Tunable CO2-to-syngas conversion via strong electronic coupling in S-scheme ZnGa2O4/g-C3N4 photocatalysts.

The conversion of CO2 into syngas, a mixture of CO and H2, via photocatalytic reduction, is a promising approach towards achieving a sustainable carbon economy. However, the evolution of highly adjustable syngas, particularly without the use of sacrifice reagents or additional cocatalysts, remains a significant challenge. In this study, a step-scheme (S-scheme) 0D ZnGa2O4 nanodots (∼7 nm) rooted g-C3N4 nanosheets (denoted as ZnGa2O4/C3N4) heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized vis a facial in-situ growth strategy for efficient CO2-to-syngas conversion. Both experimental and theoretical studies have demonstrated that the polymeric nature of g-C3N4 and highly distributed ZnGa2O4 nanodots synergistically contribute to a strong interaction between metal oxide and C3N4 support. Furthermore, the desirable S-scheme heterojunction in ZnGa2O4/C3N4 efficiently promotes charge separation, enabling strong photoredox ability. As a result, the S-scheme ZnGa2O4/C3N4 exhibited remarkable activity and selectivity in photochemical conversion of CO2 into syngas, with a syngas production rate of up to 103.3 µ mol g-1 h-1, even in the absence of sacrificial agents and cocatalyst. Impressively, the CO/H2 ratio of syngas can be tunable within a wide range from 1:4 to 2:1. This work exemplifies the effectiveness of a meticulously designed S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for CO2-to-syngas conversion with adjustable composition, thus paving the way for new possibilities in sustainable energy conversion and utilization.

Interfacial engineering of heterostructured Fe-Ni3S2/Ni(OH)2 nanosheets with tailored d-band center for enhanced oxygen evolution catalysis.

Hydrogen production by electrochemical water splitting suffers from high kinetic barriers in the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which limits the overall efficiency. Herein, we report a structural and electronic engineering strategy by integrating self-standing Fe-doped Ni3S2 (denoted by Fe-Ni3S2) nanosheet arrays with Ni(OH)2 subunits to form heterostructured Fe-Ni3S2/Ni(OH)2 on a Ni Foam substrate. The strong electronic interaction between the Fe-Ni3S2 and Ni(OH)2 constituents contributes abundant catalytic sites and ensures high electron transfer. Moreover, the combined experimental and theoretical study revealed that the coupling of Ni(OH)2 onto the Fe-Ni3S2 is favorable for lowering the activation energy of water oxidation for favorable OER kinetics and upshifting the Ni d-band center to facilitate the adsorption of O-containing intermediates. Consequently, the optimized Fe-Ni3S2/Ni(OH)2 hybrid catalyst exhibits excellent OER performance in alkaline electrolytes with an ultralow overpotential of 202 mV at 10 mA cm-2, a small Tafel slope of 50.6 mV dec-1, and long-term durability under high current density (0.25 A cm-2) for up to 60 h without significant deactivation. Moreover, a two-electrode Fe-Ni3S2/Ni(OH)2||Pt/C electrolyzer requires only a low voltage of 1.54 V at 10 mA cm-2 for overall water splitting. This study emphasizes the importance of interface and surface engineering in achieving highly efficient electrocatalysts.

Effects of maslinic acid on cardiac function in ischemia-reperfusion injury rats.

Maslinic acid (MA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid, has been reported to exert broad pharmacological properties. However, it is still unclear whether MA exhibits protective effects against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Herein, we aimed to investigate the effects of MA on I/R injury and its underlying mechanisms. A rat model of I/R injury was established and administrated with MA by intraperitoneal injection. Cardiac function was assessed with a color ultrasound diagnosis system and PowerLab system. The levels of oxidative stress-related and I/R-related biomarkers were evaluated by using commercial kits. Apoptosis-related biomarkers and sirtuin (SIRT)1/AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling proteins were determined by using quantitative reverse transcription PCR and western blotting, respectively. Treatment with MA improved cardiac performance and cardiac hemodynamic parameters in the I/R injury rat model. Besides, treatment with MA (20 mg/kg) ameliorated I/R injury-related biomarkers in serum. Interestingly, treatment with MA (20 mg/kg) also regulated myocardial apoptosis and inhibited oxidative-stress in left ventricular tissue. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that MA upregulated SIRT1 and AMPK phosphorylation in the left ventricular tissue. In summary, MA exerted protective effects against the impairments of cardiac function in I/R injury rats by the regulation of SIRT1/AMPK signaling pathways.

In Situ Transformation of Metal-Organic Frameworks into Hollow Nickel-Cobalt Double Hydroxide Arrays for Efficient Water Oxidation.

Developing earth-abundant electrocatalysts for efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of paramount significance for electrochemical water splitting. Herein, an efficient in situ etching-deposition growth strategy is employed to transform pristine two-dimensional (2D) Co-metal-organic frameworks into hollow Ni/Co double hydroxide arrays (denoted as Ni/Co-DH), which not only yields a larger surface area and exposes more active sites but also decreases the activation energy to the OER. With structural and compositional benefits, the Ni/Co-DH exhibits high performance with an overpotential of 229 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and exceptional long-term stability of over 90 h in 1 M KOH medium for OER, comparable to most non-noble oxygen evolution catalysts reported so far. In addition, a two-electrode Ni/Co-DH∥Pt/C electrolyzer also requires a considerably low voltage of 1.58 V at 10 mA cm-2 for overall water splitting. This study affords a rational strategy to develop water-alkali electrolyzers with great complexity for large-scale water-splitting systems.

Visible-light-responsive Z-scheme system for photocatalytic lignocellulose-to-H2 conversion.

A Z-scheme system was successfully constructed for visible-light-driven photocatalytic H2 production from lignocelluloses, the highest H2 evolution rate of this Z-scheme system is 5.3 and 1.6 µmol h-1 in α-cellulose and poplar wood chip aqueous solutions, respectively, under visible light irradiation.

Different Changing Patterns of Three NOS-NO System Activities after Ischemia-Reperfusion in Rabbit with AMI.

NOS-NO system activity is closely correlated with ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and NOS subtypes were suggested to play different roles in IRI. In this work, the activity of serum NOS, NO levels, and ischemic necrosis after reperfusion in rabbit with AMI at different time was studied. We also explored the NOS-NO system activity changes and its correlation with myocardial ischemia and necrosis. It shows that after reperfusion in rabbits with AMI, NO-NOS system activities present different changes at each time point due to inactivation of NO and iNOS activation, and different experimental animals, ischemia-reperfusion degree, and length of time will also lead to different research results. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct dynamic observation on animals from different species at multi-temporal point under the state of NOS-NO system activities, and simultaneously detect inflammatory factor, MDA, and SOD indexes. Therefore, it is a must to conduct relevant drug research studies to make NOS-NO system activities maintain the level in favor of ideal myocardial ischemia reperfusion.

Construction of hierarchical CoP@Ni2P core-shell nanoarrays for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution in alkaline solution.

Design and synthesis of non-noble electrocatalyst with controlled structure and composition for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are significant for large-scale water electrolysis. Here, an elegant multi-step templating strategy is developed for the fabrication of vertically aligned CoP@Ni2P nanowire-nanosheet architecture on Ni foam. Cobalt-carbonate hydroxides nanowires grown on Ni foam are first synthesized as the self-template. Afterward, a layer of amorphous Ni(OH)2 nanosheets is grown on the Co-based precursors through a chemical bath process, which is then transformed into the hierarchical CoP@Ni2P nanoarrays by a co-phosphatization treatment. Owing to the synergistic effect of the compositions and the advantages of the hierarchical heterostructures, the resulting hybrid electrocatalyst with dense heterointerfaces is revealed as an excellent HER catalyst, with a low overpotential of 101 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm-2, a relatively small Tafel slope of 79 mV dec-1, and favorable long-term stability of at least 20 h in 1 M KOH.

Mutation and clinical relevance in a large cohort of unrelated Chinese patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the genetic basis and phenotypic correlation with disease severity in a large cohort of Chinese patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 179 unrelated Chinese HCM patients admitted to our department from 2002 to 2011 were enrolled in this study. Direct gene sequencing of β-myosin heavy chain (MYH7), myosin binding protein-C ( MYBPC3), and cardiac troponin T (TNNT2) were performed and clinical data were obtained in these patients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 34 mutations were identified in 40 patients (22.3%), 79.4% (27/34) mutations occurred only once and a possible hot spot, A26 in MYH7, was found. Distribution of mutations was 52.9% (18/34) (MYBPC3), 35.3% (12/34) ( MYH7) and 11.8% (4/34) (TNNT2) respectively. Double mutations were identified in 2.2% (4/179) patients. Genotype-positive patients were associated with an earlier symptom onset, severer left ventricular hypertrophy, a higher incidence of syncope, and were more likely to have positive family history of HCM or sudden cardiac death (SCD) , and were more likely to progress into heart failure (24.2% vs. 5.0%, P = 0.002) and at a higher risk of SCD (9.1% vs. 0, P = 0.009) during the 6.5-year follow-up. No statistical difference in any clinical parameters and outcomes was found between patients carrying MYBPC3 and MYH7 mutations. Double mutations were associated with malignant clinical progression in this cohort. Different phenotype severity could be seen in HCM patients with same genotype (e. g. MYH7-1736T, TNNT2-R92W).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MYBPC3 is the most predominant gene mutation in this HCM cohort. The presence of a sarcomere mutation in patients with HCM is associated with poor clinical outcome, although no specific genes or mutations can exactly predict the severity of clinical phenotypes.</p>

Mutation spectrum in a large cohort of unrelated Chinese patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) is a hereditary heterogeneous cardiovascular disorder. Existing data have been of predominantly Caucasian samples, and a large study is needed in Chinese population. The present study was intended to explore the genetic basis and clinical characteristics correlated with different genotypes in a large cohort of Chinese patients. Direct gene sequencing of ß-myosin heavy chain (MYH7), myosin binding protein-C (MYBPC3), and cardiac troponin T (TNNT2) was performed in 136 unrelated Chinese HC patients. Clinical evaluations were conducted. In total, 32 mutations were identified in 36 patients (27%), including 10 novel ones. Distribution of mutations was 56% (MYBPC3), 31% (MYH7), and 13% (TNNT2), respectively. Double mutations were identified in 3% patients. The occurrence of HC-associated sarcomeric mutations was associated with an earlier age of onset, increased left ventricular hypertrophy, a higher incidence of syncope, previous family history, and sudden cardiac death. No statistical difference was identified in patients carrying MYBPC3 and MYH7 mutations with regard to clinical characteristics and outcomes. Patients with double mutations were associated with malignant progression in the study. In conclusion, MYBPC3 is the most predominant gene in HC. Multiple mutations are common in MYH7, MYBPC3, and TNNT2. The present study suggests a large diversity of HC and a prognostic role of genotype.

[Novel MYBPC3 mutations in Chinese patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy].

OBJECTIVE: To screen the MYBPC3 gene mutations in Han Chinese patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). METHODS: Sixty-six patients with HCM were enrolled for the study. The exons in the functional regions of MYBPC3 were amplified with PCR and the products were sequenced. RESULTS: Four novel mutations and four common polymorphisms were identified in this patient cohort. A Lys301fs mutation in exon10 was evidenced in a H30, and when he was 47 years old, he had the chest tightness, shortness of breath with septal hypertrophy of 18.7mm; a Asp463stop mutation in exon17 was detected in a H48, he was 24 years old 24-year-old when a medical examination showed ventricular septal hypertrophy of 15.4 mm; both Gly523Arg mutation in exon18 and Tyr847His mutation in exon26 were found in a H53 with onset age 36 years old, feeling chest tightness after excise and his ventricular septal hypertrophy was 27 mm that time. MYBPC3 mutations occurred in 4.5% patients in this cohort. These mutations were not found in 100 non-HCM control patients. CONCLUSION: MYBPC3 mutation is presented in a small portion of Han Chinese patients with HCM.