Modulating band structure through introducing Cu0/CuxO composites for the improved visible light driven ammonia synthesis.

The photocatalytic performance of ceria-based materials can be tuned by adjusting the surface structures with decorating the transition-metal, which are considered as the important active sites. Herein, cuprous oxide-metallic copper composite-doped ceria nanorods were assembled through a simple hydrothermal reduction method. The photocatalytic ammonia synthesis rates exhibit an inverted "V-shaped" trend with increasing Cu0/CuxO mole ratio. The best ammonia production rate, approximately 900 or 521 µmol·gcal-1·h-1 under full-spectra or visible light, can be achieved when the Cu0/CuxO ratio is approximately 0.16, and this value is 8 times greater than that of the original sample. The absorption edge of the as-prepared samples shifted towards visible wavelengths, and they also had appropriate ammonia synthesis levels. This research provides a strategy for designing noble metal-free photocatalysts through introducing the metal/metallic oxide compositesto the catalysts.

An inflammation-responsive double-layer microneedle patch for recurrent atopic dermatitis therapy.

Seeking a potent therapeutic strategy for alleviating atopic dermatitis (AD) attack and preventing its recurrence is highly desired but remains challenging in clinical practice. Here, we propose an inflammation-responsive double-layer microneedle (IDMN) patch in situ delivering VD3 for recurrent AD therapy. IDMN comprises the backing layer part and the double-layer microneedle part, in which the inner layer is gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) loaded with VD3 while the outer layer is composed of hyaluronic acid (HA). Introduction of the HA backing layer and outer layer around the GelMA tips can not only provide sufficient mechanical strength to penetrate into hardened AD skin with minimal invasiveness, but also exert a strong moisturizing effect after being rapidly dissolved. The inner layer of GelMA is degraded by the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) in a dose dependent manner, which is secreted according to the disease progression of AD. The responsive degradation of GelMA tips result in corresponding release of VD3 to treat AD, triggering negative feedback against GelMA degradation. The IDMN administration on AD-bearing mice reveals efficient "curing" performances (including suppress erythema, scaling and lichenification, reduce epidermal thickness, inhibit mast cells infiltration, and down-regulate inflammatory factor secretion), which are basically realized through synergistic effect of the released VD3 and the dissolved HA molecules. Importantly, the residual tips of IDMN with VD3 are retained in the skin after the first AD relief, showing promising "warning" ability to inhibit the recurrence of AD. Hence, the developed IDMN patch is expected to be one of the excellent candidates for AD therapy and other relapsing diseases in clinical fields.

Stability of Drinking Water Distribution Systems and Control of Disinfection By-Products.

The stability of drinking water distribution systems and the management of disinfection by-products are critical to ensuring public health safety. In this paper, the interrelationships between corrosion products in the network, microbes, and drinking water quality are elucidated. This review also discusses the mechanisms through which corrosive by-products from the piping network influence the decay of disinfectants and the formation of harmful disinfection by-products. Factors such as copper corrosion by-products, CuO, Cu2O, and Cu2+ play a significant role in accelerating disinfectant decay and catalyzing the production of by-products. Biofilms on pipe walls react with residual chlorine, leading to the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) that also amplify health risks. Finally, this paper finally highlights the potential of peroxymonosulfate (PMS), an industrial oxidant, as a disinfectant that can reduce DBP formation, while acknowledging the risks associated with its corrosive nature. Overall, the impact of the corrosive by-products of pipe scale and microbial communities on water quality in pipe networks is discussed, and recommendations for removing DBPs are presented.

Tumor Cell-Derived Microparticles Induced by Methotrexate Augment T-cell Antitumor Responses by Downregulating Expression of PD-1 in Neutrophils.

Neutrophils act as a "double-edged sword" in the tumor microenvironment by either supporting or suppressing tumor progression. Thus, eliciting a neutrophil antitumor response remains challenging. Here, we showed that tumor cell-derived microparticles induced by methotrexate (MTX-MP) acts as an immunotherapeutic agent to activate neutrophils, increasing the tumor-killing effect of the cells and augmenting T-cell antitumor responses. We found that lactate induced tumor-associated neutrophils to elevate expression of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and that PD-1+ neutrophils had the properties of N2 neutrophils and suppressed T-cell activation through PD-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) signaling. By performing ex vivo experiments, we found that MTX-MPs-activated neutrophils had reduced surface expression of PD-1 as a result of PD-1 internalization and degradation in the lysosomes, leading to the cells showing a decreased capacity to suppress T-cell responses. In addition, we also found that MTX-MP-activated neutrophils released neutrophil elastase which could kill tumor cells and disrupt tumor stroma, leading to increased T-cell infiltration. Furthermore, using a combination of anti-PD-L1 and MTX-MPs, we observed that long-term survival increased in a mouse model of lung cancer. Collectively, these findings highlight the potential use of a combination of anti-PD-L1 and MTX-MPs to enhance the therapeutic effect of anti-PD-L1 alone.

Kruppel-like factor 2 contributes to blood-spinal cord barrier integrity and functional recovery from spinal cord injury by augmenting autophagic flux.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI)-induced defects in autophagy and autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP) may contribute to endothelial barrier disruption following injury. Recently, Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) was reported as a key molecular switch on regulating autophagy. Whether KLF2 coordinates endothelial endothelial ALP in SCI is not known. Methods: Genetic manipulations of KLF2 were performed in bEnd.3 cells and SCI model. Western blot, qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence staining and Lyso-Tracker Red staining, Evans blue dye extravasation, behavioral assessment via Basso mouse scale (BMS), electrophysiology and footprint analysis were performed. Results: In SCI, autophagy flux disruption in endothelial cells contributes to TJ proteins degradation, leading to blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) impairment. Furthermore, the KLF2 level was decreased in SCI, overexpression of which alleviated TJ proteins loss and BSCB damage, which improve motor function recovery in SCI mice, while knockdown of KLF2 displayed the opposite effects. At the molecular level, KLF2 overexpression alleviated the TJ proteins degradation and the endothelial permeability by tuning the ALP dysfunction caused by SCI and oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD). Conclusions: Endothelial KLF2 as one of the key contributors to SCI-mediated ALP dysfunction and BSCB disruption. KLF2 could be a promising pharmacological target for the management and treatment of SCI.

Analysis of the safety and efficacy of different plasma concentrations of pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The high incidence and mortality of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have led to the widespread use of antifibrotic drugs such as pirfenidone; however, the associated adverse reactions greatly vary among individuals and the dose is not fixed. To date, no reliable blood concentration range of pirfenidone is available to monitor adverse reactions and clinical efficacy. This real study assessed the efficacy and safety of different plasma concentrations of pirfenidone in patients with IPF. The study included 99 patients with IPF orally treated with pirfenidone capsules for at least 52 weeks. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to analyze drug plasma concentrations. The annual rate of forced vital capacity (FVC) decline, assessed at week 52, was set as the primary end point. Secondary end points were the change from the baseline in the 6-min walk distance (6 MWD) and the time to the first acute exacerbation of IPF, both of which evaluated over 52 weeks. In the total population, the annual FVC decline in the high-concentration group was -90.0 ml per year versus -260.0 ml per year in the low-concentration group, for a between-group difference of 190.3 ml per year. The proportion of patients treated with high plasma concentrations of pirfenidone who showed an absolute decline of ≥10% in FVC% predicted, with a 6 MWD reduction of ≥50 m, or died, was lower than that of patients treated with low plasma concentrations of pirfenidone. High concentrations of pirfenidone reduced the risk of acute exacerbation in patients with IPF. Considerable differences were not observed for the total St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire score or the rates of death between the high- and low-concentration groups. Mild to moderate adverse events, mainly involving the gastrointestinal system and the skin, were more common in the high-concentration group than in the low-concentration group but did not lead to termination of treatment in most cases. Our results suggest that treatment of IPF with high blood concentration of pirfenidone is both safe and effective. In the case of tolerable adverse reactions, patients with IPF may benefit from high concentrations of pirfenidone.

Synthesis of Bimetallic FeCu-MOF and Its Performance as Catalyst of Peroxymonosulfate for Degradation of Methylene Blue.

Bimetallic MOFs have recently emerged as promising materials for wastewater treatment based on advanced oxidation processes. Herein, a new bimetallic MOF (FeCu-MOF) was fabricated by hydrothermal process. The structural, morphological, compositional and physicochemical properties of the as-synthesized bimetallic FeCu-MOF were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, BET, and XPS. TEM and XPS confirmed the homogeneous distribution of CuO2 nanoparticles in the as-synthesized materials. The result of wastewater treatment indicated that 100% of MB was removed by 6.0 mM PMS activated with 0.6 g/L of FeCu-MOF in 30 min. The high catalytic performance of FeCu-MOF was probably due to the accelerated electron and mass transfer resulting from the existence of a homogeneous distribution of unsaturated metal sites and an abundant mesoporous structure. The obtained results from the competitive quenching tests demonstrated that sulfate radicals (SO4•-) were the major species responsible for MB oxidation. In addition, hydroxyl (·OH) and singlet oxygen (1O2) also had a nonnegligible role in the MB removal. Interestingly, the addition of acetate ion (CHCOO-) promoted the removal of MB while other anions (including NO2-, H2PO4-, SO42-, HPO42-, and HCO3-) inhibited the MB removal. Furthermore, a possible mechanism based on both heterogeneous and homogeneous activation of PMS was proposed, along with the MB degradation mechanism.

Current development and future challenges in microplastic detection techniques: A bibliometrics-based analysis and review.

Microplastics have been considered a new type of pollutant in the marine environment and have attracted widespread attention worldwide in recent years. Plastic particles with particle size less than 5 mm are usually defined as microplastics. Because of their similar size to plankton, marine organisms easily ingest microplastics and can threaten higher organisms and even human health through the food chain. Most of the current studies have focused on the investigation of the abundance of microplastics in the environment. However, due to the limitations of analytical methods and instruments, the number of microplastics in the environment can easily lead to overestimation or underestimation. Microplastics in each environment have different detection techniques. To investigate the current status, hot spots, and research trends of microplastics detection techniques, this review analyzed the papers related to microplastics detection using bibliometric software CiteSpace and COOC. A total of 696 articles were analyzed, spanning 2012 to 2021. The contributions and cooperation of different countries and institutions in this field have been analyzed in detail. This topic has formed two main important networks of cooperation. International cooperation has been a common pattern in this topic. The various analytical methods of this topic were discussed through keyword and clustering analysis. Among them, fluorescent, FTIR and micro-Raman spectroscopy are commonly used optical techniques for the detection of microplastics. The identification of microplastics can also be achieved by the combination of other techniques such as mass spectrometry/thermal cracking gas chromatography. However, these techniques still have limitations and cannot be applied to all environmental samples. We provide a detailed analysis of the detection of microplastics in different environmental samples and list the challenges that need to be addressed in the future.

Graphdiyne applications in sensors: A bibliometric analysis and literature review.

Graphdiyne is a two-dimensional carbon nanomaterial synthesized artificially in 2010. Its outstanding performance is considered to have great potential in different fields. This article summarizes the work of graphdiyne in the sensing field by literature summary and bibliometrics analysis. The development of graphdiyne in the field of sensing has gone through a process from theoretical calculation to experimental verification. Especially in the last three years, there has been very rapid development. The theoretical calculations suggest that graphdiyne is an excellent gas sensing material, but there is little experimental evidence in this direction. On the contrary, graphdiyne has been widely reported in the field of electrochemical sensing. At the same time, graphdiyne can also be used as a molecular switch for DNA sequencing. Fluorescent sensors based on graphdiyne have also been reported. In general, the potential of graphdiyne in sensing still needs to be explored. Current research results do not show that graphdiyne has irreplaceable advantages in sensing. The bibliometric analysis used in this review also provides cooperative network analysis and co-citation analysis on this topic. This provides a reference for the audience wishing to undertake research on the topic. In addition, according to the analysis, we also listed the direction that which this field deserves attention in the future.

Relationship between graphene and pedosphere: A scientometric analysis.

The mass production and application of graphene have gradually expanded from academic research to industrial applications, which will inevitably lead to graphene entering the soil actively and passively. Therefore, the relationship between graphene and the pedosphere has attracted a lot of attention in the last decade. The most important question is whether graphene will harm soil health. Fortunately, the evidence is that graphene can alter soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities to some extent, but not dramatically. On this basis, the role of graphene in soil has been investigated in all directions. This review summarizes the literature on the relationship between graphene and soils. Topics include remediation and sensing of soil using graphene materials, the effects of graphene on soil, and the effects of graphene in soil on plant growth. At the same time, this review also uses bibliometrics to review the history of the topic. The number of papers published each year, participating countries, participating institutions and important articles were analyzed in detail. Finally, based on the published literature, we described the future perspectives of graphene and the pedosphere.

Biometric Identification of Taxodium spp. and Their Hybrid Progenies by Electrochemical Fingerprints.

The use of electrochemical fingerprints for plant identification is an emerging application in biosensors. In this work, Taxodium ascendens, T. distichum, T. mucronatum, and 18 of their hybrid progenies were collected for this purpose. This is the first attempt to use electrochemical fingerprinting for the identification of plant hybrid progeny. Electrochemical fingerprinting in the leaves of Taxodium spp. was recorded under two conditions. The results showed that the electrochemical fingerprints of each species and progeny possessed very suitable reproducibility. These electrochemical fingerprints represent the electrochemical behavior of electrochemically active substances in leaf tissues under specific conditions. Since these species and progenies are very closely related to each other, it is challenging to identify them directly using a particular electrochemical fingerprinting. Therefore, electrochemical fingerprints measured under different conditions were used to perform pattern recognition. We can identify different species and progenies by locating the features in different pattern maps. We also performed a phylogenetic study with data from electrochemical fingerprinting. The results proved that the electrochemical classification results and the relationship between them are closely related.

Voltammetric Electrochemical Sensor for Phylogenetic Study in Acer Linn.

Acer Linn. is a highly divergent species morphology in the maple family (Aceraceae). It is one of the genera facing a very difficult taxonomic situation. The phylogeny of the genus and the taxonomic system under the genus remain unclear. The use of electrochemical fingerprints for plant phylogenetic study is an emerging application in biosensors. In this work, leaves of 18 species of Acer Linn. with an exo-taxa were selected for electrochemical fingerprint recording. Two different conditions were used for improving the data abundance. The fingerprint of all species showed a series of oxidation peaks. These peaks can be ascribed to the oxidation of flavonols, phenolic acids, procyanidins, alkaloids, and pigments in plant tissue. These electrochemical fingerprints can be used for the identification of plant species. We also performed a phylogenetic study with data from electrochemical fingerprinting. The phylogenetic tree of Acer is divided into three main clades. The result is in full agreement with A. shangszeense var. anfuense, A. pictum subsp. mono, A. amplum, A. truncatum, and A. miaotaiense, belonging to the subsection Platanoidea. A. nikoense and A. griseum were clustered together in the dendrogram. Another group that fits the traditional classification results is in the subsection Integrifolia.

[Mechanism of Tanreqing Injection in treatment of acute lung injury based on network pharmacology and molecular docking].

This study aimed to explore the mechanism of Tanreqing Injection in the treatment of acute lung injury(ALI) based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. The active components and action targets of Tanreqing Injection were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), PubChem, and SwissTargetPrediction databases, as well as available literature reports. The ALI-related targets were obtained from the GeneCards database and then mapped with Tanreqing Injection targets. Following the construction of "drug-component-potential target" network with Cytoscape 3.6.1, the potential targets were input into STRING to yield the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network, which was plotted using Cytoscape 3.6.1. Then the screened key targets were subjected to gene ontology(GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG) enrichment analysis based on DAVID database. The top three key targets RAC-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase(AKT1), albumin(ALB) and interleukin-6(IL6) were docked to the top three key compounds by PyMOL and AutoDock vina. A total of 58 active components of Tanreqing Injection, 597 corresponding targets and 503 common targets shared by Tanreqing Injection and ALI were fi-gured out, with the key targets AKT1, ALB and IL6 involved. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis yielded 1 445 biological processes and 148 signaling pathways, respectively. Molecular docking verified a good binding ability of the top three key targets to the top three key compounds. The analysis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking uncovered that Tanreqing Injection directly or indirectly regulated the pulmonary capillary endothelial cells and alveolar epithelial cells via anti-inflammation, thus alleviating ALI.

Tailored Lattice "Tape" to Confine Tensile Interface for 11.08%-Efficiency All-Inorganic CsPbBr3 Perovskite Solar Cell with an Ultrahigh Voltage of 1.702 V.

The crystal distortion such as lattice strain and defect located at the surfaces and grain boundaries induced by soft perovskite lattice highly determines the charge extraction-transfer dynamics and recombination to cause an inferior efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, the authors propose a strategy to significantly reduce the superficial lattice tensile strain by means of incorporating an inorganic 2D Cl-terminated Ti3 C2 (Ti3 C2 Clx ) MXene into the bulk and surface of CsPbBr3 film. Arising from the strong interaction between Cl atoms in Ti3 C2 Clx and the under-coordinated Pb2+ in CsPbBr3 lattice, the expanded perovskite lattice is compressed and confined to act as a lattice "tape", in which the PbCl bond plays a role of "glue" and the 2D Ti3 C2 immobilizes the lattice. Finally, the defective surface is healed and a champion efficiency as high as 11.08% with an ultrahigh open-circuit voltage up to 1.702 V is achieved on the best all-inorganic CsPbBr3 PSC, which is so far the highest efficiency record for this kind of PSCs. Furthermore, the unencapsulated device demonstrates nearly unchanged performance under 80% relative humidity over 100 days and 85 °C over 30 days.

Selective and leaching-resistant palladium catalyst on a porous polymer support for phenol hydrogenation.

Selective hydrogenation of phenol is promising for the utilization of renewable lignocellulose and production of cyclohexanone that usually relies on petroleum, but it is challenging to simultaneously achieve high activity and selectivity. Herein, we report an amino-functionalized nanoporous polymer stabilized palladium nanoparticle catalyst, which is prepared via a one-pot co-polymerization method, as highly active and selective catalysts for the phenol hydrogenation, giving cyclohexanone selectivity over 99.5% with full conversion of phenol under mild reaction conditions without any soluble additives. Importantly, the palladium leaching was efficiently hindered, maintaining the catalytic performances in continuously recycle tests. In contrast, the commercial palladium catalysts exhibit much lower selectivity and obvious deactivation because of the palladium leaching.

Environmental distribution, transport and ecotoxicity of microplastics: A review.

Microplastics (MPs) have become a global environmental pollutant because of their unique properties. The extensive MP toxicity reports have focused on the aquatic environment, while the pervasive MP contamination in the soil and air has largely been overlooked. This review summarizes the abundance, sources and transport of MPs in different environments. It analyzes the toxicity of MPs based on various environmentally relevant bacterial, cellular, plant, aquatic animal and mammalian test groups, using both in vitro and in vivo experiments. The combined toxicity effects of MPs and various other environmental pollutants on ecosystems are also discussed. Currently, data on the adverse effects on combined MP toxicity are very limited. Thus, a systematic assessment of the environmental risk in different environments and in various species from MPs is challenging. Thus, this review proposes the possible risks and identifies the knowledge gaps posed by MPs to food safety and human health.

Interfacial Strain Release from the WS2 /CsPbBr3 van der Waals Heterostructure for 1.7†V Voltage All-Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells.

Perovskite lattice distortion induced by residual tensile strain from the thermal expansion mismatch between the electron-transporting layer (ETL) and perovskite film causes a sluggish charge extraction and transfer dynamics in all-inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite solar cells (PSCs) because of their higher crystallization temperatures and thermal expansion coefficients. Herein, the interfacial strain is released by fabricating a WS2 /CsPbBr3 van der Waals heterostructure owing to their matched crystal lattice structure and the atomically smooth dangling bond-free surface to act as a lubricant between ETL and CsPbBr3 perovskite. Arising from the strain-released interface and condensed perovskite lattice, the best device achieves an efficiency of 10.65 % with an ultrahigh open-circuit voltage of 1.70 V and significantly improved stability under persistent light irradiation and humidity (80 %) attack over 120 days.

A review of microplastics in the aquatic environmental: distribution, transport, ecotoxicology, and toxicological mechanisms.

The interactions between microplastics (MPs) and aquatic organisms are becoming increasingly frequent due to the extensive distribution of MPs in aquatic environments. MPs from the aquatic environment tend to accumulate and move through living organisms. Therefore, MPs can affect human health though the food chain and human consumption. In this brief review, the environmental distribution, sources, and transport of MPs are reviewed, and the potential consequences of the presence of MPs in the aquatic environment to human food are discussed. This review also summarized the toxicity effects and toxicity mechanisms of MPs based on various environmentally relevant test species and discussed the combined toxicity effects of MPs and various pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. The knowledge of the adverse effects on combined toxicity and the mechanism of MPs toxicity are very limited. Thus, a systematic assessment of the aquatic environmental risk in various species from MPs is challenging. In the end, we identify the knowledge gaps that need to be filled and provide suggestions for future research.

Inhibitory effects of plasmid small interfering RNA targeting signal transducer and activator of transcription­3 in C6 glioma cells.

The current study investigated the effect of plasmid small interfering RNA (psiRNA)­mediated silencing of signal transducer and activator of transcription­3 (STAT3) on the invasion, apoptosis, and expression levels of cyclin D1, caspase­3 and B­cell lymphoma­2 (Bcl­2) in C6 glioma cells. Cell invasion was determined using a Transwell assay, while the apoptosis rate and cell cycle distribution of cells were assessed using Annexin V­FITC/PI double staining. The expression levels of cyclin D1, caspase­3 and Bcl­2 proteins were measured by western blotting. Transfection with psiRNA­STAT3 was observed to significantly decrease the number of transmembrane cells compared with the control groups (P<0.05). In addition, the proportion of cells at G0/G1 phase was increased in the psiRNA­STAT3 group compared with the controls. Western blotting indicated that psiRNA­STAT3 decreased the expression of cyclin D1, caspase­3 and Bcl­2 proteins. Taken together, psiRNA­STAT3 inhibited the migration and invasive abilities, and induced the apoptosis of C6 glioma cells, possibly through regulation of the expression of cyclin D1, caspase­3 and Bcl­2 proteins.

A review of organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs): occurrence, bioaccumulation, toxicity, and organism exposure.

Organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) are increasingly being applied as flame retardants due to their unique properties. OPFRs are commonly detected in various environmental matrices, and organisms are extensively exposed to them. Considering the adverse effects of OPFRs, many researchers have devoted their attention to environmental risk assessments. This review outlines the current knowledge regarding the toxicity of OPFRs based on both in vitro and in vivo experiments in various environmentally relevant test species. The production, absorption, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification of OPFRs in animals and humans are also described. The joint effects of OPFRs and their coexisting characteristics are also discussed based on the limited available data and results. Finally, knowledge gaps and perspectives for future exposure studies of OPFRs in animals and humans are identified.