Recent advances on COF-based single-atom and dual-atom sites for oxygen catalysis.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as promising platforms for the construction of single-atom and dual-atom catalysts (SACs and DACs), owing to their well-defined structures, tunable pore sizes, and abundant active sites. In recent years, the development of COF-based SACs and DACs as highly efficient catalysts has witnessed a remarkable surge. The synergistic interplay between the metal active sites and the COF has established the design and fabrication of COF-based SACs and DACs as a prominent research area in electrocatalysis. These catalytic materials exhibit promising prospects for applications in energy storage and conversion devices. This review summarizes recent advances in the design, synthesis, and applications of COF-based SACs and DACs for oxygen catalysis. The catalytic mechanisms of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are comprehensively explored, providing a comparative analysis to elucidate the correlation between the structure and performance, as well as their functional attributes in battery devices. This review highlights a promising approach for future research, emphasizing the necessity of rational design, breakthroughs, and in-situ characterization to further advance the development of high-performance COF-based SACs and DACs for sustainable energy applications.

Tunnel and underground engineering rock mass water inrush damage and acoustic emission characteristics.

To achieve the actual situation of water pressure stabilization during underground and tunnel water inrush disasters, the team independently developed a stable water pressure test system and conducted fracture and failure tests on fissured rock masses under the coupling effect of 1MPa stable water pressure and stress and without water pressure. Combined with data collected by acoustic emission instruments, the mechanical characteristics of fracture and failure, crack propagation mechanism, and acoustic emission response mechanism of fissured rock masses under the coupling effect of stable hydraulic pressure and stress were studied. The results showed that throughout the entire experimental process, the hydraulic pressure remained continuously stable, with a decrease of only 0.14%; The variation pattern of peak strength of fissured rock mass with increasing crack inclination angle under stable hydraulic pressure changes from a decrease and then an increase in the absence of hydraulic pressure to an increasing trend; The crack propagation length of low angle fissured rock mass is generally higher than that of high angle fissured specimens. The longer propagation path increases the range and effect of hydraulic pressure, and the initial crack propagation length of fissured rock mass under hydraulic pressure is also significantly longer than that of specimens without hydraulic pressure; During the loading process, both the acoustic emission ringing count and damage variable can be divided into four stages. From the cumulative total number of acoustic emission ringing counts, it can be seen that during the loading process, the total number of acoustic emission ringing in fissured rock masses subjected to hydraulic pressure is significantly lower than that of specimens without hydraulic pressure, and the trend is also relatively stable.

Chronic ACLD Knees with Early Developmental Cartilage Lesions Exhibited Increased Posterior Tibial Translation during Level Walking.

OBJECTIVE: Early articular cartilage lesion (CL) is a vital sign in the onset of posttraumatic knee osteoarthritis (PTOA) in patients with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency (ACLD). Researchers have suggested that altered kinematics could accelerate CLs and, therefore, lead to the onset of PTOA. However, little is known about whether specific knee kinematics exist that lead to early CL in chronic ACLD knees. Level walking is the most frequent and relevant in vivo activity, which greatly impacts knee health. We hypothesized that the knee kinematics during level walking in chronic ACLD knees with early tibiofemoral CL would significantly differ from those of chronic ACLD knees without early tibiofemoral CL. METHODS: Thirty patients with a chronic ACLD history, including 18 subjects with CLs and 12 subjects without CLs, and 35 healthy control subjects were recruited for the study from July 2020 to August 2022. The knee kinematic data during level walking were collected using a three-dimensional motion analysis system. The kinematic differences between groups were compared using statistical parametric mapping with one dimension for One-Way ANOVA. The cartilage statuses of the ACLD knees were assessed via MRI examination. The CLs distribution of subjects was evaluated using a modified Noyes scale and analyzed by chi-square tests. RESULTS: ACLD knees with CLs had significantly greater posterior tibial translation (7.7-8.0mm, 12%-18% gait cycle GC, p = 0.014) compared to ACLD knees without CLs during level walking. ACLD knees with CLs had greater posterior tibial translation (4.6-5.5mm, 0%-23% GC, p < 0.001; 5.8-8.0mm, 86%-100% GC, p < 0.001) than healthy controls during level walking. In the group of ACLD knees with CLs, CL is mainly located in the back of the tibia plateau and front of load bearing area of the medial femoral condyle (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Chronic anterior cruciate ligament deficient knees with cartilage lesions have increased posterior tibial translation compared to anterior cruciate ligament deficient knees without cartilage lesions and healthy subjects. The posterior tibial translation may play an important role in knee cartilage degeneration in ACLD knees. The increased posterior tibial translation and cartilage lesion characteristics may improve our understanding of the role of knee kinematics in cartilage degeneration and could be a helpful potential reference for anterior cruciate ligament deficient therapy, such as physical training to improve abnormal kinematic behavior.

Simple and sensitive sandwich-like voltammetric immunosensing of procalcitonin.

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a reliable biomarker in the early diagnosis of septicemia, pyemia and stroke-associated pneumonia. In this work, through preparing ß-cyclodextrin/graphene (CD/GN) nanohybrid as carrier and amplifier simultaneously to band antibodies and probe molecules, a simple and innovative sandwich-like voltammetric immunosensor was proposed for the sensitive and effective determination of PCT. Owing to the host-guest recognition property, the antibodies of PCT can enter into the CD cavities to generate a stable complex; meanwhile, aminopyrene (AP) were introduced as the signal probe and it was adsorbed on the surface of GN via aminopyrine π-πinteraction. Based on the signal change from AP as a response signal which exhibits linearity to the concentration of PCT, a highly sensitive sandwich-type voltammetric immunosensor was developed successfully after optimizing various key parameters. The results demonstrated that the developed sensor had a considerably low detection limit (0.003 pg mL-1) and wide linearity of 0.01 pg mL-1 to 20.0 ng mL-1. This work offered a very simple and sensitive sensing strategy for PCT and other biomarkers via altering the specific antibodies simply, showing great potential applications.

One-Stop Automated Diagnostic System for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Ultrasound Images Using Deep Learning.

OBJECTIVE: Ultrasound (US) examination has unique advantages in diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), although identification of the median nerve (MN) and diagnosis of CTS depend heavily on the expertise of examiners. In the aim of alleviating this problem, we developed a one-stop automated CTS diagnosis system (OSA-CTSD) and evaluated its effectiveness as a computer-aided diagnostic tool. METHODS: We combined real-time MN delineation, accurate biometric measurements and explainable CTS diagnosis into a unified framework, called OSA-CTSD. We then collected a total of 32,301 static images from US videos of 90 normal wrists and 40 CTS wrists for evaluation using a simplified scanning protocol. RESULTS: The proposed model exhibited better segmentation and measurement performance than competing methods, with a Hausdorff distance (95th percentile) score of 7.21 px, average symmetric surface distance score of 2.64 px, Dice score of 85.78% and intersection over union score of 76.00%. In the reader study, it exhibited performance comparable to the average performance of experienced radiologists in classifying CTS and outperformed inexperienced radiologists in terms of classification metrics (e.g., accuracy score 3.59% higher and F1 score 5.85% higher). CONCLUSION: Diagnostic performance of the OSA-CTSD was promising, with the advantages of real-time delineation, automation and clinical interpretability. The application of such a tool not only reduces reliance on the expertise of examiners but also can help to promote future standardization of the CTS diagnostic process, benefiting both patients and radiologists.

Heterogeneous gold-catalyzed Sandmeyer coupling of aryldiazonium salts with sodium bromide or thiols for constructing C-Br and C-S bonds.

An efficient heterogeneous gold-catalyzed Sandmeyer coupling of aryldiazonium salts with sodium bromide or thiols for the formation of C-Br and C-S bonds has been achieved in high yields and selectivities under mild conditions by using a bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)amino-modified mesoporous MCM-41-immobilized gold(I) chloride complex [MCM-41-2Ph2PAuCl] as the catalyst without using sacrificial oxidants. Vital to the success of this C-heteroatom coupling is the nucleophile-promoted activation of aryldiazonium salts, which can serve as an efficient oxidant for the conversion of Au(I) to Au(III) without the use of a photocatalyst or an assisting ligand. This new heterogenized gold(I) complex can be easily prepared by a simple procedure and recovered via centrifugation, and recycled more than seven times without any significant loss of its catalytic efficiency.

Piperacillin-tazobactam induced immune hemolytic anemia led to increased renal impairment and eventual death from multiple organ failure in a patient with hypertensive nephropathy: case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Piperacillin is one of the most common drugs that cause drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia, but a complete description of the serological features and course of the disease is rare. This study completely describes the serological characteristics and course of a patient with hypertensive nephropathy who developed drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia and worsened renal function during repeated administration of piperacillin-tazobactam. CASE PRESENTATION: A 79-year-old male patient with hypertensive nephropathy who developed severe hemolytic anemia and worsened renal function during intravenous piperacillin-tazobactam anti-infective treatment due to lung infection. Serological tests showed that the result of the direct antiglobulin test for anti-IgG was positive (4 +) and anti-C3d was negative, and the irregular red blood cell antibody screening test was negative. Plasma samples collected at different times from 2 days before to 12 days after the discontinuation of piperacillin-tazobactam administration were incubated with piperacillin solution and red blood cells of O-type healthy blood donors at 37 °C, IgG piperacillin-dependent antibodies were detected, and the highest titer was 128. However, no tazobactam-dependent antibody was detected in any plasma samples. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with piperacillin-induced immune hemolytic anemia. Although blood transfusion and continuous renal replacement therapy were given, the patient died of multiple organ failure 15 days after the administration of piperacillin-tazobactam was stopped. CONCLUSION: This is the first complete description of the disease course and serological changes of piperacillin-induced immune hemolytic anemia, which is bound to help deepen the understanding of drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia and draw profound lessons from it.

An MCM-41-immobilized dichloro(pyridine-2-carboxylato)gold(III) complex: an efficient and recyclable catalyst for the annulation of anthranils and ynamides.

A new mesoporous MCM-41-immobilized dichloro(pyridine-2-carboxylato)gold(III) complex [MCM-41-PicAuCl2] was synthesized via an addition reaction of a dichloro(3-hydroxypyridine-2-carboxylato)gold(III) complex to triethoxy(3-isocyanatopropyl)silane, followed by immobilization on MCM-41 and was characterized by different physico-chemical techniques. In the presence of 5 mol% of MCM-41-PicAuCl2, the annulation reaction between anthranils and ynamides proceeded smoothly under mild conditions to afford diverse 6- or 5-formylindoles with high atom economy and good to excellent yields. This new heterogenized gold(III) complex can be easily recovered through a simple filtration process and recycled more than seven times without any apparent loss of its catalytic efficiency.

Knee Kinematic Patterns and Early Cartilage Lesion Characteristics in Patients with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Specific knee kinematic alterations have been theorized to correlate with the progression of cartilage degeneration, and therefore, post-traumatic osteoarthritis in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). However, how specific knee kinematic alterations contribute to knee joint cartilage degenerations remains to be unclear. To solve this problem, we hypothesized that there are specific cartilage-degenerating kinematic gait patterns that could be supported by the specific areas of cartilage lesions in ACLR knees. Thirty patients with unilateral ACLR knees and 30 healthy controls were recruited for the study. The kinematic differences between the ACLR knees and the healthy control knees during the stance phase were calculated to identify the kinematic patterns. Cartilage lesion distribution characteristics were acquired for patients with ACLR knees to validate the kinematic patterns using magnetic resonance images. Two kinematic patterns were modeled, i.e., sagittal (increased flexion angle and posterior tibial translation) and coronal (increased lateral tibial translation and abduction angle) kinematic patterns. For the sagittal pattern, the cartilage lesion distributions showed that there were more cartilage lesions (CLs) in the superoposterior regions than the posterior regions in the femoral condyles (p = 0.001), and more CLs in the posterior regions than the middle regions in the tibial plateau (p < 0.001). For the coronal pattern, the cartilage lesion distributions showed that there were more CLs in the lateral compartments near the tibial spine than the medial compartments near the tibial spine (tibial sides, p = 0.005 and femoral sides, p = 0.290). To conclude, the cartilage degeneration distribution evidence largely supports that the two kinematic patterns may contribute to cartilage degeneration in ACLR knees. These findings may provide a potential strategy of delaying early cartilage degeneration in ACLR knees by using motion (kinematic) pattern modification or training. However, investigations should be conducted on the actual effects of this potential strategy.

Effects of temperature and humidity on the contact angle of pesticide droplets on rice leaf surfaces.

The effects of external factors such as temperature, humidity, pesticide formulation, and pesticide concentration on the contact angle of pesticide droplets on rice leaf surfaces were analyzed. The experiments showed that there were significant differences in the contact angles of droplets on the leaf surfaces under different temperatures and humidity. As the ambient temperature increased, the contact angle first decreased and then increased, reaching a minimum value at 25°C. With a gradual increase in humidity, the contact angle significantly increased and reached a maximum at 100% humidity. Finally, it was concluded that both the formulation and concentration of the pesticide had a significant effect on the contact angle of droplets on rice leaf surfaces. The experiments also illustrated that the effects of the pesticide formulation and concentration on the contact angle were more significant than those of temperature and humidity.

The effect of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: EGCG is proven to be of good effect to relieve periodontal inflammation, but it has not been applied as a local delivery medicine in patients with periodontitis widely. The aim of this clinical trial was to evaluate the adjunctive effect of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) aqueous solution as a coolant during scaling and root planing in the management of chronic periodontitis. METHODS: A double-blind, randomized controlled study was performed on 15 patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis. The bilateral maxillary teeth were randomly divided into the test side and the control side on every individual. On the control side, the periodontal therapy was routinely performed. And on the test side, in the process of periodontal therapy, the distilled water in the ultrasonic scaler was replaced with a 5-mg/mL EGCG solution. The probing depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding index (BI), gingival index (GI), and plaque index (PI) were recorded at baseline and 6 and 12 weeks after the treatment. RESULTS: PPD, CAL, BI, GI, and PI generally improved after treatment in both groups. At the sixth week and the twelfth week of review, PPD, CAL, GI, and PI had no statistical difference (p >0.05) between the two groups. At the review of the twelfth week, BI on the test side decreased significantly (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Using EGCG solution as the irrigant instead of water has an additional benefit on the bleeding index at the 12-week review. However, the rest clinical parameters had no additional benefit. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ChiCTR2000029831 , date of registration: Feb 15, 2020.

Integrated effects of ultrasonic scaling and subgingival irrigation with 0.12% chlorhexidine by a newly designed ultrasonic scaler tip in chronic periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the integrated efficacy of completely simultaneous ultrasonic scaling and subgingival irrigation with chlorhexidine in chronic periodontitis. METHOD AND MATERIALS: This was a split-mouth randomized controlled trial including 19 patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis. After calculus removal, the test side received simultaneous ultrasonic scaling and subgingival irrigation with 0.12% chlorhexidine, and the control side received simultaneous ultrasonic scaling and subgingival irrigation with distilled water. A newly designed ultrasonic scaler tip with a liquid outlet on the terminal was used. Clinical parameters were assessed, and gingival crevicular fluid was collected before treatment at baseline and 1.5, 3, and 6 months after baseline. RESULTS: On follow-up, both sides showed significant reductions in clinical parameters and concentration of inflammatory mediators in gingival crevicular fluid. Adjunct application of CHX resulted in an additional periodontal pocket reduction (0.27 to 0.29 mm, P < .05) compared to the control side, in sites with initial probing depth of 4 to 5 mm. Within the initial probing depth ≥ 6 mm, the additional probing depth reduction was 0.44 to 0.60 mm (P < .05), with clinical attachment loss, concentration of interleukin-6, and concentration of matrix metalloproteinase-8 being 0.32 to 0.38 mm, 2.64 to 3.40 µg/L, and 19.78 to 22.39 ng/L, respectively (all P < .05). CONCLUSION: In this study, treatment outcomes of chronic periodontitis could be improved by treating the root surface with simultaneous ultrasonic scaling and chlorhexidine irrigation. The adjunctive use of 0.12% chlorhexidine with a newly designed ultrasonic scaler tip in the treatment of moderate to severe chronic periodontitis demonstrated significant clinical benefits and decrease in inflammatory mediator when compared with scaling and root planing plus placebo.

Recyclable heterogeneous gold(I)-catalyzed oxidative ring expansion of alkynyl quinols: a practical access to tropone and its analogues.

The heterogeneous gold(i)-catalyzed oxidative ring expansion of alkynyl quinols has been achieved by using a benzyldiphenylphosphine-modified MCM-41-immobilized gold(i) complex [MCM-41-BnPh2P-AuNTf2] as the catalyst and 8-methylquinoline N-oxide as the oxidant under mild reaction conditions, yielding a variety of functionalized tropone derivatives in good to excellent yields. Extension of this methodology allows for facile construction of other seven- or six-membered ring systems including dibenzotropones, dibenzooxepines, phenanthrenes, and quinolin-2(1H)-ones. This new heterogeneous gold(i) complex can be readily recovered through a simple filtration process and recycled at least eight times without any apparent decrease in catalytic efficiency.

Efficacy of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate delivered by a new-type scaler tip during scaling and root planing on chronic periodontitis: a split-mouth, randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: (-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) as green tea catechins possessed antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects on periodontal disease. This study was designed to evaluate the clinical and microbiological efficacy of scaling and root planing (SRP) using EGCG aqueous solution as coolants through a new-type ultrasonic scaler tip on chronic periodontitis. METHODS: This split-mouth, randomized clinical trial included 20 patients (2 drop-outs) with chronic periodontitis and the maxillary contra-lateral sides were allocated into test and control groups randomly. Through the new-type scaler tip, 762 sites with probing depth (PD) ≥ 4 mm were treated by SRP using EGCG solution or distilled water as coolants respectively. Clinical parameters and red complex pathogens in subgingival microbiome were evaluated at baseline, 3 and 6 months after treatments. RESULTS: During 6 months, the SRP plus EGCG medication contributed to additional PD reduction as 0.33 mm and gain of clinical attachment level as 0.3 mm compared with SRP alone, and approximate 8% more sites obtained PD reduction ≥ 2 mm (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the mean relative abundance of Tannerella forsythia was significantly lower in the combined treatment group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The purified EGCG showed the potential to improve the outcome of periodontal non-surgical treatment and the new-type scaler tip provided an alternative vehicle for subgingival medication. Trial registration The trial was registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on 15 February 2020 (No.: ChiCTR2000029831, retrospectively registered). http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=49441 .

First flush of non-point source pollution and hydrological effects of LID in a Guangzhou community.

To study the first flush effect of nonpoint source pollution in the Guangzhou community unit, runoff from roads, roofs, and green spaces during three rainfall events was collected and analyzed for pollutants. Nine runoff pollution indices were considered. The dimensionless cumulative curve of pollutant mass vs. volume, the first flush coefficient (b) and the mass first flush ratio (MFFn) were used to assess the first flush effect of different underlying surfaces. The assessment results pointed out that the roof was most prone to first flush effect. And ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus were the main pollutants in the first flush in the study area. For a quantitative analysis of the first flush, the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) was used to simulate the hydrological effect of low impact development (LID) implementation in the community. The results showed that the first flush strength was reduced after setting LID. And LID measures, such as green roofs and sunken green spaces, contribute to flood control and rainwater purification. This research can be relevant regarding for constructing sponge cities and reducing the pollution caused by the first flush.

The Effect of Ultrasound, Oxygen and Sunlight on the Stability of (-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate.

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), is the main catechin found in green tea, and has several beneficial effects. This study investigated the stability of EGCG aqueous solution under different stored and ultrasonic conditions to determine whether it can be used with an ultrasonic dental scaler to treat periodontal infection. Four concentrations (0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 2 mg/mL) of EGCG aqueous solution were prepared and stored under four different conditions (A: Exposed to neither sunlight nor air, B: Exposed to sunlight, but not air, C: Not exposed to sunlight, but air, D: Exposed to sunlight and air) for two days. The degradation rate of EGCG was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). On the other hand, an ultrasonic dental scaler was used to atomize the EGCG solution under four different conditions (a: Exposed to neither air nor sunlight, b: Not exposed to air, but sunlight, c: Not exposed to sunlight, but air, d: Exposed to air and sunlight), the degradation of EGCG was measured by HPLC. We found that the stability of EGCG was concentration-dependent in water at room temperature. Both sunlight and oxygen influenced the stability of EGCG, and oxygen had a more pronounced effect on stability of EGCG than sunlight. The most important conclusion was that the ultrasound may accelerate the degradation of EGCG due to the presence of oxygen and sunlight, but not because of the ultrasonic vibration. Thus, EGCG aqueous solution has the potential to be used through an ultrasonic dental scaler to treat periodontal infection in the future.

P53 mediates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in human gingival fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in activation of the inflammatory response has been proven in previous study using human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) stimulation, but its exact mechanism has not been established. ROS can be generated through increased oxidative phosphorylation. P53 originally identified as a tumor suppressor, has been demonstrated to be associated with energy metabolism. We proposed that LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines release in HGFs is mediated by interaction between P53 and ROS levels. METHODS: HGFs were grown in medium with Pg LPS stimulation. Gene expression was performed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analysis. HGFs were also processed by immunofluorescence to characterize the localization of P53. ROS was measured using a multimodal microplate reader and immunofluorescence microscopy. Cellular respiration levels were performed with a high-resolution respirometer. Cytokines secretion was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: LPS-induced P53 activity and localization in mitochondria led to cellular redox imbalance and mitochondrial dysfunction, thus triggered the cellular inflammatory response with increased secretion of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Furthermore, the cellular redox imbalance and inflammation induced by LPS were reversed by inhibiting P53 activity. P53 expression followed by LPS-induced inflammation was also be restricted by suppressing ROS generation. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that LPS-induced inflammation in HGFs is partially dependent on P53 modulating ROS and ROS stimulating P53, which suggests that P53 and ROS may form a feedback loop. The identification of this mechanism may provide potential new therapeutic strategies for periodontitis.