2D Atomic Layers for CO2 Photoreduction.

Artificial photosynthesis can convert carbon dioxide into high value-added chemicals. However, due to the poor charge separation efficiency and CO2 activation ability, the conversion efficiency of photocatalytic CO2 reduction is greatly restricted. Ultrathin 2D photocatalyst emerges as an alternative to realize the higher CO2 reduction performance. In this review, the basic principle of CO2 photoreduction is introduced, and the types, advantages, and advances of 2D photocatalysts are reviewed in detail including metal oxides, metal chalcogenides, bismuth-based materials, MXene, metal-organic framework, and metal-free materials. Subsequently, the tactics for improving the performance of 2D photocatalysts are introduced in detail via the surface atomic configuration and electronic state tuning such as component tuning, crystal facet control, defect engineering, element doping, cocatalyst modification, polarization, and strain engineering. Finally, the concluding remarks and future development of 2D photocatalysts in CO2 reduction are prospected.

General Synthesis of Metal Indium Sulfide Atomic Layers for Photocatalysis.

The metal indium sulfides have attracted extensive research interest in photocatalysis due to regulable atomic configuration and excellent optoelectronic properties. However, the synthesis of metal indium sulfide atomic layers is still challenging since intrinsic non-van-der-Waals layered structures of some components. Here, a surfactant self-assembly growth mechanism is proposed to controllably synthesize metal indium sulfide atomic layers. Eleven types of atomic layers with tunable compositions, thickness, and defect concentrations are successfully achieved namely In2S3, MgIn2S4, CaIn2S4, MnIn2S4, FeIn2S4, ZnIn2S4, Zn2In2S5, Zn4In16S33, CuInS2, CuIn5S8, and CdIn2S4. The typical CaIn2S4 shows a defect-dependence activity for CO2 photoreduction. The designed S vacancies in CaIn2S4 can serve as catalytic centers to activate CO2 molecules via localized electrons for π-back-donation. The engineered S vacancies tune the non-covalent interaction with CO2 and intermediates, manages to tune the free energy, and lower the reaction energy barrier. As a result, the defect-rich CaIn2S4 displays 2.82× improved reduction rate than defect-poor CaIn2S4. Meantime, other components also display promising photocatalytic performance, such as Zn2In2S5 with a H2O2 photosynthesis rate of 292 µmol g-1 h-1 and CuInS2 with N2-NH4 + conversion rate of 54 µmol g-1 h-1. This work paves the way for the multidisciplinary exploration of metal indium sulfide atomic layers with unique photocatalysis properties.

Study on network pharmacology of Ginkgo biloba extract against ischaemic stroke mechanism and establishment of UPLC-MS/MS methods for simultaneous determination of 19 main active components.

INTRODUCTION: Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) is an effective substance from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) G. biloba for treating ischaemic stroke (IS). However, its active ingredients and mechanism of action remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to reveal the potential active component group and possible anti-IS mechanism of GBE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The network pharmacology method was used to reveal the possible anti-IS mechanism of these active ingredients in GBE. An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was established for the simultaneous detection of the active ingredients of GBE. RESULTS: The active components of GBE anti-IS were screened by literature integration. Network pharmacology results showed that the anti-IS effect of GBE is achieved through key active components such as protocatechuic acid, bilobalide, ginkgolide A, and so on. Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that the possible anti-IS mechanism of GBE is regulating the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway and other signal pathways closely related to inflammatory response and apoptosis regulation combined with AKT1, MAPK, TNF, ALB, CASP3, and other protein targets. Nineteen main constituents in seven batches of GBE were successfully analysed using the established UPLC-MS/MS method, and the results showed that the content of protocatechuic acid, gallic acid, ginkgolide A, and so forth was relatively high, which was consistent with network pharmacology results, indicating that these ingredients may be the key active anti-IS ingredients of GBE. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the key active components and the anti-IS mechanism of GBE. It also provided a simple and sensitive method for the quality control of related preparations.

ZMIZ2 promotes the development of triple-receptor negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Triple-receptor negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive breast tumor subtype that generally has a poor prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the role and regulatory mechanisms of Zinc finger MIZ-type containing 2 (ZMIZ2) in relation to TNBC. METHODS: Based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the expression of ZMIZ2 in different subtypes and its correlation with androgen receptor (AR) were analyzed, and a regulatory mechanism network was constructed. The expression and prognostic value of ZMIZ2 in clinical TNBC tissue samples were also investigated. Furthermore, in vitro studies were conducted to investigate the effects of ZMIZ2 knockdown on the malignant behaviors of TNBC cells and target gene expression. RESULTS: Based on TCGA data, ZMIZ2 was found to be significantly upregulated in TNBC tissues and its expression was negatively correlated with AR expression. Key relationships, such as the ZMIZ2-CCL5, ZMIZ2/AR-MCM3, ZMIZ2/AR-E2F4, and the ZMIZ2/AR-DHX38 were identified, which were enriched in NOD-like receptor signaling pathway/toll-like receptor signaling pathway, DNA replication, cell cycle, and spliceosome, respectively. Moreover, ZMIZ2 was upregulated in clinical breast cancer tissues and its high expression was correlated with the poor prognosis of TNBC patients. Furthermore, ZMIZ2 expression was increased in breast cancer cells, and a knockdown of ZMIZ2 inhibited MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, induced cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, and promoted cell apoptosis. Furthermore, ZMIZ2 knockdown inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of CCL5, MCM3, E2F4, and DHX38. CONCLUSION: Our findings reveal that ZMIZ2 is upregulated in TNBC tissues and is associated with its poor prognosis. ZMIZ2 may promote TNBC progression by promoting the expression of its target genes and affecting the corresponding pathways. Consequently, ZMIZ2 may serve as a promising target for future TNBC treatments.

Discriminative Ability for Adverse Outcomes After Hip Fracture Surgery: A Comparison of Three Commonly Used Comorbidity-Based Indices.

INTRODUCTION: Preoperative risk assessment can predict adverse outcomes following hip fracture surgery, helping with decision-making and management strategies. Several risk adjustment models based on coded comorbidities such as Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), modified Elixhauser's Comorbidity Measure (mECM), and modified frailty index (mFI-5) are currently prevalent for orthopedic patients, but there is no consensus regarding which is optimal. The primary purpose was to identify the risk factors of CCI, mECM, and mFI-5, as well as patient characteristics for predicting (1) 1-month, 3-month, 1-year, and 2-year mortality, (2) perioperative complications, and (3) extended length of stay (LOS) following hip fractured surgery. The secondary aim was to compare the best-performing comorbidity index combined with characteristics identified in terms of their discriminative ability for adverse outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 3,379 consecutive patients presenting with intertrochanteric fractures at our Level I trauma center from 2013 to 2018. After eliminated by exclusion criteria, 2,241 patients undergoing hip fracture surgery by PFNA, with age ≥65 years, were included. Three main multivariate logistic regression models were constructed. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios for mortality. A base model included age, BMI, surgical delay, anesthesia type, hemoglobin record at admission, and American Society of Anesthesiologists grade (ASA) also was constructed and assessed. RESULTS: Base model + mECM outperformed other models for the occurrence of major complications including severe complications, cardiac complications, and pulmonary complications [the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), 0.647; 95% CI, 0.616-0.677; AUC, 0.637; 95% CI, 0.610-0.664; AUC, 0.679; 95% CI, 0.642-0.715, respectively], while base model + CCI provided better prediction of minor complications of neurological complications and hematological complications (AUC, 0.659; 95% CI, 0.609, 0.709; AUC, 0.658; 95% CI, 0.635, 0.680). In addition, BMI, surgical delay, anesthesia type, and ASA were found highly relevant to extended LOS. Age-group (with a 10-year interval) was indicated to be mostly associated with all-cause mortality with fully adjusted hazard ratio of 1.35 and 95% CI range 1.20-1.51. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with mFI-5 and CCI, mECM so far may be the best comorbidity index combined with the base model for predicting major complications following hip fracture. The base model already achieved good discrimination for all-cause mortality and extended LOS, further addition of risk adjustment indices led to only 1% increase in the amount of variation explained.

Machine Learning Driven Synthesis of Few-Layered WTe2 with Geometrical Control.

Reducing the lateral scale of two-dimensional (2D) materials to one-dimensional (1D) has attracted substantial research interest not only to achieve competitive electronic applications but also for the exploration of fundamental physical properties. Controllable synthesis of high-quality 1D nanoribbons (NRs) is thus highly desirable and essential for further study. Here, we report the implementation of supervised machine learning (ML) for the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesis of high-quality quasi-1D few-layered WTe2 NRs. Feature importance analysis indicates that H2 gas flow rate has a profound influence on the formation of WTe2, and the source ratio governs the sample morphology. Notably, the growth mechanism of 1T' few-layered WTe2 NRs is further proposed, which provides new insights for the growth of intriguing 2D and 1D tellurides and may inspire the growth strategies for other 1D nanostructures. Our findings suggest the effectiveness and capability of ML in guiding the synthesis of 1D nanostructures, opening up new opportunities for intelligent materials development.

Oxycodone-paracetamol tablet exhibits increased analgesic efficacy for acute postoperative pain, higher satisfaction and comparable safety profiles compared with celecoxib in patients underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.

This randomized, controlled study compared the efficacy and safety between oxycodone-paracetamol tablet and celecoxib for postoperative analgesia in patients who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery (AKS). Totally, 232 patients scheduled to undergo AKS were enrolled and were randomly assigned to either the oxycodone-paracetamol (OPT group) or the celecoxib group (CEL group). Pain at rest/motion (based on pain visual analog scale (VAS) score), rescue analgesia consumption, satisfaction level and adverse events were assessed after AKS. Pain VAS score at rest was decreased at 6 h, 12 h post-AKS in the OPT group compared with the CEL group. Similarly, pain VAS score at motion was reduced at 6 h, 12 h, 24 h post-AKS in the OPT group compared to the CEL group. Furthermore, both rescue analgesia rate (14.7% vs. 33.6%) and accumulated pethidine consumption (3.7 ± 8.9 mg vs. 14.0 ± 21.2 mg) were lower in OPT group compared with the CEL group. Patients satisfaction score was either at 24 h, 48 h in OPT group compared with the CEL group. Further subgroup analyses indicated that the effect of oxycodone-paracetamol versus (vs. celecoxib) on post-AKS management was more apparent in the elderly patients and male patients. In addition, the adverse events were well tolerable (including nausea, constipation, vomiting, drowsiness and dizziness) and were of no different between the two groups. In conclusion, oxycodone-paracetamol tablet presents increased analgesic efficacy for acute postoperative pain, with higher patient satisfaction and comparable safety profiles compared with celecoxib in patients underwent AKS.

Linkage Engineering by Harnessing Supramolecular Interactions to Fabricate 2D Hydrazone-Linked Covalent Organic Framework Platforms toward Advanced Catalysis.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of crystalline porous polymers with tailor-made structures and functionalities. To facilitate their utilization for advanced applications, it is crucial to develop a systematic approach to control the properties of COFs, including the crystallinity, stability, and functionalities. However, such an integrated design is challenging to achieve. Herein, we report supramolecular strategy-based linkage engineering to fabricate a versatile 2D hydrazone-linked COF platform for the coordination of different transition metal ions. Intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding as well as electrostatic interactions in the antiparallel stacking mode were first utilized to obtain two isoreticular COFs, namely COF-DB and COF-DT. On account of suitable nitrogen sites in COF-DB, the further metalation of COF-DB was accomplished upon the complexation with seven divalent transition metal ions M(II) (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pd, and Cd) under mild conditions. The resultant M/COF-DB exhibited extended π-conjugation, improved crystallinity, enhanced stability, and additional functionalities as compared to the parent COF-DB. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of the coordination bonding in M/COF-DB allows for the easy replacement of metal ions through a postsynthetic exchange. In particular, the coordination mode in Pd/COF-DB endows it with excellent catalytic activity and cyclic stability as a heterogeneous catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, outperforming its amorphous counterparts and Pd/COF-DT. This strategy provides an opportunity for the construction of 2D COFs with designable functions and opens an avenue to create COFs as multifunctional systems.

A Tandem 0D/2D/2D NbS2 Quantum Dot/Nb2 O5 Nanosheet/g-C3 N4 Flake System with Spatial Charge-Transfer Cascades for Boosting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

The relatively high recombination rate of charges remains the most critical limiting factor for solar-driven water splitting for hydrogen generation. Herein, a tandem 0D/2D/2D NbS2 quantum dot/Nb2 O5 nanosheet/g-C3 N4 flake (NSNOCN) system is designed. Owing to the unique spatial-arrangement and elaborate morphology of 0D NbS2 , 2D Nb2 O5 , and 2D g-C3 N4 in the newly designed NSNOCN, plenty of spatial charge-transfer cascades from g-C3 N4 to NbS2 via Nb2 O5 are formed to accelerate separation and transfer of charges significantly, thus contributing to a high photocatalytic H2 generation rate of 13.99 mmol h-1 g-1 (an apparent quantum efficiency of 10.8% at 420 nm), up to 107.6 and 43.7 times by contrast with that of g-C3 N4 and Nb2 O5 , respectively. This work can provide a new platform in the design of artificial photocatalytic systems with high charge-transfer efficiency.

An All-Organic D-A System for Visible-Light-Driven Overall Water Splitting.

Direct water splitting over photocatalysts is a prospective strategy to convert solar energy into hydrogen energy. Nevertheless, because of the undesirable electron accumulation at the surface, the overall water-splitting efficiency is seriously restricted by the poor charge separation/transfer ability. Here, an all-organic donor-acceptor (D-A) system through crafting carbon rings units-conjugated tubular graphitic carbon nitride (C-TCN) is proposed. Through a range of characterizations and theoretical calculations, the incorporation of carbon rings units via continuous π-conjugated bond builds a D-A system, which can drive intramolecular charge transfer to realize highly efficient charge separation. More importantly, the tubular structure and the incorporated carbon rings units cause a significant downshift of the valence band, of which the potential is beneficial to the activation for O2 evolution. When serving as photocatalyst for overall water splitting, C-TCN displays considerable performance with H2 and O2 production rates of 204.6 and 100.8 µmol g-1 h-1 , respectively. The corresponding external quantum efficiency reaches 2.6% at 405 nm, and still remains 1.7% at 420 nm. This work demonstrates that the all-organic D-A system conceptualized from organic solar cell can offer promotional effect for overall water splitting by addressing the charge accumulation problem rooted in the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Evaluation of the potential probiotic Bacillus subtilis isolated from two ancient sturgeons on growth performance, serum immunity and disease resistance of Acipenser dabryanus.

In the present study, we aimed to screen the potential probiotic Bacillus subtilis isolated from the gut of healthy fish using in vitro assays and to evaluate its effect on Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) using in vivo feeding experiments. Among the isolates, B. subtilis BSth-5 and BSth-19 exhibited antimicrobial effect against four sturgeon-pathogenic bacteria, including Aeromonas hydrophila, A. veronii, A. media, and Streptococcus iniae. The cell number of B. subtilis BSth-5 and BSth-19 changed little after 2 h of exposure to pH 3.0 or fresh Dabry's sturgeon bile at 2.5% and 5.0%. Meanwhile, B. subtilis BSth-5 and BSth-19 produced extracellular protease, cellulose, and lipase. And it was proved that B. subtilis BSth-5 and BSth-19 were harmless after injection of Dabry's sturgeon. One group of Dabry's sturgeon was fed a control diet and two groups were fed experimental diets containing 2.0 × 108 CFU/g BSth-5 (T1 group) or BSth-19 (T2 group) for 8 weeks. No significant differences in final weight, weight gain rate, and special growth rate were observed in the T1 and T2 groups compared to the control group (P > 0.05), but a significant improvement in survival rate was detected after 4 and 8 weeks of feeding (P < 0.05). After 8 weeks, serum total antioxidant capacity, total superoxide dismutase activity, and IgM levels were significantly higher in the T1 and T2 groups compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, serum lysozyme activity was significantly higher in the T1 group relative to the control group during the whole experiment period (P < 0.05); however, the differences were not significant between the T2 and control groups (P > 0.05). Serum malondialdehyde levels in the T1 and T2 groups were significantly lower than those in the control group after 4 weeks (P < 0.05). Sturgeons in the T1 and T2 groups showed a higher survival rate after Aeromonas hydrophila infection. To summarize, dietary supplementation with BSth-5 and BSth-19 could enhance the survival rate, antioxidant activity, serum immunity, and disease resistance in A. dabryanus.

WITHDRAWN: Minocycline an antimicrobial agent attenuates the mitochondrial dependent cell death and stabilizes the expression of HIF-1α in spinal cord injury.

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Transcriptome analysis of the critically endangered Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) head kidney response to Aeromonas hydrophila.

Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus), as a living fossil, is considered a critically endangered aquatic animal in China. To date, the immune system of this species remains largely unknown, with limited available sequence information. In addition, increasing incidence of bacterial pathogenic diseases has been reported. Hence, the present study aimed to characterize comprehensively transcriptome profile of the head kidney from Dabry's sturgeon infected with Aeromonas hydrophila using Illumina platform. Over 42 million high-quality reads were obtained and de novo assembled into a final set of 195240 unique transcript fragments (unigenes), with an average length of 564 bp. Approximately 41702 unigenes were annotated in the NR NCBI database. Dabry's sturgeon unigenes had the highest number of hits with 14365 (34.45%) to Lepisosteus oculatus. The 195240 unigenes were assigned to three Gene Ontology (GO) categories: biological process, cellular component, and molecular function. Among them, 27770 unigenes were clustered into 26 Eukaryotic Orthologous Group (KOG) functional categories, and 36031 unigenes were mapped to 335 known Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. After A. hydrophila administration, 1728 differentially expressed unigenes were identified, including 980 upregulated and 748 downregulated unigenes. Further KEGG enrichment analysis of these unigenes identified 16 immune-related pathways, including the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway, complement and coagulation pathway, RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. 20 DEGs were selected and their expression patterns are largely consistent with the transcriptome profile analysis, which clearly validated the reliability of the DEGs in transcriptome analysis. This work revealed novel gene expression patterns of Dabry's sturgeon host defense and contributes to a better understanding of the immune system and defense mechanisms of Dabry's sturgeon in response to bacterial infection. The results provide valuable references for studies in sturgeons that lack complete genomic sequences, and could also be helpful for the analyzing evolution among cartilaginous and teleost fish.

Evolution, expression, and characterisation of liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide genes in ancient chondrostean sturgeons.

Liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (leap-2) is an evolutionarily ancient molecule that acts as the key component in vertebrate innate immunity against invading pathogens. Leap-2 has been identified and characterised in several teleosts, but not yet in chondrosteans. Herein, the complete coding sequences of leap-2b and leap-2c were identified from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) isolated from Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) and Chinese sturgeon (A. sinensis), designated as adleap-2b, adleap-2c, asleap-2b, and asleap-2c, respectively. Adleap-2b and adleap-2c sequences share 98% and 100% sequence identity with asleap-2b, and asleap-2c, respectively. Sequence alignment revealed that all four genes contain four cysteine residues, conserved in all fish leap-2 homologs, that form two disulfide bonds. Comparative analysis of the exon-intron structure revealed a three exon/two intron structure for that leap-2 genes in animals, but intron 1 is much longer in sturgeons than in other species. The adleap-2c gene was expressed mainly in the liver of Dabry's sturgeon, and transcription of adleap-2c was significantly up-regulated (p < 0.05) in the liver and midkidney in response to Aeromonas hydrophila challenge. These results suggest adleap-2c may contribute to the defence against pathogenic bacterial invasion. The findings further our understanding of the function of adleap-2c and the molecular mechanism of innate immunity in chondrosteans.

Characterization and expression analysis of g- and c-type lysozymes in Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus).

Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) is mainly distributed in the upper Yangtze River. Although extensively farmed, little information is available on its innate immune system. In this study, we conducted de novo transcriptome assembly of the head kidney to create a comprehensive dataset for A. dabryanus. A total of 51,324,686 high quality reads were obtained from head kidney cDNA library by the Illumina sequencing platform and 131,261 unigenes were determined to contain complete ORFs. The complete coding sequences of g- and c-type lysozymes were identified from unigenes, and designated as ADLysG and ADLysC. Aeromonas hydrophila infection of Dabry's sturgeon caused a significant increase (P < 0.05) in blood for both lysozyme types, confirming their active defensive role against bacterial infections. This research provides the first characterization of these enzymes in an ancestral chondrostean. These data suggest that ADLysG and ADLysC have the potential for immune defense system against bacterial infection.

Biodegradation of alkali lignin by a newly isolated Rhodococcus pyridinivorans CCZU-B16.

Based on the Prussian blue spectrophotometric method, one high-throughput screening strategy for screening lignin-degrading microorganisms was built on 24-well plate at room temperature. One high activity of alkali lignin-degrading strain Rhodococcus pyridinivorans CCZU-B16 was isolated from soil. After the optimization of biodegradation, 30.2% of alkali lignin (4 g/L) was degraded under the nitrogen-limited condition (30/1 of C/N ratio; g/g) at 30 °C for 72 h. It was found that syringyl (S) units and guaiacyl (G) in lignin decreased after biodegradation. Moreover, the accumulated lipid in cells had a fatty acid profile rich in C16 and C18 with four major constituent fatty acids including palmitic acid (C16:0; 22.4%), palmitoleic acid (C16:1; 21.1%), stearic acid (C18:0; 16.2%), and oleic acid (C18:1; 23.1%). In conclusion, Rhodococcus pyridinivorans CCZU-B16 showed high potential application in future.

Double-level bone transport for large post-traumatic tibial bone defects: a single centre experience of sixteen cases.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and functional outcomes of patients with large post-traumatic tibial bone defects managed by double-level bone transport using the Ilizarov technique. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 16 patients of 39.1 years (range, 16.0-65.0 years). The bone defects averaged 10.9 ± 3.8 cm (range: 6.0 cm-20.0 cm) after radical resection and were managed by double-level bone transport. Bone and functional results were evaluated according to the ASAMI criteria. RESULTS: The mean duration of follow-up after frame removal was 29.5 ± 1.8 months (range, 12.0-36.0 months). All patients achieved complete union in both the regenerates and the docking site and eradication of infection. The mean bone transport time was 55.6 ± 23.7 days (range, 30.0-125.0 days). The mean external fixation time was 12.0 ± 3.9 months (range, 5.0-18.0 months), and the mean external fixation index was 1.1 ± 0.3 months/cm (rang, 0.8-2.0 months/cm). The bone results were excellent in ten patients and poor in six patients. The functional results were excellent in 12 patients and good in four patients. CONCLUSION: Double-level bone transport is a safe, reliable, and successful method for large post-traumatic tibial bone defects. Furthermore, this technique can reduce bone transport time, time in frame, and total treatment time in one stage.

Defect-Rich Bi12 O17 Cl2 Nanotubes Self-Accelerating Charge Separation for Boosting Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

Solar-driven reduction of CO2 , which converts inexhaustible solar energy into value-added fuels, has been recognized as a promising sustainable energy conversion technology. However, the overall conversion efficiency is significantly limited by the inefficient charge separation and sluggish interfacial reaction dynamics, which resulted from a lack of sufficient active sites. Herein, Bi12 O17 Cl2 superfine nanotubes with a bilayer thickness of the tube wall are designed to achieve structural distortion for the creation of surface oxygen defects, thus accelerating the carrier migration and facilitating CO2 activation. Without cocatalyst and sacrificing reagent, Bi12 O17 Cl2 nanotubes deliver high selectivity CO evolution rate of 48.6 µmol g-1 h-1 in water (16.8 times than of bulk Bi12 O17 Cl2 ), while maintaining stability even after 12 h of testing. This paves the way to design efficient photocatalysts with collaborative optimizing charge separation and CO2 activation towards CO2 photoreduction.

Adjacent Segment Degeneration Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Versus the Bryan Cervical Disc Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is an established treatment for degenerative disease of the cervical disc, but adjacent segment degeneration or instability may develop long term. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors for adjacent segment degeneration following ACDF compared with the use of the Bryan artificial disc for cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA). MATERIAL AND METHODS A prospective comparative study included 93 patients who underwent ACDF or CDA with the Bryan artificial cervical disc between 2002 and 2004, and who had more than eight years of follow-up. There were 29 cases in the CDA group and 39 cases in ACDF group, with a follow-up rate of 73.12%. Clinical results and imaging data were assessed before and after surgery. RESULTS There was no significant difference between the two groups in radiographic parameters at each follow-up time point. There were 19 cases of adjacent segment degeneration (48.72%) in the ACDF group, and 13 cases of adjacent segment degeneration (44.83%) in the CDA group, with no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). Univariate analysis showed that advanced age (OR 1.271, 95% CI 1.005-1.607), low preoperative overall lordosis (OR 0.858, 95% CI 0.786-0.936) and low preoperative segmental lordosis (OR 1.185, 95% CI 1.086-1.193) were significantly correlated with adjacent segment degeneration. CONCLUSIONS Equally good clinical outcomes were achieved with both the ACDF and the Bryan CDA. Increasing patient age was associated with adjacent segment degeneration in both patient groups.

Carbon Quantum Dots Induced Ultrasmall BiOI Nanosheets with Assembled Hollow Structures for Broad Spectrum Photocatalytic Activity and Mechanism Insight.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) induced ultrasmall BiOI nanosheets with assembled hollow microsphere structures were prepared via ionic liquids 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium iodine ([Bmim]I)-assisted synthesis method at room temperature condition. The composition, structure, morphology, and photoelectrochemical properties were investigated by multiple techniques. The CQDs/BiOI hollow microspheres structure displayed improved photocatalytic activities than pure BiOI for the degradation of three different kinds of pollutants, such as antibacterial agent tetracycline (TC), endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA), and phenol rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light, light above 580 nm, or light above 700 nm irradiation, which showed the broad spectrum photocatalytic activity. The key role of CQDs for the improvement of photocatalytic activity was explored. The introduction of CQDs could induce the formation of ultrasmall BiOI nanosheets with assembled hollow microsphere structure, strengthen the light absorption within full spectrum, increase the specific surface areas and improve the separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Benefiting from the unique structural features, the CQDs/BiOI microspheres exhibited excellent photoactivity. The h(+) was determined to be the main active specie for the photocatalytic degradation by ESR analysis and free radicals trapping experiments. The CQDs can be further employed to induce other nanosheets be smaller. The design of such architecture with CQDs/BiOI hollow microsphere structure can be extended to other photocatalytic systems.