Six new polyphenolic metabolites isolated from the Suillus granulatus and their cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells.

Edible mushrooms are an important source of nutraceuticals and for the discovery of bioactive metabolites as pharmaceuticals. In this work, six new polyphenolic metabolites suillusol A-D (1-4), suillusinoic acid (5), ethyl suillusinoate (6), were isolated from the Suillus granulatus. The structures of new compounds were elucidated using high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance data, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. As far as we know, compound 1 represents an unprecedented type of natural product and compound 3 represents a new type of polyphenol fungal pigment, which may be biosynthetically related to thelephoric acid. The cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells of the new compounds were also evaluated. Compound 2 demonstrate significant inhibitory activity against HepG2 cells with IC50 values of 10.85 µM, surpassing that of positive control cisplatin. Moreover, compound 1 and 3 also exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity with their IC50 values measured at 35.60 and 32.62 µM, respectively. Our results indicate that S. granulatus is a rich source of chemical constituents that may provide new lead compounds for the development of anticancer agents.

Synergy of Au-Pt for Enhancing Ethylene Photodegradation Performance of Flower-like TiO2.

Efficient and low-cost degradation of ethylene has always been a difficult problem in the storage and transportation of fruits and vegetables. Although photocatalysis is considered to be a feasible and efficient solution for ethylene degradation, the low degradation ability of conventional catalysts for small non-polar molecules limits its application. TiO2 has the advantage of tunable microstructure, but it also has the defects of wide band gap and low utilization of sunlight. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of noble metals can effectively improve the visible light absorption range of catalysts, and the synergy of noble metals further enhances the photocatalytic ability. Herein, we developed a series of AuPt catalysts through the photo-deposition method. Benefited from the SPR effect and the synergy of Au and Pt, the efficiency of AuPt-TiO2 was 19.9, 4.64 and 2.42 times that of TiO2, Au-TiO2 and Pt-TiO2, and the photocatalytic degradation ability of AuPt-TiO2 was maintained in five cyclic stability tests. Meanwhile, the transient photocurrent spectra and PL spectra proved that the light absorption capacity and carrier separation efficiency of AuPt-TiO2 were enhanced. This work provides a new direction for enhancing non-polar small-molecule photodegradation of semiconductors.

Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging evaluation before and after operation for pelvic organ prolapse.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the value of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after operation for pelvic organ prolapse (POP). METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with POP (POP group) before and one month after surgery and 12 healthy women (control group) underwent static and dynamic MRI at rest and during straining (Valsalva maneuver). The preoperative MRI images of the POP and control groups were analyzed, and various measurements were recorded. Differences in measurements were compared between the POP and control groups; similarly, changes in measurements before and after operation were compared. RESULTS: In the POP group, MRI detected 29 anterior vaginal prolapses, 27 uterine prolapses, 1 rectoceles, and 14 pouch of Douglas hernias. In addition, 27 levator ani muscle defect and 15 pubocervical fascial defect cases were observed. The bladder-pubococcygeal line (B-PCL), uterus-pubococcygeal line (U-PCL), Douglas pouch-pubococcygeal line, the length of the hiatus, the descent of the levator plate, levator hiatus size, levator plate angle, iliococcygeus angle, and urethral inclination angle (UA) were larger in the POP group than in the control group. The pelvic organs' positions returned to normal postoperatively in 9 of 21 cases. The B-PCL, U-PCL, and UA were smaller post-surgery than pre-surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Static and dynamic MRI can comprehensively evaluate morphological and functional changes of the pelvic floor postoperatively.

Targeted Regulation of the Electronic States of Nickel Toward the Efficient Electrosynthesis of Benzonitrile and Hydrogen Production.

Highly efficient electro-oxidation of benzylamine to generate value-added chemicals coupled with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial but challenging. Herein, targeted regulation of the electronic states of Ni sites was realized via simple yet precise nitridation engineering. Benefiting from the insertion of N atoms into the Ni lattice, the Ni3N electrode exhibits superior activity, selectivity, and stability for the benzylamine oxidation reaction (BOR). Especially, under the industrially relevant current (∼250 mA), the Ni3N catalyst remains ∼95% selective for benzonitrile production, reaching 1.43 mmol h-1 cm-2. Experimental and theoretical findings reveal that the formation of Ni-N bonds upshifts the Ni d-band center and optimizes the electrophilic properties of Ni sites, which contributes to the adsorption and dehydrogenations process of benzylamine. Furthermore, due to the work function difference between Ni and Ni3N, a strong mutual interaction occurs at the heterogeneous interface for Ni-Ni3N, which endows it with the appropriate H* adsorption energy and thus excellent HER performance. Impressively, the integrated solar-energy-driven BOR coupled with the HER electrolyzer affords 10 mA cm-2 at an ultralow voltage of 1.4 V and exhibits a promising practical application (ηsolar-to-hydrogen = 13.8%). This work offers a new perspective for the bifunctional design of nitrides in the field of electrosynthesis.

Molybdenum Nitride Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution More Efficient than Platinum/Carbon: Mo2N/CeO2@Nickel Foam.

To produce hydrogen economically by electrolysis of water, one needs to develop a non-precious-metal catalyst that is as efficient as platinum metal. Here, we prepare such a catalyst by growing a layer of Mo2N over a layer of CeO2 deposited on nickel foam (NF) [hereafter, Mo2N /CeO2@NF] and show that the activity of this self-supported catalyst for hydrogen evolution in 1.0 M KOH is more efficient than that of the Pt/C electrode, achieving a current density of 10 mA/cm2 at a fairly low overpotential of 26 mV. Furthermore, after a long-time electrochemical stability test for 24 h at a fixed current density, the overpotential needed to attain a current density of 10 mA/cm2 is increased only by 6 mV, implying the huge potential of this method to prepare a super HER activity electrode for water splitting.

Cu2O Nanoparticles with Both {100} and {111} Facets for Enhancing the Selectivity and Activity of CO2 Electroreduction to Ethylene.

Cu2O nanoparticles (NPs) enclosed with different crystal facets, namely, c-Cu2O NPs with {100} facets, o-Cu2O NPs with {111} facets, and t-Cu2O NPs with both {111} and {100} facets, are prepared and their electrocatalytic properties for the reduction of CO2 to C2H4 are evaluated. It is shown that the selectivity and activity of the C2H4 production depend strongly on the crystal facets exposed in Cu2O NPs. The selectivities for the C2H4 production increases in the order, c-Cu2O < o-Cu2O < t-Cu2O, (with FEC2H4 = 38%, 45%, and 59%, respectively). This study suggests that Cu2O NPs are more likely responsible for the selectivity and activity for the C2H4 production than the metallic Cu NPs produced on the surface of Cu2O NPs. This work provides a new route for enhancing the selectivity of the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction by crystal facet engineering.

Photocatalytic degradation of ethylene by Ga2O3 polymorphs.

In this work, we fabricated four different Ga2O3 polymorphs, namely, α-, ß-, γ-, δ-Ga2O3, and investigated their photocatalytic activities by the degradation of ethylene under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. Owing to the more positive valence band, all these Ga2O3 polymorphs are more photocatalytic reactive than P25 during the degradation of ethylene. The normalized photocatalytic ethylene degradation rate constants of the as-prepared Ga2O3 polymorphs follow the order: α-Ga2O3 > ß-Ga2O3 > γ-Ga2O3 > δ-Ga2O3, which is mainly determined by the position of VBM and the crystallinity of the samples. Among these Ga2O3 polymorphs, γ-Ga2O3, with the highest surface area, exhibits the highest activity during photocatalytic ethylene degradation, and the degradation rate constant is almost 10 times as that of P25. Furthermore, with the most positive CBM, γ-Ga2O3 produces the least CO. These attributes are beneficial for ethylene degradation during post-harvest storage of fruits and vegetables, which makes γ-Ga2O3 a potential candidate for practical photocatalytic ethylene degradations.