Cost-Effective and Scalable Solar Interface Evaporators Derived from Industry Waste for Efficient Solar Steam Generation.

Interfacial solar steam generation for sustainable and eco-friendly desalination and wastewater treatment has attracted much attention. However, costly raw materials and complex preparation processes pose constant challenges to its wide promotion. Herein, a novel, cost-effective, and scalable strategy is presented for preparing solar interface evaporators using industrial waste as a raw material. Modified polyethylene foam evaporators (M-EPEs) are simply prepared by drilling and then hydrophilic modification of industrial waste (EPE-1). M-EPEs not only retain the strong mechanical properties and thermal insulating properties (0.047 W·m-1·K-1) of EPE-1 but also exhibit superhydrophilicity and strong light absorption (over 90%). M-EPEs achieve a high evaporation rate of 1.497 kg·m-2·h-1 and photothermal efficiency of up to 93.8% under 1 kW·m-2 solar illumination. Moreover, it has excellent stability and salt tolerance. Our work addresses the environmental issues of recycling polyethylene waste and provides a facile and efficient strategy for designing low-cost, large-scale solar interface evaporators for desalination.

Coordination-Induced Multivalent Self-Assembling Catalysts for Spectral Sensing Zn2+ with High Selectivity and Sensitivity.

The introduction of signal amplification to molecular spectral sensing systems is an intriguing topic in supramolecular analytical chemistry. In this study, click chemistry was used to generate a triazole moiety to bridge with a long hydrophobic alkyl chain (Cn) and another short alkyl chain (Cm) bearing a 1,4,7-triazacyclonane (TACN) group for efficiently generating a self-assembling multivalent catalyst, Cn-triazole-Cm-TACN·Zn2+ (n and m represent the carbon numbers of both alkyl chains, respectively; n = 16, 18, and 20; m = 2 and 6), to catalyze the hydrolysis of 2-hydroxypropyl-4-nitrophenyl phosphate (HPNPP) when Zn2+ was added. The triazole moiety introduced adjacent to the TACN group plays an important role in improving the selectivity of Zn2+ because the triazole moiety can participate in the coordination interaction between the Zn2+ and neighboring TACN group. The supplementary triazole complexing increases the space requirement for coordinated metal ions. This catalytic sensing system also shows high sensitivity, with a favorable limit of detection down to 350 nM, even if only UV-vis absorption spectra rather than more sensitive fluorescence techniques were used for signaling, and can be used to determine the concentration of Zn2+ in tap water, which demonstrates the practical application feasibility.

MiR-375 silencing attenuates pro-inflammatory macrophage response and foam cell formation by targeting KLF4.

Macrophage mediated inflammation and foam cell formation play crucial roles in the development of atherosclerosis. MiR-375 is a small noncoding RNA that significantly implicated in multiple tumor regulation and has been emerged as a novel biomarker for type 2 diabetes. However, the exact role of miR-375 on macrophage activation remains unknown. In the present study, we observed that miR-375 expression showed an up-regulated expression in atherosclerotic aortas, as well as in bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) and mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPMs) isolated from ApoE deficiency mice and was gradually increased followed the Ox-LDL treated time. Functionally, miR-375 inhibition significantly decreased foam cell formation accompanied by up-regulated genes expression involved in cholesterol efflux but reduced genes expression implicated in cholesterol influx. Moreover, miR-375 silencing increased resolving M2 macrophage but reduced pro-inflammatory M1 macrophage markers expression. Such above effects can be reversed by miR-375 overexpression. Mechanistically, we noticed that miR-375 knockdown promoted KLF4 expression which was required for the ameliorated effect of miR-375 silencing on macrophage activation. Importantly, the consistent results in mRNA expression of M1 and M2 markers were observed in vivo, and miR-375-/-ApoE-/- mice significant decreased atherosclerotic lesions in the whole aorta and aortic sinus. Taken together, these evidences suggested that miR-375 knockdown attenuated macrophage activation partially through activation of KLF4-dependent mechanism.

microRNA-29b Mediates the Antifibrotic Effect of Tanshinone IIA in Postinfarct Cardiac Remodeling.

BACKGROUND: Tanshinone IIA (TSN) is one of the main components isolated from Danshen, which is widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) signaling pathway and microRNA (miR)-29b play important roles in the progression of cardiac fibrosis and the modulation of cardiac fibroblast (CF) function. Our study investigated the role of miR-29b in the cardioprotective effects of TSN in postinfarct cardiac remodeling. METHODS AND RESULTS: Echocardiography demonstrated that medium-dose TSN (TSN-M) and high-dose TSN (TSN-H) significantly inhibited postinfarct cardiac fibrosis and improved the impaired left ventricular function in rats subjected to acute myocardial infarction. Moreover, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot demonstrated that TSN-M and TSN-H downregulated the expression of TGF-ß1, Col1a1, Col3a1, and α-SMA but upregulated the expression of miR-29b. CFs treated with TSN showed inhibited TGF-ß signaling pathway, downregulated expression of Col1a1, Col3a1, and α-SMA, and upregulated miR-29b expression in vitro. Furthermore, treatment with a miR-29b inhibitor dramatically inhibited these TSN-induced antifibrotic effects, suggesting that miR-29b may be responsible for the antifibrotic effects of TSN. In addition, treatment with Smad3 siRNA significantly inhibited miR-29b expression in CFs, which implies that Smad3 signaling promotes miR-29b expression on CFs. CONCLUSIONS: TSN exerts antifibrotic effects in postinfarct cardiac fibrosis by upregulating the expression of miR-29b, which is mediated by the TGF-ß-Smad3 signaling pathway.

Head-Up Tilt.

Autonomic dysfunction has been associated with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). The head-up tilt test (HUTT) is an important diagnostic tool for autonomic dysfunction. The aim of this study was to examine atrial fibrillation recurrence after RFCA by performing HUTT. A total of 488 consecutive patients with PAF who underwent RFCA were prospectively enrolled. HUTT was positive in 154 (31.6%) patients after a mean follow-up of 22.7 ± 3.5 months, and 163 (33.4%) had a recurrence. HUTT positive was significantly higher in PAF patients with recurrence compared to those without (68 (41.7%) versus 86 (26.5%), P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that HUTT positive (HR: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.49-2.48, P < 0.001), left atrial diameter (HR: 1.77; 95%CI: 1.15-2.11, P = 0.004), AF duration (HR: 1.27; 95%CI: 0.98-1.83, P = 0.014), and sleep apnea (HR: 1.02; 95%CI: 0.81-1.53, P = 0.032) were independent predictors of clinical recurrence after RFCA. The success rate of ablation was 70.4% in patients in the HUTT negative group compared with 58.4% in patients in the HUTT positive group (log-rank P = 0.006). Patients with a positive headup tilt test were at an increased risk of AF recurrence after catheter ablation. Our results suggest that HUTT was a significant predictor for AF recurrence after catheter ablation for PAF.

Effect of supplementation with Glycyrrhiza uralensis extract and Lactobacillus acidophilus on growth performance and intestinal health in broiler chickens.

Intestinal microbiota community is an important factor affecting the nutritional and health status of poultry, and its balance is crucial for improving the overall health of poultry. The study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with Glycyrrhiza uralensis extract (GUE), Lactobacillus acidophilus (Lac) and their combination (GL) on growth performance and intestinal health in broilers in an 84-day feeding experiment. Supplementary 0.1% GUE and 4.5×107 CFU/g Lac significantly increased average daily gain (ADG), and GL (0.1% GUE and 4.5×107 CFU/g Lac) increased ADG and average daily feed intake (ADFI), and decreased feed conversion rate (FCR) in broilers aged 29 to 84 d and 1 to 84 d. Dietary GUE, Lac and GL increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity and decreased Malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the jejunum mucosa of broilers, and increased secretory IgA (sIgA) content in broilers at 84 d. Moreover, GUE, Lac and GL increased cecal microbial richness and diversity, and modulated microbial community composition. Both GUE and Lac reduced the harmful bacteria Epsilonbacteraeota, Helicobacter, and H. pullorum at 28 d and Proteobacteria, Escherichia, and E. coli at 84 d, while Lac and GL increased beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus and L. gallinarum at 28 d. Compared with individual supplementation, GL markedly increased the SOD activity and the sIgA content, and reduced Helicobacter and Helicobacter pullorum. In conclusion, GUE and Lactobacillus acidophilus as feed additives benefit growth performance and intestinal health, and their combined use shows an even more positive effect in broilers.

Konjac supplementation can alleviate obesity induced by high-fat diet in mice by modulating gut microbiota and its metabolites.

As a multi-factorial disease, obesity has become one of the major health problems in the world, and it is still increasing rapidly. Konjac supplementation, as a convenient dietary therapy, has been shown to be able to regulate gut microbiota and improve obesity. However, the specific mechanism by which konjac improves obesity through gut microbiota remains to be studied. In this study, a high-fat diet (HFD) was used to induce a mouse obesity model, and 16S rDNA sequencing and an untargeted metabolomics were used to investigate the impact of konjac on gut microbiota and gut metabolites in HFD-induced obese mice. The results show that konjac can reduce the body weight, adipose tissue weight, and lipid level of high-fat diet induced obese mice by changing the gut microbiota structure and gut metabolic profile. Association analysis revealed that konjac supplementation induced changes in gut microbiota, resulting in the up-regulation of 7-dehydrocholesterol and trehalose 6-phosphate, as well as the down-regulation of glycocholic acid and ursocholic acid within the Secondary bile acid biosynthesis pathway, ultimately leading to improvements in obesity. Among them, g_Acinetobacter (Greengene ID: 911888) can promote the synthesis of 7-dehydrocholesterol by synthesizing ERG3. g_Allobaculum (Greengene ID: 271516) and g_Allobaculum (Greengene ID: 259370) can promote the breakdown of trehalose 6-phosphate by synthesizing glvA. Additionally, the down-regulation of glycocholic acid and ursocholic acid may be influenced by the up-regulation of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group. In conclusion, konjac exerts an influence on gut metabolites through the regulation of gut microbiota, thereby playing a pivotal role in alleviating obesity induced by a high-fat diet.

Matcha alleviates obesity by modulating gut microbiota and its metabolites.

Matcha shows promise for diabetes, obesity, and gut microbiota disorders. Studies suggest a significant link between gut microbiota, metabolites, and obesity. Thus, matcha may have a positive impact on obesity by modulating gut microbiota and metabolites. This study used 16S rDNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomics to examine the cecal contents in mice. By correlation analysis, we explored the potential mechanisms responsible for the positive effects of matcha on obesity. The results indicated that matcha had a mitigating effect on the detrimental impacts of a high-fat diet (HFD) on multiple physiological indicators in mice, including body weight, adipose tissue weight, serum total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, as well as glucose tolerance. Moreover, it was observed that matcha had an impact on the structural composition of gut microbiota and gut metabolites. Specifically, matcha was able to reverse the alterations in the abundance of certain obesity-improving bacteria, such as Alloprevotella, Ileibacterium, and Rikenella, as well as the abundance of obesity-promoting bacteria Romboutsia, induced by a HFD. Furthermore, matcha can influence the levels of metabolites, including formononetin, glutamic acid, pyroglutamic acid, and taurochenodeoxycholate, within the gastrointestinal tract. Additionally, matcha enhances caffeine metabolism and the HIF-1 signaling pathway in the KEGG pathway. The results of the correlation analysis suggest that formononetin, theobromine, 1,3,7-trimethyluric acid, and Vitamin C displayed negative correlation with both the obesity phenotype and microbiota known to exacerbate obesity, while demonstrating positive correlations with microbiota that alleviated obesity. However, glutamic acid, pyroglutamic acid, and taurochenodeoxycholate had the opposite effect. In conclusion, the impact of matcha on gut metabolites may be attributed to its modulation of the abundance of Alloprevotella, Ileibacterium, Rikenella, and Romboutsia within the gastrointestinal tract, thereby potentially contributing to the amelioration of obesity.

Minimalistic Artificial Catalysts with Esterase-Like Activity from Multivalent Nanofibers Formed by the Self-Assembly of Dipeptides.

Imitating and incorporating the multiple key structural features observed in natural enzymes into a minimalistic molecule to develop an artificial catalyst with outstanding catalytic efficiency is an attractive topic for chemists. Herein, we designed and synthesized one class of minimalistic dipeptide molecules containing a terminal -SH group and a terminal His-Phe dipeptide head linked by a hydrophobic alkyl chain with different lengths, marked as HS-C n+1-His-Phe (n = 4, 7, 11, 15, and 17; n + 1 represents the carbon atom number of the alkyl chain). The His (-imidazole), Phe (-CO2 -) moieties, the terminal -SH group, and a long hydrophobic alkyl chain were found to have important contributions to achieve high binding ability leading to outstanding absolute catalytic efficiency (k cat/K M) toward the hydrolysis reactions of carboxylic ester substrates.

Investigation progresses of rare earth complexes as emitters or sensitizers in organic light-emitting diodes.

Due to unique photo-physical characteristics, rare earth (RE) complexes play important roles in many fields, for example, telecommunications, life science, and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Especially, thanks to narrow emission bandwidth and 100% theoretical internal quantum efficiency (IQE), the study of RE complexes in the electroluminescence field has been a hot research topic in recent 30 years. As a leading technology in solid-state light source fields, OLEDs have attracted great interest from academic researchers and commercial endeavors. In the last decades, OLED-based products have trickled into the commercial market and developed quickly into portable display devices. Here, we briefly introduce the luminescent characteristics and electroluminescent (EL) study of RE complexes in material synthesis and device design. Moreover, we emphatically reveal the innovative application of RE complexes as sensitizers in OLEDs. Through experimental validation, the application of RE complexes as sensitizers can realize the complementary advantages of RE complexes and transition metal complexes, leading to significantly improved performances of OLEDs. The application of RE complexes as sensitizers provides a new strategy for designing and developing novel high performances OLEDs.

High-efficiency solution-processed OLED based on trivalent europium complex by modifying the composition of the multiple-host system.

In this work, di-[4-(N,N-ditolylamino)-phenyl]cyclohexane (TAPC); 4,4',4″-tri (9-carbazoyl)triphenylamine (TcTa); 9-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-3,6-bis(triphenylsilyl)-9H-carbazole (CzSi); and 1,3,5-tri (m-pyrid-3-yl-phenyl)benzene (TmPyPB) were used to constitute the multiple-host system and fabricate solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (s-OLEDs) with europium complex Eu(DBM)3Phen (DBM, 1,3-diphenylpropane-1,3-dione; Phen,1,10-phenanthroline) as emitter. In order to determine the optimal composition of the multiple-host system, a series of devices with different light-emitting layers (EMLs) were fabricated and compared. Experimental results revealed that removing TmPyPB out of the multiple-host system greatly reduces the turn-on voltage, whereas the addition of TcTa to the multiple-host system helps facilitate the transfer of holes from TAPC to Eu(DBM)3Phen molecules, thus increasing the recombination probability of carriers on emitter molecules. Finally, high performance solution-processed red OLED (turn-on voltage of 3.8 V) based on the europium complex doped multiple-host system obtained the maximum current efficiency of 2.07 cd A-1, power efficiency of 1.54 lm W-1, external quantum efficiency of 1.2%, and brightness of 945 cd m-2.

Characteristics of intestinal microbiota in C57BL/6 mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver induced by high-fat diet.

Introduction: As a representation of the gut microbiota, fecal and cecal samples are most often used in human and animal studies, including in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) research. However, due to the regional structure and function of intestinal microbiota, whether it is representative to use cecal or fecal contents to study intestinal microbiota in the study of NAFLD remains to be shown. Methods: The NAFLD mouse model was established by high-fat diet induction, and the contents of the jejunum, ileum, cecum, and colon (formed fecal balls) were collected for 16S rRNA gene analysis. Results: Compared with normal mice, the diversity and the relative abundance of major bacteria and functional genes of the ileum, cecum and colon were significantly changed, but not in the jejunum. In NAFLD mice, the variation characteristics of microbiota in the cecum and colon (feces) were similar. However, the variation characteristics of intestinal microbiota in the ileum and large intestine segments (cecum and colon) were quite different. Discussion: Therefore, the study results of cecal and colonic (fecal) microbiota cannot completely represent the results of jejunal and ileal microbiota.

An Ultraviolet Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence OLED with Total External Quantum Efficiency over 9.

Owing to the difficulty in acquiring compounds with combined high energy bandgaps and lower-lying intramolecular charge-transfer excited states, the development of ultraviolet (UV) thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials is quite challenging. Herein, through interlocking of the diphenylsulfone (PS) acceptor unit of a reported deep-blue TADF emitter (CZ-PS) by a dimethylmethylene bridge, CZ-MPS, a UV-emissive TADF compound bearing a shallower LUMO energy level and a more rigid structure than those of CZ-PS is achieved. This represents the first example of a UV-emissive TADF compound. Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) using CZ-MPS as the guest material can emit efficient UV light with emission maximum of 389 nm and maximum total external quantum efficiency (EQEmax ) of 9.3%. Note that this EQEmax value is twice as high as the current record EQEmax (4.6%) for UV-OLEDs. This finding may shed light on the molecular design strategy for high-performance UV-OLED materials.

Electrochemical oxidative C-H/S-H cross-coupling between enamines and thiophenols with H2 evolution.

Electrochemical oxidative C-H/S-H cross-coupling has been developed to construct the C-S bond in a highly straightforward and efficient manner. Various enamines and (hetero)aryl thiols could be transformed smoothly under undivided electrolytic cell conditions. Moreover, this electrosynthesis strategy not only avoided the use of chemical oxidants and transition metal catalysts, but also exhibited excellent atom economy.

Relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and coronary microcirculatory function among patients with cardiac syndrome X.

OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Microcirculatory dysfunction has been proposed as a potential mechanism in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in OSA. This study aims to investigate the relationship between OSA and coronary microcirculatory function. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One thousand and thirty-eight patients (598 female, mean age 60±9 years) with angiographically normal coronary arteries were divided into three groups with non-OSA of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) less than 5 (n=403), mild-to-moderate OSA of AHI 5-30 (n=386), and severe OSA of AHI more than 30 (n=249). RESULTS: The prevalence of OSA was very high in patients with syndrome X (635/1038). Patients with higher AHI values had a lower coronary flow reserve, were more likely to have a higher total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high sensitive C-reactive protein, and were more likely to be obese. Compared with the non-OSA group, the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio of coronary microcirculatory function for an AHI of 5-30 events/h was 1.93, 95% confidence interval 1.66-3.47, P=0.038, and for an AHI of more than 30 events/h was 2.18, 95% confidence interval 1.62-4.23, P=0.024, in model 1; and coronary microcirculatory function for an AHI of 5-30 events/h and more than 30 events/h odds ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval 1.06-2.88, P=0.043, versus odds ratio 2.08, 95% confidence interval 1.03-2.16, P=0.036, in model 2. CONCLUSION: As compared with having no sleep apnea, categories with higher AHI were associated with increased odds of lower coronary flow reserve. The data suggested a close relationship between OSA and coronary microcirculatory function in atherosclerosis.

Correlation between plasma lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and peripheral arterial disease.

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a recently identified and potentially useful plasma biomarker for cardiovascular diseases. However, its role in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) remains unclear. The objective of this study was to assess the independent association of Lp-PLA2 and other inflammatory markers with the reduced ankle-brachial blood pressure index (ABI), a marker of PAD. We performed a cross-sectional study in 982 individuals aged ≥40 years who were recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. PAD was defined as an ABI <0.9 in at least one leg. The individuals were further divided into two groups, 145 with PAD and 837 without PAD. Following adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, the odds ratios of PAD when comparing the highest to the lowest quartiles were 3.24 (95% CI, 1.68-3.94) for Lp-PLA2, 2.14 (95% CI, 1.07-3.11) for homocysteine, 1.93 (95% CI, 1.02-4.01) for fibrinogen, 2.26 (95% CI, 1.32-5.74) for apolipoprotein B and 1.3 (95% CI, 0.75-2.49) for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). When Lp-PLA2 and inflammatory markers were simultaneously included in the full model, the corresponding odds ratios were 1.81 (95% CI, 1.14-3.68) for Lp-PLA2, 1.15 (95% CI, 0.49-2.69) for homocysteine, 1.21 (95% CI, 0.88-5.57) for fibrinogen, 0.98 (95% CI, 0.51-3.85) for apolipoprotein B and 1.23 (95% CI, 1.12-3.51) for hsCRP. Lp-PLA2 levels were significantly and independently associated with PAD following adjustment for other inflammatory markers. These findings reflect the potential role of circulating Lp-PLA2 as a marker of atherosclerosis.

Myeloperoxidase and risk of recurrence of atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation.

BACKGROUND: Myeloperoxidase (MPO) has been associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF), but its impact on the recurrence of AF after catheter ablation has not been explored. This study investigated the effect of plasma MPO on recurrence after catheter ablation of paroxysmal AF. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-eight consecutive patients with paroxysmal AF and who underwent circumferential pulmonary vein isolation were prospectively enrolled. After a mean ± SD follow-up of 516 ± 204 (91-910) days, the recurrence rates were 16.9%, 25.7%, 29.7%, and 38.0% from the lowest MPO quartile to the highest MPO quartile, respectively (P = 0.023). After adjustment for age, sex, left atrial diameter, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and pulmonary vein isolation, there was an increased risk of recurrence in the subjects with the highest MPO quartile compared with those with the lowest quartile (hazard ratio, 3.18; 95% confidence interval, 2.12-5.23; P = 0.024). As a continuous variable, MPO was also an independent predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio, 2.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.71-3.27; P = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with high MPO levels were at an increased risk of AF recurrence after catheter ablation.