Hierarchical Hollow TiO2@Bi2WO6 with Light-Driven Excited Bi(3-x)+ Sites for Efficient Photothermal Catalytic CO2 Reduction

Converting CO2 into valuable chemicals via sustainable energy sources is indispensable for human development. Photothermal catalysis combines the high selectivity of photocatalysis and the high yield of thermal catalysis, which is promising for CO2 reduction. However, the present photothermal catalysts suffer from low activity due to their poor light absorption ability and fast recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. Here, a TiO2@Bi2WO6 heterojunction photocatalyst featuring a hierarchical hollow structure was prepared by an in situ growth method. The visible light absorption and photothermal effect of the TiO2@Bi2WO6 photocatalyst is promoted by a hierarchical hollow structure, while the recombination phenomenon is significantly mitigated due to the construction of the heterojunction interface and the existence of excited Bi(3-x)+ sites. Such a catalyst exhibits excellent photothermal performance with a CO yield of 43.7 μmol h-1 g-1, which is 15 and 4.7 times higher than that of pure Bi2WO6 and that of physically mixed TiO2/Bi2WO6, respectively. An in situ study shows that the pathway for the transformation of CO2 into CO over our TiO2@Bi2WO6 proceeds via two important intermediates, including COO- and COOH-. Our work provides a new idea of excited states for the design and synthesis of highly efficient photothermal catalysts for CO2 conversion.

Study on Fu-Fang-Jin-Qian-Cao Inhibiting Autophagy in Calcium Oxalate-induced Renal Injury by UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS-based Metabonomics and Network Pharmacology Approaches

INTRODUCTION

Fu-Fang-Jin-Qian-Cao is a Chinese herbal preparation used to treat urinary calculi. Fu-Fang-Jin-Qian-Cao can protect renal tubular epithelial cells from calcium oxalateinduced renal injury by inhibiting ROS-mediated autopathy. The mechanism still needs further exploration. Metabonomics is a new subject; the combination of metabolomics and network pharmacology can find pathways for drugs to act on targets more efficiently.

METHODS

Comprehensive metabolomics and network pharmacology to study the mechanism of Fu-Fang-Jin-Qian-Cao inhibiting autophagy in calcium oxalate-induced renal injury. Based on UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS, combined with biochemical analysis, a mice model of Calcium oxalateinduced renal injury was established to study the therapeutic effect of Fu-Fang-Jin-Qian-Cao. Based on the network pharmacology, the target signaling pathway and the protective effect of Fu- Fang-Jin-Qian-Cao on Calcium oxalate-induced renal injury by inhibiting autophagy were explored. Autophagy-related proteins LC3-II, BECN1, ATG5, and ATG7 were studied by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

Combining network pharmacology and metabolomics, 50 differential metabolites and 2482 targets related to these metabolites were found. Subsequently, the targets enriched in PI3KAkt, MAPK and Ras signaling pathways. LC3-II, BECN1, ATG5 and ATG7 were up-regulated in Calcium oxalate-induced renal injury. All of them could be reversed after the Fu-Fang-Jin-Qian- Cao treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Fu-Fang-Jin-Qian-Cao can reverse ROS-induced activation of the MAPK signaling pathway and inhibition of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, thereby reducing autophagy damage of renal tubular epithelial cells in Calcium oxalate-induced renal injury.

Simultaneous Ring Contraction and Expansion Reaction: Electrosynthesis of Heterocycle-Fused Fulleroids and Photovoltaic Application

Simultaneous electrochemical ring contraction and expansion reactions remain unexplored to date. Herein, the reductive electrosynthesis of heterocycle-fused fulleroids from fullerotetrahydropyridazines and electrophiles in the presence of a trace amount of oxygen has been achieved with concurrent ring contraction and ring expansion. When trifluoroacetic acid and alkyl bromides are employed as electrophiles, heterocycle-fused fulleroids with a 1,1,2,6-configuration are regioselectively formed. In contrast, heterocycle-fused fulleroids with a 1,1,4,6-configuration are regioselectively produced as two separable stereoisomers if phthaloyl chloride is used as the electrophile. The reaction proceeds through multiple steps of electroreduction, heterocycle ring-opening, oxygen oxidation, heterocycle contraction, fullerene cage expansion, and nucleophilic addition. The structures of these fulleroids have been determined by spectroscopic data and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. The observed high regioselectivities have been rationalized by theoretical calculations.  Representative fulleroids have been applied in organic solar cells as the third component and exhibit good performance.

Study on degradation characteristics of imazamox by Streptomycetaceae

The residues of imazamox (IMX) will cause phytotoxicity to subsequent crops after long-term use, and will also pollute the soil and its surrounding environment. This study isolates and identifies two strains of Streptomycetaceae JX02 and JX06 that can effectively degrade IMX. Use response surface method Box-Behnken design to optimize physicochemical parameters. The optimal degradation conditions of strains JX02 and JX06 are obtained and verified: IMX concentration is 150 mg L^-1, the initial dosage is 9.9%, 9.1% (OD600 = 0.1), the temperature is 26.4 and 27.5 °C, and pH value is 7.0 and 7.7, respectively. The degradation rates of 150 mg L^-1 IMX detected by HPLC within 4 d were 99 and 94%, respectively. After adding strains JX02 and JX06, the half-life of IMX in the soil is shortened to 11 d and 13 d, indicating that Streptomycetaceae had a positive effect on the remediation of soil. It is expected to provide scientific information for the rational use, environmental safety evaluation of IMX, and provide a basis for future research and development of microbial agents.

[Regularity of prescriptions for intermediate and advanced lung cancer based on latent structure combined with association rules]

The present study explored the regularity of prescriptions for the treatment of intermediate and advanced lung cancer to provide references for clinical medication. CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and CBM were searched for the research papers on the treatment of lung cancer by Chinese medicine published from database inception to May 31, 2021. The relevant information of qualified papers was extracted to establish a database. The Chinese medicines with frequency >3% underwent analysis of the latent structure and association rules by Lantern 5.0 and SPSS Molder 14.1, respectively, and the prescription regularity in the treatment of intermediate and advanced lung cancer was analyzed based on the frequency description. A total of 713 papers were included, involving 327 Chinese medicines with a cumulative frequency of 12 794 and 106 prescriptions with a cumulative frequency of 824. The commonly used Chinese medicines were dominated by deficiency-tonifying, heat-clearing, phlegm-resolving, and cough/dyspnea-relieving drugs, such as Astragali Radix, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Ophiopogonis Radix, Poria, and Hedyotis Diffusa, which are cold, warm, and plain in nature and sweet, bitter, and pungent in flavor, and mainly act on lung, spleen, and stomach meridians. Commonly used prescriptions included Shashen Maidong Decoction, Liujunzi Decoction, and Baihe Gujin Decoction. The latent structure analysis revealed 32 latent variables and 65 hidden classes. Six comprehensive clustering models and 11 core prescriptions were obtained by professional knowledge inference. The common syndromes of intermediate and advanced lung cancer were inferred to be Qi and Yin deficiency in the lung, Qi deficiency in the lung and spleen, Yin deficiency in the liver and kidney, combined phlegm and stasis, phlegm-heat obstructing lung, and Qi stagnation and blood stasis. Forty-four strong associations were screened out by association rules analysis, including four pairwise strong associations(Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma→Ophiopogonis Radix, Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma→Glehniae Radix, Amomi Fructus→Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, and Polygonati Rhizoma→Astragali Radix) and 40 triplet strong associations(such as Trichosanthis Radix+Glehniae Radix→Ophiopogonis Radix, Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma+Glehniae Radix→Ophiopogonis Radix, Trichosanthis Radix+Ophiopogonis Radix→Glehniae Radix, and Scutellariae Barbatae Herba+Codonopsis Radix→Hedyotis Diffusa). In the treatment of intermediate and advanced lung cancer, Qi-replenishing and Yin-nourishing drugs are mainly employed, assisted with cancer-resisting, toxin-removing, spleen-invigorating, phlegm/stasis-resolving, and blood-activating drugs based on syndrome differentiation. The roots were treated following the principles of tonifying lungs and replenishing the spleen, and symptoms following the principles of removing the toxin, dispelling stasis, and resolving phlegm.

Plant-microbial remediation of chlorpyrifos contaminated soil

With the development of modern agriculture, the pollution caused by the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has become a serious problem, posing a threat to human health and the living environment. The remediation of plant microorganisms has been seen as an economical, effective, and eco-friendly method of cleaning up soils contaminated with organophosphorus pesticides. In this study, white-rot fungi were immobilized by adsorption method, a plant-microbial remediation met was established. The data results show that after 30 days, the combined remediation system for corn microbes increased the rate of chlorpyrifos degradation by 18% compared to the single remediation of the plant, and the rate of combined remediation of ryegrass microbes increased by 23%. The effect of CPF content in soil on the combined remediation is mainly reflected in the significant difference in the number of microorganisms (P < 0.05). In this article, plant-microbial remediation were applied to soil contaminated by CPF, which provides a new idea for the remediation of pesticide-contaminated soil. Combined bioremediation may be a better alternative to mitigate the impact of high pollution on microorganisms at different pollutant concentrations compared to single microbial remediation or phytoremediation.

Fu-Fang-Jin-Qian-Cao herbal granules protect against the calcium oxalate-induced renal EMT by inhibiting the TGF-β/smad pathway

CONTEXT

Nephrolithiasis is a major public health problem worldwide and Fu-Fang-Jin-Qian-Cao granules (FFJQC) is a traditional Chinese herbal formula that is used to treat nephrolithiasis. The main component of nephrolithiasis is calcium oxalate (CaOx) and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) shown to play a crucial role in CaOx-induced kidney injury. However, the mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of FFJQC on the CaOx-induced renal EMT is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the therapeutic benefits and mechanism of FFJQC in oxalate-induced kidney injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

60 male C57BL/6 mice were used in this experiment and divided into 6 groups. A mouse kidney stone model was created by intraperitoneal injection of glyoxylate at a dose of 100 mg/kg for 6 days. The standardized FFJQC was used to treat mouse crystal kidney injury by gavage at 1.35 and 2.7 g/kg, respectively. Western blotting and immunostaining for E-cadherin, cytokeratin 18 (CK18), vimentin, smooth muscle α-actin (α-SMA) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)/Smad pathway were conducted on renal tissues.

RESULTS

Following CaOx-induced kidney injury, the levels of E-cadherin and CK18 in kidney decreased, while vimentin and α-SMA levels increased. The FFJQC treatment increased the levels of E-cadherin and CK18 and decreased vimentin and α-SMA levels in varying degrees. What's more, the FFJQC reduced the expression of CaOx-induced fibrosis marker collagen II.

CONCLUSION

FFJQC alleviated the CaOx-induced renal EMT and fibrosis by regulating TGF-β/smad pathway. Therefore, the FFJQC is an important traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of CaOx-induced renal injury and fibrosis.

Influence of chitosan nanoparticle-mediated C-erbB-2 gene silencing on invasion and apoptosis of Hep-2 cells

We aimed to measure the invasion ability of Hep-2 laryngeal cancer cells after treatment with C-erbB-2-small interfering RNA (siRNA)-chitosan nanoparticles, and assess the applied value of chitosan nanoparticle-mediated C-erbB-2 interference in inhibiting laryngeal cancer invasion and metastasis. Nanoparticles of approximately 100 nm, comprising C-erbB-2 siRNA packaged with chitosan, were prepared and used to treat Hep-2 cells. Silencing of C-erbB-2 was detected by western blot and polymerase chain reaction. Cell invasion and apoptosis were estimated by transwell assay and flow cytometry, respectively. C-erbB-2-siRNA-chitosan nanoparticles significantly down-regulated C-erbB-2 expression in Hep-2 cells (P < 0.05), and cell invasion was noticeably decreased. Moreover, they significantly induced apoptosis of the Hep-2 cells (P < 0.05). Chitosan nanoparticle-mediated C-erbB-2 gene interference can inhibit the invasion of laryngeal cancer cells and induce their apoptosis.

Pulmonary Fungal Diseases in Immunocompetent Hosts: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis of 35 Subjects

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary fungal disease is an emerging issue in immunocompetent patients, for whom the characteristics are only partially understood.

METHODS

We conducted a single-center retrospective study of histologically verified pulmonary fungal disease in Eastern China from 2006 to 2014 to understand the demographics, clinical manifestations, therapeutic approaches, and factors associated with prognosis in this population. All cases were diagnosed according to the 2008 European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer/Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases Mycoses Study Group definition criteria.

RESULTS

A total of 112 cases of pulmonary fungal diseases were enrolled (35 proven, 16 probable, 61 possible), and we analyzed the 35 patients with histologically proven pulmonary fungal diseases in this study. The main fungal species identified were Aspergillus (51.4 %), Cryptococcus (22.9 %), and Mucor (2.4 %). Treatment consisted of antifungal therapeutic agents (54.3 %), surgery and postsurgical agents (25.7 %), or surgery alone (14.3 %). The overall crude mortality rate was 14.3 %, and the mortality due to pulmonary fungal infections was 2.9 %. Significant predictors of mortality by univariate analysis were hypoalbuminemia (P = 0.005), cancer (P = 0.008), and positive culture (P = 0.044). Additionally, hypoalbuminemia was the only risk factor for mortality by multivariate analysis (RR = 7.56, 95 % CI 1.38-41.46).

CONCLUSION

Pulmonary fungal disease in immunocompetent patients, with Aspergillus as the most common identified species, had a prognosis that was influenced by the level of serum albumin.

Laser-ablation production of graphene oxide nanostructures: from ribbons to quantum dots

A new one-step method for the preparation of graphene oxide (GO) nanostructures has been developed by pulsed laser ablation in GO solution. The formation of different shapes of GO nanostructures, such as ribbons, nanoflakes (including nano-squares, nano-rectangles, nano-triangles, nano-hexagons, and nano-disks) and quantum dots, has been demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Photoreduction for the GO occurred during irradiation by the pulsed laser. The GO quantum dots exhibit a blue photoluminescence, originating from recombination of the localized carriers in the zigzag-edge states.

Phage display-selected sequences of the heavy-chain CDR3 loop of the anti-digoxin antibody 26-10 define a high affinity binding site for position 16-substituted analogs of digoxin

The heavy-chain CDR3 region of the high affinity (K(a) = 1.3 x 10(10) M(-)1) anti-digoxin monoclonal antibody 26-10 was modified previously to shift its specificity, by substitution of tryptophan 100 by arginine, toward binding analogs of digoxin containing substitutions at position 16. To further change specificity, two 5-mer libraries of the randomly mutagenized phage-displayed 26-10 HCDR3 region (positions 94-98) were panned against digoxin-bovine serum albumin (BSA) as well as against 16-acetylgitoxin-BSA. When a mutant Fab that binds 16-substituted analogs preferentially was used as a parent sequence, clones were obtained with affinities for digoxin increased 2-4-fold, by panning on digoxin-BSA yet retaining the specificity shift. Selection on 16-acetylgitoxin-BSA, however, resulted in nine clones that bound gitoxin (16-OH) up to 150-fold higher than the wild-type 26-10, due to a consensus mutation of Ser(H95) to Gly(H95). The residues at both position H95 (serine) and position H100 (tryptophan) contact hapten in the crystal structure of the Fab 26-10-digoxin complex. Thus, by mutating hapten contact residues, it is possible to reorder the combining site of a high affinity antibody, resulting in altered specificity, yet retain or substantially increase the relative affinity for the cross-reactive ligand.

Genomic organization of the human leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors within the leukocyte receptor complex on chromosome 19q13.4

The leukocyte immunoglobulin (Ig)-like receptors (LIRs) comprise a family of cell surface receptors that couple to either activating or inhibitory signals depending on the nature of their transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. We describe the organization and fine localization of the genes for LIR-1 and LIR-5, which are inhibitory receptors, and LIR-6, which is an activating receptor. The genomic organization of all three genes is highly conserved from the signal peptide through the membrane-proximal Ig domain but diverges thereafter depending on the inhibitory or activating nature of the gene product. The 3' untranslated region of the gene for LIR-6 contains a 37-base pair repeat not present in the LIR-1 or LIR-5 genes. 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends defined the putative transcription initiation site of the LIR-5 gene, which is TATA-less. A nucleotide substitution in the LIR-5 gene led to loss of an intron present in the 5' untranslated region of the LIR-1 and LIR-6 genes. Differences in the genomic structure of these three LIR genes suggests possible mechanisms for their differential expression in cells of hematopoietic lineage. The three genes are in a region of Chromosome 19q13.4 that is immediately centromeric of the killer cell Ig-like receptor genes and are separated from one another by approximately 20 to 30 kb, suggesting that they arose by gene duplication from a common ancestor.

Discrimination between sialic acid-containing receptors and pseudoreceptors regulates polyomavirus spread in the mouse

Variations in the polyomavirus major capsid protein VP1 underlie important biological differences between highly pathogenic large-plaque and relatively nonpathogenic small-plaque strains. These polymorphisms constitute major determinants of virus spread in mice and also dictate previously recognized strain differences in sialyloligosaccharide binding. X-ray crystallographic studies have shown that these determinants affect binding to the sialic acids. Here we report results of further experiments designed to test the importance of specific contacts between VP1 and the carbohydrate moieties of the receptor. With minor exceptions, substitutions at positions predicted from crystallography to be important in binding the terminal alpha-2,3-linked sialic acid or the penultimate sugar (galactose) destroyed the ability of the virus to replicate in cell culture. Substitutions that prevented binding to a branched disialyloligosaccharide were found to result in viruses that were both viable in culture and tumorigenic in the mouse. Conversely, substitutions that allowed recognition and binding of the branched carbohydrate chain inhibited spread in the mouse, though the viruses remained viable in culture. Mice of five different inbred strains, all highly susceptible to large-plaque virus, showed resistance to the spread of polyomavirus strains bearing the VP1 type which binds the branched-chain receptor. We suggest that glycoproteins bearing the appropriate O-linked branched sialyloligosaccharide chains are effective pseudoreceptors in the host and that they block the spread of potentially tumorigenic or virulent virus strains.

Characterization of the murine mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase promoter

Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) catalyzes the acylation of sn-glycerol 3-phosphate to form 1-acyl-sn-glycerol 3-phosphate, a committed step in triacylglycerol and phospholipid biosynthesis. We have previously reported the cDNA cloning and transcriptional regulation of the murine mitochondrial GPAT (mGPAT). We now report the cloning of the 5'-flanking region of the murine mitochondrial GPAT. The transcription start site was identified by primer extension and RNase protection assays. A TATA box-like motif (TTATTAT) was located between -34 and -29 and a reverse CCAAT box (ATTGG) was located between -78 and -74, relative to the transcription start site. To begin studying mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation of the mGPAT gene, chimeric luciferase (LUC) plasmids containing serial deletions, from -1447 to -38, of the 5'-flanking region of the murine mGPAT gene were prepared and transfected into 3T3-L1 cells. The fusion construct -1447 GPAT.LUC showed high promoter activity and deletions to -1353, -747, -322, and -86 did not markedly change the promoter activity. With all constructs, luciferase activity was 2-fold higher when plasmids were transfected into 3T3-L1 adipocytes. However, deletion of sequences between -86 and -55 resulted in a 9-fold decrease in LUC activity in both preadipocytes and adipocytes. Deletion of sequences between -55 and -38 did not alter promoter activity. DNase I footprint analysis revealed a protected region between -95 and -65 which included the putative CTF/NF1 binding site. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated a single protein-DNA complex formation. Oligonucleotides synthesized according to the CTF/NF1 consensus sequence or the adenovirus NF-1 site showed a different and more complex pattern of protein-DNA interaction and were not able to compete away the mGPAT promoter-protein complex, indicating that a distinct protein was bound to -86/-55, a region important for the basal promoter activity in 3T3-L1 cells. Luciferase activity was increased 2.8- and 8-fold when adipocytes stably transfected with -322 GPAT.LUC were treated with 5 and 25 mM glucose, respectively, in the presence of 10 nM insulin. These results indicate that carbohydrate-responsive sequences are located within -322 base pairs of the mGPAT promoter.