The asymmetric organocatalysis is definitely one of the most powerful and versatile tools for the rapid construction of various spirocyclic oxindoles. In the past few years, a number of successful ...strategies based on organocatalysis have been developed for the construction of 3,3′‐spirocyclic oxindoles in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities under mild conditions. In this review, recent advances in this area are summarized and classified according to the spiro ring fused at the 3‐position of the oxindole core.
The toxicity and bioaccumulation potential of phthalate acid esters (PAEs) make their impact on the environment a matter of considerable concern. Due to China's recent economic development and ...population growth, it has become one of the largest manufacturers and consumers of PAEs, with an associated contamination threat to several environmental compartments. The aim of this overview is to present a systematic account of PAE occurrence in various environmental media in China in the last decade, including the air, surface water, sediments, soil, sewage, and sludge; human exposure to PAEs is also evaluated. This reveals a location-dependence that can be attributed to regional differences in economic and industrial development as well as specific geographic location. A need for further study into the transportation and transformation behavior of PAEs in different environmental media and into PAE control technologies is identified, as a means of effectively assessing potential ecological and health risks.
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•PAEs were detected ubiquitously and abundantly in China.•DEHP was the most abundant phthalates in various environmental media.•PAEs concentrations exhibit a location dependent.•Limited treatment might cause the widespread contaminations of PAEs.
Microbial reductive dechlorination of chlorinated aromatics frequently suffers from the long dechlorination period and the generation of toxic metabolites. Biocathode bioelectrochemical systems were ...verified to be effective in the degradation of various refractory pollutants. However, the electrochemical and microbial related working mechanisms for bio-dechlorination by electro-stimulation remain poorly understood. In this study, we reported the significantly improved 2,4,6-trichlorophenol dechlorination activity through the weak electro-stimulation (cathode potential of −0.36 V vs. SHE), as evidenced by the 3.1 times higher dechlorination rate and the complete dechlorination ability with phenol as the end dechlorination product. The high reductive dechlorination rate (20.8 μM/d) could be maintained by utilizing electrode as an effective electron donor (coulombic efficiency of 82.3 ± 4.8%). Cyclic voltammetry analysis of the cathodic biofilm gave the direct evidences of the cathodic respiration with the improved and positive-shifted reduction peaks of 2,4,6-TCP, 2,4-DCP and 4-CP. The optimal 2,4,6-TCP reductive dechlorination rate (24.2 μM/d) was obtained when a small amount of lactate (2 mM) was added, and the generation of H2 and CH4 were accompanied due to the biological fermentation and methanogenesis. The electrical stimulation significantly altered the cathodic biofilm structure and composition with some potential dechlorinators (like Acetobacterium) predominated. The microbial interactions in the ecological network of cathodic biofilm were more simplified than the planktonic community. However, some potential dechlorinators (Acetobacterium, Desulfovibrio, etc.) shared more positive interactions. The co-existence and possible cooperative relationships between potential dechlorinators and fermenters (Sedimentibacter, etc.) were revealed. Meanwhile, the competitive interrelations between potential dechlorinators and methanogens (Methanomassiliicoccus) were found. In the network of plankton, the fermenters and methanogens possessed the more positive interrelations. Electro-stimulation at the cathodic potential of −0.36 V selectively enhanced the dechlorination function, while it showed little influence on either fermentation or methanogenesis process. The study gave suggestions for the enhanced bioremediation of chlorinated aromatics, in views of the electro-stimulation capacity, efficiency and microbial interrelations related microbial mechanism.
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•Electro-stimulation significantly improved 2,4,6-TCP reductive dechlorination.•Electrode served as an effective electron donor for highly-efficient dechlorination.•Electro-stimulation distinctly altered the microbial community structure.•Cooperative and competitive interrelations of functional population were revealed.•Electro-stimulation optimized microbial interrelations for enhanced dechlorination.
Producing affordable freshwater has been considered as a great societal challenge, and most conventional desalination technologies are usually accompanied with large energy consumption and thus ...struggle with the trade‐off between water and energy, i.e., the water–energy nexus. In recent decades, the fast development of state‐of‐the‐art photothermal materials has injected new vitality into the field of freshwater production, which can effectively harness abundant and clean solar energy via the photothermal effect to fulfill the blue dream of low‐energy water purification/harvesting, so as to reconcile the water–energy nexus. Driven by the opportunities offered by photothermal materials, tremendous effort has been made to exploit diverse photothermal‐assisted water purification/harvesting technologies. At this stage, it is imperative and important to review the recent progress and shed light on the future trend in this multidisciplinary field. Here, a brief introduction of the fundamental mechanism and design principle of photothermal materials is presented, and the emerging photothermal applications such as photothermal‐assisted water evaporation, photothermal‐assisted membrane distillation, photothermal‐assisted crude oil cleanup, photothermal‐enhanced photocatalysis, and photothermal‐assisted water harvesting from air are summarized. Finally, the unsolved challenges and future perspectives in this field are emphasized. It is envisioned that this work will help arouse future research efforts to boost the development of solar‐driven low‐energy water purification/harvesting.
As a promising candidate to reconcile the water–energy nexus, solar‐driven low‐energy water purification/harvesting technologies have attracted increased attention. The latest progress, challenges, and prospective of engineering solar‐driven photothermal materials/devices and their potential applications are discussed, stimulating new thinking on the exploration of advanced technologies to fulfill the blue dream of low‐energy water purification/harvesting.
This review summarizes the recent advances in the field of asymmetric dearomatization of phenols and their applications in the total synthesis of some complex natural products. The dearomatization ...discussed here includes metal catalysed direct dearomatization, organocatalytic dearomatization and hypervalent iodine mediated dearomatization.
This review summarizes the recent advances in the field of asymmetric dearomatization of phenols and their applications in the total synthesis of some complex natural products.
The long-term trend in gastric cancer rates has rarely been reported from a global perspective. We aimed to explore the past temporal trends (1988–2012) in gastric cancer incidence rates in 43 ...countries and to predict future trends (2012–2030).
Data on yearly gastric cancer incidence by age group and sex were drawn from 108 cancer registries in 43 countries in the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Time Trends (CI5plus) database. Age-standardized incidence rates per 100,000 persons were computed from 1988–2012. The number of new cases and incidence rates were predicted to 2030 using the Bayesian age–period–cohort model.
Persistent decreasing trends in gastric cancer incidence rates were observed from 1988–2012 worldwide, with an overall average annual percentage change of -2.1% (95% confidence interval, -2.5–-1.7). The trends will continue or remain stable until 2030 in most of the selected countries except for Ecuador and Lithuania, whose gastric cancer incidence rates will experience substantially increasing trends in the next several decades.
The incidence rates of gastric cancer are expected to decrease through 2030 in most countries except Ecuador and Lithuania. Reductions in smoking and Helicobacter pylori prevalence and improvement in diet probably contributed to the decrease. Gastric cancer still represents a major cancer burden worldwide, and the large number of gastric cancer cases worldwide may still call for lifestyle interventions in terms of smoking and diet and massive efforts for H pylori screening and treatment, especially in countries with predicted increasing incidence rates of gastric cancer.
Although gastric cancer incidence rates in most countries will decrease or remain stable by 2030, Ecuador and Lithuania will experience substantially increasing trends.
Terahertz (THz) biological imaging has attracted intense attention due to its capability of acquiring physicochemical information in a label‐free, noninvasive, and nonionizing manner. However, ...extending THz imaging to the single‐molecule level remains a challenge, partly due to the weak THz reflectivity of biomolecules with low dielectric constants. Here, the development of graphene‐mediated THz scattering‐type scanning near‐field optical microscope for direct imaging of single proteins is reported. Importantly, it is found that a graphene substrate with high THz reflectivity and atomic flatness can provide high THz contrast against the protein molecules. In addition, a platinum probe with an optimized shaft length is found enabling the enhancement of the amplitude of the scattered THz near‐field signals. By coupling these effects, the topographical and THz scattering images of individual immunoglobulin G (IgG) and ferritin molecules with the size of a few nanometers are obtained, simultaneously. The demonstrated strategy thus opens new routes to imaging single biomolecules with THz.
Terahertz (THz) imaging has promising biomedical applications, but its application in single biomolecule detection remains challenging. Herein, by taking the advantages of high THz reflectivity and atomic smoothness of graphene and the high scattering cross‐section of long Pt probe, single IgG protein molecules are unambiguously imaged with a state‐of‐the‐art THz scattering‐type scanning near‐field optical microscope.
This study was to probe the protective effects and mechanisms of salvianolic acid A (SAA) on cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury (CIRI). The middle cerebral artery occlusion model (MCAO) was ...established in rats. Rats' behavior, neurological deficits, brain injury, inflammation, and apoptosis in the brain tissue were evaluated. The inflammatory response and apoptosis of PC12 cells induced by oxygen glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) were detected. SAA‐mediated changes in miR‐212‐3p, SOX7, and Wnt/β‐catenin pathway were determined, and the targeting relationship between miR‐212‐3p and SOX7 was clarified. SAA alleviated the neurological deficits and brain injury of MCAO rats and inhibited the inflammatory response and apoptosis of OGD/R‐conditioned PC‐12 cells. SAA upregulated miR‐212‐3p, Wnt3a, and β‐catenin, whereas inhibited SOX7 levels. Silencing miR‐212‐3p counteracted the protective effect of SAA in the context of CIRI. SOX7 was a target protein of miR‐212‐3p. Silencing SOX7 based on SAA and miR‐212‐3p knockdown suppressed OGD/R‐induced inflammation and apoptosis and increased Wnt3a and β‐catenin levels in PC12 cells. SAA can improve the brain and nervous system injury caused by cerebral ischemia–reperfusion by upregulating miR‐212‐3p, thereby inhibiting SOX7 and activating the Wnt/βcatenin signaling pathway.
Wearable touch panels, a typical flexible electronic device, can recognize and feed back the information of finger touch and movement. Excellent wearable touch panels are required to accurately and ...quickly monitor the signals of finger movement as well as the capacity of bearing various types of deformation. High‐performance thermistor materials are one of the key functional components, but to date, a long‐standing bottleneck is that inorganic semiconductors are typically brittle while the electrical properties of organic semiconductors are quite low. Herein, a high‐performance flexible temperature sensor is reported by using plastic Ag2S with ultrahigh temperature coefficient of resistance of −4.7% K−1 and resolution of 0.05 K, and rapid response/recovery time of 0.11/0.11 s. Moreover, the temperature sensor shows excellent durability without performance damage or loss during force stimuli tests. In addition, a fully flexible intelligent touch panel composed of a 16 × 10 Ag2S‐film‐based temperature sensor array, as well as a flexible printed circuit board and a deep‐learning algorithm is designed for perceiving finger touch signals in real‐time, and intelligent feedback of Chinese characters and letters on an app. These results strongly show that high‐performance flexible inorganic semiconductors can be widely used in flexible electronics.
A fully flexible intelligent thermal touch panel based on the intrinsically plastic Ag2S semiconductor can well perceive finger touch signals in real‐time and displays intelligent feed back of Chinese characters and letters on an app.
Abstract
Background
The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index) has been regarded as a reliable alternative marker of insulin resistance and an independent predictor of cardiovascular outcomes. ...Whether the TyG index predicts adverse cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the TyG index in patients with diabetes and ACS.
Methods
A total of 2531 consecutive patients with diabetes who underwent coronary angiography for ACS were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into tertiles according to their TyG index. The primary outcomes included the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), defined as all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction and non-fatal stroke. The TyG index was calculated as the ln (fasting triglyceride level mg/dL × fasting glucose level mg/dL/2).
Results
The incidence of MACE increased with TyG index tertiles at a 3-year follow-up. The Kaplan–Meier curves showed significant differences in event-free survival rates among TyG index tertiles (P = 0.005). Multivariate Cox hazards regression analysis revealed that the TyG index was an independent predictor of MACE (95% CI 1.201–1.746; P < 0.001). The optimal TyG index cut-off for predicting MACE was 9.323 (sensitivity 46.0%; specificity 63.6%; area under the curve 0.560; P = 0.001). Furthermore, adding the TyG index to the prognostic model for MACE improved the C-statistic value (P = 0.010), the integrated discrimination improvement value (P = 0.001) and the net reclassification improvement value (P = 0.019).
Conclusions
The TyG index predicts future MACE in patients with diabetes and ACS independently of known cardiovascular risk factors, suggesting that the TyG index may be a useful marker for risk stratification and prognosis in patients with diabetes and ACS.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK