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2.
iScience ; 27(6): 109966, 2024 Jun 21.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38832014

Ambitious action plans have been launched to address climate change and air pollution. Through coupling the IMED|CGE, GAINS, and IMED|HEL models, this study investigate the impacts of implementing carbon neutrality and clean air policies on the energy-environment-health-economy chain in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei-Henan-Shandong-Shanxi region of China. Results show that Shandong holds the largest reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions toward the 1.5°C target. Shandong, Henan, and Hebei are of particularly prominent pollutant reduction potential. Synergistic effects of carbon reduction on decreasing PM2.5 concentration will increase in the future, specifically in energy-intensive regions. Co-deployment of carbon reduction and end-of-pipe technologies are beneficial to decrease PM2.5-related mortalities and economic loss by 4.7-12.9% in 2050. Provincial carbon reduction cost will be higher than monetary health benefits after 2030, indicating that more zero-carbon technologies should be developed. Our findings provide scientific enlightenment on policymaking toward achieving carbon reduction and pollution mitigation from multiple perspectives.

3.
Chin Med J (Engl) ; 2024 May 09.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38725346

BACKGROUND: Without timely and effective rehabilitation, hearing loss may profoundly affect human life quality. China has a large population of hearing-impaired individuals, which imposes a heavy health burden on society. Moreover, this population is projected to increase rapidly owing to China's aging society. METHODS: We used data from a population-representative epidemiological investigation of hearing loss and ear diseases in four Chinese provinces. We estimated the national prevalence using multiple linear regression of the age-group proportions and prevalence in 31 provinces with clustering analysis. We used years lived with disability (YLDs) to analyze the disease burden and forecasted the prevalence of hearing loss by 2060 in China. RESULTS: An estimated 115 million people had moderate-to-complete hearing loss in 2015 across the 31 provinces of China (8.4% of 1.37 billion people). Of these, 85.7% were older than age 50 years (99 million people) and 2.4% were younger than 20 years old (2.8 million people). Of all YLDs attributable to hearing loss, 68.9% were attributable to moderate-to-complete cases. By 2060, a projected 242 million people in China will have moderate-to-complete hearing loss, a 110.0% increase from 2015. CONCLUSIONS: The hearing loss prevalence in China is high. Population aging and socioeconomic factors substantially affect the prevalence and severity of hearing loss and the disease burden. The prevalence and severity of hearing loss are unevenly distributed across different provinces. Future public health policies should take these trends and regional variations into account.

4.
Behav Sci (Basel) ; 14(5)2024 Apr 29.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38785866

As a booming branch of online retailing, live-streaming e-commerce can present abundant information dimensions and diverse forms of expression. Live-streaming e-commerce has enabled online retailers to interact with customers face-to-face, resulting in widespread instances of emotional and impulse buying behavior. Prior research in live-streaming e-commerce has suggested that live streamers' characteristics, especially the live streamer's face, can affect customers' purchase intentions. The present research used questionnaire surveys and an eye tracking experiment to investigate the impact of live streamer's facial attractiveness on consumer purchase intention for search-based and experience-based products. The questionnaire survey analyzed 309 valid questionnaires and revealed that attractive faces are the key influencing factor driving consumers' impulse purchase intentions. Moreover, consumers' emotional experience plays a partial mediating role in the process of live streamers' faces influencing purchase intention. The eye tracking experiment further explored the mechanism of a live streamer's facial attractiveness on consumers' purchase intentions of search-based products and experience-based products from the perspective of visual attention by analyzing 64 valid sets of data. The results showed that attractive faces attract more consumers' attention and, therefore, increase their purchase intention. Furthermore, there is a significant interaction between product type, the live streamer's facial attractiveness, and consumers' purchase intentions. In the case of unattractive live streamers, consumers are more likely to buy search-based products than experience-based products, while the purchase intention does not vary between search-based products and experience-based products in the case of attractive live streamers. The present study provides evidence for 'beauty premium' in live-streaming e-commerce and sheds light on the design of the match between live streamers and different types of products.

5.
Sci Total Environ ; 937: 173482, 2024 Aug 10.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38795982

Extensive application of rare earth element oxide nanoparticles (REE NPs) has raised a concern over the possible toxic health effects after human exposure. Once entering the body, REE NPs are primarily processed by phagocytes in particular macrophages and undergo biotic phosphate complexation in lysosomal compartment. Such biotransformation affects the target organs and in vivo fate of REE NPs after escaping the lysosomes. However, the immunomodulatory effects of intraphagolysosomal dissolved REE NPs remains insufficient. Here, europium oxide (Eu2O3) NPs were pre-incubated with phagolysosomal simulant fluid (PSF) to mimic the biotransformation of europium oxide (p-Eu2O3) NPs under acid phagolysosome conditions. We investigated the alteration in immune cell components and the hematopoiesis disturbance on adult mice after intravenous administration of Eu2O3 NPs and p-Eu2O3 NPs. Our results indicated that the liver and spleen were the main target organs for Eu2O3 NPs and p-Eu2O3 NPs. Eu2O3 NPs had a much higher accumulative potential in organs than p-Eu2O3 NPs. Eu2O3 NPs induced more alterations in immune cells in the spleen, while p-Eu2O3 NPs caused stronger response in the liver. Regarding hematopoietic disruption, Eu2O3 NPs reduced platelets (PLTs) in peripheral blood, which might be related to the inhibited erythrocyte differentiation in the spleen. By contrast, p-Eu2O3 NPs did not cause significant disturbance in peripheral PLTs. Our study demonstrated that the preincubation with PSF led to a distinct response in the immune system compared to the pristine REE NPs, suggesting that the potentially toxic effects induced by the release of NPs after phagocytosis should not be neglected, especially when evaluating the safety of NPs application in vivo.


Europium , Hematopoiesis , Lysosomes , Metal Nanoparticles , Oxides , Animals , Europium/toxicity , Mice , Lysosomes/drug effects , Lysosomes/metabolism , Oxides/toxicity , Hematopoiesis/drug effects , Metal Nanoparticles/toxicity , Spleen/drug effects , Nanoparticles/toxicity
6.
J Vis Exp ; (207)2024 05 10.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38801272

Gastric cancer is a common heterogeneous tumor. Most patients have advanced gastric cancer at the time of diagnosis and often need chemotherapy. Although 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is widely used for treatment, its therapeutic sensitivity and drug tolerance still need to be determined, which emphasizes the importance of individualized administration. Pharmacogenetics can guide the clinical implementation of individualized treatment. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as a genetic marker, contribute to the selection of appropriate chemotherapy regimens and dosages. Some SNPs are associated with folate metabolism, the therapeutic target of 5-FU. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) rs1801131 and rs1801133, dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) rs1650697 and rs442767, methionine synthase (MTR) rs1805087, gamma-glutamyl hydrolase (GGH) rs11545078 and solute carrier family 19 member 1 (SLC19A1) rs1051298 have been investigated in different kinds of cancers and antifolate antitumor drugs, which have potential forecasting and guiding significance for application of 5-FU. The ion torrent next-generation semiconductor sequencing technology can rapidly detect gastric cancer-related SNPs. Each time a base is extended in a DNA chain, an H+ will be released, causing local pH changes. The ionic sensor detects pH changes and converts chemical signals into digital signals, achieving sequencing by synthesis. This technique has low sample requirement, simple operation, low cost, and fast sequencing speed, which is beneficial for guiding individualized chemotherapy by SNPs.


Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Stomach Neoplasms , Stomach Neoplasms/genetics , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , Humans , Semiconductors , Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods
7.
Acta Trop ; 255: 107234, 2024 Jul.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38688444

Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) plays a crucial role as a vector for mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and zika. Given the limited availability of effective vaccines, the prevention of Aedes-borne diseases mainly relies on extensive efforts in vector surveillance and control. In multiple mosquito control methods, the identification and elimination of potential breeding sites (PBS) for Aedes are recognized as effective methods for population control. Previous studies utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and deep learning to identify PBS have primarily focused on large, regularly-shaped containers. However, there has been a small amount of empirical research into their practical application in the field. We have thus constructed a PBS dataset specifically tailored for Ae. albopictus, including items such as buckets, bowls, bins, aquatic plants, jars, lids, pots, boxes, and sinks that were common in the Yangtze River Basin in China. Then, a YOLO v7 model for identifying these PBS was developed. Finally, we recognized and labeled the area with the highest PBS density, as well as the subarea with the most urgent need for source reduction in the empirical region, by calculating the kernel density value. Based on the above research, we proposed a UAV-AI-based methodological framework to locate the spatial distribution of PBS, and conducted empirical research on Jinhulu New Village, a typical model community. The results revealed that the YOLO v7 model achieved an excellent result on the F1 score and mAP(both above 0.99), with 97% of PBS correctly located. The predicted distribution of different PBS categories in each subarea was completely consistent with true distribution; the five houses with the most PBS were correctly located. The results of the kernel density map indicate the subarea 4 with the highest density of PBS, where PBS needs to be removed or destroyed with immediate effect. These results demonstrate the reliability of the prediction results and the feasibility of the UAV-AI-based methodological framework. It can minimize repetitive labor, enhance efficiency, and provide guidance for the removal and destruction of PBS. The research can shed light on the investigation of mosquito PBS investigation both methodologically and practically.


Aedes , Deep Learning , Mosquito Control , Mosquito Vectors , Animals , Aedes/physiology , Aedes/growth & development , Mosquito Vectors/physiology , China , Mosquito Control/methods , Remote Sensing Technology
8.
Adv Mater ; : e2400808, 2024 Apr 30.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38687819

Platinum (Pt) supported on high surface area carbon has been the most widely used electrocatalyst in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). However, conventional carbon supports are susceptible to corrosion at high potentials, leading to severe degradation of electrochemical performance. In this work, titanium carbonitride embedded in mesoporous carbon nanofibers (m-TiCN NFs) are reported as a promising alternative to address this issue. Benefiting from the interpenetrating conductive pathways inside the one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures and the embedded TiCN nanoparticles (NPs), m-TiCN NFs exhibit excellent stability at high potentials and interact strongly with Pt NPs. Subsequently, m-TiCN NFs-supported Pt NPs deliver remarkably enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and durability, with negligible activity decay and less than 5% loss of electrochemical surface area(ECSA) after 50 000 cycles. Moreover, the fuel cell assembled by this catalyst delivers a maximum power density of 1.22 W cm-2 and merely 3% loss after 30 000 cycles of accelerated durability tests under U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) protocols. The improved ORR activity and durability are attributed to the superior corrosion resistance of the m-TiCN NF support and the strong interaction between Pt and m-TiCN NFs.

9.
Sci Rep ; 14(1): 8884, 2024 Apr 17.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38632323

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output non-orthogonal multiple access (MIMO-NOMA) is proven to be a primary technique for sixth-generation (6G) wireless communication networks. However, the great increase in users and antennas brings challenges for interference suppression and resource allocation for mmWave massive MIMO-NOMA systems. This study proposes a spectrum-efficient and fast convergence deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based resource allocation framework to optimize user grouping and allocation of subchannel and power. First, an enhanced K-means grouping algorithm is proposed to reduce the multi-user interference and accelerate the convergence. Then, a dueling deep Q-network (DQN) structure is proposed to perform subchannel allocation, which further improves the convergence speed. Moreover, a deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG)-based power resource allocation algorithm is designed to avoid the performance loss caused by power quantization and improve the system's achievable sum-rate. The simulation results demonstrate that our proposed scheme outperforms other neural network-based algorithms in terms of convergence performance, and can achieve higher system capacity compared with the greedy algorithm, the random algorithm, the RNN algorithm, and the DoubleDQN algorithm.

10.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf ; 274: 116231, 2024 Apr 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38503102

Deposition of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils due to different types of mining activities has been an increasingly important concern worldwide. Quantitative differences of soil PTEs contamination and related health risk among typical mines remain unclear. Herein, data from 110 coal mines and 168 metal mines across China were analyzed based on 265 published literatures to evaluate pollution characteristics, spatial distribution, and probabilistic health risks of soil PTEs. The results showed that PTE levels in soil from both mine types significantly exceeded background values. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) revealed metal-mine soil pollution levels exceeded those of coal mines, with average Igeo values for Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cu, and Zn being 3.02-15.60 times higher. Spearman correlation and redundancy analysis identified natural and anthropogenic factors affecting soil PTE contamination in both mine types. Mining activities posed a significant carcinogenic risk, with metal-mine soils showing a total carcinogenic risk an order of magnitude higher than in coal-mine soils. This study provides policymakers a quantitative foundation for developing differentiated strategies for sustainable remediation and risk-based management of PTEs in typical mining soils.


Metals, Heavy , Soil Pollutants , Metals, Heavy/analysis , Coal/analysis , Environmental Monitoring/methods , Environmental Pollution/analysis , Soil , Risk Assessment/methods , China , Soil Pollutants/analysis , Cadmium/analysis
11.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int ; 31(19): 27730-27748, 2024 Apr.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38517627

Based on the spatially correlated effects of air pollution on regional innovation, theoretical hypotheses are proposed, and this paper employs a spatial Durbin model to conduct empirical tests using panel data from 267 Chinese cities from 2003 to 2019, and investigates the mediating effect of human capital. Research has shown that (1) air pollution significantly reduces regional innovation output and has a negative spatial spillover effect significantly in the short term; (2) in the process of regional innovation impacted by air pollution, human capital acts as a mediator role; and (3) analysis of heterogeneity reveals that, from the regional perspective, air pollution has significantly damaged regional innovation in eastern and middle cities, but not significantly influences western cities, and in terms of innovation types, there is a stronger detrimental effect on invention patents exerted by air pollution compared to non-innovation patents. The study's findings provide theoretical and empirical evidence to strengthen environmental governance, enhance regional innovation and promote the coordinated development of regional innovation.


Air Pollution , Cities , China , Humans , Environmental Monitoring
12.
Sensors (Basel) ; 24(4)2024 Feb 11.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38400350

Most automated vehicles (AVs) are equipped with abundant sensors, which enable AVs to improve ride comfort by sensing road elevation, such as speed bumps. This paper proposes a method for estimating the road impulse features ahead of vehicles in urban environments with microelectromechanical system (MEMS) light detection and ranging (LiDAR). The proposed method deploys a real-time estimation of the vehicle pose to solve the problem of sparse sampling of the LiDAR. Considering the LiDAR error model, the proposed method builds the grid height measurement model by maximum likelihood estimation. Moreover, it incorporates height measurements with the LiDAR error model by the Kalman filter and introduces motion uncertainty to form an elevation weight method by confidence eclipse. In addition, a gate strategy based on the Mahalanobis distance is integrated to handle the sharp changes in elevation. The proposed method is tested in the urban environment. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.

13.
Exp Mol Med ; 56(2): 441-452, 2024 Feb.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38383581

Helicobacter pylori, particularly cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA)-positive strains, plays a key role in the progression of gastric cancer (GC). Ferroptosis, associated with lethal lipid peroxidation, has emerged to play an important role in malignant and infectious diseases, but the role of CagA in ferroptosis in cancer cells has not been determined. Here, we report that CagA confers GC cells sensitivity to ferroptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, CagA promotes the synthesis of polyunsaturated ether phospholipids (PUFA-ePLs), which is mediated by increased expression of alkylglycerone phosphate synthase (AGPS) and 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase 3 (AGPAT3), leading to susceptibility to ferroptosis. This susceptibility is mediated by activation of the MEK/ERK/SRF pathway. SRF is a crucial transcription factor that increases AGPS transcription by binding to the AGPS promoter region. Moreover, the results demonstrated that CagA-positive cells are more sensitive to apatinib than are CagA-negative cells, suggesting that detecting the H. pylori CagA status may aid patient stratification for treatment with apatinib.


Ferroptosis , Helicobacter pylori , Stomach Neoplasms , Humans , Cytotoxins , Phospholipid Ethers
14.
Adv Mater ; 36(11): e2307661, 2024 Mar.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37994613

Pt-based fuel cell catalysts with excellent activity and stability for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have been developed through strain regulation in recent years. Herein, this work demonstrates that symmetry-induced strain regulation of Pt surface of PtGa intermetallic compounds can greatly enhance the catalytic performance of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). With the strain environment varies derived from the lattice mismatch of analogous PtGa core but different symmetry, the Pt surface of the PtGa alloy and the Pt3 Ga (Pm 3 ¯ $\bar{3}$ m) precisely realize 0.58% and 2.7% compressive strain compared to the Pt3 Ga (P4/mmm). Experimental and theoretical results reveal that when the compressive stress of the Pt lattice increases, the desorption process of O* intermediates becomes accelerated, which is conducive to oxygen reduction. The Pt3 Ga (Pm 3 ¯ $\bar{3}$ m) with high symmetry and compressive Pt surface exhibit the highest mass and specific activities of 2.18 A mgPt -1 and 5.36 mA cm-2 , respectively, which are more than one order of magnitude higher than those of commercial Pt/C catalysts. This work demonstrates that material symmetry can be used to precisely modulate Pt surface stress to enhance the ORR, as well as provide a distinct platform to investigate the relationship between Pt compressibility and catalytic activity.

15.
Adv Sci (Weinh) ; 11(1): e2305110, 2024 Jan.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37986658

Traditional synthesis methods of platinum-rare earth metal (Pt-RE) alloys usually involve harsh conditions and high energy consumption because of the low standard reduction potentials and high oxophilicity of RE metals. In this work, a one-step strategy is developed by rapid Joule thermal-shock (RJTS) to synthesize Pt-RE alloys within tens of seconds. The method can not only realize the regulation of alloy size, but also a universal method for the preparation of a family of Pt-RE alloys (RE = Ce, La, Gd, Sm, Tb, Y). In addition, the energy consumption of the Pt-RE alloy preparation is only 0.052 kW h, which is 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than other reported methods. This method allows individual Pt-RE alloy to be embedded in the carbon substrate, endowing the alloy catalyst excellent durability for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The performance of alloy catalyst shows negligible decay after 20k accelerated durability testing (ADT) cycles. This strategy offers a new route to synthesize noble/non-noble metal alloys with diversified applications besides ORR.

16.
PNAS Nexus ; 2(12): pgad397, 2023 Dec.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38047040

The impact of industrial chemical components of ambient fine particles (e.g. PM2.5) on cardiovascular health has been poorly explored. Our study reports for the first time the associations between human exposure to complex plastic additive (PA) components of PM2.5 and prolongation of heart rate-corrected QT (QTC) interval by employing a screening-to-validation strategy based on a cohort of 373 participants (136 in the screening set and 237 in the validation set) recruited from 7 communities across China. The high-throughput airborne exposome framework revealed ubiquitous occurrences of 95 of 224 target PAs in PM2.5, totaling from 66.3 to 555 ng m-3 across the study locations. Joint effects were identified for 9 of the 13 groups of PAs with positive associations with QTC interval. Independent effect analysis also identified and validated tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate, di-n-butyl/diisobutyl adipate, and 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde as the key exposure markers for QTC interval prolongation and changes of selected cardiovascular biomarkers. Our findings highlight the important contributions of airborne industrial chemicals to the risks of cardiovascular diseases and underline the critical need for further research on the underlying mechanisms, toxic modes of action, and human exposure risks.

17.
MedComm (2020) ; 4(6): e435, 2023 Dec.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38077249

The objective of this multicenter, single-arm trial (ChiCTR1900022293) was to explore the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant therapy with epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, and pyrotinib followed by docetaxel, trastuzumab, and pyrotinib (ECPy-THPy) in the treatment of patients with stage II-III HER2-positive breast cancer. The present study enrolled patients with stage II-III HER2-positive breast cancer. Epirubicin and cyclophosphamide were administrated for four 21-day cycles, followed by four cycles of docetaxel and trastuzumab. Pyrotinib was taken orally once per day throughout the treatment period. The primary endpoint was total pathological complete response (tpCR, ypT0/is ypN0) rate in the modified intention-to-treat (mITT) population. In total, 175 patients were included. The tpCR rate was 68.6% (95% CI, 60.7-75.8%), while the objective response rate was 89.1%. In the post-hoc subgroup analysis, no association between clinical characteristics and the tpCR rate was observed. The most common grade ≥3 adverse events were diarrhea (54.3%), followed by white blood cell count decreased (5.1%), and neutrophil count decreased (4.6%). In conclusion, the neoadjuvant regimen with ECPy-THPy showed promising pathological response and clinical benefits with an acceptable safety profile in patients with stage II-III HER2-positive breast cancer.

18.
FEMS Microbiol Lett ; 3702023 01 17.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37960899

Probiotics have been demonstrated to lower total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in individuals with mild hypercholesterolemia. Our previous study found that intervention with Bacillus subtilis R-179 and Enterococcus faecium R-026, well-known probiotics, improved obesity-associated dyslipidemia through ameliorating the gut microbiota, but similar studies on hypercholesterolemia have not been reported to date. Here, we investigated the therapeutic effect of live combined B. subtilis R-179 and E. faecium R-026 (LCBE) in a C57BL/6 mouse model of hypercholesterolemia. A total of 40 mice were administered with a high-cholesterol diet (containing 1.2% cholesterol) to establish a state of hypercholesterolemia for 4 weeks. Then, mice were divided into one model group (group M) and three treatment groups (n = 10 per group), which were administered with LCBE at 0.023 g/mouse/day (group L) or 0.230 g/mouse/day (group H), or atorvastatin 0.010 g/kg/day (group A), for 5 weeks while on a high-cholesterol diet. LCBE at high doses significantly alleviated the symptoms of group M and reduced serum TC, LDL-C, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LCBE improved liver steatosis and adipocyte enlargement caused by a high-cholesterol diet. In addition, the administration of LCBE regulated the change in gut microbiota and diversity (Shannon index). Compared with group M, the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota, Colidextribacter, and Dubosiella dramatically decreased in the treatment groups, which were positively correlated with serum TC and LPS. These findings indicated that the mechanism of action of LCBE in treating hypercholesterolemia may be modulation of the gut microbiota. In conclusion, LCBE ameliorated lipid accumulation, reduced inflammation, and alleviated the gut microbiota imbalance in hypercholesterolemic mice. These findings support the probiotic role of LCBE as a clinical candidate for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.


Enterococcus faecium , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Hypercholesterolemia , Probiotics , Mice , Animals , Bacillus subtilis , Cholesterol, LDL/pharmacology , Cholesterol, LDL/therapeutic use , Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Cholesterol , Probiotics/pharmacology
19.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl ; 62(47): e202308070, 2023 Nov 20.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37779100

Nitrogen-coordinated iron (Fe-N4 ) materials represent the most promising non-noble electrocatalysts for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of fuel cells. However, molecular-level structure design of Fe-N4 electrocatalyst remains a great challenge. In this study, we develop a novel Fe-N4 conjugated organic polymer (COP) electrocatalyst, which allows for precise design of the Fe-N4 structure, leading to unprecedented ORR performance. At the molecular level, we have successfully organized spatially proximate iron-pyrrole/pyrazine (FePr/Pz) pairs into fully conjugated polymer networks, which in turn endows FePr sites with firmly covalent-bonded matrix, strong d-π electron coupling and highly dense distribution. The resulting pyrazine-linked iron-coordinated tetrapyrrole (Pz-FeTPr) COP electrocatalyst exhibits superior performance compared to most ORR electrocatalysts, with a half-wave potential of 0.933 V and negligible activity decay after 40,000 cycles. When used as the cathode electrocatalyst in a hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cell, the Pz-FeTPr COP achieves a peak power density of ≈210 mW cm-2 . We anticipate the COP based Fe-N4 catalyst design could be an effective strategy to develop high-performance catalyst for facilitating the progress of fuel cells.

20.
Int J Biol Sci ; 19(14): 4689-4708, 2023.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37781040

Nucleolar and spindle-associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) is a microtubule-associated protein that plays a crucial role in mitosis. Despite initial reports suggesting a potential involvement of NUSAP1 in tumor progression and malignant cell regulation, there has been no systematic analysis of its role in the tumor immune microenvironment, nor its predictive value for prognosis and immunotherapy response across different cancer types. In this study, we analyze NUSAP1 mRNA and protein expression levels in various human normal and tumor tissues, using data from TCGA, GTEx, CPTAC, HPA databases, and clinical samples. Our findings reveal that NUSAP1 is highly expressed in multiple tumor tissues across most cancer types and is primarily expressed in malignant and immune cells, according to single-cell sequencing data from the TISCH database. Prognostic analysis based on curated survival data from the TCGA database indicates that NUSAP1 expression levels can predict clinical outcomes for 26 cancer types. Furthermore, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) suggests that NUSAP1 promotes cell proliferation, tumor cell invasion, and regulation of anti-tumor response. Analysis of immune score, immune cell infiltration, and anti-cancer immunity cycle using ESTIMATE, TIMER, and TIP databases show that high NUSAP1 levels are associated with low CD4+T and NKT cell infiltration but high Th2 and MDSC infiltration, inversely correlated with antigen-presenting molecules and positively correlated with a variety of immune negative regulatory molecules. Notably, patients with melanoma, lung, and kidney cancer with high NUSAP1 expression levels have shorter survival times and lower immunotherapy response rates. Using Cmap analysis, we identify Entinostat and AACOCF3 as potential inhibitors of NUSAP1-mediated pro-oncogenic effects. In vitro and in vivo experiments further confirm that NUSAP1 knockdown significantly reduces the proliferation ability of A549 and MCF-7 cells. Overall, our study highlights the potential of NUSAP1 expression as a novel biomarker for predicting prognosis and immuno-therapeutic efficacy across different human cancers and suggests its potential for developing novel antitumor drugs or improving immunotherapy.


Kidney Neoplasms , Microtubule-Associated Proteins , Humans , Cell Line, Tumor , Microtubule-Associated Proteins/metabolism , Cell Proliferation/genetics , Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics , Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Immunotherapy , Tumor Microenvironment/genetics
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