Confinement of Organic Dyes in UiO-66-Type Metal-Organic Frameworks for the Enhanced Synthesis of [1,2,5]Thiadiazole[3,4-g]benzoimidazoles.

Organic dyes as non-noble metal photosensitizers have attracted increasing attention due to their environmental friendliness and sustainability but suffer from fast deactivation and low stability. Here, we reported a fruitful strategy by the confinement and stabilization of visible light-active signal unit organic dyes within the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and developed a series of heterogeneous photocatalysts dye@UiO-66s [dye = fluorescein (FL)/rhodamine B (RhB)/eosin Y (EY), UiO-66s = UiO-66, and Bim-UiO-66]. It has been demonstrated that the encapsulated dyes can effectively sensitize MOF hosts and dominate the band structures and photocatalytic activities of dye@UiO-66s regardless of the ligand functionalization of MOFs. Photocatalytic experiments showed that these dye@UiO-66s exhibit enhanced activities relative to free dyes and among them, FL@Bim-UiO-66 displays excellent efficiencies toward the green synthesis of new carbon-bridged annulations, [1,2,5]thiadiazole[3,4-g]benzoimidazoles in the yield of up to 98% at room temperature with outstanding stability and reusability. Furthermore, the intramolecular cyclization intermediate was captured and characterized by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

Incorporating a D-A-D-Type Benzothiadiazole Photosensitizer into MOFs for Photocatalytic Oxidation of Phenylsulfides and Benzylamines.

Oxidation and removal of highly toxic sulfides and amines are particularly important for environmental and human security but remain challenging. Here, incorporating an excellent photosensitizer, donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D)-type 4,4'-(benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-4,7-diyl)dibenzoic (H2L), into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been manifested to promote the charge separation, affording four three-dimensional (3D) MOFs (isostructural 1-Co/1-Zn with Co2/Zn2 units, and 2-Gd/2-Tb with Gd/Tb-cluster chains) as photocatalysts in the visible light-driven air-O2-mediated catalytic oxidation and removal of hazardous phenylsulfides and benzylamines. Impressively, structure-property correlation illustrated that the transition metal centers assembled in MOFs play an important role in the photocatalytic activity, and we can conclude that 1-Zn can be a robust heterogeneous catalyst possessing good light adsorption and fast charge separation in oxidation removal reactions of both benzylamines and phenylsulfides under visible light irradiation and room temperature with excellent activity/selectivity, stability, and reusability.

Development of Cationic Benzimidazole-Containing UiO-66 through Step-by-Step Linker Modification to Enhance the Initial Sorption Rate and Sorption Capacities for Heavy Metal Oxo-Anions.

Effective and rapid capture of heavy metal oxo-anions from wastewater is a fascinating research topic, but it remains a great challenge. Herein, benzimidazole and -CH3 groups were integrated into UiO-66 in succession via a step-by-step linker modification strategy that was performed by presynthesis modification (to give Bim-UiO-66) and subsequently by postsynthetic ionization (to give Bim-UiO-66-Me). The UiO-66s (UiO-66, Bim-UiO-66, and Bim-UiO-66-Me) were applied in the removal of heavy metal oxo-anions from water. The two benzimidazole derivatives (Bim-UiO-66 and Bim-UiO-66-Me) showed much better performance than UiO-66, as both the initial sorption rate and sorption capacities decreased in the order Bim-UiO-66-Me > Bim-UiO-66 > UiO-66. The maximum performances of Bim-UiO-66 are 5.1 and 1.7 times those of UiO-66. Remarkably, Bim-UiO-66-Me shows 7.5 and 3.0 times better performance than UiO-66. The higher absorptivity of cationic Bim-UiO-66-Me compared with UiO-66 can be attributed to a strong Coulombic interaction as well as an anion-π interaction and hydrogen bonding between the benzimidazolium functional group and heavy metal oxo-anions. The as-synthesized Bim-UiO-66-Me not only provides a promising candidate for application in removal of heavy metal oxo-anions in wastewater treatment but also opens up a new strategy for the design of high-performance adsorbents.

Exosomes are involved in total body irradiation-induced intestinal injury in mice.

Ionizing radiation-induced intestinal injury is a catastrophic complication in patients receiving radiotherapy. Circulating exosomes from patients undergoing radiotherapy can mediate communication between cells and facilitate a variety of pathological processes in vivo, but its effects on ionizing radiation-induced intestinal damage are undetermined. In this study we investigated the roles of exosomes during total body irradiation (TBI)-induced intestinal injury in vivo and in vitro. We isolated exosomes from serum of donor mice 24 h after lethal dose (9 Gy) TBI (Exo-IR-24h), then intravenously injected the exosomes into receipt mice, and found that Exo-IR-24h injection not only exacerbated 9 Gy TBI-induced lethality and weight loss, but also promoted crypt-villus structural and functional injury of the small intestine in receipt mice. Moreover, Exo-IR-24h injection significantly enhanced the apoptosis and DNA damage of small intestine in receipt mice following TBI exposure. In murine intestinal epithelial MODE-K cells, treatment with Exo-IR-24h significantly promoted 4 Gy ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis, resulting in decreased cell vitality. We further demonstrated that Exo-IR-24h promoted the IR-induced injury in receipt mice partially through its DNA damage-promoting effects and attenuating Nrf2 antioxidant response in irradiated MODE-K cells. In addition, TBI-related miRNAs and their targets in the exosomes of mice were enriched functionally using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. Finally, injection of GW4869 (an inhibitor of exosome biogenesis and release, 1.25 mg·kg-1·d-1, ip, for 5 consecutive days starting 3 days before radiation exposure) was able to rescue mice against 9 Gy TBI-induced lethality and intestinal damage. Collectively, this study reveals that exosomes are involved in TBI-induced intestinal injury in mice and provides a new target to protect patients against irradiation-induced intestinal injury during radiotherapy.

[Taurine affects expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 by p38 pathway in hypoxic endothelial cells].

To investigate the effect of taurine(Tau) on ICAM-1, VCAM-1 by p-p38 pathway in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells(PAECs) and explore its mechanism of action. Generation 4-12 cells in primary cultures of PAECs were used in experiments and divided into five groups： control group, hypoxia(hyp) group, inhibitor(SB203580) group, treatment(Tau) group, and treatment+inhibitor(SB+Tau) group. The concentration of Tau：100 mmol•L⁻¹; p38 inhibitor SB203580： 20 µmol•L⁻¹; and the treatment time was 12 h. MTT assay was used to detect the inhibitory effect of different concentrations of Tau on PAECs. Western blot and Real-time PCR method were used to detect the p38 pathway proteins and ICAM-1, VCAM-1 expression levels. Immunofluorescence was used to investigate p38 nuclear displacement situation. The results of MTT showed that the inhibitory effect was gradually increased with increasing concentrations of Tau. Western blot and RT-PCR revealed that the protein and mRNA expression levels of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 were reduced by Tau. Western blot and immunofluorescence showed Tau can inhibit p38 activation. Tau may decrease the expression levels of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 in endothelial cells induced by hypoxia through MAPK p38 pathway.

Assessing changes in quality of life using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) in patients with different classifications of malocclusion during comprehensive orthodontic treatment.

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to investigated changes in OHRQoL among patients with different classifications of malocclusion during comprehensive orthodontic treatment. METHODS: Clinical data were collected from 81 patients (aged 15 to 24) who had undergone comprehensive orthodontic treatment. Participants were classified 3 groups: Class I (n = 35), II (n = 32) and III (n = 14) by Angle classification. OHRQoL was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). All subjects were examined and interviewed at baseline (T0), after alignment and leveling (T1), after correction of molar relationship and space closure (T2), after finishing (T3). Friedman 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to compare the relative changes of OHRQoL among the different time points. A Bonferroni correction with P < 0.005 was used to declare significance. RESULTS: Significant reductions were observed in all seven OHIP-14 domains of three groups except for social disability (P > 0.005) in class I and class II, Handicap in class II and class III (P > 0.005). Class I patients showed significant changes for psychological disability and psychological discomfort domain at T1, functional limitation, physical pain at T2. Class III patients showed a significant benefit in all domains except physical pain and functional limitation. Class II patients showed significant changes in the physical pain, functional disability, and physical disability domains at T1. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of comprehensive orthodontic treatment on patients' OHRQoL do not follow the same pattern among patients with different malocclusion. Class II patients benefits the most from the stage of space closure, while class I patients benefits the first stage (alignment and leveling) of treatment in psychological disability and psychological discomfort domains.

[Effects of strontium ranelate on the expression of BMP-2 in the mid-palatal suture of rats during rapid maxillary expansion].

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of strontium ranelate on the expression of BMP-2 during rapid maxillary expansion. METHODS: Thirty-six male 6-week- old male Wistar rats were selected. They were randomly divided into 3 groups. Group A was designed as a control group. An expanded application producing 100 g force was fixed between the first and the second molar on both sides of the rats in group B and group C. 600 mg/kg strontium ranelate was given to the rats in group C daily via an orogastric route, while the equal normal saline was given to the rats in group B. Then the rats were sacrificed on day 4, 7 and 10. The expression of BMP-2 which is a sign of bone formation was detected with immunohistochemical staining and analyzed with Image-pro plus 5.0. SPSS19.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The expression of BMP-2 in the midpalatal suture was significantly greater in group B than that in group A on day 4 (P<0.05); however, there was no significant difference between group A and group B on day 7 and 10 (P>0.05). The expression of BMP-2 in the midpalatal suture in group C was significantly greater than that in the other two groups at each time point (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Strontium ranelate promotes the expression time and quantity of BMP-2 in the mid-palatal suture of rats during rapid maxillary expansion and may accelerate bone formation during rapid maxillary expansion.

[Effect of pamidronate and ibandronate on orthodontic root resorption in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of pamidronate and ibandronate on orthodontic root resorption. METHODS: Seventy-two 6-week-old female specific pathogen free (SPF) Wistar rats were selected to establish models for orthodontic tooth movement. The rats were randomly divided into three groups: the control group (C group), pamidronate group (Pm group) and ibandronate group (Ib group). 0.9% normal saline,0.5 mmol/L pamidronate and 0.5 mmol/L ibandronate were injected every 3 days. The rats were executed in batch on the 3rd, 7th and 14th day to make tissue sections. All statistical analysis was performed using the PASW Statistics 18 software package. RESULTS: On the 7th and 14th day, the amount of cementoclast, the expression of osteoclast differentiation factor (ODF) and root resorption index were significantly lower in Pm group [the 7th day: (2.675 ± 0.002), (0.1683 ± 0.0007), (0.103 ± 0.003); the 14th day: (3.886 ± 0.048), (0.1873 ± 0.0014), (0.283 ± 0.001)] and Ib groups[the 7th day: (2.601 ± 0.001), (0.1634 ± 0.0010), (0.099 ± 0.002); the 14th day: (3.754 ± 0.019), (0.1818 ± 0.0016), (0.281 ± 0.001)] than in C group[the 7th day: (2.810 ± 0.001), (0.1792 ± 0.0008), (0.120 ± 0.001); the 14th day: (4.800 ± 0.001), (0.2060 ± 0.0007), (0.401 ± 0.001)] (P < 0.05). However, no significant difference was found between Pm and Ib groups on the 3rd, 7th and 14th day (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both pamidronate and ibandronate could inhibit orthodontic root resorption.