Poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) has attracted increasing attention as a promising orthopaedic implant material owing to its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. However, its ...antibacterial properties must be improved as an implant material. In this study, PEEK was sulfonated to obtain a porous surface, and graphene oxide (GO) was deposited to form a coating with antibacterial activity and biocompatibility. After PEEK was sulfonated for different durations, GO was deposited on the surface to prepare the coating (SPEEK-GO), which was then characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. The in vitro study included antimicrobial and cellular tests. The results showed that the PEEK sulfonated using a 10-min treatment exhibited a uniform porous structure and provided a better basal surface for the deposition of GO. The SPEEK-GO coating displayed strong antibacterial activity against two common dental pathogens. It exhibited good adhesion and proliferation of MC3T3-E1. Moreover, it showed osteogenic differentiation as bone implant material.
The first copper‐catalyzed regiodivergent cyanoboration of internal allenes with B2pin2 (bis(pinacolato)diboron) and NCTS (N‐cyano‐N‐phenyl‐p‐toluenesulfonamide) derivatives is reported. The β,γ‐ and ...α,β‐cyanoborylated products were synthesized with high regio‐ and stereo‐selectivity. Computational studies revealed that nucleophilic addition of allylcopper or related intermediates on cyanation reagent is the regio‐ and stereo‐determining step, while transmetalation with B2pin2 is the rate‐determining step. The nucleophilic addition step proceeds via inner‐sphere mechanism in the CuI/P(o‐tol)3 and CuI/Xantphos (P(o‐tol)3=tris(o‐methylphenyl)phosphine, Xantphos=4,5‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐9,9‐dimethylxanthene) catalytic systems and via outer‐sphere mechanism in the CuII/Xantphos catalytic system, respectively.
The first copper‐catalyzed regiodivergent cyanoboration of internal allenes with B2pin2 and NCTS derivatives has been developed. MeOH was identified as the necessary additive for the regeneration of LCu‐Bpin species. Computational studies revealed that the copper‐mediated allylic cyanation is the regio‐ and stereo‐determining step, while the MeOH‐assisted transmetalation with B2pin2 is the rate‐determining step.
Congenital hypothyroidism (CH), the most common neonatal metabolic disorder, is characterized by impaired neurodevelopment. Although several candidate genes have been associated with CH, ...comprehensive screening of causative genes has been limited.
One hundred ten patients with primary CH were recruited in this study. All exons and exon-intron boundaries of 21 candidate genes for CH were analyzed by next-generation sequencing. And the inheritance pattern of causative genes was analyzed by the study of family pedigrees.
Our results showed that 57 patients (51.82%) carried biallelic mutations (containing compound heterozygous mutations and homozygous mutations) in six genes (
,
,
,
,
and
) involved in thyroid hormone synthesis. Autosomal recessive inheritance of CH caused by mutations in
,
,
and
was confirmed by analysis of 22 family pedigrees. Notably, eight mutations in four genes (
,
,
and
) that lead to thyroid dysgenesis were identified in eight probands. These mutations were heterozygous in all cases and hypothyroidism was not observed in parents of these probands.
Most cases of congenital hypothyroidism in China were caused by thyroid dyshormonogenesis rather than thyroid dysgenesis. This study identified previously reported causative genes for 57/110 Chinese patients and revealed
was the most frequently mutated gene in these patients. Our study expanded the mutation spectrum of CH in Chinese patients, which was significantly different from Western countries.
There is an increasing interest in spatial and temporal variation of air pollution and its association with weather conditions. We presented the spatial and temporal variation of Air Pollution Index ...(API) and examined the associations between API and meteorological factors during 2001–2011 in Guangzhou, China. A Seasonal-Trend Decomposition Procedure Based on Loess (STL) was used to decompose API. Wavelet analyses were performed to examine the relationships between API and several meteorological factors. Air quality has improved since 2005. APIs were highly correlated among five monitoring stations, and there were substantial temporal variations. Timescale-dependent relationships were found between API and a variety of meteorological factors. Temperature, relative humidity, precipitation and wind speed were negatively correlated with API, while diurnal temperature range and atmospheric pressure were positively correlated with API in the annual cycle. Our findings should be taken into account when determining air quality forecasts and pollution control measures.
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•Air pollution is still serious in Guangzhou, China.•Air Pollution Index was associated with a variety of meteorological parameters.•The temporal relationships were timescale-dependent.•The findings should be taken into account in air quality forecasts and pollution control.
Spatial and temporal variation of API and its timescale-dependent relationship with meteorological factors in Guangzhou were demonstrated.
This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the roles of metformin (MET) and Sorafenib (SOR) in the treatment of endometrial hyperplasia (EH) in polycystic ovary syndrome ...(PCOS). Effects of MET and SOR on the area of endometrium and myometrium were detected. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry assays were carried out to detect the levels of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), mTORC2, LC3‐II, P62, and Caspase‐3 in rats and cultured cells. Furthermore, cell counting kit‐8 assay and flow cytometry analysis was carried out to determine the apoptotic profiles of treated cells. MET and SOR could apparently decrease the areas of endometrium and myometrium in PCOS. MET notably enhanced the expression of LC3‐II and Caspase‐3 in PCOS while substantially reducing the level of mTORC1 and P62. Similarly, SOR also enhanced the expression of LC3‐II and Caspase‐3 in PCOS while substantially reducing the level of mTORC2 and P62. Treatment with MET and SOR significantly inhibited the proliferation of HCC‐94 and HEC‐1‐A cells while promoting their apoptosis by upregulating the expression of Caspase‐3. In cells treated with MET, the expression of mTORC1 and LC3‐II was upregulated while the expression of P62 was downregulated. Similarly, in cells treated with SOR, the expression of mTORC2 and LC3‐II was also upregulated while the expression of P62 was also downregulated. Furthermore, MET showed no effect on mTORC2 expression, while SOR showed no effect on mTORC1 expression. In this study, we suggested that MET and SOR alleviated the risk of EH in PCOS via the mTORC1/autophagy/apoptosis axis and mTORC2/autophagy/apoptosis axis, respectively.
The findings of this study demonstrated that the deregulation of autophagy is responsible for the development of endometrial hyperplasia (EH) in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In this study, we showed that metformin and Sorafenib exerted a synergistic therapeutic effect on PCOS‐induced EH both in vivo and in vitro by regulating the process of autophagy.
Taohong Siwu decoction (THSWD) is one of the classic prescriptions for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. With the continuous in-depth excavation in basic and clinical research, ...it has been found that THSWD has made greater progress in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Mechanisms of the current studies have shown that it could prevent and treat the myocardial injury by inhibiting inflammatory reaction, antioxidant stress, inhibiting platelet aggregation, prolonging clotting time, anti-fibrosis, reducing blood lipids, anti-atherosclerosis, improving hemorheology and vascular pathological changes, regulating related signal pathways and other mechanisms to prevent and treat the myocardial injury, so as to protect cardiomyocytes and improve cardiac function. Many clinical studies have shown that THSWD is effective in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases related to myocardial injuries, such as coronary heart disease angina pectoris (CHD-AP), and myocardial infarction. In clinical practice, it is often used by adding and subtracting prescriptions, the combination of compound prescriptions and combinations of chemicals and so on. However, there are some limitations and uncertainties in both basic and clinical research of prescriptions. According to the current research, although the molecular biological mechanism of various active ingredients needs to be further clarified, and the composition and dose of the drug have not been standardized and quantified, this study still has exploration for scientific research and clinical practice. Therefore, this review mainly discusses the basic mechanisms and clinical applications of THSWD in the prevention and treatment of the myocardial injury caused by CHD-AP and myocardial infarction. The authors hope to provide valuable ideas and references for researchers and clinicians.
Facile fabrication of rapid, firm, and reversible underwater adhesion used on different adherets is challenging but is of primary importance for many industrial and biomedical applications. Herein, ...tough, stretchy, moldable, and semitransparent gels are developed for self‐contained underwater adhesives. The selected structural components, well‐defined double‐network (DN) structures, and one‐pot synthesis realize synergistic adhesion and cohesion engineering, which deliver instant, solid, reversible, and long‐term adhesives with a high underwater adhesion strength of over 0.84 MPa. The underwater adhesion strength is among the best‐performing tape‐type underwater adhesives. In order to develop new energy‐related applications for underwater adhesion, the first example of combining underwater adhesion with solar power applications is demonstrated. Taking the benefits of the direct‐contact design at the air/water interface, the click‐gel‐mounted floating photovoltaic (FPV) system significantly increases the power conversion efficiency by 20% due to the enhanced active cooling effects, surpassing several conventional photovoltaic technologies on both land and water. The click‐gel also rapidly responds to several oscillatory motions on the FPV platform. This study shines a light on the facile fabrication of DN click‐gels for underwater adhesives and provides their future perspectives in energy‐wise, low‐maintenance, and stimuli‐responsive applications.
Tough, stretchy, moldable, and semitransparent gels are demonstrated for self‐contained underwater adhesion, taking the benefits of the double‐network matrices formed via click chemistry and highlighting the prospects in energy‐wise floating photovoltaics.
Summary
The low temperature and elevated hydrostatic pressure in hadal trenches at water depths below 6000 m render sample collection difficult. Here, in situ hadal water microbial samples were ...collected from the Mariana Trench and analysed. The hadal microbial communities at different depths were revealed to be consistent and were dominated by heterotrophic Marinimicrobia. Thirty high‐quality metagenome‐assembled genomes (MAGs) were retrieved to represent the major hadal microbes affiliated with 12 prokaryotic phyla. Most of the MAGs were newly reported and probably derived from novel hadal inhabitants as exemplified by a potentially new candidate archaeal phylum in the DPANN superphylum. Metabolic reconstruction indicated that a great number of the MAGs participated in nitrogen and sulfur cycling, in which the nitrification process was driven sequentially by Thaumarchaeota and Nitrospirae and sulfur oxidization by Rhodospirillales in the Alphaproteobacteria class. Moreover, several groups of hadal microbes were revealed to be potential carbon monoxide oxidizers. Metatranscriptomic result highlighted the contribution of Chloroflexi in degrading recalcitrant dissolved organic matter and Marinimicrobia in extracellular protein decomposition. The present work provides an in‐depth view on the hadal microbial communities regarding their endemism and element cycles.
With increasing life expectancy in China, no large population-based studies have been done on the trend for musculoskeletal disorders in China. We have investigated the pattern and trend of five ...major musculoskeletal disorders in China from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 and its association with sociodemographic index (SDI).
The main outcome measures were incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, low back pain, neck pain, and gout. Average annual percent change (AAPC) and annual percent change (APC) between 1990 and 2017 were analyzed with Joinpoint regression.
The age-standardized rate of incidence, prevalence, and DALYs for the five major musculoskeletal disorders increased with age. For SDI, the age-standardized rate of DALYs was zigzagged increasing for rheumatoid arthritis and curvilinear increasing for gout, curvilinear decreasing for low back pain, and reaching to the highest point for osteoarthritis and neck pain with an SDI value of 0.61. The AAPC in age-standardized rate of DALYs indicated an increasing trend for rheumatoid arthritis (0.20, 95% CI 0.07, 0.34), osteoarthritis (0.26, 95% CI 0.20, 0.31), neck pain (0.09, 95% CI 0.07, 0.12), and gout (0.25, 95% CI 0.23, 0.27), but a decreasing trend for low back pain (- 0.96, 95% CI - 0.98, - 0.93). The AAPC of risk factors indicated a decreasing trend in smoking (- 0.14, 95% CI - 0.24, - 0.04) for rheumatoid arthritis, smoking (- 0.22, 95% CI - 0.24, - 0.19) and occupational ergonomic factors (- 1.25, 95% CI - 1.29, - 1.21) for low back pain, and impaired kidney function (- 0.95, 95% CI - 1.00, - 0.90) for gout, but an increasing trend in high body-mass index for osteoarthritis (3.10, 95% CI 3.03, 3.17), low back pain (3.07, 95% CI 2.99, 3.14), and gout (3.12, 95% CI 3.04, 3.20). Comparing the burden of five musculoskeletal diseases in China with the 19 countries of G20, China ranked first to second in the number of DALYs, and 12th to 16th in age-standardized rate of DALYs.
There are remarkably complex temporal patterns in disease burden and risk factors for five major musculoskeletal disorders across past three decades. Population-wide initiatives targeting high body-mass index may mitigate the burden of musculoskeletal disorders.
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•Nacre-like hydroxyapatite/chitosan layered composite is prepared for Pb(II) removal.•The brick-and-mortar structure characteristics improve the mechanical strengths.•The layered ...composite has the hierarchical architecture analogous to plate towers.•Nacre-like layered composite has a great adsorption capacity for heavy metal ions.
Design and fabrication of novel adsorbents to remove heavy metal ions in continuous-flow wastewater remained a great challenge. Inspired by the hierarchical architecture and biomineralization process of nacre, we firstly constructed hydroxyapatite/chitosan (HA/CH) layered composites. The brick-and-mortar characteristics of HA/CH layered composites improved their flexure strengths up to 3.08 MPa so that the hierarchical architectures could not be destroyed even under high-pressure drop. HA/CH layered composites had the hierarchical microstructures analogous to plate towers, facilitating the separation of adsorbents from water. The interlaminar macropores in the layered composites contributed to the transfer of continuous-flow wastewater. The Pb(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) ions in wastewater showed similar adsorption trends, and their adsorption amounts arrived at 295.96, 192.37 and 127.38 mg g−1 after 6 days, respectively. Among the above heavy metal ions, the HA/CH layered composites possessed the best Pb(II) adsorption ability due to forming lead hydroxyapatite rods and CH-Pb complexes. The Pb(II) adsorption performances of HA/CH layered composites matched well with Elovich equation, pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetics models, revealing the heterogeneous chemisorption mechanism at adsorbent/wastewater interfaces. Therefore, the nacre-like HA/CH layered composites with appropriate mechanical property and excellent adsorption capacity are a novel platform for heavy metal removal in continuous-flow wastewater.
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