PDPN positive CAFs contribute to HER2 positive breast cancer resistance to trastuzumab by inhibiting antibody-dependent NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Trastuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody, and has been clinical employed to treat human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer. However, drug resistance to trastuzumab remains a challenge due to the generally uncharacterized interactive immune responses within the tumor tissue. In this study, by means of single-cell sequencing, we identified a novel podoplanin-positive (PDPN+) cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) subset, which was enriched in trastuzumab resistant tumor tissues. Furthermore, we found that PDPN+ CAFs promote resistance to trastuzumab in HER2+ breast cancer by secreting immunosuppressive factors indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) as well as tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase 2 (TDO2), thereby suppressing antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), which was mediated by functional NK cells. A dual inhibitor IDO/TDO-IN-3 simultaneously targeting IDO1 and TDO2 showed a promising effect on reversing PDPN+ CAFs-induced suppression of NK cells mediated ADCC. Collectively, a novel subset of PDPN+ CAFs was identified in this study, which induced trastuzumab resistance in breast cancer of HER2+ status via inhibiting ADCC immune response mediated by NK cells, hinting that PDPN+ CAFs could be a novel target of treatment to increase the sensitivity of HER2+ breast cancer to trastuzumab.

Health prevention intervention for chronic tissue fibrosis: Based on the specific expression of CCL19/21 + mast cell.

Chronic tissue fibrosis is a common pathological feature of connective tissue diseases and malignant tumors, and its prevention has been a major focus of relevant research.However, the details of the mechanism of action of tissue-colonizing immune cells in fibroblast migration are unclear. In this study, connective tissue disease tissue specimens and solid tumor specimens were selected to observe the relationship between mast cells and interstitial fibrosis and the expression characteristics of mast cells. Our findings suggest that the number of mast cells in the tissue correlates with the degree of pathological fibrosis and that mast cells specifically express the chemokines CCL19 and CCL21, especially CCL19. CCR7+ fibroblasts are highly expressed in mast cell clusters. The mast cell line HMC-1 regulates CD14+ monocyte-derived fibroblasts via CCL19. In disease tissue fibrosis, mast cell activation may increase the expression of chemokines, especially CCL19, in the tissue, thereby inducing a large number of CCR7-positive fibroblasts to migrate to specific tissues. This study lays a foundation for the mechanism of tissue fibrosis and provides evidence for the mechanism by which mast cells induce fibroblast migration.Through the experimental results of this paper, we can combine the induction factors of chronic tissue fibrosis and put forward targeted health prevention strategies.

Melatonin attenuates monocrotaline-induced hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in rats via activation of Sirtuin-3.

Melatonin possesses potent hepatoprotective properties, but it remains to be elucidated whether melatonin has a therapeutic effect on monocrotaline (MCT)-induced hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (HSOS). In this study, male Sprague Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with melatonin or the same volume of vehicle at 0 and 24 h after MCT intragastric administration. Next, hematoxylin-eosin staining and electron microscopy were performed to evaluate the hepatic sinusoidal injury of rats. Endothelial cell marker RECA-1 was observed by immunohistochemistry. Hepatic oxidative stress was analyzed by detecting malondialdehyde, glutathione S-transferase, and reactive oxygen species. Assessment of liver function was carried out by analysis of serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and albumin levels. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis were used to identify liver Sirtuin-3 (SIRT3) and active matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) expression. Besides, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) were used for the in vitro functional verification experiment. Specifically, liver histology of the melatonin-treated groups showed that the pathological damages caused by MCT were significantly attenuated, total HSOS scores were decreased, and the elevation of serum hyaluronic acid observed in the model group was also reduced. Moreover, melatonin treatment also improved the survival of rats after partial hepatectomy. Administration of melatonin ameliorated MCT-induced LSECs injury, hepatic oxidative stress, and hepatic dysfunction. Furthermore, melatonin treatment increased SIRT3 expression while attenuating MMP-9 activity in liver tissues. Cell experiment also demonstrated that SIRT3 might mediate the protective effect of melatonin on LSECs. Collectively, our study provided the potential rationale for the application of melatonin for the prevention of MCT-induced HSOS.

Elevated Sera IL-6 and NK-T Cells Associated With Increased Pathological Complete Response in HER2-positive Breast Cancer With Carboplatin-based Neoadjuvant Therapy.

Context: Neoadjuvant therapy is the primary treatment for stage II to III breast cancer (BC). The heterogeneity of BC challenges the identification of effective neoadjuvant regimens and of the related sensitive populations. Objective: The study intended to explore the predictive role of inflammatory cytokines, immune-cell subsets, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) for the accomplishment of the pathological complete response (pCR) after a neoadjuvant regimen. Design: The research team conducted a phase II, single-armed, open-label trial. Setting: The study took place at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China. Participants: Participants were 42 patients at the hospital receiving treatment for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer (BC) between November 2018 and October 2021. Intervention: Participants received neoadjuvant therapy of six cycles of docetaxel, carboplatin, and trastuzumab (TCbH). Outcome Measures: The research team: (1) measured 13 cytokines and immune-cell populations in peripheral blood prior to neoadjuvant therapy administration; (2) measured TILs in tumor tissues; (3) analyzed correlations among biomarkers and pCR. Results: Of the 42 participants, 18 achieved pCR (42.9%) after the neoadjuvant therapy, with 37 having an overall response rate (ORR) of 88.1%. All participants experienced at least one short-term adverse event. The most common toxicity was leukopenia, with 33 participants (78.6%), while no cardiovascular dysfunction occurred. Compared with the non-pCR group, the pCR group had higher serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-ɑ), with P = .013; interleukin 6 (IL-6), with P = .025; and IL-18, with P = .0004. Univariate analysis showed that IL-6 (OR, 3.429; 95% CI,1.838-6.396; P = .0001) had a significant correlation with pCR. Participants in the pCR group had a higher level of natural killer T (NK-T) cells (P = .009) and a lower ratio of cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4):CD8 (P = .0014) before neoadjuvant therapy. Univariate analysis linked a high population of NK-T cells (OR, 0.204; 95% CI,0.052-0.808; P = .018), a low CD4:CD8 ratio (OR, 10.500; 95% CI, 2.475-44.545; P = .001), and TILs expression (OR, 0.192; 95% CI, 0.051-0.731; P = .013) to pCR. Conclusions: Immunological factors, including IL-6, NK-T cells, CD4+ T versus CD8+ T ratio, and TILs expression were significant predictors for response to TCbH neoadjuvant therapy with carboplatin.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of breast cancer patients with lung cancer: A study based on 19,807 breast cancer patients.

This study was conducted to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of breast cancer and lung cancer (BC-LC) and provide a theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of BC-LC in clinical work. A retrospective study was conducted on breast cancer (BC) patients in our center from September 2009 to November 2020. The patients were divided into the BC-LC group and the control group. The control group was matched with both, the age at diagnosis and the time of surgery (±1 year). The clinicopathological factors, overall survival (OS), and hazard ratios (HRs) were evaluated by SPSS. A total of 19,807 BC patients were identified, among whom 124 (0.6%) had lung cancer (LC). Larger BC tumor was the only independent risk factor (OR=2.454, p<0.001) for development of LC in BC patients. We found inferior survival in patients with synchronous versus metachronous BC-LC (p=0.008). We also identified combined with hypertension (HR=3.917, p=0.003) was an independent prognostic factor for inferior OS. Therefore, BC patients with larger tumors need close follow-up. Effective prevention and active treatment of hypertension can improve the OS of BC-LC patients.

Hydrogeochemical Processes Affecting Groundwater Chemistry in the Central Part of the Guanzhong Basin, China.

Groundwater is essential for the sustainable development of the Guanzhong Basin, China, and its quality is mainly controlled by hydrogeochemical processes and anthropogenic pollution. This study used statistical and multivariate statistical analysis approaches to recognize the hydrogeochemical processes and affecting factors of groundwater in the central part of the Guanzhong Basin. Correlations among 14 hydrochemical parameters were statistically examined. Principal component analysis (PCA), factor analysis (FA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) techniques were applied to analyze the physicochemical variables to understand the affecting factors of groundwater quality in the study area. The correlation analysis results indicate that cation exchange is the dominant process affecting the concentration of Na+ and Ca2+ in the groundwater. Both the PCA and FA indicate that minerals dissolution/precipitation and human activities are the key factors that affect groundwater quality. All parameters except CO32- and pH increase from C1 to C4 obtained through the Q mode HCA. C4 has a hydrochemical type of SO4-Na·K, indicating that the sample of this cluster is primarily influenced by anthropogenic processes.

Poor groundwater quality and high potential health risks in the Datong Basin, northern China: research from published data.

Datong Basin in China is a typical arid-semiarid inland basin, with high levels and wide distributions of arsenic (As), fluoride (F-), and iodine (I). To better understand the presence of low-quality groundwater in Datong Basin and assess the health risks for local residents, groundwater samples were collected from the shallow aquifer and in medium-deep groundwater and analyzed for As, F-, I, and nitrate (NO3-). Maxima of 1932 µg/L for As, 80.89 mg/L for F-, 2300 µg/L for I, and 3854.74 mg/L for NO3- were detected in shallow groundwater, which greatly exceeded the WHO limits for drinking purpose. High-As groundwater was present in both shallow and medium-deep aquifers. High-F- and high-NO3- groundwater was widely distributed in the shallow aquifer, and high-I groundwater was mainly present in the medium-deep aquifers. Poor-quality groundwater in the Datong Basin is mainly caused by local geological and climatic conditions, which are characterized by strong evaporation, active water-rock interactions, thick lacustrine sediment, low groundwater flow rate, and reducing and weak alkaline environments. However, groundwater quality was further impacted by agricultural activities in some areas, as shallow groundwater was also polluted by nitrate. Datong Basin inhabitants face high health risk caused by high concentrations of As, F-, I, and NO3-. The mean noncarcinogenic risk values (HQtotal) were 18.40 for children, 10.94 for adult females, and 9.47 for adult males due to exposure to contaminants in shallow groundwater; and 13.76 for children, 8.18 for adult females, and 7.08 for adult males because of exposure to medium-deep groundwater. Further, the carcinogenic risks (CR) caused by exposure to As were very high for local inhabitants, with the mean and median CR values of 4.20×10-3 and 4.13×10-4 in shallow groundwater and 3.44×10-3 and 1.71×10-4 in medium-deep groundwater, respectively.

CO2 and Redox Dual Responsive Pickering Emulsion.

Herein, we described for the first time a CO2 and redox dual responsive paraffin oil-in-water Pickering emulsion stabilized by the modified silica nanoparticles with Se-containing tertiary amine, SeTA, in which the tertiary amine serves as a CO2-sensitive group, and the Se atom serves as a redox-sensitive center. The Pickering emulsion can be reversibly switched between stable and unstable states by bubbling CO2 and N2 in the reduced state, or with the addition of H2O2 and Na2SO3 in the absence of CO2, because of the adsorption and desorption of SeTA on the silica surface. The former is mainly attributed to a CO2-controllable electrostatic attraction, resulting from the transition of molecules between cationic and nonionic states; whereas, the latter is ascribed to a redox-tunable hydrogen bonding, originating from the transition of molecules between selenide and selenoxide. However, in the presence of CO2, redox can only induce a change in the droplet size, not demulsification. These interesting and unique multiresponsive behaviors endow the Pickering emulsion with a capacity for intelligent control of emulsification and demulsification, as well as the droplet size, which may be an asset for a myriad of technological applications in biomedicine, microfluidics, drug delivery, and cosmetics.

Rifampicin Induces Bicarbonate-Rich Choleresis in Rats: Involvement of Anion Exchanger 2.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Previous studies have shown that rifampicin induced choleresis, the mechanisms of which have not been described. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying in vivo rifampicin-induced choleresis. METHODS: In one experimental set, rats were treated chronically with rifampicin on days 1, 3 and 7. Serum and biliary parameters were assayed, and mRNA and protein levels, as well as the locations of the hepatic export transporters were analyzed by real-time PCR, western blot and immunofluorescence. Ductular mass was evaluated immunohistochemically. In another experimental set, rats received an acute infusion of rifampicin. The amount of rifampicin in bile was detected using HPLC. Biliary parameters were monitored following intrabiliary retrograde fluxes of the Cl(-)/HCO3 (-) exchange inhibitor 4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS) or 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB) in the infused rats. RESULTS: Biliary bicarbonate output increased in parallel to the augmented bile flow in response to rifampicin, and this effect was abolished with intrabiliary administration of DIDS, but not NPPB. The biliary secretion of rifampicin with increases in bile flow and biliary rifampicin in response to different infused doses of the antibiotic show no significant correlations. After rifampicin treatment, the expression level of anion exchanger 2 (AE2) increased, while the location of hepatic transporters did not change. However, RIF treatment did not increase ductular mass significantly. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the increase in bile flow induced by rifampicin is mainly due to increased HCO3 (-) excretion mediated by increased AE2 protein expression and activity.

Potential protection of taurine on antioxidant system and ATPase in brain and blood of rats exposed to aluminum.

OBJECTIVES: Taurine (Tau) is used in clinical treatments but its protection of brains against aluminum-induced oxidative damage has been explored for the first time. The positive effect of Tau was studied on the activities of antioxidant enzymes and ATPase. RESULTS: Aluminum (Al) intake caused significant increasement of malondialdehyde (MDA) but reduction of the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), Na(+)K(+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase in brain compared to control group (P < 0.05). Tau administration, however, significantly reduced the MDA content, and increased the activities of aforementioned enzymes (P < 0.05). The MDA content was higher and the activities of GSH-Px, Ca(2+)-ATPase and Mg(2+)-ATPase lower in the blood of the Al-treated group' (P < 0.05), while Tau markedly decreased MDA content and improved the activities of GSH-Px and Ca(2+)-ATPase (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Tau may play a crucial role in the protection of antioxidant system and ATPase against Al-induced toxicity in brain and blood of rats.

Tracing the sources and evaporation fate of surface water and groundwater using stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen.

Recognizing the origins and movement processes of surface water and groundwater is crucial for understanding hydrochemical genesis, conserving water supplies, and managing water resources. Estimating the source water typically involves identifying the intersection of evaporation line (EL) and meteoric water line. However, there is currently confusion in determining the regional EL and selecting strategies for estimating the source water. This study aimed to explore the source of surface water and groundwater, as well as evaporation effect utilizing stable isotope tracing (δ2H and δ18O). The line-conditioned excess was adopted to differentiate evaporated water and non-evaporated water, then Craig-Gordon model and an analytical framework with Bayesian theory were used to investigate the source of surface water and groundwater and the evaporation influence. The findings revealed that surface water and groundwater in the northern region of the Weihe River suffered more sever evaporation impacts that the south, and the evaporated surface water (7.54 % to 27.34 %) with a wider range of mean evaporation ratio than evaporated groundwater (5.38 % to 8.52 %). Monsoon precipitation is the main contributor to both surface water (contribution ratio: 0.46) and groundwater (0.49) sources. This research provides specific information on evaporation and detailed insights into the source water of surface water and groundwater, aiding in understanding the evaporation effect during the hydrological cycle and facilitating the management of regional water resources.

Distribution of mitochondrial MT-RNR1, MT-TL1, MT-TS1, MT-TK and MT-TE genes variants associated with hearing loss in Southwestern China.

BACKGROUND: Maternally inherited hearing loss has been associated with mitochondrial genes, including MT-RNR1, MT-TL1, MT-TS1, MT-TK and MT-TE. Among these genes, MT-RNR1 is known to be a hotspot for pathogenic variants related to aminoglycoside ototoxicity and nonsyndromic hearing loss. However, the frequency and spectrum of variants in these genes, particularly in multi-ethnic hearing loss patients from Southwestern China, are still not fully understood. METHODS: In this study, we enrolled 460 hearing loss patients from various ethnic backgrounds (Han, Yi, Dai, Hani, etc.) in Southwestern China. Next-generation sequencing was used to analyze the mitochondrial MT-RNR1, MT-TL1, MT-TS1, MT-TK and MT-TE genes. Subsequently, bioinformatical methods were employed to evaluate the identified variants. RESULTS: Among the patients with hearing loss, we identified 70 variants in MT-RNR1 (78.6 %, 55/70), MT-TL1 (4.3 %, 3/70), MT-TS1 (4.3 %, 3/70), MT-TK (7.1 %, 5/70) and MT-TE (5.7 %, 4/70) genes. We found that 15 variants were associated with hearing loss, including m.1555 A > G and m.1095 T > C. Additionally, we discovered three reported mitochondrial variants (m.676 G > A, m.7465 insC, and m.7474 A > G) newly correlated with hearing loss. Notably, certain pathogenic variants, such as m.1555 A > G, displayed non-consistent distributions among the multi-ethnic patients with hearing loss. Furthermore, the number of variants associated with hearing loss was higher in the Sinitic group (n = 181) and Tibeto-Burman group (n = 215) compared to the Kra-Dai group (n = 38) and Hmong-Mien group (n = 26). CONCLUSIONS: This present study revealed the distribution of mitochondrial variants linked to hearing loss across various ethnic groups in Southwestern China. These data suggest a potential correlation between the distribution of mitochondrial variants associated with hearing loss and ethnic genetic backgrounds.

Occurrence and health risk of pesticide residues in Chinese herbal medicines from Shandong Province, China.

Pesticide residue was one of the stress factors affecting quality and safety of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs). The present study was designed to investigate the occurrence and dietary exposure of 70 pesticide residues in 307 samples of CHMs, including 104 American ginseng, 100 Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum), and 103 Dendrobium officinale (D. officinale) in Shandong Province, China. The study revealed that a total of 29 pesticides were detected in the majority (92.5%) of samples, and the pesticide residues of 85 (27.7%) samples exceeded the maximum residue levels (MRLs). Particularly, the maximum concentration of chlorpyrifos was 23.8 mg kg-1, almost 50 times of the MRLs in food in GB 2763-2021, while there's no standard restrictions specified in CHMs in China. The chronic, acute, and cumulative risk assessment results indicated that risk exposure of the three types of CHMs were unlikely to pose a health risk to consumers. However, more attention should be paid to the multiple residues with the presence of four or more pesticides in one sample and high over-standard rate of pesticides. The pesticide users and the government should pay more attention to the pesticides used in CHMs and regularly monitor the presence of these compounds. The study recommended the MRLs of these pesticides in CHMs should be established and perfected by the relevant departments in China.

Predicting COVID-19 using lioness optimization algorithm and graph convolution network.

In this paper, a graph convolution network prediction model based on the lioness optimization algorithm (LsOA-GCN) is proposed to predict the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in 17 regions of Hubei Province from March 23 to March 29, 2020, according to the transmission characteristics of COVID-19. On the one hand, Spearman correlation analysis with delay days and LsOA are used to capture the dynamic changes of feature information to obtain the temporal features. On the other hand, the graph convolutional network is used to capture the topological structure of the city network, so as to obtain spatial information and finally realize the prediction task. Then, we evaluate this model through performance evaluation indicators and statistical test methods and compare the results of LsOA-GCN with 10 representative prediction methods in the current epidemic prediction study. The experimental results show that the LsOA-GCN prediction model is significantly better than other prediction methods in all indicators and can successfully capture spatio-temporal information from feature data, thereby achieving accurate prediction of epidemic trends in different regions of Hubei Province.

The Impact of Labor Force Participation on Elderly Health in China.

In the context of the deepening of population aging and the trial implementation of a progressive retirement delay policy in China, understanding the relationship between the labor force participation and health status of the elderly will not only enrich relevant research but also help the elderly better achieve their goals of active aging and aging. Using the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, this paper first established multiple linear regression models to analyze the impact of labor force participation on the health status of elderly people in China and then established simultaneous equation models using households living on minimum living allowances and the community average of labor participation as instrumental variables to deal with the endogeneity caused by two-way causality. The findings confirmed significant positive correlations between labor force participation and physical and mental health, while caring for grandchildren and participating in social activities were found to be negatively moderated the relationship between labor force participation and the physical and mental health of older adults. The impact of labor force participation on the physical health status of older men and the mental health status of older women may be greater. In addition, labor force participation may have a greater impact on the physical health of the rural elderly, and its impact on mental health was not found to be statistically significant between urban and rural areas.

Do green innovation, I.C.T., and economic complexity matter for sustainable development of B.R.I. economies: moderating role of higher education.

The research intends to enlarge the environmental economics literature by displaying the probable mechanisms between green innovation, higher education, and sustainable development. In the context of a new era, sustainability faces challenging obstacles. Many studies have looked at fundamental factors affecting CO2 emissions, while the impact of green innovation and higher education is essential but mostly ignored. This study looked at 60 Belt and Road Initiative (B.R.I.) economies to see how factors, including green innovation, economic complexity index, I.C.T., and higher education, affect carbon emissions in the presence of sustainable development using annual data from 2000-2020. In order to calculate the persistence of the connection between the factors, this research uses the CS-ARDL. The results' robustness and reliability were examined using PMG estimation. The results indicate that the economic complexity index and urbanization positively impact carbon emission (CO2). Higher education (E.D.U.) has a significant positive impact in the short run and a negative effect in the long run-on carbon emissions. Similarly, information and communication technology (I.C.T.) and green innovation have a negative impact on carbon emission (CO2). Moreover, the results indicate that the moderate effect of green innovation with economic complexity index, information and communication technology, and higher education has a negative impact on carbon emission. The estimated coefficients also provide significant policy implications for the chosen and the other developing markets in designing an adequate route ahead to a sustainable environment.

Changes in HER2 status and survival outcomes in patients with non-pathological complete response after neoadjuvant targeted treatment.

To study the changes in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer before and after neoadjuvant treatment. The clinicopathologic data of 499 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who completed neoadjuvant treatment and surgery at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from 2018 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the new adjuvant regimen, 298 patients were divided into the trastuzumab + pertuzumab combined chemotherapy group (dual target group), and 201 patients were divided into the trastuzumab combined chemotherapy group (single target group).The effect of different neoadjuvant regimens on HER2 status was analyzed by comparing HER2 expression before and after treatment. A total of 255 of 499 neoadjuvant patients with HER2-positive breast cancer achieved a pathological complete response (pCR). pCR was achieved in 60.07% (179/298) of the dual target group and 37.81% (76/201) of the single target group, and the difference was statistically significant (χ² = 23.795, P < .001). Among 244 cases of HER2-positive breast cancer that did not reach pCR (non-pCR), there was a certain negative conversion rate of HER2 expression after neoadjuvant treatment, and the overall negative conversion rate was 13.11% (32/244). The negative conversion rates of the dual target group was 17.65% (21/119) and single target group was 8.80% (11/125), (χ² = 4.188, P = .041). The DFS of 499 patients in the pCR group was 98.43% (251/255), which was significantly higher than that in the non-pCR group 92.21% (225/244), (χ² = 8.536, P = .003). Only 2 (0.20%) of 32 patients with negative HER2 had recurrence and metastasis. Neoadjuvant treatment had an effect on the expression status of HER2, especially in the dual target group. For patients with negative HER2, the optimal treatment strategy remains to be explored, but continued anti-HER2 treatment is still recommended.

Regulating a Zn/Co bimetallic catalyst in a metal-organic framework and oxyhydroxide for improved photoelectrochemical water oxidation.

As one of the most popular photoanode materials, hematite (α-Fe2O3) has obvious advantages in the field of photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS). However, it is difficult to achieve excellent PEC-WS performance without loading a cocatalyst serving as an electron/hole collector to promote photogenerated carrier separation. In this work, FTO/Sn@α-Fe2O3 photoanodes are modified with ZnCo-ZIF and ZnCoOOH bimetallic catalysts to obtain FTO/Sn@α-Fe2O3/Zn0.5Co0.5-ZIF and FTO/Sn@α-Fe2O3/Zn0.46Co0.54OOH photoanodes. Their photocurrent densities reach 2.6 mA cm-2 and 2.3 mA cm-2 at 1.23 VRHE, respectively. The detailed mechanism studies demonstrate that both ZnCoOOH and ZnCo-ZIF can effectively decrease the transfer resistance, increase the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio and reduce the charge recombination of the α-Fe2O3 film, which synergistically improves the PEC-WS performance. Compared with ZnCoOOH, the ZnCo-ZIF exhibits better photogenerated carrier transfer efficiency and catalytic performance, which mainly can be attributed to the improved binding energy between the ZnCo-ZIF catalyst and the α-Fe2O3 film. This work provides a simple and feasible strategy for constructing bimetallic catalysts and deepens the understanding of different types of bimetallic catalysts for high-performance PEC-WS systems.

Investigation of in situ sulfide/nitride/phosphide treatments of hematite photoanodes for improved solar water oxidation.

Surface catalyst engineering can effectively improve the photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS) performance of semiconductor photoelectrodes. In situ surface functional treatments can effectively reduce interface defects and improve photogenerated carrier transport. In this study, FTO/Sn@α-Fe2O3/FeOOH photoanodes were modified with in situ sulfide/nitride/phosphide treatments to improve their PEC-WS performance. Compared with the pure α-Fe2O3 photoanode, the photocurrent densities of FTO/Sn@α-Fe2O3/FeOOH photoanodes after sulfide/nitride/phosphide treatments increased from 0.88 to 3.38 mA cm-2 at 1.23 VRHE. The onset potential showed a cathode shift of 0.1 V. Photoelectrochemical analyses and theoretical calculation demonstrated that the surface engineering by sulfide/nitride/phosphide treatments can significantly reduce surface defects, enhance electrical conductivity and promote photogenerated carrier separation and transfer efficiency by regulating interface charge transfer, binding energy and internal electric field. The formation of an FeSx catalyst and N/P coordination complexes in the sulfide/nitride/phosphide processes on the surface of α-Fe2O3 photoanodes can effectively reduce photogenerated carrier recombination. This work provides experimental and theoretical support for surface structure design and improved photoelectric conversion performance of semiconductor photoelectrode materials.

Groundwater contamination risk assessment using a modified DRATICL model and pollution loading: A case study in the Guanzhong Basin of China.

Groundwater contamination risk assessment is not only the basis for groundwater management, but also an effective tool for groundwater pollution control and prevention. However, only groundwater vulnerability assessment is not enough to prove the risk of groundwater contamination. Therefore, this study describes an evaluation method combining aquifer intrinsic vulnerability and pollution source loading to evaluate groundwater contamination risk in Guanzhong Basin on a macro scale. A modified DRATICL model was introduced to evaluate the intrinsic vulnerability, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the entropy weight method were combined to determine the weight of each evaluation factor. Pollution loading was evaluated by quantifying the characteristics of potential pollution sources, mainly including pollutant toxicity, pollutant release possibility and potential pollutant release amount. Finally, total iron, Cl-, SO42-, F-, COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), NO3-, NO2- and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) are used to calculate the water quality index and verify the model results. The results showed that industries were the most harmful potential pollution sources in the study area, followed by landfills. Very high vulnerability areas were mainly situated around Huazhou District, Huayin and Dali County, as well as the low terraces around Zhouzhi County and Hu County, which are mainly caused by shallow groundwater depth and high net recharge. The final groundwater contamination risk results showed the high groundwater contamination risks are detected around Xi'an City, Xianyang City, Hancheng City and Dali County. Both high vulnerability and high pollution loading were present at the Jingwei District in the north of Xi'an City, where a priority attention should be given.