Search

Solution-processable organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites are being widely investigated for many applications, including solar cells, light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, and lasers. Herein, we report, for the first time, successful fabrication of xerographic photoreceptors using methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) perovskite as a light-absorbing material. With the incorporation of polyethylene glycol (PEG) into the perovskite film, the ion migration inherent to the perovskite material can be effectively suppressed, and the resulting photoreceptor exhibits a high and panchromatic photosensitivity, large surface potential, low dark decay, and high environmental resistance and electrical cycling stability. Specifically, the energies required to photodischarge one half of the initial surface potential (E0.5) are 0.074 μJ cm−2 at 550 nm and 0.14 μJ cm−2 at 780 nm, respectively. The photosensitivites outmatch those of the conventionally used organic pigments having narrow spectral responses. Our findings inform a new generation of highly efficient and low-cost xerographic photoreceptors based on perovskite materials.

Plant disease seriously threatens the global food security. However, an effective and sustainable control strategy is lacking. In this study, foliar application with 10 mg/L nitrogen doped carbon dots (N-CDs) suppressed bacterial wilt in tomatoes, statistically decreased disease severity by 71.19%, and increased the fresh biomass of tomato shoot by 55.86%. The disease control efficacy with N-CDs was 1.56-fold greater than the pure CDs (P-CDs). Mechanistically, 1) nitrogen doping enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability of P-CDs, and then exhibited higher oxidative stress alleviation in tomatoes; 2) N-CDs activated the salicylic acid and jasmonic acid dependent systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in tomatoes, with subsequent inhibition in vivo pathogens growth; 3) N-CDs activated the antioxidative enzyme activity in tomatoes, and then reduced the pathogen induced oxidative stress. Polyacrylic acid modification eliminated the disease control ability of N-CDs because the modification decreased the direct physiochemical process (e.g., ROS scavenging) and indirect resistance activation (e.g., SAR activation) of N-CDs in tomatoes. Metabolomics analysis suggested that N-CDs also significantly promoted the tricarboxylic acid cycle and fatty acid synthesis in tomatoes. The findings demonstrate the important role of N-CDs in promoting disease suppression for sustainable agriculture.

Selenium engineered nanomaterials (Se ENMs)-enabled agriculture has developed rapidly, however, the roles of surface charge in the bioavailability and enrichment efficiency of Se ENMs are still unknown. Herein, various Se ENMs of homogenous size (40-60 nm) and different surface charges (3.2 ± 0.7, -29.0 ± 0.4, and 45.5 ± 1.3 mV) were prepared to explore the Se content and nutritional quality in Brassica chinensis L. The results demonstrated that soil application of various Se ENMs (0.05 mg kg

Various long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely associated with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), playing oncogenic or anti-oncogenic roles in tumorigenesis and progression. Herein, we report a novel lncRNA—long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1426 (LINC01426)—that has not yet been characterized in LUAD. We note that LINC01426 expression was markedly upregulated in LUAD tissues, and that functional assays verified that LINC01426 knockdown markedly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Xenografts derived from A549 cells knocked down of LINC01426 had evidently lower tumor weights and smaller tumor volumes. Our study also found that LINC01426 bound to hsa-miR-30b-3p as a competitive endogenous RNA in LUAD. Moreover, LINC01426 affected LUAD wound healing by interacting and combining with AZGP1, and LINC01426 expression was significantly associated with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging and prognosis in patients with LUAD. To summarize, our study elucidates the oncogenic roles of LINC01426 in LUAD tumorigenesis and progression. We think that LINC01426 can serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target in patients with LUAD., Graphical Abstract, LINC01426 was upregulated in LUAD tissues and could promote lung cancer cell progression. Moreover, LINC01426 was found to affect LUAD wound healing by interacting with AZGP1; additionally, LINC01426 bound to hsa-miR-30b-3p as a competitive endogenous RNA in LUAD. LINC01426 was associated with poor prognosis in patients with LUAD.

Lanthanum oxide nanoparticles (La2O3 NPs) have raised enormous concerns due to the potential environmental risks they pose to agricultural production. Previous studies have demonstrated that the growth and photosynthesis of higher plants could be inhibited by La2O3 NPs. Due to the different photosynthetic pathways of C3 and C4 plants, their photosynthetic responses and defense mechanisms under NP exposure have not previously been investigated. To examine different regulatory strategies for photosynthesis in C3 and C4 plants, typical C3 (soybean) and C4 (maize) plants were selected in the present study, and their photosynthetic performance upon La2O3 NP exposure was compared. After 10 mg L−1 La2O3 NP exposure for 4 days, the net photosynthetic rate was reduced significantly by 8.77% and 55.52% in soybean and maize, respectively. Soybean's maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) was decreased by 10.53% and electron transport was blocked, resulting in low utilization efficiency of solar energy. Meanwhile for maize, the relative gene expressions for phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) were downregulated, and the activity of PEPC and Rubisco were reduced by 19.08% and 7.16%, respectively. Thus, carbon fixation was restricted. Consequently, excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) were generated in the chloroplasts of maize. This is the first study focusing on differences in photosynthetic responses between C3 and C4 plants upon NP exposure, which provides useful knowledge for developing targeted regulation strategies to apply nano-agricultural technology in higher plants with different photosynthetic pathways.

Multi-color-emissive fluorescent polymer nanocomposite films have potential applications in optoelectronic devices. Herein, stretchable, mechanically stable multi-color carbon-dots-based films are in situ fabricated by condensation and aging of carboxylated polyurethane in the presence of various carbon sources. As-prepared CDs/PU films emit different colors covering from blue (414 nm) to red (620 nm) by tuning reaction conditions. Moreover, CDs are fixed and have good dispersion in the PU matrix due to the interactions of amine groups from the carbon sources with the carboxylate group of PU. Thus, phase separation of composite films can be avoided. And, more than 90% of their emission intensity is preserved after soaking in water for 30 days, aging for up to 6 h at 100 °C, and subjecting to several cycles of stretching and natural recovery. These advantages are encouraging for the use of CDs/PU composite films in solid-state lighting applications. Remote multi-color LEDs have been fabricated by placing a down-conversion layer of CDs/PU films separated through coating them on the same chips (emission at 365 nm), with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage color coordinates of (0.22, 0.23), (0.43, 0.53), (0.49, 0.46), and (0.41, 0.28), respectively.

Sustainable strategies for the management of iron deficiency in agriculture are warranted because of the low use efficiency of commercial iron fertilizer, which confounds global food security and induces negative environmental consequences. The impact of foliar application of differently sized γ-Fesub2/subOsub3/subnanomaterials (NMs, 4-15, 8-30, and 40-215 nm) on the growth and physiology of soybean seedlings was investigated at different concentrations (10-100 mg/L). Importantly, the beneficial effects on soybean were size- and concentration-dependent. Foliar application with the smallest size γ-Fesub2/subOsub3/subNMs (S-Fesub2/subOsub3/subNMs, 4-15 nm, 30 mg/L) yielded the greatest growth promotion, significantly increasing the shoot and nodule biomass by 55.4 and 99.0%, respectively, which is 2.0- and 2.6-fold greater than the commercially available iron fertilizer (EDTA-Fe) with equivalent molar Fe. In addition, S-Fesub2/subOsub3/subNMs significantly enhanced soybean nitrogen fixation by 13.2% beyond that of EDTA-Fe. Mechanistically, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed that (1) S-Fesub2/subOsub3/subNMs increased carbon assimilation in nodules to supply more energy for nitrogen fixation; (2) S-Fesub2/subOsub3/subNMs activated the antioxidative system in nodules, with subsequent elimination of excess reactive oxygen species; (3) S-Fesub2/subOsub3/subNMs up-regulated the synthesis of cytokinin and down-regulated ethylene and jasmonic acid content in nodules, promoting nodule development and delaying nodule senescence. S-Fesub2/subOsub3/subNMs also improved 13.7% of the soybean yield and promoted the nutritional quality (e.g., free amino acid content) of the seeds as compared with EDTA-Fe with an equivalent Fe dose. Our findings demonstrate the significant potential of γ-Fesub2/subOsub3/subNMs as a high-efficiency and sustainable crop fertilizer strategy.

Humic acids (HAs), kinds of valuable active carbon, are critical for improving soil fertility. However, the majority of soils are poor in HAs, arousing the development of artificial HAs. In this study, two iron-based catalysts (nanoscale iron trioxide (nFe

Macro- or micro-nutrients are essential for crop yield and nutritional quality. In this work, selenium engineering nanomaterials (Se ENMs, 0.5 mg‧kg

With global warming and water scarcity, improving the drought tolerance and quality of crops is critical for food security and human health. Here, foliar application of carbon dots (CDs, 5 mg·L

Nano-enabled agriculture becomes a new and rapidly evolving area of research, particularly, nanomaterials (NMs) with light-harvesting capacities for enhancing photosynthesis. However, mechanisms for the interactions between these NMs and plants are not fully understood. Herein, fluorescent and water-soluble graphitic carbon nitride (g-C

There is emerging evidence indicating that Kinesin family, plays vital roles in influencing the growth of axons, interference with the progression of tumor. However, the function of Kinesin member in the auditory organs remains unknown. SB743921, a kinesin spindle protein (KSP) inhibitor, was applied in mouse organ of Corti and House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1 (HEI-OC1) cell line to examine the role of KSP in auditory system with and without cisplatin damage. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and Lactase dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay were conducted to evaluate cell activity and toxicity. Pretreatment with SB743921 increased the sensitivity of HEI-OC1 cells to cisplatin ototoxicity through promoting cell apoptosis and deteriorating superoxide generation mediated damage from cisplatin. SB743921 also enhanced cisplatin induced hair cell damage in explants of mouse cochleae in vitro. Furthermore, the combined N-acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment with cisplatin or with cisplatin and SB743921 both completely rescued the reduced number of hair cells impaired by cisplatin, confirming the strengthening function of superoxide accumulation by SB743921 after cisplatin treatment. Inhibition of kinesin spindle protein enhanced the susceptibility of hair cells to cisplatin induced damage in mouse cochlear explants and HEI-OC1 cells, indicating that kinesin spindle protein might be an unprecedented target to weaken the ototoxicity of platinum medicaments.

Improving maize drought tolerance is of great importance for scaling up production due to food security and population growth. Carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized by hydrothermal method with citric acid and ethylenediamine as carbon sources. Then, CDs (5 ml, 5 mg‧L−1) were sprayed on 25th day-old maize (Zea mays L., drought-stress, 35% soil moisture) for seven consecutive days (spraying ultra-pure water as control), after which the physiological parameters and rhizospheric properties of maize under drought were evaluated. Foliar sprayed CDs (5 mg‧L−1) could increase root exudates (e.g., succinic acid (14.5 folds), pyruvic acid (10.0 folds), and betaine (11.8 folds)), and modify microbial community. Particularly, the relative abundance of Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Nitrospira, and Conocybe were significantly increased by 344.4%, 233.3%, 126.2%, and 122.6%, respectively. The altered microbial abundance could improve soil available nitrogen and phosphorus by 33.5% and 16.8%, respectively, and increase plant water uptake by 37.2%. The change of exudate synthesis and microbial abundance could be driven by the significantly increased in net photosynthesis rate by 122.9%, and carbohydrate content by 35.4% in shoots and 113.6% in roots, respectively upon foliar application of CDs. Meanwhile, fresh weight of shoots and roots were increased by 62.1% and 50.6%, and dry weight of shoots and roots were increased by 29.2% and 37.5%, respectively. These results demonstrated that foliar application of CDs could improve the rhizosphere environment to enhance maize drought tolerance and even growth. Therefore, foliar application of CDs would be a promising strategy for sustainable nano-agriculture in response to drought stress.

Yttrium oxide nanoparticles (nY

Fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) have been reported as an artificial antenna to amplify the harvesting ability of light and enhance photosynthesis in plants. However, the main mechanism of this promotive effect and contributions of CDs' structure are unclear. Herein, CDs and nitrogen (N)-doped CDs (N-CDs) with blue fluorescence were synthesized, and they could promote photosynthesis and growth of corn at an application concentration of 50 mg·L-1 or lower, compared to the control. Foliar application of N-CDs (5 mg·L-1) on corn could increase the net photosynthesis rate (21.51%), carbohydrate content (66.43% in roots and 42.03% in shoots), fresh weight (24.03% in roots and 34.56% in shoots), and dry weight (72.30% in roots and 55.75% in shoots), which were much higher than those of CDs. Principal component analysis and density functional theory calculation demonstrated that, compared with undoped CDs, N doping enhanced the light conversion and electron supply via altering the structure of CDs, making N-CDs effective light conversion materials and electron donors to promote the photoelectron transfer rate. Furthermore, foliar application of N-CDs could increase the yield and 1000-grain weight by 24.50 and 15.03%, respectively. Therefore, the application of N-CDs could be a promising approach for increasing agricultural production.

Pollution of toxic heavy-metal ions such as mercury ions (Hg2+) is well known to severely threaten ecological environment and human health. Correspondingly, development of a fast and sensitive method for detecting heavy-metal ions is urgently needed and has been received widespread attention in recent years. In this study, carbon nanodots (CDs) with strong blue fluorescence were synthesized by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. The as-prepared blue fluorescent CDs not only have excellent stability (e.g. photostability, salt stability and pH stability), but also have extremely high selectivity and sensitivity for probing Hg2+ via fluorescence quenching. Specifically, fluorescence of CDs is gradually quenched along with the increase in Hg2+ concentration, and a low concentration of Hg2+ can be identified (with low detection limit, 15 nM). Therefore, the novel fluorescent CDs could be developed for detecting Hg2+ in aqueous conditions, and have great potential for fast probing Hg2+ in environmental samples.

Nanosized Pt-loaded Fe2O3 nanocubes are prepared through, successively, a simple hydrothermal reaction, two-step annealing process and finally reduction with NaBH4 of H2PtCl4. The resultant Pt decorated Fe2O3 nanocubes, made up of Fe2O3 nanoplatelets, are hierarchical, hollow and porous, with an average edge length of 200–300 nm. The sensor based on Pt decorated Fe2O3 nanocomposites exhibits higher response (Rair/Rgas = 25.7) to 100 ppm of acetone gas at lower temperature (139 °C), with a short response-recovery time (3 s/22 s), compared with pure Fe2O3 nanocubes sensor. The Pt-Fe2O3 nanocomposite sensor shows excellent potential to act as a low cost, low temperature sensor for acetone gas, with high acetone selectivity under high humidity conditions and with the interference of other gases. Under various environmental conditions designed to mimic exhaled air, the sensor is able to detect ppb amounts of acetone, with high repeatability and stability, making it suitable for applications such as oral diabetic sensors. The attractive chemical and electronic sensitizations of partially oxidized Pt nanoparticles are responsible for the enhancement of acetone sensing performance. Based on the high acetone selectivity, high stability and fast dynamic response, the Pt enhanced Fe2O3 nanocubes sensor is an exceptionally suitable candidate for a low cost acetone sensor, and the proposed approach provides a route to develop gas sensors that can operate at low temperatures for a wide variety of applications.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effect of hearing and speech rehabilitation in patients with Nurotron® cochlear implants. Design: Ninety-eight paediatric patients with bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural deafness who received cochlear implantation were divided into three groups according to age: group A (≤3 years), group B (4–7 years), and group C (8–16 years). All patients were followed up for one year for hearing and speech performance after the surgery. The comprehensive Auditory Perception Assessment, MAIS, CAP and SIR hearing and speech assessments and rating materials were used for assessment before the surgery and at 3, 6, and 12 months after implant activation. Results: The scores of patients in the open-set speech assessment, Chinese Auditory Perception Assessment, MAIS, CAP and SIR significantly improved after cochlear implantation in all age groups. The younger the age at implantation, the better the results. Moreover, the hearing and speech performance of cochlear implant recipients gradually improved with the extension of rehabilitation time. Conclusions: Nurotron® Venus™ cochlear implantation can improve the hearing and speech performance of patients with bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural deafness. Keywords: Hearing loss, Sensorineural, Cochlear implant, Rehabilitation, Speech perception, Assessment

A novel visual and fluorometric-sensor paper is prepared for the monitoring of atmospheric humidity and ethanol. The paper contains a combination of copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) and carbon dots (CDs), immobilized on a filter paper. This makes it a dual-emission system. The visual sensor shows bright fluorescence and has a diameter of ∼8 cm with uniform and homogeneous surface. The detection mechanism of the sensing paper is based on the fluorescence intensity variation of CuNCs in different environments. Desirable linear relationship is observed between fluorescence intensity ratio (red/blue) and humidity. Visible color transformation of this sensor paper is observed in the humidity range ∼40-80%, implying utility for easy and facile atmospheric humidity determination. Furthermore, due to the water and ethanol have different impacts on the spectrum, this paper-based fluorescent probe shows excellent response to ethanol. Therefore dual-emitting sensing paper, when suitably calibrated, shows promise for visual and fluorometric sensing platforms aimed at humidity or ethanol detection.

Vinigrol is a natural diterpenoid with unprecedented chemical structure, driving great efforts into its total synthesis in the past decades. Despite anti-hypertension and anti-clot ever reported, comprehensive investigations on bioactions and molecular mechanisms of Vinigrol are entirely missing. Here we firstly carried out a complete functional prediction of Vinigrol using a transcriptome-based strategy coupled with multiple bioinformatic analyses and identified "anti-cancer" as the most prominent biofunction ahead of anti-hypertension and anti-depression/psychosis. Broad cytotoxicity was subsequently confirmed on multiple cancer types. Further mechanistic investigation on several breast cancer cells revealed that its anti-cancer effect was mainly through activating PERK/eIF2α arm of unfolded protein response (UPR) and subsequent non-apoptotic cell death independent of caspase activities. The other two branches of UPR, IRE1α and ATF6, were functionally irrelevant to Vinigrol-induced cell death. Using CRISPR/Cas9-based gene activation, repression, and knockout systems, we identified the essential contribution of ATF4 and DDIT3, not ATF6, to the death process. This study unraveled a broad anti-cancer function of Vinigrol and its underlying targets and regulatory mechanisms. It paved the way for further inspection on the structure-efficacy relationship of the whole compound family, making them a novel cluster of PERK-specific stress activators for experimental and clinical uses.

A selenium (Se)-nanoenabled agriculture strategy was established in this work to improve crop yield and quality. The results demonstrated that Se engineering nanomaterials (Se ENMs, 10 mg·L

In geologic, biologic, and engineering porous media, bubbles (or droplets, ganglia) emerge in the aftermath of flow, phase change, or chemical reactions, where capillary equilibrium of bubbles significantly impacts the hydraulic, transport, and reactive processes. There has previously been great progress in general understanding of capillarity in porous media, but specific investigation into bubbles is lacking. Here, we propose a conceptual model of a bubble’s capillary equilibrium associated with free energy inside a porous medium. We quantify the multistability and hysteretic behaviors of a bubble induced by multiple state variables and study the impacts of pore geometry and wettability. Surprisingly, our model provides a compact explanation of counterintuitive observations that bubble populations within porous media can be thermodynamically stable despite their large specific area by analyzing the relationship between free energy and bubble volume. This work provides a perspective for understanding dispersed fluids in porous media that is relevant to CO(2) sequestration, petroleum recovery, and fuel cells, among other applications.

Background Intercostal artery pseudoaneurysm is rare and at the risk of rupture. The aetiology is always reported to be iatrogenic and traumatic injury. Embolisation is the most common therapeutic method. Here, we report a case of spontaneous intercostal artery pseudoaneurysm and cured by combining covered stent grafting and surgical management. Case presentation A 60-year-old man complained of acute right back pain for 5 h. Computed tomography showed right massive hemothorax and a giant mass with distinct feeding vessel originated from the thoracic aorta within the right hemithorax. Thoracocentesis was performed, and then a covered stent was positioned across the origin of the feeding vessel. The patient was diagnosed with intercostal artery pseudoaneurysm. Finally, we successfully resected the pseudoaneurysm and ligated the proximal part of the artery. Histologic examination have proved the diagnosis. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 10. There is no recurrence reported during follow-up. Conclusions Spontaneous intercostal artery pseudoaneurysm is extremly rare. Delayed hemothorax due to rupture of the pseudoaneurysm may occur years after the formation. Early diagnosis is important and a combined treatment of endovascular intervention and surgical management is feasible, especially for the case of ruptured large tumour-like mass presentation of the pseudoaneurysm.

Salinity stress seriously threatens agricultural productivity and food security worldwide. This work reports on the mechanisms of alleviating salinity stress by cerium oxide nanomaterials (CeO2 NMs) in maize (Zea may L.). Soil-grown maize plants were irrigated with deionized water or 100 mM NaCl solution as the control or the salinity stress treatment. CeO2 NMs (1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 mg/L) with antioxidative enzyme mimicking activities were foliarly applied on maize leaves for 7 days. The morphological, physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomic responses of maize were evaluated. Specifically, salinity stress significantly reduced 59.0% and 63.8% in maize fresh and dry biomass, respectively. CeO

With the development of molecular biotechnology and sequencing techniques, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play a vital role in a variety of cancers including lung cancer. In our previous study, we used RNA sequencing and high-content screening proliferation screening data to identify lncRNAs that were significantly associated with tumour biological functions such as LINC01426. Herein, based on previous work, we report a novel lncRNA UPLA1 (upregulation promoting LUAD-associated transcript-1), which has not been explored or reported in any previous studies. Our results showed that UPLA1 is highly expressed and regulates important biological functions in lung adenocarcinoma. In vitro experiments revealed that UPLA1 promoted the migration, invasion, and proliferation abilities, and is related to cell cycle arrest, in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Moreover, the upregulation of UPLA1 significantly improved the growth of tumours in vivo. We identified that UPLA1 was mainly located in the nucleus using fluorescence in situ hybridisation, and that it promoted Wnt/β-catenin signalling by binding to desmoplakin using RNA pulldown assay and mass spectrometry. Additionally, luciferase reporter assay revealed that YY1 is the transcription factor of UPLA1 and suppressed the expression of UPLA1 as a transcriptional inhibitor. This finding provides important evidence regarding the two roles of YY1 in cancer. Furthermore, in situ hybridisation assay results showed that UPLA1 was closely related to the prognosis and tumour, node, metastasis (TNM) stage of lung adenocarcinoma. In summary, our results suggest that the novel lncRNA UPLA1 promotes the progression of lung adenocarcinoma and may be used as a prognostic marker, and thus, has considerable clinical significance.

The molecular and physiological mechanisms of how rare earth oxide nanoparticles (NPs) alter radish (Raphanus sativus L.) taproot formation and cracking were investigated in the present study. We compared plants that received suspensions of 10, 50, 100, 300 mg L

Recurrence rate is up to 70% at 5 years for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after initial resection, but the management of recurrent HCC remains unclear. To compare the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and repeat resection as the first-line treatment in recurrent HCC. This multicenter retrospective study analyzed 290 patients who underwent RFA (n = 199) or repeat resection (n = 91) between January 2006 and December 2016 for locally recurrent HCC (≤ 5 cm) following primary resection. We compared the overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and complications between the two treatment groups for the total cohort and the propensity score matched (PSM) cohort. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS (90.7%, 69.04%, 55.6% vs. 87.7%, 62.9%, 38.1%, p = 0.11) and PFS (56.5%, 27.9%, 14.6% vs. 50.2%, 21.9%, 19.2%, p = 0.80) were similar in the RFA group and the repeat resection group. However, RFA was superior to repeat resection in complication rate and hospital stay (p ≤ 0.001). We observed similar findings in the PSM cohort of 48 pairs of patients and when OS and PFS were measured from the time of the primary resection. The OS of the RFA group was significantly better than repeat resection group among those with 2 or 3 recurrent tumor nodules in both the total cohort (p = 0.009) and the PSM cohort (p = 0.018). RFA has the same efficacy as repeat resection in recurrent HCC patients, but with fewer complications. RFA is more efficient and safer than repeat resection in patients with 2 or 3 recurrent tumor nodules. • Recurrence rate is up to 70% at 5 years for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after initial resection. • RFA has the same efficacy as repeat resection in recurrent HCC patients, but with fewer complications. • RFA may be preferred for those with 2 or 3 recurrent HCC nodules.

The accessible oxide surface with a defect is of fundamental importance for oxygen evolution electrocatalyst design. Here, a stable and ultrathin nickel oxide defect layer with Ni–N is formed in situ and confined at the interface between Ni3N and covered carbon. Holey sheets of ultrathin carbon-coated nickel nitride (Ni3N) were successfully prepared via a facile polymerization and in situ nitridation strategy and exhibit outstanding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance as well as high long-term durability in alkaline electrolyte. The optimized composite possesses a porous and hollow nanostructure, metallic properties, and a superior activity with a low overpotential (∼260 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm–2), small Tafel slope (∼51 mV dec–1), and low loss of activity after a 10 h test in alkaline electrolyte. The significant OER activity and stability are mainly ascribed to (I) ultrathin oxide layers as active sites confined between the Ni3N core and outside carbon coating, (II) overoxidation of ...

Nitrogen doping can effectly adjust the compositions and structures of carbon dots and hence enhance their fluorescence. In this work, we report a fast and low-cost route for synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) by microwave pyrolysis of citric acid and ammonium within 7 min. The as-prepared N-CDs contain plentiful oxygen and nitrogen functional groups, and dispaly intense fluorescence with high quantum yield of ca. 44.3% and have an average size of 1.8 nm. The obtained N-CDs exhibit highly stable against photobleaching, ionic strengths, and can be used for selective and sensitive detection of Fe(III). It is postulated that the Fe3+-mediated fluorescence quenching is attributed to the charge transfer between N-CDs and Fe3+. In particular, the emission peaks from blue to red region can be tuned by interparticle distance of N-CDs, simply by increasing the concentration of N-CDs in aqueous solution, which indicates its potential applications as a promising optical image probe in multicolor cellular imaging.

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent metal nanodots may have significant advantages in biological detection and bioimaging. Herein, we introduce tunable near-infrared fluorescent gold nanodots (AuNDs) protected by branched polyethylenimine (PEI) modified by surface segmental attachment of sulfhydryl groups (PEI-SH), abbreviated as PEI-SH-AuNDs, for simultaneous gene delivery and cell imaging. The modified PEI endows the resultant PEI-SH-AuNDs with the following excellent advantages. Sulfhydryl groups of PEI-SH anchor to the surface of AuNDs, and such polycations with amine groups give PEI-SH-AuNDs remarkable stability. The cationic polymer PEI-SH with positive charges enables PEI-SH-AuNDs to perform gene delivery, and the gene transfection efficiency can reach 22.8%. Moreover, the fluorescence of PEI-SH-AuNDs is tunable from visible red light (wavelength 609 nm) to NIR light (wavelength 811 nm) via an increase in the size of AuNDs. PEI-SH-AuNDs yielded gene transfection efficiency similar to that of commercial PEI, but showed much lower cytotoxicity and much greater red-shift fluorescence. With excellent photoluminescent properties, such multifunctional fluorescent PEI-SH-AuNDs hold promise in applications to bioimaging and as ideal fluorescent probes for tracking gene transfection behavior.

Semiconductor photocatalysts is a promising approach to combat both environmental pollution and global energy shortage despite the challenges of recycling and stability. In this paper, magnetic Fe3O4 particle is introduced in the system and Fe3O4/TiO2/MoS2 heterostructures can be formed in a facile strategy. The morphology and structure of Fe3O4/TiO2/MoS2 can be controlled by adjusting the hydrolysis rate of the titanium source. MoS2 is designed to fill in the mesoporous of TiO2 core, forming heterojunction on the surface and near-surface of TiO2 under solvothermal conditions. With respect to the decomposition of a rhodamine B (RhB) solution under visible light, the Fe3O4/TiO2/MoS2 heterostructures display highly photocatalytic activities in aqueous solutions, and they can be easily recovered to realize cyclic utilization by applying an external magnetic field. Thus, the effective magnetic recycle of the catalyst is achieved, and high visible light catalytic activity is ensured simultaneously. Since the current method is simple and flexible to create recyclable catalysts with high stability in this way, it could promote the practicability of semiconductor photocatalysts in water treatment, degradation of dye pollutants, and environmental cleaning.

The aggregation-induced emission (AIE) behavior of metal nanoclusters has attracted much attention owing to their extensive application prospects in bio-imaging and chemical sensors. However, the intrinsic mechanism of metal nanoclusters' aggregation-induced emission is still not very clear. Herein, Cu nanoclusters S1 and Ag(i)-doped Cu/Ag nanoclusters S2 and S3 coated with d-penicillamine are designed and synthesized by a self-assembly strategy. S1-S3 show strong luminescence properties with luminescence quantum yields as high as 11.4%-14.2%. Moreover, their luminescence peak position shows an obvious hypsochromic shift from 615 (S1) to 570 nm (S3). With the introduction of Ag(i) ions, the assembly morphology also shows clear changes from the irregular assembly structure (S1) to large spherical particles with the average size of 0.18 μm for S2 and 0.47 μm for S3. A detailed investigation of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, ESI-TOF-mass spectra, UV-vis absorption spectra, photoluminescence spectra and luminescence lifetimes of Cu/Ag nanoclusters S2 and S3 indicates that Cu/Ag nanoclusters are actually a Cu/Ag alloy nanocluster superstructure and the microscopic arrangement of S2 and S3 is more compact and ordered relative to S1. The more compact and ordered Cu/Ag alloy nanocluster superstructure enhances the metal-metal interaction of inter-nanoclusters and intra-nanoclusters and facilitates the radiative transition of ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) and/or ligand-to-metal-metal charge transfer (LMMCT), which results in the aggregation-induced emission phenomenon. In addition, an enhanced metal-metal interaction increases the average metal-metal distance of the Cu/Ag nanocluster superstructure, leading to a hypsochromic shift of emission spectra. Furthermore, the Cu/Ag alloy nanoclusters show good stability and reversibility on pH cycling between pH = 3 and 7 and temperature cycling between 5 °C and 48 °C. The Cu/Ag alloy nanoclusters can be used as probes for Ag(i) ion and halide anion detection in real water samples by the ratiometric PL method (I570/I615).

Fluorescence-based nanothermometers have potential to offer accuracy in the measurement of temperature using non-contact approaches. Herein, a C-dot/C-dot based dual-emission temperature sensing platform is fabricated through the electrostatic self-assembly of two kinds of fluorescent CDs with opposite charges. This dual-emission platform consists of several nearly-spherical CDs with two emission centers in blue (440 nm) and orange (590 nm) regions. The orange fluorescence exhibits discernible response to external temperatures in the range of ∼15 to 85 °C; on the other hand, the blue fluorescence remains nearly constant. A continuous fluorescence color change in response to temperature from orange to blue can be clearly observed by the naked eye. Thus, the as-prepared C-dot based dual-emission nanospheres can be used for optical thermometry with high reproducibility and sensitivity (0.93%/°C). Detailed characterization shows that temperature (in the 15-85 °C window) impacts the surface states of orange emissive CDs, leaving the blue emissive CDs unaffected. A model is proposed to explain the observations. Finally, by taking advantage of the excellent biocompatibility and stability, the CD based fluorescent nanothermometer is successfully used for the visual measurement of intracellular temperature variations.

The development of photocatalysts that utilize sunlight is very important for solving the energy crisis and reducing environmental pollution. In this report, two kinds of TiO2/MoS2 cocatalyst with novel morphologies (hollow and yolk–shell structure) are prepared via a polymer assisted targeted-etching method. MoS2, as a typical two-dimensional (2D) layered transition metal sulfide, can accept electrons and provide active sites for photocatalytic reactions. Besides, with the assistance of MoS2, the absorption band of the resultant heterostructures becomes broader and covers the entire visible region. Thus the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 in the visible light region can be improved. Moreover, the hollow and yolk–shell heterostructures of TiO2/MoS2 possess a high specific surface area, and the excellent interface of the heterostructures enables the easy separation of holes and electrons, which can enhance the photodegradation of dye. The results demonstrate that the as-prepared TiO2/MoS2 nanocomposites with hollow and yolk–shell structures show outstanding catalytic activity which is tested through the degradation of methylene blue and rhodamine B under visible light. Our design provides a new strategy to acquire novel photocatalysts, with various nanostructures, that have remarkable potential applications in environmental protection, e.g. water treatment and dye pollutant degradation.

Carbon dots (CDs) have a combination of desirable fluorescence and chemical properties, which makes them relevant for sensing in aqueous environments. However, CDs suffer from aggregation-induced instabilities in their sensing performance. In this study, we attempted to address this problem by focusing on Cu2+-ions detection compliant with US Environment Protection Agency's (EPA) standards (i.e. requiring detection as low as 1.3 ppm). The as-prepared yellow-emitting carbon dots (y-CDs) prepared via a one-step hydrothermal process had high water dispersivity and prominent fluorescence properties. However there were two contrary mechanisms (aggregation-caused quenching vs. the chelation-enhanced fluorescence effect) for y-CDs with the addition of Cu2+ ions. The y-CDs/polymer composite sensor reported here comes in two forms: y-CDs impregnated with: (a) carboxy methyl cellulose/poly-vinyl-alcohol or (b) chitosan. Although selectivity existed in both (a) and (b), the sensor response of (b) films was remarkably more sensitive than that of (a) films, due to the chelation mechanism of chitosan with Cu2+ ions. Through an optimized sample of system (b), a 10 nM/1.3 ppm detection limit for Cu2+ ions was achieved, which shows it was EPA compliant.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between intrahepatic cccDNA and serum HBsAg in chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) patients with undetectable serum HBV DNA during antiviral therapy.We investigated HBsAg serum levels and their relationship to intrahepatic total cccDNA and HBV DNA in CHB patients with undetectable serum HBV DNA during oral antiviral therapy. Intrahepatic cccDNA and HBV DNA quantitation were performed in the same needle biopsy material, while serum HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV DNA levels were measured in samples drawn on the day of the liver biopsy.A total of 90 patients who had a liver biopsy were enrolled, including 80 patients with CHB and 10 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). All the CHB patients were divided into HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative group. By using real-time PCR detection, we found that intrahepatic cccDNA and HBV DNA levels were higher in CHB patients than those in LC patients (Intrahepatic cccDNA: 6.15±1.19 vs. 6.12±0.36, HBV DNA: 7.26±0.49 vs. 5.59±0.45, both P0.05). Intrahepatic cccDNA level was positively correlated with serum HBsAg in HBeAg-negative (r=0.66, P=0.02) and lower serum HBeAg (≤50S/CO) CHB patients (r=0.47, P=0.03), but not in higher serum HBeAg (50S/CO) CHB patients (both P0.05). In HBeAg negative patients, serum HBsAg level was correlated with intrahepatic total HBV DNA level (r=0.52, P=0.006). However, no relationship between HBsAg level and intrahepatic total HBV DNA level was found in HBeAg positive patients (both P0.05).Serum HBsAg can be used to predict intrahepatic cccDNA and HBV DNA level in CHB patients with low serum HBeAg statues, especially in HBeAg negative patients.

The innovative and sustainable technologies are highly needed to decrease serious environmental problems from current agriculture. Herein, the green and biosafe copper-based nano-agriculture was described for tomato production. Prepared Cu nanoclusters (NCs) showed small size (3.0 ± 0.5 nm) and high bioavailability. At low concentration (1 mg kg−1) in soil, Cu NCs improved the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase) in the tomato plants, which could help to slow down leaf aging, increase photosynthesis and carbohydrates content by 19.4 % and 14.9 %, respectively. Cu NCs promoted the roots' growth, especially increasing the root tip’ number, which might contribute to the increase in absorption of macronutrients (K, Mg and P) and micronutrients (B, Mn, Cu and Zn). The Cu NCs (1 mg kg−1) promoted tomato growth and increased the tomato fruit yields by 12.2 % compared to the control. Moreover, the tomato fruit qualities had been improved meanwhile the accumulation of Cu in fruits was not observed. These findings indicate that the Cu NCs have potential to be safely applied for tomato production.

Nano-enabled agriculture becomes a new and rapidly evolving area of research, particularly, nanomaterials (NMs) with light-harvesting capacities for enhancing photosynthesis. However, mechanisms for the interactions between these NMs and plants are not fully understood. Herein, fluorescent and water-soluble graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets were prepared and used as artificial antenna to amplify light harvesting ability and enhance photosynthesis in maize. Upon root exposure to 10 mg·L−1 g-C3N4 nanosheets, the g-C3N4 can be taken up and distributed in leaves. Also, the nutrients (Mg, P, Fe, and Mn), chlorophyll content, electron transfer rate, net photosynthetic rate, and carbohydrates content in maize were increased significantly by 1.1%, 51.8%, 44.6%, 121.8%, 12.1%, 44.5%, 30.0% and 32.3%, respectively. In addition, the gene expressions of psbA (photosystem II reaction center protein A) and psaA (photosystem I P700 chlorophyll A apoprotein A1) were up-regulated by 56.3% and 26.8%, respectively. Moreover, the activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) were significantly increased by 242.3% and 156.3%, respectively. This study provides a new perspective on the use of g-C3N4 nanosheets to promote plant growth and develop nano-enabled agricultural technology.

The molecular and physiological mechanisms of how rare earth oxide nanoparticles (NPs) alter radish (Raphanus sativus L.) taproot formation and cracking were investigated in the present study. We compared plants that received suspensions of 10, 50, 100, 300 mg L−1 of La2O3 NPs, 300 m L−1 La2O3 bulk-particles (BPs), 0.8 m L−1 La3+, or only water for six days during their tuber formation period. 100 and 300 mg L−1 La2O3 NPs exposure decreased storage root biomass by 38% and 60%, respectively, and they both induced visible root cracking. Physiological analyses showed that La2O3 NPs exposure (>100 mg L−1) significantly inhibited leaf net photosynthetic rate, cell wall pectin synthesis of both storage root epidermis and xylem parenchyma tissues, but increased the contents of cellulose and hemicellulose 1 in root epidermis cell walls. Moreover, transcriptome analysis further found that La2O3 NPs changed root cell wall structure by down-regulating core genes involved in cell wall pectin and IAA biosynthesis, which coincided with the observed La2O3 NPs-induced root cracking. Our results revealed the molecular mechanisms related to cell wall carbohydrate metabolism in response to NPs stress, providing a step forward for understanding the causes of NPs phytotoxicity on edible plant taproot formation and cracking.

The utilization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as precursors or templates to design synthesize nanostructured metal oxides has attracted intense interest for their great potential applications in gas separation/storage, drug delivery, catalysis device, gas sensors, etc. In this paper, porous double-shelled nanocages (NCs), namely ZnO/Ni0.9Zn0.1O double-shelled nanocages (DSNCs), were synthesized simply through a metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) route. The ZIF-8 rhombododecahedron was first synthesized and then transformed into ZIF-8/Ni-Zn layered double hydroxides (LDH) precursor. Finally, the ZnO-inner/Ni0.9Zn0.1O-outer DSNCs were obtained through thermal annealing of the as-prepared precursor in air. The ZnO/Ni0.9Zn0.1O DSNCs, when utilized as gas sensing material, exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity towards xylene. Besides, enhanced gas sensing properties of ZnO/Ni0.9Zn0.1O DSNCs were observed when compared with ZnO NCs. Such outstanding gas sensing performance of the ZnO/Ni0.9Zn0.1O DSNCs benefits from their high porosity, large specific surface area, and synergistic effect of ZnO and Ni0.9Zn0.1O. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Background and aims Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and aggressive cancers in the world. However, there remains a lack of effective diagnostic and treatment markers. We aimed to explore MTA3 protein expression and function in HCC and its relationship with clinicopathological factors. Methods We investigated the expression pattern and clinicopathological significance of metastasis-associated protein 3 (MTA3) in 90 patients with HCC via immunohistochemistry and explored MTA3 function via gene knockdown of MTA3. Results MTA3 was overexpressed in HCC cell nuclei and downregulated in HCC cell cytoplasm. The former finding correlated with metastasis (p = 0.010) and poor prognosis (p = 0.018). In addition, deleting MTA3 inhibited HCC cell growth, invasion, and metastasis in vitro, as shown in the colony formation, migration, and wound healing assays. Conclusions These results indicate that MTA3 is an oncogene of HCC, predicts poor prognosis of HCC, and may be a future marker of HCC treatment.

Iron (III) and nitrogen co-doped mesoporous TiO 2 microspheres (Fe-N-TiO 2 ) are prepared using a self-assembly based solvothermal process followed by an ammonothermal method. Among all samples, 1 mol.% of Fe dopants and 500 °C nitridation (for 2 h) gives the highest visible light photoactivity. Results imply that the Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ dopant trap energy level introduced within the band gap in mildly Fe (∼1 at%) doped TiO 2 and the mesoporous nature of the material, both aid in the observed catalytic performance. Subjecting Fe-TiO 2 samples to ammonothermal process induces oxygen vancancies, and substitutional and interstitial N. This reduces optical band gap, and introduces local states. The lower band gap and local states together aid in the absorption of visible light and separation of charge carriers. Co-dopants are distributed uniformly in the best photocatalysts. The active species generated in the photocatalytic system is shown to be singlet molecular oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) using selective radical quenchers.

The need for physicians and technical consultants specialized in transfusion medicine is urgent in China, as there are 20 000 hospitals and 500 blood centers in need of staff with this expertise. The progress made in transfusion medicine as a specialty has been relatively slow in China. Current Chinese medical education and service systems have not developed transfusion medicine as a stand-alone medical specialty. Most physicians receive only minimal training in transfusion medicine in medical school. This training is usually integrated into surgical training and addresses the most common technologies. In 2008, a 5-year bachelor's diploma program in transfusion medicine was established as an undergraduate specialty in Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. This article intends to summarize the 8 years of experience educating undergraduates in the specialty of transfusion medicine.

The authors described gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) for use on an “on − off − on” NIR fluorescent probe for the determination of citrate and Cu(II) ion. The AuNCs were prepared by a microwave-assisted method using BSA as both the stabilizing and reducing agent. The resulting BSA-capped AuNCs display NIR fluorescence peaking at 680 nm under 500 nm excitation, a quantum yield of ~6.0%, an average size of 2.8 ± 0.5 nm, water-dispersibility, stability and biocompatibility. The on−off probe for Cu(II) is based on the interaction between Cu(II) and BSA which causes the fluorescence of the BSA−AuNCs to be quenched. The quenched fluorescence is recovered on addition of vitamin C (VC), obviously due to complexation of Cu(II) by citrate. The probe was employed to image Cu(II) and citrate in HeLa cells and in aqueous solutions. The method works in the 20 nM to 0.1 mM concentration range for Cu(II), and in the 8 nM to 120 μM concentration range for VC.