Association of vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs7975232) with risk of preeclampsia.

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia has a multifactorial-yet-elusive etiology. Recent reports suggest a link between preeclampsia and vitamin D (VD) metabolic axis. Genetic variations like single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene can alter the metabolic role of VD, which have been shown by several genetic association studies. However, there is discordance among these studies. OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to investigate the association of VDR gene polymorphism (ApaI) and VD deficiency with risk of developing preeclampsia. PATIENTS AND METHOD: In this case-control study, 40 preeclamptic and 40 normotensive pregnant women were compared for VD status and VDR gene polymorphism. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D [25(OH) D] level was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and VDR gene polymorphism Apa1 was analyzed by Allele specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) using sequence specific primers. RESULTS: Serum levels of 25(OH) D were very low but comparable in both preeclamptic and normotensive pregnant women. The difference between the two groups were not statistically significant (p = .423). VDR gene polymorphism ApaI (rs7975232) was found not to have significant association with the risk of developing preeclampsia. The frequencies of wild genotype (GG) in preeclamptic and normotensive women were 27.5% and 22.5% respectively. A total of 25% of preeclamptic women had mutant homozygous genotype (TT) and 17.5% of normotensive women had mutant homozygous genotype. The frequency of mutant heterozygous genotype (GT) in preeclamptic patients was 47.5% and in normotensive women was 60%. The variation of wild and mutant genotypes between the two groups was not statistically significant (p > .05). CONCLUSION: This study showed that VDR gene polymorphism (ApaI) and VD deficiency are not associated with the risk of preeclampsia.

Pharmacoepidemiological evaluation of off label and unlicensed prescription in pediatric intensive care units at tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar, Pakistan.

Population of pediatric intensive care units are at high risk of receiving off label and unlicensed drug use. Little is known about the characteristics and prevalence of unlicensed and off label prescriptions in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) at tertiary care settings of Pakistan. Case notes of 420 children were reviewed for unlicensed and off label prescriptions during the one year. Medication profiles were assessed using Micromedex. Logistic regression was applied to calculate the odds-ratios for predictors of unlicensed and off label prescriptions. of the total prescriptions, 29.8% prescriptions were unlicensed from FDA and 42.27% prescriptions were off labelled. Dose (32.79%) was the most common reason for off label prescriptions followed by the indication (26.13%) and indication-dose (13.98%). Multivariate regression analysis revealed no significant association between the unlicensed prescriptions with their predictors. In reference to corresponding category, prescribed medications less than 5 (OR 0.280, 95%CL 0.137-0.570) were significantly less likely to receive off label prescriptions as compared to patients received 6 or more medications. Substantial numbers of children are exposed to unlicensed and off label prescriptions. Standards of drug quality, safety and efficacy should apply equally in adults and in pediatrics under ethical perspective. Suitable clinical interventions must be established by drug manufactures and government agencies for improved pediatric pharmacotherapy.

Characterizing community dynamics and exploring bacterial assemblages in two activated sludge systems.

Bacterial communities in the activated sludge (AS) determine the wastewater treatment performance in the municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Aiming at identifying the affecting factors and the variation patterns of the bacterial assemblages in AS, a 2-year time-series AS samples were collected from two separated WWTPs and metagenomic sequencing was conducted. Obvious seasonal shift and succession of the bacterial community were observed in both WWTPs on the genus and species levels, especially for the persistent taxa, implying that temperature was a decisive factor for maintaining bacterial assemblage patterns in long-term period. Taxa abundance distribution (TAD) concerning occurrence frequency and average abundance were found fitting for exponential formulations, and the approximately equal total abundance of persistent taxa suggested that stable and high abundance (~ 90%) of core functional bacterial groups would help to maintain wastewater treatment performance. Drastic changes of environmental factors were found causing temporally significant bacterial structure variation, while the innate correlations between bacterial species could recover the community gradually and maintain relative stability of the AS system. Delayed correlations between environmental factors and abundant (persistent or intermittent) bacterial species were observed widely, while synchronous biotic interactions were identified more frequently. Besides, bacterial species with similar functions were prone to cluster together and shared the same seasonal variation pattern, implicating that the cooperation of functional correlated taxa played the most dominant role in shaping the bacterial assemblages. Furthermore, rare bacterial groups were to be explored for removing emerging pollutants with lower concentrations. The results of this study would assist dealing with operational defect and optimize the treatment system in WWTPs.

Microbial reduction of bromate: current status and prospects.

Bromate is a disinfection byproduct (DBP) that forms during the ozonation of bromide-containing natural water, which may cause health risks to humans. In this review, we provide an overview of the mechanism of bromate formation, microbial communities and bioreactors that are responsible for bromate reduction. Bromate can be formed through two pathways of bromide oxidation by ozone or by ·OH, and it can be removed by biological approaches. Members belonging to phyla of Spirochaetes, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Clostridium, Deinococcus-Thermus and Bacteroidetes have been identified as capable of reducing bromate to bromide. Multiple configurations of biofilm bioreactors have been employed to cultivate microbial communities to perform bromate removal. The rapid development of multiomics has and will continue to accelerate the elucidation of the mechanisms involved in bromate and other DBP conversions, as well as the interaction patterns among different bacterial subdivisions in the bioremoval of DBPs.

Microbial characterization of heavy metal resistant bacterial strains isolated from an electroplating wastewater treatment plant.

Heavy metal pollution is one of the most widespread and complex environmental issues globally, posing a great threat to the ecosystem as well as human health. Bioremediation through heavy metal-resistant bacteria (HMRB) is currently the most promising technology to address this issue. To obtain HMRB to remediate heavy metal pollution potentially, 15 culturable HMRB strains were isolated from the sludge samples of an electroplating wastewater treatment plant (EWWTP), which belonged to the Bacillus, Shewanella, Lysinibacillus, and Acinetobacter genera. Their maximum tolerance concentrations to Cu2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Co2+, and Cr2O72- were 40 mM, 10 mM, 200 mM, 40 mM, and 10 mM, respectively, and strain Mn1-4 showed much higher Mn2+ tolerance and removal effectiveness (3.355 g/L) than previously published reports. Moreover, multiple heavy metal-resistant genotypes and phenotypes were identified among these strains, of which strain Co1-1 carried the most of resistant gene sequences (10) and exhibited resistance to 7 categories of heavy metals, and the co-occurrence of heavy metal and antibiotic resistance were clearly observed in strain Ni1-3. In addition, flanked insert sequence (IS) elements on the heavy metal resistant genes (HMRGs) suggested that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events may have resulted in multiple heavy metal resistance phenotypes and genotypes in these strains, and IS982 family transposase was presumed to result in the high Ni2+ tolerance in strain Ni1-3. This study expands our understanding of bacterial heavy metal resistance and provides promising candidates for heavy metal bioremediation.

High performance electrochemical CO2 reduction over Pd decorated cobalt containing nitrogen doped carbon.

Efficient electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) to various products, such as carbon monoxide (CO), is crucial for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and enabling renewable energy storage. In this article, we introduce Pd nanoparticles which are deposited over in-house synthesized nitrogen doped tubular carbon (NC) whose ends are blocked with cobalt oxide (CoOx). This composite material is denoted as Pd@CoOx/NC. Among the series of synthesized electrocatalysts, the optimum ratio (Pd@CoOx/NC1) within this category exhibits exceptional performance, manifesting an 81% faradaic efficiency (FE) for CO generation which was quantitatively measured using a gas chromatograph. This remarkable efficiency can be attributed to several scientific factors. Firstly, the presence of Pd nanoparticles provides active sites for CO2 reduction. Secondly, the NC offer enhanced electrical conductivity and facilitate charge transfer during the reaction. Thirdly, the CoOx capping at the ends of the NC serves to stabilize the catalyst, favoring the formation of CO. The remarkable selectivity of the catalyst is further confirmed by the qualitative CO detection method using PdCl2 strips. Pd@CoOx/NC1 exhibits a high current density of 55 mA cm-2 and a low overpotential of 251 mV, outperforming Pd decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (Pd@MWCNTs) which shows a higher overpotential of 481 mV. Pd@CoOx/NC1 shows long-term stability at different potentials and rapid reaction kinetics. These findings highlight Pd@CoOx/NC1 as promising CO2 reduction catalysts, with implications for sustainable energy conversion techniques.

Enhanced nitrate reduction in hypotrophic waters with integrated photocatalysis and biodegradation.

Addressing nitrate contamination in water bodies is a critical environmental challenge, and Intimately Coupling Photocatalysis and Biodegradation (ICPB) presents a promising solution. However, there is still debate about the effectiveness of ICPB in reducing nitrate under hypotrophic conditions. Further research is needed to understand its microbial metabolic mechanism and the functional changes in bacterial structure. Here we explored microbial metabolic mechanisms and changes in bacterial structure in ICPB reactors integrating a meticulously screened TiO2/g-C3N4 photocatalyst with biofilm. We achieved a 26.3% increase in nitrate reduction using 12.2% less organic carbon compared to traditional biodegradation methods. Metagenomic analysis of the microbial communities in ICPB reactors revealed evolving metabolic pathways conducive to nitrate reduction. This research not only elucidates the photocatalytic mechanism behind nitrate reduction in hypotrophic conditions but also provides genomic insights that pave the way for alternative approaches in water remediation technologies.

A low-cost unity-based virtual training simulator for laparoscopic partial nephrectomy using HTC Vive.

Laparoscopic education and surgery assessments increase the success rates and lower the risks during actual surgeries. Hospital residents need a secure setting, and trainees require a safe and controlled environment with cost-effective resources where they may hone their laparoscopic abilities. Thus, we have modeled and developed a surgical simulator to provide the initial training in Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy (LPN-a procedure to treat kidney cancer or renal masses). To achieve this, we created a virtual simulator using an open-source game engine that can be used with a commercially available, reasonably priced virtual reality (VR) device providing visual and haptic feedback. In this study, the proposed simulator's design is presented, costs are contrasted, and the simulator's performance is assessed using face and content validity measures. CPU- and GPU-based computers can run the novel simulation with a soft body deformation based on simplex meshes. With a reasonable trade-off between price and performance, the HTC Vive's controlled soft body effect, physics-based deformation, and haptic rendering offer the advantages of an excellent surgical simulator. The trials show that the medical volunteers who performed the initial LPN procedures for newbie surgeons received positive feedback.

Electrocatalytic water oxidation on CuO-Cu2O modulated cobalt-manganese layered double hydroxide.

Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are potential electrocatalysts to address the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) of water splitting. In this work, copper oxide (CuO/Cu2O) nanoparticles are integrated with cobalt-manganese layered double hydroxide (CoMn-LDH) to enhance their performance towards OER. The catalyst is synthesized by growing CoMn-LDH nanosheets in the presence of CuO/Cu2O nanoparticles that were obtained by the calcination of the copper containing metal-organic framework (HKUST-1). The synthesized CoMn-LDH@CuO/Cu2O electrocatalyst shows excellent activity towards OER with an overpotential of 297 mV at a catalytic current density of 10 mA cm-2 and have a Tafel slope value of 89 mV dec-1. Moreover, a slight decrease in the performance parameters is observed until the 15 h of continuous operation. We propose that the conductive strength of CuO/Cu2O and its synergistic effect with the CoMn-LDH are responsible for the improved OER performance of the desired electrocatalyst.

Evidence-based risk factors for major complications during Ramadan fasting in people with diabetes grouped under IDF-DAR risk categories.

AIM: To identify evidence-based risk factors for major complications during Ramadan fasting in people with diabetes grouped under IDF-DAR risk categories. METHODS: This prospective observational multicenter study was conducted by Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE) between April-June 2019. People with diabetes having intention to fast during Ramadan were recruited. Demographic data collection along with risk categorization was done during pre-Ramadan visit. Structured education was given on one- to-one basis to each of the study participants. Assessment of complications was done during post Ramadan visit. RESULTS: A total of 1045 people with diabetes participated with near equal gender distribution. Two thirds of study population was grouped into very high- and high-risk categories. Frequencies of major hypoglycemia, major hyperglycemia, hospitalization & need to break the fast were 4.4%, 10.8%, 0.8% & 3.1% respectively. On multivariate analysis, the risk factors found for major hypoglycemia during Ramadan were male gender, use of sedatives & antidepressants & having type1 diabetes mellitus, history of DKA/HHS during last 3 months for major hyperglycemia, major hypoglycemia & hospitalization for breaking of fast while older age, acute illness, and major hypoglycemia were identified factors for hospitalization. CONCLUSION: In this prospective study evidence-based risk factors for fasting related major complications were identified in people with diabetes. It is imperative to recognize these factors during pre-Ramadan risk assessment visit.

Isolation of Anaerobic Bromate-Reducing Bacteria Using Different Carbon Sources and Transcriptomic Insights From Klebsiella variicola Glu3.

Bromate, a possible human carcinogen, can be reduced to innocuous bromide by microorganisms. To characterize bromate reducers, microbes were enriched anaerobically from activated sludge by using bromate as the sole electron acceptor and different carbon sources as the electron donor. Bacteria that showed significant bromate-reducing activity but not coupled to cell growth were isolated. Two whole genomes of the isolates, namely, Raoultella electrica Lac1 and Klebsiella variicola Glu3, were reconstructed by Illumina and Nanopore sequencing. Transcriptomic analysis suggested that neither the respiratory nitrate reductase, the selenate reductase, nor the dimethylsulfoxide reductase was involved in the bromate reduction process, and strain K. variicola Glu3 reduced bromate via a yet undiscovered enzymatic mechanism. The results provide novel phylogenetic insights into bromate-reducing microorganisms and clues in putative genes encoding enzymes related to bromate reduction.

Analysis Of Consultation Length In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Consultation length is considered as direct measure of quality healthcare service and patient satisfaction. We analysed data collected from five different hospitals to inference the effects of sub-factors on consultation length. These factors have positive contribution in predicting the behaviour of consultation length. METHODS: We performed cross-sectional study on first hand data collected from 386 participants using snow ball sampling method. The survey instrument was questionnaire and face to face interviews. We considered null hypothesis (H0=0) as means are equal against alternative hypothesis (H1 ≠ 0) for factors of time consumed by overall consultation, patient's history, physical examination, and prescription writing. Data was also analysed by nonparametric univariate tests and multiple linear regression model. RESULTS: Mean of consultation length is 22.466 minutes [CI: 21.420-23.512 and α=0.01]. Null hypothesis (H0=0) was rejected in favour of alternative hypothesis (H1≠0) by all factors due to sufficient evidence in data except prescription writing which failed to reject H0. CONCLUSIONS: We found factors had high spread in mean values and rejected null hypothesis indicating the duration of health workforces' consultation is varying in different setups. Multiple factors contributed in formation of consultation length of doctors. Similar studies related to conservation of variation in consultation length must consider these factors. Eventually, such studies reporting this variation and its factors will add up in its efficacy and provisioning of appropriate consultation time totting up in patient's satisfaction positively.

ZIF-12/Fe-Cu LDH Composite as a High Performance Electrocatalyst for Water Oxidation.

Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are being used as electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OERs). However, low current densities limit their practical applications. Herein, we report a facile and economic synthesis of an iron-copper based LDH integrated with a cobalt-based metal-organic framework (ZIF-12) to form LDH-ZIF-12 composite (1) through a co-precipitation method. The as-synthesized composite 1 requires a low overpotential of 337 mV to achieve a catalytic current density of 10 mA cm-2 with a Tafel slope of 89 mV dec-1. Tafel analysis further demonstrates that 1 exhibits a slope of 89 mV dec-1 which is much lower than the slope of 284 mV dec-1 for LDH and 172 mV dec-1 for ZIF-12. The slope value of 1 is also lower than previously reported electrocatalysts, including Ni-Co LDH (113 mV dec-1) and Zn-Co LDH nanosheets (101 mV dec-1), under similar conditions. Controlled potential electrolysis and stability test experiments show the potential application of 1 as a heterogeneous electrocatalyst for water oxidation.

Frequency and genotype distribution of high risk human papillomavirus in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a dismal disease exhibiting striking geographical differences in its incidence. It is multifactorial in origin. Among infectious agents, human papillomavirus (HPV) was introduced as a possible causative agent in the development of ESCC in 1982. Subsequent studies using various methods have confirmed the presence of HPV in ESCC. We aimed to determine the frequency of HPV in ESCC in northwest Pakistan which is part of high risk belt for this disease. METHODOLOGY: This study was conducted on two hundred and forty-three (243) diagnosed cases of ESSC at two tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar, Pakistan, from 2011 to 2016. DNA was extracted from all specimens. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to check the quality of DNA using ß-globin primers and frequency and genotypes of HPV using HPV general primers and type-specific primers respectively. HPV and its genotypes were confirmed through the sequencing of a few selected cases. RESULTS: Two hundred and three (203) tissue specimens had adequate DNA and were further analyzed. HPV positivity with general primers alone was 15.7% (32/203). Using HPV general primers and type-specific primers (HPV 16 or HPV 18), the overall positivity of HPV was 31% (63/203). For type-specific primers, frequency of HPV types 16 and 18 was 20.19% (41) and 7.8% (16) respectively where 6 cases were positive for both HPV 16 and 18. CONCLUSIONS: The overall high prevalence of HPV indicates it as a possible risk factor for ESSC.

Cleft prediction before birth using deep neural network.

In developing countries like Pakistan, cleft surgery is expensive for families, and the child also experiences much pain. In this article, we propose a machine learning-based solution to avoid cleft in the mother's womb. The possibility of cleft lip and palate in embryos can be predicted before birth by using the proposed solution. We collected 1000 pregnant female samples from three different hospitals in Lahore, Punjab. A questionnaire has been designed to obtain a variety of data, such as gender, parenting, family history of cleft, the order of birth, the number of children, midwives counseling, miscarriage history, parent smoking, and physician visits. Different cleaning, scaling, and feature selection methods have been applied to the data collected. After selecting the best features from the cleft data, various machine learning algorithms were used, including random forest, k-nearest neighbor, decision tree, support vector machine, and multilayer perceptron. In our implementation, multilayer perceptron is a deep neural network, which yields excellent results for the cleft dataset compared to the other methods. We achieved 92.6% accuracy on test data based on the multilayer perceptron model. Our promising results of predictions would help to fight future clefts for children who would have cleft.

Novel Heteroatom-Doped Fe/N/C Electrocatalysts With Superior Activities for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Both Acid and Alkaline Solutions.

The exploration of noble metal-free catalysts with efficient electrochemical performance toward oxygen reduction reaction in the acid electrolyte is very important for the development of fuel cells technology. Novel pyrolyzed heteroatom-doped Fe/N/C catalysts have been regarded as the most efficient electrocatalytic materials for ORR due to their tunable electronic structure, and distinctive chemical and physical properties. Herein, nitrogen- and sulfur-doped (Fe/N/C and Fe/N/C-S) electrocatalysts were synthesized using ferric chloride hexahydrate as the Fe precursor, N-rich polymer as N precursor, and Ketjen Black EC-600 (KJ600) as the carbon supports. Among these electrocatalysts, the as prepared S and N-doped Fe/N/C-S reveals the paramount ORR activity with a positive half-wave potential value (E 1/2) 0.82 at 0.80 V vs. RHE in 0.1 mol/L H2SO4 solution, which is comparable to the commercial Pt/C (Pt 20 wt%) electrocatalyst. The mass activity of the Fe/N/C-S catalyst can reach 45% (12.7 A g-1 at 0.8 V) and 70% (5.3 A g-1 at 0.95 V) of the Pt/C electrocatalyst in acidic and alkaline solutions. As result, ORR activity of PGM-free electrocatalysts measured by the rotating-ring disk electrode method increases in the following order: Fe/N/C

Association of Virulence Genes with Antibiotic Resistance in Pakistani Uropathogenic E. coli Isolates.

BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli various strains can cause alarmingly serious infections. Countries like Pakistan harbour the class of bacteria with one of the highest rates of resistance, but very little has been done to explore their genetic pool. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to find out the frequency of virulence genes of Uropathogenic E. coli and their association with antibiotic resistance along with the evolutionary adaptation of the selected gene through the phylogenetic tree. METHODS: Isolates from 120 urinary tract infected patients were collected. Antibiotic sensitivity was detected by the disk diffusion method and DNA extraction was done by the boiling lysis method followed by PCR-based detection of virulence genes. The final results were analysed using the chi-square test. RESULTS: The isolates were found to be least susceptible to nalidixic acid, followed by ampicillin, cotrimoxazole, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, aztreonam, amoxicillin, gentamycin, nitrofurantoin and imipenem. The iucC was the most common virulence gene among the resistant isolates. About 86% of the collected samples were found to be multi-drug resistant. Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between the iucC gene and resistance to ampicillin (P=0.03) and amoxicillin (P=0.04), and also between fimH and resistance to aztreonam (P=0.03). CONCLUSION: This study unravels the uncharted virulence genes of UPEC in our community for the very first time. We report a high frequency of the iucC and fimH virulence genes. This, along with their positive association with resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics in the studied community, indicates their important role in the development of complicated UTIs.

Natural compounds with xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity: A review.

Hyperuricemia (HUA), a disease due to an elevation of body uric acid level and responsible for various diseases such as gout, cardiovascular disorders, and renal failure, is a major ground debate for the medical science these days. Considering the risk factors linked with allopathic drugs for the treatment of this disease, the debate has now become a special issue. Previously, we critically discussed the role of dietary polyphenols in the treatment of HUA. Besides dietary food plants, many researchers figure out the tremendous effects of medicinal plants-derived phytochemicals against HUA. Keeping in mind all these aspects, we reviewed all possible managerial studies related to HUA through medicinal plants (isolated compounds). In the current review article, we comprehensively discussed various bioactive compounds, chemical structures, and structure-activity relationship with responsible key enzyme xanthine oxidase.

Association of Metronidazole with Cancer: A Potential Risk Factor or Inconsistent Deductions?

BACKGROUND: Metronidazole (MTZ) is a synthetic derivative of nitroimidazole that has been widely used for the treatment of several bacterial and parasitic infections including trichomoniasis, amoebiasis, giardiasis, liver abscess, gingivitis, syphilis and phagedena. Scientists have evaluated its carcinogenicity in preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies. METHOD: Google scholar and Pubmed search engines were used to construct historic timeline after discovery of MTZ with a journey of ~3 decades of research. Similar search was conducted for its in vivo carcinogenic activities, further extended to elaborate its role in carcinogenicity in humans. RESULTS: In addition to preclinical in vitro validation of DNA damage, MTZ has been reported to induce cancer in a variety of animal models including lung cancer, malignant lymphomas, breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, pituitary tumors, testicular neoplasms and uterine cancer. Several retrospective cohort studies have reported MTZ as a potential risk factor for lung cancer (n = 771), cervical cancer (n = 2500), breast cancer (n = 2), cholangiocarcinoma (n = 1), and neuroblastoma (n = 28). So far, all the reported data have confirmed MTZ carcinogenicity in animals; however it is still controversial in humans. Based on previous observations, the oxidative metabolites from MTZ are shown to have more carcinogenic effects than the parent drug itself. CONCLUSION: Due to potent carcinogenic behaviour, use of MTZ for animals' treatment and its uses in animal food products is prohibited in USA and European countries; however its clinical use in human population is still increasing. Therefore, regular research studies are required to explicate its mechanism/s involved in carcinogenesis.

One-step large-scale highly active g-C3N4 nanosheets for efficient sunlight-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production.

The development of highly active, cost-effective, environmentally friendly and stable g-C3N4 based photocatalysts for H2 evolution is one of the most anticipated potential pathways for future hydrogen utilization. Herein, a facile gaseous bubble template approach was designed to prepare large-scale thin g-C3N4 nanosheets (g-C3N4 NSs) using melamine and ammonium sulphate as the bubble template. Through distinctive structural improvements for a large bandgap, excellent electron mobility, prolonged lifetime of the photogenerated charge carriers and a high specific surface area with highly accessible potential reaction sites, the as-synthesized g-C3N4 NSs demonstrated a high photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 9871 µmol h-1 g-1 and efficient photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and phenol under simulated solar light irradiation.