Investigation of pyruvic acid photolysis at the air-liquid interface as a source of aqueous secondary organic aerosols.

Pyruvic acid (PA) is a ubiquitous 2-oxocarboxylic acid in the atmosphere. Its photochemical process at the air-liquid (a-l) interface has been suggested as an important source of aqueous secondary organic aerosols. We investigated the photochemical reaction pathways of PA at the a-l interface using synchrotron-based vacuum ultraviolet single-photon ionization mass spectrometry (VUV SPI-MS) coupled with the System for Analysis at the Liquid Vacuum Interface (SALVI) microreactor. Results from mass spectral analysis and the determination of appearance energies (AEs) indicate that photolysis of PA can generate radicals, then they recombine with carboxylic acids and simple molecular oligomers. Furthermore, the preliminary products could form larger oligomers via radical reaction or esterification in the presence of hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups. Mass spectral comparison shows that most photochemical reactions would complete within 4 h. The expanded photochemistry-driven reaction flowchart of PA is proposed based on the newly discovered products. Our results reveal that the interfacial PA photochemical reactions have different mechanisms from the bulk liquid due to the interfacial properties, such as molecular density, composition, and ion concentration. Our findings show that in situ mass spectral analysis with bright photon ionization is useful to elucidate the contribution of a-l interfacial reactions leading to aqSOA formation.

The mechanosensitive ion channel ASIC2 mediates both proprioceptive sensing and spinal alignment.

By translating mechanical forces into molecular signals, proprioceptive neurons provide the CNS with information on muscle length and tension, which is necessary to control posture and movement. However, the identities of the molecular players that mediate proprioceptive sensing are largely unknown. Here, we confirm the expression of the mechanosensitive ion channel ASIC2 in proprioceptive sensory neurons. By combining in vivo proprioception-related functional tests with ex vivo electrophysiological analyses of muscle spindles, we showed that mice lacking Asic2 display impairments in muscle spindle responses to stretch and motor coordination tasks. Finally, analysis of skeletons of Asic2 loss-of-function mice revealed a specific effect on spinal alignment. Overall, we identify ASIC2 as a key component in proprioceptive sensing and a regulator of spine alignment.

Molecular detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is crucial in environmental mitigation and remediation of these persistent pollutants. We demonstrate that time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a viable technique to analyze and identify these substances at parts per trillion (ppt) level in real field samples without complicated sample preparation due to its superior surface sensitivity. Several representative PFAS compounds, such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA), perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA), perfluoheptanoic acid (PFHpA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and real-world groundwater samples collected from monitoring wells installed around at a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Southern California were analyzed in this work. ToF-SIMS spectral comparison depicts sensitive identification of pseudo-molecular ions, characteristic of reference PFASs. Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) shows clear discrimination among real samples and reference compounds. Our results show that characteristic molecular ion and fragments peaks can be used to identify PFASs. Furthermore, SIMS two-dimensional (2D) images directly exhibit the distribution of perfluorocarboxylic acid (PFCA) and PFOS in simulated mixtures and real wastewater samples. Such findings indicate that ToF-SIMS is useable to determine PFAS compounds in complex environmental water samples. In conclusion, ToF-SIMS provides simple sample preparation and high sensitivity in mass spectral imaging, offering an alternative solution for environmental forensic analysis of PFASs in wastewater in the future.

Four new species of Phyllosticta from China based on morphological and phylogenetic characterization.

Phyllosticta (Phyllostictaceae, Botryosphaeriales) species are widely distributed globally and constitute a diverse group of pathogenic and endophytic fungi associated with a broad range of plant hosts. In this study, four new species of Phyllosticta, i.e. P. endophytica, P. jiangxiensis, P. machili, and P. xinyuensis, were described using morphological characteristics and multi-locus phylogeny based on the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) with intervening 5.8S rRNA gene, large subunit of rRNA gene (nrLSU), translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (tef1), actin gene (act), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (gapdh). Phyllosticta machili is the first species of this genus reported to infect plants of the Machilus genus.

Identification of ORM1, vWF, SPARC, and PPBP as immune-related proteins involved in immune thrombocytopenia by quantitative LC-MS/MS.

BACKGROUND: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a common autoimmune disease characterized by loss of immune tolerance to platelet autoantigens leading to excessive destruction and insufficient production of platelets. METHOD: Quantitative liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was performed to detect the differentially expressed proteins in bone marrow samples from active ITP patients and normal controls. RESULT: Our bioinformatic analysis identified two upregulated proteins (ORM1 and vWF) and two downregulated proteins (PPBP and SPARC) related to immune function. The four proteins were all found to be related to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -α signalling pathway and involved in the pathogenesis of ITP in KEGG pathway analysis. CONCLUSION: Bioinformatics analysis identified differentially expressed proteins in bone marrow that are involved in the TNF-α signalling pathway and are related to the activation of immune function in ITP patients. These findings could provide new ideas for research on the loss of immune tolerance in ITP patients.

Gene mutations in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway were related to immune thrombocytopenia pathogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Immune thrombocytopenic (ITP) is an autoimmune bleeding disease with genetic susceptibility. Twenty newly diagnosed active primary ITP patients who had not been treated with glucocorticosteroids, immune globulin or immunosuppressants prior to sampling were enrolled in this study. Bone marrow blood mononuclear cells were used for whole exome sequencing to further elucidation the variant genes of ITP. METHODS: High-molecular-weight genomic DNA was extracted from freshly frozen bone marrow blood mononuclear cells from 20 active ITP patients. Next, the samples were subjected to molecular genetic analysis by whole-exome sequencing, and the results were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The signaling pathways and cellular processes associated with the mutated genes were identified with gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses. RESULTS: The results showed that there were 3998 missense mutations involving 2269 genes in more than 10 individuals. Unique genetic variants including phosphatase and tensin homolog, insulin receptor, and coagulation factor C homology were the most associated with the pathogenesis of ITP. Functional analysis revealed these mutation genes mainly affect Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/serine/threonine kinase B signaling pathways (signal transduction) and platelet activation (immune system). CONCLUSION: Our finding further demonstrates the functional connections between these variant genes and ITP. Although the substantial mechanism and the impact of genetic variation are required further investigation, the application of next generation sequencing in ITP in this paper is a valuable method to reveal the genetic susceptibility.

Preparation and characterization of bioplastics from silylated cassava starch and epoxidized soybean oils.

In this work, a systematic coupling study of silane coupling agent between starch and epoxidized soybean oils (ESO) was carried out. Starch was modified by 3-aminopropyl trimethoxy silane (APMS) with various contents of NaOH. The APMS-modified starch was incorporated with ESO to synthesize the bioplastics by solution casting. As demonstrated by the FTIR spectra, the hydrogen bond interactions among starch molecules were inhibited by the modification. This outcome provided higher interaction and compatibility of starch with ESO, as confirmed by FESEM. TGA showed that the thermal stability of starch decreased considerably after the silylation. In contrast, the produced bioplastics with silylated starch exhibited higher thermal stability than the control sample. Regarding the bioplastics, an obvious increase of tensile strength from 5.78 MPa to 9.29 MPa was obtained. This work suggested a simple and effective modification technique by APMS to improve compatibility of starch/ESO-based bioplastics with superior mechanical and thermal properties.

Tislelizumab Combined with Carboplatin-Paclitaxel for Treatment of Metastatic or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer: a Retrospective Clinical Study.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic or recurrent endometrial cancers with low survival rate had no standard or limited therapy choice. The aim of our study was to determine the efficiency and safety of tislelizumab combined with carboplatin-paclitaxel as a front-line therapy for patients with metastatic or recurrent endometrial cancer. METHODS: This clinical retrospective cohort study examined 24 Chinese patients with metastasis or recurrence but had not yet received treatment. The therapeutic regimen consisted of 6 cycles of intravenous paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) and carboplatin (target AUC: 5 mg/mL/min) with tislelizumab (200 mg) once every 3 weeks, and then intravenous tislelizumab (200 mg) once every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. RESULTS: At the 18-month follow-up, 8 patients were still receiving treatment, 13 were dead, and 3 withdrew. The objective response rate (ORR) was 62.5%, the disease control rate was 75.00%. The ORR was 77.78% for patients positive for PD-L1 and 69.23% for patients positive for MSI-H. The median overall survival time was 11.50 months, and the median progression-free survival time was 6.00 months. Half of the patients experienced 3 - 4 grade adverse events. There were no allergic reactions or treatment-related deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Tislelizumab combined with carboplatin-paclitaxel was used as a front-line therapy, had a beneficial effect and was safe for patients with metastatic or recurrent endometrial cancer.

Thermally assisted efficient electrochemical lithium extraction from simulated seawater.

Extracting lithium electrochemically from seawater has the potential to resolve any future lithium shortage. However, electrochemical extraction only functions efficiently in high lithium concentration solutions. Herein, we discovered that lithium extraction is temperature and concentration dependent. Lithium extraction capacity (i.e., the mass of lithium extracted from the source solutions) and speed (i.e., the lithium extraction rate) in electrochemical extraction can be increased significantly in heated source solutions, especially at low lithium concentrations (e.g., < 3 mM) and high Na+/Li+ molar ratios (e.g., >1000). Comprehensive material characterization and mechanistic analyses revealed that the improved lithium extraction originates from boosted kinetics rather than thermodynamic equilibrium shifts. A higher temperature (i.e., 60 oC) mitigates the activation polarization of lithium intercalation, decreases charge transfer resistances, and improves lithium diffusion. Based on these understandings, we demonstrated that a thermally assisted electrochemical lithium extraction process could achieve rapid (36.8 mg g-1 day-1) and selective (51.79% purity) lithium extraction from simulated seawater with an ultrahigh Na+/Li+ molar ratio of 20,000. The integrated thermally regenerative electrochemical cycle can harvest thermal energy in heated source solutions, enabling a low electrical energy consumption (11.3-16.0 Wh mol-1 lithium). Furthermore, the coupled thermal-driven membrane process in the system can also produce freshwater (13.2 kg m-2 h-1) as a byproduct. Given abundant low-grade thermal energy availability, the thermally assisted electrochemical lithium extraction process has excellent potential to realize mining lithium from seawater.

High-throughput DNA methylation analysis in ITP confirms NOTCH1 hypermethylation through the Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation pathways.

BACKGROUND: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a prevalent autoimmune disease with a complex aetiology where DNA methylation changes are becoming triggers. METHOD: To investigate novel abnormally methylated genes in the pathogenesis of ITP, we performed a high-throughput methylation analysis on 21 ITP patients and 9 normal control samples. We analysed the extent of key methylated genes and their downstream cytokines through Luminex assay or qRT-PCR. Then, bone marrow mononuclear cells were extracted from ITP patients, and decitabine (demethylation drug) was added to the culture medium of cultured cells. qRT-PCR and ELISA were used to detect whether decitabine could effectively affect target genes and related cytokines. RESULTS: Through the STRING and Metascape databases, hypermethylated NOTCH1 can be identified and can influence ITP by regulating many downstream cytokines through Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation pathways. Compared with those in the normal control group, the expression levels of NOTCH1 and its downstream Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, and GATA3) were significantly decreased and those of Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-12, and TNF-α) were significantly increased in the ITP group. Decitabine exerts its demethylation effect, so the expression of NOTCH1 and its related cytokines in the ITP group treated with 100 nM decitabine were significantly reversed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the pathogenesis of ITP may exert its influence on epigenetics through alteration of DNA methylation at regulatory regions of the target NOTCH1 gene in the Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation pathways. At the same time, decitabine may achieve a therapeutic effect on ITP by demethylation.

Regulation of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg by pDC/mDC imbalance in primary immune thrombocytopenia.

This study investigates the regulatory effect of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC)/myeloid dendritic cells (mDC) imbalance on balance of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg in primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). A total of 30 untreated ITP patients and 20 healthy controls were recruited. Compared with healthy control, the pDC proportion of ITP patients was significantly reduced (P = 0.004), while the mDC proportion was not significantly changed (P = 0.681), resulting in a decrease in the pDC/mDC ratio (P = 0.001). Additionally, compared with controls, serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12, and IL-23 were increased in ITP patients (P < 0.001), and mRNA levels of IL-12p40, IL-12p35, and IL-23p19 were also increased (P =0.014, P = 0.043, P < 0.001). Compared with the healthy control, the proportion of Th1 and Th17 cells in ITP patients increased (P = 0.001, P = 0.031). Serum levels of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and IL-17 in ITP patients also increased (P = 0.025, P = 0.005). Furthermore, T-bet and RORγt mRNA levels were increased in peripheral blood of ITP patients (P = 0.018, P < 0.001). Correspondingly, the proportion of Th2 and Treg cells decreased (P = 0.007, P < 0.001), along with a decrease in serum IL-4 and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß) (P = 0.028, P = 0.042), and an increase in GATA-3 mRNA (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in Foxp3 mRNA levels (P = 0.587). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the proportion of total dendritic cells (DCs) was positively correlated with IL-12 (r = 0.526, P = 0.003) and IL-23 (r = 0.501, P = 0.005) in ITP patients. Th1/Th2 ratio, IFN-γ, and IL-12 levels were negatively correlated with platelet counts (r = -0.494, P = 0.009; r = -0.415, P = 0.028; r = -0.492, P = 0.032). However, IL-23 was positively correlated with IL-17 (r = 0.489, P = 0.006) and negatively correlated with platelet count (r = -0.564, P = 0.001). The ratio of IL-6 and Th17 cells was negatively correlated with platelet count (r = -0.443, P = 0.014; r = -0.471, P = 0.011). The imbalance of pDC/mDC and the increase of IL-6, IL-12, and IL-23 lead to the increased differentiation of CD4+ T cells into Th1 and Th17 cells, which might be the important mechanisms underlying the imbalance of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg in ITP patients.

[Impact of Pollutant Emission Reduction on Air Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic Control in Early 2020 Based on RAMS-CMAQ].

In this work, the relationships between air quality and pollutant emissions were investigated during the COVID-19 pandemic in Shandong Province. During the quarantine period (from January 24 to February 7, 2020), the concentrations of atmospheric pollutants decreased significantly relative to the period before controls were imposed (from January 15 to 23, 2020). Specifically, except for an increase in the concentration of O3, concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and CO decreased for 72.6 µg·m-3 (45.86%), 47.4 µg·m-3(41.24%), 25.6 µg·m-3 (58.00%), 3.0 µg·m-3 (17.71%), and 0.5 mg·m-3 (31.40%), respectively. RAMS-CMAQ simulation showed that meteorological diffusion had an essential role in improving air quality. Influenced by meteorological factors, emissions of PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and CO were reduced 26.04%, 33.03%, 28.35%, 43.27%, and 23.29%, respectively. Furthermore, the concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and CO were reduced by 19.82%, 8.21%, 29.65%, -25.56%, and 8.12%, respectively, due to pollution emissions reductions during the quarantine period. O3 concentrations increased by 20.51% during quarantine, caused by both meteorological factors (10.47%) and human activities (10.04%). These results indicate that primary pollutants were more sensitive to emissions reductions; however, secondary pollutants demonstrated a lagged response the emissions reduction and were significantly affected by meteorological factors. The linear relationship between ozone and the emissions reduction was not significant, and was inverse overall. Further investigation are now required on the impact of emissions reduction on ozone pollution control.

Theoretical study of the formation and nucleation mechanism of highly oxygenated multi-functional organic compounds produced by α-pinene.

In recent years, highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) derived from photochemical reactions of α-pinene, the most abundant monoterpene, have been considered as important precursors of biogenic particles. However, the specific reactions of HOMs remain largely unknown, especially the corresponding formation and nucleation mechanism in the nanoscale. In this study, we implemented quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore the mechanism of the formation of HOM monomers/dimers by ozonolysis and autoxidation of α-pinene. Furthermore, we investigated the mechanisms of HOMs with different oxygen-to­carbon (O/C) ratios and functional groups participating in neutral and ion-induced nucleation. The results show that the formation of HOMs is hardly affected by water, sulfuric acid and ions. In the ion-induced nucleation, HOM can dominate the initial nucleation steps; however, in the neutral nucleation, HOMs are more likely to participate in the growth stage. In addition, the nucleation ability of HOM has a bearing on the O/C ratio and the types of the functional groups. The current calculations provide valuable insight into the formation mechanism of the pure organic particles at low sulfuric acid concentrations.

Thermo-osmosis-Coupled Thermally Regenerative Electrochemical Cycle for Efficient Lithium Extraction.

Lithium (Li) production based on the soda evaporation process is time-consuming and unsustainable. The emerging electrochemical Li extraction is time-efficient but requires high-concentration Li sources and significant electrical energy input. Here, we demonstrate a fast, energy-saving, and environment-friendly Li production process by coupling a thermally regenerative electrochemical cycle (TREC) using lithium manganese oxide (LMO) and nickel hexacyanoferrate (NiHCF) electrodes with poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane-based thermo-osmosis (denoted as TO-TREC). The characterization of LMO and NiHCF electrodes confirmed that the relatively high temperature of TO-TREC has negligible adverse effects on the ion intercalation in LMO and NiHCF electrodes. The LMO/NiHCF pair has a positive temperature coefficient of 0.843 mV K-1. In the TO-TREC process, Li ions are selectively extracted from a Li-containing brine warmed by low-grade heat and then released into a room-temperature recovery solution such as LiCl with a production rate of 50-60 mmol Li+ m-2 h-1. Li source solutions are concentrated by thermo-osmosis simultaneously, making it possible to utilize previously unusable Li-containing sources, such as concentrated brines from desalination plants and industrial effluents. Besides, the TREC harvests thermal energy from the heated brine, saving >20% of electrical energy compared to conventional electrochemical methods. The new process shows the potential to meet the growing global Li demands for many applications.

Toward Flexible Zinc-Ion Hybrid Capacitors with Superhigh Energy Density and Ultralong Cycling Life: The Pivotal Role of ZnCl2 Salt-Based Electrolytes.

Zinc ion hybrid capacitors (ZIHCs) are promising energy storage devices for emerging flexible electronics, but they still suffer from trade-off in energy density and cycling life. Herein, we show that such a dilemma can be well-addressed by deploying ZnCl2 based electrolytes. Combining experimental studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, for the first time, we demonstrate an intriguing chloride ion (Cl- ) facilitated desolvation mechanism in hydrated [ZnCl]+ (H2 O)n-1 (with n=1-6) clusters. Based on this mechanism, a water-in-salt type hydrogel electrolyte filled with ZnCl2 was developed to concurrently improve the energy storage capacity of porous carbon materials and the reversibility of Zn metal electrode. The resulting ZIHCs deliver a battery-level energy density up to 217 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 450 W kg-1 , an unprecedented cycling life of 100 000 cycles, together with excellent low-temperature adaptability and mechanical flexibility.

New Insights into Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation at the Air-Liquid Interface.

Air-liquid interfacial processing of volatile organic compound photooxidation has been suggested as an important source of secondary organic aerosols. However, owing to the lack of techniques for studying the air-liquid interface, the detailed interfacial mechanism remains speculative. To obviate this, we enabled in situ synchrotron-based vacuum ultraviolet single photon ionization mass spectrometry using the system for analysis at the liquid-vacuum interface microreactor to study glyoxal photooxidation at the air-liquid interface. Determination of reaction intermediates and new oxidation products, including polymers and oligomers, by mass spectral analysis and appearance energy measurements has been reported for the first time. Furthermore, an expanded reaction mechanism of photooxidation and free radical induced reactions as a source of aqueous secondary organic aerosol formation is proposed. Single photon ionization can provide new insights into interfacial chemistry.

Correlation between histone H3K4 trimethylation and DNA methylation and evaluation of the metabolomic features in acute rejection after kidney transplantation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the difference between trimethylation of monocyte histone H3K4 and DNA methylation in acute rejection (AR) after renal transplantation in rats and reveal the epigenetic mechanism of the AR rats based on metabolomics. METHOD: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated, and CD4 +CD25 + Treg cells were sorted by flow cytometry. The Foxp3 mRNA and protein levels of CD4 +CD25 + Treg cells were detected by real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. High-throughput screening was applied to evaluate the H3K4 methylation of monocytes using chromatin immunoprecipitation with DNA microarray (ChIP-chip) and verified by ChIP with real-time PCR (ChIP-qPCR). Methylated DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing was combined with real-time PCR (MeDIP-qPCR) to detect the DNA methylation level of positive genes (ABCC4, Mef2d, Tbx1 and Eif6). Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of positive genes. The difference in lipid metabolism in the blood of (non) acute rejection rats was analysed by HPLC/MS. RESULTS: AR rats showed an apparent increase in BUN and Cr levels, as well as IL-2, IL-10 and IFN-γ. Compared with non-AR rats, the expression of CD4 +CD25 + Treg cells and Foxp3 mRNA and protein were significantly lower in AR rats. AR rats also showed an increase in H3K4 trimethylation of CD4 +CD25 + Treg and decrease in DNA methylation. There were significant differences in the DNA methylation level of four positive genes between AR and non-AR rats (P<0.05), in addition to differences in the expression levels of mRNA and protein. Pathological examination of the transplanted kidney indicated that AR rats had more severe pathological injury of the kidney than the non-AR rats. There were significant increase in the contents of several phosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylcholine, free fatty acids and carnitine in AR rats which detected by HPLC/MS. CONCLUSION: H3K4 trimethylation increased in PBMCs in AR rats, while DNA methylation decreased, indicating the presence of epigenetic differences between AR and non-AR rats. Metabolomic studies indicated a significant increase in AR rats in the contents of several metabolites, such as phosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylcholine, free fatty acids and carnitine, suggesting an increasein phospholipase activity and leading to an energy metabolism imbalance with intensification of ß-oxidation. DNA methylation may be associated with an increase in phosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylcholine and free fatty acids in AR rats, which may further affect energy metabolism by enhancing the tricarboxylic acid cycle in AR rats.

2D Material Based Advanced Membranes for Separations in Organic Solvents.

2D materials have shown high potentials for fabricating next-generation membranes. To date, extensive studies have focused on the applications of 2D material membranes in gas and aqueous media. Recently, compelling opportunities emerge for 2D material membranes in separation applications in organic solvents because of their unique properties, such as ultrathin mono- to few-layers, outstanding chemical resistance toward organic solvents. Hence, this review aims to provide a timely overview of the current state-of-the-art of 2D material membranes focusing on their applications in organic solvent separations. 2D material membranes fabricated using graphene materials and a few representative nongraphene-based 2D materials, including covalent organic frameworks and MXenes, are summarized. The key membrane design strategies and their effects on separation performances in organic solvents are also examined. Last, several perspectives are provided in terms of the critical challenges for 2D material membranes, including standardization of membrane performance evaluation, improving understandings of separation mechanisms, managing the trade-off of permeability and selectivity, issues related to application versatility, long-term stability, and fabrication scalability. This review will provide a useful guide for researchers in creating novel 2D material membranes for advancing new separation techniques in organic solvents.

Association between Nod-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome and gouty nephropathy.

Crystalized deposits of monosodium urate activate the Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, resulting in kidney damage. The present study investigated whether the NLRP3 inflammasome is associated with the progression of hyperuricaemia and gouty nephropathy. Adult male patients were recruited at the Affiliated Baoan Hospital of Shenzhen and divided into three groups of 15 patients each: The control group, the hyperuricaemia group and the gouty nephropathy group. General characteristics and organ function indicators were also measured for each patient. NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck like protein (ASC) and caspase-1 mRNA and protein expressions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were detected. The expression of certain downstream inflammatory factors, including interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-18 were also assessed in plasma. The results demonstrated that the concentration of uric acid and creatinine were increased in the hyperuricaemia and gouty nephropathy groups compared with the control group. NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1 mRNA and protein expression, and IL-1ß and IL-18 expression were increased in the hyperuricaemia and gouty nephropathy groups compared with the control group. In addition, ASC and caspase-1 mRNA and protein expression, and IL-1ß expression were higher in the gouty nephropathy group compared with the hyperuricaemia group. In conclusion, the present results supported the hypothesis that the NLRP3 inflammasome signalling pathway is associated with gouty nephropathy leading to initiation of the inflammatory response and causing renal damage.

Viscosity sensitive near-infrared fluorescent probes based on functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes.

A viscosity-sensitive fluorescent probe is demonstrated by grafting a rotatable 4-N,N'-dimethylaniline group on (6,5) single-walled carbon nanotubes. The rotation of the grafted group is constricted by solution viscosity, causing changes in the photoluminescence behaviors of the nanotubes. This enables a highly sensitive fluorescent probe for determining solution ratiometric viscosity in the biologically transparent second near-infrared region.