Insights into the inhibitory effects of trichloroisocyanuric acid disinfectant on the phototransformation of polypropylene microplastics.

The chemical components in the natural aquatic environment have the potential to be involved in phototransformation of microplastics (MPs). Little information is available regarding the mediation effects of artificially introduced chemicals on MP phototransformation, especially those used in aquaculture water that are vulnerable to human interference. Herein, this study investigated the phototransformation process and mechanism of polypropylene microplastic (PP MPs) in presence of trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) disinfectant with unique properties unlike the conventional inorganic chlorine disinfectants. The results showed that the presence of TCCA inhibited the surface photooxidation of PP MPs. Analysis of PP MP surface and reaction filtrate indicated that the inhibitory effects were likely derived from TCCA derivatives and the weakening in promoting effect of polypropylene microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter (PP-DOM) as photolytic byproducts, with the more important role of free chlorine in initial period and that of other chlorine species (i.e., the adsorbed chloride ions (Cl-), newly formed carbon-chlorine (CCl) bonds, chlorinated cyanurates, and chlorinated products) in middle and later period. The study highlights for the first time the important role of chlorine species derived from TCCA in phototransformation process of co-existed PP MPs and proposes a previously unrecognized phototransformation pathway, which will provide a new understanding and knowledge for the environmental behavior of MPs in aquaculture environment.

Construction of Fe/Co-N4 Single-Atom Sites for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Zinc-Air Batteries.

Insight into the modulation effect of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) active centers is of profound significance but remains a great challenge. Here, we designed Co, Fe dual-metal single-atom sites (CoFe-DSAs/NC) uniformly anchored on nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes for boosting ORR performance through regulating the 4d electronic orbitals of the Co-N4 active site. Mechanism studies revealed that for the first time the neighboring Fe-N4 atomic sites were able to regulate the d-band center of Co-N4 single-atom active centers while maintaining the balance of adsorption-desorption affinity for O2 and oxygen-containing species on Co-N4, thereby resulting in a superior ORR performance with a positive half-wave potential (0.90 V vs RHE). The assembled zinc-air battery based on CoFe-DSAs/NC exhibited an increased open-circuit voltage (1.48 V) and an elevated specific capacity (782.33 mAh·g-1). The work provides a new clue for reasonably designing high-performance ORR catalysts through adjusting the d-band center of active sites.

Symptom Clusters in Children With Leukemia Receiving Chemotherapy: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: Leukemia represents the most prevalent childhood malignancy. Understanding the symptom clusters (SCs) associated with leukemia may help develop an effective care plan for affected children. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to summarize the methods of identifying SCs; ascertain the types, attributes, and changing patterns of SCs during different chemotherapy phases; and provide a point of reference for the subsequent improvement of symptom management in pediatric leukemia. METHODS: The methodological framework employed was the Joanna Briggs Institute Scoping Review Guide. A comprehensive search was conducted across various databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Scopus, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from inception until July 15, 2023. RESULTS: A total of 14 articles were included in this review, 6 in English and 8 in Chinese. The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale 10-18 is the most commonly used instrument, whereas factor analysis is the most common statistical method for SC identification. The SCs were classified into 12 categories. The most severe SCs varied across different phases. Specifically, the emotional cluster dominated the prechemotherapy phase, the gastrointestinal cluster surfaced during postinduction therapy, and the consolidation and maintenance therapy phases revealed the self-image disorder cluster. CONCLUSION: Various consistent and dynamic SCs manifest among pediatric patients with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Future research endeavors should formulate clear criteria to determine the stability and consistency of SCs, validate SC composition and characteristics, and devise precise symptom management protocols based on SC characteristics in the distinct chemotherapy phases.

CuNi alloy anchored on dual-substrate TiOx/N-doped carbon nanofibers as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for rechargeable zinc-air batteries.

Development of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts to enhance the performance of zinc-air batteries (ZABs) is of great significance, but it remains a formidable challenge due to their poor stability and activity. Herein, a bifunctional CuNi-TiOx/NCNFS electrocatalyst, featuring with electron-rich copper-nickel (CuNi) alloy nanoparticles anchored on titanium oxide/N-doped carbon nanofibers (TiOx/NCNFS), is constructed by a dual-substrate loading strategy. The introduction of TiOx has led to a significant increase in the stability of the dual-substrate. The strong electronic interaction between CuNi and TiOx strengthens the anchoring of active metal sites, thus accelerating the electron transfer. Theoretical calculations unclose that NCNFS can regulate the charge distribution of TiOx, inducing the charge transfer from NCNFS â†’ TiOx â†’ CuNi, thereby reducing the d-band center of Cu and Ni, which is beneficial to the desorption of intermediate oxide species of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Therefore, CuNi-TiOx/NCNFS delivers a remarkable bifunctional performance with a low OER overpotential of 258 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and an ORR half-wave potential of 0.85  V. When assembled into ZABs, CuNi-TiOx/NCNFS shows a low potential gap of 0.64 V, a higher power density of 149.6 mW cm-2 at 330 mA cm-2, and an outstanding stability for 250 h at 5mA cm-2. This study provides a novel approach by constructing dual-substrate to tune the electronic structure of active metal sites for efficient rechargeable ZABs.

In-Sb Covalent Bonds over Sb2Se3/In2Se3 Heterojunction for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

Antimony selenide is a promising P-type photocatalyst, but it has a large number of deep energy level defects, leading to severe carrier recombination. The construction of a heterojunction is a common way to resolve this problem. However, the conventional heterojunction system inevitably introduces interface defects. Herein, we employ in situ synthesis to epitaxially grow In2Se3 nanosheets on Sb2Se3 nanorods and form In-Sb covalent interfacial bonds. This petal-shaped heterostructure reduced interface defects and enhanced the efficiency of carrier separation and transport. In this work, the photocurrent density in the proposed Sb2Se3/In2Se3 photocathode is 0.485 mA cm-2 at 0 VRHE, which is 30 times higher than that of pristine Sb2Se3 and it has prominent long-term stability for 24 h without obvious decay. The results reveal that the synergy of the bidirectional built-in electric field constructed between In2Se3 and Sb2Se3 and the solid In-Sb interfacial bonds together build a high-efficiency transport channel for the photogenerated carriers that display enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting performance. This work provides efficient guidance for reducing interface defects via the in situ synthesis and construction of interfacial bonds.

Characteristics and Prognosis of Type 2 Myocardial Infarction Through Worsening Renal Function and NT-proBNP in Older Adults with Pneumonia.

Background: Type 2 myocardial infarction (MI) is becoming more recognized. This study aimed to assess the factors linked to type 2 MI in older adults with pneumonia and further determine the predictive factors of 90-day adverse events (refractory heart failure, cardiogenic shock, and all-cause mortality). Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis was conducted among older adults with pneumonia. The primary outcome was the prevalence of type 2 MI. The secondary objective was to assess the adverse events in these patients with type 2 MI within 90 days. Results: A total of 2618 patients were included. Of these, 361 patients (13.8%) suffered from type 2 MI. Multivariable predictors of type 2 MI were chronic kidney disease (CKD), age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) score, and NT-proBNP > 4165pg/mL. Moreover, the independent predictive factors of 90-day adverse events included NT-proBNP > 4165pg/mL, age, ACCI score, and CKD. The Kaplan-Meier adverse events curves revealed that the type 2 MI patients with CKD and NT-proBNP > 4165pg/mL had a higher risk than CKD or NT-proBNP > 4165pg/mL alone. Conclusion: Type 2 MI in older pneumonia hospitalization represents a heterogeneous population. Elevated NT-proBNP level and prevalence of CKD are important predictors of type 2 MI and 90-day adverse events in type 2 MI patients.

Tuning Electrocatalytic Activities of Dealloyed Nanoporous Catalysts by Macroscopic Strain Engineering.

It is technically challenging to quantitatively apply strains to tune catalysis because most heterogeneous catalysts are nanoparticles, and lattice strains can only be applied indirectly via core-shell structures or crystal defects. Herein, we report quantitative relations between macroscopic strains and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activities of dealloyed nanoporous gold (NPG) by directly applying macroscopic strains upon bulk NPG. It was found that macroscopic compressive strains lead to a decrease, while macroscopic tensile strains improve the HER activity of NPG, which is in line with the d-band center model. The overpotential and onset potential of HER display approximately a linear relation with applied macroscopic strains, revealing an ∼2.9 meV decrease of the binding energy per 0.1% lattice strains from compressive to tensile. The methodology with the high strain sensitivity of electrocatalysis, developed in this study, paves a new way to investigate the insights of strain-dependent electrocatalysis with high precision.

Antiviral effectiveness and survival correlation of azvudine and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in elderly severe patients with COVID-19: a retrospective real-world study.

Background: Azvudine and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir are approved to treat mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults with a high risk for progression to severe infection. We sought to compare the antiviral effectiveness and clinical outcomes of elderly severe patients with COVID-19 receiving these two antiviral agents. Methods: In this observational study, we identified 249 elderly patients with severe COVID-19 infection who were admitted to the Second Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital from December 2022 to January 2023, including 128 azvudine recipients, 66 nirmatrelvir/ritonavir recipients and 55 patients not received antiviral treatments. We compared the cycle threshold (Ct) value dynamic change of all three groups. The primary outcome was a composite outcome of disease progression, including all-cause death, intensive care unit admission, and initiation of invasive mechanical ventilation. The outcomes of all enrolled patients were followed up from the electronic medical record system. Kaplan-Meier and Cox risk proportional regression analyses were used to compare the clinical outcomes of all three groups. To more directly compare the effectiveness of the two antiviral drugs, we performed propensity-score matching between the two antiviral groups and compared antiviral efficacy and clinical outcomes in the matched population. Findings: Among 249 patients (mean age, 91.41 years), 77 patients died during the follow-up period. When compared to patients who did not receive any antivirals, neither nirmatrelvir/ritonavir nor azvudine demonstrated a survival benefit. The Cox analysis of the all-cause death of the three groups showed that the risk of death was 0.730 (0.423-1.262) in the azvudine group 0.802 (0.435-1.480) and in the nirmatrelvir/ritonavir group compared with the non-antiviral group. After propensity score matching, we included 58 azvudine recipients and 58 nirmatrelvir/ritonavir recipients. The fitted curve of the Ct value after matching illustrated that the rate of viral decline in the early stage of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment seems to surpass that of azvudine, but there was no statistical significance. Azvudine was seemly associated with a lower risk of composite outcomes (HR:1.676, 95% CI:0.805-3.488) and short-term all-cause death (HR: 1.291, 95%CI: 0.546-3.051). Interpretation: Patients who received azvudine have a similar antiviral effectiveness and survival curve trend compared to nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. In this limited series, antiviral treatment was not associated with a significant clinical benefit. This lack of clinical benefit might be attributed to potential bias. Funding: This study was supported by the "National Key R&D Program of China" (Funding No. 2020YFC2008900) and the National Defense Science and Technology Innovation Special Zone Project (223-CXCY-N101-07-18-01).

Circulating circRNA expression profile and its potential role in late recurrence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation post catheter ablation.

BACKGROUND: Catheter-based pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is an effective and well-established intervention for symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Nevertheless, late recurrences of atrial fibrillation (LRAF) occurring during 3 to 12 months are common, and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) in atrial tissue have been linked to the pathophysiological mechanisms and progression of PAF in a few studies. However, their expression patterns in peripheral blood and regulatory function in LRAF are not clear. METHODS: In the present study, the expression profile of circulating circRNAs in three paired nonvalvular PAF patients with or without LRAF was investigated by high-throughput sequencing and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Bioinformatics analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and circRNA/miRNA regulatory network, were performed to predict the functions and potential regulatory roles of differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs. RESULTS: A total of 12,834 circRNAs, comprising 5,491 down-regulated and 7,343 up-regulated circRNAs, were found to be DE in blood smaples from the two groups in peripheral blood between LRAF and non-recurrence control individuals. The most enriched GO categories in terms of molecular function, biological process, and cellular component features were catalytic activity, cellular metabolic process, and intracellular part, respectively. The KEGG enrichment study revealed that the most important metabolic process controlled by DE circRNAs is endocytosis. In the circRNA/microRNAs interaction network, four up-regulated circRNAs (hsa_circ_0002665, hsa_circ_0001953, hsa_circ_0003831, and hsa_circ_0040533) and one down-regulated circRNA (hsa_circ_0041103) were predicted to play potential regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of LRAF. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation discovered the expression pattern of circulating circRNAs that is indicative of PAF late recurrence, which may serve as risk markers or therapeutic targets for LRAF after PVI.

Prediction of Outcomes Through Cystatin C and cTnI in Elderly Type 2 Myocardial Infarction Patients.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) are strongly associated. Cystatin C (Cys C) is a more sensitive marker of early renal insufficiency. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic implications of combined of Cys C and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) on 90-day outcomes in elderly patients with type 2 myocardial infarction (MI). Methods: The data of consecutive type 2 MI patients aged 80 years and older who received Cys C and cTnI measurements within 24 h of admission were retrospectively reviewed. The endpoint was a 90-day all-cause and cardiac mortality. Results: A total of 4326 patients were included. During the 90-day follow-up period, a higher all-cause and cardiac mortality was observed in patients with Cys C ≥ 1.49mg/L than in patients with Cys C < 1.49 mg/L (P <0.001). After the multivariate logistic regression adjustments, the higher CysC and cTnI levels remained independent predictors of the 90-day all-cause mortality and cardiac mortality. Moreover, the Kaplan-Meier all-cause and cardiac mortality event-free survival curves showed that the patients with the presence of elevated levels of both Cys C and cTnI had a significantly increased risk than those with Cys C or cTnI alone. Conclusion: Elevated Cys C level is an independent risk factor for all-cause and cardiac mortality in the elderly type 2 MI population. The predictive ability of the combined use of Cys C and cTnI in elderly type 2 MI patients is stronger than that of Cys C or cTnI alone.

The novel chitosan-amphoteric starch dual flocculants for enhanced removal of Microcystis aeruginosa and algal organic matter.

A novel flocculation strategy for simultaneously removing Microcystis aeruginosa and algal organic matter (AOM) was proposed using chitosan-amphoteric starch (C-A) dual flocculants in an efficient, cost-effective and ecologically friendly way, providing new insights for harmful algal blooms (HABs) control. A dual-functional starch-based flocculant, amphoteric starch (AS) with high anion degree of substitution (DSA) and cation degree of substitution (DSC), was prepared using a cationic moiety of 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTA) coupled with an anion moiety of chloroacetic acid onto the backbone of starch simultaneously. In combination of the results of FTIR, XPS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, GPC, EA, TGA and SEM, it was evidenced that the successfully synthesized AS with excellent structural characteristics contributed to the enhanced flocculation of M. aeruginosa. Furthermore, the novel C-A dual flocculants could achieve not only the removal of >99.3 % of M. aeruginosa, but also the efficacious flocculation of algal organic matter (AOM) at optimal concentration of (0.8:24) mg/L, within a wide pH range of 3-11. The analysis of zeta potential and cellular morphology revealed that the dual effects of both enhanced charge neutralization and notable netting-bridging played a vital role in efficient M. aeruginosa removal.

Insights into the fate of antibiotics in constructed wetland systems: Removal performance and mechanisms.

Antibiotics have been recognized as emerging contaminants that are widely distributed and accumulated in aquatic environment, posing a risk to ecosystem at trace level. Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been regarded as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative for efficient elimination of antibiotics. This review summarizes the removal of 5 categories of widely used antibiotics in CWs, and discusses the roles of the key components in CW system, i.e., substrate, macrophytes, and microorganisms, in removing antibiotics. Overall, the vertical subsurface flow CWs have proven to perform better in terms of antibiotic removal (>78%) compared to other single CWs. The adsorption behavior of antibiotics in wetland substrates is determined by the physicochemical properties of antibiotics, substrate configuration and operating parameters. The effects of wetland plants on antibiotic removal mainly include direct (e.g., plant uptake and degradation) and indirect (e.g., rhizosphere processes) manners. The possible interactions between microorganisms and antibiotics include biosorption, bioaccumulation and biodegradation. The potential strategies for further enhancement of the antibiotic removal performance in CWs included optimizing operation parameters, innovating substrate, strengthening microbial activity, and integrating with other treatment technologies. Taken together, this review provides useful information for facilitating the development of feasible, innovative and intensive antibiotic removal technologies in CWs, as well as enhancing the economic viability and ecological sustainability.

Effect of modified Total Body Recumbent Stepper training on exercise capacity and thioredoxin in COPD: a randomized clinical trial.

Exercise intolerance is one of the major symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Exercise training can benefit COPD patients, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The modified Total Body Recumbent Stepper (TBRS, Nustep-T4) can benefit patients with stroke, spinal cord injury and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nevertheless, the effect of TBRS training alone on pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in COPD patients remains largely unknown. We aimed to explore the effect of TBRS training on exercise capacity and the thioredoxin system (TRXS) in COPD patients to provide a novel rehabilitation modality and new theoretical basis for PR of COPD patients. Ninety stable COPD patients were randomly divided into a control group (NC group) and a TBRS training group (TBRS group), with 45 cases in each group. Subjects in the TBRS training group were scheduled to undergo TBRS endurance training triweekly for 12 weeks under the guidance of a rehabilitation therapist. We assessed the primary outcome: exercise capacity (6-min walking distance, 6MWD); and secondary outcomes: perception of dyspnoea (mMRC, Borg), the COPD assessment test (CAT), the BODE index, pulmonary function, the number of acute exacerbations of COPD and oxidative stress (TRXS) at one-year follow-up. Compared with before the intervention and the control group, after the intervention, the TBRS training group, exhibited an increase in the 6MWD (from 366.92 ± 85.81 to 484.10 ± 71.90, 484.10 ± 71.90 vs 370.63 ± 79.87, P < 0.01), while the scores on the BORG, mMRC, BODE index, CAT, and the number of acute exacerbations of COPD were reduced, and the protein and mRNA expression levels of TRXS was significantly increased (P < 0.01). However, no differences were found in PF parameters in the comparison with before the intervention or between groups. TBRS training can effectively increase exercise capacity, while there are indications that it can alleviate COPD-related dyspnoea and reduce the number of acute exacerbations of COPD. Interestingly, long-term regular TBRS training may reduce oxidative stress associated with COPD to increase exercise capacity.

Hybrid solid electrolyte enabled dendrite-free Li anodes for high-performance quasi-solid-state lithium-oxygen batteries.

The dendrite growth of Li anodes severely degrades the performance of lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries. Recently, hybrid solid electrolyte (HSE) has been regarded as one of the most promising routes to tackle this problem. However, before this is realized, the HSE needs to simultaneously satisfy contradictory requirements of high modulus and even, flexible contact with Li anode, while ensuring uniform Li+ distribution. To tackle this complex dilemma, here, an HSE with rigid Li1.5Al0.5Ge1.5(PO4)3 (LAGP) core@ultrathin flexible poly (vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) shell interface has been developed. The introduced large amount of nanometer-sized LAGP cores can not only act as structural enhancer to achieve high Young's modulus but can also construct Li+ diffusion network to homogenize Li+ distribution. The ultrathin flexible PVDF-HFP shell provides soft and stable contact between the rigid core and Li metal without affecting the Li+ distribution, meanwhile suppressing the reduction of LAGP induced by direct contact with Li metal. Thanks to these advantages, this ingenious HSE with ultra-high Young's modulus of 25 GPa endows dendrite-free Li deposition even at a deposition capacity of 23.6 mAh. Moreover, with the successful inhibition of Li dendrites, the HSE-based quasi-solid-state Li-O2 battery delivers a long cycling stability of 146 cycles, which is more than three times that of gel polymer electrolyte-based Li-O2 battery. This new insight may serve as a starting point for further designing of HSE in Li-O2 batteries, and can also be extended to various battery systems such as sodium-oxygen batteries.

Nanoselenium transformation and inhibition of cadmium accumulation by regulating the lignin biosynthetic pathway and plant hormone signal transduction in pepper plants.

Selenium (Se) can promote the growth and resistance of agricultural crops as fertilizers, while the role of nano-selenium (nano-Se) against Cd remains unclear in pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L.). Biofortification with nano-Se observably restored Cd stress by decreasing the level of Cd in plant tissues and boosting the accumulation in biomass. The Se compounds transformed by nano-Se were primarily in the form of SeMet and MeSeCys in pepper tissues. Differential metabolites and the genes of plant signal transduction and lignin biosynthesis were measured by employing transcriptomics and determining target metabolites. The number of lignin-related genes (PAL, CAD, 4CL, and COMT) and contents of metabolites (sinapyl alcohol, phenylalanine, p-coumaryl alcohol, caffeyl alcohol, and coniferaldehyde) were remarkably enhanced by treatment with Cd1Se0.2, thus, maintaining the integrity of cell walls in the roots. It also enhanced signal transduction by plant hormones and responsive resistance by inducing the biosynthesis of genes (BZR1, LOX3, and NCDE1) and metabolites (brassinolide, abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid) in the roots and leaves. In general, this study can enable a better understanding of the protective mechanism of nano-Se in improving the capacity of plants to resist environmental stress.

The algicidal efficacy and the mechanism of Enterobacter sp. EA-1 on Oscillatoria dominating in aquaculture system.

The global escalation and intensification of cyanobacterial blooms require powerful algaecides. This study investigated the algicidal efficacy and mechanism of EA-1 against Oscillatoria. Bacteria EA-1, identified as Enterobacter, was isolated with high algicidal activity against harmful cyanobacteria. Results showed that a complete removal of Oscillatoria was observed within 3 days with the initial Chl-a concentration of 1.74 mg/L. Physiological responses of Oscillatoria revealed that EA-1 induced severe lipid peroxidation and the ultimate decline of antioxidant enzyme activities. Moreover, the contents for both intracellular protein and carbohydrate of each algae cell increased first and then decreased. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis clarified that the possible process of Oscillatoria lysis included the breach of cross wall, followed by the disruption of photosynthetic membrane and incipient nucleus, and the ultimate outflow of inclusion. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) analysis illustrated the degradation process of incipient nucleus in Oscillatoria.

A porous heterostructure catalyst for oxygen evolution: synergy between IrP2nanocrystals and ultrathin P,N-codoped carbon nanosheets.

Designing efficient and robust oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is of great importance for various electrochemical energy storage and conversion applications. Herein, we developed IrP2nanocrystals uniformly anchored in P,N-codoped carbon nanosheets (IrP2@PNC-NS) as highly active OER electrocatalysts. The ultrathin PNC-NS reconstructs an agaric-like porous structure, which can inhibit the agglomeration of the IrP2nanocrystals effectively. Moreover, thein-situphosphatization leads to the formation of a strong electron interaction between PNC-NS and IrP2nanocrystals, endowing the heterostructure materials with satisfying synergistic effects. Benefiting from the collaborative advantages of ideal configuration structure and favorable synergistic effects, IrP2@PNC-NS exhibits excellent OER performance with a low overpotential of 221 mV at 10 mA cm-2, and a small Tafel slope of 37.5 mV dec-1. DFT calculations reveal that the synergistic effects derived from the IrP2/PNC interfaces, which can effectively tune the activation barriers towards facilitating the oxygen evolution process. This work provides new insight into the design of heterostructure materials for advanced OER electrocatalysts.

Transition-Metal Carbides as Hydrogen Evolution Reduction Electrocatalysts: Synthetic Methods and Optimization Strategies.

With the strengths of zero carbon emission and high gravimetric energy density, hydrogen energy is recognized as a primary choice for future energy supply. Electrochemical water splitting provides a promising strategy for effective and sustainable hydrogen production through renewable electricity, and one of the immediate challenges toward its large-scale application is the availability of low-cost and efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Given the enormous efforts in the exploration of potential transition-metal carbide (TMC) electrocatalysts, this review aims to summarize the recent advances in synthetic methods and optimization strategies of TMC electrocatalysts. Additionally, the perspectives for the development of novel efficient TMC-based catalysts are also proposed.

Identification of key genes and novel immune infiltration-associated biomarkers of sepsis.

Sepsis is the major cause of mortality in the intensive care unit. The aim of this study was to identify the key prognostic biomarkers of abnormal expression and immune infiltration in sepsis. In this study, a total of 36 differentially expressed genes were identified to be mainly involved in a number of immune-related Gene Ontology terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. The hub genes (MMP9 and C3AR1) were significantly related to the prognosis of sepsis patients. The immune infiltration analysis indicated a significant difference in the relative cell content of naive B cells, follicular Th cells, activated NK cells, eosinophils, neutrophils and monocytes between sepsis and normal controls. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis and a de-convolution algorithm that quantifies the cellular composition of immune cells were used to analyse the sepsis expression data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and to identify modules related to differential immune cells. CEBPB is the key immune-related gene that may be involved in sepsis. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that CEBPB is involved in the processes of T cell selection, B cell-mediated immunity, NK cell activation and pathways of T cells, B cells and NK cells. Therefore, CEBPB may play a key role in the biological and immunological processes of sepsis.

In Situ Designing a Gradient Li+ Capture and Quasi-Spontaneous Diffusion Anode Protection Layer toward Long-Life Li-O2 Batteries.

Lithium metal is the only anode material that can enable the Li-O2 battery to realize its high theoretical energy density (≈3500 Wh kg-1 ). However, the inherent uncontrolled dendrite growth and serious corrosion limitations of lithium metal anodes make it experience fast degradation and impede the practical application of Li-O2 batteries. Herein, a multifunctional complementary LiF/F-doped carbon gradient protection layer on a lithium metal anode by one-step in situ reaction of molten Li with poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) is developed. The abundant strong polar C-F bonds in the upper carbon can not only act as Li+ capture site to pre-uniform Li+ flux but also regulate the electron configuration of LiF to make Li+ quasi-spontaneously diffuse from carbon to LiF surface, avoiding the strong Li+ -adhesion-induced Li aggregation. For LiF, it can behave as fast Li+ conductor and homogenize the nucleation sites on lithium, as well as ensure firm connection with lithium. As a result, this well-designed protection layer endows the Li metal anode with dendrite-free plating/stripping and anticorrosion behavior both in ether-based and carbonate ester-based electrolytes. Even applied protected Li anodes in Li-O2 batteries, its superiority can still be maintained, making the cell achieve stable cycling performance (180 cycles).