Design of Pd-Zn Bimetal MOF Nanosheets and MOF-Derived Pd3.9Zn6.1/CNS Catalyst for Selective Hydrogenation of Acetylene under Simulated Front-End Conditions.

Novel zinc-palladium-porphyrin bimetal metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheets were directly synthesized by coordination chelation between Zn(II) and Pd(II) tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphin (TCPP(Pd)) using a solvothermal method. Furthermore, a serial of carbon nanosheets supported Pd-Zn intermetallics (Pd-Zn-ins/CNS) with different Pd: Zn atomic ratios were obtained by one-step carbonization under different temperature using the prepared Zn-TCPP(Pd) MOF nanosheets as precursor. In the carbonization process, Pd-Zn-ins went through the transformation from PdZn (650 °C) to Pd3.9Zn6.1 (~950 °C) then to Pd3.9Zn6.1/Pd (1000 °C) with the temperature increasing. The synthesized Pd-Zn-ins/CNS were further employed as catalysts for selective hydrogenation of acetylene. Pd3.9Zn6.1 showed the best catalytic performance compared with other Pd-Zn intermetallic forms.

Ni -chitosan/carbon nanotube: An efficient biopolymer -inorganic catalyst for selective hydrogenation of acetylene.

This work developed an efficient Ni catalyst based on chitosan for selective hydrogenation of acetylene. The Ni catalyst was prepared by the reaction of the chitosan/carbon nanotube composite with NiSO4 solution. The synthesized Ni-chitosan/carbon nanotube catalyst was characterized by inductively coupled plasma, FTIR, SEM and XRD. The results of FTIR and XRD demonstrated that Ni2+ successfully coordinated with chitosan. The addition of chitosan greatly improved the catalytic performances of Ni-chitosan/carbon nanotube catalyst. Over the Ni-chitosan/carbon nanotube catalyst, both the acetylene conversion and the selectivity to ethylene all achieved 100% at 160 °C and 190 °C, respectively. The catalytic performances of 6 mg Ni-chitosan/carbon nanotube catalyst were even better than that of 400 mg Ni single atom catalyst in literature. Extending the crosslinking time of chitosan and increasing the amount of the crosslinking agent were beneficial to enhance the catalytic effect of Ni-chitosan/carbon nanotube catalyst.

Expression of mitofusin 2 in placentae of women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) represents a common carbohydrate metabolism disorder during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of mitofusin 2 (MFN2) expression in placentae of GDM patients compared to that in the placental tissues from normal uncomplicated pregnancies. A total of 70 subjects were enrolled from September 2014 to June 2016, including 42 patients with GDM (the GDM group) and 28 normal uncomplicated pregnancies (the control group). Immunohistochemical staining and qRT-PCR were used for the detection of the expression levels and distribution of MFN2 in the placentae of GDM patients and normal controls. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for statistical analysis. P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 were used for assessing statistical significance. The baseline characteristics were comparable in both groups. The 1-h and 2-h postprandial glucose levels (PPG) were 7.94±1.26 versus 6.88±0.51 mmol/L and 7.01±1.34 versus 6.14±0.63 mmol/L, respectively,for the GDM group and the control group (P < 0.05). The relative expression levels of MFN2 mRNA were 0.982±1.242 for GDM and 1.257 ± 0.815 for control, respectively, with significant between group difference (P < 0.01). Immunohistochemical staining analysis showed that MFN2 was mostly distributed in the cytoplasm of syncytiotrophoblasts under optical microscopy. Additionally,about 50% of samples of the GDM group were within the intensity of moderate staining of MFN2 and more than 50% of patients in the control group were within the intensity of strong staining of MFN2. The expression levels of MFN2 in GDM placentae was significantly lower compared to that of placentae from normal uncomplicated pregnancies.