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Cathodic electrodeposition has recently attracted considerable attention in the fabrication of porous materials such as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) because of its advantages including controllability, simplicity, product continuously and mild synthesis conditions. Here, we report fabrication of the porous mixed metal oxides through in situ cathodic electrodeposition of pristine Ni,Cu-MOF onto Ni-foam followed by its calcination strategy. The as-prepared materials are characterized via structural and chemical analyses (i.e. XRD, FE-SEM, FT-IR, BET and TG-DSC) and also electrochemical tests (i.e. CV, GCD and EIS). The analyses results indicated that calcination of pristine MOF under at 650 °C in dry air atmosphere concludes mixed Ni/Cu-oxide with similar morphology to its MOF precursor. The results of electrochemical tests showed that the fabricated MOF-derived Ni/Cu-oxide electrode is capable to deliver a highest specific capacitance of 1525 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1, which was higher than that of pristine Ni,Cu-MOF electrode (i.e. 942 F g−1). Rate capability of MOF-derived oxide was as high as 69.1% which was higher than that of Ni,Cu-MOF electrode (57%) by increasing the current density to 20 times. Excellent capacity retentions of 92.35% and 87.25% were also observed after 9000 GCD cycling at the current load of 5 A g−1, respectively, for Ni,Cu-MOF and Ni,Cu-oxide electrodes. Furthermore, MOF-derived oxide electrode displayed lower Rs and Rct values (0.36 Ω and 2.21 Ω, respectively) as compared with those of Ni,Cu-MOF electrode (i.e. 0.56 Ω and 2.54 Ω, respectively) verifying that the MOF-derived oxide electrode has high electrical conductivity and smaller kinetic barrier.

An airfoil with a porous trailing edge has a low noise emission; thus, using a porous medium is a good technique for further reduction of wind turbine noise. In this paper, to reduce airfoil trailing edge noise while minimizing the negative influence of a porous medium on aerodynamic performance, a new filling method is proposed such that a porous medium is only used in the suction side half of the trailing edge, which is more sensitive to the noise generation. The large eddy simulation (LES) technique for flow and the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) method for acoustics are used. At a Reynolds number of 2.63 × 105 and various angles of attack, an NACA0018 airfoil profile with a porous trailing edge covering 20% of the chord is studied under two porous configurations, namely a fully porous and a suction-side porous trailing edge type. The results show that the flow direction, velocity magnitude, and their distributions along the boundary layer of the two porous airfoils are significantly modified due to the presence of the porous medium. The fluctuation of the pressure coefficient and the increase in the boundary layer thickness are significant at low angles of attack. As compared to the solid airfoil counterpart, the noise radiation from the newly proposed suction-side porous airfoil achieves a noise reduction of 4.3 dB at an angle of attack α = 0°, and a noise reduction of 4.07 dB at an angle of attack α = 2°.

Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) play pivotal roles in promoting cancer progression. Systemic delivery of therapeutic agents to efficiently eliminate these cells remains challenging. Here, we report the development of a bio-responsive polymeric complex (P3AB) that can be systemically administrated to target and eliminate TAMs in tumours. This complex comprises a polymeric ‘shell’ and ‘core’. The shell (PPP) consists of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and a peptide that can be cleaved by matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) in the tumour microenvironment; and the ‘core’ (AB) is a bisphosphonate–glucomannan conjugate that has affinity for macrophage mannose receptors and selectively eliminates TAMs. Our data show that the P3AB complex can be accumulated in the tumour site thanks to its appropriate size and its PPP shell is sensitively cleaved by MMPs, efficiently releasing the AB core that can potently reduce TAM viability. The systemically delivered P3AB complex demonstrates favourable responses to the physiological features of the tumour microenvironment (e.g. underdeveloped vasculature and high MMP levels), and effectively inhibits tumour growth and restores local immunosurveillance in vivo, without exerting hepatotoxicity. Taken together, our findings suggest that P3AB has the potential to be an effective and safe tool for TAM-targeting cancer immunotherapy.

We herein report the discovery of a naturally derived carbohydrate with binding affinities for two pro-angiogenic growth factors-fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). This galacturonic acid-containing polysaccharide (EUP3) sequestered endogenous FGF-2 and PDGF-BB in vivo and promoted in situ formation and maturation of new blood vessels. Our findings suggest EUP3 as the first nonglycosaminoglycan, nonanimal-originated carbohydrate molecule that binds two pro-angiogenic growth factors to stimulate angiogenesis. Further investigations into this carbohydrate may lead to the development of new tools for therapeutic angiogenesis.

Our evolving understandings of cell-material interactions provide insights for using polymers to modulate cell behaviour that may lead to therapeutic applications. It is known that in certain cancers, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play vital roles in promoting tumour progression, chiefly because of their ‘alternatively activated’ (or M2) phenotype that orchestrates immunosuppression. In this study, we demonstrated that two cationic polymers – cationic dextran (C-dextran) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) – could directly remodel these cells into an anti-tumour, ‘classically activated’ (or M1) phenotype, thereby stimulating these cells to express tumouricidal cytokines, reactivating the T cell functions, and prolonging the lifespan of the mice model. Our investigations with knock-out mice further indicate that the functions of these cationic polymers require the involvement of toll-like receptor 4-mediated signalling. Taken together, our study suggests that these cationic polymers can effectively and directly re-polarize MDSCs from an immunosuppressive characteristic to an anti-tumour phenotype, leading to successful restoration of immune surveillance in the tumour microenvironment and elimination of tumour cells. Our findings may have immediate impact on further development of polymer-based therapeutics for cancer immunotherapy.

Both tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) and tumor infiltrating dendritic cells (TIDCs) are important components in the tumor microenvironment that mediate tumor immunosuppression and promote cancer progression. Targeting these cells and altering their phenotypes may become a new strategy to recover their anti-tumor activities and thereby restore the local immune surveillance against tumor. In this study, we constructed a nucleic acid delivery system for the delivery of let-7b, a synthetic microRNA mimic. Our carrier has an affinity for the mannose receptors on TAMs/TIDCs and is responsive to the low-pH tumor microenvironment. The delivery of let-7b could reactivate TAMs/TIDCs by acting as a TLR-7 agonist and suppressing IL-10 production in vitro. In a breast cancer mouse model, let-7b delivered by this system efficiently reprogrammed the functions of TAMs/TIDCs, reversed the suppressive tumor microenvironment, and inhibited tumor growth. Taken together, this strategy, designed based upon TAMs/TIDCs-targeting delivery and the dual biological functions of let-7b (TLR-7 ligand and IL-10 inhibitor), may provide a new approach for cancer immunotherapy.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Anti-TNF-α therapies have shown protective effects against colitis, but an efficient tool for target suppression of its secretion - ideally via oral administration - remains in urgent demand. In the colon tissue, TNF-α is mainly secreted by the colonic macrophages. Here, we report an orally-administrated microspheric vehicle that can target the colonic macrophages and suppress the local expression of TNF-α for IBD treatment. This vehicle is formed by cationic konjac glucomannan (cKGM), phytagel and an antisense oligonucleotide against TNF-α. It was given to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) colitic mice via gastric perfusion. The unique swelling properties of cKGM enabled the spontaneous release of cKGM& antisense nucleotide (ASO) nano-complex from the phytagel scaffold into the colon lumen, where the ASO was transferred into colonic macrophages via receptor-mediated phagocytosis. The treatment significantly decreased the local level of TNF-α and alleviated the symptoms of colitis in the mice. In summary, our study demonstrates a convenient, orally-administrated drug delivery system that effectively targets colonic macrophages for suppression of TNF-α expression. It may represent a promising therapeutic approach in the treatment of IBD.