Enhanced Photocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction via Bismuth Nanoparticle-Decorating ZnCdS Solid Solution.

The construction of photocatalysts with a surface plasmon resonance effect (SPR) has been demonstrated as a highly effective strategy for enhancing photocatalytic efficiency. In this paper, we synthesized a catalyst with bismuth metal loaded on ZnCdS nanospheres for an efficient photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (PNRR). The SPR effect induced by Bi nanoparticles under light excitation significantly promoted the ammonia production efficiency of the photocatalyst. Under air ambient conditions with lactic acid as the sacrificial agent, the photocatalytic NH4+ yield of 3% Bi@ZnCdS was 58.93 µmol·g-1·h-1, which exhibited an approximately 7.7 times that of the pure phase ZnCdS. The experimental characterization results demonstrate that the incorporation of metallic bismuth enhances the light absorption capacity of the catalyst and improves the separation efficiency of the photogenerated carriers. Theoretical calculations proved that Bi NPs provide more photogenerated electrons to convert N2 to NH3 for solid-solution ZnCdS. This work presents a novel concept for the development of advanced plasma nanomaterials to enhance the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation reaction.

Ammonia Synthesis via Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction Using NiCoO2 Nanoarrays on a Copper Foam.

Ammonia (NH3) plays a vital role in industrial and agricultural development. The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (eNO3RR) is an effective method to produce NH3 under environmental conditions but also requires considerably active and selective electrocatalysts. Herein, a copper foam was used as a conductive substrate for the electrode materials. Specifically, a Co metal-organic framework (Co-MOF) was in situ grown on the copper foam, etched, and calcined to form NiCoO2@Cu nanosheets, which were used as cathode electrodes for the eNO3RR. In 0.1 M Na2SO4 with 0.1 M NaNO3 electrolyte, NiCoO2@Cu nanosheets realized an NH3 yield of 5940.73 µg h-1 cm-2 at -0.9 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), with a Faradaic efficiency of 94.2% at -0.7 V vs RHE. After 33 h of the catalytic reaction, the selectivity of NH3-N increased to 99.7%. The excellent electrocatalytic performance of NiCoO2@Cu nanosheets was attributed to the apparent synergistic effect between the Ni atoms and the Co atoms of bimetallic materials. This study shows that the Ni doping of NiCoO2@Cu nanosheets effectively facilitated the adsorption of NO3- on NiCoO2@Cu, and it promoted the eNO3RR.

Constructing Nanoporous Ir/Ta2 O5 Interfaces on Metallic Glass for Durable Acidic Water Oxidation.

Although proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE) are considered as a promising technique for green hydrogen production, it remains crucial to develop intrinsically effective oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts with high activity and durability. Here, a flexible self-supporting electrode with nanoporous Ir/Ta2O5 electroactive surface is reported for acidic OER via dealloying IrTaCoB metallic glass ribbons. The catalyst exhibits excellent electrocatalytic OER performance with an overpotential of 218 mV for a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and a small Tafel slope of 46.1 mV dec-1 in acidic media, superior to most electrocatalysts. More impressively, the assembled PEMWE with nanoporous Ir/Ta2 O5 as an anode shows exceptional performance of electrocatalytic hydrogen production and can operate steadily for 260 h at 100 mA cm-2 . In situ spectroscopy characterizations and density functional theory calculations reveal that the modest adsorption of OOH* intermediates to active Ir sites lower the OER energy barrier, while the electron donation behavior of Ta2 O5 to stabilize the high-valence states of Ir during the OER process extended catalyst's durability.

The Application Effect of Craniotomy through Transsylvian Rolandic Point-Insular Approach on Hypertensive Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Posterior Basal Ganglia.

Objective: To evaluate the hematoma clearance and safety of small bone window craniotomy through the lateral fissure Rolandic point-insular lobe approach for patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH) in posterior basal ganglia. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled a total of 86 patients with HICH in the posterior basal ganglia region who underwent surgery between January 2020 and December 2021. These patients were divided into two groups: the conventional group and the study group. The intraoperative information, postoperative hematoma clearance rate, increasing rate of cerebral edema and rebleeding occurrence rate, postoperative complication rate, and prognoses were compared between the two groups. Additionally, we observed and compared the rate of postoperative cerebral hematoma increase, as well as the neurological function and activities of daily living (ADL) at admission, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery in both groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explore factors affecting the prognosis of patients with HICH in the posterior basal ganglia region after small bone window craniotomy through the lateral fissure Rolandic point-insular lobe approach. Results: The study group exhibited significantly shorter automatic eye-opening times and hospital stays compared to the conventional group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the study group demonstrated better hematoma clearance rates, lower rates of cerebral hematoma at postoperative 48 h and 72 h, and lower rates of rebleeding compared to the conventional group (P < 0.05). At 3 and 6 months postsurgery, the study group exhibited a significantly greater improvement in neurological function and ADL compared to the conventional group (P < 0.05). Additionally, the incidence of postoperative complications in the study group was lower than that in the conventional group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the prognosis of the study group was significantly better than that of the conventional group at the 6-month follow-up (P < 0.05). Conclusion: A small bone window craniotomy via transsylvian Rolandic point-insular approach has been shown to improve the hematoma clearance rate in patients with HICH in the posterior basal ganglia region while also reducing the incidence of complications. This approach is highly safe and feasible for implementation in clinical practice.

Boron-doped graphene quantum dot/bismuth molybdate composite photocatalysts for efficient photocatalytic nitrogen fixation reactions.

Bismuth molybdate (BMO) is a promising visible-driven photocatalyst and constructing heterojunctions in BMO-based materials is an effective way to enhance photocatalytic performance. In this study, boron-doped graphene quantum dots (BGQDs) were synthesized by one-step pyrolysis and carbonization, followed by the preparation of bismuth molybdate/boron-doped graphene quantum dots (BGQDs/BMO) heterojunction photocatalysts using in-situ growth method. The introduction of BGQDs significantly improved the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation activity under the irradiation of visible light and without scavengers. The highest NH3 yield was achieved with BGQDs/BMO-10, which was 3.48 times higher than pure phase BMO. This improvement was due to the formation of Z-scheme heterojunctions between BGQDs and BMO with the synergistic mechanism of interfacial charge transport and the generation of more protons. This study provides useful guidance for enhancing the visible-light nitrogen fixation performance of BMO materials.

MOFs-derived plum-blossom-like junction In/In2O3@C as an efficient nitrogen fixation photocatalyst: Insight into the active site of the In3+ around oxygen vacancy.

Nitrogen activation with low-cost, visible-light-driven photocatalysts continues to be a major challenge. Since the discovery of biological nitrogen fixation, multi-component systems have achieved higher efficiency due to the synergistic effects, thus one of the challenges has been distinguishing the active sites in multi-component catalysts. In this study, we report the photocatalysts of In/In2O3@C with plume-blossom-like junction structure obtained by one-step roasting of MIL-68-In. The "branch" is carbon for supporting and protecting the structure, and the "blossom" is In/In2O3 for the activation and reduction of N2, which form an efficient photocatalyst for nitrogen fixation reaction with the performance of 51.83 µmol h-1 g-1. Experimental studies and DFT calculations revealed the active site of the catalyst for nitrogen fixation reaction is the In3+ around the oxygen vacancy in In2O3. More importantly, the elemental In forms the Schottky barrier with In2O3 in the catalyst, which can generate a built-in electric field to form charge transfer channels during the photocatalytic activity, not only broadens the light absorption range of the material, but also exhibits excellent metal conductivity.

Cationic vacancy engineering of p-TiO2 for enhanced photocatalytic nitrogen fixation.

Defect engineering is one of the effective strategies to regulate and control catalyst properties. Constructing appropriate catalytically active centers effectively tunes the electronic and surface properties of the catalyst to achieve further enrichment of photogenerated electrons, enhances the electronic feedback of the catalytically active center to the anti-bonding orbitals of the nitrogen molecule, and enhances N2 adsorption while weakening the NN bond. In this study, titanium vacancy (VTi)-rich undoped anatase p-TiO2 was successfully synthesized to investigate the effect of its metal vacancies on photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) performance. The cation vacancies of VTi-rich p-TiO2 lead to local charge defects that enhance carrier separation and transport while trapping electrons to activate N2, allowing effective reduction of the excited electrons to NH3. This work provides a viable strategy for driving the efficiency of photocatalytic nitrogen fixation processes by altering the structural properties of semiconductors through cationic vacancies, offering new opportunities and challenges for the design and preparation of titanium dioxide-based materials.

Effects of Imatinib Combined With Everolimus on Mouse Pituitary Tumor Cell AtT-20.

Context: Pituitary adenoma is a clinical syndrome in which excessive production of pituitary corticotropin (ACTH). For ACTH tumor cells, researchers know little about the influence of the cell-cycle process on ACTH production and cell proliferation. Some research has shown that imatinib can induce apoptosis of tumor cells. Objective: The study intended to explore the effects and molecular mechanisms of imatinib combined with everolimus on AtT-20 cells in AtT-20 mouse pituitary tumors. Design: The research team performed a laboratory study using murine corticotropin tumor AtT-20 cells. Setting: The study took place at the Department of Neurosurgery at Renmin Hospital of the Hubei University of Medicine in Shiyan, Hubei, China. Intervention: The research team cultured the cells in AtT-20-cell-specific medium containing 100 µg/mL of streptomycin, 100 U/mL of penicillin, and 10% fetal bovine serum at 37°C and 5% CO2. The team divided the cells into a control group, a normal culture without the drug, and an intervention group, incubated for 24 hours with 1 µM of imatinib and 3 µM of everolimus when the cells grew to 40% confluence. Outcome Measures: The research team: (1) determined the effects of the combined drugs on cell viability using a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay; (2) detected the cell's mitochondrial membrane potential and LDH leakage using "sytox blue, 5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide," CBIC2(3) or JC-1, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay kits, respectively; (3) detected AtT-20 cell apoptosis using a "terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick-end labeling" (TUNEL) kit; (4) analyzed the expression of protein kinase B (p-Akt), cAMP-response element binding protein (p-CREB), p27, p53, and cyclin E using a Western blot test; (5) detected the mRNA expression of opioid melanin procorticotropin (POMC)), caspase-3, and pituitary tumor transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); (6) measure the concentration of adreno-cortico-tropic-hormone (ACTH) in the supernatant using an enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) kit; and (7) assessed the cell cycle distribution using flow cytometry. Results: No differences existed in cell viability between the groups at the baseline (0 h) of the culture period (P > .05). Compared to the control group, the intervention group's: (1) cell viability was significantly lower at 4, 8, and 12 hours and postintervention at 16 hours (P < .001); (2) LDH concentration was significantly higher (P < .001); (3) mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly lower (P < .001); (4) apoptosis rate of TUNEL was significantly higher (P < .001 ); (5) expression of p-Akt, p-CREB phosphorylation, and cyclin E was significantly lower (P < .001), (6) expression of p27 and p53 protein was significantly higher (P < .001); (7) mRNA expression of POMC and PTTG1 were significantly lower (P < .001); (8) mRNA expression of caspase-3 was significantly higher (P < .001); (9) concentration of ACTH was lower (P < .001); and (10) percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase was significantly higher, while the percentage of cells in the S phase was significantly lower (P < .05). Conclusions: Imatinib combined with everolimus can affect the AtT-20 cell cycle through the signaling pathway of the phosphatidylin-ositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/ protein kinase A (PKA) system and can inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis. Therefore, Imatinib and everolimus may be an effective combination of candidates for drugs for mouse pituitary tumor.

The Impact of Minimally Invasive Surgery on Treating Patients with Early Cervical Adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of minimally invasive surgery on treating patients with early cervical adenocarcinoma (CA). METHODS: From April 2016 to December 2019, patients with early CA and underwent surgery were prospectively included in this study. They were randomly divided into 2 groups: the minimally invasive surgery (MIS) group and conventional laparotomy (CL) group. The baseline characteristics, pathological features, surgical related parameters, serum tumor markers, complications and prognosis were analyzed and compared between the 2 groups. The risk factors for disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were also analyzed with logistic regression analyses. RESULT: The baseline characteristic and pathological features had no statistical difference between the 2 groups. The mean operation duration in MIS group was significantly longer than CL group (262.39 ± 34.98 vs 241.29 ± 36.98 min, P < 0.001). The intraoperative blood loss volume (189.87 ± 23.87 vs 306.87 ± 24.98 mL, P < 0.001), postoperative anal exhaust time (45.98 ± 4.39 vs 59.87 ± 4.87 days, P < 0.001), catheter removal time (18.29 ± 3.21 vs 21.53 ± 3.19 days, P < 0.001) and length of hospital stay (12.98 ± 2.09 vs 16.98 ± 2.32 days, P < 0.001) were significant lower in MIS group. The serum tumor markers decreased significantly postoperative in both groups with no different levels between the 2 groups. The incidence of complications had no difference between the 2 groups except lymphocysts (P = 0.023). After mean follow up time for 4.23 ± 0.34 years, the DFS rate and OS rate also had no statistical difference between the 2 groups (P = 0.069 and 0.151, respectively). CONCLUSION: Extensive hysterectomy with MIS was equally efficacy and safe to CL.

Nanoporous Intermetallic SnTe Enables Efficient Electrochemical CO2 Reduction into Formate via Promoting the Fracture of Metal-Oxygen Bonding.

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 into formate product is considered the most practical significance link in the carbon cycle. Developing cheap and efficient electrocatalysts with high selectivity for formate on a wide operated potential window is desirable yet challenging. Herein, nanoporous ordered intermetallic tin-tellurium (SnTe) is synthesized with a greater reduction performance for electrochemical CO2 to formate reduction compared to bare Sn. This nanoporous SnTe achieves 93% Faradaic efficiency for formate production and maintains over 90% Faradaic efficiency at a wide voltage range from -1.0 to -1.3 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), together with 60 h stability. Combining operando Raman spectroscopy studies with density functional theory calculations reveals that strong orbital interaction between Sn and neighboring tellurium (Te) in the intermetallic SnTe can lower the barriers of the oxygen cutoff hydrogenation and desorption steps by promoting the fracture of bond between metal and oxygen, leading to the significant enhancement of formate production.

[Retracted] Dracorhodin perchlorate induces the apoptosis of glioma cells.

Following the publication of the above paper, a concerned reader drew to the Editor's attention that certain of the western blotting data appeared to have been duplicated, comparing Fig. 2B with Fig. 4A; furthermore, the flow cytometric data panels featured in Fig. 3A appeared to contain repeated patternings of data within those data panels.  After having conducted an independent investigation in the Editorial Office, the Editor of Oncology Reports has determined that this paper should be retracted from the Journal on account of a lack of confidence concerning the originality and the authenticity of the data. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office never received any reply. The Editor regrets any inconvenience that has been caused to the readership of the Journal. [the original article was published in Oncology Reports 35: 2364­2372, 2016; DOI: 10.3892/or.2016.4612].

MicroRNA-16 Inhibits Glioblastoma Growth in Orthotopic Model by Targeting Cyclin D1 and WIP1.

INTRODUCTION: To examine the molecular mechanism by which miRNA-16 (miR-16) suppresses glioblastoma in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Gene expression of miR-16 in normal brain tissues and human glioma cell lines was examined. To characterize the functional role of miR-16 in vitro, miR-16 was ectopically expressed in U87 cells by lentiviral transduction. Expression of miR-16 downstream targets cyclin D1 and Bcl-2 in U87 was studied using Western blotting. Cell proliferation and clonogenic property were examined using CCK-8 and clone formation assay, respectively. Migration and invasiveness of U87 was studied using wound-healing assay and transwell assay, respectively. In vivo tumorigenic properties of the miR-16-transduced U87 cells were examined in an orthotopic xenograft model. Immunohistochemistry was performed to examine cyclin D1, WIP1 and CD31 expressions. RESULTS: Expression of miR-16 was reduced in glioblastoma cell lines compared to normal human brain tissues. Ectopic miR-16 expression reduced cyclin D1 and Bcl-2 in U87 cells. miR-16 also induced apoptosis, reduced cell proliferation and clone formation. Furthermore, miR-16 suppressed U87 migration in wound-healing assay and invasion across transwell membrane in vitro. In an orthotopic tumor model, overexpression of miR-16 inhibited tumor growth in vivo was accompanied with reduction in cyclin D1 and WIP1 expression in the xenografts. CD31 expression in miR-16-overexpressed xenografts was also decreased. The determined microvessel density of the miR-16 overexpression group was significantly lower than those groups treated with vehicle and empty vector. DISCUSSION: MicroRNA-16 exhibits inhibitory effects of glioblastoma. MicroRNA-16 and its downstream targets could be potential therapeutic targets for treatment of glioblastoma.

Relationship between CYP17A1-Mediated DNA Demethylation and Proliferation, Invasion and Metastasis of Glioma Cells.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the relationship between CYP17A1-mediated DNA demethylation and proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of glioma cells. METHODS: The expression of CYP17A1 mRNA and protein in cells was determined by PCR and Western blot assays. The methylation status of CYP17A1 was detected by the MSP method. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by MTT assays and flow cytometry. Cell invasion and metastasis were measured by cell invasion assays. RESULTS: The relative expression of CYP17A1 mRNA was significantly different among the model, experimental, and normal groups (P < 0.05). Relative expression was significantly decreased in the experimental group relative to the cancer model group (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry showed that expression of CYP17A1 in glioma was significantly higher than in the normal group (P < 0.05). Methylation analysis showed that CYP17A1 was not detected in normal cells, and the methylation rate in the model group was 89.03%. The methylation rate in the experimental group was 43.93%, which was significantly lower than that of the model group (P < 0.05). MTT assays showed that DHEA plus temozolomide (TMZ) pretreatment significantly inhibited cell proliferation rate (P < 0.05). Flow cytometry showed that DHEA plus TMZ pretreatment significantly increased apoptosis rate (P < 0.05). In colony formation assays, the number of CYP17A1 colonies in the model and experimental groups was 78.09% ± 10.21% and 38.97% ± 11.32%, respectively. The number of colonies in the experimental group was significantly lower than in the model group (P < 0.05). The migration ability of the model group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The invasion rate of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the model group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: CYP17A1-induced DNA demethylation can inhibit proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of glioma cells.

Low concentration of quercetin antagonizes the invasion and angiogenesis of human glioblastoma U251 cells.

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of brain tumor with a very poor prognosis. Therefore, it is always of great importance to explore and develop new potential treatment for glioblastoma. Quercetin, a flavonoid present in a variety of human foods, has been shown to inhibit various tumor cell proliferation. In this study, we found that treating human glioblastoma U251 cells with 10 µg/mL quercetin for 24 hours, a concentration that was far below the IC50 (113.65 µg/mL) and at which quercetin failed to inhibit cell proliferation, inhibited cell migration (30%) and cell invasion as examined by wound scratch assay and transwell assay, respectively. We further showed that 10 µg/mL quercetin inhibited cell migration and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells induced by the conditioned medium derived from U251 cell culture. The inhibitory effect of quercetin on migration and angiogenesis is possibly mediated through the downregulation of protein levels of VEGFA, MMP9, and MMP2 as detected by Western blot. Our findings demonstrated that low concentration of quercetin antagonized glioblastoma cell invasion and angiogenesis in vitro.

Dracorhodin perchlorate induces the apoptosis of glioma cells.

Dracorhodin perchlorate (Dp), a synthetic analogue of the antimicrobial anthocyanin red pigment, has recently been shown to induce apoptotic cell death in various types of cancer cells. Yet, the inhibitory effect of Dp on human glioma cells remains uninvestigated. Therefore, in the present study, 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry were used to detect cell viability and cell cycle progression in glioma U87MG and T98G cells, respectively. Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide double staining and JC-1 staining were separately applied to determine cellular apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential damage in the cells. The expression levels of associated proteins involved in cell cycle progression and apoptosis were measured by western blotting. The activities of caspase­9/-3 were determined by Caspase-Glo-9/3 assay. The results indicated that Dp treatment significantly inhibited cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and blocked cell cycle progression at the G1/S phase in the U87MG and T98G cells via the upregulation of p53 and p21 protein expression, and simultaneous downregulation of Cdc25A, Cdc2 and P-Cdc2 protein expression. Additionally, Dp treatment led to the loss of cellular mitochondrial membrane potential, and the release of cytochrome c, and strongly induced the occurence of apoptosis. Increased expression levels of Bim and Bax protein and the downregulated expression of Bcl-2 protein were observed. Caspase-9/-3 were activated and their activities were elevated after Dp treatment. These findings indicate that Dp inhibits cell proliferation, induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in glioma cells, and is a possible candidate for glioma treatment.