Complete and Rapid Conversion of Hydrazine Monohydrate to Hydrogen over Supported Ni-Pt Nanoparticles on Mesoporous Ceria for Chemical Hydrogen Storage.

The development of active, selective, and robust catalysts is a key issue in promoting the practical application of hydrazine monohydrate (N2 H4 ⋅H2 O) as a viable hydrogen carrier. Herein, the synthesis of a supported Ni-Pt bimetallic nanocatalyst on mesoporous ceria by a one-pot evaporation-induced self-assembly method is reported. The catalyst exhibits exceptionally high catalytic activity, 100 % selectivity, and satisfactory stability in promoting H2 generation from an alkaline solution of N2 H4 ⋅H2 O at moderate temperatures. For example, the Ni60 Pt40 /CeO2 catalyst enabled complete decomposition of N2 H4 ⋅H2 O to generate H2 at a rate of 293 h(-1) at 30 °C in the presence of 2 M NaOH, which compares favorably with the reported N2 H4 ⋅H2 O decomposition catalysts. Phase/structural analysis by XRD, TEM, and Auger electron spectroscopy was conducted to gain insight into the excellent catalytic performance of the Ni-Pt/CeO2 catalyst.

Knowledge mapping of planetary boundaries based on bibliometrics analysis.

The planetary boundaries concept has triggered a vast amount of pure and applied scientific research, as well as policy and governance activities globally. Indeed, it has rapidly become a centerpiece of sustainability study. It is crucial to review the scientific state of the planetary boundaries (PB) concept systematically. However, there is a lack of research on drawing a scientific investigation map of planetary boundaries. Therefore, to clarify the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics, research hotspots, and frontiers of planetary boundaries, a scientometric analysis was performed based on 530 academic publications on planetary boundaries from 2009 to 2021. This paper conducted the analysis by visualizing the social network, dual-map overlay, co-cited references, structure variation article, and co-occurrence keywords with CiteSpace. The results show that as a new achievement and paradigm in sustainable development research, the planetary boundaries framework is gradually getting global attention and promotion, which has increasingly become an interdisciplinary hot research topic. The most productive authors and institutions are concentrated in England, the USA, Germany, and Sweden. Relevant articles were mainly published in journals focusing on ecology, earth, marine, veterinary, animal, economics, and politics. In addition, we summarized four predominant research themes by clustering keywords: the calculation of single boundary threshold and present value, the integration with assessment methods such as life cycle assessment and footprint families, the downscaling of planetary boundaries, and the expansion to economic and social domains. For scholars who are interested in this topic, this paper would be a useful reference and guideline.

Circular RNA LONP2 regulates proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of bladder cancer cells by sponging microRNA-584-5p.

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most frequent type of urinary tumor and a barely treatable disease. Although extensive efforts have been invested in the research of BC, the underlying etiology and pathophysiology remain unclear. CircLONP2 is a circular RNA implicated in the development of many cancers, and miR-584-5p and YAP1 have been reported to contribute to the progression of BC. In this research, we presented novel evidence supporting circLONP2/miR-584-5p/YAP1 axis as a novel regulatory module in the progression of BC. We analyzed the expression of circLONP2 between precancerous BC samples and normal tissues using a published RNA-seq dataset. The expression of circLONP2 was also validated in clinical samples and cell lines by quantitative RT-PCR. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and miRNA inhibitor was utilized to modulate the expression of circLONP2 and miR-584-5p and investigate their functions on cell proliferation and invasion. Luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down were performed to confirm the functional interactions among circLONP2/miR-584-5p/YAP1. CircLONP2 was significantly upregulated in precancerous BC tissues and BC cells. CircLONP2 depletion inhibited cell viability, proliferation, and invasion of BC cell lines, which could be partially rescued by miR-584-5p inhibitor. Further experiments indicated that miR-584-5p regulates cell viability, proliferation, and invasion via directly targeting YAP1. In summary, our work indicates that circLONP2 plays an oncogenic function in BC by regulating miR-584-5p/YAP1 axis, and its interaction with miR-584-5p provides a potential strategy to target BC.

A novel and injectable strontium-containing hydroxyapatite bone cement for bone substitution: A systematic evaluation.

Reconstruction of bone defects is still a challenge. In this study, we developed and systematically evaluated a novel injectable strontium-containing hydroxyapatite (Sr-HA) bone cement in which Sr-HA powder included 5% Sr and was mixed with a setting liquid that included 5% potassium citrate. This Sr-HA cement was mainly composed of HA and α-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and exhibited favorable injectability (100%), setting times (the initial setting time was 240 s and the final setting time was 420 s), compressive strength (73.4 MPa), maximal load and maximum bending stress, and excellent radiopacity. In addition, the Sr-HA cement also had excellent biocompatibility that exhibited low cytotoxicity for cell proliferation and no obvious disturbing effect on the osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells (DLSCs) and dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). However, the Sr-HA cement could slightly promote the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3 cells, which also implied that it would promote osseointegration between the cement and surrounding bone but would not obviously disturb the biological behavior of DLSCs and DPSCs. An in vivo study further confirmed that Sr-HA cement exhibited favorable osseointegration with the maxilla and tibia. All these findings implied that the novel Sr-HA cement was a suitable bone substitution for bone defects.

[Analysis of Gene Mutation Types of Thalassemia in Yulin Childbearing-age Population of Guangxi China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genotype distribution of thalassemia in the population of childbearing age in Yulin area. METHODS: The polymerase reaction (PCR) combined with agargel eletrophoresis and reserve dot bolt hybridization was used to detected the α- and ß-thalassemia gene in 31 769 cases of suspected thalassemia population at childbearing-age. RESULTS: A total of 22 254 cases were identified as thalassemia gene detetion or mutation in 31 769 cases with a detecting rate of 70.05%, and the detecting rate of α-thalassemia, ß-thalassemia and α-combining ß-thalassemia were 45.86% (14 569/31 769), 19.45% (6 178/31 769) and 4.74% (1 507/31 769) respectively. 28 kinds of α-thalassemia gene mutations were detected, the common mutations were as follows: --SEA/αα (28.18%), -α3.7/αα (6.29%), -α4.2/αα (3.66%), αCSα/αα (1.93%) and αWSα/αα (1.89%)，and including two rare gene mutations: -THAI and HKαα. 16 kinds of ß-thalassemia gene mutations were detected, the common mutations were as follows: ß41-42/ßN (9.41%), ß-28/ßN (3.05%), ß-17/ßN (2.86%) and ß654/ßN (2.18%). 93 kinds of α combining ß-thalassemia gene mutations were detected, the common mutations were as follows: --SEA/αα (1.05%) and -α3.7/αα (0.56%) combining ß41-42/ßN. CONCLUSION: The detection rate of thalassemia gene is high in Yulin caildbearing-age population, and there is diversity in mutation spectrums of thalassemia. The most common genotypes are --SEA/αα in α-thalassemia and ß41-42/ßN in ß-thalassemia. The results are beneficial for the intervention and genetic consultation of thalassemia.

The involvement of FBP1 in prostate cancer cell epithelial mesenchymal transition, invasion and metastasis by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a frequently occurring malignancy in males, and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a critical role in PCa metastasis. Thus, developing biomarkers inhibiting EMT may provide significance for treatment of PCa. Hence, the aim of the current study was to investigate the mechanism by which FBP1 gene silencing influences PCa cell EMT, invasion and metastasis by mediating the MAPK pathway. PCa cell lines exhibiting the highest FBP1 expression were selected and treated with plasmids of siRNA-FBP1 sequence 1 and 2, pcDNA3.1-Flag-FBP1 (over-expression plasmid of FBP1), U0126 (an inhibitor of the ERK signaling pathway) and PD98059 (an inhibitor of the MEK signaling pathway). Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were detected by MTT assay, wound healing assay and Transwell assay, respectively. The mRNA and protein expression of related factors of EMT and MAPK signaling were determined by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Xenograft tumor growth after inoculation of DU145 cells was regularly analyzed in the nude mice. The positive expression of EMT markers was determined by immunohistochemistry. DU-145 and PC-3 cells displaying the highest FBP1 expression were selected for further analysis. The PCa cells treated with siRNA-FBP1 exhibited increased proliferation, migration rate and invasion, in addition to facilitated xenograft tumor growth. Notably, siRNA-FBP1 was identified to accelerate PCa cell EMT by elevating the expression of Vimentin and N-cadherin while diminishing E-cadherin expression via activation of the MAPK signaling pathway. The aforementioned results were reversed in PCa cells treated by pcDNA3.1-Flag-FBP1. Evidence has been provided in this study that FBP1 gene silencing activates the MAPK pathway, which ultimately promotes cell EMT, invasion and metastasis in PCa.

Effects of SWNT and metallic catalyst on hydrogen absorption/desorption performance of MgH2.

The microstructure and absorption/desorption characteristics of composite MgH2 and 5 wt % as-prepared single-walled carbon nanotubes (MgH2-5ap) obtained by the mechanical grinding method were investigated. Experimental results show that the MgH2-5ap sample exhibits faster absorption kinetics and relatively lower desorption temperature than pure MgH2 or MgH2-purified single-walled carbon nanotube composite. Storage capacities of 6.0 and 4.2 wt % hydrogen for the MgH2-5ap composite were achieved in 60 min at 423 and 373 K, respectively. Furthermore, its desorption temperature was reduced by 70 K due to the introduction of as-prepared single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). In addition, the different effects of SWNTs and metallic catalysts contained in the as-prepared SWNTs were also investigated and a hydrogenation mechanism was proposed. It is suggested that metallic particles may be mainly responsible for the improvement of the hydrogen absorption kinetics, and SWNTs for the enhancement of hydrogen absorption capacity of MgH2.

[Fabrication and physical properties of porous individual beta-TCP scaffold to reconstruct residual alveolar ridge in dog].

PURPOSE: To fabricate porous individual beta-tricalcium phosphate scaffold and test its properties in dog. METHODS: A model of residual alveolar ridge in mandible of a dog was made and CT scanned after 3 months.The data of CT was transformed to 3-D format by MIMICS 7.0 and was made to resin model by rapid prototype technique.The residual alveolar ridge was reconstructed using silicon rubber, and its impression was made.Porous individual beta-tricalcium phosphate scaffold and 5 samples were fabricated for precision and properties test.Porosity, water absorbing capacity and compressive strength of samples were tested with crystalling phase and pore structure were analysed by XRD and scanning electron microscope. RESULTS: We successfully fabricated a scaffold which fit the resin model well and consisted of beta-TCP. Its porosity was 74%,water absorbing capacity was 48%,compressive strength was 4 MPa,diameter of pore was 150 to 400 microm,connecting diameter was 40 microm. CONCLUSIONS: We can fabricate individual beta-TCP scaffold which fit the model well by combination of traditional method and rapid prototype technique.Supported by Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project(Grant No.T0202).

[In vitro study on the cytotoxicity of strontium substituted hydroxyapatite].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cytotoxicity of strontium substituted hydroxyapatite. METHODS: Cell Relative Growth Rate(RGR) method, MTT assay and Flow Cytometry(FCM) method were used, and the strontium substituted hydroxyapatite contained different strontium concentration(0%,1%,5%,10%,100%). RESULTS: It was found that there's no apparent cytotoxicity of all the strontium substituted hydroxyapatite,but the cytotoxicity increased as the strontium concentration raised. As the FCM method appeared, there was no apparent difference between the pure hydroxyapatite and 1%,5% strontium substituted hydroxyapatite. CONCLUSION: Strontium substituted hydroxyapatite has good biocompatibility, and 10%,100% strontium substituted hydroxyapatite has weak cytotoxicity.