Glucose is a key energy supplier and nutrient for tumor growth. Herein, inspired by the glucose oxidase (GOx)‐assisted conversion of glucose into gluconic acid and toxic H2O2, a novel treatment ...paradigm of starving‐like therapy is developed for significant tumor‐killing effects, more effective than conventional starving therapy by only cutting off the energy supply. Furthermore, the generated acidic H2O2 can oxidize l‐Arginine (l‐Arg) into NO for enhanced gas therapy. By using hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticle (HMON) as a biocompatible/biodegradable nanocarrier for the co‐delivery of GOx and l‐Arg, a novel glucose‐responsive nanomedicine (l‐Arg‐HMON‐GOx) has been for the first time constructed for synergistic cancer starving‐like/gas therapy without the need of external excitation, which yields a remarkable H2O2–NO cooperative anticancer effect with minimal adverse effect.
Synergistic therapy: A biocompatible and biodegradable nanomedicine based on glucose oxidase/l‐arginine co‐loaded hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles has been successfully constructed for converting intratumoral glucose into high concentrations of toxic hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide. An endogenous synergistic cancer therapy for efficient tumor eradication has been developed.
Deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain is one of the important histopathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previously, we reported a correlation between cell adhesion molecule L1 (L1) ...expression and the occurrence of AD, but its relationship was unclear. Here, we report that the expression of L1 and a 70 kDa cleavage product of L1 (L1-70) was reduced in the hippocampus of AD (APPswe) mice. Interestingly, upregulation of L1-70 expression in the hippocampus of 18-month-old APPswe mice, by parabiosis involving the joining of the circulatory system of an 18-month-old APPswe mouse with a 2-month-old wild-type C57BL/6 mouse, reduced amyloid plaque deposition. Furthermore, the reduction was accompanied by the appearance of a high number of activated microglia. Mechanistically, we observed that L1-70 could combine with topoisomerase 1 (Top1) to form a complex, L1-70/Top1, that was able to regulate expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), resulting in the activation of microglia and reduction of Aβ plaques. Also, transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ-1) transferred from the blood of young wild-type C57BL/6 mice to the aged AD mice, was identified as a circulating factor that induces full-length L1 and L1-70 expression. All together, these findings suggest that L1-70 contributes to the clearance of Aβ in AD, thereby adding a novel perspective in understanding AD pathogenesis.
Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta with a reduction in dopamine concentration ...in the striatum. It is a substantial loss of dopaminergic neurons that is responsible for the classic triad of PD symptoms, i.e., resting tremor, muscular rigidity, and bradykinesia. Several current therapies for PD may only offer symptomatic relief and do not address the underlying neurodegeneration of PD. The recent developments in cellular reprogramming have enabled the development of previously unachievable cell therapies and patient-specific modeling of PD through Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs). iPSCs possess the inherent capacity for pluripotency, allowing for their directed differentiation into diverse cell lineages, such as dopaminergic neurons, thus offering a promising avenue for addressing the issue of neurodegeneration within the context of PD. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of the effects of dopamine on PD patients, illustrates the versatility of iPSCs and their regenerative abilities, and examines the benefits of using iPSC treatment for PD as opposed to current therapeutic measures. In means of providing a treatment approach that reinforces the long-term survival of the transplanted neurons, the review covers three supplementary avenues to reinforce the potential of iPSCs.
Ten eleven translocation (TET) enzymes (TET1/TET2/TET3) and thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) play crucial roles in early embryonic and germ cell development by mediating DNA demethylation. However, the ...molecular mechanisms that regulate TETs/TDG expression and their role in cellular differentiation, including that of the pancreas, are not known. Here, we report that (i) TET1/2/3 and TDG can be direct targets of the microRNA miR-26a, (ii) murine TETs, especially TET2 and TDG, are down-regulated in islets during postnatal differentiation, whereas miR-26a is up-regulated, (iii) changes in 5-hydroxymethylcytosine accompany changes in TET mRNA levels, (iv) these changes in mRNA and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine are also seen in an in vitro differentiation system initiated with FACS-sorted adult ductal progenitor-like cells, and (v) overexpression of miR-26a in mice increases postnatal islet cell number in vivo and endocrine/acinar colonies in vitro. These results establish a previously unknown link between miRNAs and TET expression levels, and suggest a potential role for miR-26a and TET family proteins in pancreatic cell differentiation.
The engineering of thermo-optic effects has found broad applications in integrated photonic devices, facilitating efficient light manipulation to achieve various functionalities. Here, we perform ...both an experimental characterization and a theoretical analysis of these effects in integrated microring resonators made from high-index doped silica, which have had many applications in integrated photonics and nonlinear optics. By fitting the experimental results with theory, we obtain fundamental parameters that characterize their thermo-optic performance, including the thermo-optic coefficient, the efficiency of the optically induced thermo-optic process, and the thermal conductivity. The characteristics of these parameters are compared to those of other materials commonly used for integrated photonic platforms, such as silicon, silicon nitride, and silica. These results offer a comprehensive insight into the thermo-optic properties of doped silica-based devices. Understanding these properties is essential for efficiently controlling and engineering them in many practical applications.
Compared with symmetric Gaussian-modulated coherent state protocol, the unidimensional continuous-variable quantum key distribution (UCVQKD) only modulates one of the quadratures in phase space of ...coherent state, thereby simplifying its implementation. Although UCVQKD does reduce the system’s complexity, its performance is reduced. In this work, we suggest an improved approach for UCVQKD using zero-photon quantum catalysis (ZPQC) technology. By taking advantage of this non-Gaussian operation, both secret key rate and maximal transmission distance of UCVQKD can be enhanced. Moreover, compared with another well-studied non-Gaussian operation, i.e., photon subtraction, ZPQC has higher success possibility, so that it would be beneficial for improving the amount of information acquired by legitimate users. Numerical simulation shows that the performance of UCVQKD can be improved by properly applying ZPQC. In particular, we find out that the performance of ZPQC-based UCVQKD outperforms that of photon subtraction-based UCVQKD, thereby providing an alternative way to better improve UCVQKD system. Furthermore, by taking finite-size effect into account, we derive more practical secure bound of ZPQC-based UCVQKD.
Light-weight flexible materials are needed to enable batteries that are safer, flexible, and smaller. However, the metal current collectors that are employed in current batteries are rigid, heavy, ...and slow in transporting electrons and ions. In this work, we demonstrate a flexible mesofiber that features an ordered mesoporous carbon scaffold threading a carbon nanotube. A facile hydrothermal synthesis method was developed to directly grow the highly ordered mesoporous carbon layer onto the surface of carbon nanotubes. The synergistic effect of these two materials in the designed meso-architecture yields excellent electrical conductivity, fast ion diffusion, and good mass loading of high-capacity active materials. We show that MnO
2
-loaded-mesofiber electrodes can achieve a capacitance of 160 F g
−1
at a current density of 0.2 A g
−1
and a capacitance retention of 58% after being cycled between 0.2 and 100 A g
−1
. The enhanced performance persists even at a scan rate as high as 2000 mV s
−1
. This fast current collector may find applications in flexible, wearable batteries and electronics.
As a rapidly expanding family of 2D materials, MXenes have recently gained considerable attention. Herein, by developing a coating method that enables transfer‐free and layer‐by‐layer film coating, ...the nonlinear optical absorption (NOA) of Ti3C2Tx MXene films is investigated. Using the Z‐scan technique, the NOA of the MXene films is characterized at ≈800 nm. The results show that there is a strong and layer‐dependent NOA behavior, transitioning from reverse saturable absorption (RSA) to saturable absorption (SA) as the layer number increases from 5 to 30. Notably, the nonlinear absorption coefficient β changes significantly from ≈7.13 × 102 cm GW−1 to ≈−2.69 × 102 cm GW−1 within this range. The power‐dependent NOA of the MXene films is also characterized, and a decreasing trend in β is observed for increasing laser intensity. Finally, the NOA of 2D MXene films at ≈1550 nm is characterized by integrating them onto silicon nitride waveguides, where an SA behavior is observed for the films including 5 and 10 layers of MXene, in contrast to the RSA observed at ≈800 nm. These results reveal intriguing nonlinear optical properties of 2D MXene films, highlighting their versatility and potential for implementing high‐performance nonlinear photonic devices.
Nonlinear optical absorption (NOA) behaviors of 2D layered MXene films are characterized using both the Z‐scan technique and by integrating them onto silicon nitride photonic waveguides. Experimental results show that the NOA varies significantly as the light wavelength and film thickness changes, highlighting the versatility and potential of 2D MXene films for implementing high‐performance nonlinear photonic devices.
K5Sb4 and K3Sb7 Zintl ion precursors react with Pd(PPh3)4 in ethylenediamine/toluene/PBu4+ solutions to give crystals of Sb@Pd12@Sb20n-/PBu4+ salts, where n = 3, 4. The clusters are structurally ...identical in the two charge states, with nearly perfect Ih point symmetry, and can be viewed as an Sb@Pd12 icosahedron centered inside of an Sb20 dodecahedron. The metric parameters suggest very weak Sb-Sb and Pd-Pd interactions with strong radial Sb-Pd bonds between the Sb20 and Pd12 shells. All-electron DFT analysis shows the 3- ion to be diamagnetic with Ih symmetry and a 1.33 eV HOMO-LUMO gap, whereas the 4- ion undergoes a Jahn-Teller distortion to an S = 1/2 D3d structure with a small 0.1 eV gap. The distortion is predicted to be small and is not discernible by crystallography. Laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI-TOF MS) studies of the crystalline samples show intense parent Sb@Pd12@Sb20- ions (negative ion mode) and Sb@Pd12@Sb20+ (positive ion mode) along with series of Sb@Pd12-y@Sb20-x-/+ ions. Ni(cyclooctadiene)2 reacts with K3Sb7 in en/tol/Bu4PBr solvent mixtures to give black precipitates of Sb@Ni12@Sb20n- salts that give similar Sb@Ni12@Sb20-/+ parent ions and Sb@Ni12-y@Sb20-x-/+ degradation series in the respective LDI-TOF MS studies. The solid-state and gas-phase studies of the icosahedral Sb@M12@Sb20n-/n+ ions show that the clusters can exist in the -4, -3, -1, +1 (M = Pd) and +1, -1 (M = Ni) oxidation states. These multiple-charge-state clusters are reminiscent of redox-active fullerenes (e.g., C60n, where n = +1, 0, -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6).
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In this study, sycamore flocs (SF), which caused environmental and health problems, were utilized to prepare biochar. SFB2-900 obtained under the conditions of activation agent K2CO3, ...pyrolysis temperature 900℃ and m(K2CO3):m(BC) 2 had the strongest adsorption capacity (730 mg/g) for oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl). The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model described the adsorption kinetics and isotherms best. SFB2-900 exhibited high OTC-HCl adsorption capacity in both higher ionic strength and wide pH range. The theoretical simulation indicated that the closest interaction distance between OTC-HCl and SFB2-900 was 2.44 Å via π-π stacking configuration. Pore filling, π-π electron donor acceptor (EDA) interaction, H-bonding and electrostatic interactions were also involved in the process of OTC-HCl removal. SFB2-900 showed great removal efficiency for OTC-HCl in different water matrices and good regeneration ability. This study solved the problems caused by SF, realized waste biomass recycling, and achieved preparing high-efficient adsorbent for antibiotic.
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