides were synthesized by co-precipitation method and successfully used to activate persulfate for diclofenac removal. The effects of Co:Ce mole ratio, calcination temperature and calcination time on the catalytic activities were investigated. Results showed that the activity of Co3O4-CeO2 catalysts increased with Co:Ce mole ratio from 1:9 to 7:3, and decreased with the calcination temperature from 300 to 800 °C. 90% diclofenac was removed with Co7Ce3-300-1 catalyst (Co:Ce = 7:3, calcinated at 300 °C for 1 h) after 15 min. Moreover, short calcination time and low temperature resulted in smaller crystallite size, more structural defects, more active crystal surfaces and larger surface area of the catalyst, which led to higher removal efficiency of diclofenac. The high ratios of Co2+/Co3+, Ce3+/Ce4+ and Oads/Olatt were very important to enhance the catalytic activity. Finally, a potential reaction mechanism was proposed based on characterization of the fresh and spent catalysts.

Organoarsenic contaminants existing in water body threat human health and ecological environment due to insufficient bifunctional treatment technologies for organoarsenic degradation and inorganic arsenic immobilization. In order to safely and efficiently treat organoarsenic contaminants discharged into the aquatic environment, Co-Mn-Fe layered double hydroxide (CoMnFe-LDH) and Co-Mn-Fe layered double oxide (CoMnFe-LDO) were fabricated and employed as peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator for organoarsenic degradation and inorganic arsenic immobilization, and p-arsanilic acid (p-ASA) was selected as target pollutant. Results demonstrated that the satisfactory removal of p-ASA (100.0%) in both CoMnFe-LDH/PMS and CoMnFe-LDO/PMS systems was obtained within 30 min, and substantial inorganic arsenic adsorption could be achieved (below 0.5 mg/L) in two systems with converting major inorganic arsenic species to arsenate. As XPS, ESR and quenching experiment revealed, the existence and generation of surface-bound radicals in two systems were identified. Based on density functional theory calculation and XPS analysis, the catalytic mechanism of CoMnFe-LDO/PMS system that PMS could be activated via direct electron transfer from adsorbed p-ASA was clarified, which differed from PMS activation via coupling with surface hydroxyl groups in CoMnFe-LDH/PMS system. Catalytic performance assessment under various critical operation parameters indicated that CoMnFe-LDH presented more stable ability of p-ASA removal in a wide pH range and complex aquatic environment. The recycle experiment demonstrated the excellent stability and reusability of CoMnFe-LDH(LDO). Besides, seven degradation products of p-ASA in CoMnFe-LDH/PMS system including phenolic compounds, azophenylarsonic acid, nitrobenzene and benzoquinne were identified by UV–Vis spectra and LC-TOF-MS analysis, and the corresponding degradation pathway was proposed. In summary, compared to CoMnFe-LDO/PMS, CoMnFe-LDH/PMS holds great promise for the development of an oxidation-adsorption process for efficient control of organoarsenic pollutant.

The remediation of water polluted by fluroquinolones antibiotics remains an important issue. Although zero-valent copper (ZVC) coupled with molecular oxygen can destruct refractory organic pollutants, the activation efficiency still needs to be further improved. In this study, the introduction of ascorbic acid (AA) in ZVC/air process maintained a high-concentration of Cu(Ⅰ), which can efficiently activate molecular oxygen to generate reactive oxygen species (ROSs). Superoxide radicals and hydroxyl radicals coexisted in nZVC/AA/air system. The former contributed to the yield of H2O2 and also acted as a mediator for Cu(Ⅱ)/Cu(Ⅰ) redox cycles, the latter was the pivotal ROSs for ciprofloxacin (CIP) destruction. The CIP degradation decelerated through the addition of excessive nZVC and AA, and the optimum dosages of nZVC and AA were determined to be 0.2 g/L and 1 mM, respectively. The developed nZVC/AA/air process could efficiently operate in a relative broad pH range of 3.0–7.0, which was due to the fact that AA prevented the precipitation of copper ions in solution via forming stable chelates. The coexistence of Cl− severely retarded the CIP removal. According to the results of UPLC-MS/MS analysis and density functional theory calculations, the plausible degradation pathways including the decarboxylation, defluorination, hydroxylation and cleavage of C–C bond in piperazine ring were proposed.

Background. Though widely known as a potent antithrombin agent with protective effects on the kidney and other remote organs, it is currently ambiguous when it comes to sulodexide’s function on ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. With this research, we pursued to further explore how sulodexide exerts its influence on limb I/R injury, in which deleterious effects on the kidney were what we primarily focused on. Methods. We randomized twenty-four C57BL/6 male rats into three groups, namely, sham operation group (control group), I/R group, and sulodexide pretreatment group. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was applied for discovery of renal histological changes. Serum creatinine (Cr) and serum urea nitrogen (BUN) were measured. Apoptotic parameters were detected by the TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling method. To what extent and levels that antiapoptotic and proapoptotic proteins were expressed could be sensitively revealed by immunohistochemistry assay. Lipid peroxidation product propylene glycol and inflammatory factors were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Additionally, an extracorporeal hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) model of human renal proximal tubule epithelial HK2 cells was established. Our targets lay in cell proliferation and apoptosis, and we used western blotting to reflect apoptosis-related gene expression. Results. The levels of serum BUN, Cr, and inflammatory factors in sulodexide-intervened rats manifested significant reduction when compared with the I/R group. Also, sulodexide could protect the kidney from histological changes and could effectively inhibit intraparenchymal apoptosis. Furthermore, adding 2 μl/mL or 5 μl/mL of sulodexide to H/R model cells in vitro gave rise to significant restoration of the degenerative proliferation capacity of the HK2 cells following H/R injury and late cellular apoptosis experienced dramatic reduction versus the H/R group. When treated with 5 μl/mL of sulodexide at a dose of 10 mg/kg, the levels of the antiapoptotic proteins were increased, while the proapoptotic proteins showed opposite trends. Notable escalation on antiapoptotic protein expression level, in contrast with the opposite trends exhibited in proapoptotic proteins, was observed with 5 μl/mL sulodexide pretreatment with the dosage being 10 mg/kg. Conclusion. Sulodexide can protect against kidney damage caused by I/R injury of the lower limbs by enhancing cell proliferation, inhibiting apoptosis, reducing inflammatory reactions, and scavenging oxygen free radicals.

Background: Infantile development of phthalate metabolism is crucial for risk assessment of endocrine disruption and has important toxico/pharmacokinetic implications. Objectives: To characterize temporal variability in urinary phthalate metabolites in infants and to examine their growth-dependent detoxification. Methods: In this cohort study, urine samples (n = 876) from 155 healthy Chinese infants were collected serially at eight time points from birth to one year old. Free and total (i.e., free plus glucuronide conjugated) phthalate metabolites (PMEs) were measured by LC/MS/MS. Time variability in PMEs and PME metabolism capacity was characterized using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and linear mixed regression models. Results: Concentrations of most PMEs changed significantly, with ICCs ranging from 0.213 to 0.318, and trends increased significantly over time (p

Summary Objective To investigate how adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs), secreted hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) affect the fibroblast phenotype after vocal fold injury. Methods We cultured primary normal (uninjured) and injured vocal fold fibroblasts (VFFs). A transwell co-culture system of ADSCs and injured VFFs was constructed in vitro, then the effects of HGF or bFGF were inhibited. The proliferation, extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion and transformation of VFFs were observed. Results Compared with uninjured VFFs, the secretion of collagen by injured VFFs increased significantly, hyaluronan synthase 1 (HAS1) secretion decreased, and VFF transformation increased significantly. After co-culture with ADSCs, the proliferation of VFFs was accelerated and the transformation was inhibited. Co-culture inhibited the expression of type I and III collagen and promoted the expression of HAS1. When HGF or bFGF secretion was inhibited, the proliferation of injured VFFs was inhibited. The inhibitory effect on collagen was reduced by both groups, but this was more obvious with the anti-HGF group. The anti-bFGF group had a more prominent effect on HAS1 secretion after injury than the anti-HGF group but the difference was not statistically significant. The inhibition of the transformation of injured VFFs was reduced while α-smooth muscle actin was upregulated, which was more obvious with the anti-HGF group. Conclusions ADSCs and secreted HGF and bFGF can revert the fibroblast phenotype caused by vocal fold injury. The effects of HGF are more significant than bFGF on collagen secretion and the transformation of VFFs into myofibroblasts. However, bFGF is more effective than HGF in upregulating HAS1.

Phthalates have been attracted as a considerable attention in toxicological research as well as public health context due to their ubiquitous occurrence and potential adverse health effects. Newborns are susceptible to the environmental risk factors; however, data are still limited on newborn phthalate exposure and risk assessment worldwide, especially in China. This study was nested in a cross-sectional retrospective study of 1359 pregnant women recruited in Xiamen Maternity and Child Care Hospital, China, during June to July 2012. All urine samples from newborn were collected using disposal diapers during the first two postnatal days, and seven phthalate metabolites were measured by LC-ESI-MS/MS. Phthalate exposure and accumulation risk were evaluated based on the measured newborn urinary internal doses. The detection rate (96.5%) and the median concentration (17.5 ng/mL) of mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP) were the highest, while monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) concentration was the lowest with a detection rate (1.50%). By estimating the daily intakes of the parent phthalates, their EDI were 0.04, 0.10, 0.32, 0.00, and 0.12 μg/kg-bw/day for dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalates (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBzP), and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), respectively. The newborns were commonly exposed to phthalates but no one exceeds the regulated tolerable daily intake (TDI) values in this large newborn population.

A novel two-photon HNO fluorescent probe (TP-HNO) was easily constructed and prepared by combining 6-acetyl-2-naphthol and 2-(diphenylphosphino)-benzoate. TP-HNO exhibited high selectivity (more than 140-fold off–on fluorescence response) and high sensitivity (the detection limit is 78 nM) to HNO in solution. TP-HNO was also applied for two-photon imaging of HNO in living cells and in tissues.

Sufu is a traditional fermented soybean food produced in China. However, the microbial compositions and metabolites of different types of sufu have not been studied in detail. Accordingly, in this study, we evaluated the differences in bacterial communities and metabolites between commercial red sufu (RS) and white sufu (WS). Principal coordinate analysis and the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means analysis of 16S rRNA genes revealed that the bacterial community structures of RS and WS differed dramatically. At the phylum level, the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were significantly different between RS and WS (P < 0.01). Moreover, the abundances of Lactococcus and Tetragenococcus genera were significantly different between RS and WS (P < 0.01). Among metabolites, most free amino acids, few of volatile flavor compounds, and some organic acids showed significant differences between RS and WS (P < 0.05). Additionally, correlations between microbiota and metabolites were determined. Aggregated boosted tree analysis showed that formic acid had the highest relative influence (20.27%) on bacterial community diversity (Chao 1), following by arginine (5.38%), propanol (4.57%), oxalic acid (4.46%), and hexanol (4.43%). Moreover, Streptococcaceae and Moraxellaceae had the highest relative influence on the concentration of formic acid (12.84% and 8.75%, respectively). The profiles obtained in this study improve our understanding of the relationships between bacterial flora and metabolites in different types of sufu. These findings may help us interpret the roles of bacterial communities in the flavor and characteristics of sufu.

The presence of serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as venlafaxine (VEN) in surface waters has caused some concerns due to their harmful impacts on the human health and environment security. In the study, ultraviolet (UV) coupled with chlorine was developed for degrading VEN. Among the experiments, the UV/chlorine process demonstrated the highest performance in eliminating VEN. UV irradiation alone played a negligible role in VEN degradation. 39.56% of VEN was degraded by dark chlorination in 30 min, while 76.02% of VEN was decayed by UV/chlorine treatment within 30 min. Adding chlorine dosage and raising solution pH both facilitated the VEN removal. HCO3−, Cl− and HA inhibited VEN degradation during UV/chlorine treatment in accordance with predicted data. Furthermore, Kintecus software was applied to simulate the process of VEN degradation. Under UV/chlorine co-exposure, hydroxyl radical (HO·), chlorine and reactive chlorine species (RCS) were all proved to provide significant contribution to VEN oxidation. Note that both experimental and predicted contributions of HO· decreased as solution pH increased from 5.0 to 8.0. Four transformation pathways of VEN during UV/chlorine process were elucidated on basis of the DFT calculation and LC/MS analysis. Moreover, ECOSAR model program showed that UV/chlorine process reduced ecological toxicity of VEN obviously. Considering the influence of various factors, the most economical experimental conditions consist of chlorine (2.0–4.0 mg L−1) and pH (7.0–8.0).

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is an endocrine-disrupting pollutant present in various aspects of daily life, and studies have demonstrated that BaP exerts reproductive toxicity. We previously showed that BaP damages endometrial morphology and decreases the number of implantation sites in early pregnant mice, but the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. The endometrial function is crucial for implantation, which is associated with endometrial cell apoptosis. In this study, we focused on the effect of BaP on endometrial cell apoptosis and the role of WNT signaling during this process. Pregnant mice were gavaged with corn oil (control group) or 0.2 mg·kg-1 ·day -1 BaP (treatment group) from Days 1 to 6 of pregnancy. BaP impaired endometrial function by decreasing the expression of HOXA10 and BMP2, two markers of receptivity and decidualization. WNT5A and β-catenin were activated in the BaP group. BaP affected the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and inhibited the apoptosis of endometrial stromal cells. In vitro, human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) were treated with different concentrations of BaP (dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO); 5, 10 µM). WNT5A and β-catenin were also upregulated in the BaP treatment group. HESC apoptosis was restrained by BaP. Inhibiting WNT5A by SFRP5 partially restored the effect of BaP on apoptosis. In summary, these results suggested that BaP exposure during early pregnancy activates WNT5A/β-catenin signaling pathway, which inhibits the endometrial cell apoptosis and potentially destroys endometrial function.

Magnetic ferrites were used as heterogeneous peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activators for bisphenol A (BPA) degradation, in which activation performance, mechanism and application feasibility were investigated in depth. The results demonstrated that BPA depletion in ferrites activated PMS processes could be described by pseudo-first-order kinetic model and the BPA degradation was in the sequence of CoFe2O4 > MnFe2O4 > CuFe2O4 > Fe3O4. Comprehensive consideration of activation performance, operating cost and toxicity risk, MnFe2O4 might be the most ideal PMS activator. MnFe2O4/PMS process could efficiently work in wide pH range of 4.0–10.0 and acidic pH was more favorable for the oxidation. The introduction of natural organic matter, sulfate, bicarbonate and low concentration of chloride retarded BPA removal. Contrastingly, the presence of high level of chloride greatly stimulated the degradation. A reasonable mechanism for PMS activation by MnFe2O4 was evidenced by free radical identification and XPS measurements, illustrating that the cycles of Mn(II)-Mn(III)-Mn(II) and Fe(III)-Fe(II)-Fe(III) were involved during the oxidation and sulfate and hydroxyl radicals were both responsible for BPA degradation. MnFe2O4 showed excellent reusability and long-term stability, which was testified by the detailed characterizations of fresh and spent catalysts. MnFe2O4/PMS process not only achieved efficient degradation of different emerging organic pollutants in ultrapure water, but gained high-efficient depletion of low concentration of BPA in surface waters. More importantly, potential risk derived from BPA degradation could be effectively controlled by MnFe2O4/PMS process.

The development of sensors that recognize Lewis oligosaccharides can help the diagnosis and early detection of cancer. Herein, we reported the design and synthesis of a series of anthracene-based bisboronic acids (9a—9e) with different N-substituents near the boronic acid unit. Among them, compound 9a could recognize sialyl Lewis X(sLex) with selectivity over other Lewis sugars, and could significantly stain sLex-expressing HEPG2 cells with selectivity over the range of 0.1—10 μmol/L. Compound 9a possibly has two properly positioned boronic acids caused by the steric hindrance by the near N-benzyl substituent group, which empower its sLex selectivity and higher binding affinity.

Designing and fabricating cheap and active bifunctional materials is crucial for the development of renewable energy technologies. In this article, three-dimensional nitrogen-doped porous carbon materials (NDPC-X, in which X represents the pyrolysis temperature) were fabricated by simultaneous carbonization and activation of polypyrrole-coated paper towel protected by a silica layer followed by acid etching. The material had a high specific surface area (1,123.40 m2/g). The as-obtained NDPC-900 displayed outstanding activity as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as well as an electrode with a high specific capacitance in a supercapacitor in an alkaline medium. The NDPC-900 catalyst for the ORR exhibited a more positive reduction peak potential of −0.068 V (vs. Hg|HgCl2) than that of Pt/C (−0.121 V), as well as better cycling stability and stronger methanol tolerance. Moreover, the NDPC-900 had a high specific capacitance of 379.50 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g, with a retention rate of 94.5% after 10,000 cycles in 6 mol/L KOH electrolyte when used as an electrode in a supercapacitor. All these results were attributed to the effect of a large surface area, which provided electrochemically active sites. This work introduces an effective way to use biomass-derived materials for the synthesis of promising bifunctional carbon material for electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices.

The effects of ultrasound (400 W, for 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 min) pre-treatment on the physicochemical properties, functionality and structure of laccase-catalyzed α-LA in the presence of ferulic acid (FA), were investigated in this study. Size exclusion chromatography showed that α-LA monomers decreased significantly in the presence of laccase and FA, and its high molecule polymers were formed with increasing ultrasonic time. SDS-PAGE analysis also showed that ultrasound treatment contributed to the formation of oligomers and polymers of α-LA treated with laccase and FA. Surface hydrophobility and gel strength of laccase-catalyzed α-LA-FA conjugates were higher than that of three control systems, and gradually enhanced with the ultrasonic time increased. Moreover, ultrasound-treated α-LA with laccase and FA had greater G′ values than other three control systems according to the rheological measurements. Ultrasound treatment did not significantly changed conformational structure of laccase-catalyzed α-LA-FA conjugates, as demonstrated by CD spectra. Therefore, ultrasound contributed to form greater non-covalent and covalent interactions between α-LA molecules and aggregates, and could remarkably change physicochemical and functional properties of laccase-catalyzed α-LA-FA conjugates.

Artificial sweeteners have raised emerging concern due to their potential threats to human health, which were frequently detected in aquatic environment with median concentrations. Although current researches have widely reported that ultraviolet light-activated persulfate process (UV/PS) was superior to UV/H2O2 process for the degradation of refractory organic contaminants, UV/H2O2 process presented a more satisfactory saccharin (SAC) removal efficiency than UV/PS process, completely degraded 20 mg/L SAC within 45 min. Hence, quenching and probe experiments were employed to investigate the difference between hydroxyl radical ( OH)- and sulfate radical (SO4 -)-mediated oxidation mechanisms, which revealed the higher reactivity of OH (1.37–1.56 × 109 M−1 s−1) toward SAC than SO4 - (3.84–4.13 × 108 M−1 s−1). A combination of density functional theory calculation and transformation products identification disclosed that OH preferred to attack the benzene ring of SAC via hydrogen atom transfer pathway, whereas SO4 - oxidation was conducive to the cleavage of -C-NH2 bond. Increasing oxidant concentration significantly accelerated SAC degradation in both processes, while UV/H2O2 process consumed lower electrical energy with respect to UV/PS process. Additionally, UV/H2O2 system presented excellent adaptability and stability under various water matrices parameters (e.g. pH, anions and humic acid). While both UV/H2O2 and UV/PS processes promoted the generation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) during subsequent chlorination, and prolonging pretreatment time posed positive effect on reducing the formation of DBPs. Overall, the results clearly demonstrate the high efficiency, economy and practicality of UV/H2O2 process in the remediation of SAC-contaminated water.

N,N-Diethyl-3-methyl benzoyl amide (DEET) has been detected as an emerging pollutant in various water bodies because of its widespread use as an insect repellent. In this study, the combination of UV-LED275 and iron-containing coagulant (FeCl3) was used for the elimination of DEET in water. It was found that UV-LED275/FeCl3 (98 %) system presented a favorable removal of DEET compared with UV254/FeCl3 (59 %) and UV-LED275/Fe2(SO4)3 (81 %) processes at initial pH 3.5. DEET degradation by both UV-LED275/FeCl3 and UV-LED275/Fe2(SO4)3 processes followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with the calculated pseudo-first-order rate constants (kobs) of 0.0105 and 0.0046 cm2 mJ−1, respectively. The results of ESR analysis and radicals quenching experiments indicated that hydroxyl radicals ( OH) and superoxide radicals (O2− ) were responsible for DEET degradation in UV-LED275/FeCl3 process, and the former played the major role. An increase in FeCl3 dosage was beneficial to the degradation. In the UV-LED275/FeCl3 process, DEET degradation increased with a decrease in pH from 3.5 to 3.0, whereas it was almost completely suppressed with an increase in pH from 4.3 to 6.3. DEET degradation was almost unchanged after the introduction of NO3−, and it impeded after the addition of humic acid (HA), HCO3−, and SO42−. The plausible degradation pathway mainly involved hydroxylation, cleavage of the C–N bond, acetylation, and dealkylation. Among the disinfection by-products (DBPs) evaluated, UV-LED275/FeCl3 pretreatment generally increased the generation of trichloromethane, chloral hydrate, dichloroacetic acid, and trichloroacetic acid, which implied that further assessment of environmental risk was needed during its practical applications.

Polymorphism in functional materials offers an excellent platform for comparative investigations of the structure–property relationship and thus the rational design of functional materials with enhanced performances. Here, we report a facile and selective fluorination route to phase-pure gadolinium oxyfluorides crystallizing in orthorhombic (O-GdOF) and rhombohedral (R-GdOF) structures. The phase selectivity can be achieved simply by controlling the reaction temperature and the amount of the fluoridizer (polytetrafluoroethylene). A reversible phase transition from R-GdOF to O-GdOF was observed around 600 °C upon heating and cooling, which was further confirmed by the in situ X-ray diffraction results. Trivalent rare-earth ion (RE3+) doping makes O- and R-GdOF potential bifunctional materials for optical imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications. Under near infrared (NIR) irradiation (980 nm), both RE3+-doped O- and R-GdOF exhibit intriguing visible upconversion (UC) emissions with a tunable G/R ratio (RE = Yb/Ho), near single-peak red emissions around 660 nm (RE = Yb/Er) and NIR emissions around 800 nm (RE = Yb/Tm). RE3+-doped O- and R-GdOF also show discrepant UC profiles in terms of emission intensity, peak shape and G/R ratios attributed to the subtle symmetry differences of the RE3+ doping sites. Besides, the ability of RE3+-doped O- and R-GdOF to serve as T2 weighted MRI contrast agents was evaluated. The results show that R-GdOF performs better than O-GdOF in T2 weighted MRI with higher r2 relaxivity values and r2/r1 ratio. The exploration of more RE oxyfluorides with multimorphism and the comparative studies of their optical performances will provide deep insight into their structure–property relationship and accelerate the rational design of better multifunctional materials.

As a widely used artificial sweetener, saccharin (SAC) has received extensive attention due to its widespread detection in aquatic environment and potential risk to human health. In this study, the SAC removal by UV-activated persulfate (PS) was comprehensively examined. The results demonstrated that SAC could be eliminated effectively through UV/PS oxidation and its removal behavior can be well described by pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The introduction of different scavengers manifested that sulfate radicals (SO4−∙) were identified to be the major reactive radicals under acidic and neutral conditions, while hydroxyl radicals (HO∙) were determined to be the dominant species under alkaline environments. The reaction rates of SAC with SO4−∙ and HO∙ were calculated to be 1.48 × 108 and 1.56 × 109 M−1 s−1, respectively. The degradation rate constant was positively related to PS dosage (0.21–2.52 mM). The degradation decelerated with the increase of pH from 4.0 to 8.0 and slightly accelerated at pH 9.0. The introduction of Cl− posed a positive impact, while the presence of HCO3−, Br− and humic acid overall retarded SAC removal. Low concentrations of NO3− promoted the degradation, whereas the high levels of NO3− exerted a negative effect. The SAC degradation by UV/PS was mainly initiated through the hydroxylation of the benzene ring, cleavage of C-N bonds, decarboxylation and denitrogenation. The SAC removal in real water matrices by UV/PS treatment was still relatively efficient. Of note, the increased yield of trichloromethane, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid and dichloroacetonitrile was found due to chlorination after UV/PS pretreatment.

A facile electrochemical sensor for dopamine detection was successfully fabricated by the modification of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and poly(hydroquinone) film on three-dimensional nickel foam. The results of scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry measurements demonstrated the successfully preparation of the sensor. The effect factors of electrodeposition time of AuNPs, polymerization pH, cycles of polymerization and rate of polymerization were optimized for the sensor preparation. Under the optimized conditions, the prepared sensor exhibited selective and sensitive detection capacities toward dopamine. The linear response to dopamine ranged from 1.0 × 10 − 7 mol/L to 1.0 × 10 − 5 mol/L with a detection limit of 4.19 × 10 − 8 mol/L. Moreover, the sensor could be applied in the detection of dopamine in real samples with satisfactory results.

Effects of laccase-catalyzed cross-linking on the structure, gel properties and antioxidant activities of α-lactalbumin (α-LA) were investigated in the presence of ferulic acid (FA). Particle size of laccase-catalysed a-LA-FA congugates became significantly larger with the increasing incubation time. Size exclusion chromatography showed that FA monomers disappeared almostly in the presence of laccase and high molecule polymers were formed with increasing incubation time. α-LA treated with laccase and FA led to the formation of oligomers and polymers by SDS-PAGE analysis. Moreover, intrinsic fluorescence intensity and surface hydrophobility of laccase-catalysed α-LA-FA conjugates remarkably increased from approximately 600 to 1200 A.U. and from 304.1 to 481.3, respectively, corresponding the incubation time from 0 to 24 h, compared with three control systems. After α-LA was treated by laccase and FA, its stronger gel strength and higher water holiding capacity were achieved, and had positive correlation with incubation time. Meanwhile, DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferrous reducing power of laccase-catalysed α-LA-FA conjugates significantly increased with the incubation time increased. Therefore, laccase catalyzed cross-linking of α-LA in the presence of FA could change α-LA structure, and enhance its gel properties and antioxidant activities.

Aim: Oxidative stress-induced endothelial injury is a main risk factor in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) exerts protective functions on endothelial cells in response to oxidative stress. To exploit new bioactive compounds from this natural product, 12 derivatives were first synthesized and evaluated for endothelial protective activities. Materials & methods: Title compounds were prepared according to high-yielded synthetic routes, and their protective effects on human endothelial EA.hy926 cells were evaluated. To explore the mechanism, their inhibition on apoptosis of endothelial cells and Nrf2 activating activities were investigated. Furthermore, computational ADME prediction and water solubility assay were carried out for active compounds. Results: Most of them exhibited potent endothelial protective effects on EA.hy926 cells injured by H2O2. In particular, compounds I-2 and II showed increased activity and water solubility compared with Tan IIA. Moreover, they reduced H2O2-induced apoptosis of EA.hy926 cells. A further exploration on the two compounds suggested that their actions were mediated by upregulation of antioxidant genes through activating Nrf2 pathway. Conclusion: These Tan IIA derivatives clearly showed related activities for the development of a new type of endothelial protective agents. [Formula: see text]

In this work, a visible-light-driven catalyst of Ag/g-C3N4/Chitosan (Ag/g-C3N4/CS) was developed by a facile soniation-assisted method at room temperature. The surface morphology, crystal structure and chemical composition of the as-prepared catalyst was systematically characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). The photocatalytic activity of Ag/g-C3N4/CS nanocomposite was evaluated on the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) by sodium borohydride (NaBH4) without separating AgNPs/RGO nanocomposite from the synthesis systems. The result shows that the as-prepared nanocomposite exhibits enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Well-dispersed zinc oxide/cyclized polyacrylonitrile (ZnO/CPAN) nanocomposites were prepared by a facile in-situ precipitation method. The mixture solution of dimethyl sulfoxide containing zinc nitrate and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was added dropwise into ammonia water under vigorous magnetic stirring. Accompanied by the precipitation of PAN in water, zinc hydroxide were simultaneously formed via in-situ reaction of zinc nitrate with hydroxyl ions, leading to the uniform dispersion of zinc hydroxide nanoparticles in the precursor of ZnO/PAN nanocomposites. Then ZnO/CPAN nanocomposites were prepared by calcining the obtained precursor at 250 °C in nitrogen atmosphere via cyclization/dehydrogenation reaction of PAN and decomposition reaction of Zn(OH)2. The as-prepared ZnO/CPAN nanocomposites were characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS, UV–vis DRS, PL, etc. Results show that CPAN molecules in ZnO/CPAN nanocomposites significantly decrease the mean size of ZnO nanocrystals, increase the quantity of oxygen defects in ZnO particles, improve the absorbance of ZnO in the whole wavelength range especially in the visible-light range, and obviously reduce the recombination probability of photo-generated electron/hole pairs. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO/CPAN nanocomposites was evaluated by photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) solution under visible light irradiation. Experiment results reveal that the apparent rate constant k of MO photodegradation under visible light irradiation photocatalyzed by ZnO/CPAN (0.361 h−1) is 1.28, 5.84 and 25.8 times of that by AgBr (0.282 h−1), Ag3PO4 (0.0618 h−1) or g–C3N4 (0.0140 h−1), respectively, meaning that ZnO/CPAN exhibits much higher visible-light photocatalytic activity than these typical visible-light photocatalysts. The visible-light photocatalytic mechanism has been discussed.

The novel ternary cyclized polyacrylonitrile (CPAN)/Ag/AgCl composites were successfully synthesized by a facile precipitation and photo-assistant reduction method. The CPAN/Ag/AgCl particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and photocurrent time (EI) measurement. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were investigated through the decomposition of methyl orange (MO) and rhodamine B aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation. The results showed that the CPAN/Ag/AgCl photocatalysts displayed much higher visible-light photocatalytic activity than Ag/AgCl, and the reaction rate constant of the MO degradation catalyzed by CPAN/Ag/AgCl is about 3 times of that by Ag/AgCl. It is proposed that the photogenerated holes h+ and O2− played important roles in the photocatalytic degradation of MO in the presence of CPAN/Ag/AgCl composites under visible light irradiation.

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a ubiquitous environmental persistent organic pollutant and a well-known endocrine disruptor. BaP exposure could alter the steroid balance in females. Endometrium decidualization and decidual angiogenesis are critical events for embryo implantation and pregnancy maintenance during early pregnancy and are modulated by steroids. However, the effect of BaP on decidualization is not clear. This study aimed to explore the effects of BaP on decidualization and decidual angiogenesis in pregnant mice. The result showed that the uteri in the BaP-treated groups were smaller and exhibited an uneven size compared with those in the control group. Artificial decidualization was detected in the uteri of the controls, but weakened decidualization response was observed in the BaP-treated groups. BaP significantly reduced the levels of estradiol, progesterone, and their cognate receptors ER and PR, respectively. The expression of several decidualization-related factors, including FOXO1, HoxA10, and BMP2, were altered after BaP treatment. BaP reduced the expression of cluster designation 34 (CD34), which indicated that the decidual angiogenesis was inhibited by BaP treatment. In addition, BaP induced the downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor A. These data suggest that oral BaP ingestion compromised decidualization and decidual angiogenesis. Our results provide experimental data for the maternal reproductive toxicity of BaP during early pregnancy, which is very important for a comprehensive risk assessment of BaP on human reproductive health.

Many compounds with good inhibitory activity (i.e., high affinity) within in vitro experiments failed in vivo studies due to a lack of efficacy from limited target occupancy (TO) in the drug discovery process. Recently, it was found that rate constants of the formation and dissociation of the binary drug-target complex, rather than affinity, often govern in vivo efficacy. Therefore, the binding kinetics (BK) properties of compound-target interaction are emerging as a pivotal parameter. However, it is obvious that BK rate constants of the compound against target would not be directly linked to the in vivo TO unless the compound concentration in the target vicinity at any time point (TPK) can be evaluated. Here, we developed a novel simulation model to quantitate the dynamic change of target engagement over time in rat with a combined use of BK and TPK features of Epicatechin gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on the basis of &alpha, glucosidase (AGH). Analysis of the results displayed that the percent of maximum AGH occupancies by the ECG were varied significantly from 48.9 to 95.3% and by the EGCG slightly from 96 to 99.8%, that the time course of above 70% engagement by ECG spanned a range from 0 to 0.64 h and by EGCG a range of 1.5 to 8.9 h in four different intestinal segments of the rat. It was clearly analyzed how each parameter in the simulation model effected on the in vivo the AGH engagement by ECG and EGCG. Our results provide a novel approach for assessing the potential inhibitory activity of the compounds against AGH.

Nitroxyl (HNO) plays an important role in multiple physiological and pathological processes, but the detailed generation mechanism of the endogenous HNO still remained to explore and perfect further. There is an urgent need to develop an excellent fluorescent probe for selective recognition and sensitive detection of HNO in biological systems. Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes with a large Stokes shift are an ideal tool for bioimaging applications. Here, we have developed a NIR fluorescent probe with a large Stokes shift, namely, NIR-HNO, to monitor HNO in cells and zebrafish. NIR-HNO consists of an isophorone-fused NIR fluorescence reporter and a diphenylphosphinobenzoyl HNO-responsive unit. Based on an aza-ylide intramolecular ester aminolysis reaction, NIR-HNO showed a rapid selective NIR fluorescent turn-on response for HNO, high sensitivity (detection limit was 39.6 nM), and large Stokes shift (265 nm). The biological imaging results indicate that NIR-HNO is a good candidate for imaging of endogenous HNO in living systems.

Hydrazine (N2H4) has been classified as a potential carcinogen with its high toxicity, which can be readily absorbed through the skin or via breathing directly. Although some fluorescent probes have been developed for imaging of N2H4, very little can be used for imaging of N2H4 in vivo because of its short emission wavelength. In this study, a new colorimetric and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe CF-1 based on a seminaphthorhodafluor dye was successfully designed and used for hydrazine determination. Upon reaction with N2H4, probe CF-1 showed obvious off-on NIR emission spectrum centered at 657 nm, as well as a distinct color change that can be distinguished by the naked eye. The results of fluorescence spectrum experiments indicated that probe CF-1 has high selectivity and low detection limitation (40.6 nM in the solution). Probe CF-1 has low cytotoxicity and was applied to imaging hydrazine in mitochondria of HeLa cells and in zebrafish.

As a globally important artificial sweetener, sucralose (SUC) is a persistent emerging contaminant in global aquatic environments. This research comprehensively track the fate and transport of SUC throughout an urban water cycle; to perform laboratory experiments to determine chlorinated disinfection by-products (DBPs) of SUC sebsequent to advanced oxidation with ozone; and to perform a risk evaluation of SUC related DBPs.; The results demonstrated that SUC was consistently present throughout the urban water cycle, including consumer's tap water. The inluent to the municipal wastewater treatment plant contained 1033.4-2626.3 ng/L SUC, and as expected for this non-biodegradable artificial sweetener, the concentration in the effluent was slightly reduced to 917.6-2031.2 ng/L. The concentration of SUC varied in surface waters with a peak value of 2070.0 ng/L. In finished drinking water 288.1–505.3 ng/L SUC was found, and values of 177.7–409.7 ng/L were present in the distribution system. Up to 16.3% of SUC concentration discharged as municipal wastewater was delivered to residents in their drinking water. While conventional treatment little removed SUC, the mean removal efficiency of SUC with ozonation followed by activated carbon filtration was 39.6% at a full-scale drinking water treatment plant. The fate and transformation of SUC in drinking water treated by ozonation and chlorination were investigated in laboratory experiments. Ozonation partially degraded SUC; however, intermediates reacted with chlorine to generate DBPs, including trichloromethane (TCM), dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA). Peak 7-days potential formation of TCM, DCAA and TCAA were 0.016, 0.51 and 23.34 μ g/mg SUC, respectively. DBP yields increased with increasing chlorine dosage, chlorination time, temperature, and solution pH. The presence of ammonia nitrogen in water facilitated dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) production up to 0.78 μ g/mg SUC, while simultaneously reducing the yield of TCM, DCAA and TCAA. Human exposure analysis revealed that carcinogenic risks of DBPs caused only by SUC ozonation were in the range of 1.86 × 10−12-6.12 × 10−9, while non-carcinogenic risks were in the range of 6.0 × 10−9-4.37 × 10−6. The pervasive occurrence of SUC in an urban water cycle, couple to its resistance to biological and chemical treatment, confirms that SUC is a persistent contaminant in the aquatic system, including tap water.