Search

Recently, the developments of MOFs and their applications on heavy metal removal have attracted much attention. In this paper, we focused on the influence of co-existing ions on the adsorbability of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) modified ZIF-8 in a multi-metal system (Cd(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), and Cr(VI)). It was found that the adsorption of Cd(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), and Cr(VI) on the ZIF-8-EGCG fitted well with the pseudo second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption selectivity of ZIF-8-EGCG in the mixed metal solution followed the order of Cu(II) ≫ Cr(VI) > Cd(II) > Ni(II). Besides, Cu(II) was the most attractive substance with a maximum capacity of 232.97 mg·g−1. Copper also disturbed the adsorption of Cd(II) and Ni(II) and contributed the most to the Cr(VI) removal. The natural anions (e.g., Cl−, NO3–, AsO2−, SO42−) significantly impeded Cr(VI) adsorption, while low concentrations of natural cations (e.g., K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) facilitated the adsorption of Cd(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II).

Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have been considered as cheap alternatives of precious metal platinum for electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In the past decades, many reports have indicated that the engineering of heterointerfaces between different components could efficiently enhance the activity of HER catalysts. Here, we report a facile method to construct Ni12P5–Ni2P heterostructure by using a low temperature phosphorization strategy. The obtained Ni12P5–Ni2P heterostructure shows high activity toward HER with an overpotential value of 166 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 60 mV dec−1 in 0.5 M H2SO4. Compared with pure Ni2P and Ni12P5, the Ni12P5–Ni2P heterostructure has more active sites and faster HER kinetics due to the presence of the interfaces between Ni12P5 and Ni2P. Furthermore, we used the obtained Ni12P5–Ni2P as cathodic catalyst and IrO2/Ti as anodic material to set up a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer which shows good stability after 120 h continuous constant current electrolysis at 200 mA cm−2. This work demonstrates the positive effect of heterostructure for HER catalysts and provides a feasible strategy for constructing earth-abundant electrocatalysts.

BACKGROUND Among children with HIV infection, opportunistic illness (OI) rates decreased after introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 1997. We evaluated whether such decreases have continued. METHODS Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National HIV Surveillance System for children with HIV living in the US during 1997-2016 was used to enumerate infants experiencing the first OI by birth year and OIs among all children

For the biomass catalytic valorization in the presence of a H2 atmosphere, large amounts of H2O and H2 are necessary to improve the processing efficiency, which resulted in the waste of such genero...

Electrochemical methods have been widely applied in the treatment of phenol wastewater for the past few years. However, conventional electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) generally encounter the problem of electrode passivation and the energy consumption required for mineralization is high. In this work, we reported the treatment of phenol wastewater by electrochemical bromination method in a flow electrolysis cell. The Ti/Sb-SnO

Biodegradable shape-memory polymers (SMPs) which are functional materials with applicability for medicine devices are designed to acquire their therapeutically relevant shape and drug release after implantation. In the work, an amphiphilic polymer (PVAD) is synthesized by using polytetrahydrofuran (PTMG), vinyl acetate (VAc), acrylic acid (AA), tetramethyltetravinylcyclotetrasiloxane (D

A combined remediation through washing using humic substances (HS) followed by fixation using zeolite was employed to remediate Cd-contaminated sediment. Cadmium speciation and a series of microbial endpoints were discussed to evaluate the effectiveness of remediation. The combined treatment slightly reduced soil pH and increased soil electrical conductivity and organic matter. The Cd removal efficiency ranged from 11.4 %–26.0 % by HS washing. Zeolite immobilization further increased the residual Cd by 9.0 %–16.4 %, compared with the corresponding HS washing alone. The acid-soluble Cd decreased from the original 1.266 to the lowest 0.466 mg kg−1, while the residual Cd increased from 1.397 to a maximum of 1.595 mg kg−1 in the combined treatments. The change of dehydrogenase was the most sensitive (the maximum increase was 220 times). The increased microbial biomass implied that sediment microenvironment was optimized. In vitro digestion results showed that Cd accessibility decreased by 3.9%–67.9%. Principal component analysis suggested that treatments related to the high-concentration HS washing, especially 2000 mg L−1 HS washing +100 g kg−1 zeolite stabilization, had the best biological performance and it is a feasible technique to restore microenvironment of Cd-contaminated sediments.

High volatility would lead to a highly flammable hazard, explosion danger, low regeneration efficiency and air pollution. Eutectic solvents (ESs) are assumed to be nonvolatile; however, the assumption is not correct. Here, we, for the first time, find that superbase-derived ESs are highly volatile. Even at room temperature (i.e., 25 °C) and atmospheric pressure, the mass loss of ESs could reach as high as 43.5% after 20 h of exposure. Superbase-derived ESs are promising solvents for CO2 capture, and they are also highly volatile after CO2 capture. We found that typical ethylene glycol : 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (EG : DBU (4 : 1)) has a three-stage volatilizing mechanism. EG and DBU volatilize first by breaking weak hydrogen-bonding interactions (1st stage), followed by the destruction of strong hydrogen-bonding interactions (2nd stage), and finally by destroying much stronger hydrogen-bonding interactions (3rd stage). This work presents a new horizon that ESs and their mixture with CO2 are highly volatile, which is helpful for mitigating laboratory explosion, combustion hazards, air pollution and designing new types of ESs with negligible volatility.

Sulfidized nanoscale zerovalent iron (S-nZVI) was a promising material for degrading halogenated contaminants, but the easy aggregation limits its application for in-situ groundwater remediation. Hence, S-nZVI was decorated onto modified biochar (mBC) to obtain better dispersity and reactivity with florfenicol (FF), a widely used antibiotic. Uniform dispersion of S-nZVI particles were achieved on the mBC with plentiful oxygen-containing functional groups and negative surface charge. Thus, the removal rate of FF by S-nZVI@mBC was 2.5 and 3.1 times higher than that by S-nZVI and S-nZVI@BC, respectively. Adsorption and dechlorination of FF showed synergistic effect under appropriate mBC addition (e.g., C/Fe mass ratio = 1:3, 1:1), probably due to the enrichment of FF facilitates its reduction. In contrast, the contact between FF and S-nZVI could be hindered under more mBC addition, significantly decrease the reduction rate of FF and the reduction capacity of per unit Fe

Biopolymer-based hydrogels with sustained drug release capability and antibacterial activity have exhibited great potential in clinical application in drug delivery and wound healing. In this study, a new type of composite wound dressing hydrogel aiming at avoiding wound infection was developed through embedding drug loaded gellan gum microspheres (GMs) into a doubly crosslinked hydrogel, which was constructed by Schiff-base crosslinking of oxidized gellan gum (OG) (pre-crosslinked by calcium ion) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS). The gelation time, swelling index, degradation rate and mechanical properties of the blank hydrogel was optimized by varying the ratios of CMCS/OG (w/w) with fixed OG/calcium (w/w) ratio. The best overall performance of the hydrogel was obtained when CMCS/OG is 16/7 (w/w), with a 139 s gelation time, swelling index remained above 30 after swelling equilibrium, 100.5% degradation rate on the seventh day, and 8.8 KPa compressive modulus. After being embedded with cargo-loaded GMs, the aforementioned performance of the blank hydrogel was improved, and the sustained release of cargoes (antibacterial drugs, tetracycline hydrochloride and silver sulfadiazine) was observed. Moreover, the excellent antibacterial activity of the composite hydrogel was also demonstrated in vitro. These results support the bioactive composite hydrogel can be employed as a promising injectable scaffold for promoting wound regeneration and drug delivery.

Establishing drug release from shape memory polymers (SMPs) for biomedical applications will broaden the horizon of SMP applications from commercial medical device to scientific drug delivery system. Therefore, a strategy combining degradable SMP with drug release is put forward. However, there are few reports about the relevance between them so far. In the work, incorporations of three grafting tannins (TA) as switching phase into poly (l-lactide)(PLLA) construct different thermoresponsive SM composites. TA-PCL-COOH/PLLA exhibites good shape fixation (R

Objectives To investigate whether hUC-MSCs attenuated severe burn-induced ALI and the effects were based on TSG-6 secreted from hUC-MSCs.Method Rat model was established and evaluated as follows：Anires2005 animal pulmonary function tester for pulmonary function; micro-CT scanner for lung imaging manifestations; Cytokine expression was measured by ELISA assay, both inflammatory cells infiltration and lung injury were assessed by immunohistochemistry assay.Results In vitro, TSG-6 levels in serum from burn group were significantly increased than that of the sham group. In vivo, TSG-6 levels of lung tissues and serum in burn+ hUC-MSCs group were significantly increased than that of in the burn group. Higher parameters of the airway resistance（Ri, Re, etc）were markedly decreased and the disordered lung texture and funicular density shadows were significantly improved after hUC-MSCs administration. Both in lung tissues and serum, increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines（TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6）were remarkably decreased but anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 increased after hUC-MSCs administrations (pConclusions Intra-tracheal implantation of hUC-MSCs had been an effective treatment for severe burn-induced ALI via promoting TSG-6 secretion and inhibiting inflammatory reaction in lung tissue.

Background P311, a highly conserved 8 kDa intracellular protein, has recently been reported to play an important role in aggravating hypertrophic scaring by promoting the differentiation and secretion of fibroblasts. Nevertheless, how P311 regulates the differentiation and function of fibroblasts to affect granulation tissue formation remains unclear. In this work, we studied the underlying mechanisms via which P311 affects fibroblasts and promotes acute skin wound repair. Methods To explore the role of P311, both in vitro and in vivo wound-healing models were used. Full-thickness skin excisional wounds were made in wild-type and P311−/− C57 adult mice. Wound healing rate, re-epithelialization, granulation tissue formation and collagen deposition were measured at days 3, 6 and 9 after skin injury. The biological phenotypes of fibroblasts, the expression of target proteins and relevant signaling pathways were examined both in vitro and in vivo. Results P311 could promote the proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts, enhance the ability of myofibroblasts to secrete extracellular matrix and promote cell contraction, and then facilitate the formation of granulation tissue and eventually accelerate skin wound closure. Importantly, we discovered that P311 acts via up-regulating the expression of type II transforming growth factor-β receptor (TGF-βRII) in fibroblasts and promoting the activation of the TGF-βRII-Smad signaling pathway. Mechanistically, the mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway is closely implicated in the regulation of the TGF-βRII-Smad pathway in fibroblasts mediated by P311. Conclusions P311 plays a critical role in activation of the TGF-βRII-Smad pathway to promote fibroblast proliferation and differentiation as well as granulation tissue formation in the process of skin wound repair.

The bi-functional Ni–W@C catalysts were prepared by one-pot reduction–carbonization method and used in hydrogenolysis of cellulose as well as raw lignocellulosic biomass to chemicals. The catalytic performance for cellulose conversion showed that it was more favorable for ethylene glycol (EG) production, obtaining the highest EG yield 60.1% over the Ni–W@C700 catalyst. The Ni–W@C bimetallic catalysts are systematically characterized with BET, XRD, Raman, XPS, TEM techniques and experiments to probe the active catalytic sites of the catalysts. The effects of calcination temperature of Ni–W catalysts, reaction time, temperature and H2 pressure on cellulose hydrogenolysis were investigated in detail. The Ni particles could lead to produce more W5+ active sites, which promotes the glucose retro-aldol condensation to break the target C–C bonds. Metallic Ni catalyzed C=O hydrogenation and C–C hydrogenolysis, which could also avoid the coke formation. The EG selectivity was dependent on the synergy of WOx and Ni metal sites. In addition, this synergistic effect between the metal and WOx could promote lignin component degradation in direct conversion of untreated raw lignocellulosic biomass, obtaining the propyl monophenolics including guaiacylpropane, syringylpropane and p-n-propylphenol with a total yield of 17.3 wt% besides EG.

Two-dimensionally layered structures are intriguing for the fundamental demand of opto-electronic devices and have broad applications due to their superior properties. In particular, layered heterostructures as promising materials in photocatalysis, have lots of active atoms exposed on the surface, which largely affect the photocatalytic performance. In this work, two-dimensional heterostructures were synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method, in which monolayer BiPO4 chemically bonded on Bi2WO6 nano-sheets with Ag/Ag2O nanoparticles (BWO-AP). The two-step method significantly improved photocatalytic efficiency, compared with traditional one-step process. Compared to other controls, BWO-AP showed the highest quantum efficiency and photocatalytic performances for O2 revolution in distilled water and Rh B degradation. It was ascribed to its fast photoinduced charge separation and transfer. Interestingly, there also was some amount of H2 generated in distilled water, and the increased Ag0:Ag+ of BWO-AP after photocatalytic reaction could explain the consumption of photo-induced electrons from water splitting.

Bi2WO6 photocatalyst possesses great photocatalytic properties, modification with Ag, Ag2O, and Ag3PO4 further improve its photocatalytic activity. Photocatalyst utilized as suspended powders in wastewater treatment imposes restrictions for practical application. Therefore, the design and fabrication of photocatalyst film with high efficiency and stability are crucial for practical application. In this study, polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified AP-BWO (A: Ag, Ag2O; P: Ag3PO4; BWO: Bi2WO6) photocatalyst film coated on glass substrate was firstly synthesized with excellent photocatalytic activity and stability. Bi2WO6based films were modified with different PEG molecular weight, dosage and coating layers, followed by characteristic analysis (SEM, TEM, XPS, UVvis, PL, and photocurrent density) and photodegradation test. Photodegradation showed that 2-layered of 12 g L−1 PEG2000 modified AP-BWO film exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity. XPS and TEM indicated that PEG2000-AP-BWO film was fabricated successfully. SEM and UV–vis denoted the photocatalyst film showed small particle size and strong visible-light absorption. Furthermore, PL and photocurrent density confirmed its low recombination and fast charge separation of electronhole pairs. The photocatalytic films showed high activity and stability in both 10-cycle repeatability experiments and tandem-type photocatalytic recycle system. Therefore, PEG2000-AP-BWO film with enhanced photocatalytic performance and stability was a promising alternative for wastewater treatment.

Poplar wood flour wood-plastic composites (WPCs) prepared with high-density polyethylene and modified with different amounts of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) were created. The influence of EVA content on the surface properties and weathering characteristics after ultraviolet (UV) treatment was investigated. The results showed that WPCs treated with EVA had improved thermal stability, and the surface polarity was reduced. The addition of EVA slowed the fading of the WPCs, and the color difference was the smallest when the EVA content was 5%. Both the bending strength and the modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the WPCs decreased after the UV treatment. However, when the EVA content was 5%, the bending strength retention ratio and MOE retention ratio were greatest. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the addition of EVA reduced the amount of pores and gaps on the fractured surfaces of the WPCs. The comprehensive performance of the WPC anti-weathering properties was greatest when the EVA level was 5%.

Background Annual human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnoses in the United States (US) have plateaued since 2013. We assessed whether there is an association between uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and decreases in HIV diagnoses. Methods We used 2012–2016 data from the US National HIV Surveillance System to estimate viral suppression (VS) and annual percentage change in diagnosis rate (EAPC) in 33 jurisdictions, and data from a national pharmacy database to estimate PrEP uptake. We used Poisson regression with random effects for state and year to estimate the association between PrEP coverage and EAPC: within jurisdictional quintiles grouped by changes in PrEP coverage, regressing EAPC on time; and among all jurisdictions, regressing EAPC on both time and jurisdictional changes in PrEP coverage with and without accounting for changes in VS. Results From 2012 to 2016, across the 10 states with the greatest increases in PrEP coverage, the EAPC decreased 4.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], −5.2% to −2.9%). On average, across the states and District of Columbia, EAPC for a given year decreased by 1.1% (95% CI, −1.77% to −.49%) for an increase in PrEP coverage of 1 per 100 persons with indications. When controlling for VS, the state-specific EAPC for a given year decreased by 1.3% (95% CI, −2.12% to −.57%) for an increase in PrEP coverage of 1 per 100 persons with indications. Conclusions We found statistically significant associations between jurisdictional increases in PrEP coverage and decreases in EAPC independent of changes in VS, which supports bringing PrEP use to scale in the US to accelerate reductions in HIV infections.

Traditional contact lenses bring convenience for ophthalmic drug delivery. However, either as contact lenses or as drug carriers, traditional materials have still some drawbacks in the field. Therefore, a transparent film was designed and investigated for the application of therapeutic contact lenses. Chitosan (CS)/graphene oxide (GO) composite film and CS film were fabricated with acceptable transparent and tensile properties by simple casting flow method. Although swelling ratio of CS/GO composite film was higher than that of CS film with significant difference, both formed films had suitable swelling ratio for contact lens application. Both CS/GO composite film and CS film exhibited typical CS infrared characteristic peaks. CS/GO composite film had significant greater breaking strength than CS film, but its elongation at break was a little lower than CS film. Either CS/GO composite film or CS film exhibited good hydrophilic property with a contact angle of around 20 degree. Ofloxacin as a model drug was loaded into films by adsorption diffusion method. Loaded drug amount in CS/GO composite film was a little larger than that in CS film, but without significant difference. The drug release behaviors from CS/GO composite film or CS film were investigated and revealed that the loaded drug could be controlled to release in the first hour. Two kinds of cells were used to evaluate the biocompatibility of films by in vitro method. It was found that both CS/GO composite film and CS film could support human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) growth. But for human epidermal fibroblasts (HSF) cells, CS/GO composite film could promote HSF cells growth and proliferation much better than CS film.

In the present study, a colorimetric azobenzene-based probe (AZO 1) was reported that exhibits high selectivity toward Cu2+ and undergoes a red to yellow colour change upon its detection. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to investigate the mechanism of the probe discoloration. The differences in the binding energies of complexes of 2 : 1 and 1 : 1 stoichiometry indicated that a two-step complexation process takes place as the Cu2+ content increases. However, the calculated absorption spectra suggested that a significant colour change would only be observed for the 1 : 1 AZO 1 : Cu2+ complex. A HOMO–LUMO electronic transition was a key factor for the blue shift of the absorption bands of the probe. Further studies indicated that solvent molecules participate in the complexation and that the presence of the o-methoxy group in AZO 1 led to formation of an octahedral complex because of the additional chelating site. A significant change in the conformation of AZO 1, namely the rotation of the N,N-di(carboxymethyl)amino group around the N–CAr bond by approximately 90°, resulted in a larger HOMO–LUMO energy gap, and the corresponding alteration of the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) from the N,N-di(carboxymethyl)amino group to the phenyl ring led to the observed colour change.

The large volume and weak environmental adaptability of fiber optical frequency combs (OFCs) have become the main obstacles for their applications in various fields. To address these issues, in this study, we present a compact, low-cost f-to-2f interferometer and fiber actuator with a large tuning range and a high control bandwidth for a 200-MHz OFC that is based on a 1.5-μm all-polarization-maintaining fiber mode-locked laser. By employing customized fiber-coupled gradient index lenses, our f-to-2f interferometer is encapsulated in a miniature tube with a diameter of only 4 mm and a length of 40 mm, which substantially reduces the optical section size of the frequency comb as compared to conventional devices. The carrier envelope offset beat with a signal-to-noise ratio of 40 dB is detected in a resolution bandwidth of 360 kHz. In addition, a laboratory-made piezoelectric transducer-driven mechanical actuator for repetition rate regulation exhibited a large tuning range of 106 kHz (corresponding to an effective temperature drift of 53 °C) and a high control bandwidth of approximately 1 kHz. This resulted in a robust repetition rate locking with an Allan deviation of 330 μHz at a gate time of 1 s and a residual integrated timing jitter of 418 fs [3 Hz to 1 MHz] when referenced to a hydrogen maser. Along with reducing the size and improving the environmental adaptability of the OFC, our design can also decrease the power consumption of the system significantly. Our findings provide a new direction to the development of OFCs for various applications.

The application of azobenzene (AZO) as a kind of photo-switch is restricted by its excitation source, i.e., UV light. Hence, visible light-driven azobenzene-based photo-switching is needed and has been designed in the work. In order to forecast the optimal triggered wavelength, the electrostatic potential, theoretical UV-vis spectra, as well as the energy gap for focused structures was calculated to describe the energy and orbit status of the molecules by DFT. According to the theoretical optimization results, m-Methyl Red (m-MR) containing copolymer was successfully synthesized as a visible light-driven photo-switch. Further, for performance evaluation, the efficiency and effectiveness of different excitation wavelengths was firstly evaluated for the copolymer using m-MR and m-Methyl Red acrylic anhydride (m-MRAA) as the controls. Compared with m-MR and m-MRAA, the copolymer exhibited outstanding characteristics as a photo-switch according to its response–recovery behavior. At the same time, blue light proved to be the most efficient excitation light source. Moreover, the equilibrium response time and recovery time showed some dependence on the excitation wavelength. Secondly, the influence of the light intensity on the isomerization transition was investigated. A relatively low light density could lead to a relatively low degree of the final cis form and needed more equilibrium time for trans to cis transformation but showed little effect on the recovery process. Thirdly, repeatable on/off irradiation was used to evaluate the fatigue resistance of the copolymer. Good fatigue resistance without photobleaching was verified from the results. Fourthly, the influence of the solvent on visible light-driven isomerization was also evaluated. Finally, the synthesized copolymer still had the characteristic of a pH indicator with a critical point at pH 5.0 and exhibited an obvious fluorescent characteristic.

Microspheres and injectable hydrogels derived from natural biopolymers have been extensively investigated as drug carriers and cell scaffolds. In this study, we report a preparation of comp...

Polymers 4 containing poly(arylene ethynylene) were synthesized and characterized systematically. Among them, 4c exhibited a remarkable H2 evolution rate (14.32 mmol h–1 g–1) with visible-light irradiation, lasting 72 h in different water qualities; the corresponding apparent quantum yield was 11.6% at 450 nm.

Zhangye City is a representative agricultural city in China where agriculture depends heavily on precipitation in the Heihe River Basin; water use for agriculture plays a key role in the sustainable development of total water resources. This study, based on the predicted surface runoff by GCM, uses a CGE model with a water-land resources account, to analyze the impact of climate change on Zhangye City’s economy and agricultural water consumption. The results show that climate change increases surface runoff by 8.84%. The increasing surface runoff contributes most to the total water consumption, increasing by 8.11% accompanied by a small GDP expansion of 0.12%. Relative to the industrial structure, agricultural sectors benefit most. Contrarily, export-oriented industrial sectors see a decrease in benefit, resulting in employment migrating to lower value-added agricultural sectors. From the water types, the consumption for underground and other water also rise by 6.69% and 5.73% respectively, due to the economic scale expansion effect of the agricultural sectors. For varieties of crops, grain crops consume more water because of its greater water intensity. And the land is mostly transferred from economic crops to grain crops. Therefore, the government should pay attention to changes in the consumption propensity of water resources, continue to promote agricultural water-saving measures and the adjustment of agricultural planting structure.

To investigate the association of eight variants of four matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) genes with ischemic stroke (IS) and whether interactions among these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) increases the risk of IS.Among 547 patients with ischemic stroke and 350 controls, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry was used to examine eight variants arising from four different genes, including MMP-1 (rs1799750), MMP-2 (rs243865, rs2285053, rs2241145), MMP-9 (rs17576), and MMP-12 (rs660599, rs2276109, and rs652438). Gene-gene interactions were employed using generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) methods.The frequency of rs17576 was significantly higher in IS patients than in controls (p = .033). Logistic regression analysis revealed the AG and GG genotypes of rs17576 to be associated with a higher risk for IS, with the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval being 2.490 (1.251-4.959) and 2.494 (1.274-4.886), respectively. GMDR analysis showed a significant SNP-SNP interaction between rs17576 and rs660599 (the testing balanced accuracy was 53.70% and cross-validation consistency was 8/10, p = .0107). Logistic regression analysis showed the interaction between rs17576 and rs660599 to be an independent risk factor for IS with an odds ratio of 1.568 and a 95% confidence interval of 1.152-2.135.An MMP-9 rs17576 polymorphism is associated with increased IS risk in the Han Hakka population and interaction between MMP-9 rs17576 and MMP-12 rs660599 is associated with increased IS risk as well.

Sulfadiazine (SDZ) was a persistent sulfonamide antibiotic with a potential risk to human health. The waste dipping syrup was considered useless and environmentally unfriendly solution. In this work, carbonyl-, hydroxyl-, and amino-functionalized microporous carbonaceous nanospheres were synthesized using waste dipping syrup with glucose, fructose, and nitrogen, which was used as precursor for hydrothermal and pyrolysis process. The products were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the point of zero charge (PZC), Xray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The carbonaceous nanospheres with large BET surface area (924.528 m

The transition from the proinflammatory phase to the prohealing phase in wound healing is essential for effective skin wound repair, which involves the balance of M1 and M2 polarization of wound-infiltrating macrophages. P311 plays an essential role in promoting wound closure by enhancing the biological function of epidermal stem cells, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts. Nevertheless, whether and how P311 regulates macrophage polarization remains unclear. In this study, we showed that P311 deficiency reduced the M2 polarization of macrophages, thereby attenuating the secretion of M2-like cytokines. The P311 deficiency prolonged the transition from the proinflammatory phase to the prohealing phase, accompanied by weakened angiogenesis and retarded granulation tissue formation, both of which coordinately hinder the healing of skin wounds. Mechanistically, P311 deficiency downregulated the expression of IL-4 receptor on macrophages, followed by less activation of the IL-4 receptor‒signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 signaling pathway, resulting in impaired M2 macrophage polarization. We further revealed that the mTOR signaling pathway was associated with the regulation of P311 on the expression of IL-4 receptor in macrophages. Thus, our study has highlighted the pivotal role of P311 in promoting the M2 polarization of macrophages for effective skin wound healing.

Background Efficient re-epithelialization is important for successful skin wound healing. The proportion of epidermal stem cells (EpSCs) and dendritic epidermal T cells (DETCs) determines the extent of wound re-epithelialization, especially in large areas of skin tissue loss. However, it remains unknown whether and how DETCs regulate the status of EpSCs to impact wound re-epithelialization. Methods To investigate how DETCs regulate EpSCs in skin re-epithelialization, we utilized normal or full-thickness skin deficient wide type (WT) mice and Tcrσ knockout (Tcrσ−/−) mice with DETCs or DETCs-derived exosomes (Exos) treatment. Flow cytometry analysis (FCAS), BrdU labelled experiments, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical assays were performed to detect the proportion of EpSCs in the epidermis. Wound closure rate and re-epithelialization were assayed by a macroscopical view and hematoxylin–eosin (H&E) staining. EpSCs in vitro were co-cultured with DETCs in a transwell-dependent or -independent manner, or supplement with GW4869 or Exos (5 µg/mL, 15 µg/mL and 45 µg/mL), and the proliferation of EpSCs was detected by means of FCAS and CFSE. Results Our data showed that the proportion of CD49fbriCD71dim cells, K15+ cells and BrdU+ cells in the normal epidermis of Tcrδ−/− mice had no significant difference compared to WT mice. For wounded Tcrδ−/− mice, DETCs treatment increase the proportion of CD49fbriCD71dim cells, K15+ cells and BrdU+ cells in the epidermis around the wound in comparison to PBS treatment. DETCs significantly increased the number of CD49fbriCD7dim cells and K15+ cells through transwell-dependent or -independent manners relative to control group. Furthermore, Exos stimuli remarkedly promote the proliferation of EpSCs compared to control group, while the increasement was suppressed when DETCs were interfered with GW4869. Gross observation and H&E staining showed that Exos significantly accelerated wound closure and increased re-epithelialization length in Tcrδ−/− mice when compared to control mice. Additionally, we found in vivo that Exos observably facilitated the proliferation of CD49fbriCD7dim cells and K15+ cells. Conclusions We revealed that DETCs enhanced the proliferation of EpSCs in the epidermis around the wounds to accelerate re-epithelialization in which Exos played important roles in the remote regulation of EpSCs proliferation. Together, these findings suggest a mechanistic link among DETC-derived exosomes, the proliferation of EpSCs, and wound re-epithelialization in the skin.

Objectives Histatin 1(Hst 1) has been proved to promote wound healing. However, there was no specific study on the regulation made by Hst 1 of fibroblasts in the process of wound healing. This research comprehensively studied the regulation of Hst 1 on the function of fibroblasts in the process of wound healing and preliminary mechanism about it. Materials and methods The full‐thickness skin wound model was made on the back of C57/BL6 mice. The wound healing, collagen deposition and fibroblast distribution were detected on days 3, 5 and 7 after injury. Fibroblast was cultured in vitro and stimulated with Hst 1, and then, their biological characteristics and functions were detected. Results Histatin 1 can effectively promote wound healing, improve collagen deposition during and after healing and increase the number and function of fibroblasts. After healing, the mechanical properties of the skin also improved. In vitro, the migration ability of fibroblasts stimulated by Hst 1 was significantly improved, and the fibroblasts transformed more into myofibroblasts, which improved the function of contraction and collagen secretion. In fibroblasts, mTOR signalling pathway can be activated by Hst 1. Conclusions Histatin 1 can accelerate wound healing and improve the mechanical properties of healed skin by promoting the function of fibroblasts. The intermolecular mechanisms need to be further studied, and this study provides a direction about mTOR signalling pathway., Histatin 1 may be activated by G protein coupled receptors on the surface of cell membrane. Subsequently, PI3K / Akt / mTOR signaling pathway was activated to promote the migration of fibroblasts and the transformation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. By regulating the function of fibroblasts, it can improve the healing speed of acute wound and the mechanical properties of skin after healing.

Healthy aquatic ecosystems can offer basic ecological services for the sustainable development of humans and society. Water quality greatly influences the macroinvertebrate community in aquatic ecosystems and can alter the aquatic ecosystem's health status. However, the quantitative relationship between macroinvertebrate community and water quality factors in rivers remains unclear, particularly in urban rivers, which are strongly affected by human activities. Therefore, a new framework for the quantitative analysis between macroinvertebrate community and key water quality driving factors was developed in the study, meanwhile, the aquatic ecosystem health conditions were evaluated and validated by different methods. The framework was applied to a typical urban river, the North Canal River, which is regarded as the "mother river" of Beijing. Combined with the redundancy analysis (RDA) and the threshold indicator taxa analysis (TITAN), the water quality driving factors and their indicator species were identified and the corresponding response threshold was determined. Based on the benthic index of biotic integrity (B-IBI), the multi-metric rapid bioassessment method, and the biological monitoring working party (BMWP) score, the aquatic ecosystem health condition in the basin was comprehensively evaluated. The results show that fluoride, biochemical oxygen demand, ammonia-nitrogen and total phosphorus were the key water quality driving factors influencing the community structure of macroinvertebrates. Four indicator species of ammonia-nitrogen were identified by the TITAN method with a threshold range of 1.09-6.94 mg L