•BiZn+ and BiSn− form by substitution of Bi3+ for Zn2+/Sn4+ in Zn2SnO4.•High dopant solubility relates to interattraction between BiZn+ and BiSn− in lattice.•An n–p codopant band forms between CB and ...VB by high content BiZn+ and BiSn−.•Visible light absorption is enhanced for SPS/PL by high Bi3+ solubility in Zn2SnO4.
The enhanced visible-light absorption for photovoltaic response and room temperature photoluminescence of Bi3+-doped Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles are studied. The valence states of Bi3+ and Zn2+/Sn4+ are detected by their core level X-ray photoelectron spectra. BiZn+ and BiSn− from substitutions of Bi3+ for Zn2+/Sn4+ interattract and form noncompensated n–p codopant band to improve visible light absorption and facilitate electron transition for photovoltaic response and photoluminescence. Abundant surface states and weak built-in electric field near surface improve together the separation of photoinduced charges of n-type nanoparticle semiconductors. The investigation of high dopant solubility to enhance visible light absorption could be applied to other wide band gap ternary oxides.
Fucoidan, the complex fucose-containing sulphated polysaccharide varies considerably in structure, composition, and bioactivity, depending on the source, species, seasonality, and extraction method. ...In this study, we examined five fucoidans extracted from the same seaweed species
but from different geological locations, and compared them to the laboratory-grade fucoidan from Sigma (S). The five products differed in molecular composition. The amount of over 2 kDa low molecular weight fraction (LMWF) of the New Zealand crude fucoidan (S1) was larger than that of S, and this fraction was unique, compared to the other four fucoidans. The difference of molecular compositions between S and S1 explained our previous observation that S1 exhibited different anticancer profile in some cancer cell lines, compared with S. Since we observed this unique LMWF, we compared the cytotoxic effects of a LMWF and a high molecular weight fucoidan (HMWF) in two breast cancer cell lines-MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Results indicated that the molecular weight is a critical factor in determining the anti-cancer potential of fucoidan, from the New Zealand
, as the LMWF exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition on the proliferation of breast cancer cells, significantly better than the HMWF, in both cell lines. A time-dependent inhibition was only observed in the MCF-7. Induction of caspase-dependent apoptosis was observed in the MDA-MB-231 cells, through the intrinsic apoptosis pathway alone, or with the extrinsic pathway. LMWF stimulated a dose-dependent NOS activation in the MDA-MB-231 cells. In conclusion, the fucoidan extracted from the New Zealand
contains a unique LMWF, which could effectively inhibit the growth of breast cancer cell lines. Therefore, the LMWF from New Zealand
could be used as a supplement cancer treatment.
•A metasurface consisting of disk-ring Si nanostructures on a SiO2 substrate is proposed and numerically simulated.•The Si disk-ring structure can excite and manipulate anapole state.•A transmission ...dip with a bandwidth of 0.34 nm and a Q-factor of 4460 is shown with maximum E-field enhancement of 346 times.•When the central disk is eccentric, the maximum E-field enhancement can be up to 468 times.•A sensing performance of 387 nm/RIU is shown.
In this work, a metasurface consisting of disk-ring Si nanostructures on a SiO2 substrate is proposed and numerically simulated. The Si disk-ring structure can excite and manipulate anapole state, and periodic array supports lattice resonance simultaneously, which can improve the near-field enhancement in the gap region. The maximum E-field enhancement can be up to 346 times, and a transmission dip with an ultra-narrow bandwidth of 0.34 nm and a Q-factor of 4460 is shown. When the central disk has an offset, the near-field enhancement can be affected. In the case of y-direction offset, the maximum E-field enhancement can be up to 468 times. The near field energy is concentrated in the gap region, easy to interact with probing molecule in surrounding environment. Meanwhile, the designed metasurface shows a sensing performance of 387 nm/RIU. The strong energy confinement and high Q-factor of the proposed structure give an opportunity to enhance the interaction between light and matter, which may have potential applications in nonlinear optics, optical sensors and surface enhanced Raman scattering.
IntroductionIt is elusive to compare the efficacy and safety of abrocitinib 100 mg versus 200 mg once daily in patients with atopic dermatitis. AimThis meta-analysis aims to explore the influence of ...abrocitinib 100 mg versus 200 mg on the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Material and methodsSeveral databases including PubMed, EMbase, Web of science, EBSCO, and Cochrane library were systematically searched through July 2021. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of abrocitinib 100 mg versus 200 mg for patients with atopic dermatitis. ResultsFour RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with abrocitinib 100 mg for atopic dermatitis, abrocitinib 200 mg had a remarkably positive impact on IGA response (OR = 1.78; 95% CI: 1.39-2.28; p < 0.00001), EASI-75 (OR = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.60-2.57; p < 0.00001), NRS response (OR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.27-3.08; p = 0.003), and adverse events (OR = 1.43; 95% CI: 1.11-1.84; p = 0.005), but it showed no obvious influence on serious adverse events (OR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.25-1.37; p = 0.22). ConclusionsAbrocitinib 200 mg is better than abrocitinib 100 mg for the treatment of atopic dermatitis.
•Hot-air, far-infrared and vacuum-freeze drying were investigated on mango slices.•FIRD had the relative low energy consumption and high product quality.•Page model described the most satisfactory ...drying behavior of mango slices in FIRD.
Mangoes have a short shelf life because of their high-water content. This study aimed to compare the effect of three drying methods (HAD, FIRD and VFD) on mango slices to improve product quality and reduce costs. Mangoes were dried at various temperatures (50, 60, 70 °C) with different slice thicknesses (3, 5, 7, 10 mm). Results indicated that FIRD was the most cost-effective with the dried mango containing the highest sugar-acid ratio, and when the mango slices thickness was 7 mm and drying at 70 °C, the ascorbic acid content, rehydration ratio, sugar-acid ratio, and energy consumption per unit volume reached 56.84 ± 2.38 mg/100 g, 2.41 ± 0.05, 83.87 ± 2.14, and 0.53 kWh/L. Among three mathematical models, the Page model described the most satisfactory drying behaviour of mango slices in FIRD. This study provides useful information in mango processing industry and FIRD is supposed to be a promising drying method.
•This paper is investigated a silicon-dielectric-metal nanostructure, it supports the optional anapole mode due to the destructive interference between electric and toroidal dipoles.•Such the ...proposed nanostructure exhibits a near-perfect ultra-narrow absorption spectrum in the near infrared region with the absorption bandwidth of 0.48 nm and a high-quality factor up to 1763. In addition, the structure we designed has both excellent sensing performance and field enhancement performance, which can be used to design multi-function chips.•Our design is a simple flat structure, which is easy to process and manufacture in actual production.
This paper is investigated a silicon-dielectric-metal nanostructure, it supports the optional anapole mode due to the destructive interference between electric and toroidal dipoles. Such the proposed nanostructure exhibits a near-perfect ultra-narrow absorption spectrum in the near infrared region with the absorption bandwidth (FWHM) of 0.48 nm and a high-quality (Q) factor up to 1763. Besides inherently low dissipative losses and strong anapole response, this optical nanostructure can demonstrate subtle refractive index sensing properties. Our work shed new light on active ultra-narrow band perfect absorption based on the optical anapole mode, and provides potential applications such as optical sensors, narrow-band filter, non-radiative data transmission and biomolecules manipulation.
The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has increased in recent years. Considering the potential side effects of conventional drugs, safe and efficient treatment methods for IBD are ...required urgently. Natural polysaccharides (NPs) have attracted considerable attention as potential therapeutic agents for IBD owing to their high efficiency, low toxicity, and wide range of biological activities. Intestinal microbiota and their fermentative products, mainly short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), are thought to mediate the effect of NPs in IBDs. This review explores the beneficial effects of NPs on IBD, with a special focus on the role of intestinal microbes. Intestinal microbiota exert alleviation effects via various mechanisms, such as increasing the intestinal immunity, anti-inflammatory activities, and intestinal barrier protection via microbiota-dependent and microbiota-independent strategies. The aim of this paper was to document evidence of NP-intestinal microbiota-associated IBD prevention, which would be helpful for guidance in the treatment and management of IBD.
The integrated model of frailty shifted the physiologically-dominated view to an integrated and multidisciplinary view of frailty and adopted an integrated and holistic approach to the complex ...challenges facing frail older adults and their caregivers. There is an urgent need for researchers to identify multi-faceted frailty among older adults and to explore contributors to it. We assessed the level of frailty among older residents in long-term care (LTC) facilities in Shanghai, China and explored risk factors of multiple dimensions of frailty among older residents.
It is a cross-sectional descriptive study. We interviewed 218 older residents from nine LTC facilities. We used Tilburg Frailty Indicator to assess older residents’ physiological, psychological, and social frailty. The Geriatric Depression Scale, Mini-Mental state examination, Athens Insomnia Scale, and Activity of Daily Living (ADL) Scale were used to assess their depressive symptoms, cognitive function, sleep quality and ADL abilities, respectively.
Older residents have a moderate level of frailty in physiological, psychological and social domains. There is a high correlation among dimensions of frailty. Older residents’ depressive symptoms have remained positively associated with their overall and each domain of frailty. Older residents’ actual activity participation and exercise in LTC facilities are negatively associated with older residents’ overall, physiological and social frailty.
Frailty is a multi-dimensional concept and is prevalent among older residents in LTC facilities. It is important to take an integrated view on frailty and carry out appropriate and comprehensive interventions to prevent adverse outcomes and provide holistic care for frail older residents in LTC facilities. There is an urgent need to improve the quality and expand the number of activities offered within LTC facilities that would engage older residents in a person-centered way, despite their age, ADL abilities, frailty and functional limitations.
Four polysaccharides (named as P1, P2, and P3 from three natural
Cordyceps sinensis
and P4 from cultured
C. sinensis
) were obtained by hot-water extraction and ethanol precipitation and their ...structural characteristics as well as antioxidant potentials were compared. Results revealed that the backbone of P1, P2, and P3 comprised α-1,4-glucose, with a branching point mainly at position 6 and terminating at glucose. On the other hand, the structure of P4 was highly complex, mainly comprising glucose, galactose, and mannose, with 1,4-glucose and 1,4-galactose as the main chain. For
in vitro
antioxidant assays, all the four polysaccharides showed similar scavenging capacity against DPPH and hydroxyl radicals, whereas P1 had a relatively low ferric reducing ability, possibly related to a combination of factors such as the phenolic compounds and amino acids that conjugated in polysaccharides.
It is widely acknowledged that the excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) or reactive nitrogen species (RNS) induced oxidative stress will cause significant damage to cell structure and biomolecular ...function, directly or indirectly leading to a number of diseases. The overproduction of ROS/RNS will be balanced by nonenzymatic antioxidants and antioxidant enzymes. Polysaccharide or glycoconjugates derived from natural products are of considerable interest from the viewpoint of potent in vivo and in vitro antioxidant activities recently. Particularly, with regard to the in vitro antioxidant systems, polysaccharides are considered as effective free radical scavenger, reducing agent, and ferrous chelator in most of the reports. However, the underlying mechanisms of these antioxidant actions have not been illustrated systematically and sometimes controversial results appeared among various literatures. To address this issue, we summarized the latest discoveries and advancements in the study of antioxidative polysaccharides and gave a detailed description of the possible mechanisms.