25 research outputs found
Hollow Sodium Tungsten Bronze (Na0.15WO3) Nanospheres: Preparation, Characterization, and Their Adsorption Properties
We report herein a facile method for the preparation of sodium tungsten bronzes hollow nanospheres using hydrogen gas bubbles as reactant for chemical reduction of tungstate to tungsten and as template for the formation of hollow nanospheres at the same time. The chemical composition and the crystalline state of the as-prepared hollow Na0.15WO3nanospheres were characterized complementarily, and the hollow structure formation mechanism was proposed. The hollow Na0.15WO3nanospheres showed large BrunauerâEmmentâTeller specific area (33.8 m2 gâ1), strong resistance to acids, and excellent ability to remove organic molecules such as dye and proteins from aqueous solutions. These illustrate that the hollow nanospheres of Na0.15WO3should be a useful adsorbent
Profiling extracellular vesicle surface proteins with 10 ”L peripheral plasma within 4 h
Abstract Extracellular vesicle (EV) surface proteins, expressed by primary tumours, are important biomarkers for early cancer diagnosis. However, the detection of these EV proteins is complicated by their low abundance and interference from nonâEV components in clinical samples. Herein, we present a MEmbraneâSpecific Separation and twoâstep Cascade AmpLificatioN (MESS2CAN) strategy for direct detection of EV surface proteins within 4Â h. MESS2CAN utilises novel lipid probes (long chains linked by PEG2K with biotin at one end, and DSPE at the other end) and streptavidinâcoated magnetic beads, permitting a 49.6% EV recovery rate within 1Â h. A dual amplification strategy with a primer exchange reaction (PER) cascaded by the Cas12a system then allows sensitive detection of the target protein at 10 EV particles per microliter. Using 4 cell lines and 90 clinical test samples, we demonstrate MESS2CAN for analysing HER2, EpCAM and EGFR expression on EVs derived from cells and patient plasma. MESS2CAN reports the desired specificity and sensitivity of EGFR (AUCÂ =Â 0.98) and of HER2 (AUCÂ =Â 1) for discriminating between HER2âpositive breast cancer, tripleânegative breast cancer and healthy donors. MESS2CAN is a pioneering method for highly sensitive in vitro EV diagnostics, applicable to clinical samples with trace amounts of EVs
Research Trends and Hotspots Analysis Related to the Effects of Xenobiotics on Glucose Metabolism in Male Testes
This study aimed to integrate and analyze the existing studies and to explore research trends and hotspots related to the effects of xenobiotics on glucose metabolism in male testes. All articles were retrieved from the PubMed database, from an inception date up to 10 June 2017. CiteSpace software (version 5.1.R8 SE) was used for the co-word cluster analysis. A total of 165 eligible publications were included in this study. In 1949–1959, only two articles were published. After 1960, the number of articles increased steadily. These articles were published in 97 journals, in particular, in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology (11 articles, 6.7%). Most of the authors (87.0%) only published one article. Only a few established research teams, mostly from the USA, worked consistently in this field. The main xenobiotics that had been studied were medicine and common environmental pollutants, e.g., gossypol, cadmium, di-n-butyl phthalate, and alpha-chlorohydrin. The hotspot keywords were Sertoli cell, lactate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, oxidative stress, and glucose metabolism. The focus of research had been changed overtime. This is the first bibliometric study between xenobiotics and glucose metabolism in the male testes. The findings suggest that environmental pollutants have become a huge concern, and related research should be strengthened
Molecular Turnstiles Regulated by Metal Ions
A family of novel molecular turnstiles <b>1</b>â<b>3</b> composed of two stators with pyridyl
binding sites and a
different-sized triptycene rotor was synthesized. The molecular turnstiles
behave in an open state at room temperature in the absence of metal
ions but display significantly different closed states in the presence
of Ag<sup>+</sup> and Pd<sup>2+</sup>. The Ag<sup>+</sup>-mediated
turnstiles <b>1</b>â<b>3Ag</b> exhibited closed
states but unreadable bistability at ambient temperature because the
Ag<sup>+</sup>-mediated macrocyclic framework is not able to restrict
the rotations of the rotors; while temperature was decreased, the
macrocyclic frameworks became stable enough to halt the rotations
of the rotors, eventually leading to the readable closed states for <b>1</b>â<b>3Ag</b>. In contrast, Pd<sup>2+</sup>-mediated
macrocyclic frameworks are stable, giving rise to a detectable closed
state of turnstiles <b>1</b>â<b>3Pd</b> in a wide
range of temperatures. These findings have also been supported by
DFT calculations
Molecular Turnstiles Regulated by Metal Ions
A family of novel molecular turnstiles <b>1</b>â<b>3</b> composed of two stators with pyridyl
binding sites and a
different-sized triptycene rotor was synthesized. The molecular turnstiles
behave in an open state at room temperature in the absence of metal
ions but display significantly different closed states in the presence
of Ag<sup>+</sup> and Pd<sup>2+</sup>. The Ag<sup>+</sup>-mediated
turnstiles <b>1</b>â<b>3Ag</b> exhibited closed
states but unreadable bistability at ambient temperature because the
Ag<sup>+</sup>-mediated macrocyclic framework is not able to restrict
the rotations of the rotors; while temperature was decreased, the
macrocyclic frameworks became stable enough to halt the rotations
of the rotors, eventually leading to the readable closed states for <b>1</b>â<b>3Ag</b>. In contrast, Pd<sup>2+</sup>-mediated
macrocyclic frameworks are stable, giving rise to a detectable closed
state of turnstiles <b>1</b>â<b>3Pd</b> in a wide
range of temperatures. These findings have also been supported by
DFT calculations
Light-Triggered Theranostics Based on Photosensitizer-Conjugated Carbon Dots for Simultaneous Enhanced-Fluorescence Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy
National Key Basic Research Program (973 Project) [2010CB933901, 2011CB933100]; National Natural Scientific Fund [51102258, 20803040, 81028009, 31170961]; New Century Excellent Talent of Ministry of Education of China [NCET-08-0350]; Shanghai Science and Technology Fund [1052nm04100]; Ministry of Educatio
Effects of cobalt precursor on pyrolyzed carbon-supported cobalt-polypyrrole as electrocatalyst toward oxygen reduction reaction
National Science Foundation of China [21176155]; STCSM of China [10JC1406900]; Open Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemical of Solid Surfaces in Xiamen University [200708]A series of non-precious metal electrocatalysts, namely pyrolyzed carbon-supported cobalt-polypyrrole, Co-PPy-TsOH/C, are synthesized with various cobalt precursors, including cobalt acetate, cobalt nitrate, cobalt oxalate, and cobalt chloride. The catalytic performance towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is comparatively investigated with electrochemical techniques of cyclic voltammogram, rotating disk electrode and rotating ring-disk electrode. The results are analyzed and discussed employing physiochemical techniques of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma, elemental analysis, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure. It shows that the cobalt precursor plays an essential role on the synthesis process as well as microstructure and performance of the Co-PPy-TsOH/C catalysts towards ORR. Among the studied Co-PPy-TsOH/C catalysts, that prepared with cobalt acetate exhibits the best ORR performance. The crystallite/particle size of cobalt and its distribution as well as the graphitization degree of carbon in the catalyst greatly affects the catalytic performance of Co-PPy-TsOH/C towards ORR. Metallic cobalt is the main component in the active site in Co-PPy-TsOH/C for catalyzing ORR, but some other elements such as nitrogen are probably involved, too
Partially Alternative Feeding with Fermented Distillersâ Grains Modulates Gastrointestinal Flora and Metabolic Profile in Guanling Cattle
Fermented distillersâ grains (FDG) are commonly used to enhance the health and metabolic processes of livestock and poultry by regulating the composition and activity of the intestinal microbiota. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of research on the effects of the FDG diet on the gastrointestinal microbiota and its metabolites in cattle. This study examines the impact of FDG dietary supplements on the gastrointestinal flora and metabolic profile of Guanling cattle. Eighteen cattle were randomly assigned to three treatment groups with six replicates per group. The treatments included a basal diet (BD), a 15% concentrate replaced by FDG (15% FDG) in the basal diet, and a 30% concentrate replaced by FDG (30% FDG) in the basal diet. Each group was fed for a duration of 60 days. At the conclusion of the experimental period, three cattle were randomly chosen from each group for slaughter and the microbial community structure and metabolic mapping of their abomasal and cecal contents were analyzed, utilizing 16S rDNA sequencing and LC-MS technology, respectively. At the phylum level, there was a significant increase in Bacteroidetes in both the abomasum and cecum for the 30%FDG group (p p p p < 0.05). There is a noteworthy correlation between the diverse bacterial genera and metabolites found in the abomasal and cecal contents of Guanling cattle, as demonstrated by correlation analysis. In conclusion, our findings suggest that partially substituting FDG for conventional feed leads to beneficial effects on both the structure of the gastrointestinal microbial community and the metabolism of its contents in Guanling cattle. These findings offer a scientific point of reference for the further use of FDG as a cattle feed resource