Membrane-Free Electrocatalytic Co-Conversions of PBS Waste Plastics and Maleic Acid into High-Purity Succinic Acid Solid.

Plastic pollution, an increasingly serious global problem, can be addressed through the full lifecycle management of plastics, including plastics recycling as one of the most promising approaches. System design, catalyst development, and product separation are the keys in improving the economics of electrocatalytic plastics recycling. Here, a membrane-free co-production system was devised to produce succinic acid (SA) at both anode and cathode respectively by the co-electrolysis of polybutylene succinate (PBS) waste plastics and biomass-derived maleic acid (MA) for the first time. To this end, Cr3+-Ni(OH)2 electrocatalyst featuring much enhanced 1,4-butanediol (BDO) oxidation reaction (BOR) activity has been synthesized and the role of doped Cr has been revealed as an "electron puller" to accelerate the rate-determining step (RDS) in the Ni2+/Ni3+ cycling. Impressively, an extra-high SA production rate of 3.02 g h-1 and ultra-high apparent Faraday efficiency towards SA (FEapparent=181.5%) have been obtained. A carbon dioxide-assisted sequential precipitation approach has been developed to produce high-purity SA and byproduct NaHCO3 solids. Preliminary techno-economic analysis demonstrates that the reported system is economically profitable and promising for future industrial applications.

Risk factor analysis and establishment of a nomogram model to predict blood loss during total knee arthroplasty.

PURPOSE: The risk factors for excessive blood loss and transfusion during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remain unclear. The present study aimed to determine the risk factors for excessive blood loss and establish a predictive model for postoperative blood transfusion. METHODS: This retrospective study included 329 patients received TKA, who were randomly assigned to a training set (n = 229) or a test set (n = 100). Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to determine risk factors for excessive blood loss. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine risk factors for blood transfusion. R software was used to establish the prediction model. The accuracy and stability of the models were evaluated using calibration curves, consistency indices, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: Risk factors for excessive blood loss included timing of using a tourniquet, the use of drainage, preoperative ESR, fibrinogen, HCT, ALB, and free fatty acid levels. Predictors in the nomogram included timing of using a tourniquet, the use of drainage, the use of TXA, preoperative ESR, HCT, and albumin levels. The area under the ROC curve was 0.855 (95% CI, 0.800 to 0.910) for the training set and 0.824 (95% CI, 0.740 to 0.909) for the test set. The consistency index values for the training and test sets were 0.855 and 0.824, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors for excessive blood loss during and after TKA were determined, and a satisfactory and reliable nomogram model was designed to predict the risk for postoperative blood transfusion.

Electrocatalytic ORR-coupled ammoximation for efficient oxime synthesis.

State-of-the-art technology for cyclohexanone oxime production typically demands elevated temperature and pressure, along with the utilization of expensive hydroxylamine sulfate or oxidants. Here, we propose an electrochemistry-assisted cascade strategy for the efficient cyclohexanone ammoximation under ambient conditions by using in situ cathode-generated green oxidants of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as OOH* and H2O2. This electrochemical reaction can take place at the cathode, achieving over 95% yield, 99% selectivity of cyclohexanone oxime, and an electron-to-oxime (ETO) efficiency of 96%. Mechanistic analysis reveals that, in addition to the direct ammoximation by in situ-generated OOH* by electrocatalytic ORR, Ti-MOR also play a major role in capturing OOH* directly and converting the in situ-generated H2O2 to OOH*, thus accelerating the ORR-coupled cascade production of cyclohexanone oxime. This work paves a mild, economical, and sustainable energy-efficient electrocatalytic route for the oxime production using oxygen, ammonium bicarbonate, and cyclohexanone.

Electrocatalytic functional group conversion-based carbon resource upgrading.

The conversions of carbon resources, such as alcohols, aldehydes/ketones, and ethers, have been being one of the hottest topics most recently for the goal of carbon neutralization. The emerging electrocatalytic upgrading has been regarded as a promising strategy aiming to convert carbon resources into value-added chemicals. Although exciting progress has been made and reviewed recently in this area by mostly focusing on the explorations of valuable anodic oxidation or cathodic reduction reactions individually, however, the reaction rules of these reactions are still missing, and how to purposely find or rationally design novel but efficient reactions in batches is still challenging. The properties and transformations of key functional groups in substrate molecules play critically important roles in carbon resources conversion reactions, which have been paid more attention to and may offer hidden keys to achieve the above goal. In this review, the properties of functional groups are addressed and discussed in detail, and the reported electrocatalytic upgrading reactions are summarized in four categories based on the types of functional groups of carbon resources. Possible reaction pathways closely related to functional groups will be summarized from the aspects of activation, cleavage and formation of chemical bonds. The current challenges and future opportunities of electrocatalytic upgrading of carbon resources are discussed at the end of this review.

Pd/NiMoO4/NF electrocatalysts for the efficient and ultra-stable synthesis and electrolyte-assisted extraction of glycolate.

Electrocatalytic conversion of organic small molecules is a promising technique for value-added chemical productions but suffers from high precious metal consumption, poor stability of electrocatalysts and tedious product separation. Here, a Pd/NiMoO4/NF electrocatalyst with much lowered Pd loading amount (3.5 wt.%) has been developed for efficient, economic, and ultra-stable glycolate synthesis, which shows high Faradaic efficiency (98.9%), yield (98.8%), and ultrahigh stability (1500 h) towards electrocatalytic ethylene glycol oxidation. Moreover, the obtained glycolic acid has been converted to value-added sodium glycolate by in-situ acid-base reaction in the NaOH electrolyte, which is atomic efficient and needs no additional acid addition for product separation. Moreover, the weak adsorption of sodium glycolate on the catalyst surface plays a significant role in avoiding excessive oxidation and achieving high selectivity. This work may provide instructions for the electrocatalyst design as well as product separation for the electrocatalytic conversions of alcohols.

Going beyond summed stress scores: Correlating global and territorial coronary flow reserve by single photon emission tomography with routine myocardial perfusion imaging.

a Background: Technological advancement in the recent years has enabled the application of single photon emission tomography (SPECT) to evaluate myocardial blood flow (MBF). This method offers increased sensitivity in the assessment of coronary health, quantifiable through non-invasive imaging beyond the more conventional methods such as with myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). b Aims: To correlate MBF, derived by dynamic SPECT, both global and by coronary territories to the summed stress scores (SSS) on conventional MPI. c Methods: Images obtained from dipyridamole-gated SPECT MPI stress and rest studies performed on recruited subjects were examined. We calculated the global and regional coronary flow reserve (CFR) via a standard software package, taken as the ratio of stress MBF to rest MBF, using CFR<2.5 as the cut off. d Results: Amongst the 90 recruited subjects (mean age 67 ± 8 years; of which 76% were males), 49% had MPI within normal limits (summed stress score (SSS) 0-3; Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) > 50%). We observed a progressive reduction in global and regional CFR across the normal SSS category to that of severely abnormal (SSS >13). Reduced global CFR with correspondent lower CFR across the regional arteries were detected in scans within normal limits of MPI scans in subjects who were older (69 ± 7 vs. 62 ± 9 years, p = 0.034). Decreasing CFR was significantly associated with increasing age across the regional arteries. e Conclusion: In our study we depict the global and regional MBF values obtained via SPECT MPI in correlation to the respective SSS categories. Our data proposes that dynamic SPECT has a part in refining cardiac risk stratification, particularly in the older adult population, who are at greater risk.

H* Species Regulation by Mn-Co(OH)2 for Efficient Nitrate Electro-reduction in Neutral Solution.

During the electrocatalytic NO3 - reduction reaction (NO3 - RR) under neutral condition, the activation of H2 O to generate H* and the inhibition of inter-H* species binding, are critically important but remain challenging for suppressing the non-desirable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, a Mn-doped Co(OH)2 (named as Mn-Co(OH)2 ) has been synthesized by in situ reconstruction in the electrolyte, which is able to dissociate H2 O molecules but inhibits the binding of H* species between each other owing to the increased interatomic spacing by the Mn-doping. The Mn-Co(OH)2 electrocatalyst offers a faradaic efficiency (FE) of as high as 98.9±1.7% at -0.6 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and an energy efficiency (EE) of 49.90±1.03% for NH3 production by NO3 - RR, which are among the highest of the recently reported state-of-the-art catalysts in neutral electrolyte. Moreover, negligible degradation at -200 mA cm-2 has been found for at least 500 h, which is the longest catalytic durations ever reported. This work paves a novel approach for the design and synthesis of efficient NO3 - RR electrocatalysts.

Coupling Electrochemical Sulfion Oxidation with CO2 Reduction over Highly Dispersed p-Bi Nanosheets and CO2 -Assisted Sulfur Extraction.

We report herein an electrocatalytic CO2 reduction-coupled sulfion oxidation system for the co-productions of valuable formate and sulfur at much enhanced atom utilization. Specifically, an organic ligand-assisted two-step reconstruction approach has been developed to fabricate the highly dispersed p-Bi nanosheets (p-Bi NSs) for cathodic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR), and meanwhile porous Co-S nanosheets (Co-S NSs) was applied for anodic sulfion oxidation reaction (SOR). Significantly high Faradaic Efficiencies of about 90 % for formate production by CO2 RR in a wide potential range from -0.6 V to -1.1 V, and excellent SOR performances including an ultra-low onset potential of about 0.2 V and recycle capacity of S2- in the 0.1 M and 0.5 M S2- solutions, have been simultaneously achieved. In the meantime, both the structure transformation of the catalysts and the reaction pathways are explored and discussed in detail. A two-electrode CO2 RR||SOR electrolyzer equipped with above electrocatalysts has been established, which features as low as about 1.5 V to run the electrolyzer at 100 mA cm-2 , manifesting extremely lowered electricity consumption in comparison to conventional CO2 RR system. Moreover, a sulfur separation approach has been proposed by using CO2 , which is efficient, environmentally friendly and cost effective with value-added NaHCO3 be obtained as the byproduct.

Effect of comprehensive nursing intervention on the outcomes of in vitro fertilization in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of comprehensive nursing intervention on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and pregnancy outcomes in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHOD: A total of 130 patients with PCOS admitted to our hospital from April 2021 to March 2023 were selected as the research subjects. They were evenly divided according to a random number table method. The control group received routine care for the patients, while the study group received comprehensive care for the patients. The IVF, pregnancy outcomes, negative emotional changes, serum and follicular fluid (FF) amyloid-related protein and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels of the 2 groups of patients were compared. RESULT: The data on IVF rate and pregnancy rate in the study group were significantly better than those in the control group (P < .05). The SAS and SDS scores of the study group patients after intervention were significantly lower than those of the control group (P < .05). After intervention, the levels of serum and FF amyloid associated protein and CRP in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Patients with PCOS who receive comprehensive care can increase their probability of IVF, improve their pregnancy outcomes, and have a positive significance in reducing negative emotions.

Multicenter Evaluation of the Feasibility of Clinical Implementation of SPECT Myocardial Blood Flow Measurement: Intersite Variability and Imaging Time.

BACKGROUND: Single-center studies have shown that single photon emission computed tomography myocardial blood flow (MBF) measurement is accurate compared with MBF measured with microspheres in a porcine model, positron emission tomography, and angiography. Clinical implementation requires consistency across multiple sites. The study goal is to determine the intersite processing repeatability of single photon emission computed tomography MBF and the additional camera time required. METHODS: Five sites (Canada, Italy, Japan, Germany, and Singapore) each acquired 25 to 35 MBF studies at rest and with pharmacological stress using technetium-99m-tetrofosmin on a pinhole-collimated cadmium-zinc-telluride-based cardiac single photon emission computed tomography camera with standardized list-mode imaging and processing protocols. Patients had intermediate to high pretest probability of coronary artery disease. MBF was measured locally and at a core laboratory using commercially available software. The time a room was occupied for an MBF study was compared with that for a standard rest/stress myocardial perfusion study. RESULTS: With motion correction, the overall correlation in MBF between core laboratory and local site was 0.93 (range, 0.87-0.97) at rest, 0.90 (range, 0.84-0.96) at stress, and 0.84 (range, 0.70-0.92) for myocardial flow reserve. The local-to-core difference in global MBF (bias-MBF) was 5.4% (-3.8% to 14.8%; median [interquartile range]) at rest and 5.4% (-6.2% to 19.4%) at stress. Between the 5 sites, bias-MBF ranged from -1.6% to 11.0% at rest and from -1.9% to 16.3% at stress; the interquartile range in bias-MBF was between 9.3% (4.8%-14.0%) and 22.3% (-10.3% to 12.0%) at rest and between 17.0% (-11.3% to 5.6%) and 33.3% (-10.4% to 22.9%) at stress and was not significantly different between most sites. Both bias and interquartile range were like previously reported interobserver variability and less than the SD of the test-retest difference of 30%. The overall difference in myocardial flow reserve was 1.52% (-10.6% to 11.3%). There were no significant differences between with and without motion correction. The average additional acquisition time varied between sites from 44 to 79 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: The average bias-MBF and bias-MFR values were small with standard deviations substantially less than the test-retest variability. This demonstrates that MBF can be measured consistently across multiple sites and further supports that this technique can be reliably implemented. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov; Unique identifier: NCT03427749.

Development of novel salicylic acid-donepezil-rivastigmine hybrids as multifunctional agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic, progressive brain degenerative disease that is common in the elderly. So far, there is no effective treatment. The multi-target-directed ligands (MTDLs) strategy has been recognised as the most promising approach due to the complexity of the pathogenesis of AD. Herein, novel salicylic acid-donepezil-rivastigmine hybrids were designed and synthesised. The bioactivity results exhibited that 5a was a reversible and selective eqBChE inhibitor (IC50 = 0.53 µM), and the docking provided the possible mechanism. Compound 5a also displayed potential anti-inflammatory effects and significant neuroprotective effect. Moreover, 5a exhibited favourable stabilities in artificial gastrointestinal solution and plasma. Finally, 5a demonstrated potential cognitive improvement in scopolamine-induced cognitive dysfunction. Hence, 5a was a potential multifunctional lead compound against AD.

A comparison of panitumumab and cetuximab in the treatment of KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: Cetuximab and panitumumab are common antibodies against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that can be used in combination with chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Although these two drugs are considered to be very similar, differences in the efficacy and safety of cetuximab and panitumumab are still unclear. We conducted this meta-analysis to explore the effects and adverse reactions of cetuximab and panitumumab in the treatment of mCRC. METHODS: We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) and WanFang databases to identify records related to the efficacy and safety of cetuximab and panitumumab in the treatment of mCRC. The search terms were "cetuximab," "panitumumab," and "colorectal cancer." The deadline of searching was April 2022. Review manager 5.4 software was used to perform the statistical analysis for this meta-analysis. Pooled hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to evaluate the overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) of cetuximab and panitumumab in the treatment of mCRC. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in OS, PFS, and response rate (RR) between cetuximab arm and panitumumab arm (OS: HR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.81-1.03, p = .14; PFS: HR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.83-1.02, p = .11; RR: OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.96-1.61, p = .14). We also did not observe any statistical difference between both arms in incidence of acneiform rash, severe acneiform rash, diarrhea, and severe diarrhea (acneiform rash: OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.84-1.42, p = .51; severe acneiform rash: OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 0.80-2.81, p = .21; diarrhea: OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.82-1.42, p = .58; severe diarrhea: OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.44-1.84, p = .77). The incidence of paronychia was decreased in the panitumumab arm, but that of hypomagnesemia and severe hypomagnesemia were decreased in the cetuximab arm. (paronychia: OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.55-1.00, p = .05; hypomagnesemia: OR = 1.85, 95% CI =1.41-2.41, p < .00001; severe hypomagnesemia: OR = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.52-4.67, p = .0006). CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in OS, PFS and RR between the cetuximab arm and panitumumab arm in the treatment of mCRC. For adverse reactions, the incidence of paronychia was decreased in the panitumumab arm, and the incidence of hypomagnesemia was deceased in the cetuximab arm.

Fabrication of complex, 3D, branched hollow carbonaceous structures and their applications for supercapacitors.

A unique "integrated hard-templating strategy" is described for facile synthesis of a carbonaceous material with a novel three-dimensional (3D) branched hollow architecture. A set of steps, including template formation, surface coating and template removal, all occur in a spontaneous and orderly manner in the one-pot hydrothermal process. Investigations on structural evolution during the process reveal that pre-synthesized zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles are first dissociated and then self-assembled into 3D branched superstructures of ZnO as templates. Initial self-assembly is followed by coating of the glucose-derived carbonaceous materials and etching of interior ZnO by organic acids released in situ by hydrolysis of glucose. The 3D-branched hollow architecture is shown to greatly enhance supercapacitor performance. The research described here provides guidance into the development of strategies for complex hollow carbonaceous architectures for a variety of potential applications.

Nrf2 protects against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by suppressing programmed necrosis and inflammatory signaling pathways.

Background: The NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) -mediated neuroinflammation is linked to neuronal necroptosis in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, especially in cerebral ischemic penumbra. This study was designed to investigate the regulation of nuclear factor E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) on NLRP3 inflammasome in necroptosis signal pathway induced by I/R injury. Methods: We investigated the mechanisms of Nrf2-negative regulation in necroptosis signaling pathway by using middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with Q-VD-OPH injected intraperitoneally. The protein level of the NLRP3 inflammasome was detected by western blot with Nrf2 knockdown and overexpression. NLRP3 inflammasome activation was Reactive oxygen species (ROS) dependent, and the protein level was regulated when N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were selected as tools for regulating ROS. Results: We demonstrated the negative regulation of Nrf2 on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in Q-VD-OPH-induced necroptosis in cerebral artery I/R injury through Lentivirus-mediated RNA Interferenc, which mediated knockdown and overexpression of Nrf2. NLRP3 inflammasome activation was sensitive to both ATP-mediated ROS level increases and NAC-mediated ROS inhibition, suggesting that ROS is associated with the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in necroptosis. In addition, Nrf2-induced NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1) was involved in the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. These results suggest that Nrf2 regulates NQO1 to attenuate ROS, which negatively regulates NLRP3 inflammasome. Conclusions: Nrf2/NQO1 was an inhibitor of ROS-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation in Q-VD-OPH-induced necroptosis following cerebral I/R injury. Therefore, NLRP3 inflammasome could be a potential therapeutic target for cerebral ischemia.

Effect of ultrasonic surface deep rolling combined with oxygen boost diffusion treatment on fatigue properties of pure titanium.

Ultrasonic surface deep rolling (USDR), oxygen boost diffusion (OBD), and their combination (USDR-OBD) were all used to improve the surface hardening of pure titanium. The microstructure, microhardness, and fatigue life of pure titanium treated by USDR, OBD, and USDR-OBD methods were analyzed. USDR treatment induced a severe deformation area, while OBD treatment produced a brittle oxygen diffusion zone. The USDR-OBD treated samples approached the highest hardness in comparison with other treated samples. The fatigue lives of USDR treated samples were improved, which was due to the high compressive residual stress and refined grains. However, the fatigue lives of both OBD treated samples and USDR-OBD treated samples were decreased due to premature crack initiation and rapid propagation in the oxygen diffusion zone. Finally, the fatigue fracture mechanisms of different samples were proposed.

Engineering Two-Phase Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts with Tunable and Synergetic Components for Flexible Zn-Air Batteries.

Metal-air batteries, like Zn-air batteries (ZABs) are usually suffered from low energy conversion efficiency and poor cyclability caused by the sluggish OER and ORR at the air cathode. Herein, a novel bimetallic Co/CoFe nanomaterial supported on nanoflower-like N-doped graphitic carbon (NC) was prepared through a strategy of coordination construction-cation exchange-pyrolysis and used as a highly efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst. Experimental characterizations and density functional theory calculations reveal the formation of Co/CoFe heterostructure and synergistic effect between metal layer and NC support, leading to improved electric conductivity, accelerated reaction kinetics, and optimized adsorption energy for intermediates of ORR and OER. The Co/CoFe@NC exhibits high bifunctional activities with a remarkably small potential gap of 0.70 V between the half-wave potential (E1/2) of ORR and the potential at 10 mA cm‒2 (Ej=10) of OER. The aqueous ZAB constructed using this air electrode exhibits a slight voltage loss of only 60 mV after 550-cycle test (360 h, 15 days). A sodium polyacrylate (PANa)-based hydrogel electrolyte was synthesized with strong water-retention capability and high ionic conductivity. The quasi-solid-state ZAB by integrating the Co/CoFe@NC air electrode and PANa hydrogel electrolyte demonstrates excellent mechanical stability and cyclability under different bending states.

The role of emodin on cisplatin resistance reversal of lung adenocarcinoma A549/DDP cell.

Exploring drugs that reverse drug resistance and increase the sensitivity of chemotherapy drugs could significantly improve treatment effect of cancer. Our study explored the reversal effect and possible molecular mechanisms of emodin on cisplatin resistance in A549/DDP cells. The IC50 and resistance index of cells were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The ability of cell proliferation was evaluated by wound healing assay. Transwell assay was used to detect cell invasion and migration. Apoptosis induction rate was determined by flow cytometry assay and 4',6- diamidino- 2-phenylindole staining. Intracellular concentration was determined by HPLC. Western blot analysis was applied to determine expressions of nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κB) and its downstream proteins. In this study, we found that the growth inhibitory effect of cisplatin was significantly enhanced by emodin in A549/DDP cells. The combined use of emodin with DDP can effectively promote lung cancer cells apoptosis and inhibit cell migration and invasion. Further investigation indicated that reinforcement effect of emodin and DDP may be associated with inhibition of NF-κB pathway and drug efflux-related proteins such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) and Glutathione S-transferase (GST). The key role of NF-κB was further confirmed by the application of NF-κB inhibitor Ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate. The intervention of both can significantly increase A549/DDP cell apoptosis and inhibit DDP-induced upregulation of P-gp, MRP and GST. Emodin reverses the cisplatin resistance of tumor cells by down-regulating expression of P-gp, MRP and GST, increasing the intracellular accumulation in A549/DDP cells, and the effect may be associated with the NF-κB pathways.

Associations between medication use and phthalate metabolites in urine and follicular fluid among women undergoing in vitro fertilization.

BACKGROUND: Phthalates, which are used as excipients of drugs, have been related to adverse reproductive outcomes. However, the relationships between medication use and phthalate exposure among women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) have not been studied. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between the medication intake and phthalate metabolites in urine and follicular fluid (FF). METHOD: Eight phthalate metabolites were measured in urine and FF samples from 274 women undergoing IVF using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Information on recent medication intake was obtained via interview by trained staff. We constructed generalized linear regression models to examine the associations of medication intake with phthalate metabolite concentrations and dose-response relationships between the number of medicines used and metabolite concentrations in two matrices. RESULTS: Four of 10 drugs were used by more than 10% of the participants, including vitamins (23.0%), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM, 22.3%), antioxidants (12.4%) and amoxicillin (10.2%). Participants who had used TCM had 26.0% (95% CI: 0.0, 58.8%), 32.6% (95% CI: 4.2, 68.8%) and 32.3% (95% CI: 2.6, 70.6%) higher urinary mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP) and mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) concentrations, respectively, than those who had not. Antioxidant intake was associated with a 30.6% (95% CI: -48.5, -6.6%) decrease in the urinary MBP concentration. Compared with non-users, women who reported the use of medicines had 53.2% (95% CI: 2.7, 128.5%) higher concentrations of MMP and a 37.7% (95% CI: -60.7, -1.5%) lower level of MBP in FF, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the intake of some medications may increase phthalate exposure among women undergoing IVF.

Characterization of lncRNAs and mRNAs Involved in Powdery Mildew Resistance in Cucumber.

Powdery mildew (PM) is a severe fungal disease of cucumber worldwide. Identification of genetic factors resistant to PM is of great importance for marker-assisted breeding to ensure cucumber production. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in plant development and immunity; however, whether they have a role in PM response in cucurbit crops remains unknown. We performed strand-specific RNA sequencing and miRNA sequencing using RNA from cucumber leaves of two near-isogenic lines (NILs), S1003 and NIL (Pm5.1) infected with PM, and systematically characterized the profiles of cucumber lncRNAs and messenger RNA (mRNAs) responsive to PM. In total, we identified 12,903 lncRNAs and 25,598 mRNAs responsive to PM. Differential expression (DE) analysis showed that 119 lncRNAs and 136 mRNAs correlated with PM resistance. Functional analysis of these DE lncRNAs and DE mRNAs revealed that they are significantly associated with phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis, and endocytosis. Particularly, two lncRNAs, LNC_006805 and LNC_012667, might play important roles in PM resistance. In addition, we also predicted mature miRNAs and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA involved in PM resistance. A total of 49 DE lncRNAs could potentially act as target mimics for 106 miRNAs. Taken together, our results provide an abundant resource for further exploration of cucumber lncRNAs, mRNAs, miRNAs, and ceRNAs in PM resistance, and will facilitate the molecular breeding for PM-resistant varieties to control this severe disease in cucumber.

Construction of self-supporting, hierarchically structured caterpillar-like NiCo2S4 arrays as an efficient trifunctional electrocatalyst for water and urea electrolysis.

In this study, we have developed intriguing self-supporting caterpillar-like spinel NiCo2S4 arrays with a hierarchical structure of nanowires on a nanosheet skeleton, which can be used as a self-supporting trifunctional electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and urea oxidation reaction (UOR). The caterpillar-like NiCo precursor arrays are first in situ grown on carbon cloth (NiCo2O4/CC) by a facile hydrothermal reaction, which is followed by an anion exchange process (or sulfuration treatment) with Na2S to form self-supporting spinel NiCo2S4 arrays (NiCo2S4/CC) with a roughened nanostructure. Taking advantage of the bimetallic synergistic effect, the unique hierarchical nanostructure, and the self-supporting nature, the resultant NiCo2S4/CC electrode exhibits high activities toward the OER, HER and UOR, which are highly superior to the monometallic counterparts of NiS nanosheets and Co9S8 nanowires on a carbon cloth substrate. The comparison of the three electrodes also indicates that the hierarchically structured bimetallic electrode combines the morphological and structural characteristics of monometallic Ni-based nanosheets and Co-based nanowires. When assembling a two-electrode electrolytic cell with NiCo2S4/CC as both the anode and cathode, an applied cell voltage of only 1.66 V is required to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in water electrolysis. By using the same two-electrode setup, the applied voltage for urea electrolysis is further reduced to 1.45 V that produces hydrogen at the cathode with the same current density. This study paves the way for exploring the feasibility of future less energy-intensive and large-scale hydrogen production.