A photothermal nanoconfinement reactor (PNCR) system is proposed and demonstrated by using hollow carbon nanospheres (HCNs) to enhance the performance of the chemical reaction. Under light ...irradiation, the local temperature of the HCN inner void space was much higher than the bulk solution temperature because the confined space concentrates heat and inhibits heat loss. Using the temperature‐sensitive model reaction, peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation to oxidize micropollutant, it is shown that the degradation rate of sulfamethoxazole in the PNCR system is 7.1 times of that without nanoconfinement. It is further discovered that the high‐quality local heat inside the nanoconfined space shifted the model reaction from an otherwise non‐radical pathway to a radical‐based pathway. This work provides an interesting strategy to produce a locally high temperature, which has a wide range of applications to energy and environmental fields.
A photothermal nanoconfinement reactor (PNCR) comprised of hollow carbon nanospheres boosts the overall chemical reaction rate of an otherwise large reaction volume during peroxydisulfate‐mediated oxidation of micropollutants. The reaction pathway, which would ordinarily involve radical species, is directed through a non‐radical pathway because of the local heat in the nanoconfined space.
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•Impregnation with amine mainly destroys micropore of activated biochar.•SO2 adsorption capacity of impregnated biochar by MDEA can reach 156.22 mg/g.•SO2 adsorption capacity of ...impregnated biochar was closely related to quaternary N.•Sulfates and nitrogen oxides were produced after SO2 adsorption.
To enhance the SO2 adsorption of biochar, CO2 activation and impregnation with methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) was simultaneously employed to improve its physicochemical characteristics. Furthermore, the effects of the pore structure and nitrogen functionality on SO2 adsorption were also explored. The results show that after CO2 activation, the specific surface area of biochar increased from 56.91 m2/g to 755.35 m2/g, while this figure dropped to 25.54 m2/g or even lower after impregnation with MDEA. Although the pore structure of activated biochar was destroyed, the surface nitrogen content of the nitrogen-enriched biochar (with 10% MDEA impregnation) increased from 1.46% to its highest level (7.20%); moreover, as indicated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, the nitrogen functional groups introduced on the surface of the nitrogen-enriched biochar were mainly C-N. After 10% MDEA impregnation, the maximum SO2 adsorption capacity increased from 57.8 mg/g to 156.2 mg/g. Changes to physical and chemical properties in the nitrogen-enriched biochar indicate that the nitrogen functional groups on the surface are more important than the pore structure for SO2 adsorption at 393 K, and that the dominant nitrogen species are quaternary nitrogen.
Since the beginning of 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread throughout China. This study explains the findings from lung computed tomography images of some patients with COVID-19 ...treated in this medical institution and discusses the difference between COVID-19 and other lung diseases.
Based on the chiral kinetic equations of motion, spin polarizations of various quarks, due to the magnetic field induced by spectator protons as well as the quark-antiquark vector interaction, are ...studied within a partonic transport approach. Although the magnetic field in QGP enhances the splitting of the spin polarizations of partons compared to the results under the magnetic field in vacuum, the spin polarizations of s and s¯ quarks are also sensitive to the quark-antiquark vector interaction, challenging that the different Λ and Λ¯ spin polarization is a good measure of the magnetic field in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. It is also found that there is no way to obtain the large splitting of the spin polarization between Λ and Λ¯ at sNN=7.7 GeV with partonic dynamics.
Black phosphorus (BP) has increasingly attracted scientific attention since its first applications in biomedicine due to its unique properties and excellent biocompatibility. In particular, its ...layer‐dependent bandgap, moderate carrier mobility, large surface‐area‐to‐volume ratio, biodegradability, intrinsic photoacoustic properties, and biocompatibility make it an ideal candidate for use in photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, drug delivery, 3D printing, bioimaging, biosensing, and theranostics, which are reviewed here. In addition, the article discusses strategies to overcome challenges related to surface instability due to chemical degradation, a major obstacle for its application. This review not only provides a comprehensive summary on BP preparation and biomedical applications but also summarizes recent research and future possibilities.
2D black phosphorus is extensively used in biomedicine due to its excellent physical and chemical properties. This review focuses on the current progress and future perspectives of 2D black phosphorus–based biomedical applications, including cancer therapy, diagnosis, and theranostics. In addition, the article discusses strategies to overcome challenges related to surface instability, a major obstacle for its application.
Black phosphorus (BP) is a promising two-dimensional layered semiconductor material for next-generation electronics and optoelectronics, with a thickness-dependent tunable direct bandgap and high ...carrier mobility. Though great research advantages have been achieved on BP, lateral synthesis of high quality BP films still remains a great challenge. Here, we report the direct growth of large-scale crystalline BP films on insulating silicon substrates by a gas-phase growth strategy with an epitaxial nucleation design and a further lateral growth control. The optimized lateral size of the achieved BP films can reach up to millimeters, with the ability to modulate thickness from a few to hundreds of nanometers. The as-grown BP films exhibit excellent electrical properties, with a field-effect and Hall mobility of over 1200 cm
V
s
and 1400 cm
V
s
at room temperature, respectively, comparable to those exfoliated from BP bulk crystals. Our work opens the door for broad applications with BP in scalable electronic and optoelectronic devices.
Leptomeningeal metastases (LM) are more frequent in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. Due to limited access to leptomeningeal lesions, the ...purpose of this study was to explore the potential role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a source of liquid biopsy in patients with LM.
Primary tumor, CSF, and plasma in NSCLC with LM were tested by next-generation sequencing. In total, 45 patients with suspected LM underwent lumbar puncture, and those with EGFR mutations diagnosed with LM were enrolled.
A total of 28 patients were enrolled in this cohort; CSF and plasma were available in 26 patients, respectively. Driver genes were detected in 100% (26/26), 84.6% (22/26), and 73.1% (19/26) of samples comprising CSF cell-free DNA (cfDNA), CSF precipitates, and plasma, respectively; 92.3% (24/26) of patients had much higher allele fractions in CSF cfDNA than the other two media. Unique genetic profiles were captured in CSF cfDNA compared with those in plasma and primary tissue. Multiple copy number variations (CNVs) were mainly identified in CSF cfDNA, and MET copy number gain identified in 47.8% (11/23) of patients was the most frequent one, while other CNVs included ERBB2, KRAS, ALK, and MYC. Moreover, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of TP53 was identified in 73.1% (19/26) CSF cfDNA, which was much higher than that in plasma (2/26, 7.7%; P<0.001). There was a trend towards a higher frequency of concomitant resistance mutations in patients with TP53 LOH than those without (70.6% versus 33.3%; P=0.162). EGFR T790M was identified in CSF cfDNA of 30.4% (7/23) of patients who experienced TKI progression.
CSF cfDNA could reveal the unique genetic profiles of LM and should be considered as the most representative liquid biopsy medium for LM in EGFR-mutant NSCLC.
To date, considerable knowledge gaps remain regarding the chest CT imaging features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of results from ...published studies to date to provide a summary of evidence on detection of COVID-19 by chest CT and the expected CT imaging manifestations.
Studies were identified by searching PubMed database for articles published between December 2019 and February 2020. Pooled CT positive rate of COVID-19 and pooled incidence of CT imaging findings were estimated using a random-effect model.
A total of 13 studies met inclusion criteria. The pooled positive rate of the CT imaging was 89.76% and 90.35% when only including thin-section chest CT. Typical CT signs were ground glass opacities (83.31%), ground glass opacities with mixed consolidation (58.42%), adjacent pleura thickening (52.46%), interlobular septal thickening (48.46%), and air bronchograms (46.46%). Other CT signs included crazy paving pattern (14.81%), pleural effusion (5.88%), bronchiectasis (5.42%), pericardial effusion (4.55%), and lymphadenopathy (3.38%). The most anatomic distributions were bilateral lung infection (78.2%) and peripheral distribution (76.95%). The incidences were highest in the right lower lobe (87.21%), left lower lobe (81.41%), and bilateral lower lobes (65.22%). The right upper lobe (65.22%), right middle lobe (54.95%), and left upper lobe (69.43%) were also commonly involved. The incidence of bilateral upper lobes was 60.87%. A considerable proportion of patients had three or more lobes involved (70.81%).
The detection of COVID-19 chest CT imaging is very high among symptomatic individuals at high risk, especially using thin-section chest CT. The most common CT features in patients affected by COVID-19 included ground glass opacities and consolidation involving the bilateral lungs in a peripheral distribution.
Molecular rotor‐based fluorophores (RBFs) have been widely used in many fields. However, the lack of control of their viscosity sensitivity limits their application. Herein, this problem is resolved ...by chemically installing extended π‐rich alternating carbon‐carbon linkages between the rotational electron donors and acceptors of RBFs. The data reveal that the length of the linkage strongly influences the viscosity sensitivity, likely resulting from varying height of the energy barriers between the fluorescent planar and the dark twisted configurations. Three RBF derivatives that span a wide range of viscosity sensitivities were designed. These RBFs demonstrated, through a dual‐color imaging strategy, that they can differentiate misfolded protein oligomers and insoluble aggregates, both in test tubes and live cells. Beyond RBFs, it is envisioned that this chemical mechanism might be generally applicable to a wide range of photoisomerizable and aggregation‐induced emission fluorophores.
Reported here is a novel method to rationally control the viscosity sensitivity of molecular rotor‐based fluorophores (RBFs) by installing a π‐rich linkage between the electron donors and acceptors of RBFs. The result of this work is the generation of RBFs that span a wide range of viscosity sensitivity and allow detection of protein aggregation with different compactness both in vitro and in live cells.
Iron is an essential metal ion in the human body and usually dysregulated in cancers. However, a comprehensive overview of the iron‐related genes and their clinical relevance in cancer is lacking. In ...this study, we utilized the expression profiling, proteomics, and epigenetics from the Cancer Genome Atlas database to systematically characterized the alterations of iron‐related genes. There were multiple iron‐related genes with dysregulation across 14 cancers and some of these ectopic changes may be associated with aberrant DNA methylation. Meanwhile, a variety of genes were significantly associated with patient survival, especially in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma. Then differentially expressed genes were validated in clinical samples. Finally, we found deferoxamine and erastin could inhibit proliferation in various tumor cells and influence the expression of several iron‐related genes. Overall, our study provides a comprehensive analysis of iron metabolism across cancers and highlights the potential treatment of iron targeted therapies for cancers.
We systematically analyzed dysregulation of iron metabolism genes using transcriptomics, epigenomics and proteomics data from the TCGA project. Our results showed that iron metabolism was dysregulated across different cancer types.
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