Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) using the Zn metal anode have been considered as one of the next‐generation commercial batteries with high security, robust capacity, and low price. However, ...parasitic reactions, notorious dendrites and limited lifespan still hamper their practical applications. Herein, an eco‐friendly nitrogen‐doped and sulfonated carbon dots (NSCDs) is designed as a multifunctional additive for the cheap aqueous ZnSO4 electrolyte, which can overcome the above difficulties effectively. The abundant polar groups (‐COOH, ‐OH, ‐NH2, and ‐SO3H) on the CDs surfaces can regulate the solvation structure of Zn2+ through decreasing the coordinated active H2O molecules, and thus redistribute Zn2+ deposition to avoid side reactions. Some of the negatively charged NSCDs are adsorbed on Zn anode surface to isolate the H2O/SO42‐ corrosion through the electrostatic shielding effect. The synergistic effect of the doped nitrogen species and the surface sulfonic groups can induce a uniform electrolyte flux and a homogeneous Zn plating with a (002) texture. As a result, the excellent cycle life (4000 h) and Coulombic efficiency (99.5%) of the optimized ZIBs are realized in typical ZnSO4 electrolytes with only 0.1 mg mL‐1 of NSCDs additive.
Nitrogen‐doped and sulfonated carbon dots are designed as a multifunctional additive for the cheap aqueous ZnSO4 electrolyte, thus effectively regulating the solvation structure of Zn2+ to decrease the coordinated active water molecules and overcoming parasitic reactions, notorious dendrites and short lifespan, which finally improve electrochemical performance of aqueous zinc ion batteries.
Mn3O4 is a promising cathode material for aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) which is a new type of low cost, eco‐friendly, high security energy storage system, while those previously reported ...electrochemical capacities of Mn3O4 are far from its theoretical value. In this work, Mn3O4 nanoparticles and nitrogen‐doped carbon dots (NCDs) are synthesized together through an in‐situ hydrothermal route, and then calcined to be a nanocomposite in which Mn3O4 nanoparticles are anchored on a nitrogen‐doped carbon skeleton (designated as Mn3O4/NCDs). Although the carbon content is only 3.9 wt.% in the Mn3O4/NCDs, the NCDs‐derived carbon skeleton provides an electrically conductive network and a stable structure. Such a special nanocomposite has a large specific surface area, plenty of active sites, excellent hydrophilicity and good electronic conductivity. Owing to these structural merits, the Mn3O4/NCDs electrode exhibits a preeminent specific capacity of 443.6 mAh g−1 and 123.3 mAh g−1 at current densities of 0.1 and 1.5 A g−1 in ZIBs, respectively, which are far beyond the bare Mn3O4 nanoparticles synthesized under the similar condition. The electrochemical measurement results prove that carbon dots, as a new type of carbon nanomaterials, have strong ability to modify and improve the performance of existing electrode materials, which may push these electrode materials forward to practical applications.
Incorporating carbon for better cathode: Mn3O4 nanoparticles grew in situ on nitrogen‐doped carbon skeleton derived from carbon dots, generating Mn3O4/NCDs nanocomposite as high‐performance cathode material, which exhibits improved electrochemical properties for aqueous zinc ion batteries.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by profound synapse loss and impairments of learning and memory. Magnesium affects many biochemical mechanisms that are vital for neuronal properties and ...synaptic plasticity. Recent studies have demonstrated that the serum and brain magnesium levels are decreased in AD patients; however, the exact role of magnesium in AD pathogenesis remains unclear. Here, we found that the intraperitoneal administration of magnesium sulfate increased the brain magnesium levels and protected learning and memory capacities in streptozotocin-induced sporadic AD model rats. We also found that magnesium sulfate reversed impairments in long-term potentiation (LTP), dendritic abnormalities, and the impaired recruitment of synaptic proteins. Magnesium sulfate treatment also decreased tau hyperphosphorylation by increasing the inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK-3β at serine 9, thereby increasing the activity of Akt at Ser473 and PI3K at Tyr458/199, and improving insulin sensitivity. We conclude that magnesium treatment protects cognitive function and synaptic plasticity by inhibiting GSK-3β in sporadic AD model rats, which suggests a potential role for magnesium in AD therapy.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A series of unique 3D flower-like Bi
2
MoO
6
(BMO)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) heterostructured composites decorated with varying amounts of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated. Their ...morphological characteristics, structural features, energy band structures and photoelectrochemical properties were systematically studied. All the Ag/BMO/rGO ternary composites (AgBG-
y
;
y
= 1%, 2% and 3%) demonstrated greater photocatalytic activity towards efficient removal of our selected organic models methyl orange (MO), rhodamine B (RhB) and phenol, as compared with the BMO/rGO binary composites (BG-
x
;
x
= 0.25, 2, 4 and 5). Particularly, AgBG-2%, which was synthesized with the addition of 2 wt% rGO and 2 wt% Ag in BMO, possessed superior photocatalytic activity. The fitted rate constants (
k
) for the photocatalytic degradation of RhB, MO and phenol using AgBG-2% were estimated to be 0.0286, 0.0301 and 0.0165 min
−1
, respectively, which were over one order of magnitude greater than those obtained using pure BMO. Several factors may contribute to the observed enhancement, including greater specific surface area, enhanced light absorption, promoted spatial separation of electron–hole (e
−
–h
+
) pairs and their suppressed recombination, especially benefiting from the synergistic effects among BMO, rGO and Ag NPs. Our work suggests that the rational design of BMO/rGO/Ag ternary composite was an effective strategy to boost the photocatalytic activity of the resulting catalyst towards the highly efficient removal of organic pollutants from water.
Graphic abstract
This work presents the construction of Ag NPs-decorated 3D flower-like Bi
2
MoO
6
(BMO)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) ternary composites as effective photocatalysts for efficient removal of organic pollutants under solar light irradiation. The separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers is significantly promoted by the synergistic effect of Ag NPs, BMO and rGO.
An increasing number of studies have found that long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) play important roles in driving the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Our microarray screening revealed that ...expression of the lncRNA long intergenic non‐protein coding RNA 173 (LINC00173) was upregulated in NPC. However, its role and mechanism in NPC have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that high LINC00173 expression indicated a poor prognosis in NPC patients. Knockdown of LINC00173 significantly inhibited NPC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. Mechanistically, LINC00173 interacted and colocalized with Ras‐related protein Rab‐1B (RAB1B) in the cytoplasm, but the modulation of LINC00173 expression did not affect the expression of RAB1B at either the mRNA or protein levels. Instead, relying on the stimulation of RAB1B, LINC00173 could facilitate the extracellular secretion of proliferation‐associated 2G4 (PA2G4) and stromal cell‐derived factor 4 (SDF4; also known as 45‐kDa calcium‐binding protein) proteins, and knockdown of these proteins could reverse the NPC aggressive phenotype induced by LINC00173 overexpression. Moreover, in vivo LINC00173‐knockdown models exhibited a marked slowdown in tumor growth and a significant reduction in lymph node and lung metastases. In summary, LINC00173 serves as a crucial driver for NPC progression, and the LINC00173–RAB1B–PA2G4/SDF4 axis might provide a potential therapeutic target for NPC patients.
Our study shows that LINC00173 is upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and is associated with poor prognosis of patients. LINC00173 directly binds and interacts with RAB1B, subsequently facilitates PA2G4 and SDF4 secretion through exocytosis pathway, finally, promotes NPC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and metastasis. The LINC00173–RAB1B–PA2G4/SDF4 axis might provide a potential therapeutic target for NPC patients.
Although radiotherapy can promote antitumour immunity, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligase, tumour ...cell-intrinsic tripartite motif-containing 21 (TRIM21) in tumours, is inversely associated with the response to radiation and CD8
T cell-mediated antitumour immunity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Knockout of TRIM21 modulates the cGAS/STING cytosolic DNA sensing pathway, potentiates the antigen-presenting capacity of NPC cells, and activates cytotoxic T cell-mediated antitumour immunity in response to radiation. Mechanistically, TRIM21 promotes the degradation of the mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 2 (VDAC2) via K48-linked ubiquitination, which inhibits pore formation by VDAC2 oligomers for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) release, thereby inhibiting type-I interferon responses following radiation exposure. In patients with NPC, high TRIM21 expression was associated with poor prognosis and early tumour relapse after radiotherapy. Our findings reveal a critical role of TRIM21 in radiation-induced antitumour immunity, providing potential targets for improving the efficacy of radiotherapy in patients with NPC.
Photoinduced electron/energy transfer-reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerization has become a powerful and eco-friendly toolkit to create well-defined macromolecular ...buildups while exhibiting composition, sequence and spatiotemporal control. Although PET-RAFT polymerization is generally much more convenient than living ionic polymerization, it is still a great challenge to regulate the polymerization upon multiple external stimuli and to simplify the procedures of post-polymerization purification. In this contribution,
h
HPGE-PFPPNRu nanocomposites were engineered as catalyst supports to firmly accommodate ruthenium-bipyridine complexes for heterogeneous catalysis of PET-RAFT polymerization. The manipulation of reaction temperature modulated the performance of the nanocatalysts, with a pronounced acceleration of the polymerization kinetics being identified at a temperature above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of poly(
N
-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) brushes compared to that below it. Consequently, the control of RAFT polymerization can be achieved upon the dual-stimuli of light and heat. Moreover, these nanocatalysts conferred radical polymerizations with myriad attractive features such as the adaptability of diverse monomer formulations and reaction media, exquisite control over the molecular variables, oxygen tolerance, and catalyst doses in the ppm range. Owing to the robust mechanical nature of nanocomposites, the separation and reuse of the nanocatalysts were readily realized by rapid centrifugation, and they showed inappreciable catalyst leakage along with consistent catalytic performance even after multiple polymerization runs.
Logic-controlled RAFT photopolymerization has become a powerful and eco-friendly toolkit to create well-defined macromolecular buildups while exhibiting composition, sequence and spatiotemporal control.
Increasing evidence has revealed the roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) as tumor biomarkers. Here, we introduce an immune-associated nine-lncRNA signature for predicting distant metastasis in ...locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). The nine lncRNAs are identified through microarray profiling, followed by RT-qPCR validation and selection using a machine learning method in the training cohort (n = 177). This nine-lncRNA signature classifies patients into high and low risk groups, which have significantly different distant metastasis-free survival. Validations in the Guangzhou internal (n = 177) and Guilin external (n = 150) cohorts yield similar results, confirming that the signature is an independent risk factor for distant metastasis and outperforms anatomy-based metrics in identifying patients with high metastatic risk. Integrative analyses show that this nine-lncRNA signature correlates with immune activity and lymphocyte infiltration, which is validated by digital pathology. Our results suggest that the immune-associated nine-lncRNA signature can serve as a promising biomarker for metastasis prediction in LA-NPC.
Dictamnus dasycarpus is a plant of the Rutaceae family, and its root bark is the main part used as a medicine, named 'Bai-Xian-Pi'. It is used to clear away heat, remove dampness, and dispel wind and ...also used for detoxification. The purpose of this review is to provide a systematic review about the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of this plant.
More than 200 compounds have been isolated and identified from the plant, including alkaloids and their glycosides, terpenoids and their derivatives and phenylpropanoids. Extensive pharmacological activities of the extracts or compounds of D. dasycarpus in vivo and in vitro were mainly confirmed, including anti-inflammatory activity, protecting cardiovascular activity, improving liver injury and anti-cancer activity.
In this paper, the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of D. dasycarpus were reviewed. In the future, D. dasycarpus needs further study, such as paying more attention to quality control and the utilization on agriculture. In addition, discussing the medicinal components of decoction as well as the toxicity will also contribute to the progress of clinical trial studies.
PDF
