Donor–chromophore–acceptor triads, (PTZ) 2 -Pt(bpy)-C 60 and ( t BuPTZ) 2 -Pt(bpy)-C 60 , along with their model compound, (Ph) 2 -Pt(bpy)-C 60 , have been synthesized and characterized; their ...photophysical and electrochemical properties have been studied, and the origin of the absorption and emission properties has been supported by computational studies. The photoinduced electron transfer reactions have been investigated using the femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. In dichloromethane, (Ph) 2 -Pt(bpy)-C 60 shows ultrafast triplet–triplet energy transfer from the 3MLCT/LLCT excited state within 4 ps to give the 3C60* state, while in (PTZ) 2 -Pt(bpy)-C 60 and ( t BuPTZ) 2 -Pt(bpy)-C 60 , charge-separated state forms within 400 fs from the 3MLCT/LLCT excited state with efficiency of over 0.90, and the total efficiency with the contribution of 3C60* is estimated to be 0.99. Although the forward electron transfer reactions are very rapid, the charge-separated state recombines to the singlet ground state at a time of hundreds of nanoseconds because of the difference in spin multiplicity between the charge-separated state and the ground state.
Systemic lupus erythematosus is a complex and potentially fatal autoimmune disease, characterized by autoantibody production and multi-organ damage. By a genome-wide association study (320 patients ...and 1,500 controls) and subsequent replication altogether involving a total of 3,300 Asian SLE patients from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Thailand, as well as 4,200 ethnically and geographically matched controls, genetic variants in ETS1 and WDFY4 were found to be associated with SLE (ETS1: rs1128334, P = 2.33x10(-11), OR = 1.29; WDFY4: rs7097397, P = 8.15x10(-12), OR = 1.30). ETS1 encodes for a transcription factor known to be involved in a wide range of immune functions, including Th17 cell development and terminal differentiation of B lymphocytes. SNP rs1128334 is located in the 3'-UTR of ETS1, and allelic expression analysis from peripheral blood mononuclear cells showed significantly lower expression level from the risk allele. WDFY4 is a conserved protein with unknown function, but is predominantly expressed in primary and secondary immune tissues, and rs7097397 in WDFY4 changes an arginine residue to glutamine (R1816Q) in this protein. Our study also confirmed association of the HLA locus, STAT4, TNFSF4, BLK, BANK1, IRF5, and TNFAIP3 with SLE in Asians. These new genetic findings may help us to gain a better understanding of the disease and the functions of the genes involved.
The global shipping industry faces many uncertainties which impact on how organisations within this sector will perform in the future. Research in the critical success factors which impact the global ...shipping industry in the digital era is lacking. This study plugs the gap in the literature by identifying four key critical success factors which are innovation capability, risk governance capability, leadership and strategic capability, and technological capability. In addition, this study also found three organisational performance measures that are useful for senior management teams within the industry, namely, financial performance, operational performance and marketing performance. The results were then triangulated and validated by the case study method using a global shipping organisation. The findings establish a set of critical success factors and the corresponding relationships between the identified critical success factors and the identified organisational performance measures. The paper also provides managerial insights for industry practitioners for defining, prioritising and allocating resources in order to improve organisational performance.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in females worldwide. Estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer, suggest that globally, there ...were around 2.1 million new breast cancer cases and 627,000 deaths due to breast cancer in 2018. Among the subtypes of breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive and carries the poorest prognosis, largest recurrence, and lowest survival rate. Major treatment options for TNBC patients are mainly constrained to chemotherapy, which can be accompanied by severe side effects. Therefore, development of novel and effective anti-cancer drugs for the treatment of TNBC are urgently required.
is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has historically been used to treat rhinitis, sinusitis, relieve pain, and reduce swelling. Recent studies have shown that
exhibited efficacy against certain cancers, however, to date, no studies have been conducted on its effects in breast cancer. Here, we aimed to investigate the anti-cancer activity of the total extract of
(CME), and its underlying mechanism, in TNBC. In MDA-MB-231, we found that CME could significantly reduce cell viability and proliferation, induce apoptosis and inhibit cancer cell migration and invasion, in a dose and time-dependent manner. We showed that CME may potentially act via inhibition of multiple signaling pathways, including the EGFR, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, NF-κB, and STAT3 pathways. Treatment with CME also led to
downregulation of MMP-9 activity and inhibition of metastasis. Further, we demonstrated that CME could significantly reduce tumor burden in MDA-MB-231 xenograft mice, without any appreciable side effects. Based on our findings, CME is a promising candidate for development as a therapeutic with high efficacy against TNBC.
Metalla-analogs of polycyclic arynes represent an interesting class of metallaaromatics with a formal Mtriple bond, length as m-dashC bond within the ring. The first examples of a bicyclic ...β-metallaaryne and tricyclic metallaarynes, including a metallaanthracyne and a metallaphenanthryne, were obtained in good yields by reactions of OsCl
(PPh
)
with alkyne-functionalized phosphorus ylides.
Abstract
Hydrogen generation from water using noble metal-free photocatalysts presents a promising platform for renewable and sustainable energy. Copper-based chalcogenides of earth-abundant ...elements, especially Cu
2
ZnSnS
4
(CZTS), have recently arisen as a low-cost and environment-friendly material for photovoltaics and photocatalysis. Herein, we report a new heterostructure consisting of CZTS nanoparticles anchored onto a MoS
2
-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrid. Using a facile two-step method, CZTS nanoparticles were
in situ
grown on the surface of MoS
2
-rGO hybrid, which generated high density of nanoscale interfacial contact between CZTS and MoS
2
-rGO hybrid. The photoexcited electrons of CZTS can be readily transported to MoS
2
through rGO backbone, reducing the electron-hole pair recombination. In photocatalytic hydrogen generation under visible light irradiation, the presence of MoS
2
-rGO hybrids enhanced the hydrogen production rate of CZTS by 320%, which can be attributed to the synergetic effect of increased charge separation by rGO and more catalytically active sites from MoS
2
. Furthermore, this CZTS/MoS
2
-rGO heterostructure showed much higher photocatalytic activity than both Au and Pt nanoparticle-decorated CZTS (Au/CZTS and Pt/CZTS) photocatalysts, indicating the MoS
2
-rGO hybrid is a better co-catalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen generation than the precious metal. The CZTS/MoS
2
-rGO system also demonstrated stable photocatalytic activity for a continuous 20 h reaction.
A novel antibacterial coating for cotton fabrics has been developed using core-shell particles that consist of poly(
n-butyl acrylate) (PBA) cores and chitosan shells. The spherical particles are ...prepared via a surfactant-free emulsion copolymerization of
n-butyl acrylate in an aqueous chitosan solution induced by a small amount of
tert-butyl hydroperoxide. The PBA-chitosan core-shell particles have a narrow particle size distribution with average particle diameter of approximately 300
nm, and display highly positive surface charges. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images clearly reveal well-defined core-shell morphology of the particles where PBA cores are coated with chitosan shells. The particle is composed of both the PBA homopolymer and the chitosan-
g-PBA copolymer, which have been characterized with FTIR and
1H NMR spectroscopes. The cotton fabric is coated with PBA-chitosan particles by using a conventional pad-dry-cure method. Its antibacterial efficiency is then evaluated quantitatively against
Staphylococcus aureus with the shake flask method. The cotton treated with PBA-chitosan particles demonstrates an excellent antibacterial activity with bacterial reductions more than 99%.
Objective
To obtain international consensus around processes that support the delivery of high‐quality care to patients with childhood‐onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) based on current ...recommendations and scientific evidence.
Methods
To identify process quality indicators (QIs) for the medical care of children and adolescents with childhood‐onset SLE, we sent 2 Delphi questionnaires internationally to 340 physicians who treat these patients. We set consensus at 80% of completed responses.
Results
Two hundred ninety‐seven physicians (87%) responded to the first Delphi questionnaire and 265 physicians (76%) responded to the second questionnaire. The group achieved consensus for 26 QIs addressing laboratory testing at diagnosis, health maintenance measures, diagnosis and therapy of lupus nephritis, general preventive strategies, surveillance for medication safety, counseling and evaluation of cardiovascular risk factors, as well as transition planning. Of the 26 process QIs for use in childhood‐onset SLE, 11 matched those established for adults with SLE, 9 required modification, and consensus was reached for an additional 6 QIs specific to children.
Conclusion
An international consensus for a set of process QIs for childhood‐onset SLE was reached that considers unique aspects of children with childhood‐onset SLE. The presented set of QIs for children and adolescents with childhood‐onset SLE defines agreed‐upon standards of medical care.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018, and this burden continues to increase. Therefore, there is a clear and urgent need for ...novel drugs with increased efficacy for the treatment of different cancers. Previous research has demonstrated that brevilin A (BA) exerts anticancer activity in various cancers, including human multiple myeloma, breast cancer, lung cancer, and colon carcinoma, suggesting the anticancer potential present in the chemical scaffold of BA. Here, we designed and synthesized a small library of 12 novel BA derivatives and evaluated the biological anticancer effects of the compounds in various cancer cell lines. The results of this structure–activity relationship study demonstrated that BA derivatives BA-9 and BA-10 possessed significantly improved anticancer activity toward lung, colon, and breast cancer cell lines. BA-9 and BA-10 could more effectively reduce cancer cell viability and induce DNA damage, cell-cycle arrest, and apoptosis when compared with BA. Our findings represent a significant step forward in the development of novel anticancer entities.
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