Niobium Oxide Anode with Lattice Structure Self-Optimization for High-Power and Nearly Zero-Degeneration Battery Operation

Li+ insertion-induced structure transformation in crystalline electrodes vitally influence the energy density and cycle life of secondary lithium-ion battery. However, the influence mechanism of structure transformation-induced Li+ migration on the electrochemical performance of micro-crystal materials is still unclear and the strategy to profit from such structure transformation remains exploited. Here, an interesting self-optimization of structure evolution during electrochemical cycling in Nb2O5 micro-crystal with rich domain boundaries is demonstrated, which greatly improves the charge transfer property and mechanical strength. The lattice rearrangement activates the Li+ diffusion kinetics and hinders the particle crack, thus enabling a nearly zero-degeneration operation after 8000 cycles. Full cell paired with lithium cobalt oxides displays an exceptionally high capacity of 176 mA h g-1 at 8000 mA g-1 and excellent long-term durability at 6000 mA g-1 with 63% capacity retention over 2000 cycles. Interestingly, a unique fingerprint based on the intensity ratio of two X-ray diffraction peaks is successfully extracted as a measure of Nb2O5 electrochemical performance. The structure self-optimization for fast charge transfer and high mechanical strength exemplifies a new battery electrode design concept and opens up a vast space of strategy to develop high-performance lithium-ion batteries with high energy density and ultra-long cycle life.

A ternary nucleotide-lanthanide coordination nanoprobe for ratiometric fluorescence detection of ciprofloxacin

Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a widely used broad-spectrum antibiotic and has been associated with various side effects, making its accurate detection crucial for patient safety, drug quality compliance, and environmental and food safety. This study presents the development of a ternary nucleotide-lanthanide coordination nanoprobe, GMP-Tb-BDC (GMP: guanosine 5'-monophosphate, BDC: 2-amino-1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid), for the sensitive and ratiometric detection of CIP. The GMP-Tb-BDC nanoprobe was constructed by incorporating the blue-emissive ligand BDC into the Tb/GMP coordination polymers. Upon the addition of CIP, the fluorescence of terbium ion (Tb3+ ) was significantly enhanced due to the coordination and fluorescence sensitization properties of CIP, while the emission of the BDC ligand remained unchanged. The nanoprobe demonstrated good linearity in the concentration range of 0-10 μM CIP. By leveraging mobile phone software to analyze the color signals, rapid on-site analysis of CIP was achieved. Furthermore, the nanoprobe exhibited accurate analysis of CIP in actual drug and milk samples. This study showcases the potential of the GMP-Tb-BDC nanoprobe for practical applications in CIP detection.

Trivalent Organostibines: Sb,N Ligands in Double N-Arylation of Primary Amines toward Functionalized Carbazoles

A Sb,N ligand (L-Sb) for Pd-catalyzed double N-arylation of primary amines was developed. This trivalent ligand L-Sb, containing a 5,6,7,12-tetrahydrodibenzo[c,f][1,5]azastibocine skeleton and stable under air and moisture, could be synthesized facilely on a gram scale from chlorostibine (1) and cyclopentylmagnesium bromide. L-Sb showed excellent catalytic performance in Pd2(dba)3-catalyzed double N-arylation of 2,2'-dibromo-1,1'-biphenyl (2) with primary amines (3), affording functionalized carbazoles in good yields. This Pd2(dba)3/L-Sb-catalyzed double N-arylation, the first example of the application of trivalent organostibines as a ligand in N-arylation, featured the following advantages: small catalyst loading, wide functional group tolerance, good yields, and ease of gram-scale synthesis.

Study on the Mechanism of Ru-Catalyzed Cyclization of Aromatic Amides with Allylphosphine Oxides

The mechanism of Ru-catalyzed cyclization of aromatic amides with allylphosphine oxides is studied by density functional theory calculation (DFT). The results show that, first, a 5-membered Ru ring intermediate is formed by N-H and C-H diprotons via the concerted metalation-deprotonation mechanism (CMD) and then the allylphosphine oxide is inserted through the ring-extending reaction to form a 7-membered ring intermediate. Next, reduction elimination is followed via intramolecular hydrogen transfer isomerization. At last, with the assistance of acetic acid, Ru (II) → Ru (IV) → Ru (II) complexes occur from the 7-membered Ru ring intermediate, and the final product is formed by reduction elimination and protonation reaction, while the catalyst is released to participate in the next cycle.

Thioalkynes in Ring Forming Reactions

Organic cycles play an important role in chemistry, pharmacology and material science for their unique properties. Construction of organic cycles from thioalkynes attracted increasing attention due to the facile access of thioalkynes. 2H-Azirines were synthesized successfully from thioalkynyl oxime ethers. Cyclobutanes were formed through chiral titanium catalyzed cycloaddition of thioalkynes. Cyclopentenes were afforded by annulation of thioalkynes. Thioalkynes could be also applied to synthesize thiophenes, oxazoles, benzo[b]thiophenes, 2H-chromenes, 2-phenylbenzothiazoles, diazacyclobutene, etc. In this review, construction of organic cycles from thioalkynes were highlighted. Firstly, the property and application of organic cyclic compounds were simply introduced. After presenting the general methods to access organic cycles, applications of thioalkynes as synthons to prepare organic cycles were classified and presented in detail. Based on different kinds of organic cycles obtained from thioalkynes, organic reactions for synthesis of three-, four-, five-, six-membered as well as fused cycles would be summarized and the plausible reaction mechanisms could be presented if available.

A near-infrared ratiometric fluorescent probe for hydrazine and its application for gaseous sensing and cell imaging

Hydrazine (N₂H₄) is a widely used raw material in the chemical industry, but at the same time hydrazine has extremely high toxicity. Therefore, the development of efficient detection methods is crucial for monitoring hydrazine in the environment and evaluating the biological toxicity of hydrazine. This study reports a near-infrared ratiometric fluorescent probe (DCPBCl₂-Hz) for the detection of hydrazine by coupling a chlorine-substituted D-π-A fluorophore (DCPBCl₂) to the recognition group acetyl. Due to the halogen effect of chlorine substitution, the fluorophore has an elevated fluorescence efficiency and a lowered pKa value and is suitable for physiological pH conditions. Hydrazine can specifically react with the acetyl group of the fluorescent probe to release the fluorophore DCPBCl₂, so the fluorescence emission of the probe system significantly shifted from 490 nm to 660 nm. The fluorescent probe has many advantages, such as good selectivity, high sensitivity, large Stokes shift, and wide applicable pH range. The probe-loaded silica plates can realize convenient sensing gaseous hydrazine with content down to 1 ppm (mg/m³). Subsequently, DCPBCl₂-Hz was successfully applied to detect hydrazine in soils. In addition, the probe can also penetrate living cells and allow the visualization of intracellular hydrazine. It can be anticipated that probe DCPBCl₂-Hz will be a useful tool for sensing hydrazine in biological and environmental applications.

Azaindole derivatives as potential kinase inhibitors and their SARs elucidation

Currently, heterocycles have occupied an important position in the fields of drug design. Among them, azaindole moiety is regarded as one privileged scaffold to develop therapeutic agents. Since two nitrogen atoms of azaindole increase the possibility to form hydrogen bonds in the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding site, azaindole derivatives are important sources of kinase inhibitors. Moreover, some of them have been on the market or in clinical trials for the treatment of some kinase-related diseases (e.g., vemurafenib, pexidartinib, decernotinib). In this review, we focused on the recent development of azaindole derivatives as potential kinase inhibitors based on kinase targets, such as adaptor-associated kinase 1 (AAK1), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), AXL, cell division cycle 7 (Cdc7), cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), dual-specificity tyrosine (Y)-phosphorylation regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A), fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and proviral insertion site in moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM) kinases. Meanwhile, the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of most azaindole derivatives were also elucidated. In addition, the binding modes of some azaindoles complexed with kinases were also investigated during the SARs elucidation. This review may offer an insight for medicinal chemists to rationally design more potent kinase inhibitors bearing the azaindole scaffold.

[Advances in the regulation of craniomandibular regeneration by topical application of parathyroid hormone]

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is a polypeptide molecule synthesized and secreted by parathyroid principal cells. It is an important hormone to maintain the balance of calcium and phosphorus metabolism in the body. It has the dual function of promoting bone formation and bone resorption. In clinic, it promotes osteogenesis by intermittent low-dose subcutaneous injection. In order to avoid the problems of subcutaneous injection, such as poor patient compliance, low utilization of target organs and pain at the injection site, the local application of PTH has attracted much attention in recent years. However, how to realize the local application of PTH and the effect of the local application need to be confirmed by more experiments. This article reviews the local application of PTH and the promotion of jaw regeneration in recent years, in order to provide reference for the local application and research of PTH.

Process-Divergent Syntheses of 4- and 5-Sulfur-Functionalized 1,2,3-Triazoles via Copper-Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloadditions of 1-Phosphinyl-2-sulfanylethynes

4-Sulfanyl-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles were provided regioselectively with good yields and broad scope via consecutive t-BuOK-promoted dephosphinylation of 1-phosphinyl-2-sulfanylethynes and copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloadditions (CuAAC) with alkyl azides. Unsymmetrically substituted ditriazoles were successfully obtained using a tandem dephosphinylative CuAAC protocol with diazides. Direct CuAAC of the 1-phosphinyl-2-sulfanylethynes with azides afforded regioisomeric mixtures of 4-phosphinyl-5-sulfanyl- and 5-phosphinyl-4-sulfanyl-1,2,3-triazoles that were easily separable from one another. When the phosphinyl- and sulfanyl-substituted triazoles were treated with t-BuOK, the dephosphination proceeded smoothly, yielding the corresponding 5- and 4-sulfanyltriazoles, respectively. 5-(1-Aryl-1-hydroxymethyl)-4-sulfanyltriazoles were synthesized by stepwise treatment of 5-phosphinyl-4-sulfanyltriazole with MeMgBr and arylaldehydes. Additionally, Ph₂P(O) and RS groups in the triazoles were easily converted to Ph₂P and RSO₂ by PhSiH₃-reduction and m-CPBA-oxidation, respectively. Following the dephosphinylative CuAAC of 1-phosphinyl-2-(4-t-butylphenylsulfanyl)ethyne with aryl azides and m-CPBA-oxidation, potent antagonists of pregnane X receptor LC-58 and LC-59 were successfully produced.

Insights into the regioselectivity and diastereoselectivity of the Nazarov cyclization of 3-alkenyl-2-indolylmethanol with tryptophol

Density functional theory calculations of Nazarov cyclizations showed that 3-alkenyl-2-indolylmethanol and tryptophol formed binary and ternary complexes, respectively, in the presence and absence of H2O to produce C–N and C–C products.

[Interleukin-9 promotes the activation of hepatic stellate cells in mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of interleukin-9 (IL-9) in the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum.

METHODS

Primary HSCs were isolated from mice 7 weeks post-infection with S. japonicum using the in situ liver perfusion and density gradient centrifugation, and cultured in vitro. HSCs were randomly assigned to the PBS control group and IL-9 stimulation group (stimulation with 20 ng/mL IL-9). HSCs were harvested 48 h and 72 h poststimulation, and the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), type I collagen (Col I) and type III collagen (Col III) was determined in HSCs using Western blotting.

RESULTS

Following stimulation with 20 ng/mL IL-9 for 48 h, the expression of α-SMA [(0.87 ± 0.02) vs. (0.69 ± 0.01); t = 17.39, P < 0.01], Col I [(0.74 ± 0.02) vs. (0.65 ± 0.01); t = 9.56, P < 0.01] and Col III [(0.94 ±0.04) vs. (0.75 ± 0.03); t = 6.15, P < 0.01] was significantly greater in HSCs in the IL-9 stimulation group than in the PBS control group. Following stimulation with 20 ng/mL IL-9 for 72 h, the expression of α-SMA was significantly greater in HSCs in the IL-9 stimulation group than in the PBS control group[(0.76 ± 0.02) vs. (0.58 ± 0.02); t = 12.52, P < 0.01]; however, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of Col I [(0.68 ± 0.02) vs. (0.66 ± 0.02); t = 1.15, P > 0.05] or Col III expression [(0.75 ± 0.01) vs. (0.72 ± 0.02); t = 2.22, P > 0.05].

CONCLUSIONS

IL-9 promotes the activation of HSCs in mice infected with S. japonicum.

Enhanced NO2 Sensing Performance of ZnO-SnO2 Heterojunction Derived from Metal-Organic Frameworks

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is the major reason for acid rain and respiratory illness in humans. Therefore, rapid, portable, and effective detection of NO₂ is essential. Herein, a novel and simple method to construct a ZnO-SnO₂ heterojunction is fabricated by pyrolysis of bimetallic metal organic frameworks. The sensitivity of ZnO-SnO₂ heterojunction towards 0.2 ppm NO₂ under 180 °C is 37, which is 3 times that of pure ZnO and SnO₂. The construction of heterojunction speeds up the response-recovery process, and this kind of material exhibits lower detection limit. The construction of heterojunction can significantly improve the NO₂ sensitivity. The selectivity, stability, and moisture resistance of ZnO-SnO₂ heterojunction are carried out. This could enable the realization of highly selective and sensitive portable detection of NO₂.

Zirconium-Based Catalysts in Organic Synthesis

Zirconium is a silvery-white malleable and ductile metal at room temperature with a crustal abundance of 162 ppm. Its compounds, showing Lewis acidic behavior and high catalytic performance, have been recognized as a relatively cheap, low-toxicity, stable, green, and efficient catalysts for various important organic transformations. Commercially available inorganic zirconium chloride was widely applied as a catalyst to accelerate amination, Michael addition, and oxidation reactions. Well-designed zirconocene perfluorosulfonates can be applied in allylation, acylation, esterification, etc. N-Chelating oganozirconium complexes accelerate polymerization, hydroaminoalkylation, and CO₂ fixation efficiently. In this review, the applications of both commercially available and synthesized zirconium catalysts in organic reactions in the last 5 years are highlighted. Firstly, the properties and application of zirconium and its compounds are simply introduced. After presenting the superiority of zirconium compounds, their applications as catalysts to accelerate organic transformations are classified and presented in detail. On the basis of different kinds of zirconium catalysts, organic reactions accelerated by inorganic zirconium catalysts, zirconium catalysts bearing Cp, and organozirconium catalysts without Cp are summarized, and the plausible reaction mechanisms are presented if available.

Benzoxazine: A Privileged Scaffold in Medicinal Chemistry

BACKGROUND

Benzoxazine is one of the most important privileged scaffolds in medicinal chemistry. Compounds bearing benzoxazine moiety usually have a variety of biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-tuberculosis, anti- oxidant and anti-cancer activities. The fascinating bioactivity profile of benzoxazine scaffold in various fields has prompted medicinal chemists to design and discover novel benzoxazine derivatives as potential therapeutic candidates with the desired biological properties.

OBJECTIVE

This review aimed to provide a comprehensive elucidation on the recent advances of benzoxazine derivatives in medicinal chemistry.

METHODS

We have searched the recent literature about benzoxazine derivatives from the online resources and databases, such as PubMed, SciFinder and Google Scholar.

RESULTS

Many benzoxazine derivatives with a wide range of bioactivities, such as anti- microbial, anti-cancer, anti-tuberculosis, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory, were summed up. Many compounds displayed good biological activities.

CONCLUSION

Benzoxazine is a versatile structure and building block in medicinal chemistry. Benzoxazine derivatives have gained considerable attention from medicinal chemists due to their various pharmacological properties and multiple modification sites. This review might help medicinal chemists to seek new drug candidates with better bioactivities and pharmacokinetics properties.

Enhancing Li-Ion Transport in Solid Electrolytes by Confined Water

Developing new oxide solid electrolytes with fast Li-ion transport and high stability is an important step to realize high-performance solid-state Li-ion batteries. Hydrate materials containing confined water widely exist in nature or can be easily synthesized. However, they have seldom been explored as Li-ion solid electrolytes due to the stereotype that the presence of water limits the electrochemical stability window of a solid electrolyte. In this work, it is demonstrated that confined water can enhance Li-ion transport while not compromising the stability window of solid electrolytes using Li-H-Ti-O quaternary compounds as an example system. Three Li-H-Ti-O quaternary compounds containing different amounts of confined water are synthesized, and their ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability are compared. The compound containing structural pseudo-water is demonstrated to have an ionic conductivity that is 2-3 order of magnitude higher than the water-free Li₄ Ti₅ O₁₂ and similar stability window. A solid-state battery is made with this new compound as the solid electrolyte, and good rate and cycling performance are achieved, which demonstrates the promise of using such confined-water-containing compounds as Li-ion solid electrolytes. The knowledge and insights gained in this work open a new direction for designing solid electrolytes for future solid-state Li-ion batteries. Broadly, by confining water into solid crystal structures, new design freedoms for tailing the properties of ceramic materials are introduced, which creates new opportunities in designing novel materials to address critical problems in various engineering fields.

One-pot synthesis of phosphorylnaphth[2,1-d]oxazoles and products as P,N-ligands in C-N and C-C formation

Phosphanylnaphtho[2,1-d]oxazoles were synthesized successfully through one-pot phosphonation of naphthoquinone with diaryl(alkyl)phosphine oxides and Cu-catalyzed oxidative condensation with imines, followed by methylation and reduction. Upon applying 4-phosphanylnaphtho[2,1-d]oxazole as a P,N-chelating ligand, Pd-catalyzed C-N formation of amines or nitrobenzene as well as Ni-catalyzed C-C formation and the synthesis of quinoline proceeded successfully. The reaction was facilely scaled up to give N-benzylaniline 15a in a gram scale synthesis. This research provided a facile and convenient protocol to synthesize phosphanylnaphtho[2,1-d]oxazoles, which could be applied as an efficient P,N-ligand in transition-metal-catalyzed C-N and C-C formation to produce the desired products in high yields with wide functional group tolerance under small catalyst loading, solvent-free conditions in many reactions.

Target-Induced In Situ Formation of Organic Photosensitizer: A New Strategy for Photoelectrochemical Sensing

Small-molecule photosensitizers have great application prospects in photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing due to their defined composition, diversified structure, and adjustable photophysical properties. Herein, we propose a new strategy for PEC analysis based on the target-induced in situ formation of the organic photosensitizer. Taking thiophenol (PhSH) as a model analyte, we designed and synthesized a 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP)-caged coumarin precursor (Dye-PhSH), which was then covalently coupled onto the TiO₂ nanoarray substrate to obtain the working photoanode. Due to the intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer process, Dye-PhSH has only a very weak photoelectric response. Upon reacting with the target, Dye-PhSH undergoes a tandem reaction of the detachment of the DNP moiety and the intramolecular cyclization process, which leads to a coumarin dye with a pronounced photoelectric effect, thus achieving a highly selective turn-on PEC response to PhSH. For the first time, this study was to construct a PEC sensor by exploiting specific organic reactions for the in situ generation of small molecule-based photoactive material. It can be anticipated that the proposed strategy will expand the paradigm of PEC sensing and holds great potential for detecting various other analytes.

Robotic and video-assisted lobectomy/segmentectomy for non-small cell lung cancer have similar perioperative outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

At present, the clinical conclusion that robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), which is better for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not clear. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to compare the perioperative outcomes between RATS and VATS for NSCLC.

Methods

The Population, Interventions, Comparators, Outcomes, and Study design (PICOS) framework was employed to develop the search strategy, and the findings was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. We searched EMbase, The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wan Fang Data to collect clinical studies about RATS vs. VATS for patients with NSCLC from inception to October 2019. The following outcomes were measured: rate of conversion to thoracotomy, postoperative complications, postoperative hospital mortality, lymph node dissection, hospitalization time, operating time, and postoperative drainage days. Estimation of potential publication bias was conducted by Begg’s test and Egger’s test. The Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) and Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled using Stata 15.0 software.

Results

A total of 18 studies involving 60,349 patients were included. Among them, 8,726 cases were in the RATS group, and 51,623 were in the VATS group. The results of meta-analysis showed that the operation time of RATS group was longer than that of VATS group (SMD=0.532, 95% CI: 0.391–0.674, P=0.000). And the further meta-analysis suggested that the incidence of postoperative complications was lower in patients who underwent RATS after 2015 (OR=0.848, 95% CI: 0.748–0.962, P=0.010). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between both groups in postoperative hospitalization time (SMD=0.003, 95% CI: −0.104–0.110, P=0.957). In addition, more lymph nodes were retrieved in RATS group than VATS (SMD=0.308, 95% CI: 0.131–0.486, P=0.001). However, the conversion rate, retrieved lymph node station, days to tube removal and in-hospital mortality rate have no significant differences between both groups.

Discussion

The current meta-analysis indicates that the perioperative outcomes of RATS and VATS for NSCLC are equivalence. Due to the limited quantity and quality of included studies, the above conclusions still need to be verified by more high-quality studies.

Mitochondria-targeted phosphorescent cyclometalated iridium(III) complex for bioimaging of H2S

The selective visualization of H₂S in mitochondria is still a challenge, but it correlates closely with mitochondrial damage and some related diseases. In this work, a cyclometalated iridium complex Ir-DNB, [Ir(ppy)₂(N^N)](PF₆) (ppy = 2-phenylpyridine, N^N = (4'-methyl-[2,2'-bipyridin]-4-yl)methyl 2-((2,4-dinitrophenyl) thio)benzoate) has been explored for the detection of mitochondrial H₂S. Adding H₂S to a solution of complex Ir-DNB results in a clearly luminescence enhancement, and displays high selectivity and sensitivity. Moreover, this complex displays negligible toxicity and good mitochondrial localization to HeLa cells, and has also been successfully used for endogenous and exogenous H₂S imaging in vitro and in vivo.

Highly-Dispersed Submicrometer Single-Crystal Nickel-Rich Layered Cathode: Spray Synthesis and Accelerated Lithium-Ion Transport

For conventional polycrystalline Ni-rich cathode material consisting of numerous primary particles in disordered orientation, the crystal anisotropy in charge/discharge process results in the poor rate capability and rapid capacity degradation. In this work, highly-dispersed submicron single-crystal LiNi_0.8 Co_0.15 Al_0.05 O₂ (SC-NCA) cathode is efficiently prepared by spray pyrolysis (SP) technique followed by a simple solid-state lithiation reaction. Porous Ni_0.8 Co_0.15 Al_0.05 O_x precursor prepared via SP exhibits high chemical activity for lithiation reaction, enabling the fabrication of single-crystal cathode at a relatively low temperature. In this way, the contradiction between high crystallinity and cation disordering is well balanced. The resulted optimized SC-NCA shows polyhedral single-crystal morphology with moderate grain size (≈1 μm), which are beneficial to shortening the Li⁺ diffusion path and improving the structural stability. As cathode for lithium ion batteries, SC-NCA delivers a high discharge capacity of 202 and 140 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 and 10 C, respectively, and maintains superior capacity retention of 161 mAh g^-1 after 200 cycles at 1C. No micro-crack is observed in the cycled SC-NCA particles, indicating such single-crystal morphology can greatly relieve the anisotropic micro-strain. This effective, continuous and adaptable strategy for preparing single-crystal Ni-rich cathode without any additive may accelerate their practical application.

Enhanced lithium storage performance of porous Si/C composite anodes using a recrystallized NaCl template

Silicon (Si) has recently aroused great interest as a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries with high energy density due to its high theoretical capacity. However, the application of Si remains a great challenge owing to its extremely large volume change during cycling, thus resulting in dramatic capacity fading. Herein, a novel structure design of the porous Si/C composite with Si nanoparticles embedded in the carbon nanosheets has been successfully achieved by using a recrystallized NaCl template with appropriate particle size. The outermost sheet-like carbon coating can improve the electronic conductivity and contribute to the formation of a more stable solid-electrolyte interphase layer, while the inner void space effectively buffers the volume expansion of Si during the lithiation process. In addition, only a structure with Si particles anchored on the surface of carbon nanosheets has been obtained by using a commercial NaCl template with large particle size, confirming the effective regulation of the NaCl template in the microstructure and thus the electrochemical properties of the Si/C composites. As expected, benefiting from the combination of the outermost carbon coating and recrystallized NaCl-derived porous structure, the as-obtained Si/C composite demonstrates attractive cycling stability and rate performance as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

A mitochondrial-targeting iridium(iii) complex for H2O2-responsive and oxidative stress amplified two-photon photodynamic therapy

The mitochondrial-targeting iridium(iii) complex Ir–B(OH)2 is activated in the presence of endogenous H2O2 to release the two-photon photosensitizer Ir–OH and the GSH scavenger methylquinone for amplified two-photon photodynamic therapy.

Clinicopathological and prognostic value of circulating tumor cells in esophageal carcinoma: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The associations between circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood and prognosis of patients with esophageal carcinoma (EC) have been investigated by a number of studies, but the results are not consistent. Therefore, this study aimed to explore this controversial subject.

METHODS

A literature database search was performed according to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. The risk ratio (RR), hazard ratio (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were retained as the effect measures. If necessary, subgroup analyses and metaregression should also be performed to clarify the heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Thirty-three studies, containing 3,236 patients with EC, were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that overall survival (OS) (HR =2.14; 95% CI, 1.73-2.65) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR =2.29; 95% CI, 1.69-3.11) were worse in CTCs-positive patients. CTC positivity is also significantly associated with depth of infiltration (RR =1.42; 95% CI, 1.10-1.82, P=0.21) and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (RR =1.36; 95% CI, 1.09-1.69, P=0.22). However, there was no significant relationship between CTC-positive and distant metastasis (RR =1.58; 95% CI, 1.00-2.50, P=0.65).

CONCLUSIONS

Detection of CTCs had prognostic value for EC patients. Positive CTC is associated with poor prognosis and some prognostic factors, such as depth of infiltration and TNM stage, but not related to metastasis.

2-Aminothiazole: A privileged scaffold for the discovery of anti-cancer agents

Cancer has been the second heath killer being next only to cardiovascular diseases in human society. Although many efforts have been taken for cancer therapy and many achievements have been yielded in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the current first-line anti-cancer agents are insufficient owing to the emergence of multi-drug resistance and side effects. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new anti-cancer agents with high activity and low toxicity. 2-Aminothiazole is a class of important scaffold which widely distributes in many natural and synthetic compounds with many pharmacological effects including the potential anti-cancer activity. In this review, we summarized the recent progress of 2-aminothiazole as a privileged scaffold for the discovery of anti-cancer agents based on biological targets, such as tubulin protein, histone acetylase/histone deacetylase (HAT/HDAC), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks), Src/Abl kinase, BRAF kinase, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase and sphingosine kinase (SphK), and also investigated the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of most compounds. It is believed that this review could be helpful for medicinal chemists in the discovery of more anti-cancer agents bearing 2-aminothiazole scaffold with excellent activity and high therapeutic index.

Biological evaluation and SAR analysis of novel covalent inhibitors against fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) is an attractive target for affecting the GNG pathway. In our previous study, the C128 site of FBPase has been identified as a new allosteric site, where several nitrovinyl compounds can bind to inhibit FBPase activity. Herein, a series of nitrostyrene derivatives were further synthesized, and their inhibitory activities against FBPase were investigated in vitro. Most of the prepared nitrostyrene compounds exhibit potent FBPase inhibition (IC₅₀ < 10 μM). Specifically, when the substituents of F, Cl, OCH₃, CF₃, OH, COOH, or 2-nitrovinyl were installed at the R₂ (meta-) position of the benzene ring, the FBPase inhibitory activities of the resulting compounds increased 4.5-55 folds compared to those compounds with the same groups at the R₁ (para-) position. In addition, the preferred substituents at the R₃ position were Cl or Br, thus compound HS36 exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 0.15 μM). The molecular docking and site-directed mutation suggest that C128 and N125 are essential for the binding of HS36 and FBPase, which is consistent with the C128-N125-S123 allosteric inhibition mechanism. The reaction enthalpy calculations show that the order of the reactions of compounds with thiol groups at the R₃ position is Cl > H > CH₃. CoMSIA analysis is consistent with our proposed binding mode. The effect of compounds HS12 and HS36 on glucose production in primary mouse hepatocytes were further evaluated, showing that the inhibition was 71% and 41% at 100 μM, respectively.

Osimertinib for EGFR-mutant lung cancer with central nervous system metastases: a meta-analysis and systematic review

BACKGROUND

Osimertinib, a third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)TKI. Osimertinib is a cancer medicine that interferes with the growth and spread of cancer cells in the body. Osimertinib is used to treat a certain type of non-small cell lung cancer. We review some of the main challenges in targeting EGFR, including lack of central nervous system penetration with most tyrosine kinase inhibitors, activity of osimertinib penetrating blood-brain barrier and the efficacy of osimertinib.

METHODS

Guided by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement, we conducted a systematic literature search in the databases PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science database on January 30, 2020, searching for studies investigating the osimertinib efficacy on patients with CNS metastases in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). And Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the certainty in the evidence.

RESULTS

The pooled results showed that the overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 70% and 92%, respectively, in patients with T790M mutations. The efficacy of osimertinib was confirmed by the median progression free survival (PFS). In untreated advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC with CNS metastases patients, the pooled ORR and DCR of osimertinib were 71% and 93%, respectively. And the combined median PFS, achieved by osimertinib, was 12.21 months. Above data proved that osimertinib has well activity in disease control, especially in first line.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis confirmed that in treatment-naive advanced NSCLC CNS metastases harboring EGFR-TKI-sensitizing mutations, Osimertinib showed impressive antitumor activity.

Discovery of novel indazole-acylsulfonamide hybrids as selective Mcl-1 inhibitors

Overexpressing myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1 (Mcl-1) protein is an important way to confer the resistance of cancer cells to conventional anti-cancer treatments. Therefore, developing Mcl-1 inhibitors has become an attractive strategy for cancer therapy. In the studies, a series of new indazole-acylsulfonamide hybrids were designed, synthesized and evaluated as potent Mcl-1 inhibitors. Among them, the most potent compound 17 (K_i = 0.43 μM) showed a little better inhibitory activity against Mcl-1 protein than positive control AT-101 (K_i = 0.45 μM). Pleasingly, it displayed > 40-fold selectivity over Bcl-2 (K_i = 18 μM) and Bcl-xL (no activity). Furthermore, compound 17 had good inhibitory activities against PC-3, MDA-MB-231 and K562 cells (IC₅₀ = 12.3, 10.6 and 6.62 μM, respectively) and could effectively induce apoptosis and the activation of caspase-3 in a dose-dependent manner in K562 cells.

Selective MMP-13 Inhibitors: Promising Agents for the Therapy of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an age-related degenerative disease, which is characterized by chronic joint pain, inflammation and the damage of joint cartilage. At present, steroidal drugs and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, are the first-line drugs for the treatment of OA. However, these drugs could lead to some cardiovascular side effects. Therefore, it is urgent to develop novel agents for the treatment of OA. Matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13), an important member of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) family, plays a vital role by degrading type II collagen in articular cartilage and bone in OA. It is noted that MMP-13 is specially expressed in the OA patients, and not in normal adults. In addition, broadspectrum MMP inhibitors could result in some painful and joint-stiffening side effects, called musculoskeletal syndrome (MSS) in the clinical trials. Thus, developing selective MMP-13 inhibitors is a potential strategy for the therapy of OA. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of selective MMP-13 inhibitors including two subfamilies, namely zinc-binding and non-zinc-binding selective MMP-13 inhibitors.

Combination Chemotherapy of Lung Cancer - Co-Delivery of Docetaxel Prodrug and Cisplatin Using Aptamer-Decorated Lipid-Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles

Purpose

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Drug resistance is the major barrier for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this research is to develop an aptamer-decorated hybrid nanoparticle for the co-delivery of docetaxel prodrug (DTXp) and cisplatin (DDP) and to treat lung cancer.

Materials and Methods

Aptamer-conjugated lipid–polymer ligands and redox-sensitive docetaxel prodrug were synthesized. DTXp and DDP were loaded into the lipid–polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPHNs). The targeted efficiency of aptamer-decorated, DTXp and DDP co-encapsulated LPHNs (APT-DTXp/DDP-LPHNs) was determined by performing a cell uptake assay by flow cytometry-based analysis. In vivo biodistribution and anticancer efficiency of APT-DTXp/DDP-LPHNs were evaluated on NSCLC-bearing mice xenograft.

Results

APT-DTXp/DDP-LPHNs had a particle size of 213.5 ± 5.3 nm, with a zeta potential of 15.9 ± 1.9 mV. APT-DTXp/DDP-LPHNs exhibited a significantly enhanced cytotoxicity (drug concentration causing 50% inhibition was 0.71 ± 0.09 μg/mL), synergy antitumor effect (combination index was 0.62), and profound tumor inhibition ability (tumor inhibition ratio of 81.4%) compared with the non-aptamer-decorated LPHNs and single drug-loaded LPHNs.

Conclusion

Since the synergistic effect of the drugs was found in this system, it would have great potential to inhibit lung tumor cells and in vivo tumor growth.

A one-pot diastereoselective synthesis of 1,3-diols and 1,3,5-triols via cascade reactions of arylalkynyl Grignard reagents with enol esters

An efficient cascade reaction has been developed to synthesize a series of 1,3-diols and 1,3,5-triols via reactions of arylalkynyl Grignard reagents with enol esters. The stereoselectivity of reactions and the molecular configurations of the products were confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction, and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. A possible reaction mechanism was analyzed with the results indicating that it proceeded through a 1,2-addition/rearrangement and reverse O-acylation to produce the 1,3-diol and via C-acylation to form the 1,3,5-triol.

Recent Advances of Sulfonylation Reactions in Water

BACKGROUND

The sulfonyl groups are general structural moieties present in agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and natural products. Recently, many efforts have been focused on developing efficient procedures for preparation of organic sulfones.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Water, a proton source, is considered one of the most ideal and promising solvents in organic synthesis for its easy availability, low cost, nontoxic and nonflammable characteristics. From the green and sustainable point of view, more and more reactions are designed proceeding in water.

OBJECTIVE

The review focuses on recent advances of sulfonylation reactions proceeding in water. Sulfonylation reactions using sodium sulfinates, sulfonyl hydrazides, sulfinic acids, and sulfonyl chlorides as sulfonating agents were introduced in detail.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In this review, sulfonylation reactions proceeding in water developed in recent four yields were presented. Sulfonylation reactions using water as solvent have attracted more and more attention because water is one of the most ideal and promising solvents in organic synthesis for its facile availability, low cost, nontoxic and nonflammable properties.

CONCLUSION

Numerous sulfonating agents such as sodium sulfinates, sulfonyl hydrazides, sulfinic acid, sulfonyl chlorides and disulfides are efficient for sulfonylation reactions which proceed in water.

Pursuing for the better lung cancer therapy effect: Comparison of two different kinds of hyaluronic acid and nitroimidazole co-decorated nanomedicines

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer associated deaths worldwide. Compared with traditional chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), specific targeted therapies are better choices for advanced patients to improve their survival. In this study, we attempted to fabricate Nitroimidazoles (NI) and Hyaluronic acid (HA) co-decorated, cisplatin (DDP) loaded polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) (NI/HA-DDP-PNPs) and lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs) (NI/HA-DDP-LPNs) for the facilitated drug delivery at lung tumor regions (hypoxic regions). In vitro cytotoxicity and cellular uptake; In vivo anti-tumor activity and in vivo tissue biodistribution of PNPs and LPNs were evaluated and compared in lung carcinoma cells and xenograft. Hydrodynamic size of NI/HA-DDP-LPNs was 185.6 ± 4.7 nm, which is larger than that of NI/HA-DDP-PNPs (136.7 ± 3.5 nm). The zeta potential of NI/HA-DDP-PNPs (-31.2 ± 2.7 mV) was more negative than NI/HA-DDP-LPNs (-22.3 ± 2.1 mV). The peak plasma concentration (C_max) achieved from NI/HA-DDP-PNPs and NI/HA-DDP-LPNs was 35.2 ± 1.6 and 37.3 ± 1.7 μg/mL. The half-life (T_1/2) of NI/HA-DDP-PNPs and NI/HA-DDP-LPNs was 12.03 ± 0.75 and 11.78 ± 0.89 h. Area Under Curve (AUC) of NI/HA-DDP-PNPs and NI/HA-DDP-LPNs showed no significant difference while greater than other groups. NI/HA-DDP-LPNs exhibited excellent antitumor effect against drug-resistant human lung cancer A549/DDP cells in vitro and in vivo, better than that of NI/HA-DDP-PNPs. Considering that the low toxicity of NI/HA-DDP-LPNs and NI/HA-DDP-PNPs, NI/HA-DDP-LPNs could be a more promising system for lung cancer targeted therapy.

Direct cyanation, hydrocyanation, dicyanation and cyanofunctionalization of alkynes

In this review, direct cyanation, hydrocyanation, dicyanation, cyanofunctionalization and other cyanation reactions of alkynes were highlighted. Firstly, the use of nitriles and development of cyanation was simply introduced. After presenting the natural properties of alkynes, cyanation reactions of alkynes were classified and introduced in detail. Transition metal catalysed direct cyanation and hydrocyanation of alkynes gave alkynyl cyanides and alkenyl nitriles in good yields. Dicyanation of alkynes produced 1,2-dicyano adducts. Cyanofunctionalization of alkynes afforded functional cyanated compounds. Thiocyanation and selenocyanation yielded the expected functional vinylthiocyanates and vinylselenocyanates. A plausible reaction mechanism is presented if available.

Cyanation of alkynes was highlighted. Direct cyanation and hydrocyanation gave alkynyl cyanides and alkenyl nitriles. Dicyanation produced 1,2-dicyano adducts. Cyanofunctionalization afforded functional cyano compounds.

A new xanthene-based fluorescent probe with a red light emission for selectively detecting glutathione and imaging in living cells

Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant low-molecular-weight cysteine-containing thiol in cells, which plays an essential role in many biological processes. Most reported fluorescent probes towards GSH possess short excitation and emission wavelength, which could result in low tissue penetration, high background fluorescence and photodamage to biological samples. Herein, a novel turn-on fluorescent probe (ADS) with the xanthene skeleton for GSH detection was developed based on a fluorophore, ACF-NH₂. The probe had a red light emission (λ_em = 630 nm) and exhibited a good linear relationship for exogenous GSH (1-6 mM) and a good limit of detection (LOD: 13.1 μM, based on S/N = 3), which implied that it was possible to detect the change of GSH in the living cells (0.5-10 mM) by further structural modification. The probe displayed excellent selectivity for GSH over other analytes and good anti-interference ability. Moreover, cell viability assay indicated that ADS was biocompatible and exhibited very low cytotoxicity. A combination of mass spectrum analysis and density functional theory calculation was performed to explain the sensing mechanism of the probe. In addition, it was applied to image GSH in living cells successfully.

MoS2-Coupled Carbon Nanosheets Encapsulated on Sodium Titanate Nanowires as Super-Durable Anode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries

There is an ever-increasing demand for rechargeable batteries with fast charging, long cycling, high safety, and low cost in new energy storage systems. Herein, a heterogeneous architecture composed of MoS2-coupled carbon nanosheets encapsulated on sodium titanate nanowires is developed and demonstrated as an advanced anode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Owing to the synergistic effects of ultrastable substrate of 1D sodium titanate (NTO) nanowires, high-capacity promoter of 2D MoS2 nanosheets as well as the 2D conductive carbon matrix, the resulting 1D/2D-2D hybrid demonstrates excellent high-rate capacity and super-durable cyclability, delivering a stable capacity of up to 425.5 mAh g-1 at 200 mA g-1. Even at an ultrafast charging/discharging process within 80 s, the capacity can be maintained at 201 mAh g-1 after 16 000 cycles with only 0.0012% capacity loss per cycle, one of the best high-rate capacities and cyclabilities for NTO-based hybrid composites. The present work highlights the designing protocol of hierarchical nanoarchitectures with stable substrate and high-capacity electrodes for next-generation energy storage applications.

Iodine-Catalyzed Odorless Synthesis of S-Thiocarbamates with Sulfonyl Chlorides as a Sulfur Source

A general and efficient protocol for the direct preparation of various S-thiocarbamates with readily available and inexpensive sulfonyl chlorides as an odorless sulfur source was developed. The employment of easily available reactants, excellent functional group tolerability, and mild reaction conditions make this process very practical.

Financial Self-Efficacy and Disposition Effect in Investors: The Mediating Role of Versatile Cognitive Style

The disposition effect refers to the tendency of investors to sell winners too early and hold on to losers too long, which is one of the most documented and robust decision biases. However, few studies have looked beyond demographic and social factors on the disposition effect. The current study investigated the association between financial self-efficacy (FSE) (one’s belief about their personal capability in ultimate financial goals achieving), versatile cognitive style (an individual’s capability in deploying the experiential or rational mode in ways that are contextually appropriate), and the disposition effect. A total of 285 employees from finance-related business completed anonymous questionnaires regarding FSE, rational-experiential inventory, and the disposition effect. Our findings revealed that FSE was significantly and positively associated with versatile cognitive style and the disposition effect. Further, versatile cognitive style partially mediated the relationship between FSE and the disposition effect. Our findings provide valuable guidance for individual investors to make financial decisions based on their characteristics.

Indazole Derivatives: Promising Anti-tumor Agents

Background:

Currently, cancer continues being a dramatically increasing and serious threat to public health. Although many anti-tumor agents have been developed in recent years, the survival rate of patients is not satisfactory. The poor prognosis of cancer patients is closely related to the occurrence of drug resistance. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new anti-tumor agents to make up for the deficiency. Indazoles is an important class of heterocyclic compounds possessing a variety of biological activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, antiinflammatory, anti-depressant and anti-hypertensive. This review focuses on the recent research advances of indazole derivatives in the aspect of anti-tumor.

Methods:

We have searched the recent literatures about indazole derivatives from the online resources and databases, such as pubmed, scifinder and google scholar.

Results:

In the recent years, many efforts have been taken to develop indazole derivatives as fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitors, indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase1 (IDO1) inhibitors, proviral integration site MuLV (Pim) kinase inhibitors, aurora kinases inhibitors, Bcr-Abl inhibitors, hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) inhibitors and carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors. Most compounds display good anti-tumor activities.

Conclusion:

Developing new anti-cancer agents with new scaffolds and high efficiency is a big challenge for researchers. Indazole derivatives are a class of important bioactive compounds. Making structural modifications on active indazole derivatives according to the corresponding structure-activity relationships is of benefit to obtain more potent anti-cancer leads or clinical drugs. This review will be useful for further development of new indazole-based derivatives as anti-cancer agents.