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This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of nonthermal plasma (NTP) technology utilizing a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor, both with and without exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), in reducing soot particles and their impact on nitrogen oxides (NOx). The experiment involved maintaining a constant flue gas flow rate of 10 l/min, employing high voltage values of 0, 6, and 10 kV, fixed frequency of 500 Hz and setting the various IMEP of 5, 6, and 7 bar and the engine speed at 2,000 rpm. The findings demonstrated that NTP was successful in removing NOx by approximately 16.84% and 17.01%, achieving particle matter (PM) removal efficiencies of around 60.79% and 81.13%, and effectively reducing activation energy by approximately 18.34% and 31.5% (with and without EGR, respectively) at a high voltage of 10 kV. These results highlight the potential of NTP technology in mitigating emissions and reducing the environmental impact associated with diesel engines.

Particulate matter (PM) is a problem for human health the major producer of PM are diesel engines. The diesel particulate filters (DPFs) are used for the limitation of the PM. The DPF operation consists of two sequential functions: PM filtering and regeneration. One of the main contributing factors affecting the regeneration of DPF is the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas. This study investigates the impact of different oxygen concentrations (99.99%, 10%, and 5%) on (PM) oxidation when using silver catalysts supported on CeO2, ZnO, TiO2, and Al2O3. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using XRD, SEM, SEMEDX, and H2-TPR techniques, and the PM oxidation activity was evaluated using TGA. The results demonstrated that different oxygen concentrations had little effect on light VOCs oxidation compared to no catalyst or the same catalyst. However, heavy VOCs and soot combustion, which require a higher oxygen concentration, significantly reduce combustion performance when the oxygen concentration decreases.

While prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) is produced in human tumor microenvironment (TME), its role therein remains poorly understood. Here, we examine this issue by comparative single-cell RNA sequencing of immune cells infiltrating human cancers and syngeneic tumors in female mice. PGE receptors EP4 and EP2 are expressed in lymphocytes and myeloid cells, and their expression is associated with the downregulation of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and MYC targets, glycolysis and ribosomal proteins (RPs). Mechanistically, CD8 + T cells express EP4 and EP2 upon TCR activation, and PGE 2 blocks IL-2-STAT5 signaling by downregulating Il2ra, which downregulates c-Myc and PGC-1 to decrease OXPHOS, glycolysis, and RPs, impairing migration, expansion, survival, and antitumor activity. Similarly, EP4 and EP2 are induced upon macrophage activation, and PGE 2 downregulates c-Myc and OXPHOS in M1-like macrophages. These results suggest that PGE 2 -EP4/EP2 signaling impairs both adaptive and innate immunity in TME by hampering bioenergetics and ribosome biogenesis of tumor-infiltrating immune cells., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This work presented the influence of metal oxides as the support for silver-supported catalysts on the catalytic oxidation of diesel particulate matter (DPM). The supports selected to be used in this work were CeO 2 (reducible), ZnO (semiconductor), TiO 2 (reducible and semiconductor), and Al 2 O 3 (acidic). The properties of the synthesized catalysts were investigated using XRD, TEM, H 2 -TPR, and XPS techniques. The DPM oxidation activity was performed using the TGA method. Different states of silver (e.g., Ag° and Ag + ) were formed with different concentrations and affected the performance of the DPM oxidation. Ag 2 O and lattice oxygen, which were mainly generated by Ag/ZnO and Ag/CeO 2 , were responsible for combusting the VOCs. The metallic silver (Ag°) formed primarily on Ag/Al 2 O 3 and Ag/TiO 2 was the main component promoting soot combustion. Contact between the catalyst and DPM had a minor effect on VOC oxidation but significantly affected the soot oxidation activity., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

This work presented the kinetic analysis of devolatilized diesel-soot combustion accelerated by Ag/Al 2 O 3 and Ag/CeO 2 catalysts. Isoconversional and master-plots techniques were employed to estimate activation energy and identify the reaction model. The apparent activation energy of uncatalyzed soot oxidation was 101.85 kJ/mol, and it was reduced to 61.85 and 82.78 kJ/mol for the combustion catalyzed by Ag/Al 2 O 3 and Ag/CeO 2 , respectively. The reaction-order model, f (α) = (1- α) n , with n of 1.4, 1, and 1 showed the best fit for the uncatalyzed soot oxidation and soot oxidation catalyzed by Ag/Al 2 O 3 and Ag/CeO 2 , respectively. The proposed single-step reaction models were quite capable of reproducing experiments for the uncatalyzed soot oxidation and soot oxidation catalyzed by Ag/CeO 2 . In the presence of Ag/Al 2 O 3 , the oxidation rate at the first 20% of conversion was faster than the 1st-order reaction reflecting that the soot was rapidly oxidized by highly active species generated by Ag/Al 2 O 3 . The oxidation of the remaining soot closely followed the 1st-order reaction mechanism., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a type IV hypersensitivity mainly mediated by Th1/Th17 immune response. Topical corticosteroid is currently the first-line treatment for allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and systemic administration of immunosuppressive drugs are used in patients with severe disseminated cases. However, increased risk of adverse effects has limited their use. Thus, the development of a novel immunosuppressant for ACD with low toxicity is a challenging issue. In this study, we began our study by using a murine contact hypersensitivity (CHS) model of ACD to examine the immunosuppressive effects of DYRK1B inhibition. We found that mice treated with a selective DYRK1B inhibitor show reduced ear inflammation. In addition, a significant reduction of Th1 and Th17 cells in the regional lymph node upon DYRK1B inhibition was observed by FACS analysis. Studies in vitro further revealed that DYRK1B inhibitor does not only suppressed Th1 and Th17 differentiation, but also promotes regulatory T cells (Treg) differentiation. Mechanistically, FOXO1 signaling was enhanced due to the suppression of FOXO1 Ser329 phosphorylation in the presence of DYRK1B inhibitor. Therefore, these findings suggest that DYRK1B regulates CD4 T cell differentiation through FOXO1 phosphorylation and DYRK1B inhibitor has a potential as a novel agent for treatment of ACD., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Ceftriaxone is a cephalosporin antibiotic drug used as first-line treatment for a number of bacterial diseases. Ceftriaxone belongs to the third generation of cephalosporin and is available as an intramuscular or intravenous injection. Previously published pharmacokinetic studies have used high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) for the quantification of ceftriaxone. This study aimed to develop and validate a bioanalytical method for the quantification of ceftriaxone in human plasma using liquid chromatography followed by tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Sample preparation was performed by protein precipitation of 100 µl plasma sample in combination with phospholipid-removal techniques to minimize matrix interferences. The chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 column with 10 mM ammonium formate containing 2% formic acid: acetonitrile as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.4 ml/min with a total run time of 10 minutes. Both the analyte and cefotaxime (internal standard) were detected using the positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) for the precursor-product ion transitions m/z 555.0→396.1 for ceftriaxone and 456.0→324.0 for cefotaxime. The method was validated over the concentration range of 1.01-200 μg/ml. Calibration response showed good linearity (correlation coefficient > 0.99) and matrix effects were within the ±15% limit in 6 different lots of sodium heparin plasma tested. However, citrate phosphate dextrose plasma resulted in a clear matrix enhancement of 24% at the low concentration level, which was not compensated for by the internal standard. Different anticoagulants (EDTA, heparin and citrate phosphate dextrose) also showed differences in recovery. Thus, it is important to use the same anticoagulant in calibration curves and clinical samples for analysis. The intra-assay and inter-assay precision were less than 5% and 10%, respectively, and therefore well within standard regulatory acceptance criterion of ±15%., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2022 Wongchang T et al.)

The effects of ethanol on combustion and emission were investigated on a single-cylinder unmodified diesel engine. The ethanol content of 10-50 vol % was chosen to blend with diesel and biodiesel fuels. Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) in the passive mode was also studied under real engine conditions. Silver/alumina (Ag/Al 2 O 3 ) was selected as the active catalyst, and H 2 (3000-10000 ppm) was added to assist the ethanol-SCR. The low cetane number of ethanol resulted in longer ignition delay. The diesel-biodiesel-ethanol fuel blends caused an increase in fuel consumption due to their low calorific value. The brake thermal efficiency of the engine fuelled with relatively low ethanol fraction blends was higher than that of diesel fuel. Unburned hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) increased, while NO x decreased with ethanol quantity. The higher ethanol quantity led to increases in the HC/NO x ratio which directly affected the performance of NO x -SCR. Addition of H 2 considerably improved the activity of Ag/Al 2 O 3 for NO x reduction. The proper amount of H 2 added to promote the ethanol-SCR depended strongly on the temperature of the exhaust where a high fraction of H 2 was required at a low exhaust temperature. The maximum NO x conversion of 74% was obtained at a low engine load (25% of maximum load), an ethanol content of 50 vol %, and H 2 addition of 10000 ppm., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Ceftriaxone is a cephalosporin antibiotic drug used as first-line treatment for a number of bacterial diseases. Ceftriaxone belongs to the third generation of antibiotics and is available as an intramuscular or intravenous injection. Previously published pharmacokinetic studies have used high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) for the quantification of ceftriaxone. This study aimed to develop and validate a bioanalytical method for the quantification of ceftriaxone in human plasma using liquid chromatography followed by tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Sample preparation was performed by protein precipitation of 100 µl plasma sample in combination with phospholipid-removal techniques to minimize matrix interferences. The chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 column with 10 mM ammonium formate containing 2% formic acid: acetonitrile as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.4 ml/min with a total run time of 10 minutes. Both the analyte and cefotaxime (internal standard) were quantified using the positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) for the precursor-product ion transitions m/z 555.0→396.1 for ceftriaxone and 456.0→324.0 for cefotaxime. The method was validated over the concentration range of 1.01-200 μg/ml. Calibration response showed good linearity (correlation coefficient > 0.99) and matrix effects were within the ±15% limit in 6 different lots of sodium heparin plasma tested. However, citrate phosphate dextrose plasma resulted in a clear matrix enhancement of 24% at the low concentration level, which was not compensated for by the internal standard. Different anticoagulants (EDTA, heparin and citrate phosphate dextrose) also showed differences in recovery. Thus, it is important to use the same anticoagulant in calibration curves and clinical samples for analysis. The intra-assay and inter-assay precision were less than 5% and 10%, respectively, and therefore well within standard regulatory acceptance criterion of ±15%., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2021 Wongchang T et al.)

Diesel particulate matter (DPM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are the emissions from diesel engines (compression ignition engines) of the most concern and are currently strictly regulated. In this work, we present an alternative diesel emission control technique to assist in further emission reduction. An experiment-oriented study on diesel engine emission abatement using low-power, low-frequency, high-voltage discharge (HVD) treatment was carried out in a laboratory-scale reactor with whole diesel engine exhaust gas. A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor was used in direct contact with diesel exhaust gas at atmospheric temperature with an input energy density between 200 and 400 J/L. An investigation of the direct effect of the high-voltage discharge reactor on the diesel exhaust gas treatment was carried out to characterize both diesel particle and gaseous emissions. The proposed HVD system demonstrated up to 95% particulate matter reduction by mass or 64% reduction by number, and 63% reduction of the diesel soot particle geometrical mean diameter by HVD-generated O 3 oxidation. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed the significant change in the diesel soot compositions and oxidation characteristics. HVD-treated particulate matter demonstrated a lower reactivity in comparison to untreated soot. Gas composition analysis indicated the generation of free radicals ( e , O, OH, O 3 , and N) by the HVD system, as mainly indicated by the increase of the NO 2 /NO ratio and concentration of CO and O 2 . The pattern of CO 2 reduction while CO and O 2 increased indicated the dissociation of CO 2 by HVD. Free radicals generated by HVD directly affected DeNO, DeNOx, NO 2 /NO ratio, and CO and CO 2 selectivities., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Ceftriaxone is a cephalosporin antibiotic drug used as first-line treatment for several bacterial diseases. Ceftriaxone belongs to the third generation of antibiotics and is available as an intramuscular or intravenous injection. Previously published pharmacokinetic studies have mainly used high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) for the quantification of ceftriaxone. This study aimed to develop and validate a bioanalytical method for the quantification of ceftriaxone in human plasma using liquid chromatography followed by tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Sample preparation was performed by protein precipitation in combination with phospholipid-removal techniques for cleaning up matrix interferences. The chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 column with 10 mM ammonium formate containing 2% formic acid: acetonitrile as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.4 ml/min. Both the analyte and cefotaxime (internal standard) were quantified using the positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) for the precursor-product ion transitions m/z 555.0→396.1 for ceftriaxone and 456.0→324.0 for cefotaxime. The method was validated over the concentration range of 1.01-200 μg/ml. Calibration response showed good linearity (correlation coefficient > 0.99) and no significant matrix effects were observed. The intra-assay and inter-assay precision were less than 5% and 10%, respectively, and therefore well within standard regulatory acceptance criterion of ±15%., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2019 Wongchang T et al.)