Gate-tunable subband degeneracy in semiconductor nanowires.

Degeneracy and symmetry have a profound relation in quantum systems. Here, we report gate-tunable subband degeneracy in PbTe nanowires with a nearly symmetric cross-sectional shape. The degeneracy is revealed in electron transport by the absence of a quantized plateau. Utilizing a dual gate design, we can apply an electric field to lift the degeneracy, reflected as emergence of the plateau. This degeneracy and its tunable lifting were challenging to observe in previous nanowire experiments, possibly due to disorder. Numerical simulations can qualitatively capture our observation, shedding light on device parameters for future applications.

Selective-Area-Grown PbTe-Pb Planar Josephson Junctions for Quantum Devices.

Planar Josephson junctions are predicted to host Majorana zero modes. The material platforms in previous studies are two-dimensional electron gases (InAs, InSb, InAsSb, and HgTe) coupled to a superconductor such as Al or Nb. Here, we introduce a new material platform for planar JJs, the PbTe-Pb hybrid. The semiconductor, PbTe, was grown as a thin film via selective area epitaxy. The Josephson junction was defined by a shadow wall during the deposition of superconductor Pb. Scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals a sharp semiconductor-superconductor interface. Gate-tunable supercurrents and multiple Andreev reflections are observed. A perpendicular magnetic field causes interference patterns of the switching current, exhibiting Fraunhofer-like and SQUID-like behaviors. We further demonstrate a prototype device for Majorana detection wherein phase bias and tunneling spectroscopy are applicable.

Ballistic PbTe Nanowire Devices.

Disorder is the primary obstacle in the current Majorana nanowire experiments. Reducing disorder or achieving ballistic transport is thus of paramount importance. In clean and ballistic nanowire devices, quantized conductance is expected, with plateau quality serving as a benchmark for disorder assessment. Here, we introduce ballistic PbTe nanowire devices grown by using the selective-area-growth (SAG) technique. Quantized conductance plateaus in units of 2e2/h are observed at zero magnetic field. This observation represents an advancement in diminishing disorder within SAG nanowires as most of the previously studied SAG nanowires (InSb or InAs) have not exhibited zero-field ballistic transport. Notably, the plateau values indicate that the ubiquitous valley degeneracy in PbTe is lifted in nanowire devices. This degeneracy lifting addresses an additional concern in the pursuit of Majorana realization. Moreover, these ballistic PbTe nanowires may enable the search for clean signatures of the spin-orbit helical gap in future devices.

Non-invasive brain stimulation for limb motor function and daily living activity improvement in acute stroke: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) in improving limb motor dysfunction and daily living activity during at the phase of acute stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Randomized controlled trials about the effect of NIBS on hemiparesis in acute stroke were retrieved from databases of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang Data, CBM, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception until January 3rd 2022. The quality of the trials was assessed, and the data were extracted according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. A statistical analysis was carried out using Review Manager 5.3 and STATA 14. The effect size was evaluated by using the weighed mean difference (WMD) and a 95% confidence interval (CI). The stability and sensitivity of the results and sources of heterogeneity were also analyzed. RESULTS: 12 studies involving 639 patients were included. Our meta-analysis showed that NIBS could improve the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (weighed mean difference = 3.96, 95% confidence interval = 3.45 to 4.48) and Barthel Index (weighed mean difference = 12.29, 95% confidence interval = 4.93 to 19.66), while reducing the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (weighed mean difference = -2.37, 95% confidence interval = -3.43 to -1.31). CONCLUSION: NIBS is effective in improving paretic limb motor function and activities of daily living in patients during at the phase of acute stroke.

MENDA: a comprehensive curated resource of metabolic characterization in depression.

Depression is a seriously disabling psychiatric disorder with a significant burden of disease. Metabolic abnormalities have been widely reported in depressed patients and animal models. However, there are few systematic efforts that integrate meaningful biological insights from these studies. Herein, available metabolic knowledge in the context of depression was integrated to provide a systematic and panoramic view of metabolic characterization. After screening more than 10 000 citations from five electronic literature databases and five metabolomics databases, we manually curated 5675 metabolite entries from 464 studies, including human, rat, mouse and non-human primate, to develop a new metabolite-disease association database, called MENDA (http://menda.cqmu.edu.cn:8080/index.php). The standardized data extraction process was used for data collection, a multi-faceted annotation scheme was developed, and a user-friendly search engine and web interface were integrated for database access. To facilitate data analysis and interpretation based on MENDA, we also proposed a systematic analytical framework, including data integration and biological function analysis. Case studies were provided that identified the consistently altered metabolites using the vote-counting method, and that captured the underlying molecular mechanism using pathway and network analyses. Collectively, we provided a comprehensive curation of metabolic characterization in depression. Our model of a specific psychiatry disorder may be replicated to study other complex diseases.

An integrated meta-analysis of peripheral blood metabolites and biological functions in major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious mental illness, characterized by high morbidity, which has increased in recent decades. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying MDD remain unclear. Previous studies have identified altered metabolic profiles in peripheral tissues associated with MDD. Using curated metabolic characterization data from a large sample of MDD patients, we meta-analyzed the results of metabolites in peripheral blood. Pathway and network analyses were then performed to elucidate the biological themes within these altered metabolites. We identified 23 differentially expressed metabolites between MDD patients and controls from 46 studies. MDD patients were characterized by higher levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine, tyramine, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, phosphatidylcholine (32:1), and taurochenodesoxycholic acid and lower levels of L-acetylcarnitine, creatinine, L-asparagine, L-glutamine, linoleic acid, pyruvic acid, palmitoleic acid, L-serine, oleic acid, myo-inositol, dodecanoic acid, L-methionine, hypoxanthine, palmitic acid, L-tryptophan, kynurenic acid, taurine, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D compared with controls. L-tryptophan and kynurenic acid were consistently downregulated in MDD patients, regardless of antidepressant exposure. Depression rating scores were negatively associated with decreased levels of L-tryptophan. Pathway and network analyses revealed altered amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism, especially for the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway and fatty acid metabolism, in the peripheral system of MDD patients. Taken together, our integrated results revealed that metabolic changes in the peripheral blood were associated with MDD, particularly decreased L-tryptophan and kynurenic acid levels, and alterations in the tryptophan-kynurenine and fatty acid metabolism pathways. Our findings may facilitate biomarker development and the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms that underly MDD.

Effect of Time-Dose-Matched Virtual Reality Therapy on Upper Limb Dysfunction in Patients Poststroke: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and acceptability of virtual reality (VR) with time-dose-matched conventional therapy (CT) in patients poststroke with upper limb dysfunction. DATA SOURCES: Cochrane, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and ProQuest were systematically searched up to May 24, 2021. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials comparing VR with time-dose-matched CT in patients poststroke with upper limb dysfunction were included. DATA EXTRACTION: The extracted data included efficacy (mean change in structure/function, activity, and participation scores), acceptability (dropouts for all reasons), adverse events, and characteristics of the included studies. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used to assess the risk of bias. DATA SYNTHESIS: Thirty-one randomized controlled trails were included. VR was superior to time-dose-matched CT in terms of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health structure/function, with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.35, but not activity and participation. Subgroup analyses demonstrated that virtual environment was superior to CT in structure/function (SMD=0.38) and activity (SMD=0.27), whereas there were no significant differences between commercial gaming and CT in any World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health domain. VR mixed with CT was more effective than time-dose-matched CT in structure/function (SMD=0.56), whereas VR only was not significantly different from CT. There were no significant differences in the incidence of adverse events and dropout rates between VR and CT. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that VR is superior to time-dose-matched CT in terms of recovery of upper extremity motor function, especially when a virtual environment is used or VR is mixed with CT. However, VR (VR only or mixed with CT) does not improve patients' daily activity performance and participation compared with CT. Overall, VR appears to be safe and acceptable as CT. Large-scale definitive trials are needed to verify or refute these findings.

Peripheral blood and urine metabolites and biological functions in post-stroke depression.

Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most common and severe neuropsychiatric complication after stroke. However, the molecular mechanism of PSD is still unclear. Previous studies have identified peripheral blood and urine metabolites associated with PSD using metabolomics techniques. We searched and systematically summarized metabolites that may be involved in metabolic changes in peripheral blood and urine of patients with PSD from the Metabolite Network of Depression Database (MENDA) and other biomedical databases. MetaboAnalyst5.0 software was used for pathway analysis and enrichment analysis of differential metabolites, and subgroup analyses were performed according to tissue types and metabolomics techniques. We identified 47 metabolites that were differentially expressed between patients with and without PSD. Five differential metabolites were found in both plasma and urine, including L-glutamic acid, pyroglutamic acid, palmitic acid, L-phenylalanine, and L-tyrosine. We integrated these metabolites into metabolic pathways, and six pathways were significantly altered. These pathways could be roughly divided into three modules including amino acid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and glucose metabolism. Among them, the most significantly altered pathway was "phenylalanine metabolism" and the pathway containing the most associated metabolites was "aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis", which deserve further study to elucidate their role in the molecular mechanism of PSD. In summary, metabolic changes in peripheral blood and urine are associated with PSD, especially the disruption of "phenylalanine metabolism" and "aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis" pathways. This study provides clues to the metabolic characteristics of patients with PSD, which may help to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of PSD.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids metabolism, purine metabolism and inosine as potential independent diagnostic biomarkers for major depressive disorder in children and adolescents.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) in children and adolescents is a recurrent and disabling condition globally but its pathophysiology remains poorly elucidated and there are limited effective treatments available. We performed metabolic profiling of plasma samples based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with quadrupole time-offlight mass spectrometry to explore the potential biomarkers of depression in children and adolescents with MDD. We identified several perturbed pathways, including fatty acid metabolism-particularly the polyunsaturated fatty acids metabolism, and purine metabolism-that were associated with MDD in these young patients. In addition, inosine was shown as a potential independent diagnostic biomarker for MDD, achieving an area under the ROC curve of 0.999 in discriminating drug-naive MDD patients and 0.866 in discriminating drug-treated MDD from healthy controls. Moreover, we found evidence for differences in the pathophysiology of MDD in children and adolescents to that of adult MDD, specifically with tryptophan metabolism. Through metabolomic analysis, we have identified links between a framework of metabolic perturbations and the pathophysiology and diagnostic biomarker of child and adolescent MDD.

Efficacy and acceptability of psychological interventions for social anxiety disorder in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is highly prevalent and persistent in children and adolescents. However, evidence for the efficacy and acceptability of psychological interventions for SAD in children and adolescents remains unclear. Seven electronic databases (PubMed, CENTRAL, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and ProQuest) were searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared psychological interventions for SAD with control conditions in children and adolescents were included. Primary outcomes were the efficacy (mean change in anxiety symptom scores) and acceptability (dropouts for all reasons). Secondary outcomes were remission, quality of life/functional improvement, and depressive symptoms measures. Seventeen RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. Psychological interventions (including cognitive behavioral therapy and behavioral therapy) were significantly more effective than control conditions, with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of - 1.13, and remission with a risk ratio (RR) of 8.99, the number needed to treat was 3.3. There was no statistically significant difference between psychological interventions and control conditions for all-cause dropouts (RR = 1.00). Psychological interventions were superior to control conditions in improving quality of life/functioning (SMD = 0.79) and reducing depressive symptoms (SMD = - 0.39). Given considerable heterogeneity of primary efficacy outcome, a series of subgroup analyses of different variables were conducted. Psychological interventions are probably efficacious in the treatment of SAD among children and adolescents, and may markedly improve quality of life and functioning in this population. However, this finding should be interpreted with caution because of the high heterogeneity of trials and low literature quality.

Antidepressants for depressive disorder in children and adolescents: a database of randomised controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, whether, when and how to use antidepressants to treat depressive disorder in children and adolescents has been hotly debated. Relevant evidence on this topic has increased rapidly. In this paper, we present the construction and content of a database of randomised controlled trials of antidepressants to treat depressive disorder in children and adolescents. This database can be freely accessed via our website and will be regularly updated. DESCRIPTION: Major bibliographic databases (PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and LiLACS), international trial registers and regulatory agencies' websites were systematically searched for published and unpublished studies up to April 30, 2017. We included randomised controlled trials in which the efficacy or tolerability of any oral antidepressant was compared with that of a control group or any other treatment. In total, 7377 citations from bibliographical databases and 3289 from international trial registers and regulatory agencies' websites were identified. Of these, 53 trials were eligible for inclusion in the final database. Selected data were extracted from each study, including characteristics of the participants (the study population, setting, diagnostic criteria, type of depression, age, sex, and comorbidity), characteristics of the treatment conditions (the treatment conditions, general information, and detail of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy) and study characteristics (the sponsor, country, number of sites, blinding method, sample size, treatment duration, depression scales, other scales, and primary outcome measure used, and side-effect monitoring method). Moreover, the risk of bias for each trial were assessed. CONCLUSION: This database provides information on nearly all randomised controlled trials of antidepressants in children and adolescents. By using this database, researchers can improve research efficiency, avoid inadvertent errors and easily focus on the targeted subgroups in which they are interested. For authors of subsequent reviews, they could only use this database to insure that they have completed a comprehensive review, rather than relied solely on the data from this database. We expect this database could help to promote research on evidence-based practice in the treatment of depressive disorder in children and adolescents. The database could be freely accessed in our website: http://xiepengteam.cn/research/evidence-based-medicine .

Comparative efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants for major depressive disorder in children and adolescents: a network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents. However, whether to use pharmacological interventions in this population and which drug should be preferred are still matters of controversy. Consequently, we aimed to compare and rank antidepressants and placebo for major depressive disorder in young people. METHODS: We did a network meta-analysis to identify both direct and indirect evidence from relevant trials. We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, LiLACS, regulatory agencies' websites, and international registers for published and unpublished, double-blind randomised controlled trials up to May 31, 2015, for the acute treatment of major depressive disorder in children and adolescents. We included trials of amitriptyline, citalopram, clomipramine, desipramine, duloxetine, escitalopram, fluoxetine, imipramine, mirtazapine, nefazodone, nortriptyline, paroxetine, sertraline, and venlafaxine. Trials recruiting participants with treatment-resistant depression, treatment duration of less than 4 weeks, or an overall sample size of less than ten patients were excluded. We extracted the relevant information from the published reports with a predefined data extraction sheet, and assessed the risk of bias with the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The primary outcomes were efficacy (change in depressive symptoms) and tolerability (discontinuations due to adverse events). We did pair-wise meta-analyses using the random-effects model and then did a random-effects network meta-analysis within a Bayesian framework. We assessed the quality of evidence contributing to each network estimate using the GRADE framework. This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42015016023. FINDINGS: We deemed 34 trials eligible, including 5260 participants and 14 antidepressant treatments. The quality of evidence was rated as very low in most comparisons. For efficacy, only fluoxetine was statistically significantly more effective than placebo (standardised mean difference -0·51, 95% credible interval [CrI] -0·99 to -0·03). In terms of tolerability, fluoxetine was also better than duloxetine (odds ratio [OR] 0·31, 95% CrI 0·13 to 0·95) and imipramine (0·23, 0·04 to 0·78). Patients given imipramine, venlafaxine, and duloxetine had more discontinuations due to adverse events than did those given placebo (5·49, 1·96 to 20·86; 3·19, 1·01 to 18·70; and 2·80, 1·20 to 9·42, respectively). In terms of heterogeneity, the global I(2) values were 33·21% for efficacy and 0% for tolerability. INTERPRETATION: When considering the risk-benefit profile of antidepressants in the acute treatment of major depressive disorder, these drugs do not seem to offer a clear advantage for children and adolescents. Fluoxetine is probably the best option to consider when a pharmacological treatment is indicated. FUNDING: National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program).

Twin defects engineered Pd cocatalyst on C3N4 nanosheets for enhanced photocatalytic performance in CO2 reduction reaction.

Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to value-added chemicals, a potential route to addressing the depletion of fossil fuels and anthropogenic climate change, is greatly limited by the low-efficient semiconductor photocatalyst. The integration of cocatalyst with light-harvesting semiconductor is a promising approach to enhancing the photocatalytic performance in CO2 reduction reaction. The enhancement is greatly determined by the catalytic active sites on the surface of cocatalyst. Herein, we demonstrate that the photocatalytic performance in the CO2 reduction reaction is greatly promoted by twin defects engineered Pd cocatalyst. In this work, Pd nanoicosahedrons with twin defects were in situ grown on C3N4 nanosheets, which effectively improve the photocatalytic performance in reduction of CO2 to CO and CH4 in comparison with Pd nanotetrahedrons without twin defects. It is proposed that the twin boundary (TB) terminations on the surface of Pd cocatalysts are highly catalytic active sites for CO2 reduction reaction. Based on the proposed mechanism, the photocatalytic activity and selectivity in CO2 reduction were further advanced through reducing the size of Pd icosahedral cocatalyst resulted from the increased surface density of TB terminations. The defect engineering on the surface of cocatalyst represents a novel route in realizing high-performance photocatalytic applications.

Alleviative effect of ciliary neurotrophic factor analogue on high fat-induced hepatic steatosis is partially independent of the central regulation.

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) analogues were reported to ameliorate fatty liver in db/db or high-fat diet-fed mice. It is generally thought that CNTF exerts its actions centrally. The aim of this study was to investigate whether peripheral effects of CNTF analogues are involved in the therapeutic effect on high fat-induced hepatic steatosis. The rat model of fatty liver was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. In the next 2 weeks, rats were fed the HFD along with subcutaneous injection of vehicle or mutant recombinant human CNTF (rhmCNTF 0.05-0.2 mg/kg per day). Steatotic HepG2 cells were induced by 50% fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 48 hours, and then treated with rhmCNTF for 24 hours. The results showed that after rhmCNTF treatment, hepatic triglyceride (TG) accumulation was attenuated both in vivo and in vitro. RhmCNTF increased protein expression of CPT-1 and PPARα, and decreased SREBP-1c, FAS and SCD-1 in steatotic HepG2 cells. But the production of nitric oxide and 8-isoPGF2α in steatotic HepG2 cells was not affected by rhmCNTF. These results suggest that rhmCNTF has a peripheral effect that alleviates fat-induced hepatic steatosis.

Efficacy and Acceptability of Psychotherapy for Anxious Young Children: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

We aimed to provide an overview of psychotherapy in young anxious children (mean age, <7 years). Seven electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and ProQuest Dissertations, were searched. Randomized controlled trials that compared psychotherapies with control conditions were included. Efficacy (score change on an anxiety rating scale and rate of being freed from anxiety) and acceptability (discontinuations due to any event) were evaluated. Six of the total seven studies included in our study adopted cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), with only one adopting behavior therapy (BT). Psychotherapy effectively reduced anxiety symptoms (standardized mean difference = -0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.08 to -0.57), and its rate of freeing patients from anxiety was high (risk ratio [RR] = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.47). No remarkable difference for acceptability was found between the two therapy types (RR = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.25 to 1.18). Psychotherapy, both CBT and BT, benefits young anxious children.

Gender differences in psychological morbidity, burnout, job stress and job satisfaction among Chinese neurologists: a national cross-sectional study.

Women are an important part of the medical workforce, yet little is known about gender differences in psychological morbidity, burnout, job stress and job satisfaction among neurologists. This study assessed gender differences in a large national sample of Chinese neurologists. Multivariate analyses were performed to examine associations. A total of 5558 neurologists were included in the analysis. Compared with their male counterparts, female neurologists were generally younger; were less likely to be married or to have children; had higher levels of education; were in practice for a shorter period of time; were less likely to hold senior roles; and had lower incomes. Male and female neurologists worked similar hours and spent a similar number of nights on call. No gender differences were found in psychological morbidity, burnout, and high levels of job stress for female and male, respectively. Women had higher emotional exhaustion scores, while men were more likely to have low levels of job satisfaction. The multivariate analysis showed that factors independently associated with psychological morbidity, burnout, high levels of job stress and low levels of job satisfaction were generally similar for women and men. These findings increase our understanding of gender differences in psychological morbidity, burnout, job stress, and job satisfaction among neurologists. As more women join the medical profession, these differences may be useful in designing medical training and practice.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment: exploring molecular mechanisms and omics biomarkers for early identification and intervention.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a major stroke consequence that has a severe impact on patients' quality of life and survival rate. For this reason, it is especially crucial to identify and intervene early in high-risk groups during the acute phase of stroke. Currently, there are no reliable and efficient techniques for the early diagnosis, appropriate evaluation, or prognostication of PSCI. Instead, plenty of biomarkers in stroke patients have progressively been linked to cognitive impairment in recent years. High-throughput omics techniques that generate large amounts of data and process it to a high quality have been used to screen and identify biomarkers of PSCI in order to investigate the molecular mechanisms of the disease. These techniques include metabolomics, which explores dynamic changes in the organism, gut microbiomics, which studies host-microbe interactions, genomics, which elucidates deeper disease mechanisms, transcriptomics and proteomics, which describe gene expression and regulation. We looked through electronic databases like PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and common databases for each omics to find biomarkers that might be connected to the pathophysiology of PSCI. As all, we found 34 studies: 14 in the field of metabolomics, 5 in the field of gut microbiomics, 5 in the field of genomics, 4 in the field of transcriptomics, and 7 in the field of proteomics. We discovered that neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and atherosclerosis may be the primary causes of PSCI development, and that metabolomics may play a role in the molecular mechanisms of PSCI. In this study, we summarized the existing issues across omics technologies and discuss the latest discoveries of PSCI biomarkers in the context of omics, with the goal of investigating the molecular causes of post-stroke cognitive impairment. We also discuss the potential therapeutic utility of omics platforms for PSCI mechanisms, diagnosis, and intervention in order to promote the area's advancement towards precision PSCI treatment.

Paint sludge derived activated carbon encapsulating with cobalt nanoparticles for non-radical activation of peroxymonosulfate.

Industrial solid waste management and recycling are important to environmental sustainability. In this study, cobalt (Co) nanoparticles encapsulated in paint sludge-derived activated carbon (AC) were fabricated. The Co-AC possessed high conductivity, magnetic properties and abundant metal oxide impurities (TiAlSiOx), which was applied as multifunctional catalyst for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. Compared to pure AC, the Co-AC exhibited significant enhanced performance for degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) via PMS activation. Mechanism studies by in situ Raman spectroscopy, Fourier infrared spectroscopy, electrochemical analysis and electron paramagnetic resonance suggested that surface-bonded PMS (PMS*) and singlet oxygen (1O2) are the dominant reactive species for TCH oxidation. The non-radical species can efficiently oxidize electron-rich pollutants with high efficiency, which minimized the consumption of PMS and the catalyst. The removal percentages of TCH reached 97 % within 5 min and âˆ¼ 99 % within 15 min in the Co-AC/PMS system. The Co active sites facilitated PMS adsorption to form the PMS* and the TiAlSiOx impurities provided abundant oxygen vacancy for generation of the 1O2. In addition, the Co-AC/PMS system achieved high efficiency and stability for oxidation of the target pollutants over a long-term continuous operation. This work not only offers a cost-effective approach for recycling industrial waste but also provides new insights into the application of waste-derived catalyst for environmental remediation.

Przewaquinone A inhibits Angiotensin II-induced endothelial diastolic dysfunction activation of AMPK.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction (ED), characterized by markedly reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, vasoconstriction, and a shift toward a proinflammatory and prothrombotic state, is an important contributor to hypertension, atherosclerosis, and other cardiovascular diseases. Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is widely involved in cardiovascular development. Przewaquinone A (PA), a lipophilic diterpene quinone extracted from Salvia przewalskii Maxim, inhibits vascular contraction. PURPOSE: Herein, the goal was to explore the protective effect of PA on ED in vivo and in vitro, as well as the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: A human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) model of ED induced by angiotensin II (AngII) was used for in vitro observations. Levels of AMPK, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), nitric oxide (NO), and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were detected by western blotting and ELISA. A mouse model of hypertension was established by continuous infusion of AngII (1000 ng/kg/min) for 4 weeks using osmotic pumps. Following PA and/or valsartan administration, NO and ET-1 levels were measured. The levels of AMPK signaling-related proteins in the thoracic aorta were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured using the tail cuff method. Isolated aortic vascular tone measurements were used to evaluate the vasodilatory function in mice. Molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) were used to confirm AMPK and PA interactions. RESULTS: PA inhibited AngII-induced vasoconstriction and vascular adhesion as well as activated AMPK signaling in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, PA markedly suppressed blood pressure, activated vasodilation in mice following AngII stimulation, and promoted the activation of AMPK signaling. Furthermore, molecular simulations and SPRi revealed that PA directly targeted AMPK. AMPK inhibition partly abolished the protective effects of PA against endothelial dysfunction. CONCLUSION: PA activates AMPK and ameliorates endothelial dysfunction during hypertension.