Effect of combined exposure to phthalates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during early pregnancy on gestational age and neonatal size: A prospective cohort study.

Many studies have indicated that individual exposure to phthalates (PAEs) or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) affects pregnancy outcomes. However, combined exposure to PAEs and PAHs presents a more realistic situation, and research on the combined effects of PAEs and PAHs on gestational age and newborn size is still limited. This study aimed to assess the effects of combined exposure to PAEs and PAHs on neonatal gestational age and birth size. Levels of 9 PAE and 10 PAH metabolites were measured from the urine samples of 1030 women during early pregnancy from the Zunyi Birth Cohort in China. Various statistical models, including linear regression, restricted cubic spline, Bayesian kernel machine regression, and quantile g-computation, were used to study the individual effects, dose-response relationships, and combined effects, respectively. The results of this prospective study revealed that each ten-fold increase in the concentration of monoethyl phthalate (MEP), 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-OHNap), 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (2-OHPhe), and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPyr) decreased gestational age by 1.033 days (95 % CI: -1.748, -0.319), 0.647 days (95 % CI: -1.076, -0.219), 0.845 days (95 % CI: -1.430, -0.260), and 0.888 days (95 % CI: -1.398, -0.378), respectively. Moreover, when the concentrations of MEP, 2-OHNap, 2-OHPhe, and 1-OHPyr exceeded 0.528, 0.039, 0.012, and 0.002 µg/g Cr, respectively, gestational age decreased in a dose-response manner. Upon analyzing the selected PAE and PAH metabolites as a mixture, we found that they were significantly negatively associated with gestational age, birth weight, and the ponderal index, with 1-OHPyr being the most important contributor. These findings highlight the adverse effects of single and combined exposure to PAEs and PAHs on gestational age. Therefore, future longitudinal cohort studies with larger sample sizes should be conducted across different geographic regions and ethnic groups to confirm the impact of combined exposure to PAEs and PAHs on birth outcomes.

Association of urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites with gestational diabetes mellitus and gestational hypertension among pregnant women in Southwest China: A cross-sectional study.

The association of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and gestational hypertension during pregnancy has not yet been established. To investigate the association between PAH exposure and GDM and gestational hypertension, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 4206 pregnant women from the Zunyi birth cohort in southwestern China. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to detect the urinary levels of 10 monohydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs). GDM and gestational hypertension were diagnosed and the relevant information was documented by specialist obstetricians and gynecologists. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline regression were employed to investigate their single and nonlinear associations. Stratified analyses of pregnancy and body mass index data were conducted to determine their moderating effects on the abovementioned associations. Compared with the first quartile of urinary ∑OH-PAHs, the third or fourth quartile in all study participants was associated with an increased risk of GDM (quartile 3: odds ratio [OR] = 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-1.77) and gestational hypertension (quartile 3: OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.26-2.81; quartile 4: OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.04-2.39), respectively. Nonlinear associations of 1-OH-PYR with GDM (cutoff level: 0.02 µg/g creatinine [Cr]) and 1-OH-PHE with gestational hypertension (cutoff level: 0.06 µg/g Cr) were also observed. In pregnant women with overweight or obesity, 1-OH-PHE and 3-OH-PHE were more strongly associated with gestational hypertension. Our results indicate that exposure to PAH during pregnancy may significantly increase the maternal risks of GDM and gestational hypertension; however, this finding still needs to be confirmed through larger-scale prospective studies and biological evidence.

Synthesis and properties of EPDM-based oil-absorptive gels with different types of EPDM and styrene derivatives.

A series of oil gels based on different types of ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) and styrene derivatives crosslinked with divinylbenzene (DVB) were synthesized by suspension polymerization. Effects of EPDM types and styrene derivatives on gel fraction, swelling ratio (q), solubility parameter (δ), average molecular weight between cross-links (M c), and oil absorption and oil retention of EPDM-based oil-absorptive gels were studied. Characterization of EPDM-based oil-absorptive gels with different styrene derivatives was performed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and oil absorbency tests. The results showed that the double bond of the EPDM side chains was crosslinked with 4-tert-butyl styrene (t-BS), α-methyl styrene (α-MSt), styrene (St) or 4-methyl styrene (4-MSt) to form a three-dimensional network structure, respectively. Compared with the other three EPDM-based oil-absorptive gels, t-BS-EPDM-DVB (ESSB) has the best oil absorption and oil retention, which is mainly due to the fact that the substituent of t-BS is much larger than those of St, 4-MSt and α-MSt. The maximum oil absorption of the ESSB in chloroform was 23 g g-1. This investigation clearly distinguishes the influence of the synthetic raw materials of the EPDM-based oil-absorptive gels on their properties under study, which helps to optimize EPDM-based oil-absorptive materials according to actual applications.

Study on TEMPO-Mediated Oxidation of N-Succinyl Chitosan and the Water Retention Property.

C-6 oxidized chitosan is of great interest in obtaining a new moisture retention polymer like hyaluronic acid. The direct C-6 specific oxidation of chitosan mediated by the TEMPO/NaClO/NaBr system has proven to be difficult because of the high crystalline and high C-2 amino group content. In this work, the pre-modification of chitosan by N-succinylation was investigated and followed by the TEMPO-mediated C-6 specific oxidation under homogeneous conditions. The desired 6-oxidized N-succinyl chitosan product was obtained within 15 min with a yield of about 92%. The structure of these chitosan derivatives was confirmed by FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. Moreover, it was observed that the selective oxidation led to a great improvement in water solubility and moisture retention ability. These results present a wide range of possibilities for expanding the utilization of chitosan resources.

Toward High-Performance Electron/Hole-Transporting-Layer-Free, Self-Powered CsPbIBr2 Photodetectors via Interfacial Engineering.

Self-powered photodetectors (PDs) with inorganic lead halide perovskites hold multiple traits of high sensitivity, fast response, independence from external power supply, and excellent sustainability and stability, thus holding a great promise for practical applications. However, they generally contain high-temperature-processed electron-transporting layers (ETLs) and high-cost, unstable hole-transporting layers (HTLs) coupled with noble metal electrodes, which bring significant obstacles of production cost and stability for their potential commercialization. Herein, we demonstrate the building of high-performance HTL/ETL-free, self-powered CsPbIBr2 PD with simplified architecture of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)/CsPbIBr2/carbon upon interfacial modification by polyethyleneimine (PEI). The optimized PD yields a dark current of 2.03 × 10-9 A, peak responsivity (R) of 0.32 A/W, maximum specific detectivity (D*) of 3.74 × 1012 Jones, and response time of 1.21 µs. These figures of merit are far beyond those of the one prepared without PEI modification and even the PD containing TiO2 ETL. Hence, our work suggests a highly feasible route to develop self-powered PDs with significantly simplified fabrication and a reduced production cost.

Rheological behaviours of guar gum derivatives with hydrophobic unsaturated long-chains.

Three guar gum derivatives with hydrophobic unsaturated long-chains were successfully synthesized, including oleic guar gum (OGG), linoleic guar gum (LGG) and erucic guar gum (EGG). The guar gum derivatives were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Moreover, comparative studies on the rheological behaviours of guar gum (GG) and three guar gum derivatives were performed. Regardless of their hydrophobic side groups, all sample solutions showed the properties of non-Newtonian shear-thinning fluids, and their complex viscosities (η*) increased significantly with increasing concentration. In contrast to GG, OGG or EGG, LGG exhibited the strongest shear-thinning property when the concentration is 1 wt%. It was found that the frequency-dependent viscous (G'') and elastic modulus (G') curves of GG and its derivatives aqueous solutions cross at a specific frequency. This crossover frequency decreases with increasing sample concentration, indicating that the viscoelasticity is highly dependent on polymer concentration. In addition, when the molar substitution (MS) of the repeating sugar units in the guar gum derivatives is less than 0.08, the LGG solution showed more obvious solid-like rheological properties than the OGG and EGG solutions at the same concentration.

A Novel pH- and Salt-Responsive N-Succinyl-Chitosan Hydrogel via a One-Step Hydrothermal Process.

In this study, we synthesized a series of pH-sensitive and salt-sensitive N-succinyl-chitosan hydrogels with N-succinyl-chitosan (NSCS) and the crosslinker glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) via a one-step hydrothermal process. The structure and morphology analysis of the NSCS and glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane-N-succinyl chitosan hydrogel (GNCH) revealed the close relation between the swelling behavior of hydrogels and the content of crosslinker GPTMS. The high GPTMS content could weaken the swelling capacity of hydrogels and improve their mechanical properties. The hydrogels show high pH sensitivity and reversibility in the range of pH 1.0 to 9.0, and exhibit on-off switching behavior between acidic and alkaline environments. In addition, the hydrogels perform smart swelling behaviors in NaCl, CaCl2, and FeCl3 solutions. These hydrogels may have great potential in medical applications.

Homogeneous synthesis of hydroxypropyl guar gum in an ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride.

With potassium hydroxide (KOH) as catalyst, hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPG) was successfully prepared under homogenous conditions in an ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BmimCl). The value of degree of molar substitution (MS) of HPG, which was determined by means of (1)H NMR, was easily controlled by varying the mass ratio of propylene oxide (PO) to guar gum (GG). The distribution of hydroxypropyl moieties among the seven hydroxy groups in HPGs was investigated by NMR and the results indicated that the homogeneous reaction preferentially substituted at the C3−OH of the mannosyl residues in guar gum which was quite different from the heterogeneous reaction where substitution mostly occurred at C6−OH. The average number of hydroxypropyl units per OH substitution of HPGs with MS value of 0.20, 0.37 and 0.60 was 1.82, 1.42 and 1.76, respectively.

Modification of hydroxypropyl guar gum with ethanolamine.

A new guar gum derivative containing amino group was synthesized through nucleophilic substitution of p-toluenesulfonate activated hydroxypropyl guar gum with ethanolamine. For the preparation of p-toluenesulfonate esters hydroxypropyl guar gum, the results showed that the reaction rate was optimal at 25 °C and the reaction could reach equilibrium state when it was carried out for 10h at 25 °C. For the nucleophilic substitution of tosyl group with ethanolamine, the reaction was completed after 10h reaction at 50 °C. The structures of products were characterized by NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. The results showed that the p-toluenesulfonate esters can be effectively substituted by ethanolamine to form the hydroxyethyl amino hydroxypropyl guar gum (EAHPG). The content of nitrogen of EAHPG was determined by acid-base titration and element analysis.

One-step synthesis of glucose-branched galactomannan.

The synthesis of branched polysaccharides using naturally occurring materials has been reported since 1975, but applications of branched polysaccharides are relatively limited because of the long and complex modification processes. In this work, a practical and efficient procedure is presented that in one step levoglucosan can be grafted to galactomannan (at 115°C for 15h) with monochloroacetic acid as catalyst. The structural characteristics of the resulting substances were investigated by NMR spectroscopy. The MS (molar degree of substitution) of glucose was shown to gradually increase with the increase of the ratio of levoglucosan to galactomannan, and the maximal MS is 0.6. Levoglucosan units are mostly grafted to the C6-OH of the galactosyl residues in galactomannan, and the maximal percentage of the substituted C6-OH of galactosyl residues is 42.2%. The resulting levoglucosan tended to graft to the branching glucosyl residues of copolymers with an increase in MS, and the average length of the branching glucose is 3.6 when MS is 0.6.

A first oxalamidino complex of samarium via reduction-coupling of carbodiimine: synthesis and molecular structure of [eta4-C2(NR)4][(MeC5H4)2Sm(HMPA)]2.2THF (R = Pr i, Cy).

Treatment of the THF solution of (MeC5H4)2Sm(THF) with an equivalent of carbodiimine [RN=C=NR](R = Pr(i) or Cy; Cy = cyclohexyl) in the presence of an equivalent of hexamethylphosphoric triamide (HMPA) at room temperature gives, via a reduction-coupling reaction of carbodiimine, the corresponding bimetallic oxalamidino complex of samarium [eta4-C2(NR)4][(MeC5H4)2Sm(HMPA)]2.2THF.

Novel lanthanide(II) complexes supported by carbon-bridged biphenolate ligands: synthesis, structure and catalytic activity.

[Ln[N(SiMe3)2]2(THF)2](Ln = Sm, Yb) reacts with 1 equiv. of carbon-bridged biphenols, 2,2'-methylene-bis(6-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol)(L1H2) or 2,2'-ethylidene-bis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenol)(L2H2), in toluene to give the novel aryloxide lanthanide(II) complexes [[LnL1(THF)n]2](Ln = Sm, n = 3 (1); Ln = Yb, n = 2 (2)) and [[LnL2(THF)3]2](Ln = Sm (5); Ln = Yb (6)) in quantitative yield, respectively. Addition of 2 equiv. of hexamethylphosphoric triamide (HMPA) to a tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution of 1, 2 and 5 affords the corresponding HMPA-coordinated complexes, [[LnL1(THF)m(HMPA)n]2(THF)y](Ln = Sm, n = 2, m = 0, y = 2 (3); Ln = Yb, m = 1, n = 1, y = 6 (4)) and [[SmL2(HMPA)2]2](7) in excellent yields. The single-crystal structural analyses of 3, 4 and 7 revealed that these aryloxide lanthanide(II) complexes are dimeric with two Ln-O bridges. The coordination geometry of each lanthanide metal can be best described as a distorted trigonal bipyramid. Complexes 1-3, 5 and 7 can catalyze the ring-opening polymerization of epsilon-caprolactone (epsilon-CL), and 1-3, along with 5 show moderate activity for the ring-opening polymerization of 2,2-dimethyltrimethylene carbonate (DTC) and the copolymerization of epsilon-CL and DTC to give random copolymers with high molecular weights and relatively narrow molecular weight distributions..