Coordination Confined Silver-Organic Framework for High Performance Electrochemical Deionization

Silver (Ag) is deemed a promising anode material for capacitive deionization (CDI) due to its high theoretical capacity and efficient selectivity to Cl-. However, the strong volume change during the conversion reaction significantly undermines the cycling performance of the Ag electrode. Additionally, achieving well-dispersed Ag in the active matrix is challenging, as Ag electrodes prepared by conventional thermal reduction tend to agglomerate. Herein, the organic linker confinement strategy is proposed, applying metal-organic framework (MOF) chemistry between Ag nodes and organic ligands to construct Ag-based MOF. The uniform dispersion of Ag at the molecular level, confined in the organic matrix, efficiently enhances the utilization of active sites, and strengthens the interfacial stability of Ag. Consequently, the Ag-MOF for the CDI anode exhibits an excellent Cl- removal capacity of 121.52 mg g-1 at 20 mA g-1 in 500 mg L-1 NaCl solution, and a high Ag utilization rate of 60.54%. After 100 cycles, a capacity retention of 96.93% is achieved. Furthermore, the Cl- capture mechanism of Ag-MOF is elucidated through density functional theory (DFT) calculations, ex situ XRD, ex situ Raman and XPS. This ingenious electrode design can offer valuable insights for the development of high-performance conversion electrodes for CDI applications.

HCN1 pathogenic variants associated with childhood epilepsy in a cohort of Chinese patients

OBJECTIVE

HCN ion channel family has a widespread expression in neurons, and recently, increasing studies have demonstrated their roles in epilepsies.

METHODS

Clinical data of the patients were gathered in a retrospective study. Exon sequencing was used for the patients with unexplained recurrent seizures and varying levels of developmental delay.

RESULTS

In this study, eight de novo variants of HCN1 genes were uncovered in eight patients, including six missense variants, one nonsense variant and one frameshift insertion variant; five of them were reported for the first time. The onset age for eight patients ranges from one month to one year. Their main clinical manifestations are epilepsy and varying degrees of developmental delay, and the main type of seizure is focal secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Importantly, in our study, one case presented with a form of migrating focal seizure that has not been reported in the literature. Seizures from five of the eight children were effectively controlled with antiepileptic drugs including valproic acid, levetiracetam and oxcarbazepine. One child developed normally and four children developed mild delay. One child was treated with topiramate, and the convulsion was partially controlled and showed moderate to severe developmental delay. The antiepileptic treatment failed for the other two children, and the two children were treated with sodium valproate, oxcarbazepine, lamotrigine, chlorbazan, levetiracetam and nitrodiazepam successively, but their convulsions were not controlled and showed moderate to severe developmental delay.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our research reported eight variants in HCN1 gene causing epilepsy; among these variants, five variants were never reported before. HCN1-related epilepsy usually starts infantile period, and focal secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizure is the most common seizure type. Importantly, we reported the case with migrating focal seizure was rarely reported. Our study expanded both genotype and phenotype for HCN1-related epilepsy.

Starfruit-Shaped Zirconium Metal-Organic Frameworks: From 3D Intermediates to 2D Nanosheet Petals with Enhanced Catalytic Activity

We present the fabrication of a novel Starfruit-shaped metal-organic framework (SMOF) composed of zirconium and Tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine linkers. The SMOF exhibits a unique morphology with edge-sharing two-dimensional (2D) nanosheet petals. Our investigation unravels a captivating transformation process, wherein three-dimensional (3D) shuttle-shaped MOFs form initially and subsequently evolve into 2D nanosheet-based SMOF structures. The distinct morphology of SMOF showcases superior catalytic activity in detoxifying G-type nerve agent and blister agent simulants, surpassing that of its 3D counterparts. This discovery of the 3D-to-2D transition growth pathway unlocks exciting opportunities for exploring novel strategies in advanced MOF nanostructure development, not only for catalysis but also for various other applications.

Photo-Induced C-H Methylation Reactions

Direct C-H methylation is a highly valuable approach for introducing methyl groups into organic molecules, particularly in pharmaceutical chemistry. Among the various methodologies available, photo-induced methylation stands out as an exceptional choice due to its mild reaction conditions, energy efficiency, and compatibility with functional groups. This article offers a comprehensive review of photochemical strategies employed for the direct and selective methylation of C(sp3 )-H, C(sp2 )-H, and C(sp)-H bonds in various organic molecules. The discussed methodologies encompass transition-metal-based photocatalysis, organophotocatalysis, as well as other metal-free approaches, including electron donor-acceptor (EDA)-enabled transformations. Importantly, a wide range of easily accessible agents such as tert-butyl peroxide, methanol, DMSO, methyl tert-butyl ether, TsOMe, N-(acetoxy)phthalimide, acetic acid, methyl halides, and even methane can serve as effective methylating reagents for modifying diverse targets. These advancements in photochemical C-H methylation are anticipated to drive further progress in the fields of organic synthesis, photocatalysis, and pharmaceutical development, opening up exciting avenues for creating novel organic molecules and discovering new drug compounds.

Metal-Organic Framework Gels for Adsorption and Catalytic Detoxification of Chemical Warfare Agents: A Review

Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) have brought great threats to human life and social stability, and it is critical to investigate protective materials. MOF (metal-organic framework) gels are a class with an extended MOF architecture that are mainly formed using metal-ligand coordination as an effective force to drive gelation, and these gels combine the unique characteristics of MOFs and organic gel materials. They have the advantages of a hierarchically porous structure, a large specific surface area, machinable block structures and rich metal active sites, which inherently meet the requirements for adsorption and catalytic detoxification of CWAs. A series of advances have been made in the adsorption and catalytic detoxification of MOF gels as chemical warfare agents; however, overall, they are still in their infancy. This review briefly introduces the latest advances in MOF gels, including pure MOF gels and MOF composite gels, and discusses the application of MOF gels in the adsorption and catalytic detoxification of CWAs. Meanwhile, the influence of microstructures (pore structures, metal active site, etc.) on the detoxification performance of protective materials is also discussed, which is of great significance in the exploration of high-efficiency protective materials. Finally, the review looks ahead to next priorities. Hopefully, this review can inspire more and more researchers to enrich the performance of MOF gels for applications in chemical protection and other purification and detoxification processes.

The retrospective data analysis on the pedigree of nervous system diseases in children

Nowadays, the development of diagnosis and treatment technology is constantly changing the pedigree and classification of nervous system diseases. Analyzing changes in earlier disease pedigrees can help us understand the changes involved in disease diagnosis from a macro perspective, as well as predict changes in later disease pedigrees and the direction of diagnosis and treatment. The inpatients of the neurology department from January 2012 to December 2020 in Hunan Children's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. There were 36,777 patients enrolled in this study. The next analysis was based on factors like age, gender, length of stay (LoS), number of patients per month and per year (MNoP and ANoP, respectively), and average daily hospital cost (ADHE). To evaluate the characteristics of neurological diseases, we applied a series of statistical tools such as numerical characteristics, boxplots, density charts, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis tests, time-series plots, and seasonally adjusted indices. The statistical analysis of neurological diseases led to the following conclusions: First, children having neurological illnesses are most likely to develop them between the ages of 4 and 8 years. Benign intracranial hypertension was the youngest mean age of onset among the various neurologic diseases, and most patients with bacterial intracranial infection were young children. Some diseases have a similar mean age of onset, such as seizures (gastroenteritis/diarrhea) and febrile convulsions. Second, women made up most patients with autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system. Treatment options for inherited metabolic encephalopathy and epilepsy are similar, but they differ significantly for viral intracranial infection. Some neurologic diseases were found to have seasonal variations; for example, infectious diseases of the central nervous system were shown to occur more commonly in the warm season, whereas, autoimmune diseases primarily appeared in the autumn and winter months. Additionally, the number of patients admitted to hospitals with intracranial infections and encephalopathy has dramatically dropped recently, but the number of patients with autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system and hereditary metabolic encephalopathy has been rising year over year. Finally, we discovered apparent polycentric distributions in various illnesses' density distributions. The study offered an epidemiological basis for common nervous system diseases, including evidence from age of onset, number of cases, and so on. The pedigree of nervous system diseases has significantly changed. The proportion of patients with neuroimmune diseases and genetic metabolic diseases is rising while the number of patients with infection-related diseases and uncertain diagnoses is decreasing. The existence of a disease multimodal model suggests that there is still a lack of understanding of many diseases' diagnosis and treatment, which needs to be improved further because accurate diagnosis aids in the formulation of individualized treatment plans and the allocation of medical resources; additionally, there is still a lack of effective treatment for most genetic diseases. The seasonal characteristics of nervous system diseases suggest the need for the improvement of sanitation, living conditions, and awareness of daily health care.

Shengjiang San alleviated sepsis-induced lung injury through its bidirectional regulatory effect

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host responses to infection, for which effective therapeutic strategies are still absent. Shengjiang San (SJS), a well-known Traditional Chinese Medicine formula, has been widely used clinically. However, its role in sepsis-induced lung injury remains unclear.

METHODS

To explore its specific mechanism, we firstly established a sepsis animal model using cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and treated MH-S cells with LPS plus ATP. Then, UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS was utilized to identify its active ingredients. Network pharmacology analysis was performed to uncover the potential mechanism. HE staining and biochemical analysis were conducted to validate its therapeutic effect. ELISA was applied to detect the release of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Western blot was utilized to detect the protein levels of GSDMD, NLRP3, P65, ASC and caspase-1.

RESULTS

SJS could dramatically increase the survival rate of sepsis. In addition, it is able to inhibit the pro-inflammatory cytokines release at day 1 post CLP while promote their production at day 7, indicating SJS could attenuate uncontrolled inflammatory response in the early stage and improve immunosuppression in the late phase. Network pharmacology analysis showed that pyroptosis is the crucial action SJS exerted in the protection of sepsis-induced lung injury. Western blot data implicated SJS could attenuate pyroptosis in early sepsis while enhance in the late phase.

CONCLUSIONS

SJS acted to alleviate sepsis-induced lung injury through its bidirectional regulatory effect.

Associations of multiple visual rating scales based on structural magnetic resonance imaging with disease severity and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in patients with Alzheimer’s disease

The relationships between multiple visual rating scales based on structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) with disease severity and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were ambiguous. In this study, a total of 438 patients with clinically diagnosed AD were recruited. All participants underwent brain sMRI scan, and medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA), posterior atrophy (PA), global cerebral atrophy-frontal sub-scale (GCA-F), and Fazekas rating scores were visually evaluated. Meanwhile, disease severity was assessed by neuropsychological tests such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). Among them, 95 patients were tested for CSF core biomarkers, including Aβ_1–42, Aβ_1–40, Aβ_1–42/Aβ_1–40, p-tau, and t-tau. As a result, the GCA-F and Fazekas scales showed positively significant correlations with onset age (r = 0.181, p < 0.001; r = 0.411, p < 0.001, respectively). Patients with late-onset AD (LOAD) showed higher GCA-F and Fazekas scores (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). With regard to the disease duration, the MTA and GCA-F were positively correlated (r = 0.137, p < 0.05; r = 0.106, p < 0.05, respectively). In terms of disease severity, a positively significant association emerged between disease severity and the MTA, PA GCA-F, and Fazekas scores (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.05, respectively). Moreover, after adjusting for age, gender, and APOE alleles, the MTA scale contributed to moderate to severe AD in statistical significance independently by multivariate logistic regression analysis (p < 0.05). The model combining visual rating scales, age, gender, and APOE alleles showed the best performance for the prediction of moderate to severe AD significantly (AUC = 0.712, sensitivity = 51.5%, specificity = 84.6%). In addition, we observed that the MTA and Fazekas scores were associated with a lower concentration of Aβ_1–42 (p < 0.031, p < 0.022, respectively). In summary, we systematically analyzed the benefits of multiple visual rating scales in predicting the clinical status of AD. The visual rating scales combined with age, gender, and APOE alleles showed best performance in predicting the severity of AD. MRI biomarkers in combination with CSF biomarkers can be used in clinical practice.

Programmed Cell Death May Be Involved in the Seedless Phenotype Formation of Oil Palm

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is a well-known vegetable oil-yielding crop. Seedlessness is one of the most prominent traits in oil palm due to its low processing costs and high oil content. Nevertheless, an extensive study on molecular mechanisms regulating seedless phenotype formation in oil palm is very limited so far. In this study, stigma, style, and ovary from seedless and seeded (Tenera and Pisifera) oil palm trees were used to investigate the possible mechanism. Results showed that non-pollination resulted in no fruits, and self- and cross-pollinations resulted in seedless fruits, while boron treatment had no effect on seedless phenotype formation, implying that seedless trees have incomplete self and outcrossing incompatibility. Furthermore, the transcriptome data analysis highlighted eight programmed cell death (PCD) genes and three groups of PCD-related genes: 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), S-RNase, and MADS-box. The majority of these genes were significantly up-regulated in the stigma and style of Seedless palm trees compared to Tenera and Pisifera. In addition, the co-expression network analysis confirmed the significant correlation among these genes. Moreover, two simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers (S41 and S44) were developed to identify the seedless phenotype. The up-regulation of 4CL and MADS-box TFs activated the expression of PCD genes; on the other hand, S-RNase resulted in pollen tube RNA degradation and triggered PCD. While the link between PCD and seedless phenotype formation in oil palm has not been extensively studied to date, these findings suggest a role of PCD in pollen tube lethality, leading to double fertilization failure and the seedless phenotype.

Biological and sociocultural determinants of increased blood pressure among women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus in rural China: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increases the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular events among mothers later in life. This risk has not been well recognised by healthcare professionals in rural China. Our objectives were to (1) describe the proportion of rural women with increased blood pressure and a history of GDM; and (2) explore the biological and sociocultural factors associated with increased blood pressure.

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort study using data from a cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

Data were collected in two county-level hospitals in the central south of China between November 2017 and June 2018.

PARTICIPANTS

Postpartum women aged >18 years with a history of GDM (N=397).

METHODS

Biological and sociocultural variables were examined. We used bivariate analyses to examine the associations between time since delivery and 2-hour postload glucose, and logistic regression to determine the biological and sociocultural factors associated with increased postpartum blood pressure.

RESULTS

Approximately 20% (n=78) of women had increased blood pressure, defined as a systolic blood pressure ≥130 mm Hg and/or a diastolic blood pressure ≥85 mm Hg. The biological factors of advanced age, family history of hypertension and abnormal 2-hour postload plasma glucose levels were positively associated with increased blood pressure (p<0.05). General self-efficacy was the only sociocultural factor negatively associated with increased blood pressure (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

One in five rural Chinese postpartum women with a history of GDM were found to have increased blood pressure. Biological and sociocultural factors were associated with increased postpartum blood pressure; women with lower general self-efficacy were more likely to have increased blood pressure. Disseminating knowledge about the high risk of developing increased blood pressure among women with prior GDM in rural China is indicated. Diabetes prevention programmes could consider adding general self-efficacy promotion strategies in this population.