Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a class of small peptides that widely exist in nature and they are an important part of the innate immune system of different organisms. AMPs have a wide range of ...inhibitory effects against bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and the increasing of concerns about the use of antibiotics resulted in the development of AMPs, which have a good application prospect in medicine, food, animal husbandry, agriculture and aquaculture. This review introduces the progress of research on AMPs comprehensively and systematically, including their classification, mechanism of action, design methods, environmental factors affecting their activity, application status, prospects in various fields and problems to be solved. The research progress on antivirus peptides, especially anti-coronavirus (COVID-19) peptides, has been introduced given the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide in 2020.
Versatile electrocatalysis at higher current densities for natural seawater splitting to produce hydrogen demands active and robust catalysts to overcome the severe chloride corrosion, competing ...chlorine evolution, and catalyst poisoning. Hereto, the core‐shell‐structured heterostructures composed of amorphous NiFe hydroxide layer capped Ni3S2 nanopyramids which are directly grown on nickel foam skeleton (NiS@LDH/NF) are rationally prepared to regulate cooperatively electronic structure and mass transport for boosting oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance at larger current densities. The prepared NiS@LDH/NF delivers the anodic current density of 1000 mA cm−2 at the overpotential of 341 mV in 1.0 m KOH seawater. The feasible surface reconstruction of Ni3S2‐FeNi LDH interfaces improves the chemical stability and corrosion resistance, ensuring the robust electrocatalytic activity in seawater electrolytes for continuous and stable oxygen evolution without any hypochlorite production. Meanwhile, the designed Ni3S2 nanopyramids coated with FeNi2P layer (NiS@FeNiP/NF) still exhibit the improved hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity in 1.0 m KOH seawater. Furthermore, the NiS@FeNiP/NF||NiS@LDH/NF pair requires cell voltage of 1.636 V to attain 100 mA cm−2 with a 100% Faradaic efficiency, exhibiting tremendous potential for hydrogen production from seawater.
Herein, core‐shell structured Ni3S2‐FeNi layer double hydroxides (LDH) heterointerfaces are rationally prepared. Abundant hydroxide/sulfide interfaces boost alkaline water oxidation. Impressively, electrochemical results indicate that the in situ formed sulfate layer in LDH shell largely enhances the corrosion resistance of the catalysts in the alkaline salty‐water electrolytes.
Heterogeneous electrocatalysis typically depends on the surface electronic states of active sites. Modulating the surface charge state of an electrocatalysts can be employed to improve performance. ...Among all the investigated materials, nickel (Ni)‐based catalysts are the only non‐noble‐metal‐based alternatives for both hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions (HOR and HER) in alkaline electrolyte, while their activities should be further improved because of the unfavorable hydrogen adsorption behavior. Hereto, Ni with exceptional HOR electrocatalytic performance by changing the d‐band center by metal oxides interface coupling formed in situ is endowed. The resultant MoO2 coupled Ni heterostructures exhibit an apparent HOR activity, even approaching to that of commercial 20% Pt/C benchmark, but with better long‐term stability in alkaline electrolyte. An exceptional HER performance is also achieved by the Ni‐MoO2 heterostructures. The experiment results are rationalized by the theoretical calculations, which indicate that coupling MoO2 with Ni results in the downshift of d‐band center of Ni, and thus weakens hydrogen adsorption and benefits for hydroxyl adsorption. This concept is further proved by other metal oxides (e.g., CeO2, V2O3, WO3, Cr2O3)‐formed Ni‐based heterostructures to engineer efficient hydrogen electrocatalysts.
Herein, Ni with prominent hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) performance by tailoring d‐band center through transition metal oxides interface coupling formed in situ is endowed. The MoO2 coupled Ni heterostructures exhibit an apparent HOR and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, close to commercial 20% Pt/C. This concept is further proved by other metal oxides (e.g., CeO2, V2O3, WO3, Cr2O3) formed Ni‐based heterostructures to engineer efficient hydrogen electrocatalysts.
Biomass is the sole renewable organic carbon resource in nature. Conversion of Biomass can produce a series of platform molecules. As an essential multi-purpose bioderived furanic platform compound, ...5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) can be effectively transformed into a variety of value-added derivatives due to its rich chemistry and potential availability, which is an ideal renewable alternative to fossil fuels. This review highlights recent advances in the development of efficient catalytic systems for the conversion of HMF, especially heterogeneous catalysts. Heterogeneous catalysts have advantages in facile separation and recovery, tunable performance by adjusting catalyst structures. Simultaneously, we mainly focus on the application of downstream products in material monomers, pharmaceutical intermediates, and fuels. Furthermore, a few potential research trends are also proposed, in order to provide some useful ideas for the further exploration of the utilization and conversion of HMF in a much simple, efficient, and economical way.
•Highly summarized recent advances in the conversion of HMF into monomers, fuels, and pharmaceutical intermediates•Discussion of research priorities and current challenges in the preparation of HMF downstream products•Prospects for potential research directions downstream of HMF
Drought is a major abiotic stress that affects plant growth, development and productivity. Pear is one of the most important deciduous fruit trees in the world, but the mechanisms of drought ...tolerance in this plant are still unclear. To better understand the molecular basis regarding drought stress response, RNA-seq was performed on samples collected before and after dehydration in Pyrus betulaefolia. In total, 19,532 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. These genes were annotated into 144 Gene Ontology (GO) terms and 18 clusters of orthologous groups (COG) involved in 129 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) defined pathways. These DEGs comprised 49 (26 up-regulated, 23 down-regulated), 248 (166 up-regulated, 82 down-regulated), 3483 (1295 up-regulated, 2188 down-regulated), 1455 (1065 up-regulated, 390 down-regulated) genes from the 1 h, 3 h and 6 h dehydration-treated samples and a 24 h recovery samples, respectively. RNA-seq was validated by analyzing the expresson patterns of randomly selected 16 DEGs by quantitative real-time PCR. Photosynthesis, signal transduction, innate immune response, protein phosphorylation, response to water, response to biotic stimulus, and plant hormone signal transduction were the most significantly enriched GO categories amongst the DEGs. A total of 637 transcription factors were shown to be dehydration responsive. In addition, a number of genes involved in the metabolism and signaling of hormones were significantly affected by the dehydration stress. This dataset provides valuable information regarding the Pyrus betulaefolia transcriptome changes in response to dehydration and may promote identification and functional analysis of potential genes that could be used for improving drought tolerance via genetic engineering of non-model, but economically-important, perennial species.
Pyroptosis is a programmed necrotic cell death mediated by pore-forming Gasdermin (GSDM) proteins. After being unleashed from the C-terminal auto-inhibitory domains by proteolytic cleavage, the ...N-terminal domains of GSDMs oligomerize and perforate on the plasma membrane to induce cytolytic pyroptosis, releasing immune mediators and alarming the immune system. Upon infection or danger signal perception, GSDMD that functions downstream of the inflammasome, a supramolecular complex for inflammatory caspase activation, is cleaved and activated by inflammasome-activated caspase-1/4/5/11 in immune cells and epithelial cells to trigger pyroptosis and exert anti-infection protection. Unlike this inflammasome-activated pyroptosis (IAP), recent studies also suggest an emerging role of cancer-associated pyroptosis (CAP), mediated by other GSDMs in cancer cells, in provoking anti-tumor immunity. IAP and CAP share common features like cell membrane rupture but also differ in occurrence sites, activating mechanisms, secreting cytokines and biological outcomes. Here we review the most recent knowledge of cancer-associated pyroptosis and present a promising avenue for developing therapeutic interventions to enhance anti-tumor immunity for cancer treatment.
As a low dimensional crystal, graphene attracts great attention as heat dissipation material due to its unique thermal transfer property exceeding the limit of bulk graphite. In this contribution, ...flexible graphene–carbon fiber composite paper is fabricated by depositing graphene oxide into the carbon fiber precursor followed by carbonization. In this full‐carbon architecture, scaffold of one‐dimensional carbon fiber is employed as the structural component to reinforce the mechanical strength, while the hierarchically arranged two‐dimensional graphene in the framework provides a convenient pathway for in‐plane acoustic phonon transmission. The as‐obtained hierarchical carbon/carbon composite paper possesses ultra‐high in‐plane thermal conductivity of 977 W m−1 K−1 and favorable tensile strength of 15.3 MPa. The combined mechanical and thermal performances make the material highly desirable as lateral heat spreader for next‐generation commercial portable electronics.
Flexible graphene–carbon fiber composite paper with an ultra‐high thermal diffusivity of 5458 mm2 s−1, a very large thermal conductivity of 977 W m−1 K−1, and a tensile strength of 15.3 MPa is fabricated through facile filtration route, in which the close packed graphene nanosheets provide high thermal conductivity, while carbon fiber acts as the structural scaffold to render excellent mechanical properties.
Abstract Background The amoxicillin dose used in dual therapy to eradicate Helicobacter pylori varies across studies and the optimal amoxicillin dose for vonoprazan‐based dual therapies remains ...unclear. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of low‐ and high‐dose amoxicillin in vonoprazan–amoxicillin dual therapy. Materials and Methods A comprehensive systematic review was conducted by searching databases from inception to October 2023. All trials that evaluated the effectiveness and safety of vonoprazan–amoxicillin dual therapy for eradicating H. pylori were included. Pooled eradication rate, incidence of adverse events, relative risks, and 95% confidence intervals are presented. Results Eighteen studies with 12 low‐dose amoxicillin (VLA) and 13 high‐dose amoxicillin (VHA) arms were included. The pooled eradication rates were 82.4% and 86.8% for VLA therapy, and 86.0% and 90.9% for VHA therapy by the intention‐to‐treat and per‐protocol analyses, respectively. In the subgroup analysis stratified by duration, the eradication rates achieved in 7 days, 10 days, and 14 days treatments with VLA and VHA dual therapies were 80.8%, 84.2%, 83.1%, and 67.3%, 88.8%, 87.5%, respectively. In the four randomized controlled trials that directly compared VLA and VHA dual therapies, the efficacy was not statistically different in the intention‐to‐treat (76.9% vs 81.4%, p = 0.337) and per‐protocol (81.6% vs 84.0%, p = 0.166) analyses. Additionally, the incidence of adverse events ( p = 0.965) and compliance ( p = 0.994) were similar in both groups. Conclusion VLA therapy demonstrated comparable efficacy and safety to VHA therapy, along with regional differences. An appropriately extended treatment duration may be critical for therapeutic optimization of vonoprazan–amoxicillin treatment.
Among the approximately 20 million patients with drug‐resistant epilepsy (DRE) worldwide, the vast majority can benefit from surgery to minimize seizure reduction and neurological impairment. Precise ...preoperative localization of epileptogenic zone (EZ) and complete resection of the lesions can influence the postoperative prognosis. However, precise localization of EZ is difficult, and the structural and functional alterations in the brain caused by DRE vary by etiology. Neuroimaging has emerged as an approach to identify the seizure‐inducing structural and functional changes in the brain, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have become routine noninvasive imaging tools for preoperative evaluation of DRE in many epilepsy treatment centers. Multimodal neuroimaging offers unique advantages in detecting EZ, especially in improving the detection rate of patients with negative MRI or PET findings. This approach can characterize the brain imaging characteristics of patients with DRE caused by different etiologies, serving as a bridge between clinical and pathological findings and providing a basis for individualized clinical treatment plans. In addition to the integration of multimodal imaging modalities and the development of special scanning sequences and image post‐processing techniques for early and precise localization of EZ, the application of deep machine learning for extracting image features and deep learning‐based artificial intelligence have gradually improved diagnostic efficiency and accuracy. These improvements can provide clinical assistance for precisely outlining the scope of EZ and indicating the relationship between EZ and functional brain areas, thereby enabling standardized and precise surgery and ensuring good prognosis. However, most existing studies have limitations imposed by factors such as their small sample sizes or hypothesis‐based study designs. Therefore, we believe that the application of neuroimaging and post‐processing techniques in DRE requires further development and that more efficient and accurate imaging techniques are urgently needed in clinical practice.
Level of Evidence
5
Technical Efficacy
Stage 2
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