Chelating Co-reduction Strategy for the Synthesis of High-Entropy Alloy Aerogels.

Aerogels, as three-dimensional porous materials, have attracted much attention in almost every field owing to their unique structural properties. Designing high-entropy alloy aerogels (HEAAs) to quinary and above remains an enormous challenge due to the different reduction potentials and nucleation/growth kinetics of different constituent metals. Herein, a novel and universal chelating co-reduction strategy to prepare HEAAs at room temperature in the water phase is proposed. The addition of chelators (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tetrasodium salt, sodium citrate, salicylic acid, and 4,4'-bipyridine) with a certain strong coordination capacity can adjust the reduction potential of different metal components, which is the key to synthesize single-phase solid solution alloys successfully. The optimized AgRuPdAuPt HEAA can be an excellent electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with an ultrasmall overpotential of 22 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and excellent stability for 24 h in an alkaline solution. In situ Raman spectroscopy unveils the enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction mechanism of HEAAs. Overall, this work provides a novel chelating co-reduction strategy for the facile and versatile synthesis and design of advanced HEAAs and broadens the development and utilization of multi-elemental alloy electrocatalysts.

Molecular identification and subtyping of Blastocystis sp. in laboratory rats in China.

Blastocystis sp. is a ubiquitous protist that has been frequently reported in humans and animals worldwide. A total of 355 fecal samples of experimental rats were collected from four laboratory rearing facilities in China, and Blastocystis sp. was detected by PCR amplification of the partial small subunit ribosomal (SSU) rRNA gene. Twenty-nine (8.2%, 29/355) samples were positive for Blastocystis sp., with the highest infection rate (20.7%, 24/116) in rats of the Zhengzhou1, followed by that in the Zhengzhou2 (5.0%, 2/40), Shenyang (3.0%, 3/100) and Wuhan (0) rearing facilities. Among the three rat strains, Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats had higher infection rates (11.3%, 17/151) compared to Wistar rats (8.7%, 9/104) and spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats (3.0%, 3/100). Two Blastocystis sp. subtypes (ST4 and ST7) were identified. ST4 was the predominant subtype detected in 26 samples (89.7%). A phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the sequences of ST4 and ST7 obtained in this study were clustered with their reference subtypes. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Blastocystis sp. in experimental rats in China. Pathogen infections in laboratory animals need to be monitored due to fecal-oral transmission.

TITLE: Identification moléculaire et sous-typage de Blastocystis sp. chez des rats de laboratoire en Chine. ABSTRACT: Blastocystis sp. est un protiste omniprésent qui a été fréquemment signalé chez l'homme et les animaux du monde entier. Un total de 355 échantillons fécaux de rats de laboratoire ont été prélevés dans quatre installations d'élevage en laboratoire en Chine et Blastocystis sp. a été détectée par amplification par PCR du gène partiel de la petite sous-unité de l'ARNr ribosomique (SSU). Vingt-neuf échantillons (8,2 %, 29/355) étaient positifs pour Blastocystis sp., avec le taux d'infection le plus élevé (20,7 %, 24/116) chez les rats des élevages de Zhengzhou1, suivi de ceux de Zhengzhou2 (5,0 %, 2/40), Shenyang (3,0 %, 3/100) et Wuhan (0). Parmi les trois souches de rats, les rats Sprague-Dawley (SD) avaient un taux d'infection plus élevé (11,3 %, 17/151) que les rats Wistar (8,7 %, 9/104) et les rats spontanément hypertendus (SH) (3,0 %, 3/100). Deux sous-types de Blastocystis sp. ont été identifiés, ST4 et ST7. ST4 était le sous-type prédominant, détecté dans 26 échantillons (89,7 %). Une analyse phylogénétique a démontré que les séquences de ST4 et ST7 obtenues dans cette étude étaient groupées avec leurs sous-types de référence. À notre connaissance, il s'agit du premier signalement de Blastocystis sp. chez des rats de laboratoire en Chine. Les infections pathogènes chez les animaux de laboratoire doivent être surveillées en raison de la transmission fécale-orale.

Molecular identification and genotyping of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in experimental rats in China.

Experimental rats are important animal models, and a history of pathogenic infections in these animals will directly affect the animal trial results. Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a ubiquitous potential pathogen transmitted via the fecal-oral route. To determine the prevalence and genotypic distributions of E. bieneusi in experimental rats in China, 291 fresh fecal samples were collected from four medical experimental animal centers. Enterocytozoon bieneusi was screened via nested-PCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Of the rats tested, 4.8% (14/291) were positive for E. bieneusi. Five E. bieneusi ITS genotypes (four known: EbpA, EbpC, CHY1, and N; one novel: SHR1) were detected among 14 sequenced samples. The dominant E. bieneusi genotype was EbpA (50.0%, 7/14). In the phylogenetic analysis, genotypes EbpA and EbpC belonged to the previously described group 1, genotypes N and SHR1 belonged to group 2, and genotype CHY1 belonged to the novel group 12. To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. bieneusi in experimental laboratory rats in China. Infections with this pathogen must be monitored in laboratory animals, and quality control officers in the medical experimental centers should attempt to trace the pathogen's source and stop its transmission.