Latest ArticlesThe synergistic effect of Se with Fe can enhance the catalytic activities of the system for oxidation reactions. Based on this principle, a series of Se/Fe materials have been invented to develop the heterogeneous catalysts with industrial application potential. However, the present methods suffer from the tedious procedures, the high reaction temperature, and the low synthetic efficiency. In this paper, we report the synthesis of Se/Fe materials just by precipitating Fe(NO3)3 with the in situ prepared aqueous NaSe/NaSeO3 under mild conditions. The concise method may resolve the issues hindering the large-scale applications of Se/Fe materials.
Gliomas are the most common intracranial tumors with poor survival and high mortality. Furthermore, the clinical efficacy of current drugs is still not ideal; despite the development of several therapeutic drugs over the past decades and tumor progression or recurrence is inevitable in many patients. RNAi-based therapy presents a novel disease-related gene targeting therapy, including otherwise undruggable genes, and generates therapeutic options. However, the therapeutic effect of siRNA is hindered by multiple biological barriers, primarily the blood-brain barrier (BBB). A glycoprotein-derived peptide-mediated delivery system is the preferred option to resolve this phenomenon. RDP, a polypeptide composed of 15 amino acids derived from rabies virus glycoprotein (RVG), possesses an N-type acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-binding efficiency similar to that of RVG29. Given its lower cost and small particle size when used as a ligand, RDP should be extensively evaluated. First, we verified the brain-targeting efficacyy of RDP at the cellular and animal levels and further explored the possibility of using the RDP-oligoarginine peptide (designated RDP-5R) as a bio-safe vehicle to deliver therapeutic siRNA into glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. The polypeptide carrier possesses a diblock design composed of oligoarginine for binding siRNA through electrostatic interactions and RDP for cascade BBB- and glioma cell-targeting. The results indicated that RDP-R5/siRNA nanoparticles exhibited stable and suitable physicochemical properties for in vivo application, desirable glioma-targeting effects, and therapeutic efficiency. As a novel and efficient polypeptide carrier, RDP-based polypeptides hold great promise as a noninvasive, safe, and efficient treatment for various brain diseases.
The tert-butyl nitrite as a bifunctional reagent mediated radical alkene difunctionalization has emerged as a powerful strategy for synthesis of structurally diverse oxime-containing compounds. However, the phosphorus-centered radical initiated transformations remain largely elusive. Herein, a visible-light-induced radical phosphinoyloximation of alkenes with secondary phosphine oxides and tert-butyl nitrite has been developed under photocatalyst- and metal-free conditions. This protocol features mild conditions, broad substrate scope, good functional tolerance, and operational simplicity, yielding a diverse array of α-phosphinoyl oximes in moderate to good yields with high stereoselectivities. The photomediated homolytic cleavage of ONO bond of tert-butyl nitrite generates the reactive tert-butoxyl radical and persistent NO radical to act as both HAT reagent and the source of oximes.
The imbalance of nitric oxide (NO) homeostasis in the brain is closely related to the occurrence of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Therefore, revealing the fluctuation of NO in brain is crucial for understanding the pathophysiological processes. However, currently developed NO probes are unsuitable for this purpose due to their poor blood-brain barrier permeability. Herein, a fluorescent probe (PO-NH) with blood-brain barrier crossing capability and high selectivity for NO was developed. Under the NO mediation, the photo-induced electron transfer (PET) process of the probe was blocked, giving an intensive fluorescence enhancement (F/F0 = 15). Moreover, PO-NH can be used to effectively monitor changes in intracellular NO levels. Significantly, due to excellent blood-brain barrier crossing ability and near-infrared (NIR) emission, PO-NH is suitable for in vivo imaging of NO in the brain and illustrating with the deterioration of PD, the level of NO gradually increased in the brain of PD mice. We believe that PO-NH may provide a beneficial tool for understanding the biological function of NO in the brain and revealing the complex connection between NO and PD.
In contrast to research on active sites in nanomaterials, lithium tantalate single crystals, known for their exceptional optical properties and long-range ordered lattice structure, present a promising avenue for in-depth exploration of photocatalytic reaction systems with fewer constraints imposed by surface chemistry. Typically, the isotropy of a specific facet provides a perfect support for studying heteroatom doping. Herein, this work delves into the intrinsic catalytic sites for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation in iron-doped lithium tantalate single crystals. The presence of iron not only modifies the electronic structure of lithium tantalate, improving its light absorption capacity, but also functions as an active site for the nitrogen adsorption and activation. The photocatalytic ammonia production rate of the iron-doped lithium tantalate in pure water is maximum 26.95 µg cm−2 h−1, which is three times higher than that of undoped lithium tantalate. The combination of first-principles simulations with in situ characterizations confirms that iron doping promotes the rate-determining step and changes the pathway of hydrogenation to associative alternating. This study provides a new perspective on in-depth investigation of intrinsic catalytic active sites in photocatalysis and other catalytic processes.
Pyrrole is a heterocycle with four carbon atoms and a nitrogen atom, which is extensively used in the pesticide and pharmaceutical industries. In addition, it has a series of analogs such as pyrrolidine, pyrroline, and pyrrolidone. Pesticides containing pyrrole and its analogs have been formally marketed as fungicides, including fenpiclonil, fludioxonil, the insecticide chlorfenapyr, and the herbicide fluorochloridone. In this paper, we analyze the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of pesticides containing these structures. We summarize the characteristics possessed by the most highly active pyrrole and its analogs and provide an overview of research on pyrrole compounds with insecticidal, antimicrobial, herbicidal, and antiviral properties in the past 20 years. It is hoped to provide ideas for the development and design of this type compounds in pesticides and to assist researchers in this area.
Bacterial infections have always been a major threat to human health. Skin wounds are frequently exposed to the external environment, and they may become contaminated by bacteria derived from the surrounding skin, the local environment, and the patient's own endogenous sources. Contaminated wounds may enter a state of chronic inflammation that impedes healing. Urgent development of antibacterial wound dressings capable of effectively combating bacteria and overcoming resistance is necessary. Nanotechnology and nanomaterials present promising potential as innovative strategies for antimicrobial wound dressings, owing to their robust antibacterial characteristics and the inherent advantage of avoiding antibiotic resistance. Therefore, this review provides a concise overview of the antimicrobial mechanisms exhibited by low-dimensional nanomaterials. It further categorizes common low-dimensional antimicrobial nanomaterials into zero-dimensional (0D), one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials based on their structural characteristics, and gives a detailed compendium of the latest research advances and applications of different low-dimensional antimicrobial nanomaterials in wound healing, which could be helpful for the development of more effective wound dressings.
RNA modifications play vital regulatory roles in biological systems. Dysregulated RNA modifications themselves or their regulators are associated with various diseases, including cancers and immune related diseases. However, to the best of our knowledge, RNA modifications in peripheral white blood cells (immune cells) have not been systematically investigated before. Here we utilized hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) for the quantification of 19 chemical modifications in total RNA and 17 chemical modifications in small RNA in peripheral white blood cells from breast cancer patients and healthy controls. We found out 13 RNA modifications were up-regulated in total RNA samples of breast cancer patients. For small RNA samples, only N6-methyladenosine (m6A) was down-regulated in breast cancer patients (P < 0.0001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis showed that N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) in total RNA had an area under curve (AUC) value of 0.833, and m6A in small RNA had an AUC value of 0.994. Our results further illustrated that RNA modifications may play vital roles in immune cell biology of breast cancer, and may act as novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of breast cancer.
Fuel cell electric vehicles hold great promise for a diverse range of applications in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In power fuel cell systems, hydrogen fuel serves as an energy vector. To ensure its suitability, it is necessary for the quality of hydrogen to adhere to the standards set by ISO 14687:2019, which sets maximum limits for 14 impurities in hydrogen, aiming to prevent any degradation of fuel cell performance. Ammonia (NH3) is a prominent pollutant in fuel cells, and accurate measurements of its concentration are crucial for hydrogen fuel cell quantity. In this study, a novel detection platform was developed for determining NH3 in real hydrogen samples. The online analysis platform integrates a self-developed online dilution module with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (ODM-FTIR). The ODM-FTIR can be operated fully automatically with remote operation. Under the optimum conditions, this method achieved a wide linear range between (50~1000) nmol/mol. The limit of detection (LOD) was as low as 2 nmol/mol with a relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 7) of 3.6% at a content of 50 nmol/mol. To ensure that the quality of the hydrogen products meets the requirement of proton exchange membrane fuel cell vehicles (PEMFCV), the developed ODM-FTIR system was applied to monitor the NH3 content in Chengdu Hydrogen Energy Co., Ltd. for 21 days during Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games. The proposed method retains several unique advantages, including a low detection limit, excellent repeatability, high accuracy, high speed, good stability, and calibration flexibility. It is an effective analytical method for accurately quantifying NH3 in hydrogen, especially suitable for online analysis. It also provides a new idea for the analysis of other impurity components in hydrogen.
The realization of high-efficiency photocatalysis is greatly meaningful to overcome the issues of current energy and environment, in which the core factor is the exploration of photocatalysts with promising semiconductor properties. The Cu-based metal sulfide photocatalysts of CuSbS2 and its derivative of bournonite CuPbSbS3 possess the features of earth-abundant elements, strong photostability, visible-light range bandgap, and high absorption coefficient, possessing great potential for the realization of efficient photocatalytic applications. Although the photocatalysts of CuSbS2 and CuPbSbS3 have been investigated in photocatalysis application of hydrogen production and degradation, the exploration process is still in the early-development stage. In this review, the design concept and semiconductor properties of CuSbS2 and CuPbSbS3 are firstly introduced. Subsequently, the photocatalytic applications of CuSbS2 and CuPbSbS3 photocatalysts, mainly including hydrogen production and degradation, are systematically reviewed. Finally, the challenges and prospects for the further exploration of CuSbS2 and CuPbSbS3 photocatalysts are provided.
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