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Yubing Zhu,1 Qian Zhang,1 Jianjun Zou,2 Meng Wan,1 Zheng Zhao,1 Junrong Zhu1 1Department of Pharmacy, 2Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China Background: Ondansetron oral soluble film is designed to be applied on top of the tongue without requiring water to aid dissolution or swallowing, which is especially fitting for nausea and vomiting patients.Purpose: This study was conducted to compare the bioavailability of two 8 mg ondansetron oral soluble film formulations.Patients and methods: This randomized, open-label, two-period crossover study was performed under fasting conditions. A total of ten eligible subjects were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to receive a single 8 mg dose of the test and reference ondansetron oral soluble film formulations, followed by a 1-week washout period and administration of the alternate formulation. The concentrations of ondansetron were assayed using an liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer/mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS) method. For analysis of pharmacokinetic properties, including the peak concentration of Tmax (Cmax), AUC from time 0 (baseline) to t hours (AUC0–t), and AUC from baseline to infinity (AUC0–∞), blood samples were obtained at intervals over the 24-hour period after studying drug administration. Tolerability was assessed by monitoring vital signs and laboratory tests (hematology, blood biochemistry, hepatic function, and urinalysis) and by questioning subjects about adverse events.Results: The mean (standard derivation [SD]) relative bioavailability was 96.5 (23.7%). The 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for the log-transformed ratios of Cmax and AUC0–t were 84.71%–103.28% and 91.38%–108.60%, respectively (P>0.05). Similar results were found for the data without log-transformation. No statistically significant differences were found based on analysis of variance. No significant adverse events occurred or were reported during the study.Conclusion: As the 90% CIs based on the differences between the test and reference formulation were within the 80%–125% range for both the Cmax and AUC0–t, we concluded that the two formulations were bioequivalent with respect to the rate or the extent of absorption. Both formulations are well tolerated. Keywords: ondansetron, oral soluble film, LC-MS/MS, bioequivalence

Photo-thermal co-catalytic reduction of CO 2 to synthesize value-added chemicals presents a promising approach to addressing environmental issues. Nevertheless, traditional catalysts exhibit low light utilization efficiency, leading to the generation of a reduced number of electron-hole pairs and rapid recombination, thereby limiting catalytic performance enhancement. Herein, a Mott-Schottky heterojunction catalyst was developed by incorporating nitrogen-doped carbon coated TiO 2 supported nickel (Ni) nanometallic particles (Ni/x-TiO 2 @NC). The optimal Ni/0.5-TiO 2 @NC sample displayed a conversion rate of 71.6 % and a methane (CH 4 ) production rate of 65.3 mmol/(g cat ·h) during photo-thermal co-catalytic CO 2 methanation under full-spectrum illumination, with a CH 4 selectivity exceeding 99.6 %. The catalyst demonstrates good stability as it shows no decay after two reaction cycles. The Mott-Schottky heterojunction catalysts display excellent efficiency in separating photo-generated electron-hole pairs and elevate the catalysts' temperature, thus accelerating the reaction rate. The in-situ experiments revealed that light-induced electron transfer effectively facilitates H 2 dissociation and enhances surface defects, thereby promoting CO 2 adsorption. This study introduces a novel approach for developing photo-thermal catalysts for CO 2 reduction, aiming to enhance solar energy utilization and facilitate interface electron transfer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Osmanthus fragrans is an ethylene-sensitive flower, and flower senescence was mediated by ethylene-responsive transcription factors ( OfERFs ). A total of 227 OfERFs were identified from O. fragrans , which were classified into five subfamilies: AP2 (35), DREB (57), ERF (125), RAV (6), and Soloist (4). Gene composition and structural analysis indicate that members of different subfamilies have different gene structures and conserved domains. Their gene promoter contains various functional responsive elements, including auxin, jasmonic acid, and other responsive elements. Among them, 124 OfAP2/ERF genes have expressed at any stage of flowering, and 10 of them may play roles in flowering or senescence. By comparative transcriptome analysis, OfAP2/ERFs affected by ethephon (ETH) and 5'-azacytidine (Aza) treatment were divided into three categories, which have various target gene sets. Importantly, these target gene sets participate in similar or different biological processes and metabolic pathways, suggesting that ethylene and DNA hypomethylation have crosstalk and a unique mechanism in regulating the flower senescence of O. fragrans. Co-expression analysis revealed that several key OfAP2/ERFs played a central role in organic acid metabolism and biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids (BcAAs), among which OfERF017 was selected for further functional analysis. Overexpression of OfERF017 leads to significant enrichment of genes in organic acid metabolism pathways, which leads to a decrease in organic acid levels and promoting the flower senescence of O. fragrans . Together, these results give insights into the characteristics and functional analysis of OfAP2/ERF genes in O. fragrans., Competing Interests: Authors JuZ and ZL were employed by the company IGENEBOOK Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zou, Zhang, Wang, Xia, Zeng, Cai, Yang, Zeng, Li, Zhang and Chen.)

Objectives : Sirolimus (SRL), a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, has been widely used to treat patients with vascular anomalies (VAs). The objectives of this study were to summarize the routine blood SRL monitoring data for VAs children, to investigate the factors contributing to the variable blood SRL concentrations and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SRL therapy. Methods : VAs patients with routine blood SRL monitoring from July 2017 to April 2022 at the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were retrospectively collected. Clinical data were obtained from the hospital information system. Results : In total, 67 children (35 females) were enrolled. The therapeutic drug monitoring data showed that the range of measured blood trough concentrations ( C trough ) was 3.6-46.8 ng/mL. At the initial measurements, only 33% of patients were in the target concentration range (10-15 ng/mL). But this proportion became 54% at the last measurements. The whole blood- C trough -to-daily dose ( C trough /Dose) ratio was significantly associated with age and body weight (BW). The patients' laboratory results did not change significantly after SRL treatment. Although the incidence of adverse events was relatively high (44.8%), most of them were mild and tolerable. 70.3% patients had total responses to SRL, whereas 29.7% children exhibited stable disease or progressive disease. No significant differences were found in C trough between the total response group and non-response group. Conclusions : This retrospective study revealed a high variability in SRL blood concentrations in Chinese children with VAs. Of note, pediatric patients with older age and a higher BW had a lower C trough /Dose ratio. It is a concern whether the range of 10-15 ng/mL is feasible for Chinese children based only on our study. Further studies recruiting more patients are required to redefine the target reference range for children with VAs.

Background: The main challenges faced when using sirolimus in children with vascular anomalies (VAs) still include significant pharmacokinetic (PK) variability, uncertainty in the target concentration range, as well as inconsistencies in initial dosing and dosing frequency. The aim of this study is to establish a new population pharmacokinetic (PPK) model for children with VAs to guide the individualized use of sirolimus., Methods: A PPK study was performed using data from children with VAs who received sirolimus between July 2017 and April 2022. A nonlinear mixed-effect modeling with a one-compartment model structure was applied. Monte Carlo simulation was employed to propose specific dosing recommendations to achieve the target trough concentrations ( C trough ) of 5-15 ng/mL., Results: In total, 134 blood concentrations from 49 pediatric patients were used to characterize the sirolimus pharmacokinetics. Covariate analysis identified body weight (BW) as a significant factor affecting clearance ( CL ) in the final PPK model. The typical clearance rate and distribution volume, standardized to a BW of 16 kg, were 4.06 L/h (4% relative standard error, RSE) and 155 L (26% RSE), respectively. Optimal dosing regimens were simulated for different BWs. For a twice-daily regimen, the recommended doses were 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, and 0.08 mg/kg/day for BW of <10, 10-20, 20-40, and ≥40 kg, respectively; for a once-daily regimen, the recommended doses were 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, and 0.09 mg/kg/day for BW of <10, 10-30, 30-50, and ≥50 kg, respectively. Notably, sirolimus C trough could be maintained between 5-15 ng/mL across various dosing frequencies based on the recommended dosing regimen., Conclusion: We established a PPK model of sirolimus for children with VAs and proposed an initial dosing strategy. Integrating initial dose and medication frequency recommendations into sirolimus' guidelines will broaden its clinical options and simplify the clinical management for childhood VAs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Fan, Guo, Zhao, Li, Wang, Huang, Hu, Zou and Chen.)

The development of efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER) is pivotal for advancing cleaner and sustainable fuel production technologies. The conventional electrocatalysts have limited stability and higher overpotentials, and there is demand to explore advanced materials and synthesis methods. In this context, a novel bifunctional electrocatalyst has been devised through the phosphidation of tungsten molybdenum oxide (P-Mo 0.69 W 0.31 H 0.98 O 3 ) at relatively low temperatures. This innovative approach aims to enhance the efficiency of HER and OER while minimizing the overpotential values and maintaining higher stability. Specifically, the individual performance of Mo 0.69 W 0.31 H 0.98 O 3 has been significantly boosted by doping it with phosphorus at a low temperature of 300 °C. This doping process results in a unique morphology for the catalyst, leading to a notable improvement in OER/HER performances. P-Mo 0.69 W 0.31 H 0.98 O 3 exhibits a potential of 320 mV at 10 mA cm -2 in a KOH electrolyte, demonstrating both high activity and long-term stability. Additionally, P-Mo 0.69 W 0.31 H 0.98 O 3 exhibits commendable HER performance, requiring only 380 mV at 100 mA cm -2 . This combination of efficient OER and HER performance positions P-Mo 0.69 W 0.31 H 0.98 O 3 as representing a significant advancement in the field of electrocatalysis, additionally addressing the fundamental gap by providing stable and hybrid catalyst for various electrochemical devices. Given its cost-effectiveness and exceptional activity, P-Mo 0.69 W 0.31 H 0.98 O 3 holds significant potential for advancing the field of electrocatalysis and contributing to the development of cleaner and sustainable fuel production methods., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Outside of pregnancy, intuitive eating (IE) is associated with lower body weight, blood glucose, and higher positive mood. However, little was known about the relationship between IE and anxiety-depression in the GDM population. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association of IE with anxiety and depression, pregnancy weight and pregnancy blood glucose in the first and second GDM visit., Methods: Data from 310 pregnant women with GDM from the Fujian Maternal and Child Health Hospital Trial (Approval Number: 2020Y9133) were analyzed. IE was assessed using the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 subscales of Eating for Physiological Reasons rather than Emotional Reasons (EPR), Relying on Hunger and Satiety Cues (RHSC) and Body-Food Choice Consistency (B-FCC). Observations included weight, body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-h postprandial blood glucose; the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess the level of anxiety and depression in pregnant women with GDM. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the correlation between IE and anxiety, depression, pregnancy blood glucose and weight., Results: The cross-sectional analysis showed that the EPR eating behavior was negatively correlated with anxiety and depression, and the B-FCC eating behavior was negatively correlated with depression at both the first and second GDM visit; in addition, the B-FCC eating behavior was associated with lower BMI in the third trimester (all p < 0.05). In longitudinal analyses, the EPR eating behavior in the first visit for GDM predicted lower levels of anxiety and depression in the second GDM visit, whereas the RHSC eating behavior in the first visit for GDM was associated with lower FPG in the second GDM visit (all p < 0.01)., Conclusion: These results suggest that practicing intuitive eating may be beneficial and that higher intuitive eating adherence can lead to lower levels of anxiety and depression and more ideal gestational weight and blood glucose values., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Gao, Zheng, Chen, Jiang, Liao, Pan, Zou and Liu.)

Cl - activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) oxidation technology can effectively degrade pollutants, but the generation of chlorinated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) limits the application of this technology in water treatment. In this study, a method of nanobubbles (NBs) synergistic Cl - /PMS system was designed to try to improve this technology. The results showed the synergistic effects of NBs/Cl - /PMS were significant and universal while its upgrade rate was from 12.89% to 34.97%. Moreover, the synergistic effects can be further improved by increasing the concentration and Zeta potential of NBs. The main synergistic effects of NBs/Cl - /PMS system were due to the electrostatic attraction of negatively charged NBs to Na + from NaCl, K + from PMS, and H + from phenol, which acted as a "bridge" between Cl - and HSO 5 - as well as phenol and Cl - /HSO 5 - , increasing active substance concentration. In addition, the addition of NBs completely changed the oxidation system of Cl - /PMS from one that increases environmental toxicity to one that reduces it. The reason was that the electrostatic attraction of NBs changed the active sites and degradation pathway of phenol, greatly reducing the production of highly toxic DBPs. This study developed a novel environmentally friendly oxidation technology, which provides an effective strategy to reduce the generation of DBPs in the Cl - /PMS system., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The advancement in electrocatalysis, particularly in the development of efficient catalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER), is crucial for sustainable energy generation through processes like overall water splitting. A notable bifunctional electrocatalyst, CoFe 2 O 4 /Co 7 Fe 3 , has been engineered to facilitate both OER and HER concurrently, aiming to reduce overpotentials. In the pursuit of further enhancing catalytic efficiency, a morphological transformation has been achieved by introducing a sulphur source and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into the catalyst system, resulting in S-CoFe 2 O 4 /Co 7 Fe 3 /MWCNTs. This modification has significantly improved the activity for both OER and HER. An onset overpotential of 250 mV@10 mAcm -2 for the OER and 270 mV@50 mAcm -2 for the HER, indicating efficient catalytic activity at relatively low overpotentials. S-CoFe 2 O 4 /Co 7 Fe 3 /MWCNTs display an outstanding long-term stability in alkaline electrolytes, with minimal Tafel slopes of 77 mV/dec for the OER and 70 mV/dec for the HER, suggesting sustained catalytic performance over extended periods. Furthermore, when employed as both the cathode and anode in the context of complete water splitting, S-CoFe 2 O 4 /Co 7 Fe 3 /MWCNTs demonstrate an impressive cell voltage of 1.52 V at a current density of 10 mA cm -2 in a 1 M KOH solution, showcasing its viability for practical applications. Given its cost-effectiveness and superior activity, S-CoFe 2 O 4 /Co 7 Fe 3 /MWCNTs hold significant promise for widespread applications in overall water splitting electrocatalysis, contributing to the advancement of cleaner and sustainable fuel generation technologies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

The weak adsorption of oxygen on transition metal oxide catalysts limits the improvement of their electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance. Herein, a dopamine-assisted method is developed to prepare Mn-doped ceria supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (Mn-Ce-NCNTs). The morphology, dispersion of Mn-doped ceria, composition, and oxygen vacancies of the as-prepared catalysts were analyzed using various technologies. The results show that Mn-doped ceria was formed and highly dispersed on NCNTs, on which oxygen vacancies are abundant. The as-prepared Mn-Ce-NCNTs exhibit a high ORR performance, on which the average electron transfer number is 3.86 and the current density is 24.4% higher than that of commercial 20 wt % Pt/C. The peak power density of Mn-Ce-NCNTs is 68.1 mW cm -2 at the current density of 138.9 mA cm -2 for a Zn-air battery, which is close to that of 20 wt % Pt/C (69.4 mW cm -2 at 106.1 mA cm -2 ). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the oxygen vacancy formation energies of Mn-doped CeO 2 (111) and pure CeO 2 (111) are -0.55 and 2.14 eV, respectively. Meanwhile, compared with undoped CeO 2 (111) (-0.02 eV), Mn-doped CeO 2 (111) easily adsorbs oxygen with the oxygen adsorption energy of only -0.68 eV. This work provides insights into the synergetic effect of Mn-doped ceria for facilitating oxygen adsorption and enhancing ORR performance.

Dual-atom site catalysts (DASCs) have sparked considerable interest in heterogeneous photocatalysis as they possess the advantages of excellent photoelectronic activity, photostability, and high carrier separation efficiency and mobility. The DASCs involved in these important photocatalytic processes, especially in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR), N 2 /nitrate reduction, etc ., have been extensively investigated in the past few years. In this review, we highlight the recent progress in DASCs that provides fundamental insights into the photocatalytic conversion of small molecules. The controllable preparation and characterization methods of various DASCs are discussed. Subsequently, the reaction mechanisms of the formation of several important molecules (hydrogen, hydrocarbons and ammonia) on DASCs are introduced in detail, in order to probe the relationship between DASCs's structure and photocatalytic activity. Finally, some challenges and outlooks of DASCs in the photocatalytic conversion of small molecules are summarized and prospected. We hope that this review can provide guidance for in-depth understanding and aid in the design of efficient DASCs for photocatalysis.

Background: Diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, which has increased the global medical burden and is also the main cause of death in most countries., Aim: To understand the knowledge structure of global development status, research focus, and future trend of the relationship between diabetes and metabolomics in the past 20 years., Methods: The articles about the relationship between diabetes and metabolomics in the Web of Science Core Collection were retrieved from 2002 to October 23, 2023, and the relevant information was analyzed using CiteSpace6.2.2R (CiteSpace), VOSviewer6.1.18 (VOSviewer), and Bibliometrix software under R language., Results: A total of 3123 publications were included from 2002 to 2022. In the past two decades, the number of publications and citations in this field has continued to increase. The United States, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other relevant funds, institutions, and authors have significantly contributed to this field. Scientific Reports and PLoS One are the journals with the most publications and the most citations. Through keyword co-occurrence and cluster analysis, the closely related keywords are "insulin resistance", "risk", "obesity", "oxidative stress", "metabolomics", "metabolites" and "biomarkers". Keyword clustering included cardiovascular disease, gut microbiota, metabonomics, diabetic nephropathy, molecular docking, gestational diabetes mellitus, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance. Burst detection analysis of keyword depicted that "Gene", "microbiota", "validation", "kidney disease", "antioxidant activity", "untargeted metabolomics", "management", and "accumulation" are knowledge frontiers in recent years., Conclusion: The relationship between metabolomics and diabetes is receiving extensive attention. Diabetic nephropathy, diabetic cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease are key diseases for future research in this field. Gut microbiota, molecular docking, and untargeted metabolomics are key research directions in the future. Antioxidant activity, gene, validation, mass spectrometry, management, and accumulation are at the forefront of knowledge frontiers in this field., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Single-site Fe-N-C catalysts are the most promising Pt-group catalyst alternatives for the oxygen reduction reaction, but their application is impeded by their relatively low activity and unsatisfactory stability as well as production costs. Here, cobalt atoms are introduced into an Fe-N-C catalyst to enhance its catalytic activity by utilizing the synergistic effect between Fe and Co atoms. Meanwhile, phenanthroline is employed as the ligand, which favours stable pyridinic N-coordinated Fe-Co sites. The obtained catalysts exhibit excellent ORR performance with a half-wave potential of 0.892 V and good stability under alkaline conditions. In addition, the excellent ORR activity and durability of FeCo-N-C enabled the constructed zinc-air battery to exhibit a high power density of 247.93 mW cm -2 and a high capacity of 768.59 mA h g Zn -1 . Moreover, the AEMFC based on FeCo-N-C also achieved a high open circuit voltage (0.95 V) and rated power density (444.7 mW cm -2 ), surpassing those of many currently reported transition metal-based cathodes. This work emphasizes the feasibility of this non-precious metal catalyst preparation strategy and its practical applicability in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is a highly value-added and environmental-friendly chemical with various applications. The production of H 2 O 2 by electrocatalytic 2e - oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has emerged as a promising alternative to the energy-intensive anthraquinone process. High selectivity Catalysts combining with superior activity are critical for the efficient electrosynthesis of H 2 O 2 . Earth-abundant transition metal selenides (TMSs) being discovered as a classic of stable, low-cost, highly active and selective catalysts for electrochemical 2e - ORR. These features come from the relatively large atomic radius of selenium element, the metal-like properties and the abundant reserves. Moreover, compared with the advanced noble metal or single-atom catalysts, the kinetic current density of TMSs for H 2 O 2 generation is higher in acidic solution, which enable them to become suitable catalyst candidates. Herein, the recent progress of TMSs for ORR to H 2 O 2 is systematically reviewed. The effects of TMSs electrocatalysts on the activity, selectivity and stability of ORR to H 2 O 2 are summarized. It is intended to provide an insight from catalyst design and corresponding reaction mechanisms to the device setup, and to discuss the relationship between structure and activity., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Mycelial pellets formed by Penicillium thomii ZJJ were applied as efficient biosorbents for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are a type of ubiquitous harmful hydrophobic pollutants. The live mycelial pellets were able to remove 93.48 % of pyrene at a concentration of 100 mg/L within 48 h, demonstrating a maximum adsorption capacity of 285.63 mg/g. Meanwhile, the heat-killed one also achieved a removal rate of 65.01 %. Among the six typical PAHs (pyrene, phenanthrene, fluorene, anthracene, fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene), the mycelial pellets preferentially adsorbed the high molecular weight PAHs, which also have higher toxicity, resulting in higher removal efficiency. The experimental results showed that the biosorption of mycelial pellets was mainly a spontaneous physical adsorption process that occurred as a monolayer on a homogeneous surface, with mass transfer being the key rate-limiting step. The main adsorption sites on the surface of mycelia were carboxyl and N-containing groups. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by mycelial pellets could enhance adsorption, and its coupling with dead mycelia could achieve basically the same removal effect to that of living one. It can be concluded that biosorption by mycelial pellets occurred due to the influence of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, consisting of five steps. Furthermore, the potential applicability of mycelial pellets has been investigated considering diverse factors. The mycelia showed high environmental tolerance, which could effectively remove pyrene across a wide range of pH and salt concentration. And pellets diameters and humic acid concentration had a significant effect on microbial adsorption effect. Based on a cost-effectiveness analysis, mycelium pellets were found to be a low-cost adsorbent. The research outcomes facilitate a thorough comprehension of the adsorption process of pyrene by mycelial pellets and their relevant applications, proposing a cost-effective method without potential environmental issues (heat-killed mycelial pellets plus EPS) to removal PAHs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aims to explore the effect of Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Formula(ZGJTQGF) on the lipid metabolism in the db/db mouse model of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) complicated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) via the insulin receptor(INSR)/adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK)/sterol-regulatory element-binding protein 2(SREBP-2) signaling pathway. Twenty-four db/db mice were randomized into positive drug(metformin, 0.067 g·kg~(-1)) and low-(7.5 g·kg~(-1)) and high-dose(15 g·kg~(-1)) ZGJTQGF groups. Six C57 mice were used as the blank group and administrated with an equal volume of distilled water. The mice in other groups except the blank group were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage for 6 consecutive weeks. At the end of drug administration, fasting blood glucose(FBG) and blood lipid levels were measured, and oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Compared with the blank group, the mice treated with ZGJTQGF showed decreased body mass and liver weight coefficient, lowered levels of FBG, total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), and low-density lipoprotein(LDL), and weakened liver function. The pathological changes and lipid accumulation in the liver tissue were examined. Western blot was employed to measure the protein levels of INSR, AMPK, p-AMPK, and SREBP-2. Compared with the blank group, the model group showed down-regulated protein levels of INSR and p-AMPK/AMPK and up-regulated protein level of SREBP-2. Compared with the model group, high-dose ZGJTQGF up-regulated the protein levels of INSR and p-AMPK/AMPK and down-regulated the protein level of SREBP-2. Low-dose ZGJTQGF slightly up-regulated the protein levels of INSR and p-AMPK/AMPK and down-regulated the protein level of SREBP-2, without significant differences. The results suggested that ZGJTQGF may alleviate insulin resistance and improve lipid metabolism in db/db mice by activating the INSR/AMPK/SREBP-2 signaling pathway.

Lignin is the main component of lignocellulose and the largest source of aromatic substances on the earth. Biofuel and bio-chemicals derived from lignin can reduce the use of petroleum products. Current advances in lignin catalysis conversion have facilitated many of progress, but understanding the principles of catalyst design is critical to moving the field forward. In this review, the factors affecting the catalysts (including the type of active metal, metal particle size, acidity, pore size, the nature of the oxide supports, and the synergistic effect of the metals) are systematically reviewed based on the three most commonly used supports (carbon, oxides, and zeolites) in lignin hydrogenolysis. The catalytic performance (selectivity and yield of products) is evaluated, and the emerging catalytic mechanisms are introduced to better understand the catalyst design guidelines. Finally, based on the progress of existing studies, future directions for catalyst design in the field of lignin depolymerization are proposed., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The development of highly active and low-cost oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts is crucial for the practical application of hydrogen fuel cells. However, the linear scaling relation (LSR) imposes an inherent Sabatier's limitation for most catalysts including the benchmark Pt with an insurmountable overpotential ceiling, impeding the development of efficient electrocatalysts. To avoid such a limitation, using earth-abundant metal oxides with different crystal phases as model materials, we propose an effective and dynamic reaction pathway through constructing spatially correlated Pt-Mn pair sites, achieving an excellent balance between high activity and low Pt loading. Experimental and theoretical calculations demonstrate that manipulating the intermetallic distance and charge distribution of Pt-Mn pairs can effectively promote O-O bond cleavage at these sites through a bridge configuration, circumventing the formation of *OOH intermediates. Meanwhile, the dynamic adsorption configuration transition from the bridge configuration of O 2 to the end-on configuration of *OH improves *OH desorption at the Mn site within such pairs, thereby avoiding Sabatier's limitation. The well-designed Pt-Mn/β-MnO 2 exhibits outstanding ORR activity and stability with a half-wave potential of 0.93 V and barely any activity degradation for 70 h. When applied to the cathode of a H 2 -O 2 anion-exchange membrane fuel cell, this catalyst demonstrates a high peak power density of 287 mW cm -2 and 500 h of stability under a cell voltage of 0.6 V. This work reveals the adaptive bonding interactions of atomic pair sites with multiple reactant/intermediates, offering a new avenue for rational design of highly efficient atomic-level dispersed ORR catalysts beyond the Sabatier optimum.

The development of efficient and economical electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of paramount importance for the sustainable production of renewable fuels and energy storage systems; however, the sluggish OER kinetics involving multistep four proton-coupled electron transfer hampers progress in these systems. Fortunately, surface reconstruction offers promising potential to improve OER catalyst design. Anion modulation plays a crucial role in controlling the extent of surface reconstruction and positively persuading the reconstructed species' performances. This review starts by providing a general explanation of how various types of anions can trigger dynamic surface reconstruction and create different combinations with pre-catalysts. Next, the influences of anion modulation on manipulating the surface dynamic reconstruction process are discussed based on the in situ advanced characterization techniques. Furthermore, various effects of survived anionic groups in reconstructed species on water oxidation activity are further discussed. Finally, the challenges and prospects for the future development directions of anion modulation for redirecting dynamic surface reconstruction to construct highly efficient and practical catalysts for water oxidation are proposed., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Qizhi Xiangfu Pills (QXPs) are a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used clinically for qi stagnation and blood stasis. The current quality control of QXPs in the ministry standards and the reported literature is minimal, and requires improvement., Objective: This study aimed to analyze and determine the active ingredients in QXPs for its overall evaluation., Methods: In this study, a quantitative analysis of multi-components by a single marker (QAMS) method was established to simultaneously determine caryophyllene oxide, cyperotundone, ligustilide, and α-cyperone in QXPs by GC. Moreover, the GC fingerprints of 22 batches of samples were also established, and the common peaks were initially identified by GC-MS, then classified in various dimensions using chemometric methods, and the main markers causing the discrepancies between groups were analyzed by orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA)., Results: Compared with an internal standard method (ISM), the determination results obtained by QAMS had no significant difference. Twenty-two common peaks were distinguished in the fingerprint of 22 batches of QXPs, 17 of which were identified, and the similarity of the fingerprints was greater than 0.898. The 22 batches of QXPs were roughly divided into 3 categories, and 12 main markers causing the discrepancies were discovered., Conclusion: The established QAMS method combined with the GC fingerprint and chemometrics is convenient and feasible, which helps to improve the quality evaluation of QXPs and provides a demonstration for the related study of compound preparations and single herbs., Highlights: QAMS combined with a GC fingerprint and chemometrics method was established to evaluate the quality of QXPs for the first time., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Formula(ZGJTQG) on the glucolipid metabolism of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) complicated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD). NAFLD was induced by a high-fat diet(HFD) in MKR mice(T2DM mice), and a model of T2DM combined with NAFLD was established. Forty mice were randomly divided into a model group, a metformin group(0.067 g·kg~(-1)), and high-and low-dose ZGJTQG groups(29.64 and 14.82 g·kg~(-1)), with 10 mice in each group. Ten FVB mice of the same age were assigned to the normal group. Serum and liver tissue specimens were collected from mice except for those in the normal and model groups after four weeks of drug administration by gavage, and fasting blood glucose(FBG) and fasting insulin(FINS) levels were measured. The levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), and low-density lipoprotein(LDL) were detected by the single reagent GPO-PAP method. Very low-density lipoprotein(VLDL) was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate ami-notransferase(AST) were determined by the Reitman-Frankel assay. The pathological changes in the liver were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and oil red O staining. Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction(real-time PCR) and Western blot were adopted to detect the mRNA and protein expression of forkhead transcription factor O1(FoxO1), microsomal triglyceride transfer protein(MTP), and apolipoprotein B(APOB) in the liver. The results showed that high-dose ZGJTQG could signi-ficantly reduce the FBG and FINS levels(P&lt;0.05, P&lt;0.01), improve glucose tolerance and insulin resistance(P&lt;0.05, P&lt;0.01), alleviate the liver damage caused by HFD which was reflected in improving liver steatosis, and reduce the serum levels of TC, TG, LDL, VLDL, ALT, and AST(P&lt;0.05, P&lt;0.01) in T2DM mice combined with NAFLD. The findings also revealed that the mRNA and protein expression of FoxO1, MTP, and APOB in the liver was significantly down-regulated after the intervention of high-dose ZGJTQG(P&lt;0.05, P&lt;0.01). The above study showed that ZGJTQG could effectively improve glucolipid metabolism in T2DM combined with NAFLD, and the mechanism was closely related to the regulation of the FoxO1/MTP/APOB signaling pathway.

The spin degree of freedom is an important and intrinsic parameter in boosting carrier dynamics and surface reaction kinetics of photocatalysis. Here we show that chiral structure in ZnO can induce spin selectivity effect to promote photocatalytic performance. The ZnO crystals synthesized using chiral methionine molecules as symmetry-breaking agents show hierarchical chirality. Magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopic and magnetic conductive-probe atomic force microscopic measurements demonstrate that chiral structure acts as spin filters and induces spin polarization in photoinduced carriers. The polarized carriers not only possess the prolonged carrier lifetime, but also increase the triplet species instead of singlet byproducts during reaction. Accordingly, the left- and right-hand chiral ZnO exhibit 2.0- and 1.9-times higher activity in photocatalytic O 2 production and 2.5- and 2.0-times higher activities in contaminant photodegradation, respectively, compared with achiral ZnO. This work provides a feasible strategy to manipulate the spin properties in metal oxides for electron spin-related redox catalysis., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Surface reconstruction generates real active species in electrochemical conditions; rational regulating reconstruction in a targeted manner is the key for constructing highly active catalyst. Herein, we use the high-valence Mo modulated orthorhombic Pr 3 Ir 1-x Mo x O 7 as model to activate lattice oxygen and cations, achieving directional and accelerated surface reconstruction to produce self-terminated Ir‒O bri ‒Mo (O bri represents the bridge oxygen) active species that is highly active for acidic water oxidation. The doped Mo not only contributes to accelerated surface reconstruction due to optimized Ir‒O covalency and more prone dissolution of Pr, but also affords the improved durability resulted from Mo-buffered charge compensation, thereby preventing fierce Ir dissolution and excessive lattice oxygen loss. As such, Ir‒O bri ‒Mo species could be directionally generated, in which the strong Brønsted acidity of O bri induced by remaining Mo assists with the facilitated deprotonation of oxo intermediates, following bridging-oxygen-assisted deprotonation pathway. Consequently, the optimal catalyst exhibits the best activity with an overpotential of 259 mV to reach 10 mA cm geo -2 , 50 mV lower than undoped counterpart, and shows improved stability for over 200 h. This work provides a strategy of directional surface reconstruction to constructing strong Brønsted acid sites in IrO x species, demonstrating the perspective of targeted electrocatalyst fabrication under in situ realistic reaction conditions., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Microvascular dysfunction caused by hyperglycemia leads to slow healing of diabetic wounds and significantly increases the risk of bacterial infection. The misuse of antibiotics can also lead to bacterial resistance, making the management of diabetic wounds more challenging. Thus, developing new antibacterial agents or strategies to overcome antibiotic resistance is highly pursued. Herein, novel supramolecular photothermal nanoparticles (MCC/CS NPs), assembled from mono-carboxyl corrole (MCC) and chitosan via hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking, are developed and used for treating bacterial wound infection. The MCC molecules possess good photothermal performance and the chitosan with inherent bioactivity can exert moderate antibacterial effects. The aggregation of MCC in MCC/CS NPs induced by chitosan-templated self-assembly further quenches molecular fluorescence and realizes an extraordinary photothermal conversion efficiency of 66.4%. Moreover, the highly positively charged MCC/CS NPs can selectively target bacteria via electrostatic interactions. Under near-infrared laser irradiation, the MCC/CS NPs achieve potent photothermal and inherent antimicrobial synergistic effects against Escherichia coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in vitro. Furthermore, the bacteria-infected diabetic wound model confirms that the MCC/CS NPs can effectively kill drug-resistant bacteria, accelerate wound healing and angiogenesis, and show good biocompatibility, representing a novel and efficient photothermal antibacterial nanoplatform., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, its efficiency is hindered by three key parameters, namely, limited penetration depth of external light, tumor hypoxia, and self-aggregation of photosensitizers. Herein, we fabricated a novel "all-in-one" chemiluminescence-PDT nanosystem through the integration of an oxygen-supplying protein (hemoglobin, Hb) and a luminescent donor (luminol, Lum) in hierarchically engineered mesoporous porphyrinic metal-organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles. Mechanistically, the in situ chemiluminescence of Lum is activated by the high concentration of H 2 O 2 in 4T1 cancer cells and further catalyzed by Hb and then absorbed by the porphyrin ligands in MOF nanoparticles through chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer. The excited porphyrins then sensitize oxygen supplied by Hb to produce sufficient reactive oxygen species that kill cancer cells. The MOF-based nanocomposite demonstrates excellent anticancer activity both in vitro and in vivo, with eventually a 68.1% tumor inhibition rate after intravenous injections without external light irradiation. This self-illuminating, oxygen-self-supplying nanosystem integrates all essential components of PDT into one simple nanoplatform, demonstrating great potential for the selective phototherapy of deep-seated cancer.

The hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane is intriguing but challenging due to its sluggish kinetics. In this regard, the gold nanoparticles amalgamation with metal phosphides is speculated to be more efficient catalysts. Here, the catalysts Au/Ni 2 P and Au/CoP with the high synergetic effect of Au nanoparticles and metal phosphides were synthesized for ammonia borane hydrolysis. The activity of Au/Ni 2 P increases 4.8-fold (i.e., 0.08 to 0.40 L∙h -1 ) compared to pristine Ni 2 P, and the activity of Au/CoP increases 1.7-fold (i.e., 0.74 to 1.27 L∙h -1 ) compared to pristine CoP. This reveals that the synergetic effect of Au δ+ and (Ni 2 P) δ- is stronger than Au δ+ and (CoP) δ- which is manifested by XPS analysis. The kinetics exposes that the activation energy of Au/Ni 2 P (45.28 kJ∙mole -1 ) is greater than Au/CoP (31.45 kJ∙mole -1 ) and the TOF of Au/Ni 2 P is less than Au/CoP. This research work presents an effective approach for producing active sites of Au δ+ and (Ni 2 P & CoP) δ- for ammonia borane hydrolysis to enhance the H 2 evolution rate., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Wildlife is reservoir of emerging viruses. Here we identified 27 families of mammalian viruses from 1981 wild animals and 194 zoo animals collected from south China between 2015 and 2022, isolated and characterized the pathogenicity of eight viruses. Bats harbor high diversity of coronaviruses, picornaviruses and astroviruses, and a potentially novel genus of Bornaviridae. In addition to the reported SARSr-CoV-2 and HKU4-CoV-like viruses, picornavirus and respiroviruses also likely circulate between bats and pangolins. Pikas harbor a new clade of Embecovirus and a new genus of arenaviruses. Further, the potential cross-species transmission of RNA viruses (paramyxovirus and astrovirus) and DNA viruses (pseudorabies virus, porcine circovirus 2, porcine circovirus 3 and parvovirus) between wildlife and domestic animals was identified, complicating wildlife protection and the prevention and control of these diseases in domestic animals. This study provides a nuanced view of the frequency of host-jumping events, as well as assessments of zoonotic risk., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: There is growing evidence demonstrating that the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in multiple endocrine disorders, including diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Research shows that the Chinese herb reduces disease occurrence by regulating gut microbiota. Zuogui Jiangtang Shuxin formula (ZGJTSXF), a Chinese medicinal formula, has been clinically used for treatment of DCM for many years. However, there is still no clear understanding of how ZGJTSXF treatment contributes to the prevention and treatment of DCM through its interaction with gut microbiota and metabolism., Methods: In this study, mice models of DCM were established, and ZGJTSXF's therapeutic effects were assessed. Specifically, serum glycolipid, echocardiography, histological staining, myocardial apoptosis rate were assessed. Using 16s rRNA sequencing and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), we determined the impact of ZGJTSXF on the structure of gut microbiota and content of its metabolite TMAO. The mechanism of ZGJTSXF action on DCM was analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR and western blots., Results: We found that ZGJTSXF significantly ameliorated DCM mice by modulating gut-heart axis: ZGJTSXF administration improved glycolipid levels, heart function, cardiac morphological changes, inhibited cardiomyocytes apoptosis, and regulate the gut microbiota in DCM mice. Specifically, ZGJTSXF treatment reverse the significant changes in the abundance of certain genera closely related to DCM phenotype, including Lactobacillus, Alloprevotella and Alistipes. Furthermore, ZGJTSXF alleviated DCM in mice by blunting TMAO/PERK/FoxO1 signaling pathway genes and proteins., Conclusion: ZGJTSXF administration could ameliorate DCM mice by remodeling gut microbiota structure, reducing serum TMAO generation and suppressing TMAO/PERK/FoxO1 signaling pathway., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Huang, Xiang, Zou, Wu and Yu.)

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) severely limits the efficiency of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers due to slow reaction kinetics. IrO 2 is currently a commonly used anode catalyst, but its large-scale application is limited due to its high price and scarce reserves. Herein, we reported a practical strategy to construct an acid OER catalyst where Iridium oxide loading and iridium element bulk doping are realized on the surface and inside of W 18 O 49 nanowires by immersion adsorption, respectively. Specifically, W 0.7 Ir 0.3 O y has an overpotential of 278 mV at 10 mA·cm -2 in 0.1 M HClO 4 . The mass activity of 714.10 A·g Ir -1 at 1.53 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) is 80 times that of IrO 2 , and it can run stably for 55 h. In the PEM water electrolyzer device, its mass activity reaches 3563.63 A·g Ir -1 at the cell voltage of 2.0 V. This improved catalytic performance is attributed to the following aspects: (1) The electron transport between iridium and tungsten effectively improves the electronic structure of the catalyst; (2) the introduction of iridium into W 18 O 49 by means of elemental bulk doping and nanoparticles supporting for the enhanced conductivity and electrochemically active surface area of the catalyst, resulting in extensive exposure of active sites and increased intrinsic activity; and (3) during the OER process, partial iridium elements in the bulk phase are precipitated, and iridium oxide is formed on the surface to maintain stable activity. This work provides a new idea for designing oxygen evolution catalysts with low iridium content for practical application in PEM electrolyzers.

Dynamic reconstruction of catalyst active sites is particularly important for metal oxide-catalyzed oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the mechanism of how vacancy-induced reconstruction aids OER remains ambiguous. Here, we use Co 3 O 4 with Co or O vacancies to uncover the effects of different defects in the reconstruction process and the active motifs relevant to alkaline OER. Combining in situ characterization and theoretical calculations, we found that cobalt oxides are converted to an amorphous [Co(OH) 6 ] intermediate state, and then the mismatched rates of *OH adsorption and deprotonation lead to irreversible catalyst reconstruction. The stronger *OH adsorption but weaker deprotonation induced by O defects provides the driving force for reconstruction, while Co defects favor dehydrogenation and reduce the reconstruction rate. Importantly, both O and Co defects trigger highly OER-active bridge Co sites in reconstructed catalysts, of which Co defects induce a short Co-Co distance (3.38 Å) under compressive lattice stress and show the best OER activity (η 10 of 262 mV), superior to reconstructed oxygen-defected Co 3 O 4 -V O (η 10 of 300 mV) and defect-free Co 3 O 4 (η 10 of 320 mV). This work highlights that engineering defect-dependent reconstruction may provide a rational route for electrocatalyst design in energy-related applications.

The conversion of biomass is a favorable alternative to the fossil energy route to solve the energy crisis and environmental pollution. As one of the most versatile platform compounds, 5-hydroxymethylfural (HMF) can be transformed to various value-added chemicals via electrolysis combining with renewable energy. Here, the recent advances in electrochemical oxidation of HMF, from reaction mechanism to reactor design are reviewed. First, the reaction mechanism and pathway are summarized systematically. Second, the parameters easy to be ignored are emphasized and discussed. Then, the electrocatalysts are reviewed comprehensively for different products and the reactors are introduced. Finally, future efforts on exploring reaction mechanism, electrocatalysts, and reactor are prospected. This review provides a deeper understanding of mechanism for electrochemical oxidation of HMF, the design of electrocatalyst and reactor, which is expected to promote the economical and efficient electrochemical conversion of biomass for industrial applications., (© 2022 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A novel dual watermarking scheme with potential applications in identity protection, media integrity maintenance and copyright protection in both electronic and printed media is presented. The proposed watermarking scheme uses the owner's signature and fingerprint as watermarks through which the ownership and validity of the media can be proven and kept intact. To begin with, the proposed watermarking scheme is implemented on continuous-tone/greyscale images, and later extended to images achieved via multitoning, an advanced version of halftoning-based printing. The proposed watermark embedding is robust and imperceptible. Experimental simulations and evaluations of the proposed method show excellent results from both objective and subjective view-points., Competing Interests: Conflict of InterestsThe authors have no conflicts of interest/competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

This study aimed to investigate the recovery effect of Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Prescription on intestinal flora homeostasis control and intestinal mucosal barrier in type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) induced by a high-fat diet. NAFLD was established in MKR transgenic mice(T2DM mice) by a high-fat diet(HFD), and subsequently treated for 8 weeks with Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Prescription(7.5, 15 g·kg~(-1)) and metformin(0.067 g·kg~(-1)). Triglyceride and liver function were assessed using serum. The hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and Masson staining were used to stain the liver tissue, while HE staining and AB-PAS staining were used to stain the intestine tissue. 16S rRNA sequencing was utilized to track the changes in the intestinal flora of the mice in each group. Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and immunofluorescence were used to determine the protein and mRNA expression levels of ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-1. The results demonstrated that Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Prescription increased the body mass of T2DM mice with NAFLD and decreased the hepatic index. It down-regulated the serum biomarkers of liver function and dyslipidemia such as alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate transaminase(AST), and triglycerides(TG), increased insulin sensitivity, and improved glucose tolerance. According to the results of 16S rRNA sequencing, the Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Prescription altered the composition and abundance of the intestinal flora, increasing the relative abundances of Muribaculaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Lactobacillus, Akkermansia, and Bacteroidota and decreasing the relative abundances of Lachnospiraceae, Firmicutes, Deslfobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Desulfovibrionaceae. According to the pathological examination of the intestinal mucosa, Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Prescritpion increased the expression levels of the tight junction proteins ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-1, promoted intestinal mucosa repair, protected intestinal villi, and increased the height of intestinal mucosa villi and the number of goblet cells. By enhancing intestinal mucosal barrier repair and controlling intestinal microbiota homeostasis, Zuogui Jiangtang Qinggan Prescription reduces intestinal mucosal damage induced by T2DM and NAFLD.

Photocatalysis can create a green way to produce clean energy resources, degrade pollutants and achieve carbon neutrality, making the construction of efficient photocatalysts significant in solving environmental issues. Conjugated polymers (CPs) with adjustable band structures have superior light-absorption capacity and flexible morphology that facilitate contact with other components to form advanced heterojunctions. Interface engineering can strengthen the interfacial contact between the components and further enlarge the interfacial contact area, enhance light absorption, accelerate charge transfer and improve the reusability of the composites. In order to throw some new light on heterojunction interface regulation at a molecular level, herein we summarize CP-based composites with improved photocatalytic performance according to the types of interactions (covalent bonding, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, π-π stacking, and other polar interactions) between the components and introduce the corresponding interface building methods, identifying techniques. Then the roles of interfaces in different photocatalytic applications are discussed. Finally, we sum up the existing problems in interface engineering of CP-based composites and look forward to the possible solutions., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The piezo-Fenton system has attracted attention not only because it can enhance the Fenton reaction activity by mechanical energy input, but also because it is expected to realize a class of stimuli-responsive advanced oxidation systems by regulating energy input and hydrogen peroxide self-supply, thus greatly enriching the application possibilities of Fenton chemistry. In this work, a series of Fe-doped g-C 3 N 4 (g-C 3 N 4 -Fe) as a piezo-Fenton system were synthesized where the iron stably immobilized through Fe-N interaction. The piezo-induced electrons generate on g-C 3 N 4 matrix support the conversion of Fe(III) to Fe(II) and promote rate-limiting step of Fenton reaction. With the optimal Fe loading, g-C 3 N 4 -0.5Fe can achieve methylene blue (MB) degradation under ultrasonic treatment with first-order kinetic rate constants of 75×10 -3  min -1 . Most importantly, the g-C 3 N 4 -Fe can maintain good catalytic activity in a wide pH range (pH=2.0∼9.0) and be cyclic used without iron leaching to solution (<0.001 μg ⋅ L -1 ), overcoming the disadvantage of traditional Fe-based Fenton catalysts that can only be applied under acidic conditions and prone to secondary pollution. In addition, g-C 3 N 4 -0.5Fe also exhibits antibacterial properties of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus under ultrasound. Hydroxyl radicals mainly contribute to the degradation of MB and the sterilization process. Our work is an attempt to clarify the role of g-C 3 N 4 -Fe in the conversion of mechanical energy to ROS and provide inspirations for the piezo-Fenton system design., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Conventional treatments for cancer, such as chemotherapy, surgical resection, and radiotherapy, have shown limited therapeutic efficacy, with severe side effects, lack of targeting and drug resistance for monotherapies, which limit their clinical application. Therefore, combinatorial strategies have been widely investigated in the battle against cancer. Herein, we fabricated a dual-targeted nanoscale drug delivery system based on EpCAM aptamer- and lactic acid-modified low-polyamidoamine dendrimers to co-deliver the FDA-approved agent disulfiram and photosensitizer indocyanine green, combining the imaging and therapeutic functions in a single platform. The multifunctional nanoparticles with uniform size had high drug-loading payload, sustained release, as well as excellent photothermal conversion. The integrated nanoplatform showed a superior synergistic effect in vitro and possessed precise spatial delivery to HepG2 cells with the dual-targeting nanocarrier. Intriguingly, a robust anticancer response of chemo-phototherapy was achieved; chemotherapy combined with the efficacy of phototherapy to cause cellular apoptosis of HepG2 cells (>35%) and inhibit the regrowth of damaged cells. Furthermore, the theranostic nanosystem displayed fluorescence imaging in vivo , attributed to its splendid accumulation in the tumor site, and it provided exceptional tumor inhibition rate against liver cancer cells (>76%). Overall, our research presents a promising multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform for the development of synergistic therapeutics for tumors in further applications.

Gravity-induced root curvature involves the asymmetric distribution of the phytohormone auxin. This response depends on the concerted activities of the auxin transporters such as PIN-FORMED (PIN) proteins for auxin efflux and AUXIN RESISTANT 1 (AUX1) for auxin influx. However, how the auxin gradient is established remains elusive. Here we identified a new mutant with a short root, strong auxin distribution in the lateral root cap and an impaired gravitropic response. The causal gene encoded an Arabidopsis homolog of the human unconventional prefoldin RPB5 interactor (URI). AtURI interacted with prefoldin 2 (PFD2) and PFD6, two β-type PFD members that modulate actin and tubulin patterning in roots. The auxin reporter DR5 rev :GFP showed that asymmetric auxin redistribution after gravistimulation is disordered in aturi-1 root tips. Treatment with the endomembrane protein trafficking inhibitor brefeldin A indicated that recycling of the auxin transporter PIN2 is disrupted in aturi-1 roots as well as in pfd mutants. We propose that AtURI cooperates with PFDs to recycle PIN2 and modulate auxin distribution., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

One pot synthesis of 2,5-dimethylfuran (2,5-DMF) from saccharides under mild conditions is of importance for the production of biofuel and fine chemicals. However, the synthesis requires a multitude of active sites and suffers from slow kinetics due to poor diffusion in most composite catalysts. Herein, a metal-acid functionalized 2D metal-organic framework (MOF; Pd/NUS-SO 3 H), as an ultrathin nanosheet of 3-4 nm with Lewis acid, Brønsted acid, and metal active sites, was prepared based on the diazo method for acid modification and subsequent metal loading. This new composite catalyst gives substantially higher yields of DMF than all reported catalysts for different saccharides (fructose, glucose, cellobiose, sucrose, and inulins). Characterization suggests that a cascade of reactions including polysaccharide hydrolysis, isomerization, dehydration, and hydrodeoxygenation takes place with rapid molecular interactions., (© 2022 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Currently, low intimacy between hydrogenation sites and acidic sites causes unsatisfactory catalytic activity and selectivity for the synthesis of 2,5-hexanedione from C 6 furan aldehydes (5-methylfurfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural). Herein, iodine(I) modification of Pd-supported catalysts (such as PdI/Al 2 O 3 and PdI/SiO 2 ) was investigated to modulate the hydrogenation sites and acidic sites. Unlike Pd catalysts that produced 71.4 % yield of 2-hydroxymethyl-5-methyl tetrahydrofuran via an overhydrogenation route of 5-methylfurfural, PdI catalysts showed a high efficiency for 2,5-hexanedione with 93.7 % yield by a hydrogenative ring-opening route. More importantly, the selective synthesis of 2,5-hexanedione from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural with a high yield of 50.2 % by the hydrogenolysis and subsequent ring-opening route was reported for the first time. I-modified Pd nanoparticles produced in-situ hydrogen spillover, which promoted the selective C=O hydrogenation and ring-opening steps by regulating the adsorption configuration of the reactants and the transformation of Lewis to Brønsted acidity, respectively., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Hydrogen, a new energy carrier that can replace traditional fossil fuels, is seen as one of the most promising clean energy sources. The use of renewable electricity to drive hydrogen production has very broad prospects for addressing energy and environmental problems. Therefore, many researchers favor electrolytic water due to its green and low-cost advantages. The electrolytic water reaction comprises the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Understanding the OER and HER mechanisms in acidic and alkaline processes contributes to further studying the design of surface regulation of electrolytic water catalysts. The OER and HER catalysts are mainly reviewed for defects, doping, alloying, surface reconstruction, crystal surface structure, and heterostructures. Besides, recent catalysts for overall water splitting are also reviewed. Finally, this review paves the way to the rational design and synthesis of new materials for highly efficient electrocatalysis., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Purpose: Camrelizumab, an mAb against programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), plus nab-paclitaxel exhibited promising antitumor activity in refractory metastatic immunomodulatory triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Famitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting VEGFR2, PDGFR, and c-kit. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of a novel combination of famitinib, camrelizumab, and nab-paclitaxel in advanced immunomodulatory TNBC., Patients and Methods: This open-label, single-arm, phase II study enrolled patients with previously untreated, advanced, immunomodulatory TNBC (CD8 IHC staining ≥10%). Eligible patients received 20 mg of oral famitinib on days 1 to 28, 200 mg of i.v. camrelizumab on days 1 and 15, and i.v. nab-paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 in 4-week cycles. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR), as assessed by investigators per RECIST v1.1. Key secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), duration of response (DOR), safety, and exploratory biomarkers., Results: Forty-eight patients were enrolled and treated. Median follow-up was 17.0 months (range, 8.7-24.3). Confirmed ORR was 81.3% [95% confidence interval (CI), 70.2-92.3], with five complete and 34 partial responses. Median PFS was 13.6 months (95% CI, 8.4-18.8), and median DOR was 14.9 months [95% CI, not estimable (NE)-NE]. Median OS was not reached. No treatment-related deaths were reported. Among 30 patients with IHC, 13 (43.3%) were programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-negative, and PD-L1 was associated with favorable response. PKD1 and KAT6A somatic mutations were associated with therapy response., Conclusions: The triplet regimen was efficacious and well tolerated in previously untreated, advanced, immunomodulatory TNBC. The randomized controlled FUTURE-SUPER trial is under way to validate our findings. See related commentary by Salgado and Loi, p. 2728., (©2022 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.)

Objective: To assess the effects of bed-sharing experiences in infancy on sleep patterns and sleep problems at 2 years of age., Study Design: A total of 1564 children from an ongoing Shanghai Maternal-Child Pairs Cohort were included. Bed-sharing experiences were collected when children were 2, 6, and 24 months old via caregiver-completed questionnaires (whether caregivers shared a bed with children during the night), and children's bed-sharing experiences were classified as follows: no bed-sharing, early-only bed-sharing, late-onset bed-sharing, and persistent bed-sharing. Sleep outcomes at month 24 were assessed using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire. Sleep patterns and problems were compared among the 4 types of bed-sharing experiences., Results: Of the 1564 infants, 10.10% had no bed-sharing, 18.35% had early-only, 27.94% had late-onset, and 43.61% had persistent bed-sharing. Compared with children with no bed-sharing, children with late-onset and persistent bed-sharing had shorter nighttime sleep durations and longer daytime sleep durations (P < .05) and were more likely to snore (aOR 1.87 [95% CI 1.25-2.79]; aOR 1.68 [95% CI 1.14-2.47]) and have sleep onset difficulty (aOR 2.06 [95% CI 1.37-3.09]; aOR 2.07 [95% CI 1.41-3.05]). However, caregivers of infants in the late-onset and persistent bed-sharing groups perceived less problematic sleep (aOR 0.38 [95% CI 0.26-0.56] and aOR 0.40 [95% CI 0.28-0.58])., Conclusions: Bed-sharing is a common experience among Chinese children. Although bed-sharing may reduce caregivers' perception of children's problematic sleep, late-onset or persistent bed-sharing in infancy is associated with sleep problems at 2 years of age., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The excessive dependence on fossil fuels contributes to the majority of CO 2 emissions, influencing on the climate change. One promising alternative to fossil fuels is green hydrogen, which can be produced through water electrolysis from renewable electricity. However, the variety and complexity of hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts currently studied increases the difficulty in the integration of catalytic theory, catalyst design and preparation, and characterization methods. Herein, this review first highlights design principles for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts, presenting the thermodynamics, kinetics, and related electronic and structural descriptors for HER. Second, the reasonable design, preparation, mechanistic understanding, and performance enhancement of electrocatalysts are deeply discussed based on intrinsic and extrinsic effects. Third, recent advancements in the electrocatalytic water splitting technology are further discussed briefly. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of the development of highly efficient hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts for water splitting are proposed., (© 2022 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Increasing evidence indicates that inflammatory responses may influence brain neurochemical pathways, inducing depressive-like behaviors. Ultrasound stimulation (US) is a promising non-invasive treatment for neuropsychiatric diseases. We investigated whether US can suppress inflammation and improve depressive-like behaviors. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharide to induce depressive-like behaviors. Ultrasound wave was delivered into the prefrontal cortex (PFC) for 30 min. Depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors were evaluated through the forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), and elevated plus maze (EPM). Biochemical analyses were performed to assess the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the PFC and serum. The results indicated that US of the PFC significantly improved depressive-like behaviors in the TST ( p < 0.05) and FST ( p < 0.05). Anxiety-like behaviors also improved in the EPM ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, the lipopolysaccharide-mediated upregulation of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α in the PFC was significantly reduced ( p < 0.05) by US. In addition, no tissue damage was observed. Overall, US of PFC can effectively improve lipopolysaccharide-induced depressive-like behaviors, possibly through the downregulation of inflammatory cytokines in the PFC. US may be a safe and promising tool for improvement of depression., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yi, Zou, Meng, Chen, Hong, Liu, Farooq, Chen, Lin, Zhou, Ao, Hu and Niu.)

Importance: Evidence on the timing of fetal growth alterations associated with gestational diabetes or on the association of the maternal glycemic trajectory with fetal growth during pregnancy remains lacking., Objective: To examine the associations between maternal glucose levels and offspring intrauterine growth., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used data from 4574 eligible pregnant women and their offspring in the Shanghai Maternal-Child Pairs Cohort collected from April 10, 2016, to April 30, 2018. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to classify fasting plasma glucose levels during pregnancy into 3 glycemic trajectories (trajectory 1, consistently normal glucose levels in all 3 trimesters; trajectory 2, hyperglycemia only in late pregnancy; and trajectory 3, hyperglycemia in all 3 trimesters [ie, consistently high glucose levels]). Statistical analysis was performed from April 25, 2020, to October 1, 2021., Exposures: Gestational diabetes, which was defined using the results of an oral glucose tolerance test., Main Outcomes and Measures: Longitudinal fetal biometrics during gestational weeks 11 to 40 and birth outcomes were obtained from medical records. Pregnancy was partitioned into 3 periods (<24, 24-34, and >34 weeks' gestational age). The differences in offspring growth (log-transformed) and maternal glucose levels were compared using generalized linear mixed models., Results: A total of 4121 pregnant women had oral glucose tolerance test results (mean [SD] age, 28.8 [4.1] years), 3746 of whom had glycemic trajectory data (mean [SD] age, 28.6 [4.1] years); 983 women (23.8%) had gestational diabetes. Throughout the pregnancy period and compared with the women without gestational diabetes or with women in the trajectory 1 group, the fetal biometrics for the women with gestational diabetes or for those in the trajectory 3 group were significantly higher (except for biparietal diameter), with an estimated increase in fetal weight in the group with gestational diabetes (β = 1.82; 95% CI, 1.03-2.61) and in the trajectory 3 group (β = 1.50; 95% CI, 0.54-2.47; P = .002). Fetal biometric alterations among women with gestational diabetes appeared before 24 weeks' gestational age, with neonatal birth weight significantly higher than in the group without gestational diabetes at 40.4 g (95% CI, 9.8-71.1 g) along with an increased risk of large size for gestational age (odds ratio, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.05-1.75) and macrosomia (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.12-1.94). However, pregnant women in the trajectory 2 group manifested significantly reduced fetal biometrics, and abdominal circumference was significantly augmented after 34 weeks' gestational age (increase, β = 1.92; 95% CI, 0.87-2.99)., Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, pregnant women who received a diagnosis of gestational diabetes in midpregnancy or had hyperglycemia during all 3 trimesters showed an association with altered fetal growth patterns, including increased estimated fetal weight that appeared before 24 weeks' gestational age, increased birth weight, and the risk for large size for gestational age and macrosomia.

Background: Chenxiang Huaqi tablets (CXHQTs) are a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) commonly used to treat stomach-related diseases. Currently, the ministerial standards do not provide detailed guidance and regulations on the content determination of CXHQTs, and the reported studies only use individual active components as indicators for determining effective ingredients., Objective: The present study aimed to propose a methodology for quality control of CXHQTs based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting combined with the quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker (QAMS) method., Methods: HPLC method was used to determine seven active ingredients and performed fingerprint analysis of CXHQTs. To further process chemometric assessment, technical analysis-model including similarity analysis (SA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), principal components analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) was set up to differentiate and classify the 20 batches of samples., Results: After comparing the results of QAMS method with the external standard method (ESM), we found there is no significant difference. Besides, the fingerprint of CXHQT was also established., Conclusion: HPLC fingerprint combined with the QAMS could be an efficient and selective analysis technique to achieve a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of executing quality processes., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors had a great effect in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); however, they benefited only a subset of patients, underscoring the need to co-target alternative pathways and select optimal patients. Herein, we investigated patient subpopulations more likely to benefit from immunotherapy and inform more effective combination regimens for TNBC patients., Methods: We conducted exploratory analyses in the FUSCC cohort to characterize a novel patient selection method and actionable targets for TNBC immunotherapy. We investigated this in vivo and launched a phase 2 trial to assess the clinical value of such criteria and combination regimen. Furthermore, we collected clinicopathological and next-generation sequencing data to illustrate biomarkers for patient outcomes., Results: CD8-positivity could identify an immunomodulatory subpopulation of TNBCs with higher possibilities to benefit from immunotherapy, and angiogenesis was an actionable target to facilitate checkpoint blockade. We conducted the phase II FUTURE-C-Plus trial to assess the feasibility of combining famitinib (an angiogenesis inhibitor), camrelizumab (a PD-1 monoclonal antibody) and chemotherapy in advanced immunomodulatory TNBC patients. Within 48 enrolled patients, the objective response rate was 81.3% (95% CI, 70.2-92.3), and the median progression-free survival was 13.6 months (95% CI, 8.4-18.8). No treatment-related deaths were reported. Patients with CD8- and/or PD-L1- positive tumors benefit more from this regimen. PKD1 somatic mutation indicates worse progression-free and overall survival., Conclusion: This study confirms the efficacy and safety of the triplet regimen in immunomodulatory TNBC and reveals the potential of combining CD8, PD-L1 and somatic mutations to guide clinical decision-making and treatments., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04129996 . Registered 11 October 2019., (© 2022. The Author(s).)