Self-assembled dendrimer polyamide nanofilms with enhanced effective pore area for ion separation.

Membrane technology using well-defined pore structure can achieve high ion purity and recovery. However, fine-tuning the inner pore structure of the separation nanofilm to be uniform and enhance the effective pore area is still challenging. Here, we report dendrimers with different peripheral groups that preferentially self-assemble in aqueous-phase amine solution to facilitate the formation of polyamide nanofilms with a well-defined effective pore range and uniform pore structure. The high permeabilities are maintained by forming asymmetric hollow nanostripe nanofilms, and their well-designed ion effective separation pore ranges show an enhancement, rationalized by molecular simulation. The self-assembled dendrimer polyamide membrane provides Cl-/SO42- selectivity more than 17 times that of its pristine polyamide counterparts, increasing from 167.9 to 2883.0. Furthermore, the designed membranes achieve higher Li purity and Li recovery compared to current state-of-the-art membranes. Such an approach provides a scalable strategy to fine-tune subnanometre structures in ion separation nanofilms.

[Effect of miR-96-5p targeting IRS1 on apoptosis of PC12 cells induced by aluminum maltol].

Objective: To investigate the effect and mechanism of miR-96-5p on apoptosis of PC12 cells induced by maltol aluminum. Methods: In January 2021, PC12 cells at logarithmic growth phase were divided into blank control group and low, medium and high dose group. Cells in each group were treated with 0, 100, 200 and 400 µmol/L maltol aluminum for 24 hours respectively. Cells were collected and cell apoptosis rates were detected by flow cytometry, miR-96-5p and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) mRNA expressions were detected by qRT-PCR, and the protein expression levels of cysteine protease 3 (Caspase3) 、activated cysteine protease 3 (Cleaved-caspase3) 、IRS1、phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) and phosphorylated glucose synthesis kinase 3ß (p-GSK3ß) were detected by western blotting. The target binding relationship between miR-96-5p and IRS1 was detected by double luciferase reporter gene experiment. The miR-96-5p inhibitor cells and negative control cells were constructed after transfecting PC12 cells with miR-96-5p inhibitor for 24 hours. The cells were divided into blank control group, negative control group, aluminum exposure group, aluminum exposure+negative control group, aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition group, and miR-96-5p inhibition group. After transfecting PC12 cells with miR-96-5p inhibition and IRS1 siRNA for 24 h, the cells were divided into aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition+negative control group and aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition+IRS1 inhibition group. The control group was cultured in complete culture medium, and cells in the aluminum exposure group were treated with 200 µmol/L maltol aluminum for 24 hours. Cells in each group were collected and the apoptosis rate, miR-96-5p and IRS1 mRNA expression levels, as well as protein expression levels of Caspase3, Cleaved-caspase3, IRS1, p-AKT, and p-GSK3ß were measured. Results: After 24 hours of exposure, compared with blank control group and low-dose group, the apoptosis rates, relative expressions of Caspase3 and Cleaved-caspase3 proteins, and relative expressions of miR-96-5p in the medium and high-dose groups of PC12 cells were significantly increased, while the relative expression levels of IRS1 mRNA, IRS1, p-AKT and p-GSK3ß proteins were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Targetscan prediction and double luciferase report experiment both proved that IRS1 was a direct target gene of miR-96-5p. In the transfection experiment, compared with the aluminum exposure group, the apoptosis rate, the relative expressions of Caspase3 and Cleaved-caspase3 proteins, the relative expression of miR-96-5p in the aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition group were significantly decreased, while the relative expression levels of IRS1 mRNA and IRS1, p-AKT and p-GSK3ß proteins were significantly increased (P<0.05). In the IRS1 low expression experiment, compared with the aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition+negative control group, the apoptosis rate, the relative expressions of Caspase3 and Cleaved-caspase3 proteins in the aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition+IRS1 inhibition group were significantly increased, while the relative expression levels of IRS1 mRNA and IRS1, p-AKT and p-GSK3ß proteins were significantly decreased (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The increased expression of miR-96-5p and the targeted inhibition of IRS1 may be one of the mechanisms of apoptosis of PC12 cells induced by maltol aluminum exposure.

[Hsp90 participates in the necroptosis of mouse neural cells induced by aluminum through the RIP1/RIP3/MLKL pathway].

Objective: To investigate whether heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) participates in the necroptosis of C57BL/6 mouse neurons and spatial memory impairment induced by Aluminum maltol [Al (mal) (3)] through RIP1/RIP3/MLKL pathway. Methods: In March 2022, Thirty-two C57 mice were randomly divided into control group, Low dose group, a medium dose group, and a high-dose group, with 8 mice in each group, and injected intraperitoneally with physiological saline, 20, 40, and 80, respectivelyµmol/kgAl (mal) (3) was administered, it was injected 5 days a week and discontinued 2 days for 60 days. Morris water maze test was used to test the spatial learning and memory ability of mice. Nissl staining was used to observe the pathological changes of brain tissue. The protein expression levels of RIP1, RIP3, MLKL and HSP90 in hippocampus were determined by Western blotting. Results: In the water maze experiment, compared with the control group, the number of mice crossing the platform decreased in each dose group, the difference was statistically significant (H=9.50, P=0.023), and the number of mice crossing the platform was statistically significant among each dose group (P <0.05). Compared with the control group, the number of hippocampal nerve cells in each dose group decreased, the arrangement was disordered, and the Nissellite bodies decreased. Western blotting results showed that compared with the control group, the expression level of RIP1 protein in the hippocampus of mice in high-dose group was higher, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). The expression levels of RIP3, MLKL and HSP90 in hippocampal tissue of mice in medium and high dose groups were increased, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). After siRNA intervention decreased the expression of HSP90 protein, the expressions of HSP90, RIP1, RIP3 and MLKL in Al (mal) (3) groups were increased, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Through RIP1/RIP3/MLKL pathway, HSP90 is involved in neuronal programmed necrosis and spatial memory impairment induced by maltol aluminum in C57 mice.

Monitoring mild cognitive impairment of workers exposed to occupational aluminium based on quantitative susceptibility mapping.

AIM: To investigate the diagnostic value of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) of aluminium (Al) workers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The basic data of 53 workers in an Al factory were collected and divided into the MCI group and normal control (NC) group by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. All participants were tested for plasma Al concentration and had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The QSM values of many areas of the brain were delineated and measured. Independent two-sample t-tests or non-parametric tests were used to compare the parameter values between the two groups. Spearman's correlation analysis was performed between QSM values, MoCA scores, and plasma Al concentration. The receiver operating characteristic curve and z test were performed to assess diagnostic efficacy and the best parameter. RESULTS: There was no difference in age and educational level. Plasma Al concentration of the MCI group was higher than that of NC group (p=0.057). QSM values of the left hippocampus, left dentate nucleus, right substantia nigra, and left putamen in MCI group were higher than that of NC group (p<0.05), and the left hippocampus had the best diagnostic efficacy. QSM values correlated negatively with MoCA scores. No correlation was found between QSM values and plasma Al concentration (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: QSM might be a neuroimaging marker for the diagnosis of MCI. The left hippocampus showed the best diagnostic efficacy. Plasma Al concentration of the MCI group was higher than that of the NC group. A correlation between QSM and plasma Al concentration was not found.

[Effects of occupational exposure to aluminum on verbal function of workers].

Objective: To explore the effect of occupational aluminum (Al) exposure on workers' overall cognitive level and speech function. Methods: In July 2019, by using cluster sampling method, the group of 232 exposed to Al from an Al plant in Shanxi Province were selected as the exposed group, and the group of 228 not exposed to Al were selected as the control group. The blood Al concentration was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MAS) . The exposed group was divided into high exposure group and low exposure group according to the median (M) concentration of Al in serum. The general cognitive function and speech function were evaluated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) , and the differences in the general cognitive function and speech function between the groups were compared, and non-conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the possible influencing factors of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) . Results: There were significant differences in age, working age, education and drinking status between Al exposed group and control group (P<0.05) . The total MoCA score, animal naming tese (ANT) score and category fluency repetition (CFT) score in Al exposure group were lower than control group and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . The full rate of ANT was lower than that of CFT in Al exposure group (P<0.05) . The total MoCA score, ANT score and CFT score in the high exposure group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05) . The score of MoCA, ANT and CFT in high exposure group were lower than those in low exposure group between the level of serum aluminum>60 µg/L group and ≤60 µg/L group (P<0.05) . Logistic regression analysis showed that working age, serun Al concentration, ANT score, CFT score and SR score were the possible influencing factors of MCI in occupational Al exposure workers (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Occupational Al exposure can lead to impaired speech function of workers, the higher the ANT score, CFT score and SR score, the lower working age and serum Al concentration, the lower risk of MCI.

[Clinical features of epilepsy in children with IRF2BPL gene variation].

Objective: To summarize the genotype and phenotype of epilepsy in patients with interferon regulatory factor 2 binding protein-like (IRF2BPL) gene variants. Methods: Data of 6 epilepsy patients with IRF2BPL gene variants seen from May 2017 to September 2020 in the Department of Pediatrics of Peking University First Hospital were retrospectively collected. The clinical characteristics and genetic test results were analyzed. Results: A total of 6 patients with IRF2BPL gene variants (1 boy and 5 girls) were identified. The age of seizure onset was from 3.5 to 7.0 months. Epileptic spasms were observed in 6 patients, tonic seizures and tonic-spasms were observed in 1 patient and focal seizure was observed in 1 patient. All 6 patients presented with developmental delay, 5 patients presented with hypotonia, and 2 patients presented with dysphagia. Microcephaly,nystagmus,chorea and athetosis were observed in 1 patient. The electroencephalography (EEG) showed slow background activity in 2 patients. Hypsarrhythmia was observed in all 6 patients. Focal epileptic discharges were observed in 2 patients. Epileptic spasms were monitored in all 6 patients. Focal seizure and tonic-spasm were monitored in 2 patients respectively. The brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed cerebral atrophy and dysplasia of the corpus callosum in 1 patient, delayed myelination in 2 patients and normal in 3 patients. Two patients had missense variants c.1280C>T/p.L474F and c.1420C>T/p.S427L, 3 patients had frameshift variants c.232delG/p.V78Sfs*73, c.244del/p.A82Pfs*70 and c.283-308del/p.Ala95Thrfs*29, 1 patient had non-frameshift deletion variant c.1453-c.1455delTTC/p.F485del, and all of the 6 cases had de novo variants. All patients were diagnosed with infantile spasms. The last follow-up age ranged from 1 year to 3.8 years. Four patients achieved seizure-free and 2 patients still had frequent seizures after the treatment with antiepileptic drugs (adrenocorticotropic hormone, topiramate, and vigabatrin). Conclusions: IRF2BPL gene variants are mainly de novo. The age of seizure onset is mainly in infancy, and epilepsy and developmental delay are the main clinical manifestations. Infantile spasm is the main phenotype, some patients have hypotonia and dysphagia. Cerebral atrophy can be observed in a few patients.

[The impact of occupational aluminum exposure on workers' overall cognitive function and various cognitive fields].

Objective: To evaluate the effects of occupational aluminum exposure on workers' overall cognitive function and cognitive fields. Methods: From July to August 2019, using the method of cluster sampling, 101 and 117 workers were selected from the electrolytic aluminum workshop of an aluminum plant in a region and the maintenance workshop of a plant in the same region. The venous blood of the subjects was collected, the plasma was extracted, and the blood aluminum concentration was measured by ICP-MS. According to the blood aluminum concentration and type of work, 93 workers who were lower than the median blood aluminum concentration and in the maintenance workshop of a factory were divided into low aluminum exposure group, and 85 workers who were higher than the median blood aluminum concentration and in the electrolytic aluminum workshop of an aluminum factory were divided into high aluminum exposure group. The basic information of the respondents, was collected through the employee physical examination form. The overall cognitive function of workers was evaluated by Beijing Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) . Multiple linear regression analysis and logistic regression analysis were used for multiple statistical analysis. Results: Compared with the low aluminum exposure group (25.42±1.808) , the total score of MoCA in the high aluminum exposure group (23.84±2.919) was significantly lower, and the scores of visual space, executive function, abstract and delayed recall were significantly lower (P<0.05) . Linear regression analysis showed that the total score of MoCA, visual space and executive function, naming and delayed recall were negatively correlated with blood aluminum concentration (ß=-0.018、-0.008、-0.003、-0.008, P<0.05) .MOCA total score, visual space and executive function, attention, language, abstraction, orientation were positively correlated with educational level (ß=0.853、0.310、0.216、0.171、0.412、0.122, P<0.05) . Logistic regression analysis showed that adjusting for age, smoking, drinking and education, blood aluminum was a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (OR=1.017, P<0.05) ; Education level was the protective factor of mild cognitive impairment (OR=0.419, P<0.05) . Conclusion: Occupational aluminum exposure can affect the overall cognitive function of workers, and occupational aluminum exposure increases the risk of MCI.

Asymmetric polyamide nanofilms with highly ordered nanovoids for water purification.

Tailor-made structure and morphology are critical to the highly permeable and selective polyamide membranes used for water purification. Here we report an asymmetric polyamide nanofilm having a two-layer structure, in which the lower is a spherical polyamide dendrimer porous layer, and the upper is a polyamide dense layer with highly ordered nanovoids structure. The dendrimer porous layer was covalently assembled in situ on the surface of the polysulfone (PSF) support by a diazotization-coupling reaction, and then the asymmetric polyamide nanofilm with highly ordered hollow nanostrips structure was formed by interfacial polymerization (IP) thereon. Tuning the number of the spherical dendrimer porous layers and IP time enabled control of the nanostrips morphology in the polyamide nanofilm. The asymmetric polyamide membrane exhibits a water flux of 3.7-4.3 times that of the traditional monolayer polyamide membrane, showing an improved divalent salt rejection rate (more than 99%), which thus surpasses the upper bound line of the permeability-selectivity performance of the existing various structural polyamide membranes. We estimate that this work might inspire the preparation of highly permeable and selective reverse osmosis (RO), organic solvent nanofiltration (OSNF) and pervaporation (PV) membranes.

Copy number variation in HOXB7 and HOXB8 involves in the formation of beard trait in chickens.

The derived feathering phenotype beard in domestic birds is an ideal resource to investigate the genetic mechanisms controlling feather development and differentiation. In the present study, we performed a GWAS and QTL linkage analysis on the trait of beard in Beijing fatty chicken. One major QTL (1.2-1.9 Mb) was identified that could explain 34% of the phenotypic variation. The copy number variation that was copied from the region (GGA27:3 578 409-3 592 890 bp) containing homebox B7 (HOXB7) and homebox B8 (HOXB8) was validated to be only exhibited in the genome of bearded chickens. Protein-protein interaction analysis indicated that HOXB7 and HOXB8 proteins could highly interact with the HOXB family members, including HOXB4, HOXB5 and HOXB6, whose genomic locations near HOXB7 and HOXB8 suggested that they may regulate their family members to involve in the formation of the beard trait in chickens. Overall, our work provides basic data for understanding the mechanisms regulating beard development and differentiation.

ß-FeOOH self-supporting electrode for efficient electrochemical anodic oxidation process.

In this work, ß-FeOOH was synthesized and grown on carbon paper with the assistance of dopamine (PDA) via a facile hydrothermal method, producing ß-FeOOH self-supporting electrode eventually. Electrochemical anodic oxidation performance to methyl orange (MO) solution using ß-FeOOH anode was investigated and the major influencing factors such as current density, initial pH value and initial MO concentration on MO degradation efficiency were further explored. Experimental results suggested that 99.4% degradation rate of MO could be achieved only after 25 min electrolysis, its pseudo first-order reaction kinetic constant was 11.3 ⅹ 10-2 min-1 and the COD removal ratio was 37.3% after 120 min electrolysis under optimized conditions: current density was 10 mA cm-2, initial pH value was 3 and initial MO concentration was 10 mg L-1. At the same time, ß-FeOOH electrode also exhibited a high cycling stability and the MO removal ratio was still keeping at 84.9% after eight cycles. Moreover, this electrode showed efficient decomposition performance to multiple simulated pollutants, indicating the well potential practical application values of ß-FeOOH electrode. At last, the proposed degradation mechanism of MO was evaluated according to the analyzing results of UV-vis and HPLC-MS to MO solution under different degradation durations.

Ultrathin Film Composite Membranes Fabricated by Novel In Situ Free Interfacial Polymerization for Desalination.

Ultrathin polyamide nanofilms are desirable as the separation layers for the highly permeable thin-film composite (TFC) membranes, and recently, their lowest thickness limits have attracted a lot of attention from researchers. Due to the interference of the underlying substrate, preparing a defect-free, ultrathin polyamide nanofilm directly on top of a membrane substrate remains a great challenge. Herein, we report a novel fabrication technique of TFC membranes, named in situ free interfacial polymerization (IFIP), where the IP reaction occurs at the uniform, free oil-water interface dozens of microns above the substrate, and then the resulting nanofilm spontaneously assembles into the TFC structure without extra manual transfer. This IFIP method not only overcomes the limitations of conventional IP, succeeding in preparing ultrathin-nanofilm composite membranes for nanofiltration and reverse osmosis application, but also enables scale membrane manufacturing that is not feasible via previously reported free-standing IP. Based on the IFIP method, the thickness of the polyamide nanofilm was successfully reduced to ca. 3-4 nm, which we believe is close to the ultrathin limit of the polyamide nanofilm for separation application. Meanwhile, the structure-performance relationship revealed that the strategy of increasing TFC membrane permeance by reducing polyamide layer thickness also had a limit. Besides, the IP mechanisms in regard to the formation of surface morphology and film growth were explored by combining experimental and molecular simulation methods. Overall, this work is expected to push forward the fundamental study and practical application of the ultrathin-film composite membrane.

Fermi-Surface Instability in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor UTe_{2}.

Transport measurements are presented up to fields of 29 T in the recently discovered heavy-fermion superconductor UTe_{2} with magnetic field H applied along the easy magnetization a axis of the body-centered orthorhombic structure. The thermoelectric power varies linearly with temperature above the superconducting transition, T_{SC}=1.5 K, indicating that superconductivity develops in a Fermi liquid regime. As a function of field the thermoelectric power shows successive anomalies which appear at critical values of the magnetic polarization. Remarkably, the lowest magnetic field instability for H∥a occurs for the same critical value of the magnetization (0.4 µ_{B}) than the first order metamagnetic transition at 35 T for field applied along the b axis. It can be clearly identified as a Lifshitz transition. The estimated number of charge carriers at low temperature reveals a metallic ground state distinct from LDA calculations indicating that strong electronic correlations are a major issue.

Association of thyroid cancer risk with plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin D binding protein: a case-control study in China.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association of thyroid cancer (TC) with 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and vitamin D binding protein (DBP) and examine whether there was an interaction between 25(OH)D and DBP in relation to TC risk. METHODS: A matched case-control study based on multiple hospitals included 506 pairs of cases with newly diagnosed TC and controls. All subjects were divided into the quartiles according to the distribution of 25(OH)D and DBP in controls. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of TC with 25(OH)D and DBP were estimated by conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Comparing the highest to lowest quartiles, a decreased TC risk was respectively associated with plasma 25(OH)D (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40-1.00, P-trend = 0.046) and DBP (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.32-0.77, P-trend = 0.001). However, the association between DBP and TC might be modified by 25(OH)D (P-interaction = 0.014) and physical activity (P-interaction = 0.017). Compared to participants with 25(OH)D and DBP concentrations respectively below medians, those with both concentrations above medians had a lower risk of TC (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.39-0.82). In stratified analysis based on clinical characteristics of tumor, significantly negative association between 25(OH)D, and DBP and TC were observed among the cases with early stage of tumor progression. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that 25(OH)D and DBP had protective effects against TC. But the negative association between TC and DBP might be modified by 25(OH)D and physical activity.

[The role of DFO in Al (mal) (3)-induced ferroptosis in PC12 cells].

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of Al (mal) (3)-induced ferroptosis in rat adrenal pheochromocytoma cells (PC12), to explore the effect of deferoxamine (DFO) . Methods: Taken PC12 cells growing at logarithmic phase and divided into 6 groups: control group, 200 µmol/L Al (mal) (3) group, 0.5% DMSO group, 200 µmol/L DFO group, Al (mal) (3)+DMSO group, Al (mal) (3)+DFO group. DMSO and DFO were added to the DMSO group and the Al (mal) (3)+DMSO group, the DFO group and the Al (mal) (3)+DFO group for 2 h, respectively, Al (mal) (3) was then added to the Al (mal) (3) group, Al (mal) (3)+DMSO group, and the Al (mal) (3)+DFO group to a final concentration of 200 µmol/L. The cell viability was detected by CCK8, the morphology and ROS levels of PC12 cells was observed by inverted microscope, the cell proliferation toxicity and intracellular iron ion content were detected by colorimetry, the GSH content and GSH-PX activity were detected by biochemical method. Results: Al (mal) (3) exposure significantly inhibited the growth of PC12 cells and destroyed the cell morphological structure, resulting in increased LDH activity and intracellular iron ion content in PC12 cells, decreased GSH content and GSH-PX activity, increased ROS levels; the combined treatment of Al (mal) (3)+DFO can significantly improve the cell viability of PC12 cells, improved cell morphology, decreased cell LDH activity and intracellular iron ion content (P>0.05), increased GSH content and GSH-PX activity, decreased ROS levels. Conclusion: Al (mal) (3) can induce ferroptosis in PC12 cells, DFO may inhibit ferroptosis by reducing intracellular iron levels and reducing oxidative damage.

Self-made Salmonella Pullorum agglutination antigen development and its potential practical application.

Pullorum disease caused by Salmonella Pullorum is one of the most important infectious diseases in the poultry industry worldwide, which leads to serious economic losses in many developing countries because of its high mortality rate in young chicks. The traditional slide agglutination test with low cost, fast reaction, and on-site detection has been widely used in the diagnosis of Pullorum disease. However, in practice, the test performance is with the disadvantages of false positive results and unstable detection results. In this paper, we developed self-made agglutination antigens prepared by local isolates in the poultry farm and compare the detection performance with commercial agglutination antigens (China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control) and Group D Salmonella ELISA kit (BioChek UK Ltd). The results of detecting 200 serum samples indicated that the consistency of commercial agglutination antigen detecting in 2 times was only 79.5%. Using the ELISA kit as the reference method, the commercial agglutination antigen detecting results of the Kappa test were only moderately consistent (0.58 ∼ 0.59). Meanwhile, positive and total coincidence rates of the self-made agglutination antigen test with more reliable repeat could reach 97.4 and 88%, respectively, and the result of Kappa test was highly consistent (0.75). The Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis clarified that the area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve values of self-made and commercial agglutination antigen tests could reach 0.861 and 0.804, respectively. These results were coincident when detecting known positive serum from the infected chickens. It's worth mentioning that the visible positive reaction of self-made agglutination antigen test appeared faster and stronger than commercial antigen test. In conclusion, self-made Salmonella Pullorum agglutination antigen developed in this study was much better than commercial agglutination antigen and is expected to be a valuable tool in the diagnosis of the epidemiology of Salmonella Pullorum.

Occupational allergy: is there a role for nanoparticles?

All fields of industry are applying nanotechnologies for the development of advanced materials, there¬fore at present the number of workers exposed to nanosized materials are significantly increasing. Unfortunately, protective equipment for nanoparticles (NPs) is of uncertain efficacy so the risk of noxious effects, in particular allergic sensitization, on workers gives many concerns. At the same time, studies of allergic physiopathology demonstrated that the lack of prevention and treatment could result in invalidating dis¬eases that, in case of professional etiology, might imply removal from the job and compensation. Therefore, a deeper knowledge of the role of NPs in inducing allergic diseases is mandatory to implement the risk assessment and preventive measures for nanosafety in the workplace. The possibility that NPs favor, ex¬acerbate or directly induce allergy is being suggested by recent experimental investigations in cellular and animal models. Unfortunately, studies are heterogeneous and few data have received experimental confir¬mation, lacking reproducibility. What comes to attention is the uncertainty about the real plausibility of the observed experimental effects, as there are only a few reported cases of allergy onset or exacerbation for workers exposed to NPs. However, the potential for NPs to induce, favor or exacerbate allergies seems possible even though not completely demonstrated. This should be a greater incentive to carry out appro¬priate epidemiological studies that are lacking and really needed.

In Situ Assembly of a Zeolite Imidazolate Framework Hybrid Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membrane with Enhanced Desalination Performance Induced by Noria-Polyethyleneimine Codeposition.

Zeolite imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) has emerged as an excellent candidate for the preparation of thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes. Nevertheless, it still remains a great challenge to make the effective incorporation of ZIF-8 into the resulting TFN membrane feasible for facile application. Herein, we propose an in situ strategy to fabricate a ZIF-8 nanocrystal hybrid reverse osmosis membrane induced by the ultrafast surface modification of Noria-polyethyleneimine codeposition. By this method, ZIF-8 nanocubes with monodispersity were first formed on a modified support through the step-by-step deposition of precursor solutions. Afterward, a TFN membrane was fabricated by interfacial polymerization (IP) on a ZIF-8 loaded support. Due to the significantly altered IP process induced by the coexistence of Noria and ZIF-8 on the support surface, the TFN membrane depicts a distinct nanostrand-nanoparticle hybrid morphology, which endows the TFN membrane with excellent antifouling ability. Moreover, the permeance of the as-fabricated TFN membrane is up to 3.64 L·m-2·h-1·bar-1, nearly 2.7-fold higher than that of the nascent membrane, while it still maintains a high rejection toward NaCl. The in situ assembly strategy reported here could also pave a promising way for the fabrication of TFN membranes with other nanomaterials in future.

Ultrathin Polyamide Membrane with Decreased Porosity Designed for Outstanding Water-Softening Performance and Superior Antifouling Properties.

Poly(piperazine-amide)-based nanofiltration membranes exhibit a smooth surface and superior antifouling properties but often have lower Ca2+ and Mg2+ rejection due to their larger inner micropore and thus cannot be extensively used in water-softening applications. To decrease the pore size of poly(piperazine-amide) membranes, we designed and synthesized a novel monomer, 1,2,3,4-cyclobutane tetracarboxylic acid chloride (BTC), which possesses a smaller molecular conformation than trimesoyl chloride (TMC). The thickness of the prepared BTC-piperazine (PIP) polyamide nanofilm via interfacial polymerization is as thin as 15 nm, significantly lower than the 50 nm thickness of the TMC-PIP nanofilm. The surface characterization reveals that the BTC-PIP polyamide membrane exhibits an enhanced hydrophilicity, a smooth surface, and a decreased surface-negative charge. The desalination performance (both rejection and water flux) of these membranes in terms of Ca2+ and Mg2+ exceeds that of the current commercial water-softening membranes. In addition, the BTC-PIP polyamide membrane also exhibits superior antifouling properties compared to the TMC-based polyamide membrane. More importantly, molecular simulations show that the BTC-PIP membrane has a lower average pore size than that of the TMC-PIP membrane, which demonstrates an enhanced steric hindrance effect, as confirmed by desalination performance. Our results demonstrate that in the household and industrial water-softening market, BTC-PIP membrane with decreased porosity, enhanced hydrophilicity, and smooth surface is preferred alternative to the conventional TMC-based polyamide membranes.