Lithium-oxygen batteries with ultrahigh energy density have received considerable attention as of the future energy storage technologies. The development of effective electrocatalysts and a ...corresponding working mechanism during cycling are critically important for lithium-oxygen batteries. Here, a single cobalt atom electrocatalyst is synthesized for lithium-oxygen batteries by a polymer encapsulation strategy. The isolated moieties of single atom catalysts can effectively regulate the distribution of active sites to form micrometre-sized flower-like lithium peroxide and promote the decomposition of lithium peroxide by a one-electron pathway. The battery with single cobalt atoms can operate with high round-trip efficiency (86.2%) and long-term stability (218 days), which is superior to a commercial 5 wt% platinum/carbon catalyst. We reveal that the synergy between a single atom and the support endows the catalyst with excellent stability and durability. The promising results provide insights into the design of highly efficient catalysts for lithium-oxygen batteries and greatly expand the scope of future investigation.
In karst areas, soil erosion is a significant problem, seriously impeding sustainable socioeconomic development. A thorough understanding and quantitative identification of the influencing factors ...are essential for soil erosion protection and rocky desertification management. This study identifies the dominant factors (and interactions) influencing soil erosion and its spatiotemporal variability in a karst basin, the Sancha River Basin, China. The geographical detector method was used to conduct the quantitative attribution analysis, based on the modified universal soil loss equation model for karst environments. The results revealed that karst soil erosion exhibited a notable decreasing trend over the past 36 years (p < 0.01), decreasing from 16.70 t ha−1 a−1 in 1980 to 12.22 t ha−1 a−1 in 2015. The geographical detector results indicated significant differences in the strength of the association between influencing factors (or factor combinations) and karst soil erosion. Land use type was the dominant factor, followed by slope; a combination of land use type and slope was the dominant interaction factor, explaining at least 74% of the karst soil erosion distribution. Land use change dominated karst soil erosion dynamics in the 1980s and 1990s, and rainfall variability dominated in the 2000s. In addition, karst soil erosion showed high spatial heterogeneity, and the strength of the association differed substantially among diverse geomorphological types due to differences in the inner characteristics of each. These findings suggest that the characteristics of different geomorphological types should be considered for effective management and prevention of soil erosion at a regional level, and that steep croplands, especially with slopes higher than 15°, should be prohibited in karst areas. The methodology and framework can be used to better understand the relationships between soil erosion and its influencing factors in karst areas.
Display omitted
•A modified RUSLE model and geographical detector method were used to identify dominant factors for Karst soil erosion.•The interaction between land use and slope can explain 74% of karst soil erosion distribution.•In mountainous areas, the strength of association between slope and karst soil erosion decreased with increasing relief.•Land use change dominated the temporal dynamic of karst soil erosion during 1980–2015.
To determine the therapeutic efficacy and safety of risk‐adapted stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) schedules for patients with early‐stage central and ultra‐central inoperable non‐small cell ...lung cancer. From 2006 to 2015, 80 inoperable T1‐2N0M0 NSCLC patients were treated with two median dose levels: 60 Gy in six fractions (range, 48‐60 Gy in 4‐8 fractions) prescribed to the 74% isodose line (range, 58%‐79%) for central lesions (ie within 2 cm of, but not abutting, the proximal bronchial tree; n = 43), and 56 Gy in seven fractions (range, 48‐60 Gy in 5‐10 fractions) prescribed to the 74% isodose line (range, 60%‐80%) for ultra‐central lesions (ie abutting the proximal bronchial tree; n = 37) on consecutive days. Primary endpoint was overall survival (OS); secondary endpoints included progression‐free survival (PFS), tumor local control rate (LC), and toxicity. Median OS and PFS were 64.47 and 32.10 months (respectively) for ultra‐central patients, and not reached for central patients. Median time to local failure, regional failure, and any distant failures for central versus ultra‐central lesions were: 27.37 versus 26.07 months, 20.90 versus 12.53 months, and 20.85 versus 15.53 months, respectively, all P < .05. Multivariate analyses showed that tumor categorization (ultra‐central) and planning target volume ≥52.76 mL were poor prognostic factors of OS, PFS, and LC, respectively (all P < .05). There was one grade 5 toxicity; all other toxicities were grade 1‐2. Our results showed that ultra‐central tumors have a poor OS, PFS, and LC compared with central patients because of the use of risk‐adapted SBRT schedules that allow for equal and favorable toxicity profiles.
There is great interest in defining risk‐adapted dose‐fractionation schedules for “ultra‐central” and “central” early‐stage NSCLC. Our results showed that compared with central lesions, ultra‐central tumors have worse OS, PFS, and LC following risk‐adapted SBRT dose‐fractionation regimens. Toxicity profiles of the two groups are similar, with almost no patients having grade 3 or higher toxicity.
Photoassisted electrochemical reaction is regarded as an effective approach to reduce the overpotential of lithium–oxygen (Li–O2) batteries. However, the achievement of both broadband absorption and ...long term battery cycling stability are still a formidable challenge. Herein, an oxygen vacancy‐mediated fast kinetics for a photoassisted Li–O2 system is developed with a silver/bismuth molybdate (Ag/Bi2MoO6) hybrid cathode. The cathode can offer both double advantages for light absorption covering UV to visible region and excellent electrochemical activity for O2. Upon discharging, the photoexcited electrons from Ag nanoplate based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) are injected into the oxygen vacancy in Bi2MoO6. The fast oxygen reaction kinetics generate the amorphous Li2O2, and the discharge plateau is improved to 3.05 V. Upon charging, the photoexcited holes are capable to decompose amorphous Li2O2 promptly, yielding a very low charge plateau of 3.25 V. A first cycle round‐trip efficiency is 93.8% and retention of 70% over 500 h, which is the longest cycle life ever reported in photoassisted Li–O2 batteries. This work offers a general and reliable strategy for boosting the electrochemical kinetics by tailoring the crystalline of Li2O2 with wide‐band light.
A facile oxygen vacancy‐mediated fast kinetics for an ultrawide band photoassisted Li–O2 system is developed. The bifunctional Ag/Bi2MoO6 cathode is favorable to promoting the oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction kinetics due to the discharge products is amorphous Li2O2. The reaction mechanism is revealed by in situ X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy.
Owing to the complex anatomical structure and biomechanics, the current standard palliative treatments for cervical spinal metastases are associated with a high risk of recurrence and complications. ...Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) can provide radical dose to tumors while protecting normal organs to the maximum extent. However, the efficacy and safety of SBRT for cervical spinal metastases is not well characterized. Data from 71 patients with cervical spine metastases who were treated with SBRT using CyberKnife between 2006 and 2021 were obtained from our prospectively maintained database. Primary endpoint was pain response at 12 weeks following SBRT completion; secondary endpoints included local control (LC), overall survival (OS), and adverse events. Standard‐risk patients were planned to receive 30 Gy (range 21–36) with median fractions of 3 (range 1–3) and high‐risk patients 35 Gy (range 24–50) with median fractions of 5 (range 4–5) according to the spinal cord and esophagus dose constraints. The median follow‐up time was 17.07 months (range 3.1–118.9). After 12 weeks of SBRT completion, 54 (98.2%) of 55 patients with baseline pain achieved pain response and 46 (83.6%) achieved complete pain response. LC rates were 93.1% and 90% at 1 year and 2 year, respectively. The 1‐year and 2‐year OS rates were 66.2% and 37.4%, respectively. Eight patients experienced grades 1–4 adverse events (six vertebral compression fracture VCF, five of them had VCF before SBRT; and two hemiparesis). No grade 5 adverse events were observed. Therefore, risk‐adapted SBRT for cervical spine metastases achieved high pain control and LC rates with acceptable adverse events.
Risk‐adapted SBRT for cervical spine metastases achieved high pain control and LC rates with acceptable adverse events. No grade 5 adverse events were observed. Importantly, these results were comparable regardless of spinal cord involvement.
Cancer progression can be modulated by N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification. RNA binding motif protein 15 (RBM15) is an essential RNA m6A writer that influences carcinogenesis, however its ...significance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is uncertain. This research is intended to examine how RBM15 regulates the development of ESCC. We performed qRT-PCR analysis to evaluate the expression of RBM15, microRNA (miR-3605-5p) as well as keratin 4 (KRT4) in ESCC. Target relationship between miR-3605-5p and KRT4 was validated by dual luciferase reporter assay. Western blotting analyzed the protein levels of KRT4, p53, and p21. To demonstrate that RBM15 is responsible for the m6A alteration of miR-3605-5p, RIP and Me-RIP experiments were carried out concurrently. m6A content was measured by m6A quantification assay. Cell growth and migration were assessed using the CCK-8 and transwell assays. In addition, the role of RBM15 in vivo was examined using a mouse tumor xenograft model. RBM15 and miR-3605-5p were both substantially expressed in ESCC, however KRT4 was not expressed highly. Overexpressed RBM15 triggered cell proliferation and migration in ESCC. Besides, RBM15/m6A could mediate pri-3605-5p to form the mature miR-3605-5p, and miR-3605-5p further targeted KRT4. Further investigations showed that upregulation of KRT4 overturned the promoting impact of RBM15 overexpression on cell proliferation as well as on cell migration in ESCC by activating p53 signaling pathway. This work implied the carcinogenic activity of RBM15/m6A in ESCC via miR-3605-5p/KRT4 pathway, providing a novel m6A modification pattern in the tumorigenesis of ESCC.
This is the first randomised controlled trial for assessment of the immunogenicity and safety of a candidate non-replicating adenovirus type-5 (Ad5)-vectored COVID-19 vaccine, aiming to determine an ...appropriate dose of the candidate vaccine for an efficacy study.
This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial of the Ad5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine was done in a single centre in Wuhan, China. Healthy adults aged 18 years or older, who were HIV-negative and previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection-free, were eligible to participate and were randomly assigned to receive the vaccine at a dose of 1 × 1011 viral particles per mL or 5 × 1010 viral particles per mL, or placebo. Investigators allocated participants at a ratio of 2:1:1 to receive a single injection intramuscularly in the arm. The randomisation list (block size 4) was generated by an independent statistician. Participants, investigators, and staff undertaking laboratory analyses were masked to group allocation. The primary endpoints for immunogenicity were the geometric mean titres (GMTs) of specific ELISA antibody responses to the receptor binding domain (RBD) and neutralising antibody responses at day 28. The primary endpoint for safety evaluation was the incidence of adverse reactions within 14 days. All recruited participants who received at least one dose were included in the primary and safety analyses. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04341389.
603 volunteers were recruited and screened for eligibility between April 11 and 16, 2020. 508 eligible participants (50% male; mean age 39·7 years, SD 12·5) consented to participate in the trial and were randomly assigned to receive the vaccine (1 × 1011 viral particles n=253; 5 × 1010 viral particles n=129) or placebo (n=126). In the 1 × 1011 and 5 × 1010 viral particles dose groups, the RBD-specific ELISA antibodies peaked at 656·5 (95% CI 575·2–749·2) and 571·0 (467·6–697·3), with seroconversion rates at 96% (95% CI 93–98) and 97% (92–99), respectively, at day 28. Both doses of the vaccine induced significant neutralising antibody responses to live SARS-CoV-2, with GMTs of 19·5 (95% CI 16·8–22·7) and 18·3 (14·4–23·3) in participants receiving 1 × 1011 and 5 × 1010 viral particles, respectively. Specific interferon γ enzyme-linked immunospot assay responses post vaccination were observed in 227 (90%, 95% CI 85–93) of 253 and 113 (88%, 81–92) of 129 participants in the 1 × 1011 and 5 × 1010 viral particles dose groups, respectively. Solicited adverse reactions were reported by 183 (72%) of 253 and 96 (74%) of 129 participants in the 1 × 1011 and 5 × 1010 viral particles dose groups, respectively. Severe adverse reactions were reported by 24 (9%) participants in the 1 × 1011 viral particles dose group and one (1%) participant in the 5 × 1010 viral particles dose group. No serious adverse reactions were documented.
The Ad5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine at 5 × 1010 viral particles is safe, and induced significant immune responses in the majority of recipients after a single immunisation.
National Key R&D Programme of China, National Science and Technology Major Project, and CanSino Biologics.
This study investigated the molecular mechanism by which sodium butyrate (NaB) causes oxidative stress damage induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on cow mammary epithelial cells (MAC‐T). We found ...that NaB significantly increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity and decreased the reactive oxygen species production in LPS‐induced MAC‐T cells. NaB attenuated protein damage and reduced apoptosis in LPS‐induced MAC‐T cells. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of caspase‐3, caspase‐9, and Bax decreased, while the Bcl‐2 mRNA level increased in LPS‐induced MAC‐T cells treated with NaB. Our results showed that NaB treatment increased the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K) and phospho‐AKT (P‐AKT) protein levels, whereas it decreased the Bax, caspase‐3, and caspase‐9 protein levels in LPS‐induced MAC‐T cells. However, the increase in PI3K and P‐AKT protein levels and the decrease in Bax, caspase‐3, and caspase‐9 protein levels induced by NaB treatment were reversed when the cells were pretreated with LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor). These results indicate that NaB ameliorates LPS‐induced oxidative damage by increasing antioxidative enzyme activities and ameliorating protein damage in MAC‐T cells. In addition, NaB decreased apoptosis by inhibiting caspase‐3, caspase‐9, and Bax protein levels, and this action was mainly achieved via activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in LPS‐induced MAC‐T cells. These results provide substantial information for NaB as a chemical supplement to treat oxidative stress and its related diseases in ruminants.
In this study, we found that sodium butyrate (NaB) could ameliorate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced oxidative damage and apoptosis in cow mammary epithelial cells (MAC‐T). We think that this interesting chemical (NaB) could be used in the future to treat mastitis. More important, NaB can be obtained very easily and cost effectively. NaB and agriculture are combined to solve problems in agricultural production. NaB can be used as a feed additive to feed ruminants.
Display omitted
•Industrial waste lignosulfonate is used to prepare high valued carbon materials.•LS/ZnC2O4 composite is fabricated in ethanol/water solution without any toxic material.•PLC is ...prepared by Gas-exfoliation and In-situ templating carbonization technique.•PLC with rational pore distribution, large surface area, and excellent conductivity.•PLC supercapacitor shows great electrochemical performances in energy storage.
Two-dimensional porous carbon materials are very promising for energy storage/conversion due to their unique microstructure, reasonable pore structure and excellent electrochemical properties. A green and facile in-situ carbonization technique is innovated to prepare a unique porous lignin-derived carbon quasi-nanosheets (PLC) with rational pore distribution, large surface area, and excellent conductivity. The lignosulfonate/zinc oxalate composite was firstly self-assembled by hydrophobic bond of the amphiphilic structure in lignosulfonate using ethanol/water solvent without the need to use any toxic material, followed by co-pyrolysis at a high temperature with gas-exfoliation and in-situ templating of zinc oxalate. The resulting PLC exhibits a very high specific capacitance of 320 F/g at 1.0 A/g and long cycling stability (remains 93.5% after 10,000 cycles at 5.0 A/g). In addition, when assembling into symmetric supercapacitors in PVA/KOH gel electrolytes, PLC also shows a high specific capacitance of 274 F/g at 0.5 A/g with excellent rate capability and a high specific energy density (9.75 W h/kg at 6157.9 W/kg). These excellent electrochemical performances indicate that the as-prepared PLC should hold great promise for the energy storage devices, opening a new path for the preparation of advanced carbon electrode material and high-value-added utilization of biomass.
PDF
