•The compounded MCC/PDA aerogels were prepared.•Morphology and microstructure of the aerogel was tailored by changing PDA content.•The aerogel showed high adsorption ability and excellent adsorption ...selectivity.
As one of the materials from natural resources, the functionalization and application of cellulose attract increasing concerns. In this work, we reported a facile method to prepare the bio-inspired functionalization of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) aerogel through polydopamine (PDA) coating, which was realized via the self-polymerization of dopamine in the MCC/LiBr solution followed by the freeze-drying technology. The morphological characterization showed that the pore morphologies of the compounded aerogel were influenced by the content of PDA. Adsorption measurements toward methylene blue (MB) showed that the compounded aerogel had high adsorption ability. Moreover, the compounded MCC/PDA aerogel exhibited excellent adsorption selectivity and it exhibited high efficiency to remove MB from different solutions, such as the mixed solution with anionic dyestuffs, the mixed solution with cationic dyestuffs and the mixed solution with common salt (NaCl). The high adsorption ability and excellent adsorption selectivity endows the compounded MCC/PDA aerogel with great potential applications in wastewater treatment.
Steroid‐refractory (SR) acute graft‐versus‐host disease (aGVHD) is one of the leading causes of early mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT). We investigated ...the efficacy, safety, prognostic factors, and optimal therapeutic protocol for SR‐aGVHD patients treated with basiliximab in a real‐world setting. Nine hundred and forty SR‐aGVHD patients were recruited from 36 hospitals in China, and 3683 doses of basiliximab were administered. Basiliximab was used as monotherapy (n = 642) or in combination with other second‐line treatments (n = 298). The cumulative incidence of overall response rate (ORR) at day 28 after basiliximab treatment was 79.4% (95% confidence interval CI 76.5%–82.3%). The probabilities of nonrelapse mortality and overall survival at 3 years after basiliximab treatment were 26.8% (95% CI 24.0%–29.6%) and 64.3% (95% CI 61.2%–67.4%), respectively. A 1:1 propensity score matching was performed to compare the efficacy and safety between the monotherapy and combined therapy groups. Combined therapy did not increase the ORR; conversely, it increased the infection rates compared with monotherapy. The multivariate analysis showed that combined therapy, grade III–IV aGVHD, and high‐risk refined Minnesota aGVHD risk score before basiliximab treatment were independently associated with the therapeutic response. Hence, we created a prognostic scoring system that could predict the risk of having a decreased likelihood of response after basiliximab treatment. Machine learning was used to develop a protocol that maximized the efficacy of basiliximab while maintaining acceptable levels of infection risk. Thus, real‐world data suggest that basiliximab is safe and effective for treating SR‐aGVHD.
Methanol-water reforming is a promising solution for H
production/transportation in stationary and mobile hydrogen applications. Developing inexpensive catalysts with sufficiently high activity, ...selectivity, and stability remains challenging. In this paper, nickel-supported over face-centered cubic (fcc) phase α-MoC has been discovered to exhibit extraordinary hydrogen production activity in the aqueous-phase methanol reforming reaction. Under optimized condition, the hydrogen production rate of 2% Ni/α-MoC is about 6 times higher than that of conventional noble metal 2% Pt/Al
O
catalyst. We demonstrate that Ni is atomically dispersed over α-MoC via carbon bridge bonds, forming a Ni
-C
motif on the carbide surface. Such Ni
-C
motifs can effectively stabilize the isolated Ni
sites over the α-MoC substrate, rendering maximized active site density and high structural stability. In addition, the synergy between Ni
-C
motif and α-MoC produces an active interfacial structure for water dissociation, methanol activation, and successive reforming processes with compatible activity.
Due to the lack of highly efficient and low-cost oxygen reduction reaction/oxygen evolution reaction (ORR/OER) catalyst and alkaline anion exchange membrane (AEM), advanced rechargeable zinc-air ...batteries are largely hindered in many applications from wearable electronics to electric vehicles. Herein, a hybrid of porous Co3O4 anchoring on MnO2, then interpenetrating with CNTs (Co3O4/MnO2-CNTs) is synthesized via facile hydrothermal process, and an AEM (CS/EMImC-Co-EP/GO) employing semi-interpenetrating network structure is fabricated with a simple solution-casting method. The porous nanoparticles and chrysalis-like hybrid as well as strong bi-metallic coupling effect build highways and buffer zones for reactant and electrons transfer for ORR/OER. In addition, due to the competition of bottom Co atoms, the density functional theory (DFT) proves that the neighbor Mn sites (Mn1 and Mn2) of the MnO2(110) surface are evidently activated, which prompts the catalytic activity of hybrids by making the Mn1, Mn2 3d density of states move forward lower energy entirely. As a result, Co3O4/MnO2-CNTs exhibit superior ORR/OER activities with the low potential difference (ΔE) of 0.85 V and impressive performances in rechargeable aqueous zinc-air batteries (power density: 534 mW cm−2). Moreover, combining AEM integrated into rechargeable flexible all-solid-state zinc-air batteries and stack, the enhancement natures of wearable devices are achieved even under different bending angles benefiting from high hydroxyl anion conductivity and remarkable flexibility of AEM semi-interpenetrating network, which accelerates ion transport by the synergy of hopping and vehicle mechanisms. Furthermore, the flexible all-solid-state zinc-air batteries show excellent tolerance toxicity of CO2.
A high-performing flexible all-solid-state Zn-air battery is achieved by coordinated hierarchical chrysalis-like Co/Mn electrocatalyst and heterostructure GO-enhanced anion exchange membrane. Display omitted
•Co/Mn double oxide intertwined CNTs bifunctional chrysalis-like air cathodes have been developed.•The single Zn-air cell delivers a discharge peak power density over 500 mW/cm2, four times that using Pt/C.•The 3-cell Zn-air stack represents an advanced level consistency of each cell, which has not been reported previously.•°°°°°°The flexible batteries show strong durability to CO2 penetration due to the use of flexible anion-exchange membranes.•DFT proves that MnO2(110) surface are activated, making Mn1, Mn2 3d density of states move forward lower energy.
Acinetobacter baumannii is currently posing a serious threat to global health. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a potent virulence factor of pathogenic Gram‐negative bacteria. To explore the antigenic ...properties of A. baumannii LPS, four Kdo‐containing inner core glycans from A. baumannii strain ATCC 17904 were synthesized. A flexible and divergent method based on the use of the orthogonally substituted α‐Kdo‐(2→5)‐Kdo disaccharides was developed. Selective removal of different protecting groups in these key precursors and elongation of sugar chain via α‐stereocontrolled coupling with 5,7‐O‐di‐tert‐butylsilylene or 5‐O‐benzoyl protected Kdo thioglycosides and 2‐azido‐2‐deoxyglucosyl thioglycoside allowed efficient assembly of the target molecules. Glycan microarray analysis of sera from infected patients revealed that the 4,5‐branched Kdo trimer was a potential antigenic epitope, which is attractive for further immunological research to develop carbohydrate vaccines against A. baumannii.
Four inner core oligosaccharides from the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of A. baumannii strain ATCC 17904 were chemically synthesized (see structures). Antigenic investigation indicated that the 4,5‐branched Kdo trisaccharide, a common inner core structure of A. baumannii LPS, is a potential antigenic epitope that could be used for further immunological research to develop diagnostic tools or vaccines against A. baumannii.
The pursuit of single‐assembled molecular cage reactors for complex tandem reactions is a long‐standing target in biomimetic catalysis but still a grand challenge. Herein, nanozyme‐like organic cages ...are reported by engineering air‐stable radicals into the skeleton upon photoinduced electron transfer. The generation of radicals is accompanied by single‐crystal structural transformation and exhibits superior stability over six months in air. Impressively, the radicals throughout the cage skeleton can mimic the peroxidase of natural enzymes to decompose H2O2 into OH· and facilitate oxidation reactions. Furthermore, an integrated catalyst by encapsulating Au clusters (glucose oxidase mimics) into the cage has been developed, in which the dual active sites (Au cluster and radical) are spatially isolated and can work as cascade nanozymes to prominently promote the enzyme‐like tandem reaction via a substrate channeling effect.
A tandem reaction with an enhanced rate is achieved by an air‐stable radical cage reactor, in which the dual active sites (radicals as peroxidase mimics; Au clusters as glucose oxidase mimics) are spatially isolated without mutually quenching each other, and can thus serve as cascade nanozymes to accelerate the reaction via a substrate channeling effect.
Background: Combined therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and anti-PD-1 antibodies has shown high tumor response rates for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ...However, using this treatment strategy to convert initially unresectable HCC to resectable HCC was not reported. Methods: Consecutive patients with unresectable HCC who received first-line therapy with combined TKI/anti-PD-1 antibodies were analyzed. Tumor response and resectability were evaluated via imaging every 2 months (±2 weeks) using RECIST v1.1. Resectability criteria were (1) R0 resection could be achieved with sufficient remnant liver volume and function; (2) intrahepatic lesions were evaluated as partial responses or stable disease for at least 2 months; (3) no severe or persistent adverse effects occurred; and (4) hepatectomy was not contraindicated. Results: Sixty-three consecutive patients were enrolled. Of them, 10 (15.9%) underwent R0 resection in 3.2 months (range: 2.4–8.3 months) after the initiation of combination therapy. At baseline, these 10 patients had a median largest tumor diameter of 9.3 cm, 7 had Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C (vascular invasion) disease, 2 had stage B, and 1 had stage A. Before surgery, 6 patients were evaluated as a partial response, 3 stable disease, and 1 partial response in the intrahepatic lesion but a new metastatic lesion in the right adrenal gland. Six patients (60%) achieved a pathological complete response. One patient died from immune-related adverse effects 2.4 months after hepatectomy. After a median follow-up of 11.2 months (range: 7.8–15.9 months) for other 9 patients, 8 survived without disease recurrence, and 1 experienced tumor recurrence. Conclusions: Combination of TKI/anti-PD-1 antibodies is a feasible conversion therapy for patients with unresectable HCC to become resectable. This study represents the largest patient cohort on downstaging role of combinational systemic therapy on TKI and PD-1 antibody for HCC.
Recently, reverse genetics systems of plant negative‐stranded RNA (NSR) viruses have been developed to study virus–host interactions. Nonetheless, genetic rescue of plant NSR viruses in both insect ...vectors and monocot plants is very limited. Northern cereal mosaic virus (NCMV), a plant cytorhabdovirus, causes severe diseases in cereal plants through transmission by the small brown planthopper (SBPH, Laodelphax striatellus) in a propagative manner. In this study, we first developed a minireplicon system of NCMV in Nicotiana benthamiana plants, and then recovered a recombinant NCMV virus (rNCMV‐RFP), with a red fluorescent protein (RFP) insertion, in SBPHs and barley plants. We further used rNCMV‐RFP and green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐tagged barley yellow striate mosaic virus (rBYSMV‐GFP), a closely related cytorhabdovirus, to study superinfection exclusion, a widely observed phenomenon in dicot plants rarely studied in monocot plants. Interestingly, cellular superinfection exclusion of rBYSMV‐GFP and rNCMV‐RFP was observed in barley leaves. Our results demonstrate that two insect‐transmitted cytorhabdoviruses are enemies rather than friends at the cellular level during coinfections in plants.
The recombinant NCMV‐RFP virus was rescued in barley plants and insect vectors to reveal cellular superinfection exclusion of two cytorhabdoviruses, NCMV‐RFP and BYSMV‐GFP, in barley.
Parasitic wasps produce several factors including venom, polydnaviruses (PDVs) and specialized wasp cells named teratocytes that benefit the survival of offspring by altering the physiology of hosts. ...However, the underlying molecular mechanisms for the alterations remain unclear. Here we find that the teratocytes of Cotesia vestalis, an endoparasitoid of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella, and its associated bracovirus (CvBV) can produce miRNAs and deliver the products into the host via different ways. Certain miRNAs in the parasitized host are mainly produced by teratocytes, while the expression level of miRNAs encoded by CvBV can be 100-fold greater in parasitized hosts than non-parasitized ones. We further show that one teratocyte-produced miRNA (Cve-miR-281-3p) and one CvBV-produced miRNA (Cve-miR-novel22-5p-1) arrest host growth by modulating expression of the host ecdysone receptor (EcR). Altogether, our results show the first evidence of cross-species regulation by miRNAs in animal parasitism and their possible function in the alteration of host physiology during parasitism.
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