Exploring the Key Signaling Pathways and ncRNAs in Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer to be diagnosed, and it has a substantial mortality rate. Despite numerous studies being conducted on CRC, it remains a significant health concern. The disease-free survival rates notably decrease as CRC progresses, emphasizing the urgency for effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. CRC development is caused by environmental factors, which mostly lead to the disruption of signaling pathways. Among these pathways, the Wingless/Integrated (Wnt) signaling pathway, Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) signaling pathway, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, Transforming Growth Factor-ß (TGF-ß) signaling pathway, and p53 signaling pathway are considered to be important. These signaling pathways are also regulated by non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs). They have emerged as crucial regulators of gene expression in CRC by changing their expression levels. The altered expression patterns of these ncRNAs have been implicated in CRC progression and development, suggesting their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic targets. This review provides an overview of the five key signaling pathways and regulation of ncRNAs involved in CRC pathogenesis that are studied to identify promising avenues for diagnosis and treatment strategies.

Lyotropic Boron Nitride Nanotube Liquid Crystals: Preparation, Characterization, and Wet-Spinning for Fabrication of Composite Fiber.

Microfiber fabrication via wet-spinning of lyotropic liquid crystals (LCs) with anisotropic nanomaterials has gained increased attention due to the microfibers' excellent physical/chemical properties originating from the unidirectional alignment of anisotropic nanomaterials along the fiber axis with high packing density. For wet-spinning of the microfibers, however, preparing lyotropic LCs by achieving high colloidal stability of anisotropic nanomaterials, even at high concentrations, has been a critically unmet prerequisite, especially for recently emerging nanomaterials. Here, we propose a cationically charged polymeric stabilizer that can efficiently be adsorbed on the surface of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), which provide steric hindrance in combination with Coulombic repulsion leading to high colloidal stability of BNNTs up to 22 wt %. The BNNT LCs prepared from the dispersions with various stabilizers were systematically compared using optical and rheological analysis to optimize the phase behavior and rheological properties for wet-spinning of the BNNT LCs. Systematic optical and mechanical characterizations of the BNNT microfibers with aligned BNNTs along the fiber axis revealed that properties of the microfibers, such as their tensile strength, packing density, and degree of BNNT alignment, were highly dependent on the quality of BNNT LCs directly related to the types of stabilizers.

Wide-Range Size Fractionation of Graphene Oxide by Flow Field-Flow Fractionation.

Many interesting properties of 2D materials and their assembled structures are strongly dependent on the lateral size and size distribution of 2D materials. Accordingly, effective size separation of polydisperse 2D sheets is critical for desirable applications. Here, we introduce flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) for a wide-range size fractionation of graphene oxide (GO) up to 100 µm. Two different separation mechanisms are identified for FlFFF, including normal mode and steric/hyperlayer mode, to size fractionate wide size-distributed GOs while employing a crossflow field for either diffusion or size-controlled migration of GO. Obviously, the 2D GO sheet reveals size separation behavior distinctive from typical spherical particles arising from its innate planar geometry. We also investigate 2D sheet size-dependent mechanical and electrical properties of three different graphene fibers produced from size-fractionated GOs. This FlFFF-based size selection methodology can be used as a generic approach for effective wide-range size separation for 2D materials, including rGO, TMDs, and MXene.

Ultrahigh strength, modulus, and conductivity of graphitic fibers by macromolecular coalescence.

Theoretical considerations suggest that the strength of carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers be exceptional; however, their mechanical performance values are much lower than the theoretical values. To achieve macroscopic fibers with ultrahigh performance, we developed a method to form multidimensional nanostructures by coalescence of individual nanotubes. The highly aligned wet-spun fibers of single- or double-walled nanotube bundles were graphitized to induce nanotube collapse and multi-inner walled structures. These advanced nanostructures formed a network of interconnected, close-packed graphitic domains. Their near-perfect alignment and high longitudinal crystallinity that increased the shear strength between CNTs while retaining notable flexibility. The resulting fibers have an exceptional combination of high tensile strength (6.57 GPa), modulus (629 GPa), thermal conductivity (482 W/m·K), and electrical conductivity (2.2 MS/m), thereby overcoming the limits associated with conventional synthetic fibers.

3-D porous cellulose nanofibril aerogels with a controllable copper nanoparticle loading as a highly efficient non-noble-metal catalyst for 4-nitrophenol reduction.

Nitrophenols(NPs) are highly toxic compounds that occur in various industrial effluents. Herein, we investigated Cu nanoparticle-loaded cellulose nanofibril (CNF/PEI-Cu) aerogels as a catalyst for degrading 4-nitrophenol (4NP) in the wastewater. Non-noble metal based low-cost catalyst material and easily scalable preparation method make CNF/PEI-Cu aerogel as an appropriate catalyst for practical application in 4NP wastewater treatment. Our strategy to improve the loading amount of homogeneously distributed Cu nanoparticles was to functionalize a CNF aerogel using polyethylene imine (PEI), which can bind Cu2+ ions. Porous CNF aerogels with homogenously distributed 20-40 nm Cu nanoparticles were obtained by adsorbing Cu2+ ions and chemically reducing them to Cu metal. The FTIR, XRD, SEM, XPS and ICP-OES analysis were used to confirm the in-situ formation of Cu nanoparticles. In the presence of the CNF/PEI-Cu aerogels, 4NP was effectively reduced to 4-aminophenol (4AP) without loss of the Cu nanoparticles. The activation energy (Ea) and reaction rate constant (kapp) of the catalytic 4NP reduction reaction by the CNF/PEI2-Cu aerogels were calculated to be Ea = 39.56 kJ mol-1 and kapp = 0.770 min-1, respectively. The Ea is similar or even smaller than the Ea values of the corresponding reactions involving noble-metal catalysts, demonstrating that the CNF/PEI-Cu aerogels developed in the present study have strong potential as practical and economical catalysts.

Modified cellulose nanofibril aerogel: Tunable catalyst support for treatment of 4-Nitrophenol from wastewater.

4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) is a hazardous aromatic compound widely used for various industries. Catalytic reduction of 4-NP using metal nanoparticles (NPs) is a highly effective method to treat 4-NP from waste effluent. Even though lots of methods have investigated to prepare efficient metal NPs composites, the nano and/or micro size of composites makes it hard to recover after wastewater treatment, limiting its practical use. Here, we fabricate 3-dimensional polyethylene imine grafted cellulose nanofibril (CNF-PEI) aerogel as a porous support material for platinum (Pt) NPs to practically and effectively treat 4-NP from wastewater. The Pt NPs are formed in-situ mode on cylindrical CNF-PEI aerogel by adsorption reaction with amine groups of PEI and subsequently reduction with NaBH4. Control of PEI grafting density and the initial concentration of Pt ions allows manipulation of the loading mass, size, and distribution of Pt NPs on 3D scaffold of CNF-PEI aerogel. The composite aerogel shows high catalytic activity for conversion of 4-NP. The 4-NP conversion activity is strongly affected by the size of Pt NPs and effective surface area of aerogels. The 2.74 nm size Pt NPs with even distribution in the aerogel show fast reaction kinetics (k = 0.12 min-1). Finally, 4-NP reduction efficiency does not decrease during 5 times reuse cycle of Pt NPs loaded CNF-PEI aerogel. This CNF-PEI aerogel loaded with Pt NPs is recovered easily from wastewater after treatment, so it is reusable and offers high potential as a practical recyclable environmental catalyst.

Fabrication of cylindrical 3D cellulose nanofibril(CNF) aerogel for continuous removal of copper(Cu2+) from wastewater.

Heavy metal contamination in wastewater is a serious problem due to its high toxicity. In this study, three-dimensional porous and flexible polyethylene imine grafted cellulose nanofibril aerogel (PEI@CNF aerogel) is synthesized as a highly efficient biosorbent for continuous treatment of wastewater containing copper (Cu2+). The synthesized PEI@CNF aerogel efficiently separates Cu2+ from wastewater and exhibits outstanding selectivity for Cu2+ in the presence of other metal ions. The amine groups in polyethylene imine (PEI) grafted onto the porous cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) scaffold form chelates with Cu2+ thereby effectively adsorbing Cu2+. The combination of a flexible CNF scaffold and rigid PEI results in a durable elastic matrix of the aerogel providing excellent wet stability, shape recovery property and recycle ability of PEI@CNF aerogel. Finally, in the column test, the PEI@CNF aerogel treats 88 bed volumes of wastewater containing Cu2+(∼20 mg/L). This result demonstrates that PEI@CNF aerogels are practically viable and highly efficient bio-sorbents for the treatment of wastewater containing Cu2+.

Mechanically enhanced graphene oxide/carboxymethyl cellulose nanofibril composite fiber as a scalable adsorbent for heavy metal removal.

Recently, graphene oxide(GO) has gained much attention for heavy metal removal due to its high surface area and lots of functional groups on the surface. However, GO itself in powder form is far away from practical adsorbents because it remains dispersed in liquid phase which causes difficulty in the separation from effluent. In this study, GO/carboxymethyl cellulose nanofibril (CMCNF) composite fiber(CF) is developed as an efficient and durable adsorbent. Cross-linked GO/CMCNF CF was continuously produced by employing Fe3+ ion as a coagulant during a typical wet-spinning process. Based on multiple interactions such as ionic bonding and electrostatic interactions between Fe3+ and carboxyl group on CMCNF, the CF exhibits enhanced mechanical property than pure GO fiber. GO/CMCNF-Fe3+ CF showed efficient lead (Pb2+) uptake with successful adsorbent recovery, which indicates durable and cost-competitive fiber type adsorbent for heavy metal ions.

Prussian blue-embedded carboxymethyl cellulose nanofibril membranes for removing radioactive cesium from aqueous solution.

In this study, we synthesized a Prussian blue (PB)-embedded macroporous carboxymethyl cellulose nanofibril (CMCNF) membrane for facile cesium (Cs) removal. The PB was formed in situ at Fe3+ sites on a CMCNF framework cross-linked using FeCl3 as a cross-linking agent. Cubic PB particles of size 5-20 nm were observed on the macroporous CMCNF membrane surface. The PB-CMCNF membrane showed 2.5-fold greater Cs adsorption capacity (130 mg/gPB-CMCNF) than commercial PB nanoparticles, even though the PB loading of the PB-CMCNF membrane was less than 100 mg/gPB-CMCNF. The macroporous structure of the CMCNF membrane led to improved diffusion in the solution, thereby increasing the Cs adsorption capacity. The Cs adsorption behavior was systematically investigated in different solution chemistry. Finally, 137Cs removal using a semicontinuous adsorption module was demonstrated in real seawater. The results showed that the PB-CMCNF membrane is a highly effective, practical material for the removal of 137Cs from aqueous environments.

Modified tunicate nanocellulose liquid crystalline fiber as closed loop for recycling platinum-group metals.

Rising demand and elemental rarity requires the recycling of precious metals such as platinum group elements (PGMs). Recently, biosorption has been focused on the capability of recovering precious metals, but in practice, recycling is inefficient or far away from a closed-loop material system. Here we use a polyethylenimine (PEI)-grafted spun-fiber made of cellulose nanofibril (CNF) extracted from a tunicate as a biosorbent for PGMs. Liquid crystallinity (LC) of TCNF suspension appears to contribute the generation of well-developed open porous structure in the fiber. We show the fiber has the selectivity and high capacity of Pt (120.2 mg/g, 86%) and Pd (26.5 mg/g, 74.2%) adsorption under the presence of other metals in simulated automobile waste. The adsorbed Pt and Pd with nano-scale clusters were uniformly distributed on the porous surface, which were directly applied as a catalyst. These results propose an easy approach to recover precious metals and reuse them directly, thereby closing loops of metal recycling.

Composite Microgels Created by Complexation between Polyvinyl Alcohol and Graphene Oxide in Compressed Double-Emulsion Drops.

Microgels, microparticles made of hydrogels, show fast diffusion kinetics and high reconfigurability while maintaining the advantages of hydrogels, being useful for various applications. Here, presented is a new microfluidic strategy for producing polymer-graphene oxide (GO) composite microgels without chemical cues or a temperature swing for gelation. As a main component of microgels, polymers that are able to form hydrogen bonds, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), are used. In the mixture of PVA and GO, GO is tethered by PVA through hydrogen bonding. When the mixture is rapidly concentrated in the core of double-emulsion drops by osmotic-pressure-driven water pumping, PVA-tethered GO sheets form a nematic phase with a planar alignment. In addition, the GO sheets are linked by additional hydrogen bonds, leading to a sol-gel transition. Therefore, the PVA-GO composite remains undissolved when it is directly exposed to water by oil-shell rupture. These composite microgels can be also produced using poly(ethylene oxide) or poly(acrylic acid), instead of PVA. In addition, the microgels can be functionalized by incorporating other polymers in the presence of the hydrogel-forming polymers. It is shown that the multicomponent microgels made from a mixture of polyacrylamide, PVA, and GO show an excellent adsorption capacity for impurities.

Continuous Meter-Scale Synthesis of Weavable Tunicate Cellulose/Carbon Nanotube Fibers for High-Performance Wearable Sensors.

Weavable sensing fibers with superior mechanical strength and sensing functionality are crucial for the realization of wearable textile sensors. However, in the fabrication of previously reported wearable sensing fibers, additional processes such as reduction, doping, and coating were essential to satisfy both requirements. The sensing fibers should be continuously synthesized in a scalable process for commercial applications with high reliability and productivity, which was challenging. In this study, we first synthesize mass-producible wearable sensing fibers with good mechanical properties and sensing functionality without additional processes by incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into distinct nanocellulose. Nanocellulose extracted from tunicate (TCNF) is homogeneously composited with single-walled CNTs, and composite fibers (TCNF/CNT) are continuously produced in aligned directions by wet spinning, facilitating liquid-crystal properties. The TCNF/CNT fibers exhibit a superior gas (NO2)-sensing performance with high selectivity and sensitivity (parts-per-billion detection). In addition, the TCNF/CNT fibers can endure complex and harsh distortions maintaining their intrinsic sensing properties and can be perfectly integrated with conventional fabrics using a direct weaving process. Our meter-scale scalable synthesis of functional composite fibers is expected to provide a mass production platform of versatile wearable sensors.

Direct spinning and densification method for high-performance carbon nanotube fibers.

Developing methods to assemble nanomaterials into macroscopic scaffolds is of critical significance at the current stage of nanotechnology. However, the complications of the fabrication methods impede the widespread usages of newly developed materials even with the superior properties in many cases. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of a highly-efficient and potentially-continuous fiber-spinning method to produce high-performance carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber (CNTF). The processing time is <1 min from synthesis of CNTs to fabrication of highly densified and aligned CNTFs. CNTFs that are fabricated by the developed spinning method are ultra-lightweight, strong (specific tensile strength = 4.08 ± 0.25 Ntex-1), stiff (specific tensile modulus = 187.5 ± 7.4 Ntex-1), electrically conductive (2,270 S m2kg-1), and highly flexible (knot efficiency = 48 ± 15%), so they are suitable for various high-value fabric-based applications.

A seed-mediated growth of gold nanoparticles inside carbon nanotube fibers for fabrication of multifunctional nanohybrid fibers with enhanced mechanical and electrical properties.

The seed-mediated growth strategy of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) inside carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers is demonstrated to greatly improve their mechanical and electrical properties and provide a function for catalytic applications. The resulting Au NP@CNT nanocomposite fibers exhibit 100% knot efficiency, catalytic activity and considerably enhanced modulus, tensile strength, and electrical conductivity from 7 GPa, 109 MPa and 1300 S cm-1 to 24 GPa, 351 MPa and 3600 S cm-1, respectively. The enhancement mechanism is also revealed by systematic characterization and theoretical simulations.

Recovery of platinum from waste effluent using polyethyleneimine-modified nanocelluloses: Effects of the cellulose source and type.

Nanocellulose is a promising biosorbent for the recovery of precious metals from waste streams. A variety of nanocelluloses exhibit significant different properties that depend on the natural source and type. In this study, cellulose nanofibrils(P-CNF) and cellulose nanocrystals(P-CNC) obtained from hard wood pulp and CNF from tunicates(T-CNF) were evaluated for their ability to recover platinum(Pt) after modification with polyethyleneimine(PEI). The PEI grafting density on each nanocellulose was distinct, resulting in significant variations in the Pt adsorption performance. The Pt adsorption capacity of the PEI-modified nanocelluloses followed the order T-CNF>>P-CNC > P-CNF. The inherent characteristics of T-CNF, that is, the negative charge and high surface area caused by open porous structure, were found attributed to the grafting of ≈40% PEI and the excellent Pt adsorption capacity(≈600 mg/g). Also PEI-modified T-CNF exhibited high selectivity towards Pt in the presence of other metals. Finally, PEI modified T-CNF was applied for Pt recovery from simulated spent automobile catalyst leachate to prove feasibility in a real application.

Mussel-Inspired Defect Engineering of Graphene Liquid Crystalline Fibers for Synergistic Enhancement of Mechanical Strength and Electrical Conductivity.

Inspired by mussel adhesive polydopamine (PDA), effective reinforcement of graphene-based liquid crystalline fibers to attain high mechanical and electrical properties simultaneously is presented. The two-step defect engineering, relying on bioinspired surface polymerization and subsequent solution infiltration of PDA, addresses the intrinsic limitation of graphene fibers arising from the folding and wrinkling of graphene layers during the fiber-spinning process. For a clear understanding of the mechanism of PDA-induced defect engineering, interfacial adhesion between graphene oxide sheets is straightforwardly analyzed by the atomic force microscopy pull-off test. Subsequently, PDA could be converted into an N-doped graphitic layer within the fiber structure by a mild thermal treatment such that mechanically strong fibers could be obtained without sacrificing electrical conductivity. Bioinspired graphene-based fiber holds great promise for a wide range of applications, including flexible electronics, multifunctional textiles, and wearable sensors.

Carboxymethlyated cellulose nanofibrils(CMCNFs) embedded in polyurethane foam as a modular adsorbent of heavy metal ions.

Polyurethane (PU) foam was utilized as an efficient and durable template to immobilize surface-functionalized nanocellulose, carboxymethylated cellulose nanofibrils (CMCNFs), to address some of the challenges for the application of nanocellulose to industrial water purification, such as its agglomeration, difficulties in separation from effluent, and regeneration. The composite foams exhibited well dispersed CMCNFs in PU matrices with open pore structure; the hydrogen bonds result in the enhancement of mechanical strength, which is another requirement of ideal adsorbents for wastewater treatment. The composite foams show high adsorption capacity and the potential for recyclability. The combination of optimal surface modification of nanocellulose with isolation and immobilization in durable PU foam achieved an efficient and cost-competitive bio-sorbent for heavy metal ions.

Nitrogen-Doped Single Graphene Fiber with Platinum Water Dissociation Catalyst for Wearable Humidity Sensor.

Humidity sensors are essential components in wearable electronics for monitoring of environmental condition and physical state. In this work, a unique humidity sensing layer composed of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (nRGO) fiber on colorless polyimide film is proposed. Ultralong graphene oxide (GO) fibers are synthesized by solution assembly of large GO sheets assisted by lyotropic liquid crystal behavior. Chemical modification by nitrogen-doping is carried out under thermal annealing in H2 (4%)/N2 (96%) ambient to obtain highly conductive nRGO fiber. Very small (≈2 nm) Pt nanoparticles are tightly anchored on the surface of the nRGO fiber as water dissociation catalysts by an optical sintering process. As a result, nRGO fiber can effectively detect wide humidity levels in the range of 6.1-66.4% relative humidity (RH). Furthermore, a 1.36-fold higher sensitivity (4.51%) at 66.4% RH is achieved using a Pt functionalized nRGO fiber (i.e., Pt-nRGO fiber) compared with the sensitivity (3.53% at 66.4% RH) of pure nRGO fiber. Real-time and portable humidity sensing characteristics are successfully demonstrated toward exhaled breath using Pt-nRGO fiber integrated on a portable sensing module. The Pt-nRGO fiber with high sensitivity and wide range of humidity detection levels offers a new sensing platform for wearable humidity sensors.

Preparation of highly stable zeolite-alginate foam composite for strontium(90Sr) removal from seawater and evaluation of Sr adsorption performance.

Alginate bead is a promising strontium (Sr) adsorbent in seawater, but highly concentrated Na ions caused over-swelling and damaged the hydrogel bead. To improve the mechanical stability of alginate bead, flexible foam-type zeolite-alginate composite was synthesized and Sr adsorption performance was evaluated in seawater; 1-10% zeolite immobilized alginate foams were prepared by freeze-dry technique. Immobilization of zeolite into alginate foam converted macro-pores to meso-pores which lead to more compact structure. It resulted in less swollen composite in seawater medium and exhibited highly improved mechanical stability compared with alginate bead. Besides, Sr adsorption efficiency and selectivity were enhanced by immobilization of zeolite in alginate foam due to the increase of Sr binding sites (zeolite). In particular, Sr selectivity against Na was highly improved. The 10% zeolite-alginate foam exhibited a higher log Kd of 3.3, while the pure alginate foam exhibited 2.7 in the presence of 0.1 M Na. Finally, in the real seawater, the 10% zeolite-alginate foam exhibited 1.5 times higher Sr adsorption efficiency than the pure alginate foam. This result reveals that zeolite-alginate foam composite is appropriate material for Sr removal in seawater due to its swelling resistance as well as improved Sr adsorption performance in complex media.

Significantly Increased Solubility of Carbon Nanotubes in Superacid by Oxidation and Their Assembly into High-Performance Fibers.

This study demonstrates that small amount of oxygen incorporated into carbon nanotubes (CNTs) during the purification process greatly increases their solubility in chlorosulfonic acid (CSA). Using as-purchased and unpurified CNT powders, the optimal purification process is established to significantly increase the solubility of CNTs in CSA, and spin CNT fibers with high mechanical strength (0.84 N tex-1 ) and electrical conductivity (1.4 MS m-1 ) from the CNT liquid crystal dope with high concentration of CNTs in CSA. The knowledge obtained here may guide development of a way to dissolve extremely long CNTs at high concentration and thereby to enable production of CNT fibers with ultimate properties.