Lipoprotein (a)-Related Inflammatory Imbalance: A Novel Horizon for the Development of Atherosclerosis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The primary objective of this review is to explore the pathophysiological roles and clinical implications of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] in the context of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). We seek to understand how Lp(a) contributes to inflammation and arteriosclerosis, aiming to provide new insights into the mechanisms of ASCVD progression. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent research highlights Lp(a) as an independent risk factor for ASCVD. Studies show that Lp(a) not only promotes the inflammatory processes but also interacts with various cellular components, leading to endothelial dysfunction and smooth muscle cell proliferation. The dual role of Lp(a) in both instigating and, under certain conditions, mitigating inflammation is particularly noteworthy. This review finds that Lp(a) plays a complex role in the development of ASCVD through its involvement in inflammatory pathways. The interplay between Lp(a) levels and inflammatory responses highlights its potential as a target for therapeutic intervention. These insights could pave the way for novel approaches in managing and preventing ASCVD, urging further investigation into Lp(a) as a therapeutic target.

Role of TGF-ß3 in modulating inflammatory responses and wound healing processes in ischemic ulcers in atherosclerotic patients.

Ischemic ulcers pose a multifaceted clinical dilemma for patients with atherosclerosis, frequently compounded by suboptimal wound healing mechanisms. The dual function of Transforming Growth Factor Beta 3 (TGF-ß3) in ischemic ulcer healing is not fully comprehended, despite its involvement in modulating inflammatory responses and tissue regeneration. The main aim of this investigation was to clarify the functions and mechanisms by which TGF-ß3 regulates inflammatory responses and promotes wound healing in patients with ischemic ulcers who have atherosclerosis. Between August 2022 and November 2023, this cross-sectional investigation was conducted on 428 patients diagnosed with atherosclerotic ischemic ulcers in Haikou, China. The expression and function of TGF-ß3 were examined throughout the different stages of wound healing, including inflammation, proliferation and remodelling. In addition to documenting patient demographics and ulcer characteristics, an analysis was conducted on biopsy samples to determine the expression of TGF-ß3, pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers. A subset of patients were administered topical TGF-ß3 in order to evaluate its therapeutic effects. The expression pattern of TGF-ß3 was found to be stage-dependent and significant, exhibiting increased levels during the phase of inflammation and reduced activity in subsequent phases. TGF-ß3 levels were found to be greater in ulcers that were larger and deeper, especially in inflammatory phase. TGF-ß3 applied topically induced discernible enhancement in ulcer healing parameters, such as reduction in ulcer depth and size. The therapeutic significance of TGF-ß3 was emphasised due to its twofold function of regulating the inflammatory environment and facilitating the regeneration of damaged tissues. Ischemic ulcer lesion healing is significantly influenced by TGF-ß3, which functions as an anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory mediator. Its correlation with ulcer characteristics and stages of healing suggests that it may have utility as a targeted therapeutic agent.

Claudin14 promotes colorectal cancer progression via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cancer in the world in terms of incidence and mortality. The role of differentially expressed Claudin-14 (CLDN14) in CRC has not been reported. We observed that CLDN14 was associated with the progression of CRC. Our functional studies have shown that CLDN14 promoted the proliferation of CRC cells. In addition, CLDN14 also increased the migration and invasion of CRC cells. In vivo experiments also showed that CLDN14 promoted the growth of colorectal cancer via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR. In summary, our research suggests that CLDN14 promotes the progression of colorectal cancer. Our findings may provide new strategies for clinical management and patient prognosis of CRC.

When Carbon Meets CO2: Functional Carbon Nanostructures for CO2 Utilization.

Major fossil fuel consumption associated with CO2 emission and socioeconomic instability has received much concern within the global community regarding the long-term sustainability and security of these commodities. The capture, sequestration, and conversion of CO2 emissions from flue gas are now becoming familiar worldwide. Nanostructured carbonaceous materials with designed functionality have been extensively used in some key CO2 exploitation processes and techniques, because of their excellent electrical conductivity, chemical/mechanical stability, adjustable chemical compositions, and abundant active sites. This review focuses on a variety of carbonaceous materials, like graphene, carbon nanotubes, amorphous porous carbons and carbon hybrid composites, which have been demonstrated promising in CO2 capture/separation and conversion (electrocatalysis and photocatalysis) to produce value-added chemicals and fuels. Along with the discussion and concerning synthesis strategies, characterization and conversion and capture/separation techniques employed, we further elaborate the structure-performance relationships in terms of elucidating active sites, reaction mechanisms and kinetics improvement. Finally, challenges and future perspectives of these carbon-based materials for CO2 applications using well-structured carbons are remarked in detail.

Designing Nanostructured Metal-Based CO2 Reduction Electrocatalysts.

Capture and conversion of CO2 into value-added chemicals and fuels is one of the most sought-after hot points at the scientific frontier. Driven by renewable energy derived electricity, the heterogeneous electrocatalyic CO2 reduction has attracted intensive interests because of the easy manipulation and high-energy-density fuels supply. Metals with general abundance and robust ability for activating CO2 have been adopted as the core-atom for developing advanced CO2 reduction electrocatalysts. As the dramatic development of nano-technology, the nanostructured metal-based materials become promising candidates for various catalytic systems. In this Review article, a general introduction and principles applied in CO2 electroreduction are summarized and discussed. Then the proposed reaction pathways of the CO2 reduction were classified and elaborated depending on the products. The state of the art advances related to the nanostructured metallic electrocatalysts are addressed as well. At last, the remaining challenges and further prospects for the construction of new nanostructured electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction and improvement of existing ones have been presented.

Single-Crystal Cobalt Phosphate Nanosheets for Biomimetic Oxygen Evolution in Neutral Electrolytes.

To improve energy conversion efficiency, the development of active electrocatalysts with similar structural features to photosynthesis II systems (PS-II), which can efficiently catalyze the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), have received great research interest. Crystalline cobalt phosphate nanosheets are designed as an efficient OER catalyst in neutral media, showing outstanding performance that even outperforms the noble RuO2 benchmark. The correlation of experimental and computational results reveals that the active sites are the edge-sharing CoO9 structural motif, akin to the molecular geometry of PS-II. This unique structure can facilitate reaction intermediate adsorption and decrease the reaction energy barrier, thus improving the OER kinetics.

Titanium Phosphonate Based Metal-Organic Frameworks with Hierarchical Porosity for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Photocatalytic hydrogen production is crucial for solar-to-chemical conversion process, wherein high-efficiency photocatalysts lie in the heart of this area. A photocatalyst of hierarchically mesoporous titanium phosphonate based metal-organic frameworks, featuring well-structured spheres, a periodic mesostructure, and large secondary mesoporosity, are rationally designed with the complex of polyelectrolyte and cathodic surfactant serving as the template. The well-structured hierarchical porosity and homogeneously incorporated phosphonate groups can favor the mass transfer and strong optical absorption during the photocatalytic reactions. Correspondingly, the titanium phosphonates exhibit significantly improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate along with impressive stability. This work can provide more insights into designing advanced photocatalysts for energy conversion and render a tunable platform in photoelectrochemistry.

Self-Templating Synthesis of Hollow Co3 O4 Microtube Arrays for Highly Efficient Water Electrolysis.

In spite of recent advances in the synthesis of hollow micro/nanostructures, the fabrication of three-dimensional electrodes on the basis of these structures remains a major challenge. Herein, we develop an electrochemical sacrificial-template strategy to fabricate hollow Co3 O4 microtube arrays with hierarchical porosity. The resultant unique structures and integrated electrode configurations impart enhanced mass transfer and electron mobility, ensuring high activity and stability in catalyzing oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions. Impressively, the apparent performance can rival that of state-of-the-art noble-metal and transition-metal electrocatalysts. Furthermore, this bifunctional electrode can be used for highly efficient overall water splitting, even competing with the integrated performance of Pt/C and IrO2 /C.

0D/2D Heterojunctions of Vanadate Quantum Dots/Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets for Enhanced Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysis.

0D/2D heterojunctions, especially quantum dots (QDs)/nanosheets (NSs) have attracted significant attention for use of photoexcited electrons/holes due to their high charge mobility. Herein, unprecedent heterojunctions of vanadate (AgVO3 , BiVO4 , InVO4 and CuV2 O6 ) QDs/graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) NSs exhibiting multiple unique advances beyond traditional 0D/2D composites have been developed. The photoactive contribution, up-conversion absorption, and nitrogen coordinating sites of g-C3 N4 NSs, highly dispersed vanadate nanocrystals, as well as the strong coupling and band alignment between them lead to superior visible-light-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photocatalytic performance, competing with the best reported photocatalysts. This work is expected to provide a new concept to construct multifunctional 0D/2D nanocomposites for a large variety of opto-electronic applications, not limited in photocatalysis.

Embedding Au Quantum Dots in Rimous Cadmium Sulfide Nanospheres for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Rational design and development of new-generation photocatalysts with high hydrogen evolution activity is recognized as an effective strategy to settle energy crisis. To this regard, hybrid photocatalysts of Au quantum dots embedded in rimous cadmium sulfide nanospheres are synthesized by using a simple hydrothermal process followed by photoreduction. The rimous cadmium sulfide nanospheres with rough surface and irregular fissures greatly strengthen their adhesion and interaction with Au quantum dots, which effectively facilitates the separation, restrains the recombination, and accelerates the consumption of photoinduced electron-hole pairs. Impressively, the highest photocatalytic activity for hydrogen generation (601.2 µmol h-1 g-1 ) and organic pollutant degradation (100% degradation in 80 min) is obtained by adjusting the Au mass loading to achieve uniform distribution. This work paves new way to the exploitation of highly efficient metal/semiconductor hybrid photocatalysts for clean energy generation and environment restoration.

Interacting Carbon Nitride and Titanium Carbide Nanosheets for High-Performance Oxygen Evolution.

Free-standing flexible films, constructed from two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride and titanium carbide (with MXene phase) nanosheets, display outstanding activity and stability in catalyzing the oxygen-evolution reaction in alkaline aqueous system, which originates from the Ti-N(x) motifs acting as electroactive sites, and the hierarchically porous structure with highly hydrophilic surface. With this excellent electrocatalytic ability, comparable to that of the state-of-the-art precious-/transition-metal catalysts and superior to that of most free-standing films reported to date, they are directly used as efficient cathodes in rechargeable zinc-air batteries. Our findings reveal that the rational interaction between different two-dimensional materials can remarkably promote the oxygen electrochemistry, thus boosting the entire clean energy system.

Phosphorus-doped graphitic carbon nitrides grown in†situ on carbon-fiber paper: flexible and reversible oxygen electrodes.

Flexible non-metal oxygen electrodes fabricated from phosphorus-doped graphitic carbon nitride nano-flowers directly grown on carbon-fiber paper exhibit high activity and stability in reversibly catalyzing oxygen reduction and evolution reactions, which is a result of N, P dual action, enhanced mass/charge transfer, and high active surface area. The performance is comparable to that of the state-of-the-art transition-metal, noble-metal, and non-metal catalysts. Remarkably, the flexible nature of these oxygen electrodes allows their use in folded and rolled-up forms, and directly as cathodes in Zn-air batteries, featuring low charge/discharge overpotential and long lifetime.

Metal-organic framework derived hybrid Co3O4-carbon porous nanowire arrays as reversible oxygen evolution electrodes.

Hybrid porous nanowire arrays composed of strongly interacting Co3O4 and carbon were prepared by a facile carbonization of the metal-organic framework grown on Cu foil. The resulting material, possessing a high surface area of 251 m(2) g(-1) and a large carbon content of 52.1 wt %, can be directly used as the working electrode for oxygen evolution reaction without employing extra substrates or binders. This novel oxygen evolution electrode can smoothly operate in alkaline solutions (e.g., 0.1 and 1.0 M KOH), affording a low onset potential of 1.47 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode) and a stable current density of 10.0 mA cm(-2) at 1.52 V in 0.1 M KOH solution for at least 30 h, associated with a high Faradaic efficiency of 99.3%. The achieved ultrahigh oxygen evolution activity and strong durability, with superior performance in comparison to the state-of-the-art noble-metal/transition-metal and nonmetal catalysts, originate from the unique nanowire array electrode configuration and in situ carbon incorporation, which lead to the large active surface area, enhanced mass/charge transport capability, easy release of oxygen gas bubbles, and strong structural stability. Furthermore, the hybrid Co3O4-carbon porous nanowire arrays can also efficiently catalyze oxygen reduction reaction, featuring a desirable four-electron pathway for reversible oxygen evolution and reduction, which is potentially useful for rechargeable metal-air batteries, regenerative fuel cells, and other important clean energy devices.

Proton-functionalized two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet: an excellent metal-/label-free biosensing platform.

Ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets, due to their interesting two-dimensional graphene-like structure and unique physicochemical properties, have attracted great research attention recently. Here, a new approach is developed to prepare, for the first time, proton-functionalized ultrathin g-C3N4 nanosheets by sonication-exfoliation of bulk g-C3N4 under an acid condition. This method not only reduces the exfoliation time from more than 10 h to 2 h, but also endows the nanosheets with positive charges. Besides retaining the properties of g-C3N4, the obtained nanosheets with the thickness of 2-4 nm (i.e., 6-12 atomic monolayers) also exhibit large specific surface area of 305 m(2) g(-1), enhanced fluorescence intensity, and excellent water dispersion stability due to their surface protonation and ultrathin morphology. The well-dispersed protonated g-C3N4 nanosheets are able to interact with negatively charged heparin, which results in the quenching of g-C3N4 fluorescence. A highly sensitive and highly selective heparin sensing platform based on protonated g-C3N4 nanosheets is established. This metal-free and fluorophore label-free system can reach the lowest heparin detection limit of 18 ng mL(-1).

Synthesis of highly active and stable spinel-type oxygen evolution electrocatalysts by a rapid inorganic self-templating method.

Composition-adjustable spinel-type metal oxides, Mnx Co3-x O4-δ (x=0.8-1.4), were synthesized in ethanol solutions by a rapid inorganic self-templating mechanism using KCl nanocrystals as the structure-directing agent. The Mnx Co3x O4δ materials showed ultrahigh oxygen evolution activity and strong durability in alkaline solutions, and are capable of delivering a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) at 1.58 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode in 0.1 M KOH solution, which is superior in comparison to IrO2 catalysts under identical experimental conditions, and comparable to the most active noble-metal and transition-metal oxygen evolution electrocatalysts reported so far. The high performance for catalytic oxygen evolution originates from both compositional and structural features of the synthesized materials. The moderate content of Mn doping into the spinel framework led to their improved electronic conductivity and strong oxidizing ability, and the well-developed porosity, accompanied with the high affinity between OH(-) reactants and catalyst surface, contributed to the smooth mass transport, thus endowing them with superior oxygen evolution activity.

Direct synthesis of ordered mesoporous carbons.

Ordered mesoporous carbon materials have recently aroused great research interest because of their widespread applications in many areas such as adsorbents, catalysts and supports, gas storage hosts, and electrode materials. The direct synthesis strategy from organic-organic self-assembly involving the combination of polymerizable precursors and block copolymer templates is expected to be more flexible in preparing mesoporous carbons, compared with the traditional nanocasting strategy of complicated and high-cost procedures using mesoporous silica materials as the hard template. In this review, we present the fundamentals and recent advances related to the field of ordered mesoporous carbon materials from the direct synthesis strategy of block copolymer soft-templating, with a focus on their controllable preparation, modification and potential applications. Under the guidance of their formation mechanism, the preparation of ordered mesoporous carbons are discussed in detail by consulting different experimental conditions, including synthetic pathways, precursors, catalysts and templates. Both the mesopore size and morphology control are introduced. The potential applications of pure mesoporous carbons, nonmetallic- and metallic-modified mesoporous carbons, and some interpenetrating carbon-based composites are demonstrated. Furthermore, remarks on the challenges and perspectives of research directions are proposed for further development of the ordered mesoporous carbons (232 references).

Graphitic carbon nitride nanosheet-carbon nanotube three-dimensional porous composites as high-performance oxygen evolution electrocatalysts.

A new class of highly efficient oxygen evolution catalysts has been synthesized through the self-assembly of graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets and carbon nanotubes, driven by π-π stacking and electrostatic interactions. Remarkably, the catalysts exhibit higher catalytic oxygen evolution activity and stronger durability than Ir-based noble-metal catalysts and display the best performance among the reported nonmetal catalysts. This good result is attributed to the high nitrogen content and the efficient mass and charge transfer in the porous three-dimensional nanostructure.

Multiomics analysis reveals that microbiota regulate fat and muscle synthesis in chickens.

Intestinal microbiota regulates the host metabolism, including fat metabolism and muscle development in mammals; however, studies on the interactions between the gut microbiome and in chickens with respect to fat metabolism and muscle development are still rare. We established a germ-free (GF) chicken model to determine the transcriptomes and metabolomes of GF and specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. Transcriptome analysis showed 1,282 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in GF and SPF chickens. The expression levels of some genes related to muscle formation were very high in SPF chickens but low in GF chickens, suggesting that GF chickens had poorer muscle development ability. In contrast, the expression levels of some fat synthesis-related genes were very low in SPF chickens but high in GF chickens, suggesting that GF chickens had a more potent fat-synthesizing ability. Metabolome analysis revealed 62 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) in GF and SPF chickens, of which 35 were upregulated and 27 were downregulated. Furthermore, the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) was calculated, and an interaction network was constructed to visualize the crosstalk between the genes, metabolites, and gut microbiota in GF and SPF chickens. The top 10 gut microbiota were positively correlated with lipid metabolism including13(S)-HpODE and 9(S)-HpOTrE, and genes related to muscle development, while were negatively correlated with genes related to fat synthesis. In conclusion, this study indicated that chicken intestinal microbiota regulate host metabolism, inhibit fat synthesis, and may promote muscle development.

Mesoporous phosphonate-TiO2 nanoparticles for simultaneous bioresponsive sensing and controlled drug release.

The bioresponsive detection of DNA or proteins and the controlled release of drug molecules are two important research areas for both experimental studies and practical applications. However, the real incorporation of these two functions into one system is still untouched. Being different from the widely reported mesoporous silica nanoparticles that were used as the support, herein we report a smart system based on hybrid phosphonate-TiO(2) mesoporous nanostructures capped with fluorescein labeled oligonucleotides, which can realize simultaneous and highly-efficient biomolecule sensing and controlled drug release. The fluorescence of the labeled oligonucleotides is first quenched by the phosphonate-TiO(2) materials, which are related to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer mechanism. The addition of complementary DNA strands or protein target leads to the displacement of the capped DNA due to hybridization or protein-aptamer reactions. The opening of the pores can further cause the release of entrapped drugs as well as the restoration of dye fluorescence. The present method is proven to have high selectivity towards specific ssDNA and proteins.

Role of pyroptosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy: an updated review.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), one of the common complications of diabetes, presents as a specific cardiomyopathy with anomalies in the structure and function of the heart. With the increasing prevalence of diabetes, DCM has a high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recent studies have found that pyroptosis, as a programmed cell death accompanied by an inflammatory response, exacerbates the growth and genesis of DCM. These studies provide a theoretical basis for exploring the potential treatment of DCM. Therefore, this review aims to summarise the possible mechanisms by which pyroptosis promotes the development of DCM as well as the relevant studies targeting pyroptosis for the possible treatment of DCM, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis, different cellular pyroptosis pathways associated with DCM, the effects of pyroptosis occurring in different cells on DCM, and the relevant drugs targeting NLRP3 inflammasome/pyroptosis for the treatment of DCM. This review might provide a fresh perspective and foundation for the development of therapeutic agents for DCM.