Hydrophilicity and Pore Structure Enhancement in Polyurethane/Silk Protein-Bismuth Halide Oxide Composite Films for Photocatalytic Degradation of Dye.

Polyurethane/silk protein-bismuth halide oxide composite films were fabricated using a blending-wet phase transformationin situsynthesis method. The crystal structure, micromorphology, and optical properties were conducted using XRD, SEM, and UV-Vis DRS characterize techniques. The results indicated that loaded silk protein enhanced the hydrophilicity and pore structure of the polyurethane composite films. The active species BiOX were observed to grow as nanosheets with high dispersion on the internal skeleton and silk protein surface of the polyurethane-silk protein film. The photocatalytic efficiency of BiOX/PU-SF composite films was assessed through the degradation of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. Among the tested films, the BiOBr/PU-SF composite exhibited the highest removal rate of RhB at 98.9%, surpassing the removal rates of 93.7% for the BiOCl/PU-SF composite and 85.6% for the BiOI/PU-SF composite. Furthermore, an active species capture test indicated that superoxide radical (•O2-) and hole (h+) species played a predominant role in the photodegradation process.

In Situ Decoration of Bi2S3 Nanosheets on Zinc Oxide/Cellulose Acetate Composite Films for Photodegradation of Dyes under Visible Light Irradiation.

A novel Bi2S3-zinc oxide/cellulose acetate composite film was prepared through a blending-wet phase conversion and in situ precipitate method. The results revealed that the incorporation of Bi2S3 in the film increased the cavity density and uniformity, which provided additional space for the growth of active species and improved the interaction between dye pollutants and active sites. Zinc oxide acted as a mediator to facilitate the separation of electron-hole pairs effectively preventing their recombination, thus reducing the photo-corrosion of Bi2S3. As a result, the Bi2S3-ZnO/CA composite film exhibited favorable photocatalytic activity in the degradation of various dyes. Additionally, the composite film displayed effortless separation and recovery without the need for centrifugation or filtration, while maintaining its exceptional catalytic performance even after undergoing various processes.

WDR5 promotes the tumorigenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma via CARM1/ß-catenin axis.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a malignancy all over the world. WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) is involved in cancer progression. In addition, it was reported that WDR5 is upregulated in head and neck cancer, while its role in OSCC is unknown. First, the expression of WDR5 in oral cancer tissues and cells was examined by qRT-PCR, IHF and western blot. CCK-8 assay was performed to test the cell viability. Cell migration was assessed by transwell assay. Knocking down WDR5 or CARM1 in oral cancer cells to detect its function on cancer growth, WDR5 and CARM1 were significantly upregulated in OSCC. Silencing WDR5 suppressed OSCC cell viability and migration. CARM1 level in OSCC cells was significantly inhibited by WDR5 downregulation, and CARM1 elevation could rescue the effect of WDR5 knockdown on tumorigenesis of OSCC. Moreover, silencing of WDR5 notably inactivated ß-catenin signaling pathway, while this phenomenon was restored by CARM1 overexpression. Silencing of WDR5 attenuated the tumorigenesis of OSCC via CARM1/ß-catenin axis. Thus, WDR5 might be a target for OSCC treatment.

A Study on the Influence of Authoritarian-Benevolent Leadership on Employees' Innovative Behavior From the Perspective of Psychological Perception-Based on Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis.

Employee innovation is the key to enhancing the core competitiveness of an enterprise, and leadership style plays an important role in stimulating employees' innovative behavior. This study explores the impact of unique ambidextrous leadership in the Chinese context, authoritarian-benevolent leadership, on employees' innovative behavior from the perspective of employees' psychological perception, based on research data from 430 employees of companies with direct leaders. Based on the configuration theory, using the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method, the configuration analysis was carried out by taking authoritarian-benevolent ambidextrous leadership and employees' psychological perception as the influencing factors and obtained five configurations of high-level employees' innovative behavior. The results show that the combination of individualized care, understanding, and forgiving of benevolent leadership and Shang-yan of authoritarian leadership can effectively stimulate employees' innovative behavior. Juan-Chiuan leadership is not conducive to employees' innovative behavior. Employees' high psychological safety and low uncertainty are important conditions for promoting employee innovation. In this study, the four dimensions of authoritarian-benevolent leadership and the psychological perceptions of employees are discussed in combination, and the paths of motivating employees to innovate actively are obtained. It is hoped that it can provide certain ideas for leaders to promote employee innovation.

Stem cell homing in periodontal tissue regeneration.

The destruction of periodontal tissue is a crucial problem faced by oral diseases, such as periodontitis and tooth avulsion. However, regenerating periodontal tissue is a huge clinical challenge because of the structural complexity and the poor self-healing capability of periodontal tissue. Tissue engineering has led to advances in periodontal regeneration, however, the source of exogenous seed cells is still a major obstacle. With the improvement of in situ tissue engineering and the exploration of stem cell niches, the homing of endogenous stem cells may bring promising treatment strategies in the future. In recent years, the applications of endogenous cell homing have been widely reported in clinical tissue repair, periodontal regeneration, and cell therapy prospects. Stimulating strategies have also been widely studied, such as the combination of cytokines and chemokines, and the implantation of tissue-engineered scaffolds. In the future, more research needs to be done to improve the efficiency of endogenous cell homing and expand the range of clinical applications.

Bacterial outer membrane vesicles as potential biological nanomaterials for antibacterial therapy.

Antibiotic therapy is one of the most important approaches against bacterial infections. However, the improper use of antibiotics and the emergence of drug resistance have compromised the efficacy of traditional antibiotic therapy. In this regard, it is of great importance and significance to develop more potent antimicrobial therapies, including the development of functionalized antibiotics delivery systems and antibiotics-independent antimicrobial agents. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), secreted by Gram-negative bacteria and with similar structure to cell-derived exosomes, are natural functional nanomaterials and known to play important roles in many bacterial life events, such as communication, biofilm formation and pathogenesis. Recently, more and more reports have demonstrated the use of OMVs as either active antibacterial agents or antibiotics delivery carriers, implying the great potentials of OMVs in antibacterial therapy. Herein, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of OMV and its antibacterial applications, including its biogenesis, biofunctions, isolation, purification and its potentials in killing bacteria, delivering antibiotics and developing vaccine or immunoadjuvants. In addition, the concerns in clinical use of OMVs and the possible solutions are discussed. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has led to the failure of traditional antibiotic therapy, and thus become a big threat to human beings. In this regard, developing more potent antibacterial approaches is of great importance and significance. Recently, bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), which are natural functional nanomaterials secreted by Gram-negative bacteria, have been used as active agents, drug carriers and vaccine adjuvant for antibacterial therapy. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of OMVs and summarizes the recent progress of OMVs in antibacterial applications. The concerns of OMVs in clinical use and the possible solutions are also discussed. As such, this review may guide the future works in antibacterial OMVs and appeal to both scientists and clinicians.