Visible-Light-Promoted Thiolation of Benzyl Chlorides with Thiosulfonates via a Photoactive Electron Donor-Acceptor Complex.

Visible-light-promoted thiolation of benzyl chlorides with thiosulfonates is disclosed via an electron donor-acceptor complex strategy. In addition to efficiently delivering a series of arylbenzylsulfide compounds, versatile thioglycosides were also successfully constructed by applying the metal- and photocatalyst-free protocol. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that a radical-radical coupling process was involved in this transformation.

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of planar-chiral dianthranilides via (Dynamic) kinetic resolution.

Chirality constitutes an inherent attribute of nature. The catalytic asymmetric synthesis of molecules with central, axial, and helical chirality is a topic of intense interest and is becoming a mature field of research. However, due to the difficulty in synthesis and the lack of a prototype, less attention has been given to planar chirality arising from the destruction of symmetry on a single planar ring. Herein, we report the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of planar-chiral dianthranilides, a unique class of tub-shaped eight-membered cyclic dilactams. This protocol is enabled by cinchona alkaloid-catalyzed (dynamic) kinetic resolution. Under mild conditions, various C2- or C1-symmetric planar-chiral dianthranilides have been readily prepared in high yields with excellent enantioselectivity. These dianthranilides can serve as an addition to the family of planar-chiral molecules. Its synthetic value has been demonstrated by kinetic resolution of racemic amines via acyl transfer, enantiodivergent synthesis of the natural product eupolyphagin, and preliminary antitumor activity studies.

Altered microbiome of serum exosomes in patients with acute and chronic cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the differences in the microbiota composition of serum exosomes from patients with acute and chronic cholecystitis. METHOD: Exosomes were isolated from the serum of cholecystitis patients through centrifugation and identified and characterized using transmission electron microscopy and nano-flow cytometry. Microbiota analysis was performed using 16S rRNA sequencing. RESULTS: Compared to patients with chronic cholecystitis, those with acute cholecystitis exhibited lower richness and diversity. Beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences in the microbiota composition between patients with acute and chronic cholecystitis. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria was significantly higher in exosomes from patients with acute cholecystitis, whereas Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes were significantly more abundant in exosomes from patients with chronic cholecystitis. Furthermore, functional predictions of microbial communities using Tax4Fun analysis revealed significant differences in metabolic pathways such as amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and membrane transport between the two patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the differences in the microbiota composition within serum exosomes of patients with acute and chronic cholecystitis. Serum exosomes could serve as diagnostic indicators for distinguishing acute and chronic cholecystitis.

Tailoring d-band center of high-valent metal-oxo species for pollutant removal via complete polymerization.

Polymerization-driven removal of pollutants in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) offers a sustainable way for the simultaneous achievement of contamination abatement and resource recovery, supporting a low-carbon water purification approach. However, regulating such a process remains a great challenge due to the insufficient microscopic understanding of electronic structure-dependent reaction mechanisms. Herein, this work probes the origin of catalytic pollutant polymerization using a series of transition metal (Cu, Ni, Co, and Fe) single-atom catalysts and identifies the d-band center of active site as the key driver for polymerization transfer of pollutants. The high-valent metal-oxo species, produced via peroxymonosulfate activation, are found to trigger the pollutant removal via polymerization transfer. Phenoxyl radicals, identified by the innovative spin-trapping and quenching approaches, act as the key intermediate in the polymerization reactions. More importantly, the oxidation capacity of high-valent metal-oxo species can be facilely tuned by regulating their binding strength for peroxymonosulfate through d-band center modulation. A 100% polymerization transfer ratio is achieved by lowering the d-band center. This work presents a paradigm to dynamically modulate the electronic structure of high-valent metal-oxo species and optimize pollutant removal from wastewater via polymerization.

Mechanisms of Self-Control in the Influence of Moral Elevation on Pro-Social Behavior: A Study Based on an Experimental Paradigm.

Introduction: Because the mechanisms by which moral elevation triggers an individual's pro-social behavior remain unclear, this study examined the mediating role of self-control resources in the relationship between moral elevation and pro-social behavior. Methods: Experiment 1 examined the effects of moral elevation on self-control resources using two task paradigms, the Stroop task and the Go/NoGo task, with 80 college students as study participants. Experiment 2 was conducted with an additional 140 college students, using both experimental and questionnaire methods to examine the mediating role of self-control resources in the effects of moral elevation on pro-social behavior. Results: (1) The results of Experiment 1 showed that the self-control ability of the moral elevation induction group was significantly better than that of the non-induction group. The accuracy rate of self-control tasks in the induction group (0.94 ± 0.01) was significantly higher than that in the non-induction group (0.89 ± 0.01, F(1,79)=19.10, p <0.001, η2=0.50). The mean reaction time of the self-control tasks in the induction group (393.63 ± 3.5) was significantly lower than that in the non-induction group (415.38 ±7.30, F(1,79)=5.87, p =0.026, η2=0.24). (2) The results of Experiment 2 showed a significant positive correlation between moral elevation and self-control resources (r=0.46, p<0.001), a significant positive correlation between moral elevation and pro-social behavior (r=0.33, p<0.001), and a significant positive correlation between self-control resources and pro-social behavior (r=0.31, p<0.001). Not only did moral elevation significantly and positively predict pro-social behavior (ß= 0.23, p=0.011), but it also significantly and positively predicted self-control resources (ß= 0.46, p<0.001). Self-control resources significantly and positively predicted pro-social behavior (ß= 0.20, p=0.025). The bootstrap test for the mediating effect of self-control resources showed that the upper and lower limits of the 95% confidence interval did not include 0 (indirect effect 0.09, 95% CI [0.023, 0.242], p<0.001), and the mediating effect accounted for 28.13%. Conclusion: This study revealed the mediating role of self-control resources in the relationship between moral elevation and pro-social behavior, which has important theoretical and practical implications for cultivating pro-social behavior and moral education among college students.

Association between inflammatory bowel disease and risk of stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Background/objectives: Recently, four meta-analyses have explored the association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the risk of stroke. These studies have demonstrated that people with IBD may be at an increased risk of stroke. However, some limitations such as high heterogeneity and the lack of uniformity in the types of research, especially the reuse of some sample sizes, cannot be neglected. These factors reduce the credibility of their research conclusions. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore this possible association. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception to 30 June 2023. A random effects model with the generic inverse variance method was used in this meta-analysis. The Review Manager software was used to obtain all relative risks (RRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Publication bias was tested, and sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted to explore possible heterogeneities. Results: This meta-analysis included 12 cohort studies (involving 4,495,055 individuals). Meta-analysis of these data has shown that IBD was associated with an increased risk of stroke (RR = 1.19, 95%CI:1.14-1.24, p < 0.00001). Our results were stable and robust in subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Our results suggest that IBD is associated with an increased risk of stroke. To reduce the incidence of stroke, patients with IBD are encouraged to undergo stroke risk assessments, especially for young female patients; assessing the risk of ischemic stroke is of particular importance. Prospective studies considering stroke subtypes, IBD severity and treatments, regions, and other confounding factors are needed to further explore the nature of each association. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022373656.

Measurement of psychological inflexibility: an examination of the psychometric properties of the AAQ-3 compared to AAQ-II.

Due to the limitations of the existing measurements of experiential avoidance, we would like to check the validity of the improved version of Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), i.e., Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-3 (AAQ-3), in Chinese content. The present study was aim to examine the construct and validity of the Chinese version of AAQ-3 in college students and provide an initial validation of this instrument to promote future cross-cultural examination of the psychological flexibility. Totally 1,572 college students were invited to complete the Chinese AAQ-3 and the related questionnaires at the same time. After one month, 380 participates were assessed with same questionnaires to examine the test-retest reliability. The results indicated a similar one-factor solution in the Chinese AAQ-3 to the original version by exploratory factor analysis, parallel analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were good. According to the testing of the measurement invariance, the one-factor model was acceptable across gender (Man = 875, Girl = 697). Additionally, Chinese AAQ-3 was significantly negatively correlated with positive mental health (life satisfaction, mindful attention awareness), significantly positively correlated with negative emotions (depression, anxiety, stress), and significantly positively correlated with AAQ-II and Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ). Besides, Chinese AAQ-3 was the strongest predictor of depression, anxiety, stress and life satisfaction compared to the AAQ-II and BEAQ. However, according to the exploratory structural equation model, the Chinese AAQ-3 demonstrated excellent discriminate validity from negative emotions. Overall, the AAQ-3 modified the limitations of the existing measurements of experiential avoidance (i.e., AAQ-II and BEAQ) as it showed better convergent validity with positive mental health indicators, better discriminant validity with negative emotions, and higher incremental validity. Therefore, the Chinese AAQ-3 is a valid measurement tool for assessing the level of experiential avoidance or psychological flexibility in Chinese college students.

Effect of rScO2-Guided Blood Pressure Management on Postoperative Complications in Elderly Patients After Major Noncardiac Surgery: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Postoperative complications are common after major surgical procedures, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2) reflects cerebral and global perfusion, and thus it can be used to guide hemodynamic management. We aim to explore the effect of rScO2-guided blood pressure management strategy on postoperative major complications in older adults who undergo major noncardiac surgery. Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial includes a total of 400 elderly patients receiving major noncardiac surgery and general anesthesia. Patients will be randomized (1:1) to one of two blood pressure management groups: a standard care group (targeting mean arterial pressure >65 mmHg or within 20% of baseline value), and a rScO2-guided group (absolute value of rScO2 >60% or decrease in rScO2 <10% of baseline). The primary outcome is the composite outcome of major complications (including infectious, respiratory, neurologic, cardiovascular, renal, thromboembolic gastrointestinal, and surgical complications) and deaths within the first 7 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes include the individual components of the primary outcome by day 7 after surgery and 30-day mortality. Data will be analyzed in the modified intention-to-treat population. Discussion: This study will provide evidence for improving postoperative outcomes using the rScO2-guided blood pressure management among older adults who undergo major noncardiac surgery. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Identifier: ChiCTR2200060816).

This is a protocol for a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the use of intraoperative individualized regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO₂) optimization for blood pressure management in older adults undergoing major noncardiac surgery. The primary focus of this trial is the composite outcome of major complications (including infectious, respiratory, neurologic, cardiovascular, renal, thromboembolic gastrointestinal, and surgical complications) and deaths within the first 7 days after surgery. The secondary outcomes are the individual components of the primary outcome by day 7 after surgery and 30-day mortality. The findings of this trial will provide clinical evidence for the rScO₂-guided blood pressure management to improve postoperative outcomes in older patients who are scheduled for major noncardiac surgery.

Psychological mechanism of acceptance and commitment therapy and rational emotive behavior therapy for treating hoarding: Evidence from randomized controlled trials.

Hoarding is a common problem behavior worldwide and is detrimental to the physical and mental health of individuals and groups. Currently, effective interventions for hoarding are cognitive-behavioral therapies, but their post-intervention efficacy is questionable, and the available research does not examine the mediating variables of the effects of interventions on clinical outcomes. Moreover, current research on hoarding has focused on Western countries. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the efficacy of other forms of cognitive behavioral therapy on hoarding as well as other psychological outcomes related to hoarding and mediating variables that contribute to its effectiveness in different cultural contexts. One hundred thirty-nine college students with higher hoarding behaviors were randomly divided into three groups: 45 in the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) group, 47 in the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) group, and 47 in the control group. They completed the Saving Inventory-Revised (SI-R), Obsessive-Compulsive Symptom Scale (OCSS), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory-Attachment Anxiety Subscale (ECR), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ-II), and Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ) before and immediately after the intervention. The results showed that ACT and REBT improved individuals' psychological flexibility, cognitive fusion, acquisition-difficulty discarding, clutter, negative affect (anxiety, depression, stress), attachment anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and difficulty in emotion regulation compared to the control group. In addition, ACT was more effective than REBT in improving psychological flexibility and reducing hoarding, cognitive fusion, depression, stress, and obsessive-compulsive disorder; there were no significant differences between the two in anxiety and emotion regulation difficulties. Furthermore, psychological flexibility is a mediator of the effect of ACT and REBT on some behavioral and psychological outcomes (hoarding, negative affect, attachment anxiety). Limitations were discussed.

Cognitive Defusion and Psychological Flexibility Predict Negative Body Image in the Chinese College Students: Evidence from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Body dissatisfaction is a global phenomenon. Despite the significant cultural difference, most research on negative body image was conducted in Western countries. How do cognitive fusion and psychological flexibility relate to negative body image in the Chinese population? In the present study, this question was investigated through the intervention technique, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Here, 86 young Chinese university students with high negative physical self were invited, in which 42 students received 10 sessions of group-based ACT intervention in a clinical setting while the remained acted as the control group with no intervention. Pretests showed no statistical differences in negative body image between these two groups, while both cognitive fusion and psychological flexibility predicted negative body image. Post-pre tests showed no change in the control group, while enhanced cognitive defusion and psychological flexibility in the ACT group. Individual differences in psychological flexibility and cognitive defusion enhancement predicted improved body image. A strong association of implicit body image with Fatness and Shortness changes suggested that although with individual differences, those components could be internalized during the intervention in the College students.

Measuring self-as-context in Chinese college students: Validity and reliability of the Chinese version of self-as-context scale (C-SACS).

Objective: To examine the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Self-as-Context Scale (SACS) in college students. Method: We used convenience sampling to recruit 708 Chinese college students. All participants completed the SACS and 343 of them were asked to complete the validation questionnaires (Satisfaction with Life Scale, Peace of Mind Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire-Fusion, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21) at the same time. We conducted items analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), measurement invariance test, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and internal consistency reliability analysis. After 3 weeks, 217 participants filled out the SACS again to assess the test-retest reliability. Results: The exploratory factor analysis showed that the SACS consisted of two factors (Centering and Transcending), with a total of 9 items. The confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the two-factor structure fit well (χ 2 = 55.40, df = 22, CFI = 0.977, TLI = 0.963, RMSEA = 0.065, SRMR = 0.032). According to the results of the measurement invariance tests, configural invariance, metric invariance, scalar invariance, and strict invariance of the 2-factor model, the C-SACS scores were comparable across genders. Additionally, the C-SACS total score and its subscale scores were significantly positively correlated with positive indicators of mental health (life satisfaction, affective well-being), significantly negatively correlated with negative emotions (depression, anxiety, stress), significantly negatively correlated with experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion (except for the Transcending factor), and significantly positively correlated with mindful attention and awareness. Regression analysis results revealed that the C-SACS surpasses the incremental effectiveness of AAQ-II and CFQ-F in predicting different psychological health indicators. The Cronbach's α coefficients of the C-SACS and two subscales were 0.88 [0.71, 0.90], 0.80 [0.87, 0.90] and 0.85 [0.83, 0.88] and McDonald's ω = 0.88 [0.87, 0.90], ω = 0.80 [0.78, 0.83], ω = 0.85[0.83, 0.88]. The test-retest reliability (ICC) was 0.73 and 0.72, respectively. Conclusion: The results of our study suggest that the Chinese version of SACS has good reliability and validity in Chinese college students.

A rational strategy of combining Fenton oxidation and biological processes for efficient nitrogen removal in toxic coking wastewater.

Effective removal of nitrogen from coking wastewaters is a great challenge, since conventional biological technologies commonly suffer from concentrated bio-toxic components such as phenolic compounds and thiocyanide (SCN-). This study has successfully developed a novel ternary process for efficiently removing nitrogen from a practical coking wastewater, by rationally combined biological pretreatment, Fenton sub-pretreatment and final partial nitrification-denitrification (PN) process. It was noted that the oxic biological pretreatment (OP) could degrade above 80 % of COD and SCN- in the wastewater, by adopting the pristine coking wastewater sludge. Fenton sub-pretreatment would further degrade the residual toxic organics and protect the metabolic activity of nitrobacteria and denitrobacteria, realizing the efficient removal of NH4+-N and TN that occurred in the final PN process with self-cultivated sludge. This work can provide an interesting strategy by rationally combining biological-physicochemical processes for nitrogen removal in toxic industrial wastewaters.

Treatment Efficacy and Technical Advantages of Temporary Spinal Nerve Root Stimulation Compared to Traditional Spinal Cord Stimulation for Postherpetic Neuralgia.

BACKGROUND: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a common complication after herpes zoster infection. While conventional dorsal column temporary spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) has been shown as an effective treatment option for this pain condition, recent data suggests ipsilateral temporary spinal nerve root stimulation (tSNRS) as a safe alternative for treating PHN. However, there is no direct clinical comparison between the newer tSNRS and the traditional tSCS. OBJECTIVES: The current retrospective study aimed to describe the technical factors and the therapeutic efficacy of tSNR for patients with unilateral PHN and to compare these parameters with those treated with tSCS. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Single-center study in a large academic hospital. METHODS: One hundred sixty patients with unilateral PHN who underwent 7-14 days of tSCS (n = 109) or tSNRS (n = 51) treatment were included. Technical factors between the 2 groups, such as procedure time, radiation dosage, number of electrodes used, number of stimulation parameter adjustments, and average cost, were compared. Treatment efficacy, measured by analgesic coverage, pain visual analog scale (VAS), total analgesic agent consumption, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and physical and mental quality of life, were also compared between the 2 groups at baseline, post-procedure, and 3 months after stimulation treatment. RESULTS: Patients who underwent tSNRS reported significant improvement in pain level, sleep quality, and overall quality of life immediately postprocedure and during the follow-up period. This therapeutic effect was comparable to the tSCS group. Moreover, tSNRS achieved this therapeutic effect with a fewer number of implanted electrodes and stimulation adjustments than tSCS. The precision and consistency of the tSNRS technique were associated with a significant overall lower cost, a shorter procedure time, and less intraoperative radiation exposure in the tSNRS group than in those who received tSCS. LIMITATIONS: The current retrospective cohort study was limited by its relatively short follow-up period. Also, the selection of stimulation techniques was not randomized. CONCLUSIONS: While tSNRS provides similar therapeutic efficacy compared to tSCS for patients with unilateral PHN; it offers several technical advantages. These advantages include shorter procedure time, less radiation exposure, fewer implanted electrodes, more effective stimulation, and lower overall cost.

Facilely tuning the intrinsic catalytic sites of the spinel oxide for peroxymonosulfate activation: From fundamental investigation to pilot-scale demonstration.

Heterogeneous peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have shown a great potential for pollutant degradation, but their feasibility for large-scale water treatment application has not been demonstrated. Herein, we develop a facile coprecipitation method for the scalable production (∼10 kg) of the Cu-Fe-Mn spinel oxide (CuFeMnO). Such a catalyst has rich oxygen vacancies and symmetry-breaking sites, which endorse it with a superior PMS-catalytic capacity. We find that the working reactive species and their contributions are highly dependent on the properties of target organic pollutants. For the organics with electron-donating group (e.g., -OH), high-valent metal species are mainly responsible for the pollutant degradation, whereas for the organics with electron-withdrawing group (e.g., -COOH and -NO2), hydroxyl radical (•OH) as the secondary oxidant also plays an important role. We demonstrate that the CuFeMnO-PMS system is able to achieve efficient and stable removal of the pollutants in the secondary effluent from a municipal wastewater plant at both bench and pilot scales. Moreover, we explore the application prospect of this PMS-based AOP process for large-scale wastewater treatment. This work describes an opportunity to scalably prepare robust spinel oxide catalysts for water purification and is beneficial to the practical applications of the heterogeneous PMS-AOPs.

Catalytic Oxygen Activation over the Defective CuO Nanoparticles for Ultrafast Dehalogenation.

The nucleophilic superoxide radical (O2•-)-based dehalogenation reaction shows great potential to degrade the toxic halogenated organic compounds (HOCs). But such an O2•--mediated reductive reaction often suffers from the competition of the secondary oxidative species (e.g., •OH), leading to inferior electron efficiency and possible disinfection byproduct formation. Here, an O2•--dominant ultrafast dehalogenation system is developed via molecular O2 activation by the oxygen vacancy (OV)-rich CuO nanoparticles (nCuO). The nCuO delivers a remarkable dechlorination rate constant of 3.92 × 10-2 L min-1 m-2 for 2,4-dichlorophenol, much higher than that of the conventional zerovalent (bi)metals. The absorbed O2 on the nCuO surface is exclusively responsible for O2•- generation, and its reactivity increases with the elevated OV content because of the enhanced orbital hybridization between the O p- and Cu d-orbitals. More importantly, the ubiquitous carbonate species firmly bound to the surface OVs block the formation of the secondary oxidative species via H2O2 activation, assuring the dominant role of the in situ generated O2•- for the selective HOC dehalogenation. The carbonate-deactivated OVs of the nCuO can be feasibly recovered via air annealing for sustainable dehalogenation. This work provides a new opportunity for selective O2•- generation via interfacial defect engineering for dehalogenation and other environmental applications.

Recent Advances of m6A Demethylases Inhibitors and Their Biological Functions in Human Diseases.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a post-transcriptional RNA modification and one of the most abundant types of RNA chemical modifications. m6A functions as a molecular switch and is involved in a range of biomedical aspects, including cardiovascular diseases, the central nervous system, and cancers. Conceptually, m6A methylation can be dynamically and reversibly modulated by RNA methylation regulatory proteins, resulting in diverse fates of mRNAs. This review focuses on m6A demethylases fat-mass- and obesity-associated protein (FTO) and alkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), which especially erase m6A modification from target mRNAs. Recent advances have highlighted that FTO and ALKBH5 play an oncogenic role in various cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemias (AML), glioblastoma, and breast cancer. Moreover, studies in vitro and in mouse models confirmed that FTO-specific inhibitors exhibited anti-tumor effects in several cancers. Accumulating evidence has suggested the possibility of FTO and ALKBH5 as therapeutic targets for specific diseases. In this review, we aim to illustrate the structural properties of these two m6A demethylases and the development of their specific inhibitors. Additionally, this review will summarize the biological functions of these two m6A demethylases in various types of cancers and other human diseases.

Revealing the heterogeneous activation mechanism of peroxydisulfate by CuO: the critical role of surface-binding organic substrates.

Heterogeneous catalytic activation mechanisms of peroxydisulfate (PDS) by transition metal oxides are generally attributed to the interactions between catalysts and PDS, however, the role of the co-existed organic substrate was largely overlooked in the past studies. In this work, phenol was selected as the target organic pollutant in a CuO/PDS system to evaluate its deep-seated role in participating in the effective activation of PDS. First, optimized reaction conditions as pH of 6.0, CuO of 5.96 g·L-1 and PDS of 2.5 mM were obtained by the response surface methodology (RSM) with a phenol degradation efficiency of 84.0%. It was further found that pre-adsorption of phenol or PDS led to obviously different performances in the phenol degradation with/without the radical scavengers. Two different activation pathways of PDS, i.e., the non-radical pathway mediated by surface deprotonated phenol to generate 1O2 and the radical pathway mediated by structural Cu(I)/Cu(II) to produce SO4-, were therefore proposed, and the former was predominant in the CuO/PDS/phenol system. In addition, HCO3- and HPO42- could strongly inhibit the phenol degradation while Cl- and NO3- only performed negligible effects. NaOH washing could regenerate the surface hydroxyl groups and recover the catalytic ability of CuO. The result of this study integrated the interactions among the catalyst, oxidant and substrate, providing new insights into environmental-friendly PDS activation processes.

Simvastatin inhibits the inflammation and oxidative stress of human neutrophils in sepsis via autophagy induction.

Simvastatin exerts a protective effect during sepsis (SP) in animal models; however, the underlying mechanism is not completely understood, particularly in human SP. Neutrophils are a critical effector in the host inflammatory response to SP. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of simvastatin on neutrophils in human SP. Neutrophils were isolated from the peripheral venous blood of adult patients with SP and healthy volunteers (HP). Cell viability was analyzed using the MTT assay. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and the concentrations of inflammatory mediators were also assessed using flow cytometry and ELISA. The results demonstrated that the cell viability of neutrophils from the SP group was significantly decreased compared with that in the HP group, and that treatment with simvastatin partly reversed the reduced cell viability. Furthermore, simvastatin administration significantly decreased ROS production and the concentrations of TNF­α and IL­6, which were significantly increased in neutrophils isolated from the SP group. Simvastatin also enhanced autophagy induction, as indicated by the promotion of the conversion of LC3I to LC3II and the increased expression levels of Beclin 1 in SP neutrophils. Treatment with 3­methyladenine, an autophagy inhibitor, completely blocked the protective effects of simvastatin on neutrophils from SP, including the effects of simvastatin on the inhibition of inflammation, oxidative stress and improving cell viability. Collectively, the present study provided evidence for the simvastatin­induced autophagic process of neutrophils involved in human SP, which protects neutrophils and partially attenuates the inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Therefore, the augmentation of neutrophil autophagy may serve as a potential therapeutic target for patients with SP.

Association between glaucoma and risk of stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background/objectives: Recently, several studies explored the association between glaucoma and the risk of stroke, but these results were inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine this possible association. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from inception until February 28, 2022. Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted by generic inverse variance method. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed. The review protocol has been registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022312797). Results: Seven studies (involving 362,267 participants) have been published from 2004 to 2017 and included in the meta-analysis. These studies included four retrospective cohort studies, two cross-sectional studies, and one case-control study. Meta-analysis of these data has shown that glaucoma was associated with an increased risk of stroke (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.45-2.59). Most of the subgroup analyses demonstrated similar results. These findings were stable in sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: We found that glaucoma was associated with an increased risk of stroke. The result suggests that patients with glaucoma need to be assessed the risk of stroke to reduce the incidence of stroke. To better explore the nature of any association, prospective studies that consider the stroke subtypes, sample size, district, and other confounding factors are needed.