It is an effective strategy to develop novel electrocatalysts with controllable defects to enhance their electrocatalytic activity and stability. However, how to precisely design these catalysts on ...the atom scale remains very difficult. Herein, several vacancy‐dependent CoZnxMn2–xO4 catalysts are prepared through tailoring the concentration of Zn ions. The in situ activation of the obtained products accelerates the surface reconstruction. The superior electrocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the formations of MOOH (Mn, Co) active species and abundant oxygen vacancies, which are comparable to noble IrO2 and Pt/C catalysts. Zn‐CoMn2O4‐1.5 catalyst delivers a cell voltage of 1.63 V and long durability. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the appropriate Zn ion doping can improve the density states of p electron on the surface of catalysts significantly and benefit the d‐band center closing to Fermi level, suggesting their high charge carrier density and low adsorption energy.
In this work, several vacancy‐dependent CoZnxMn2–xO4 catalysts are prepared by tailoring the concentration of Zn ions. The in situ activation can accelerate the surface reconstruction. The excellent electrocatalytic performance can be attributed to the formations of active species and abundant oxygen vacancies, which are comparable to noble IrO2 and Pt/C catalysts.
The incidence of syphilis caused by Treponema pallidum subsp pallidum (T pallidum) infection is accompanied by inflammatory injuries of vascular endothelial cells. Studies have revealed that T ...pallidum infection could induce inflammasome activation and pyroptosis in macrophages. MicroRNA‐223‐3p (miR‐223‐3p) was reported to be a negative regulator in inflammatory diseases. The present study aimed to explore whether miR‐223‐3p regulates T pallidum‐induced inflammasome activation and pyroptosis in vascular endothelial cells, and determine the mechanisms which underlie this process. MiR‐223‐3p levels in syphilis and control samples were determined. The biological function of miR‐223‐3p in the NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis was evaluated in T pallidum‐infected human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We observed a dramatic decrease in miR‐223‐3p levels in syphilis patients (n = 20) when compared to healthy controls (n = 20). Moreover, miR‐223‐3p showed a notable inhibitory effect on recombinant Tp17 (rTP17)‐induced caspase‐1 activation, resulting in decrease in IL‐1β production and pyroptosis, which was accompanied by the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in HUVECs. Additionally, the dual‐luciferase assay confirmed that NLRP3 is a direct target of miR‐223‐3p. Moreover, NLRP3 overexpression or knockdown largely blocked the effects of miR‐223‐3p on T pallidum‐induced inflammasome activation and pyroptosis in HUVECs. Most importantly, a notable negative correlation was observed between miR‐223‐3p and NLRP3, caspase‐1, and IL‐1β, respectively, in the serum of syphilis patients and healthy controls. Taken together, our results reveal that miR‐223‐3p targets NLRP3 to suppress inflammasome activation and pyroptosis in T pallidum‐infected endothelial cells, implying that miR‐223‐3p could be a potential target for syphilis patients.
Nanofiltration (NF) membranes offer advantages to address enormous demands for textile water treatment. To meet omnipresent challenges of dye/salt selectively and antifouling performance, an ...efficient dye desalting and antifouling NF membrane was developed by virtue of zwitterionic functionalized monomer (zwitterionic N,N-Bis(3-aminopropyl)methylamine, ZDNMA). The structures of zwitterionic membranes can be tailored to suit the separation performance and antifouling property. The prepared zwitterionic NF membrane shows superior removal performance of methyl blue and penetration capacity of NaCl due to zwitterion desirable features of accelerating NaCl transportation. Thus, the membrane selectivity factor for NaCl/methyl blue can be as high as 857.0, accompanied by pure water flux of 10.67 L m-2 h-1 bar-1. When dealing with 0.3 g L-1 MYB and 4 g L-1 NaCl mixture solution, a high NaCl removal was achieved in 75.8% with about 8.1% dye loss after dye purification process. Furthermore, the membrane revealed antifouling performance with a 94.9% flux recovery ratio. The zwitterionic NF membrane highlights more exceptional dye desalination performance, which renders a vast potential for practical textile effluent.
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•Zwitterion was synthesized to prepared NF membrane by interfacial polymerization.•The effect of zwitterion concentration on membrane performance was investigated.•Zwitterionic NF membrane possessed enhanced hydrophilicity and water permeability.•Excellent salt/dye separation and superior antifouling performance were realized.
Objectives
To predict the recurrence of acute pancreatitis (AP) by constructing a radiomics model of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) at AP first attack.
Methods
We retrospectively ...enrolled 389 first-attack AP patients (271 in the primary cohort and 118 in the validation cohort) from three tertiary referral centers; 126 and 55 patients endured recurrent attacks in each cohort. Four hundred twelve radiomics features were extracted from arterial and venous phase CECT images, and clinical characteristics were gathered to develop a clinical model. An optimal radiomics signature was chosen using a multivariable logistic regression or support vector machine. The radiomics model was developed and validated by incorporating the optimal radiomics signature and clinical characteristics. The performance of the radiomics model was assessed based on its calibration and classification metrics.
Results
The optimal radiomics signature was developed based on a multivariable logistic regression with 10 radiomics features. The classification accuracy of the radiomics model well predicted the recurrence of AP for both the primary and validation cohorts (87.1% and 89.0%, respectively). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the radiomics model was significantly better than that of the clinical model for both the primary (0.941 vs. 0.712,
p
= 0.000) and validation (0.929 vs. 0.671,
p
= 0.000) cohorts. Good calibration was observed for all the models (
p
> 0.05).
Conclusions
The radiomics model based on CECT performed well in predicting AP recurrence. As a quantitative method, radiomics exhibits promising performance in terms of alerting recurrent patients to potential precautions.
Key Points
•
The incidence of recurrence after an initial episode of acute pancreatitis is high, and quantitative methods for predicting recurrence are lacking.
•
The radiomics model based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography performed well in predicting the recurrence of acute pancreatitis.
•
As a quantitative method, radiomics exhibits promising performance in terms of alerting recurrent patients to the potential need to take precautions.
Zwitterionic groups are conducive to improve the antifouling performance and water permeability of nanofiltration membranes because of the excellent hydrophilicity and charged property. However, the ...transport of zwitterionic monomers during interfacial polymerization process is much slower than the reaction, leading to form many defects in the separation layer. In this study, phase transfer catalysts were used to intensify the interfacial mass transfer of zwitterionic amine monomers for fabricating polyamide thin-film composite nanofiltration membranes. The transport process was explored by measuring the diffusion kinetics of monomers to regulate the structures and properties of zwitterionic membranes. Consequently, low concentration of N-aminoethyl piperazine propane sulfonate (AEPPS) as aqueous monomer could be used to prepare membranes with excellent nanofiltration performance. When the concentration of AEPPS was as low as 1 w/v%, the as-prepared zwitterionic membrane possessed a pure water flux of 10.6 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 with a high erythromycin retention of 91.7% and a low NaCl retention of 7.3%, which exhibited great application potential in the separation of monovalent salt/antibiotics. Moreover, the flux recovery ratio of the zwitterionic membrane was still maintained at ∼96.5% after undergoing twice fouling-rinse experiments of bovine serum albumin, exhibiting exceptional antifouling performance.
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•The mass transfer of AEPPS during interfacial polymerization was promoted by CTAB.•The increased diffusion rate of AEPPS resulted in a dense and thin polyamide layer.•The phase transfer catalyst and pH were important for the mass transfer of AEPPS.•The membrane exhibited excellent monovalent salt/antibiotics separation performance.
The high crystalline covalent triazine framework-1 (CTF-1), composed of alternating triazine and phenylene, has emerged as an efficient photocatalyst for solar-driven hydrogen evolution reaction ...(HER). However, it is of great challenge to further improve photocatalytic HER performance via increasing crystallinity due to its near-perfect crystallization. Herein, an alternative strategy of scaffold functionalization is employed to optimize the energy band structure of crystalline CTF-1 for boosting hydrogen-evolving activity. Guided by the computational predictions, versatile CTF-based polymer photocatalysts are prepared with different functional groups (OH, NH
, COOH) using binary polymerization for practical hydrogen production. Experiment evidence verifies that the introduction of a limited number of electron-donating groups is sufficient to maintain high crystallinity in CTF, modulate the band structure, broaden visible light absorption, and consequently enhance its photophysical properties. Notably, the functionalization with OH exhibits the most positive effect on CTF-1, delivering a photocatalytic activity with a hydrogen-producing rate exceeding 100 µmol h
.
Derived from our original nomogram study by using the risk variables from multivariable analyses in the derivation cohort of 1383 patients with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal-type (ENKTCL) who ...were mostly treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy, we propose an easily used nomogram-revised risk index (NRI), validated it and compared with Ann Arbor staging, the International Prognostic Index (IPI), Korean Prognostic Index (KPI), and prognostic index of natural killer lymphoma (PINK) for overall survival (OS) prediction by examining calibration, discrimination, and decision curve analysis in a validation cohort of 1582 patients primarily treated with non-anthracycline-based chemotherapy. The calibration of the NRI showed satisfactory for predicting 3- and 5-year OS in the validation cohort. The Harrell's C-index and integrated Brier score (IBS) of the NRI for OS prediction demonstrated a better performance than that of the Ann Arbor staging system, IPI, KPI, and PINK. Decision curve analysis of the NRI also showed a superior outcome. The NRI is a promising tool for stratifying patients with ENKTCL into risk groups for designing clinical trials and for selecting appropriate individualized treatment.
Separation of monovalent salt and antibiotics is of vital importance in membrane field. In this work, zwitterionic polyamide membrane was prepared by incorporating N, N-diethylethylenediamine (DEEDA) ...into interfacial polymerization firstly. Then, zwitterions were introduced into membrane matrix via grafting reaction with 1, 3-propanesultone (1, 3-PS). The resulting zwitterionic membrane exhibited optimal permeability of 14.6 L m−2 h−1.bar−1 and high rejection of organics. Meanwhile, owing to the incorporation of zwitterions, the zwitterionic membrane showed lower rejection of monovalent salt compared with that of the pristine polyamide membrane. Thus, the zwitterionic membrane behaved efficient separation ability of monovalent salt/antibiotics when NaCl/erythromycin mixture solution was chosen as the experimental solution. When bovine serum albumin was used as a foulant, the zwitterionic membrane also exhibited anti-fouling property. This work provided a facile way to prepare zwitterionic membrane with efficient separation ability of monovalent salt/antibiotics, which promoted the development of zwitterions in applications of nanofiltration membrane field.
•DEEDA and 1, 3-PS were utilized to prepare zwitterionic membrane.•Zwitterionic membrane exhibited high permeability and anti-fouling property.•Zwitterionic membrane could realize fast separation of ERY/NaCl.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising candidates for cell-based therapies. Human platelet lysate represents an efficient alternative to fetal bovine serum for clinical-scale expansion of MSCs. ...Different media used in culture processes should maintain the biological characteristics of MSCs during multiple passages. However, bone marrow-derived MSCs and adipose tissue-derived MSCs have not yet been directly compared with each other under human platelet lysate conditions. This study aims to conduct a direct head-to-head comparison of the biological characteristics of the two types of MSCs under human platelet lysate-supplemented culture conditions for their ability to be used in regenerative medicine applications.
The bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived MSCs were cultured under human platelet lysate conditions and their biological characteristics evaluated for cell therapy (morphology, immunophenotype, colony-forming unit-fibroblast efficiency, proliferation capacity, potential for mesodermal differentiation, secreted proteins, and immunomodulatory effects).
Under human platelet lysate-supplemented culture conditions, bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived MSCs exhibited similar fibroblast-like morphology and expression patterns of surface markers. Adipose tissue-derived MSCs had greater proliferative potential than bone marrow-derived MSCs, while no significantly difference in colony efficiency were observed between the two types of cells. However, bone marrow-derived MSCs possessed higher capacity toward osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation compared with adipose tissue-derived MSCs, while similar adipogenic differentiation potential wase observed between the two types of cells. There were some differences between bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived MSCs for several secreted proteins, such as cytokine (interferon-γ), growth factors (basic fibroblast growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, and insulin-like growth factor-1), and chemokine (stem cell-derived factor-1). Adipose tissue-derived MSCs had more potent immunomodulatory effects than bone marrow-derived MSCs.
Adipose tissue-derived MSCs have biological advantages in the proliferative capacity, secreted proteins (basic fibroblast growth factor, interferon-γ, and insulin-like growth factor-1), and immunomodulatory effects, but bone marrow-derived MSCs have advantages in osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potential and secreted proteins (stem cell-derived factor-1 and hepatocyte growth factor); these biological advantages should be considered systematically when choosing the MSC source for specific clinical application.
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