Exploring variations in IPC competencies: a cross-sectional study among healthcare professionals in Northwest China.

BACKGROUND: This cross-sectional study investigates infection prevention and control (IPC) competencies among healthcare professionals in northwest China, examining the influence of demographic factors, job titles, education, work experience, and hospital levels. METHODS: Data from 874 respondents across 47 hospitals were collected through surveys assessing 16 major IPC domains. Statistical analyses, including Mann-Whitney tests, were employed to compare competencies across variables. RESULTS: Significant differences were identified based on gender, job titles, education, work experience, and hospital levels. Females demonstrated higher IPC competencies, while senior positions exhibited superior performance. Higher educational attainment and prolonged work experience positively correlated with enhanced competencies. Variances across hospital levels underscored context-specific competencies. CONCLUSION: Demographic factors and professional variables significantly shape IPC competencies. Tailored training, considering gender differences and job roles, is crucial. Higher education and prolonged work experience positively impact proficiency. Context-specific interventions are essential for diverse hospital settings, informing strategies to enhance IPC skills and mitigate healthcare-associated infections effectively.

Asymmetric Cu-N-La Species Enabling Atomic-Level Donor-Acceptor Structure and Favored Reaction Thermodynamics for Selective CO2 Photoreduction to CH4.

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction into ideal hydrocarbon fuels, such as CH4 , is a sluggish kinetic process involving adsorption of multiple intermediates and multi-electron steps. Achieving high CH4 activity and selectivity therefore remains a great challenge, which largely depends on the efficiency of photogenerated charge separation and transfer as well as the intermediate energy levels in CO2 reduction. Herein, we construct La and Cu dual-atom anchored carbon nitride (LaCu/CN), with La-N4 and Cu-N3 coordination bonds connected by Cu-N-La bridges. The asymmetric Cu-N-La species enables the establishment of an atomic-level donor-acceptor structure, which allows the migration of electrons from La atoms to the reactive Cu atom sites. Simultaneously, intermediates during CO2 reduction on LaCu/CN demonstrate thermodynamically more favorable process for CH4 formation based on theoretical calculations. Eventually, LaCu/CN exhibits a high selectivity (91.6 %) for CH4 formation with a yield of 125.8 µmol g-1 , over ten times of that for pristine CN. This work presents a strategy for designing multi-functional dual-atom based photocatalysts.

A Sulfur-Doped Copper Catalyst with Efficient Electrocatalytic Formate Generation during the Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction Reaction.

Catalysts involving post-transition metals have shown almost invincible performance on generating formate in electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR). Conversely, Cu without post-transition metals has struggled to achieve comparable activity. In this study, a sulfur (S)-doped-copper (Cu)-based catalyst is developed, exhibiting excellent performance in formate generation with a maximum Faradaic efficiency of 92 % and a partial current density of 321 mA cm-2 . Ex situ structural elucidations reveal the presence of abundant grain boundaries and high retention of S-S bonds from the covellite phase during CO2 RR. Furthermore, thermodynamic calculations demonstrate that S-S bonds can moderate the binding energies with various intermediates, further improving the activity of the formate pathway. This work is significant in modifying a low-cost catalyst (Cu) with a non-metallic element (S) to achieve comparable performance to mainstream catalysts for formate generation in industrial grade.

Sustainable and High-Rate Electrosynthesis of Nitrogen Fertilizer.

The conventional industrial production of nitrogen-containing fertilizers, such as urea and ammonia, relies heavily on energy-intensive processes, accounting for approximately 3 % of global annual CO2 emissions. Herein, we report a sustainable electrocatalytic approach that realizes direct and selective synthesis of urea and ammonia from co-reduction of CO2 and nitrates under ambient conditions. With the assistance of a copper (Cu)-based salphen organic catalyst, outstanding urea (3.64 mg h-1 mgcat -1 ) and ammonia (9.73 mg h-1 mgcat -1 ) yield rates are achieved, in addition to a remarkable Faradaic efficiency of 57.9±3 % for the former. This work proposes an appealing sustainable route to converting greenhouse gas and waste nitrates by renewable energies into value-added fertilizers.

Fe-N-C Boosts the Stability of Supported Platinum Nanoparticles for Fuel Cells.

The poor durability of Pt-based nanoparticles dispersed on carbon black is the challenge for the application of long-life polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Recent work suggests that Fe- and N-codoped carbon (Fe-N-C) might be a better support than conventional high-surface-area carbon. In this work, we find that the electrochemical surface area retention of Pt/Fe-N-C is much better than that of commercial Pt/C during potential cycling in both acidic and basic media. In situ inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry studies indicate that the Pt dissolution rate of Pt/Fe-N-C is 3 times smaller than that of Pt/C during cycling. Density functional theory calculations further illustrate that the Fe-N-C substrate can provide strong and stable support to the Pt nanoparticles and alleviate the oxide formation by adjusting the electronic structure. The strong metal-substrate interaction, together with a lower metal dissolution rate and highly stable support, may be the reason for the significantly enhanced stability of Pt/Fe-N-C. This finding highlights the importance of carbon support selection to achieve a more durable Pt-based electrocatalyst for fuel cells.

Interleukin 4 is inactivated via selective disulfide-bond reduction by extracellular thioredoxin.

Thioredoxin 1 (TRX), an essential intracellular redox regulator, is also secreted by mammalian cells. Recently, we showed that TRX activates extracellular transglutaminase 2 via reduction of an allosteric disulfide bond. In an effort to identify other extracellular substrates of TRX, macrophages derived from THP-1 cells were treated with NP161, a small-molecule inhibitor of secreted TRX. NP161 enhanced cytokine outputs of alternatively activated macrophages, suggesting that extracellular TRX regulated the activity of interleukin 4 (IL-4) and/or interleukin 13 (IL-13). To test this hypothesis, the C35S mutant of human TRX was shown to form a mixed disulfide bond with recombinant IL-4 but not IL-13. Kinetic analysis revealed a kcat/KM value of 8.1 µM-1⋅min-1 for TRX-mediated recognition of IL-4, which established this cytokine as the most selective partner of extracellular TRX to date. Mass spectrometry identified the C46-C99 bond of IL-4 as the target of TRX, consistent with the essential role of this disulfide bond in IL-4 activity. To demonstrate the physiological relevance of our biochemical findings, recombinant TRX was shown to attenuate IL-4-dependent proliferation of cultured TF-1 erythroleukemia cells and also to inhibit the progression of chronic pancreatitis in an IL-4-driven mouse model of this disease. By establishing that IL-4 is posttranslationally regulated by TRX-promoted reduction of a disulfide bond, our findings highlight a novel regulatory mechanism of the type 2 immune response that is specific to IL-4 over IL-13.

Photocatalytic Hydroacylation of Alkenes by Directly Using Acyl Oximes.

Acyl oximes are directly used as the acyl radical precursors in the hydroacylation reactions for the first time. In this work, acyl radicals can be effectively generated via ß-scission of a phosphoranyl radical under photocatalytic conditions. As a result, the hydroacylation of alkenes triggered by the resulting acyl radicals leads to facile syntheses of a range of valuable ketones.

STING signalling protects against chronic pancreatitis by modulating Th17 response.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is an inflammatory disease with progressive fibrosis leading to exocrine and endocrine dysfunction. Currently, there are no approved effective therapies for CP. Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signalling is a key innate immune sensor of DNA. In this study, we evaluated the role of STING signalling in CP. DESIGN: We used an experimental model of CP to test the effect of STING signalling in STING wild-type and knockout mice as well as bone marrow chimaeras (BMCs). STING was activated using a pharmacological agent. Since we found changes in Th17 cells, we used neutralising and control antibodies to determine the role of IL-17A. The effect of STING signalling was further explored in IL-17A generation and we examined the effect of IL-17A on pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). Human pancreas from patients with CP and without CP were also stained for IL-17A. RESULTS: STING activation decreased CP-associated pancreatic inflammation and fibrosis, whereas absence of STING led to worsening of the disease. BMCs showed that leucocytes play an important role in STING signalling-mediated amelioration of experimental CP. STING deletion was associated with increased Th17 cell infiltration in the pancreas, whereas STING agonist limited this Th17 response. Importantly, anti-IL-17A antibody treatment mitigated the severity of CP in the absence of STING signalling. STING deficiency promoted Th17 polarisation and PSCs express functional IL-17 receptor by upregulating fibrosis genes. Compared with tumour margins, pancreas from patients with CP had significant increase in IL-17A+ cells. CONCLUSION: Unlike acute pancreatitis, STING activation is protective in CP. STING signalling is important in regulating adaptive immune responses by diminishing generation of IL-17A during CP and presents a novel therapeutic target for CP.

STING Signaling Promotes Inflammation in Experimental Acute Pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is characterized by severe inflammation and acinar cell death. Transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173 or STING) is a DNA sensor adaptor protein on immune cells that recognizes cytosolic nucleic acids and transmits signals that activate production of interferons and the innate immune response. We investigated whether leukocyte STING signaling mediates inflammation in mice with AP. METHODS: We induced AP in C57BL/6J mice (control) and C57BL/6J-Tmem173gt/J mice (STING-knockout mice) by injection of cerulein or placement on choline-deficient DL-ethionine supplemented diet. In some mice, STING signaling was induced by administration of a pharmacologic agonist. AP was also induced in C57BL/6J mice with bone marrow transplants from control or STING-knockout mice and in mice with disruption of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (Cgas) gene. Pancreata were collected, analyzed by histology, and acini were isolated and analyzed by flow cytometry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunoblots, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Bone-marrow-derived macrophages were collected from mice and tested for their ability to detect DNA from dying acinar cells in the presence and absence of deoxyribonuclease (DNaseI). RESULTS: STING signaling was activated in pancreata from mice with AP but not mice without AP. STING-knockout mice developed less severe AP (less edema, inflammation, and markers of pancreatic injury) than control mice, whereas mice given a STING agonist developed more severe AP than controls. In immune cells collected from pancreata, STING was expressed predominantly in macrophages. Levels of cGAS were increased in mice with vs without AP, and cGAS-knockout mice had decreased edema, inflammation, and other markers of pancreatic injury upon induction of AP than control mice. Wild-type mice given bone marrow transplants from STING-knockout mice had less pancreatic injury and lower serum levels of lipase and pancreatic trypsin activity following induction of AP than mice given wild-type bone marrow. DNA from dying acinar cells activated STING signaling in macrophages, which was inhibited by addition of DNaseI. CONCLUSIONS: In mice with AP, STING senses acinar cell death (by detecting DNA from dying acinar cells) and activates a signaling pathway that promotes inflammation. Macrophages express STING and activate pancreatic inflammation in AP.

A One-Pot Ring-Opening/Ring-Closure Sequence for the Synthesis of Polycyclic Spirooxindoles.

One-pot ring-opening/ring-closure process of combining methyleneindolinone with 3-aminooxindole has been developed in this work. Novel polycyclic spirooxindoles were efficiently assembled under mild conditions in high yields (up to 95 %) with moderate to good diastereoselectivities (up to >95:5 d.r.) through simple filtration.

Organocatalytic Domino Entry to an Octahydroacridine Scaffold Bearing Three Contiguous Stereocenters.

A facile and enantioselective access to a functionalized octahydroacridine scaffold was developed via an organocatalytic domino sequence between cyclohexenone and 2- N-substituted benzaldehyde. High levels of yields (up to 99%) and enantioselectivities (up to 99:1 er) were readily achieved in this developed organocatalytic transformation, which holds promising applications in the construction of complex multicyclic systems for further pharmacological studies.

Solvent-Minimized, Chromatography-Free, Diastereoselective Synthesis of Oxazolidine-Dispirooxindoles via oxa-1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of 3-Oxindole.

An efficient and diastereoselective decarboxylative oxa-1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between 3-oxindoles and diverse amino acids is developed to access novel oxazolidine-dispirooxindole skeletons bearing vicinal quaternary carbon centers. This protocol features operational simplicity, a broad substrate scope, and good to excellent chemical yields and diastereoselectivities. In particular, minimal solvent (1 mL/10 mmol) and chromatography-free purification render this synthetic process more efficient and environmentally benign in the context of green chemistry.

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Ligands in Cigarette Smoke Induce Production of Interleukin-22 to Promote Pancreatic Fibrosis in Models of Chronic Pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cigarette smoke has been identified as an independent risk factor for chronic pancreatitis (CP). Little is known about the mechanisms by which smoking promotes development of CP. We assessed the effects of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands found in cigarette smoke on immune cell activation in humans and pancreatic fibrosis in animal models of CP. METHODS: We obtained serum samples from patients with CP treated at Stanford University hospital and healthy individuals (controls) and isolated CD4+ T cells. Levels of interleukin-22 (IL22) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and smoking histories were collected. T cells from healthy nonsmokers and smokers were stimulated and incubated with AhR agonists (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or benzo[a]pyrene) or antagonists and analyzed by flow cytometry. Mice were given intraperitoneal injections of caerulein or saline, with or without lipopolysaccharide, to induce CP. Some mice were given intraperitoneal injections of AhR agonists at the start of caerulein injection, with or without an antibody against IL22 (anti-IL22) starting 2 weeks after the first caerulein injection, or recombinant mouse IL22 or vehicle (control) intraperitoneally 4 weeks after the first caerulein injection. Mice were exposed to normal air or cigarette smoke for 6 h/d for 7 weeks and expression of AhR gene targets was measured. Pancreata were collected from all mice and analyzed by histology and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Pancreatic stellate cells and T cells were isolated and studied using immunoblot, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent analyses. RESULTS: Mice given AhR agonists developed more severe pancreatic fibrosis (based on decreased pancreas size, histology, and increased expression of fibrosis-associated genes) than mice not given agonists after caerulein injection. In mice given saline instead of caerulein, AhR ligands did not induce fibrosis. Pancreatic T cells from mice given AhR agonists and caerulein were activated and expressed IL22, but not IL17 or interferon gamma. Human T cells exposed to AhR agonists up-regulated expression of IL22. In mice given anti-IL22, pancreatic fibrosis did not progress, whereas mice given recombinant IL22 had a smaller pancreas and increased fibrosis. Pancreatic stellate cells isolated from mouse and human pancreata expressed the IL22 receptor IL22RA1. Incubation of the pancreatic stellate cells with IL22 induced their expression of the extracellular matrix genes fibronectin 1 and collagen type I α1 chain, but not α2 smooth muscle actin or transforming growth factor-ß. Serum samples from smokers had significantly higher levels of IL22 than those from nonsmokers. CONCLUSIONS: AhR ligands found in cigarette smoke increase the severity of pancreatic fibrosis in mouse models of pancreatitis via up-regulation of IL22. This pathway might be targeted for treatment of CP and serve as a biomarker of disease.

Immunology of pancreatitis and environmental factors.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This report reviews recent aspects of pancreatitis immunology and environmental factors that link to development and progression of disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Limited human and animal model studies have recently attempted to understand immune mechanisms that lead to the pathogenesis of acute and chronic pancreatitis. Based on these studies innate immune responses emerge as critical elements in disease pathogenesis and severity of inflammation. The immune basis for environmental factors such as smoking, which are highly associated with disease progression highlight novel cross talk mechanisms between immune and nonimmune pancreatic cells such as the pancreatic stellate cells. SUMMARY: Better understanding of immune responses and signaling pathways are emerging as important contributors in pancreatitis development and progression. Such mechanisms are likely to offer future targetable therapies that can either halt or reverse disease progression.

Selectfluor-Triggered Tandem Cyclization of o-Hydroxyarylenaminones To Access Difluorinated 2-Amino-Substituted Chromanones.

A practical and straightforward synthetic route through a Selectfluor-triggered tandem cyclization of o-hydroxyarylenaminone was developed to construct a variety of difluorinated 2-amino-substituted chromanones. This novel protocol features mild reaction conditions, operational simplicity, and broad substrate scope. The enamine moiety in o-hydroxyarylenaminone played dual roles to enable high efficiency in the difluorination and intramolecular cyclization, leading to the accomplishment of a new class of difluorinated 2-amino-substituted chromanones for pharmaceutical studies.

Organocatalytic Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman Carbonates with Diethyl 2-Aminomalonate Assisted by In Situ Protection.

With the aid of in situ protection by N-(2-formylphenyl)-4-methyl-benzenesulfonamide, enantioselective allylic alkylation of Morita-Baylis-Hillman carbonates with diethyl 2-aminomalonate was successfully realized. The corresponding adducts can be obtained in up to 99% yield with up to 98% ee as well as excellent regioselectivity. Besides, the adducts with opposite configurations were readily prepared by utilizing easily available and inexpensive quinine or quinidine as organocatalyst. Facile deprotection of the resulting adduct provides straightforward access to enantiopure α-methylene-γ-lactam.

Diversity-driven and facile 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to access dispirooxindole-imidazolidine scaffolds.

A diversity-driven three-component 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of isatins, amino acids and isatin-derived ketimines was developed to facilely assemble dispirooxindole-imidazolidine skeletons bearing vicinal quaternary carbon centers. This protocol features additive-free, minimal solvent usage (0.1 mL DMSO/0.2 mmol scale), wide substrate scope (34 examples), mild reaction conditions (room temperature) and high chemical yield (up to 99%).

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-encoded replication and transcription activator impairs innate immunity via ubiquitin-mediated degradation of myeloid differentiation factor 88.

UNLABELLED: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human gammaherpesvirus with latent and lytic reactivation cycles. The mechanism by which KSHV evades the innate immune system to establish latency has not yet been precisely elucidated. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the first line of defense against viral infections. Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is a key adaptor that interacts with all TLRs except TLR3 to produce inflammatory factors and type I interferons (IFNs), which are central components of innate immunity against microbial infection. Here, we found that KSHV replication and transcription activator (RTA), which is an immediate-early master switch protein of viral cycles, downregulates MyD88 expression at the protein level by degrading MyD88 through the ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome pathway. We identified the interaction between RTA and MyD88 in vitro and in vivo and demonstrated that RTA functions as an E3 ligase to ubiquitinate MyD88. MyD88 also was repressed at the early stage of de novo infection as well as in lytic reactivation. We also found that RTA inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-triggered activation of the TLR4 pathway by reducing IFN production and NF-κB activity. Finally, we showed that MyD88 promoted the production of IFNs and inhibited KSHV LANA-1 gene transcription. Taken together, our results suggest that KSHV RTA facilitates the virus to evade innate immunity through the degradation of MyD88, which might be critical for viral latency control. IMPORTANCE: MyD88 is an adaptor for all TLRs other than TLR3, and it mediates inflammatory factors and IFN production. Our study demonstrated that the KSHV RTA protein functions as an E3 ligase to degrade MyD88 through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and block the transmission of TLRs signals. Moreover, we found that KSHV inhibited MyD88 expression during the early stage of de novo infection as well as in lytic reactivation. These results provide a potential mechanism for the virus to evade innate immunity.

Efficient decomposition of perfluorooctane sulfonate by electrochemical activation of peroxymonosulfate in aqueous solution: Efficacy, reaction mechanism, active sites, and application potential.

The electrochemical oxidation method is a promising technology for the degradation of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). However, the elimination processes of PFOS are still unknown, including the electron transfer pathway, key reactive sites, and degradation mechanism. Here, we fabricated diatomite and cerium (Ce) co-modified Sb2O3 (D-Ce/Sb2O3) anode to realize efficient degradation of PFOS via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. The transferred electron and the generated hydroxyl radical (•OH) can high-effectively decompose PFOS. The electron can be rapidly transferred from the highest occupied molecular orbital of the PFOS to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the PMS via the D-Ce/Sb2O3 driven by a potential energy difference under electrochemical process. The active site of Ce-O in the D-Ce/Sb2O3 can greatly reduce the migration distance of the electron and the •OH, and thus improving the catalytic activity for degrading various organic micropollutants with high stability. In addition, the electrochemical process shows strong resistance and tolerance to the changing pH, inorganic ions, and organic matter. This study offers insights into the electron transfer pathway and PMS activation mechanism in PFOS removal via electrochemical oxidation, paving the way for its potential application in water purification.

Cellulose nanocrystals reinforced highly stretchable thermal-sensitive hydrogel with ultra-high drug loading.

Hydrogels often have poor mechanical properties which limit their application in load-bearing tissues such as muscle and cartilage. In this work, a near-infrared light-triggered stretchable thermal-sensitive hydrogel with ultra-high drug loading was developed by a combination of natural polymeric nanocrystals, a network of synthetic thermo-responsive polymer, and magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The hydrogels comprise cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) decorated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4/CNCs) dispersed homogeneously in poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) networks. The composite hydrogels exhibit an extensibility of 2200%. Drug loading of vancomycin (VCM) reached a high value of 10.18 g g-1 due to the dispersion of Fe3O4/CNCs and the interactions between the CNCs and the PNIPAm network. Importantly, the hydrogels demonstrated a thermo-response triggered by NIR, with the temperature increasing from 26 to 41 °C within 60 s. The hydrogels have high biocompatibility evidenced by cell proliferation tests, illustrating that these hydrogels are promising as dressings for wound closure, and wound healing.