A fluorinated metal-organic framework-based quasi-solid electrolyte for stabilizing Li metal anodes.

A fluorinated quasi-solid electrolyte (QSE) with a high conductivity of 2.3 mS cm-1 is meticulously designed for Li metal batteries. It facilitates the formation of a LiF-rich solid electrolyte interface that effectively enhances the reversibility of Li anodes. The assembled Li|QSE|LiFePO4 batteries exhibit 92.3% capacity retention after 1500 cycles and an impressive capacity of up to 45 mA h g-1 at 20C.

A "Zn2+ in Salt" Interphase Enabling High-Performance Zn Metal Anodes.

Zinc metal is a promising anode candidate for aqueous zinc ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity, low cost, and high safety. However, its application is currently restricted by hydrogen evolution reactions (HER), by-product formation, and Zn dendrite growth. Herein, a "Zn2+ in salt" (ZIS) interphase is in situ constructed on the surface of the anode (ZIS@Zn). Unlike the conventional "Zn2+ in water" working environment of Zn anodes, the intrinsic hydrophobicity of the ZIS interphase isolates the anode from direct contact with the aqueous electrolyte, thereby protecting it from HER, and the accompanying side reactions. More importantly, it works as an ordered water-free ion-conducting medium, which guides uniform Zn deposition and facilitates rapid Zn2+ migration at the interface. As a result, the symmetric cells assembled with ZIS@Zn exhibit dendrite-free plating/striping at 4500 h and a high critical current of 14 mA cm-2. When matched with a vanadium-based (NVO) cathode, the full battery exhibits excellent long-term cycling stability, with 88% capacity retention after 1600 cycles. This work provides an effective strategy to promote the stability and reversibility of Zn anodes in aqueous electrolytes.

Novel phenanthrene/bibenzyl trimers from the tubers of Bletilla striata attenuate neuroinflammation via inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway.

Five novel (9,10-dihydro) phenanthrene and bibenzyl trimers, as well as two previously identified biphenanthrenes and bibenzyls, were isolated from the tubers of Bletilla striata. Their structures were elucidated through comprehensive analyses of NMR and HRESIMS spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations of these compounds were determined by calculating rotational energy barriers and comparison of experimental and calculated ECD curves. Compounds 5b and 6 exhibited inhibitory effects on LPS-induced NO production in BV-2 cells, with IC50 values of 12.59 ± 0.40 and 15.59 ± 0.83 µmol·L-1, respectively. A mechanistic study suggested that these compounds may attenuate neuroinflammation by reducing the activation of the AKT/IκB/NF-κB signaling pathway. Additionally, compounds 3a, 6, and 7 demonstrated significant PTP1B inhibitory activities, with IC50 values of 1.52 ± 0.34, 1.39 ± 0.11, and 1.78 ± 0.01 µmol·L-1, respectively. Further investigation revealed that compound 3a might inhibit LPS-induced PTP1B overexpression and NF-κB activation, thereby mitigating the neuroinflammatory response in BV-2 cells.

Dynamic performance of functionally graded composite structures with viscoelastic polymers.

The functionally graded composite structures with viscoelastic polymers inherits the excellent performance of functionally graded composites and also possesses large damping performance, which has broad application prospects in the aerospace and mechanical engineering fields. However, due to the complexity of the structure itself, there is limited literature available on its theoretical modeling for efficient solutions. To predict its dynamic performance, a simplified dynamic model of the functionally graded composite structures with viscoelastic polymers is established. This model takes into account the displacement transfer relationship between the functional graded composite layer and the viscoelastic polymer layer. The governing differential equations are obtained by applying the Navier method and complex modulus theory. These equations are then solved using the Rayleigh-Ritz method. The validity of the theoretical model is confirmed by comparing it with existing literature and the results obtained from ANSYS software. Additionally, the model that has been developed is used to analyze how the graded index and elastic modulus of the structure, as well as its geometric parameters, affect its vibration and damping characteristics.

Adsorption, natural attenuation, and microbial community response of ofloxacin and oxolinic acid in marine sediments.

The pollution of quinolone antibiotics in the marine environment has attracted widespread attention, especially for ofloxacin (OFL) and oxolinic acid (OXO) due to their frequent detection. However, few studies have been conducted to assess the behaviors and microbial community response to these antibiotics in marine sediments, particularly for potential antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this work, the adsorption characteristics, natural attenuation characteristics, and variation of microbial communities of OFL and OXO in marine sediments were investigated. The adsorption process of antibiotics in sediments occurred on the surface and internal pores of organic matter, where OFL was more likely to be transferred from seawater to sediment compared with OXO. Besides, the adsorption of two antibiotics on sediment surfaces was attributed to physisorption (pore filling, electrostatic interaction) and chemisorption (hydrogen bonding). The natural attenuation of OFL and OXO in marine sediment followed second-order reaction kinetics with half-lives of 6.02 and 26.71 days, respectively, wherein biodegradation contributed the most to attenuation, followed by photolysis. Microbial community structure in marine sediments exposure to antibiotics varied by reducing abundance and diversity of microbial communities, as a whole displaying as an increase in the relative abundance of Firmicutes whereas a decrease of Proteobacteria. In detail, Escherichia-Shigella sp., Blautia sp., Bifidobacterium sp., and Bacillus sp. were those antibiotic-resistant bacteria with potential ability to degrade OFL, while Bacillus sp. may be resistant to OXO. Furthermore, functional predictions indicated that the microbial communities in sediment may resist the stress caused by OFL and OXO through cyano-amino acid metabolism, and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, respectively. The research is key to understanding fate and bacterial resistance of antibiotics in marine sediments.

Dihydrophenanthro[b]furan derivatives from the tubers of Bletilla striata.

Two pairs of new dihydrophenanthro[b]furan enantiomers blephebibnols G-H (1-2), one new dihydrophenanthro[b]furan derivative blephebibnol I (3), along with four known analogues (4-7), were isolated from the tubers of Bletilla striata. Their structures including the absolute configurations were determined by the combination of spectroscopic data analysis, ECD and NMR calculations. Compounds 1a, 1b, and 2b showed inhibition of NO production in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells, with IC50 values ranging from 4.11 to 14.65 µM. Further mechanistic study revealed that 1a suppressed the phosphorylation of p65 subunit to regulate the NF-κB signaling pathway. In addition, some compounds displayed selective cytotoxic activities against HCT-116, HepG2, A549, or HGC27 cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 0.1 to 8.23 µM.

HBV infection effects prognosis and activates the immune response in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The impact of HBV infection on the prognosis of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remains uncertain, and the underlying mechanism has not been elucidated. This study aims to explore the potential mechanism via clinical perspectives and immune features. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 1308 patients with ICC treated surgically from January 2007 to January 2015. Then, we compared immune-related markers using immunohistochemistry staining to obtain the gene expression profile GSE107943 and related literature for preliminary bioinformatics analysis. Subsequently, we conducted a drug sensitivity assay to validate the role of TNFSF9 in the ICC organoid-autologous immune cell coculture system and in the patient-derived organoids-based xenograft platform. RESULTS: The analysis revealed that tumors in patients without HBV infection exhibited greater size and a higher likelihood of lymphatic metastasis, tumor invasion, and relapse. After resection, HBV-infected patients had longer survival time than uninfected patients (p<0.01). Interestingly, the expression of immune-related markers in HBV-positive patients with ICC was higher than that in uninfected patients (p<0.01). The percentage of CD8+ T cells in HBV-positive tissue was higher than that without HBV infection (p<0.05). We screened 21 differentially expressed genes and investigated the function of TNFSF9 through bioinformatics analyses. The expression of TNFSF9 in ICC organoids with HBV infection was lower than that in organoids without HBV infection. The growth of HBV-negative ICC organoids was significantly inhibited by inhibiting the expression of TNFSF9 with a neutralizing antibody. Additionally, the growth rate was faster in HbsAg (-) ICC patient-derived organoids-based xenograft model than in HbsAg (+) group. CONCLUSIONS: The activation of the immune response induced by HBV infection makes the prognosis of HBV-positive patients with ICC differ from that of uninfected patients.

ITGB2-ICAM1 axis promotes liver metastasis in BAP1-mutated uveal melanoma with retained hypoxia and ECM signatures.

PURPOSE: Uveal melanoma (UM) with BAP1 inactivating mutations has a high risk of metastasis, but the mechanism behind BAP1 deficiency driving UM metastasis is unknown. METHODS: We analyzed the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) data comprised primary and metastatic UM with or without BAP1 mutations (MUTs) to reveal inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity among different groups. Then, an immune-competent mouse liver metastatic model was used to explore the role of ITGB2-ICAM1 in BAP1-associated UM metastasis. RESULTS: Cluster 1 tumor cells expressed high levels of genes linked to tumor metastasis, such as GDF15, ATF3, and CDKN1A, all of which are associated with poor prognosis. The strength of communication between terminally exhausted CD8+ T cells and GDF15hiATF3hiCDKN1Ahi tumor cells was enhanced in BAP1-mutated UM, with CellChat analysis predicting strong ITGB2-ICAM1 signaling between them. High expression of either ITGB2 or ICAM1 was a worse prognostic indicator. Using an immune-competent mouse liver metastatic model, we indicated that inhibiting either ICAM1 or ITGB2 prevented liver metastasis in the BAP1-mutated group in vivo. The inhibitors primarily inhibited hypoxia- and ECM-related pathways indicated by changes in the expression of genes such as ADAM8, CAV2, ENO1, PGK1, LOXL2, ITGA5, and VCAN. etc. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that the ITGB2-ICAM1 axis may play a crucial role for BAP1-associated UM metastasis by preserving hypoxia- and ECM- related signatures, which provide a potential strategy for preventing UM metastasis in patients with BAP1 mutation.