Ultra-thin nanosheets decorated in-situ S-doped 3D interconnected carbon network as interlayer modified Li-S batteries separator for accelerating adsorption-catalytic synergistic process of LiPSs.

The shuttle effect of soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) is primarily responsible for the unstable performance of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, which has severely impeded their continued development. In order to solve this problem, a special strategy is proposed. Specifically, ultra-thin NiCo based layered double hydroxides (named LDH or NiCo-LDH) nanosheets are implanted into a pre-designed 3D interconnected carbon networks (SPC) to obtain porous composite materials (named SPC-LDH).During the operation of the battery, the 3D interconnected porous carbon mesh was the first to rapidly adsorb LiPSs, and then the LDH on the surface of the carbon mesh was used to realize the catalytic conversion of LiPSs. This facilitates the electrochemical conversion reaction between S substances while addressing the "shuttle effect". As a result, the battery maintains a discharge capacity of 1401.9, 1114.3, 975.5, 880.7, 760.4 and 679.6 mAh g-1 at the current densities of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3C, respectively. After 200 cycles at 2C, the battery's capacity stays at 732.9 mAh g-1, meaning that the average rate of capacity decay is only 0.007 % per cycle. Moreover, in-situ XRD demonstrates the critical function of PP/SPC-LDH separators in inhibiting LiPSs and encouraging Li2S transformation. The strong affinity of SPC-LDH for Li2S6 is also confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculation, offering more theoretical support for the synergistic adsorption process. This work offers a compelling method to develop modified separator materials that can counteract the "shuttle effect" in Li-S batteries.

[Determination of 35 antibiotics and four ß-receptor agonists in teenagers and analysis of exposure status].

Antibiotics are mainly used for disease treatment and prevention, and ß-receptor agonists are mainly used in the clinical treatment of respiratory diseases. Both types of drugs are also widely used in animal husbandry and aquaculture to promote animal growth and prevent disease. These drugs enter the human body through many routes and cause harm to human health. Teenagers are in a critical period of growth and development, and long-term antibiotic exposure may have adverse effects on their bodies. In this study, 442 teenagers aged 11-15 years were recruited from a middle school to investigate the body burden of various antibiotics and ß-receptor agonists. The seven categories of antibiotics, including five macrolides, four tetracyclines, 10 quinolones, 11 sulfonamides, three ß-lactams, one quinoxaline, and one lincosamide, and four ß-receptor agonists were determined by isotope dilution and solid phase extraction coupled with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Analyte levels were corrected using urine creatinine, and detection rates were used for data analysis. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to analyze the correlations between detection rate and gender, age, or body mass index (BMI). Logistic regression was used to evaluate the correlation between detection rate and different groups after adjusting for confounding factors. The results showed that 397 teenagers had at least one antibiotic or ß-receptor agonist in their urine, with a total detection rate of 89.8%. A total of 29 antibiotics and ß-receptor agonists were detected, and the detection rate of each compound ranged from 0.2% to 59.0%. Doxycycline, oxytetracycline, and azithromycin were the top three drugs with the highest detection rates (59.0%, 56.1%, and 34.6%, respectively). Tetracyclines and macrolides were the two antibiotic categories detected most often, with detection rates of 81.9% and 42.3%, respectively. Among the antibiotics investigated, preferred veterinary antibiotics (PVAs) had the highest detection rate (85.1%), followed by human antibiotics (HAs) (41.0%). The overall detection rate of ß-receptor agonists was 2.7%. Statistical analysis showed that the male was prone to be exposed to tetracycline antibiotics (odds ratio (OR)=2.17). The detection rates of macrolides differed among the different age groups and were higher in those aged 12-13 years than in those aged 11 years. As the BMI of the teenagers increased, the detection rate of macrolides gradually increased. After adjusting for age and gender, teenagers with obesity were found to be 2.35 times more likely to be exposed to macrolides than those with a normal weight. The findings suggest that teenagers are generally exposed to low levels of antibiotics, that food and the environment may be the main sources of antibiotic exposure in teenagers, and that macrolide exposure may be associated with adolescent obesity.

The association between per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances in serum and thyroid function parameters: A cross-sectional study on teenagers living near a Chinese fluorochemical industrial plant.

Thyroid hormones (THs) play an important role in a wide range of crucial biological functions related to growth and development, and thyroid antibodies (TAs) can influence the biosynthesis of THs. Epidemiological studies have indicated that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) could induce thyroid disruption, but studies on teenagers living in areas with high PFAS exposure are limited. This cross-sectional study focused on 836 teenagers (11- 15 years) living near a Chinese fluorochemical industrial plant. Decreased levels of free thyroxine (FT4, ﹤9.6 pmol/L, abnormal rate = 19.0 %) and elevated levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3, ï¹¥6.15 pmol/L, abnormal rate = 29.8 %) were observed. Correlations of serum PFAS concentrations and TAs/THs were analyzed. Increased PFOA was identified as a risk factor of decreased FT4 by using unadjusted (OR: 11.346; 95 % CI: 6.029, 21.352, p < 0.001) and adjusted (OR: 12.566; 95 % CI: 6.549, 24.115, p < 0.001) logistic regression models. In addition, significantly negative correlations were found between log10 transformed PFOA and FT4 levels using linear (unadjusted: ß = -1.543, 95 % CI: -1.937, -1.148, p < 0.001; adjusted: ß = -1.534, 95 % CI: -1.930, -1.137, p < 0.001) and BKMR models. For abnormal FT3, a significantly positive association between PFHxS and FT3 levels was observed in a regression model (unadjusted: ß = -0.903, 95 % CI: -1.212, -0.595, p < 0.001; adjusted: ß = -0.894, 95 % CI: -1.204, -0.583, p < 0.001), and PFHxS was identified as a risk factor (unadjusted: OR: 4.387; 95 % CI: 2.619, 7.346, p < 0.001; adjusted: OR: 4.527; 95 % CI: 2.665, 7.688, p < 0.001). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the above results. This study reported the elevated PFAS exposure and thyroid function of teenagers living near a fluorochemical industrial plant from China.

Poly(butylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) copolyester obtained using 1,6-hexanediamine with high glass transition temperature.

A series of furan-based poly(ester amide)s, namely poly(butylene 2,5-furanoate)-co-(hexamethylene furanamide) (PBAsF), were synthesized by partially substituting 1,4-butanediol (BDO) with linear hexamethylene diamine (HMDA). The introduction of amide bonding units enhances the intermolecular hydrogen bonding and intermolecular interaction forces, while the incorporation of flexible fragments results in a significant improvement in the thermal stability and mechanical properties of PBAsF. PBA20F exhibited an almost 50% increase in glass transition temperature, a mild improvement in tensile modulus of elasticity and tensile strength, and a tolerable decrease in elongation at break. Notably, the increased absorption in the UV wavelength range of PBAsF is enhanced due to the increase in amide bonding, which increases UV degradability. Additionally, the discovery of treatment methods with excellent performance in dye rejection is another important aspect.

[Determination of sixteen antibiotics and four ß-agonists in human urine samples using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based on high-throughput automatic solid-phase extraction].

An analytical method combining high-throughput automatic solid-phase extraction with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed to determine 16 antibiotics (macrolides, tetracyclines, quinolones, and sulfonamides) and 4 ß-agonists (terbutaline, salbutamol, ractopamine, and clenbuterol) in human urine samples. After thawing at room temperature, 1 mL of urine was sampled and the internal standard was added, followed by the addition of 200 µL ammonium acetate buffer and 20 µL ß-glucuronidase, and the mixture was incubated at 37 ℃ overnight. Automatic solid-phase extraction was used to extract the target compounds from the urine samples, and the recoveries were compared using different solid-phase extraction 96-well plates (PRiME MCX, Sep-Pak C18, PRiME HLB), types and volumes of rinse solutions and eluents. Satisfactory recoveries of the 20 target compounds were obtained using the Oasis PRiME HLB 96-well plate, with 1.5 mL 10% (v/v) methanol aqueous solution and 2.0 mL methanol as the rinse solution and eluent, respectively. The eluent was concentrated under nitrogen gas at 45 ℃, and the recoveries of the target compounds were compared under different conditions (completely or almost dry, drying to 1 mL, and adding water as a protective agent), and the recovery rate was optimal when water was added as a protective agent. In this study, two types of analytical columns (ACQUITY BEH C18 and ACQUITY HSS T3) and different gradient elution procedures and mobile phases were compared. The optimal chromatographic effect was realized using an HSS T3 column (100 mm×3.0 mm, 1.8 µm) and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution-0.1% (v/v) formic acid in acetonitrile as the mobile phase in gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. Comparing the peaks observed using different proportions of methanol aqueous solution and the initial mobile phase as the injection solvent revealed that 30% (v/v) methanol aqueous solution was the optimal solution in terms of peak shape and signal-to-noise ratio. MS was conducted using positive electrospray ionization (ESI+) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, and the MS parameters were optimized, including the curtain (CUR) and collision gases (CAD). The standard curve obtained using this method exhibited a good linearity (correlation coefficient>0.997), and the respective limits of detection and quantification were 0.02-0.12 ng/mL and 0.06-0.41 ng/mL. At spiked levels of 0.25, 2.5, and 12.5 ng/mL, the recoveries were in the range of 81.7%-120.0% (except that of tetracycline), the intra- and inter-day RSDs (n=6) were 1.1%-11.0% and 1.2%-13.0%, respectively. Azithromycin, trimethoprim, terbutaline, salbutamol, ractopamine, and clenbuterol displayed moderate matrix effects, but all targets exhibited weak matrix effects after correction using the isotope internal standard. To evaluate the accuracy of this method, BCR-503 (containing salbutamol and clenbuterol) and internal quality control samples were used and the concentrations of salbutamol and clenbuterol were within the reference ranges. Additionally, the mean concentrations of the 20 target compounds of two different internal quality control samples after 7 measurements were in the ranges of 0.44-0.59 ng/mL (0.5 ng/mL) and 1.72-2.16 ng/mL (2.0 ng/mL), respectively, which were satisfactory. In this study, the analytical method employed automatic sample pretreatment with a 96-well solid-phase extraction plate, and the detection efficiency was considerably improved. This method displays the advantages of simple operation, ideal recovery, a high sensitivity and weak matrix effect, which satisfies the requirements for the simultaneous determination of 16 antibiotics and 4 ß-agonists in human urine samples. This study provides a crucial method for use in monitoring antibiotics and ß-agonists in human urine and studying their exposure characteristics and health risks.

Polyphenylene Sulfide Ultrafine Viscous Fibrous Membrane Modified by ZIF-8 for Highly Effective Oil/Water Separation under High Salt or Alkaline Conditions.

The oil/water separation in harsh environments has always been a challenging topic all over the world. In this study, the ZIF-8/PPS fiber membranes were fabricated via the combination of hot pressing and in situ growth. The distribution of ZIF-8 in the membranes was adjusted by changing the ZIF-8 in situ growth time, which could control the oil/water separation effect. Due to the hydrophilic nature of the ZIF-8/PPS fiber membranes, the water molecules in the oil-in-water emulsion could quickly penetrate into the fiber membrane under the drive of pressure, gravity, and capillary force, forming a water layer on the surface of the fiber membranes. The coupling of the water layer and the fiber structure prevented direct contact between the oil molecules and the fiber membrane, thereby realizing the separation of the emulsion. The results show that when the ZIF-8 in situ growth time was 10 h, the contact angle, the porosity, and the pure water flux of the ZIF-8/PPS fiber membranes were 72.5°, 52.3%, and 12,351 L/h·m2, respectively. More importantly, the separation efficiency of M10 was 97%, and the oil/water separation efficiency reached 95% after 14 cycles. This study provides a novel strategy for preparing MOFs/fiber materials for oil/water separation in harsh environments.

OPPS Fibers with High Temperature Resistance and Excellent Antioxidant Properties by an Oxidation Method.

Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) fiber products have been widely used for separation and filtration in harsh environments due to their excellent chemical resistance and relatively economical price. However, the poor temperature and weak oxidation resistance of PPS significantly shorten its service life under high temperature and strong oxidation environments. Herein, we report a type of oxidation-modified PPS (OPPS) fibers with excellent high temperature and oxidation resistance. This is achieved by oxidizing the thioether sulfide groups in PPS molecular chains into sulfoxide and sulfone groups and cross-linking the intermolecular chains. Both experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that hypochlorous acid (HClO) molecules can rapidly oxidize the PPS fiber surface. In addition, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations prove that there are strong hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions between HClO molecules and OPPS molecular chains, which promote the penetration of HClO molecules into the interior of the fiber to complete the layer-by-layer oxidation. The prepared OPPS-20 fibers exhibit excellent structural stability under high temperature and strong oxidant environments. Impressively, the OPPS-20 nonwoven filter still exhibits a high dust filtration efficiency of 99.95% after aging at 320 °C for 12 h, and the corresponding pressure drop is 24 Pa. In addition, the OPPS-20 nonwoven filter also maintains excellent filtration performance after aging in 60% HNO3 solution for 12 h, and the filtration efficiency and pressure drop are 99.96% and 29 Pa, respectively. This work demonstrates that the novel OPPS fibers have excellent application prospects in the field of separation and filtration in harsh environments.

Polyphenylene Sulfide-Based Membranes: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives.

As a special engineering plastic, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) can also be used to prepare membranes for membrane separation processes, adsorption, and catalytic and battery separators because of its unique properties, such as corrosion resistance, and chemical and thermal stability. Nowadays, many researchers have developed various types of PPS membranes, such as the PPS flat membrane, PPS microfiber membrane and PPS hollow fiber membrane, and have even achieved special functional modifications. In this review, the synthesis and modification of PPS resin, the formation of PPS membrane and the research progress of functional modification methods are systematically introduced, and the future perspective of PPS membrane is discussed.

Time and Crack Width Dependent Model of Chloride Transportation in Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC).

This paper aims to develop a chloride transport model of engineered cementitious composites (ECC) that can consider the influence of both exposure time and crack width. ECC specimens with crack widths of 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm were soaked into NaCl solution with periods of 30, 60, 90 and 120 days. The free chloride content profile was measured and used for the development of the transport model. Regression analysis was applied to build the time and crack width dependent models of apparent diffusion coefficient and surface chloride content. The results show that the crack width has significant influence on the free chloride concentration profile when it is above 0.2 mm and the time-dependent constant n decreases linearly with the crack width. The chloride transport model was obtained by subscribing the models of apparent diffusion coefficient and surface chloride content into the analytical solution of Fick's second law. The model was further validated with the experimental results, showing a deviation within 20%. The findings of the presented study can enhance the current understanding on the chloride transportation in ECC.

Dual-Metal Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Derived Highly Ordered Hierarchical Nanoarrays on Self-Supported Carbon Fiber for Oxygen Evolution.

The construction of highly ordered hierarchical nanoarrays is crucial for obtaining effective transition metal carbon nanomaterial electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water splitting. Herein, we adopted a Co metal zeolitic imidazolate framework (Co-ZIF) as a precursor by ion-exchange/etching reaction with Fe(NO3)3 to obtain hierarchical N-doped Co-Fe layered double hydroxide (CoFe-LDH) in situ generated in Co-ZIF nanoarrays based on a self-supported carbon cloth (CC) substrate noted as CoFe-LDH@Co-ZIF@CC. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of these species and their highly ordered self-supported nanoarray structure, the catalytic active sites were fully exposed and highly protected in alkaline electrolyte, which significantly promoted electron transport and improved electrochemical performance. The CoFe-LDH@Co-ZIF@CC exhibited the low overpotentials of about 225 and 319 mV at 10 and 100 mA cm-2 with a small Tafel slope of 81.8 mV dec-1 recorded in a 1.0 M KOH electrolyte. In addition, it also showed a long-term durability without obvious decay after 30 h. Therefore, its remarkable OER activity demonstrates this material's promising application in the green hydrogen energy industry.

Highly Dispersed Co-, N-, S-Doped Topological Defect-Rich Hollow Carbon Nanoboxes as Superior Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts for Rechargeable Zn-Air Batteries.

Rechargeable Zn-air batteries have received extensive attention due to their use of nontoxic materials, safety, and high energy density. However, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the air electrode of Zn-air batteries both suffer from slow kinetics, limiting their commercialization development. Herein, we prepared Co, N, and S co-doped hollow carbon nanoboxes (Co-N/S-CNBs) rich in topological defects using polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) as a sulfur-rich carbon source. Critically, by utilizing the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS), PPS can avoid melting, while simultaneously enabling the catalyst to take on a unique hollow structure. Additional post-treatment to introduce Co and N atoms as active centers further increases the defect sites and microporous structures of the catalyst. Under alkaline electrolytes, the Co-N/S-CNBs enabled Zn-air batteries to exhibit excellent bifunctional catalytic activity for both ORR and OER, surpassing commercial catalysts. Chemical analysis showed that the cracking loss of small molecules from PPS during pyrolysis is the main reason for the formation of topological defects, where the defect sites act as active centers to enhance the catalytic performance. Overall, this work provides new insights into the mechanism of how defects are formed in such a catalyst, as well as shows how a high-performance bifunctional electrocatalyst can be utilized for practical Zn-air batteries.

Co/Co-N/Co-O Rooted on rGO Hybrid BCN Nanotube Arrays as Efficient Oxygen Electrocatalyst for Zn-Air Batteries.

Developing high-performance non-noble metal bifunctional oxygen reduction and evolution reaction electrocatalysts is a critical factor for the commercialization of rechargeable Zn-air batteries. Herein, Co/Co-N/Co-O rooted on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrid boron and nitrogen codoped carbon (BCN) nanotube arrays (BCN/rGO-Co) is prepared by facile low-temperature precross-linking and high-temperature pyrolysis treatment. Benefit from the synergistic effect of its B/N codoping, Co/Co-N/Co-O bifunctional active sites, 3D hybrid porous structure of BCN nanotubes, and highly conductive rGO sheets. The obtained BCN/rGO-Co exhibits superior bifunctional oxygen catalytic activity with a positive ORR half-wave potential (0.85 V) and a low OER potential (1.61 V) at 10 mA cm-2. Additionally, the BCN/rGO-Co-based liquid Zn-air batteries displays a large peak power density of 157 mW cm-2, and a long charge/discharge cycle stability of 200 h, outdoing the commercial Pt/C+Ru/C catalyst.

Taurine attenuates ER stress­associated apoptosis and catabolism in nucleus pulposus cells.

Nucleus pulposus (NP) apoptosis and subsequent excessive degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are key pathological characteristics of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). The present study aims to examine the signaling processes underlying the effects of taurine on IDD, with specific focus on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress­mediated apoptosis and ECM degradation, in NP cells. To clarify the role of taurine in IDD, NP cells were treated with various concentrations of taurine and IL­1ß or thapsigargin (TG). Cell Counting Kit­8, western blotting, TUNEL, immunofluorescence assays and reverse transcription­quantitative PCR were applied to measure cell viability, the expression of ER stress­associated proteins (GRP78, CHOP and caspase­12), apoptosis and the levels of metabolic factors associated with ECM (MMP­1, 3, 9, ADAMTS­4, 5 and collagen II), respectively. Taurine was found to attenuate ER stress and prevent apoptosis in NP cells induced by IL­1ß treatment. Additionally, taurine significantly decreased the expression of ER stress­activated glucose regulatory protein 78, C/EBP homologous protein and caspase­12. TUNEL results revealed that taurine decreased the number of apoptotic TG­treated NP cells. TG­treated NP cells also exhibited characteristics of increased ECM degradation, supported by observations of increased MMP­1, MMP­3, MMP­9 and A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS)­4 and ADAMTS­5 expression in addition to decreased collagen­II expression. However, taurine treatment significantly reversed all indicators of excessive ECM catabolism aforementioned. These data suggest that taurine can mediate protection against apoptosis and ECM degradation in NP cells by inhibiting ER stress, implicating therapeutic potential for the treatment of IDD.

Serum concentrations of per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances and its association with renal function parameters among teenagers near a Chinese fluorochemical industrial plant: A cross-sectional study.

Currently, studies on the association between per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations and the renal function of residents, especially teenagers, living near fluorochemical industrial plants, are relatively rare, and not all these studies suggested associations. In this cross-sectional study, 775 local teenagers (11-15 years old) were included, and serum concentrations of 18 PFAS were measured. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was found to be the dominant PFAS with a concentration of 22.3-3310 ng/mL (mean = 191 ng/mL), accounting for 71.5-99.1% of ΣPFAS. Statistical analyses demonstrated that internal exposure of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCA, C8-C10) was related to the plant. In addition, the prevalence rate of chronic kidney disease (CKD) (35.0%) in the participants was relatively high. A significantly positive association was observed between the increase in PFOA concentration and increasing risk of CKD (OR = 1.741; 95% CI: 1.004, 3.088; p = 0.048) by adjusting for gender, age, body mass index (BMI), and household income. Similar positive correlation was also observed in PFHpA with CKD (OR = 1.628, 95% CI: 1.031, 2.572; p = 0.037). However, no significant correlation was observed for concentrations of other PFAS and CKD (p > 0.05). Furthermore, linear regression analyses demonstrated that none of the PFAS concentrations were significantly correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or urine albumin/urine creatinine ratio (ACR) (p > 0.05). However, a significantly negative correlation was observed between PFOA concentration and abnormal ACR (ß = -0.141, 95% CI: -0.283, 0.001; p = 0.048) after stratifying by CKD. Sensitivity analyses further confirmed these results. This cross-sectional study is the first, to our knowledge, to investigate the association between PFAS concentrations and renal function in teenagers living near a Chinese industrial plant. Further prospective and metabonomic studies are needed to interpret the results and clarify the biological mechanisms underlying this association.

Robust Graphene@PPS Fibrous Membrane for Harsh Environmental Oil/Water Separation and All-Weather Cleanup of Crude Oil Spill by Joule Heat and Photothermal Effect.

The cleanup of oily wastewater and crude-oil spills is a global challenge. Traditional membrane materials are inefficient for oil/water separation under harsh conditions and limited by sorption speeds because of the high viscosity of crude oil. Herein, a kind of Graphene-wrapped polyphenylene sulfide fibrous membrane with superior chemical resistance and hydrophobicity for efficient oil/water separation and fast adsorption of crude oil all-weather is reported. The reduced graphene oxide (rGO)@polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) fibrous membrane can be applied in the various harsh conditions with Joule heating and solar heating. In addition, the oil(dichloromethane)/water separation flux of rGO@PPS reached 12 903 L m-2h-1, and the separation efficiency reached 99.99%. After 10 cycles, the rGO@PPS still performed high separation flux and filtration efficiency. More importantly, the rGO@PPS still retained its high conductivity, excellent filtration efficiency, and stable hydrophobicity after acid or alkali treatment. Moreover, the rGO@PPS can be heated by solar energy to absorb viscous crude oil during the day, while at night, the crude oil can be adsorbed by Joule heating. The time to adsorb crude oil can be reduced by 98.6% and 97.3% through Joule heating and solar heating, respectively. This all-weather utilization greatly increases the adsorption efficiency and effectively reduces energy consumption.

Phyllanthin prevents diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced liver carcinogenesis in rats and induces apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells.

Liver cancer is a critical clinical condition with augmented malignancy, rapid progression, and poor prognosis. Liver cancer often initiates as fibrosis, develops as cirrhosis, and results in cancer. For centuries, medicinal plants have been incorporated in various liver-associated complications, and recently, research has recognized that many bioactive compounds from medicinal plants may interact with targets related to liver disorders. Phyllanthin from the Phyllanthus species is one such compound extensively used by folklore practitioners for various health benefits. However, most practices continue to be unrecognized scientifically. Hence, in this work, we investigated the protective role of phyllanthin on diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced liver carcinoma in Wistar Albino rats and the anti-tumor potential on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) HepG2 cells. The DEN-challenged liver cancer in experimental rats caused increased liver weight, 8-OHD, hepatic tissue injury marker, lipid peroxidation, and tumor markers levels. Remarkably, phyllanthin counteracted the DEN effect by ameliorating all the liver function enzymes, oxidative DNA damage, and tumor-specific markers by enhanced anti-oxidant capacity and induced caspase-dependent apoptosis through the mTOR/ PI3K signaling pathway. MTT assay demonstrated that phyllanthin inhibited the HepG2 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. Fascinatingly, phyllanthin did not demonstrate any substantial effect on the normal cell line, HL7702. In addition, HepG2 cells were found in the late apoptotic stage upon treatment with phyllanthin as depicted by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining. Overall, this work offers scientific justification that phyllanthin can be claimed to be a safe candidate with potential chemotherapeutic activity against HCC.

Tourists' Health Risk Threats Amid COVID-19 Era: Role of Technology Innovation, Transformation, and Recovery Implications for Sustainable Tourism.

Technology innovation has changed the patterns with its advanced features for travel and tourism industry during the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, which massively hit tourism and travel worldwide. The profound adverse effects of the coronavirus disease resulted in a steep decline in the demand for travel and tourism activities worldwide. This study focused on the literature based on travel and tourism in the wake global crisis due to infectious virus. The study aims to review the emerging literature critically to help researchers better understand the situation. It valorizes transformational affordance, tourism, and travel industries impacts posed by the virus COVID-19. The study proposed a research model on reviving the international tourism activities post COVID-19 pandemic to gain sustainable development and recovery. The scholars have debated seeking the best possible ways to predict a sustainable recovery of travel, tourism, and leisure sectors from the devastating consequences of coronavirus COVID-19. In the first phase, the study describes how the current pandemic can become transformational opportunities. It debates the situation and questions related to the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak. The present research focuses on identifying fundamental values, organizations, and pre-assumptions related to travel and tourism revival and help academia and researchers to a breakthrough in initiating the frontiers based on research and practice. This study aims at exploring the role of technological innovation in the crisis management of COVID-19 tourism impacts, tourists' behavior, and experiences. The travel and tourism industry's main stakeholders include tourism demand and organizations that manage tourists' destinations and policymakers. They have already experienced the stages of responses, recovery, and resetting tourism recovery strategies. The study provides valuable insight into the coronavirus consequences on travel and tourism and practical implications for global tourism and academic research revitalization.

Sensitive determination of NT-proBNP for diagnosing abdominal aortic aneurysms incidence on interdigitated electrode sensor.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a vascular disease found to have progressive growth in the area of aorta. Rupturing of aorta causes excessive bleeding that leads to health-related issues, which can be fatal sometimes. Therefore, it becomes important to make early diagnosis of AAA and its condition and start immediate treatment. Blood-based biomarker helps to diagnose AAA and to monitor the condition after AAA surgery. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a hormone produced in the heart in small quantities and increased when the heart needs to work harder. NT-proBNP was proved to be strongly linked with AAA incidence. Moreover, quantifying the level of NT-proBNP helps to determine the risk factors on cardiovascular system after the surgery. This work is quantifying the NT-proBNP on interdigitated electrode sensor by using NT-proBNP binding aptamer. The detection limit of NT-proBNP was calculated as 1 pg/mL on a linear regression curve [y = 0.2148x + 0.8849; R² = 0.9049]. The linear range with dose-dependent analysis was from 0.01 until 100 ng/mL. Moreover, the control experiment with complementary aptamer sequence did not show the current signal, specifying the detection of NT-proBNP. This research benefits to identify the heart condition of patient after the removal of AAA.

Long non-coding RNA Linc00261 as a novel potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for gallbladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Linc00261 is a lncRNA that plays key roles in tumor suppression. While gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is one of the most common cancer of the bile duct. However, the study about Linc00261's correlation with the clinicopathological characteristics and postoperative outcomes of the GBC patients is few. Therefore, we want to explore Linc00261 in GBC and assess its potential of clinical diagnosis. METHODS: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of Linc00261 in specimens of GBC and adjacent tissues as well as cell lines. Chi-square test has been used to research the correlation of the Linc00261 expression in GBC with the clinicopathological features. The Cox model was used to assess the value of Linc00261 in predicting the prognosis of GBC patients. ROC curve analysis was used to test the specificity and sensitivity of diagnostic method of serum Linc00261 expression. RESULTS: The expression level of Linc00261 in GBC was significantly lower than normal tissues' and it was also up-regulated after surgery. The Linc00261 expression was significantly correlated with large tumor size (P<0.0001), late TNM stage (P=0.008), negative liver metastasis (P=0.027) and well differentiated phenotype (P=0.017). The patients with lower Linc00261 expression had significantly worse outcomes in terms of overall survival (P=0.0188) and progression-free survival (P=0.0029), and the low expression of Linc00261 was identified as an independent risk factor affecting postoperative survival rate of the patients (P<0.01). The expression of Linc00261 in serum was down-regulated of GBC patients and increased in the patients after operation. Linc00261 expressed in serum was also positively associated with its expression in GBC tissue of patients (P<0.0001). The GBC diagnosis efficacy of using the serum Linc00261 level to identify the GBC has high specificity and sensitivity (AUC 0.805). CONCLUSIONS: Linc00261 could be identified a novel gene associated with GBC development and progression. It also may serve as a new diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for patients with GBC.

MiR-21 derived from the exosomes of MSCs regulates the death and differentiation of neurons in patients with spinal cord injury.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of miR-21 in the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) as well as its underlying molecular mechanisms. Real-time PCR and western blot were performed to measure the expression of miR-21, PTEN, and PDCD4 in SCI rats. Locomotion recovery assessment, Nissl staining, IHC assay, and TUNEL assay were utilized to observe the therapeutic effect of miR-21 in the treatment of SCI. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assay were conducted to establish the signaling pathway of miR-21, PTEN, and PDCD4. The regulatory relationships between miR-21 and PTEN/PDCD4 were further validated by real-time PCR, western blot, MTT assay, and flow cytometry. Compared with sham-operated rats, SCI rats showed decreased expression of miR-21 along with increased expression of PTEN/PDCD4. Exosomes were equally distributed in MSCs transfected with miR-21, PTEN siRNA, or scramble controls. The exosomes isolated from the supernatant of cultured MSCs could improve the functional recovery of SCI rats by reducing SCI-induced neuron loss. In addition, miR-21 was shown to inhibit the expression of PTEN/PDCD4 and suppress neuron cell death. Moreover, PTEN and PDCD4 were validated as virtual targets of miR-21. In addition, the miR-21/PTEN/PDCD4 signaling pathway was shown to enhance cell viability and suppress cell death in vivo. The exosomes collected from the supernatant of transfected MSCs contained miR-21, which could improve the functional recovery of SCI rats and suppress cell death both in vivo and in vitro via the miR-21/PTEN/PDCD4 signaling pathway.