Electrochemical Functionalization of <i>N</i>‑Methyl-2-pyrrolidone-Exfoliated Graphene Nanosheets as Highly Sensitive Analytical Platform for Phenols

Graphene nanosheets (GS) were easily prepared from graphite via a one-step ultrasonic exfoliation approach using <i>N</i>-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as the solvent. Compared with the widely used graphene oxide (GO) obtained by multistep chemical oxidation, the NMP-exfoliated GS exhibited apparently better electrochemical activity toward the oxidation of a series of phenols like hydroquinone, catechol, 4-chlorophenol, and 4-nitrophenol. Interestingly, the electrochemical activity of GS toward these phenols can be further enhanced by simply anodizing at 1.8 V for 2 min (denoted as EGS), reflected by the apparently enlarged oxidation peak currents in voltammograms and the obviously reduced charge transfer resistance in electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). Characterizations by techniques like X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), Raman spectra, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) demonstrated that the introduction of new oxygen-containing groups or edge-plane defects and the enhanced surface roughness were responsible for the enhanced activity of EGS. Thereafter, a simple electrochemical method for the highly sensitive detection of phenols was established and the detection limits were 0.012 μM, 0.015 μM, 0.01 μM, and 0.04 μM for hydroquinone, catechol, 4-chlorophenol, and 4-nitrophenol, respectively. The facile synthesis of EGS, together with its high electrochemical activity, thus created a novel platform for developing highly sensitive electrochemical sensing systems

Influence on ankle taping on dynamic balance performance

This research aimed to investigate the effect of ankle taping on dynamic balance performance. Eighteen recreational athletes without any previous ankle sprain history performed six star excursion balance tests on each leg; randomly three trials with taped ankles and three trials without. A three-layer modified closed-basket inelastic taping technique was used. Normalised (by leg length) reaching distance was measured. It was found 1.Movement direction significantly influenced normalised reaching distance (p<0.01); 2.No significant difference in performance between taped and un-taped conditions (p>0.05). Ankle taping did not affect dynamic balance performance therefore taping could be used without risk of negative impact on balance, and protect from ankle sprain for sportspersons

Naringin inhibited high glucose-induced proliferation in HBZY-1 cells.

<p>The proliferation of HBZY-1 cells was determined by MTT assay. Data were expressed as means ± SD, n = 5.^a-f Means with different superscripts are significantly different (P< 0.05).</p

Naringin restrained oxidative stress injury by activating Nrf2 antioxidant pathway.

<p>The concentration of MDA (A), the activity of SOD(B) and GSH-Px(C) in kidney tissues were detected. Data were expressed as means ± SD, n = 6. (D) The ROS production in HBZY-1 cells was evaluated by flow cytometry and ROS generation rates were shown. Data were expressed as means ± SD, n = 3. (E) The protein levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 in kidney tissues or HBZY-1 cells were detected by western blot. Results represent three independent experiments. (F) The DNA binding activities of Nrf2 in kidney tissues were assessed by EMSA assay. Data were expressed as means ± SD, n = 5. (G) The HO-1 activities in kidney tissues were determined. Data were expressed as means ± SD, n = 6.^a-d Means with different superscripts are significantly different (P< 0.05).</p

Mechanisms of Synergistic Removal of Low Concentration As(V) by nZVI@Mg(OH)₂ Nanocomposite

In this work, by using Mg­(OH)₂ nanoplatelets as support material for nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI), nZVI@Mg­(OH)₂ composite was prepared and found to have super high adsorption ability toward As­(V) at environmentally relevant concentrations. It was revealed that the variation of corrosion products of nZVI in the presence of Mg­(OH)₂ and Mg²⁺ is an important factor for increase in the adsorption ability toward As­(V). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the weakly basic condition induced by Mg­(OH)₂ decreases the lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) and increases the magnetite/maghemite (Fe₃O₄/γ-Fe₂O₃) content in the corrosion products of nZVI, and the latter has better adsorption affinity to As­(V). Moreover, extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) indicated that the coordination between arsenic and iron minerals is influenced by dissolved Mg²⁺, leading to probable formation of magnesium ferrite (MgFe₂O₄) which has considerable adsorption affinity to As­(V). This work provides an important reference not only for the design of pollution control materials but also for understanding arsenic immobilization in natural environments with ubiquitous Mg²⁺ ion

Naringin suppressed NF-κ B signaling pathway activation.

<p>(A) The protein levels of p-I κ B α, I κ B α and NF-κ B in kidney tissues and HBZY-1 cells were determined by western blot. Results represent three independent experiments. (B) The distribution change of NF-κ B in HBZY-1 cells was observed by immunofluorescence assay. Results represent three independent experiments. (C) The DNA binding activities of NF-κ B in kidney tissues were assessed by EMSA assay. Data were expressed as means ± SD, n = 5.^a-c Means with different superscripts are significantly different (P< 0.05).</p

Naringin inhibited collagen production and renal interstitial fibrosis.

<p>(A) The collagen deposition and renal interstitial fibrosis was observed by Masson’s staining(200×). The percentages of fibrosis area were shown. (B) The expression of collagen I in kidney tissues was determined by immunohistochemical staining(400×). (C) The expressions of collagen I, MMP-2, TIMP-1 and TGF-β1 in kidney tissues were detected by western blot. Results represent three independent experiments. Data were expressed as means ± SD, n = 6.^a-c Means with different superscripts are significantly different (P< 0.05).</p

Naringin mitigated changes of pathomorphology and kidney injury biochemical indexes.

<p>(A) The pathological changes of renal tissues were investigated by PAS staining(400×). The glomerular injury and tubular injury scores were shown. (B) Body weight and percentage change in weight of rats. (C) Food intake per rat per day. (D) The ratios of kidney weight/ body weight were calculated. The concentrations of BUN (E), Cr(F), and UP(G) were detected. Results represent three independent experiments. Data were expressed as means ± SD, n = 6.^a-d Means with different superscripts are significantly different (P< 0.05).</p

The chemical structure of naringin.

<p>The molecular formula of naringin is C27H32O14 and the molecular weight is 580.53.</p

Biogenic Calcium Carbonate with Hierarchical Organic–Inorganic Composite Structure Enhancing the Removal of Pb(II) from Wastewater

Calcium carbonate from geological sources (geo-CaCO₃, e.g., calcite, aragonite) is used extensively in removing heavy metals from wastewater through replacement reaction. However, geo-CaCO₃ has an intrinsically compact crystalline structure that results in low efficiency in pollutant removal and thus its use may produce enormous sludge. In this work, biogenic calcium carbonate (bio-CaCO₃) derived from oyster shells was used to remove Pb­(II) from wastewater and found to significantly outperform geo-CaCO₃ (calcite). The thermodynamics study revealed that the maximum adsorption capacity of bio-CaCO₃ for Pb­(II) was three times that of geo-CaCO₃, reaching up to 1667 mg/g. The kinetics study disclosed that the dissolution kinetics and the rate of intraparticle diffusion of bio-CaCO₃ were faster than those of geo-CaCO₃. Extensive mechanism research through X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N₂ adsorption/desorption test and mercury intrusion porosimetry showed that the hierarchical porous organic–inorganic hybrid structure of bio-CaCO₃ expedited the dissolution of CaCO₃ to provide abundant CO₃^2– active sites and facilitated the permeation and diffusion of Pb­(II) into the bulk solid phases. In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, and the examination of Pb­(II) removal ability of bio-CaCO₃ after calcination indicated that the organic functional groups of bio-CaCO₃ also facilitated the immobilization of Pb­(II) into CaCO₃ particles, although the major contribution was from the hierarchical porous structure of bio-CaCO₃