Efficient electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO in a flow cell device by a pristine Cu5tz6-cluster-based metal-organic framework.

The electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO is a powerful approach to achieving carbon neutrality. Herein, we report a five-nuclear copper cluster-based metal-azolate framework CuTz-1 as an electrocatalyst for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction. It achieved a faradaic efficiency (FE) of 62.7% for yielding CO with a partial current density of -35.1 mA cm-2 in flow cell device, which can be preserved for more than ten hours with negligible changes of the current density and FE(CO). Studies of electrocatalytic mechanism studies revealed that the distance of Cu-N was increased, and the coordination number of the Cu ion was reduced, while the oxidation state of Cu was decreased after the electrocatalysis. These findings offer valuable insights into structural changes that influence the performance of the catalyst during the process of the electrochemical reduction of CO2 process.

[Research Progress on the Prognostic Evaluation of MRD in Acute Myeloid Leukemia --Review].

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a highly heterogeneous group of malignant tumors in the blood system. Although many AML patients have achieved survive for a long time through chemotherapy and targeted therapy combined with/without HSCT, but some of them still be difficult to achieve remission or early relapse after remission. Therefore, refining risk stratification and achieving individualized treatment based on prognostic indicators is of great significance. As the research on prognostic indicators of AML deepens increasingly, the prognostic stratification has been continuously improved, from the MICM typing index to the comprehensive evaluation of biological disease characteristics such as MRD. This article reviews the development of prognostic indicators for AML and the research progress of MRD on AML prognosis evaluation to better identify patients with different risks and formulate and implement accurate diagnosis and treatment programs.

[PROSI Mutation With Clinical Heterogeneity in Protein S Deficiency:Report of One Case].

Reduced protein S activity is one of the high-risk factors for venous thromboembolism.Hereditary protein S deficiency is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the PROS1 gene.We reported a female patient with a mutation of c.292 G>T in exon 3 of the PROS1 gene,which was identified by sequencing.The genealogical analysis revealed that the mutation probably originated from the patient's mother.After searching against the PROS1 gene mutation database and the relevant literature,we confirmed that this mutation was reported for the first time internationally.

Reduced plasma coagulation factor XIII in patients with acute leukemia in remission during consolidation chemotherapy cycles.

Acute leukemia (AL) is a malignancy from hematologic stem cells (HSC). Consolidation with intensive chemotherapy is required after induced remission and repeatedly causes treatment-related bleeding that is usually attributed to chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT). However, our previous study demonstrated that severe deficiency of plasma coagulation factor XIII (pFXIII) also participated in the bleeding of CIT in AL. However, the relationship between pFXIII deficiency and consolidation chemotherapy was unknown. Here, we observed the concentration of pFXIII in patients with AL before and after consolidation chemotherapy and reevaluated the correlation to bleeding in myelosuppression. Thus, we found that the concentration of pFXIII before chemotherapy in all patients was markedly lower than in the control data and was further decreased by chemotherapy, related to bleeding in myelosuppression. These findings indicated that chemotherapy-induced pFXIII deficiency should be of concern and explored in depth.

Adsorption and Detection of Iodine Species by a Thorium-Based Metal-Organic Framework.

Actinide-bearing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) encompass intriguing structures and properties, but the radioactivity of actinide cripples their applications. Herein, we have constructed a new thorium-based MOF (Th-BDAT) as a bifunctional platform for the adsorption and detection of radioiodine, a more radioactive fission product that can readily spread through the atmosphere in its molecular form or via solution as anionic species. The iodine capture within the framework of Th-BDAT from both the vapor phase and the cyclohexane solution has been verified, showing that Th-BDAT features maximum I2 adsorption capacities (Qmax) of 959 and 1046 mg/g, respectively. Notably, the Qmax of Th-BDAT toward I2 from cyclohexane solution ranks among the highest value for Th-MOFs reported to date. Furthermore, incorporating highly extended and π-electron-rich BDAT4- ligands renders Th-BDAT as a luminescent chemosensor whose emission can be selectively quenched by iodate with a detection limit of 1.367 µM. Our findings thus foreshadow promising directions that might unlock the full potential of actinide-based MOFs from the point of view of practical application.

Post-synthetic linker installation: an unprecedented strategy to enhance iodine adsorption in metal-organic frameworks.

Post-synthetic linker installation in a single-crystal-to-single-crystal manner was crystallographically demonstrated in thorium-based metal-organic frameworks (Th-MOFs), not only leading to the discovery of an extremely rare framework de-interpenetration, but also representing an unprecedented strategy for boosting iodine adsorption capacity.

A robust thorium-organic framework as a bifunctional platform for iodine adsorption and Cr(VI) sensitization.

Simple synthetic modulation based on thorium nitrate and tris((4-carboxyl)phenylduryl)amine (H3TCBPA) gives rise to a new thorium-based metal-organic framework, Th-TCBPA, which features excellent hydrolytic and thermal stabilities. Incorporating electron-rich TCBPA3- linkers not only endows Th-TCBPA with high adsorption capacity toward radioiodine vapor, but also makes it a luminescence sensor for the highly sensitive and selective detection of Cr(VI) anions.

A MOF-based luminometric sensor for ultra-sensitive and highly selective detection of chromium oxyanions.

Sensitization of Cr(VI) oxyanions in environmentally or industrially relevant aquatic media is highly desired owning to their biological toxicity and essential role in nuclear fuel cycle. However, many chemosensors of CrO42- and Cr2O72- suffer from critical drawbacks, including insufficient sensitivity, selectivity, and/or hydrolytic stability. In this work, we prepared a hydrolytically stable metal-organic framework, namely Hf-BITD, which can retain its crystallinity and structural integrity in solutions over a wide pH range (0-12) and in 3 M HCl. The strong emission via rigidifying fluorescent linkers allows for sensing of CrO42- and Cr2O72- in a luminescence quenching manner, with excellent linear correlations (I0/I = 1+ Ksv [Q]) in the ranges of 0-80 µM and 0-50 µM for CrO42- and Cr2O72-, respectively. The adsorption of Cr(VI) oxyanions and the concomitant resonance energy transfer between framework and analysts efficiently turn the emission of Hf-BITD off, which allows for selective recognition of CrO42- and Cr2O72- with detection limits of 0.38 nM and 0.33 nM, respectively. Furthermore, fabrication of Hf-BITD incorporating PVDF membrane makes Hf-BITD@PVDF a promising candidate for facile and effective sensitization of Cr(VI) oxyanions.

Higenamine as a Potential Pharmacologic Stress Agent in the Detection of Coronary Artery Disease.

Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is valuable for the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of coronary artery disease (CAD). The most commonly used pharmacologic stress agents at present are vasodilators and adrenergic agents. However, these agents have contraindications and may cause adverse effects in some patients. Thus, other stress agents feasible for more patients are required. Higenamine (HG) is a ß-adrenergic receptor agonist currently approved for clinical trials as a stress agent for myocardial infarction. It also has a promising value in MPI for the detection of CAD in preclinical and clinical studies. This review summarizes the application of HG on MPI, including its mechanism of action, stress protocol, efficacy, and safety.

[Analysis of Agranulocytosis Time and Its Influencing Factors in Patients with Hematological Malignancies Treated with rhIL-11 combined rhG-CSF].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the intervention effect of recombinant human interleukin-11 (rhIL-11) and recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) on the duration and severity of agranulocytosis in patients with hematological malignancies after chemotherapy, and to analyze the influencing factors. METHODS: The data of hematological malignancy patients treated with rhIL-11 and rhG-CSF after chemotherapy in the hematology department of The First Hospital of Lanzhou University from July 2017 to July 2020 were collected retrospectively. The duration and differences of agranulocytosis in differeent groups were compared by univariate analysis, and the influencing factors of agranulocytosis duration were further analyzed by multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The duration of agranulocytosis in 97 patients was 6.47±2.93 days. The results of univariate analysis showed that there were no statistical differences in the duration of agranulocytosis among patients with different sex, age, height, weight, body surface area, body mass index (BMI), dose of rhG-CSF, dose of rhIL-11, spontaneous bleeding after administration of rhG-CSF and rhIL-11, and the duration of agranulocytosis in patients with different red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin(HGB) level, platelet count (PLT) and absolute neutrophil count (ANC), before administration of rhG-CSF and rhIL-11. There were significant differences in agranulocytosis time among patients with different disease types, chemotherapy cycle, fever after rhG-CSF and rhIL-11 administration, and different white blood cell count (WBC) baseline level before rhG-CSF and rhIL-11 administration (P＜0.05). Compared with patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) had the longest duration of agranulocytosis, which was 7.07±3.05 d. Compared with patients with chemotherapy cycles of 4－6 and ≥7, patients with total chemotherapy cycle of 1－3 had the shortest duration of agranulocytosis, which was 5.25±2.48 d. Compared with patients without fever, patients with fever within 1 day after administration of cytokines and patients with fever within 2-5 days after administration of cytokines, the duration of agranulocytosis was the longest in patients with fever 6 days after administration of cytokines, which was 8.85±2.85 d. Compared with patients with WBC baseline <1.0×109/L, (1.0－1.9)×109/L and (2.0－3.9)×109/L, patients with WBC baseline ≥4.0×109/L had the shortest duration of agranulocytosis, which was 4.50±2.56 d. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that chemotherapy cycle, different fever after administration of rhG-CSF and rhIL-11, diagnosis of ALL and NHL, and WBC baseline level before administration of rhG-CSF and rhIL-11 were the influencing factors of the duration of agranulocytosis (P＜0.001). CONCLUSION: The risk of prolonged agranulocytosis is higher in patients diagnosed with AML, with more chemotherapy cycles, lower WBC baseline before cytokines administration and fever later after cytokines administration, which should be paid more attention to.

Hydrolytically Stable Zr-Based Metal-Organic Framework as a Highly Sensitive and Selective Luminescent Sensor of Radionuclides.

Effective detections of radionuclides including uranium and its predominant fission products, for example, iodine, are highly desired owing to their radiotoxicity and potential threat to human health. However, traditional analytical techniques of radionuclides are instrument-demanding, and chemosensors targeted for sensitization of radionuclides remain limited. In this regard, we report a sensitive and selective sensor of UO22+ and I- based on the unique quenching behavior of a luminescent Zr-based metal-organic framework, Zr6O4(OH)4(OH)6(H2O)6(TCPE)1.5·(H2O)24(C3H7NO)9 (Zr-TCPE). Immobilization of the luminescent tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)ethylene (TCPE4-) linkers by Zr6 nodes enhances the photoluminescence quantum yield of Zr-TCPE, which facilitates the effective sensing of radionuclides in a "turn-off" manner. Moreover, Zr-TCPE can sensitively and selectively recognize UO22+ and I- ions with the lowest limits of detection of 0.67 and 0.87 µg/kg, respectively, of which the former one is much lower than the permissible value (30 µg/L) defined by the U.S. EPA. In addition, Zr-TCPE features excellent hydrolytic stability and can withstand pH conditions ranging from 3 to 11. To facilitate real-world applications, we have further fabricated polyvinylidene fluoride-integrating Zr-TCPE as luminescence-based sensor membranes for on-site sensing of UO22+ and I-.

Recent advances in the applications of thorium-based metal-organic frameworks and molecular clusters.

This perspective highlights the recent advances in the structural and practical aspects of thorium-based metal-organic frameworks (Th-MOFs) and molecular clusters. Thorium, as an underexplored actinide, features surprisingly rich coordination geometries and accessibility of the 5f orbital. These features lead to a myriad of topologies and electronic structures, many of which are undocumented for other tetravalent metal-containing MOFs or clusters. Moreover, Th-MOFs inherit the modularity, structural tunability, porosity, and versatile functionality of the state-of-the-art MOFs. Recognizing the radioactive nature of these thorium-bearing materials that may limit their practical uses, Th-MOFs and Th-clusters still have great potential for various applications, including radionuclide sequestration, hydrocarbon storage/separation, radiation detection, photoswitch, CO2 conversion, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis. The objective of this updated perspective is to propose pathways for the renaissance of interest in thorium-based materials.

A Water-Soluble Highly Oxidizing Cobalt Molecular Catalyst Designed for Bioinspired Water Oxidation.

Herein, we present a stable water-soluble cobalt complex supported by a dianionic 2,2'-([2,2'-bipyridine]-6,6'-diyl)bis(propan-2-ol) ligand scaffold, which is a rare example of a high-oxidation species, as demonstrated by structural, spectroscopic and theoretical data. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed that the CoIV center of the mononuclear complex in the solid state resides in the high spin state (sextet, S=5/2). The complex can effectively catalyze water oxidation via a single-site water nucleophilic attack pathway with an overpotential of only 360 mV in a phosphate buffer with a pH of 6. The key intermediate toward water oxidation was speculated based on theoretical calculations and was identified by in situ spectroelectrochemical experiments. The results are important regarding the accessibility of high-oxidation state metal species in synthetic models for achieving robust and reactive oxidation catalysis.

The multifunctional adaptor protein HIP-55 couples Smad7 to accelerate TGF-ß type I receptor degradation.

Transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) is a multifunctional polypeptide that plays critical roles in regulating a broad range of cellular functions and physiological processes. TGF-ß signalling dysfunction contributes to many disorders, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and immunological diseases. The homoeostasis of negative feedback regulation is critical for signal robustness, duration and specificity, which precisely control physiological and pathophysiological processes. However, the underlying mechanism by which the negative regulation of TGF-ß signalling is integrated and coordinated is still unclear. Here, we reveal that haematopoietic progenitor kinase-interacting protein of 55 kDa (HIP-55) was upregulated upon TGF-ß stimulation, while the loss of HIP-55 caused TGF-ß signalling overactivation and the abnormal accumulation of downstream extracellular matrix (ECM) genes. HIP-55 interacts with Smad7 and competes with Smad7/Axin complex formation to inhibit the Axin-mediated degradation of Smad7. HIP-55 further couples Smad7 to TßRI but not TßRII, driving TßRI degradation. Altogether, our findings demonstrate a new mechanism by which the effector and negative feedback functions of HIP-55 are coupled and may provide novel strategies for the treatment of TGF-ß signalling-related human diseases.

[The Current Status and Research Progress of Antiviral Therapy in HCV-Associated Lymphoma --Review].

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease. HCV is not only related to hepatic malignancies but may also promote lymphoid neoplasms. Currently, research has confirmed HCV-related lymphoma, including marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL), follicular lymphoma (FL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and Burkitt lymphoma (BL). Many types of research have shown that antiviral therapy can improve or even remission several HCV-related lymphomas. The direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) (such as NS5A protease inhibitors, NS4/4A protease inhibitors and viral polymerase inhibitors) have shown clinical advantages of high efficacy and low side effects for both virus elimination and tumor regression in several HCV-related lymphomas, which may make the selected HCV-related lymphoma patients treated without chemotherapy. In this review the research progress and development direction of antiviral therapy in treating HCV-related lymphoma has summarized briefly.

Unveiling the Unique Roles of Metal Coordination and Modulator in the Polymorphism Control of Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Polymorphism control of metal-organic frameworks is highly desired for elucidating structure-property relationships, but remains an empirical process and is usually done in a trial-and-error approach. We adopted the rarely used actinide cation Th4+ and a ditopic linker to construct a series of thorium-organic frameworks (TOFs) with a range of polymorphs. The extraordinary coordination versatility of Th4+ cations and clusters, coupled with synthetic modulation, gives five distinct phases, wherein the highest degree of interpenetration (threefold) and porosity (75.9 %) of TOFs have been achieved. Notably, the O atom on the capping site of the nine-coordinated Th4+ cation can function as a bridging unit to interconnect neighboring secondary building units (SBUs), affording topologies that are undocumented for other tetravalent-metal-containing MOFs. Furthermore, for the first time HCOOH has been demonstrated as a bridging unit of SBUs to further induce structural complexity. The resulting TOFs exhibit considerably different adsorption behaviors toward organic dyes, thus suggesting that TOFs represent an exceptional and promising platform for structure-property relationship study.

Emergence of a thorium-organic framework as a radiation attenuator for selective X-ray dosimetry.

By first applying a thorium-organic framework (Th-SINAP-2) as a radiation attenuator and by incorporating a terpyridine derivative (Htpbz) as a photo-responsive guest, selective photochromism in response to X-rays was achieved in the host-guest assembly of Htpbz@Th-SINAP-2. Such a combination endows the afforded material with the lowest detection limit of X-ray dose among all photochromic sensors and a brand-new function of X-ray dosimetry for thorium containing materials.

MST4 negatively regulates the EMT, invasion and metastasis of HCC cells by inactivating PI3K/AKT/Snail1 axis.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and has a poor prognosis due to the high incidence of invasion and metastasis-related progression. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive, and valuable biomarkers for predicting invasion, metastasis, and poor prognosis of HCC patients are still lacking. Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on HCC tissues (n = 325), and the correlations between MST4 expression of the clinical HCC tissues, the clinicopathologic features, and survival were further evaluated. The effects of MST4 on HCC cell migratory and invasive properties in vitro were evaluated by Transwell and Boyden assays. The intrahepatic metastasis mouse model was established to evaluate the HCC metastasis in vivo. The PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, and a specific siRNA against Snail1 were used to investigate the roles of PI3K/AKT pathway and Snail1 in MST4-regulated EMT, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, respectively. Results: In this study, by comprehensively analyzing our clinical data, we discovered that low MST4 expression is highly associated with the advanced progression of HCC and serves as a prognostic biomarker for HCC patients of clinical-stage III-IV. Functional studies indicate that MST4 inactivation induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC cells, promotes their migratory and invasive potential in vitro, and facilitates their intrahepatic metastasis in vivo, whereas MST4 overexpression exhibits the opposite phenotypes. Mechanistically, MST4 inactivation elevates the expression and nuclear translocation of Snail1, a key EMT transcription factor (EMT-TF), through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thus inducing the EMT phenotype of HCC cells, and enhancing their invasive and metastatic potential. Moreover, a negative correlation between MST4 and p-AKT, Snail1, and Ki67 and a positive correlation between MST4 and E-cadherin were determined in clinical HCC samples. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that MST4 suppresses EMT, invasion, and metastasis of HCC cells by modulating the PI3K/AKT/Snail1 axis, suggesting that MST4 may be a potential prognostic biomarker for aggressive and metastatic HCC.

[Analysis of Correlation between Interval Time of Chemotherapy and Prognosis in Patients with Acute Leukemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between average interval time of chemotherapy and prognosis in patients with acute leukemia (AL) during intensive treatment. METHODS: Data of 92 newly treated adult AL patients who received chemotherapy in The First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2010 to June 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into groups according to the average interval time of chemotherapy during intensive treatment, and its influence on prognosis was analyzed. RESULTS: The median interval of chemotherapy during intensive therapy was 38 (20-64) days. According to the average interval of chemotherapy, patients were divided into 4 groups, including < 30 days group, 30-39 days group, 40-49 days group and ≥ 50 days group. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate of the four groups was (84.9±8.0)%, (73.5±8.7)%, (56.5±11.1)% and (41.8±13.6)%, respectively (P=0.008). The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate of the four groups was (63.6±11.1)%, (52.8±10.2)%, (38.2±10.8)% and (14.0±9.0)%, respectively (P=0.001). After comparison between the 4 groups, it was found that OS and PFS in ≥ 50 days group were significantly shorter than those in < 30 days group (P<0.008). Multivariate analysis showed that risk stratification and average chemotherapy interval ≥ 50 days were the common adverse factors affecting OS and PFS. CONCLUSION: The average chemotherapy interval ≥ 50 days during intensive therapy is an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis and survival of patients with AL. When the bone marrow is completely relieved and the peripheral hemogram recovers to an acceptable level, the consolidation therapy should be started as soon as possible. The interval < 30 days can significantly improve the prognosis compared with the interval ≥ 50 days.

Efficiently immobilizing uranium (VI) by oxidized carbon foam.

Oxidized carbon foam (oxidized CF) was prepared by using a facile chemical oxidation treatment at relatively low temperature of 450 °C and applied to capture uranyl cation [U(VI)] from aqueous solutions. The effects of pH, contact time, initial U(VI) concentration, and temperature on the U(VI) absorption performance of oxidized CF were investigated by batch experiments. The oxidized CF was illustrated to exhibit fast sorption kinetics (92% removal within 15 min and 98% removal in 2 h) and high sorption capacity (305.77 mg g-1 at pH 5) toward U(VI). Integrated analyses combining energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were applied on the U(VI)-loaded oxidized CF, showing the introduction of carboxyl groups as U(VI) sorption sites on the surface of CF after oxidation treatment. Furthermore, extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy was employed to identify the binding modes of U(VI) indicating that each UO22+ cation is coordinated with one or two carboxyl groups on the equatorial plane. Notably, the low content of U(VI) in wastewater can be efficiently immobilized by the oxidized CF, and the immobilized U(VI) can be further concentrated and converted into Na2U2O7 or U3O8 by a simple sintering step. These findings presented in this work suggest the potential of using oxidized CF for further treatment of low concentration wastewater containing U(VI).