Cascade degradation and upcycling of polystyrene waste to high-value chemicals.

Plastic waste represents one of the most urgent environmental challenges facing humankind. Upcycling has been proposed to solve the low profitability and high market sensitivity of known recycling methods. Existing upcycling methods operate under energy-intense conditions and use precious-metal catalysts, but produce low-value oligomers, monomers, and common aromatics. Herein, we report a tandem degradation-upcycling strategy to exploit high-value chemicals from polystyrene (PS) waste with high selectivity. We first degrade PS waste to aromatics using ultraviolet (UV) light and then valorize the intermediate to diphenylmethane. Low-cost AlCl3 catalyzes both the reactions of degradation and upcycling at ambient temperatures under atmospheric pressure. The degraded intermediates can advantageously serve as solvents for processing the solid plastic wastes, forming a self-sustainable circuitry. The low-value-input and high-value-output approach is thus substantially more sustainable and economically viable than conventional thermal processes, which operate at high-temperature, high-pressure conditions and use precious-metal catalysts, but produce low-value oligomers, monomers, and common aromatics. The cascade strategy is resilient to impurities from plastic waste streams and is generalizable to other high-value chemicals (e.g., benzophenone, 1,2-diphenylethane, and 4-phenyl-4-oxo butyric acid). The upcycling to diphenylmethane was tested at 1-kg laboratory scale and attested by industrial-scale techno-economic analysis, demonstrating sustainability and economic viability without government subsidies or tax credits.

AMPAkines have site-specific analgesic effects in the cortex.

Different brain areas have distinct roles in the processing and regulation of pain and thus may form specific pharmacological targets. Prior research has shown that AMPAkines, a class of drugs that increase glutamate signaling, can enhance descending inhibition from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and nucleus accumbens. On the other hand, activation of neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is known to produce the aversive component of pain. The impact of AMPAkines on ACC, however, is not known. We found that direct delivery of CX516, a well-known AMPAkine, into the ACC had no effect on the aversive response to pain in rats. Furthermore, AMPAkines did not modulate the nociceptive response of ACC neurons. In contrast, AMPAkine delivery into the prelimbic region of the prefrontal cortex (PL) reduced pain aversion. These results indicate that the analgesic effects of AMPAkines in the cortex are likely mediated by the PFC but not the ACC.

Interaction between endogenous microRNAs and virus-derived small RNAs controls viral replication in insect vectors.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in resisting virus infection in insects. Viruses are recognized by insect RNA interference systems, which generate virus-derived small RNAs (vsRNAs). To date, it is unclear whether viruses employ vsRNAs to regulate the expression of endogenous miRNAs. We previously found that miR-263a facilitated the proliferation of rice stripe virus (RSV) in the insect vector small brown planthopper. However, miR-263a was significantly downregulated by RSV. Here, we deciphered the regulatory mechanisms of RSV on miR-263a expression. The promoter region of miR-263a was characterized, and the transcription factor YY1 was found to negatively regulate the transcription of miR-263a. The nucleocapsid protein of RSV promoted the inhibitory effect of YY1 on miR-263a transcription by reducing the binding ability of RNA polymerase II to the promoter of miR-263a. Moreover, an RSV-derived small RNA, vsR-3397, downregulated miR-263a transcription by directly targeting the promoter region with partial sequence complementarity. The reduction in miR-263a suppressed RSV replication and was beneficial for maintaining a tolerable accumulation level of RSV in insect vectors. This dual regulation mechanism reflects an ingenious adaptation strategy of viruses to their insect vectors.

Time-dependent regulation of respiration is widespread across plant evolution.

Establishing the temperature dependence of respiration is critical for accurate predictions of the global carbon cycle under climate change. Diurnal temperature fluctuations, or changes in substrate availability, lead to variations in leaf respiration. Additionally, recent studies hint that the thermal sensitivity of respiration could be time-dependent. However, the role for endogenous processes, independent from substrate availability, as drivers of temporal changes in the sensitivity of respiration to temperature across phylogenies has not yet been addressed. Here, we examined the diurnal variation in the response of respiration to temperatures (R-T relationship) for different lycophyte, fern, gymnosperm and angiosperm species. We tested whether time-dependent changes in the R-T relationship would impact leaf level respiration modelling. We hypothesized that interactions between endogenous processes, like the circadian clock, and leaf respiration would be independent from changes in substrate availability. Overall, we observed a time-dependent sensitivity in the R-T relationship across phylogenies, independent of temperature, that affected modelling parameters. These results are compatible with circadian gating of respiration, but further studies should analyse the possible involvement of the clock. Our results indicate time-dependent regulation of respiration might be widespread across phylogenies, and that endogenous regulation of respiration is likely affecting leaf-level respiration fluxes.

Possible pathogenic mechanisms for doxorubicin-induced splenic atrophy in a human breast cancer xenograft mouse model.

Doxorubicin-based chemotherapy is a widely used first-line treatment for breast cancer, yet it is associated with various side effects, including splenic atrophy. However, the pathogenic mechanisms underlying doxorubicin-induced atrophy of the spleen remain unclear. This study investigates that doxorubicin treatment leads to splenic atrophy through several interconnected pathways involving histological changes, an inflammatory response, and apoptosis. Immunohistochemical and western blot analyses revealed reduced size of white and red pulp, decreased cellularity, amyloidosis, and fibrotic remodeling in the spleen following doxorubicin treatment. Additionally, increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines was detected using an antibody array and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which triggers inflammation through the regulation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Further analysis revealed that the loss of regulators and effectors of the oxidative defense system, including sirtuin (Sirt)3, Sirt5, superoxide dismutase (SOD)1, and SOD2, was implicated in the upstream regulation of caspase-dependent cellular apoptosis. These findings provide insights on the pathogenic mechanisms underlying doxorubicin-induced splenic atrophy and suggest that further investigation may be warranted to explore strategies for managing potential side effects in breast cancer patients treated with doxorubicin.

Compare individual and combined bioretention systems on the reduction of thermal pollution from stormwater runoff.

Urban surface temperatures are high in summertime, and thermal pollution caused by heat transfer from pavement to stormwater runoff is harmful to aquatic ecosystems. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the temperature change pattern during rainstorms and evaluating the effects of bioretention on dynamic characteristics of thermal pollution. Therefore, this study selected a 1.05 ha parking lot retrofitted with five individual bioretention cells in Beijing as the object to compare the temperature and volume of stormwater runoff before and after bioretention treatment. In the LID parking lot, the average EMT and EMXT (event maximum temperature) of runoff decreased by 2.28 °C and 4.18 °C, respectively, and the median percent thermal load reduction was 90.6%. Data analysis from 15 summer rainfall events showed that the sequence of factors affecting runoff EMT (event mean temperature) was average air temperature, max air temperature, max solar radiation, and rainfall peak 5-min intensity. Bioretention profoundly changed the thermal dynamic characteristics of stormwater runoff. Surface runoff temperatures generally showed a decreasing trend over time. The temperature change pattern of LID parking lot outflow was synchronized with that of the inflow and varied with different grades of precipitation. The probability of the peak temperature ahead of peak flow decreased from 80% to 53%, suggesting that 27% of the thermal first-flush effect of thermal pollution from the urban surface was alleviated by site-scale bioretention implementation. The site-scale bioretention combination had a lower effluent temperature and a higher thermal load reduction rate than single-scale solutions. These results fill the gap in research on the thermal pollution reduction process of bioretention. Furthermore, they can guide the optimization of bioretention design methods and strategies to protect urban water bodies from the stormwater runoff thermal pollution.

The inhibitory effect of excess calcium ions on the polymerization process of calcium aluminate silicate hydrate (CASH) gel.

Calcium ion, as an essential component in CASH, affects the aggregation and formation process of CASH, thereby influencing its microstructure and mechanical properties. However, the mechanism by which calcium ions affect the polymerization process of CASH is not yet fully understood. In this study, the effects of calcium ions on the polymerization process, coagulation state, and microstructure of CASH are investigated via molecular dynamics simulation. The results indicate that the presence of a trace amount of Ca2+ attracts oligomers towards the calcium-rich region, thus speeding up the polymerization to some extent, but as the Ca2+ content increases, more Ca2+ binds to the oxygen atoms in silica-oxygen tetrahedra and aluminum-oxygen tetrahedra, forming tight ion pairs and occupying the hydroxyl binding sites required for the polycondensation reaction. This inhibits the continuous aggregation of CASH gel and slows down the rate of polymerization. Additionally, Ca2+ attracts oxygen atoms from free water molecules and free OH-, forming Ca(OH)2 dispersed in the spatial structure, which hinders the formation of larger clusters. As a result, the higher the Ca ion content in the system, the lower the overall polymerization degree of the CASH gel, resulting in a decrease in the conversion of the Q1 dimer to Q2 and Q3 chain structures, a shorter average chain length, poorer overall connectivity, and a transition from large clusters in a better-aggregated state to dispersed small clusters. This study sheds light on the polymerization reaction mechanism of CASH gels.

Distribution of rare N4-like viruses in temperate estuaries unveiled by viromics.

The relative abundance of N4-like viruses in two temperate estuaries was assessed using four different methods, read mapping to known N4-like virus isolates, read mapping to native viral contigs, reciprocal blast search based on core genes, and read taxonomy classification using Kaiju. Overall, N4-like viruses were found to be of low abundance in the estuarine viromes. When mapping reads to only known N4-like virus genomes, high occurrences of N4-like viruses infecting Roseobacter were found, with their diversity consisting mostly of locally isolated Roseobacter N4-like virus species. Both contig-based methods and Kaiju classification showed similar seasonal patterns for N4-like viruses, and redundancy analysis revealed a negative correlation between N4-like viruses and temperature, suggesting that N4-like viruses may be more abundant in colder water. The discrepancy of relative abundance estimates using different methods indicates that N4-like viruses are best represented by native viral sequences. Our study indicates that N4-like viruses are rare in the marine environment and also provide insight into the importance of including local viral sequences in reference databases.

Fibroblast Activation Protein-α Responsive Peptide Assembling Prodrug Nanoparticles for Remodeling the Immunosuppressive Microenvironment and Boosting Cancer Immunotherapy.

Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy has broad application prospects in the clinical treatment of malignant tumors. However, the low response rate of the checkpoint blockade is due to low tumor immunogenicity and immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment. Herein, the authors design an amphiphilic bifunctional PD-1/PD-L1 peptide antagonist PCP, and co-deliver doxorubicin (DOX) and R848 through co-assembly of a multi-agent prodrug (PCP@R848/DOX), which can be specifically cleaved by fibroblast activation protein-α (FAP-α) in the tumor stroma. Upon reaching the tumor tissue, the PCP@R848/DOX prodrug nanostructure is disassembled by FAP-α. The localized release of DOX and R848 triggers immunogenic cell death (ICD) and reprograms tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) to elicit antitumor immunity. Furthermore, sustained release of PD-1 or PD-L1 peptide antagonists mediates the PD-L1 pathway blockade for further propagated activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Notably, a tumor microenvironment activatable prodrug nanoparticle is presented for triple-modality cancer therapy that functions by simultaneously activating ICD and altering the phenotype of TAMs when combined with PD-1 blockade therapy, which efficiently elicits a strong systemic antitumor immune response. This strategy may emerge as a new paradigm in the treatment of cancer by combination immunotherapy.

Melatonin alleviates PM2.5 -induced glucose metabolism disorder and lipidome alteration by regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) was associated with an increased incidence of liver metabolic disease. Melatonin has been shown to prevent liver glucolipid metabolism disorders. However, whether melatonin could rescue PM2.5 -induced liver metabolic abnormalities remains uncertain. This study was to evaluate the mitigating effect of melatonin on PM2.5 -accelerated hepatic glucose metabolism imbalance in vivo and in vitro. Schiff periodic acid shiff staining and other results showed that PM2.5 led to a decrease in hepatic glycogen reserve and an increase in glucose content, which was effectively alleviated by melatonin. Targeted lipidomics is used to identify lipid biomarkers associated with this process, including glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, and sphingolipids. In addition, gene microarray and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of ApoE-/- mice liver suggested that PM2.5 activated the miR-200a-3p and inhibited DNAJB9, and the targeting relationship was verified by luciferase reports for the first time. Further investigation demonstrated that DNAJB9 might motivate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by regulating Ca2+ homeostasis, thus altering the protein expression of GSK3B, FOXO1, and PCK2. Meanwhile, melatonin effectively inhibited miR-200a-3p and glucose metabolism disorder. Knockout of miR-200a-3p in L02 cells revealed that miR-200a-3p is indispensable in the damage of PM2.5 and the therapeutic effect of melatonin. In summary, melatonin alleviated PM2.5 -induced liver metabolic dysregulation by regulating ER stress via miR-200a-3p/DNAJB9 signaling pathway. Our data provide a prospective targeted therapy for air pollution-related liver metabolism disorders.

Global association between atmospheric particulate matter and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Among various air pollutants, particulate matter (PM) is the most harmful and representative pollutant. Although several studies have shown a link between particulate pollution and obesity, the conclusions are still inconsistent. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to pool the effect of PM exposure on obesity. Five databases (including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane) were searched for relevant studies up to Jan 2022. Adjusted risk ratio (RR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were retrieved from individual studies and pooled with random effect models by STATA software. Besides, we tested the stability of results by Egger's test, Begg's test, funnel plot, and using the trim-and-fill method to modify the possible asymmetric funnel graph. The NTP-OHAT guidelines were followed to assess the risk of bias. Then the GRADE was used to evaluate the certainty of evidence. RESULTS: 26 studies were included in this meta-analysis. 19 studies have shown that PM2.5 can increase the risk of obesity per 10 µg/m3 increment (RR: 1.159, 95% CI: 1.111-1.209), while 15 studies have indicated that PM10 increase the risk of obesity per 10 µg/m3 increment (RR: 1.092, 95% CI: 1.070-1.116). Besides, 5 other articles with maternal exposure showed that PM2.5 increases the risk of obesity in children (RR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02-1.11). And we explored the source of heterogeneity by subgroup analysis, which suggested associations between PM and obesity tended to vary by region, age group, participants number, etc. The analysis results showed publication bias and other biases are well controlled, but most certainties of the evidence were low, and more research is required to reduce these uncertainties. CONCLUSION: Exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 with per 10 µg/m3 increment could increase the risk of obesity in the global population.

Metabolites identification and species comparison of Oroxylin A, an anti-cancer flavonoid, in vitro and in vivo by HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS.

Oroxylin A, the main component of Scutellaria baicalensis Georigi has been widely studied due to its well-known pharmacological effects. According to previous studies, Oroxylin A with low bioavailability was converted into glucuronidation and sulphonated metabolites, which had high exposure in plasma and generated certain activities. It is necessary to study the metabolites and metabolic pathways of Oroxylin A.This study aimed to explore the metabolites of Oroxylin A in liver microsomes, primary hepatocyte incubation samples of five different species (human, monkey, dog, mouse, rat), and in bile, urine and faeces of rats.It would provide a systematic description of metabolic pathway of Oroxylin A. Also, a method of high-performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry detector (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) for identification of each metabolite in various biological matrices was developed.This experiment illustrated that phase II metabolites were the main form of Oroxylin A in vitro and in excretion of rats, accompanied with a small amount of phase I metabolites.Furthermore, there were obvious species differences among the metabolism in vitro, especially in phase II. Monkeys and rats may be more suitable for preclinical research than dogs and mice as non-rodent or rodent species.

Silica nanoparticles induce pulmonary autophagy dysfunction and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition via p62/NF-κB signaling pathway.

It has been reported that silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) could cause epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), but the specific mechanism is still unclear. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of pulmonary EMT after subacute exposure to SiNPs. The results showed intratracheal instillation of SiNPs increased the pulmonary MDA content, while decreased the activity of SOD and GSH-Px in rats. Western blot analysis demonstrated that SiNPs induced autophagy dysfunction via the upregulation of p62. Meanwhile, the inflammation cytokines (TNF-α, IL-18, IL-1ß) were released in rat lung. Immunohistochemistry and western blot assays both showed that SiNPs could regulate the related protein biomarkers of EMT through decreasing E-cadherin and increasing vimentin in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, SiNPs activated the proteins expression involved in p62/NF-κB signaling pathway, whereas the pulmonary EMT induced by SiNPs was significantly dampened after the knock down of p62. In this study, we illustrated that subacute exposure to SiNPs could trigger the autophagy dysfunction and pulmonary inflammation, further lead to EMT via activating the p62/NF-κB signaling pathway. Our findings provide new molecular evidence for SiNPs-induced pulmonary toxicity.

Characterization of Preclinical Pharmacokinetic Properties and Prediction of Human PK Using a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model for a Novel Anti-Arrhythmic Agent Sulcardine Sulfate.

PURPOSE: Sulcardine sulfate (Sul) is a novel antiarrhythmic agent with promising pharmacological properties, which is currently being evaluated in several clinical trials as an oral formulation. To meet the medication needs of patients with acute conditions, the injection formulation of Sul has been developed. The objective of this study was to systemically investigate the pharmacokinetic profiles of Sul after intravenous infusion. METHODS: This research included the plasma protein binding and metabolic stability studies in vitro, plasma pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, excretion studies in animals, and the prediction of the clinical PK of Sul injection using a physiologically based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) model. RESULTS: The metabolic stability was similarly in dogs and humans but lower in rats. The plasma protein binding rates showed a concentration-dependent manner and species differences. The pharmacokinetic behavior after intravenous administration was linear in rats within the dose range of 30-90 mg/kg, but nonlinear in dogs within 30-60 mg/kg. Sul could be rapidly and widely distributed in multiple tissues after intravenous administration. About 12% of the parent compound were excreted via the urine and only a small fraction via bile and feces,and eight metabolites were found and identified in the rat excretion. The PBPK models were developed and simulated the observed PK date well in both rats and dogs. The PBPK model refined with human data predicted the PK characteristics of the first intravenous infusion of Sul in human. CONCLUSIONS: Our study systematically explored the pharmacokinetic characteristics of Sul and successfully developed the PBPK model to predict of its clinical PK.

Metabolomic characteristics of hepatotoxicity in rats induced by silica nanoparticles.

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) have become one of the most widely studied nanoparticles in nanotechnology for environmental health and safety. Although many studies have devoted to evaluating the hepatotoxicity of SiNPs, it is currently impossible to predict the extent of liver lipid metabolism disorder by identifying changes in metabolites. In the present study, 40 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into control group and 3 groups with different doses (1.8 mg/kg body weight (bw), 5.4 mg/kg bw, 16.2 mg/kg bw), receiving intratracheal instillation of SiNPs. Liver tissue was taken for lipid level analysis, and serum was used for blood biochemical analysis. Then, the metabolites changes of liver tissue in rats were systematically analyzed using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) techniques in combination with multivariate statistical analysis. SiNPs induced serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and triglyceride (TG) elevation in treated groups; TG and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly higher in SiNPs-treated groups of high-dose, however high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) showed a declining trend in liver tissue. The orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) scores plots revealed different metabolic profiles between control and high-dose group (Q2 =0.495, R2Y=0.802, p = 0.037), and a total of 11 differential metabolites. Pathway analysis indicated that SiNPs treatment mainly affected 10 metabolic pathways including purine metabolism, glucose-alanine cycle and metabolism of various amino acids such as glutamate, cysteine and aspartate (impact value>0.1, false discovery rate (FDR)< 0.05). The result indicated that exposure to SiNPs caused liver lipid metabolism disorder in rats, the biochemical criterions related to lipid metabolism changed significantly. The obviously changed metabolomics in SiNPs-treated rats mostly occurred in amino acids, organic acids and nucleosides.

The relationship between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and hypertension in women：A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Gender difference and PM2.5 exposure all have effects on hypertension, change of estrogen level in different women's stage bring complex influence on blood pressure. Then we conduct this meta-analysis to investigate the association between long-term exposure (at least one year) to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and hypertension in adult non-pregnant women. METHOD: Four major databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Embase were searched with specific search terms, and 11 studies were finally selected. The meta-analysis module of software Stata 12.0 was used for data processing with the effect values hazard ratio (HR) and odds ratio (OR) respectively. RESULTS: After sensitivity analysis, we removed a study with highly heterogeneity and finally included 10 studies. Meta-analysis results showed that exposure to PM2.5 (per 10 µg/m3 increase) was associated with hypertension in non-pregnancy adult women, HR = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.08-1.40; OR = 1.07, 95%CI: 1.00-1.14. And subgroup analysis showed that menopause, non-White and diabetes are the key risk factors of hypertension when exposed to PM2.5. CONCLUSION: This is the first meta-analysis to explore the association between PM2.5 and non-pregnancy women, and calculate OR and HR respectively for the first time. Exposure to PM2.5 could increase the risk of hypertension in non-pregnancy women, and the combined 'HR' was much higher than 'OR'.

MCM3AP-AS1/miR-876-5p/WNT5A axis regulates the proliferation of prostate cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Although the fact that long non-coding RNA MCM3AP antisense RNA 1 (MCM3AP-AS1) is oncogenic in several cancers is well documented, very few researchers investigate its expression and function in prostate cancer. METHODS: Paired prostate cancer samples were selected, and expressions of MCM3AP-AS1, miR-876-5p and WNT5A were examined by qRT-PCR. MCM3AP-AS1 shRNA was transfected into LNCaP and PC-3 cell lines, and then the proliferative activity and apoptosis of cancer cells were detected by CCK-8 assay, EdU assay and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to analyze the changes of miR-876-5p and WNT5A. Luciferase reporter gene assay was employed to determine the regulatory relationship between miR-876-5p and MCM3AP-AS1, miR-876-5p and WNT5A. RESULTS: MCM3AP-AS1 was significantly up-regulated in cancerous tissues of prostate cancer samples, positively correlated with the expression of WNT5A, while negatively related with miR-876-5p. After transfection of MCM3AP-AS1 shRNA into prostate cancer cells, the proliferative ability of cancer cells was signally inhibited, but the apoptosis of cancer cells was increased. MCM3AP-AS1 shRNA could reduce the expression of WNT5A on both mRNA and protein levels. Besides, MCM3AP-AS1 was identified as a sponge of miR-876-5p. WNT5A was validated as a target gene of miR- 876-5p. CONCLUSION: MCM3AP-AS1 is abnormally up-regulated in prostate cancer tissues and can modulate the proliferation and apoptosis of prostate cancer cells, which has the potential to be the "ceRNA" to regulate the expression of WNT5A by targeting miR-876-5p.

Particulate matter exposure and biomarkers associated with blood coagulation: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Find the correlation between particulate matter (PM) and biomarkers related to blood coagulation, offer medical evidence to sensitive indicators and carry out early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. METHOD: A combination of computer and manual retrieval was used to search for the keywords in PubMed (584 records), Cochrane Library (28 records), Web of Science (162 records) and Embase (163 records). Finally, a total of 25 articles were included in this meta-analysis. Stata 13.0 was applied to examine the heterogeneity among the studies and to calculate the combined effect estimates, percent variation (%) and 95% CI by selecting corresponding models. Additionally, sensitivity analysis and publication bias test were also conducted. RESULTS: Meta-analysis indicated that there was an association between PM2.5 exposure (per 10 µg/m3 increase) and fibrinogen. With the increase of PM2.5 exposure (per 10 µg/m3 increase), the content of fibrinogen revealed a high level (2.26%; 95% CI: 1.08-3.44%); and the increase of UFPs exposure (per 5000/cm3 increase) was correlated with some biomarkers such as cell surface antigen and protein ligand including ICAM-1, sCD40L, P-selectin, E-selectin and PAI-1 that indirectly related to blood coagulation, yielding a percent variation of 10.83% (95% CI: 3.49%-18.17%). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis expounded that PM-related biomarkers were associated with blood coagulation, and the relationship with fibrinogen was much stronger.

NaGaS2 : An Elusive Layered Compound with Dynamic Water Absorption and Wide-Ranging Ion-Exchange Properties.

Most ternary sulfides belonging to the MGaS2 structure-type have been known for many years and are well-characterized. Surprisingly, there have been no reports of the NaGaS2 composition, which contains Na, a monovalent cation slightly larger in size than Li, found in LiGaS2 , a compound known for its non-linear optical properties. Now it is demonstrated for the first time that the unique reversible water absorption in NaGaS2 has resulted in its absence from previous reports owing to difficulties encountered when characterizing this compound by SC XRD. The layered structure of this compound coupled with uniquely easy migration of water molecules between the layers allows for ion exchange with 3d and 5f metal cations. Some cations, for example, Ni2+ , facilitate exfoliation of the layers, providing a facile synthetic route to a new class of 2D chalcogenide materials and furthermore demonstrating that NaGaS2 can readily uptake uranyl species from aqueous solutions.