Synergy of Pd atoms and oxygen vacancies on In₂O₃ for methane conversion under visible light

Methane (CH4) oxidation to high value chemicals under mild conditions through photocatalysis is a sustainable and appealing pathway, nevertheless confronting the critical issues regarding both conversion and selectivity. Herein, under visible irradiation (420 nm), the synergy of palladium (Pd) atom cocatalyst and oxygen vacancies (OVs) on In2O3 nanorods enables superior photocatalytic CH4 activation by O2. The optimized catalyst reaches ca. 100 μmol h-1 of C1 oxygenates, with a selectivity of primary products (CH3OH and CH3OOH) up to 82.5%. Mechanism investigation elucidates that such superior photocatalysis is induced by the dedicated function of Pd single atoms and oxygen vacancies on boosting hole and electron transfer, respectively. O2 is proven to be the only oxygen source for CH3OH production, while H2O acts as the promoter for efficient CH4 activation through ·OH production and facilitates product desorption as indicated by DFT modeling. This work thus provides new understandings on simultaneous regulation of both activity and selectivity by the synergy of single atom cocatalysts and oxygen vacancies

The psychological outcomes of COVID-19 affected the pandemic-after risk perceptions of nurse clinicians: a latent profile analysis

Abstract Background Risk perception among nurses after the COVID-19 pandemic is a crucial factor affecting their attitudes and willingness to work in clinics. Those with poor psychological status could perceive risks sensitively as fears or threats that are discouraging. This article aimed to determine whether psychological outcomes, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and insomnia, following the COVID-19 pandemic were differentially related to the risk perceptions of nurses working in clinics and increased perceived risk. Method The participants were 668 nurse clinicians from five local hospitals. Risk perceptions and psychological outcomes were measured by adapted questionnaires via the Internet. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified subgroups of individuals who showed similar profiles regarding the perceived risks in nursing. Multinomial regression and probit regression were used to examine the extent to which sociodemographic and psychological outcomes predicted class membership. Results LPA revealed four classes: groups with low-, mild-, moderate-, and high-level risk perceptions. Membership of the high-level risk perception class was predicted by the severity of psychological outcomes. Anxiety significantly accounted for a moderate increase in risk perceptions, while the symptoms of insomnia, depression, and PTSD accelerated the increase to the high level of risk perception class. Conclusions By classifying groups of nurse clinicians sharing similar profiles regarding risk perceptions and then exploring associated predictors, this study shows the psychological outcomes after COVID-19 significantly impacted pandemic-associated risk perceptions and suggests intervening in nurses' psychological outcomes while simultaneously focusing on work-related worries is important following the outbreak of COVID-19

Metabolic changes reveal the development of schistosomiasis in mice.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by small trematode worms called schistosomes, amongst which Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) is endemic in Asia. In order to understand the schistosome-induced changes in the host metabolism so as to facilitate early diagnosis of schistosomiasis, we systematically investigated the dynamic metabolic responses of mice biofluids and liver tissues to S. japonicum infection for five weeks using (1)H NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with multivariate data analysis. We were able to detect schistosomiasis at the third week post-infection, which was one week earlier than "gold standard" methods. We found that S. japonicum infection caused significant elevation of urinary 3-ureidopropionate, a uracil catabolic product, and disturbance of lipid metabolism, stimulation of glycolysis, depression of tricarboxylic acid cycle and disruption of gut microbiota regulations. We further found that the changes of 3-ureidopropionate and overall metabolic changes in both urinary and plasma samples were closely correlated with the time-course of disease progression. Furthermore, such changes together with liver tissue metabonome were clearly associated with the worm-burdens. These findings provided more insightful understandings of host biological responses to the infection and demonstrated that metabonomic analysis is potentially useful for early detection of schistosomiasis and comprehension of the mechanistic aspects of disease progression

ACE2 and Innate Immunity in the Regulation of SARS-CoV-2-Induced Acute Lung Injury: A Review

Despite the protracted battle against coronavirus acute respiratory infection (COVID-19) and the rapid evolution of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), no specific and effective drugs have to date been reported. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a zinc metalloproteinase and a critical modulator of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). In addition, ACE2 has anti-inflammatory and antifibrosis functions. ACE has become widely known in the past decade as it has been identified as the primary receptor for SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, being closely associated with their infection. SARS-CoV-2 primarily targets the lung, which induces a cytokine storm by infecting alveolar cells, resulting in tissue damage and eventually severe acute respiratory syndrome. In the lung, innate immunity acts as a critical line of defense against pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2. This review aims to summarize the regulation of ACE2, and lung host cells resist SARS-CoV-2 invasion by activating innate immunity response. Finally, we discuss ACE2 as a therapeutic target, providing reference and enlightenment for the clinical treatment of COVID-19

Muscle Fatty Acids, Meat Flavor Compounds and Sensory Characteristics of Xiangxi Yellow Cattle in Comparison to Aberdeen Angus

The objective of this study was to investigate meat quality of Xiangxi yellow cattle of different ages in comparison to Aberdeen Angus. At the ages of 6, 18, and 30 months, 10 female animals for both Xiangxi yellow cattle and Aberdeen Angus cattle were randomly selected and slaughtered. The proximate composition analysis, fatty acid profiles and flavor compounds were measured on the longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle samples. One boneless loin chop was dissected and used for sensory evaluation by a 10-persoon trained taste panel. The data obtained showed that Xiangxi yellow cattle deposited similarly high level of intramuscular fat as Angus at the age of 18 month and the polyunsaturated fatty acid in muscle along with the PUFA/SFA ratio reached the highest levels at this age. Inosine 5′-monophosphate (IMP) was the predominant umami compound in beef, which concentration was significantly higher (p < 0.05) at month 18, but not different between Angus and Xiangxi yellow cattle. Multiple volatile flavor compounds were higher (p < 0.05) in concentrations in meat from Xiangxi yellow cattle at ages of 18 and 30 months when compared to Angus. Sensory analysis revealed that Xiangxi yellow cattle (18 and 30 months) and Angus (30 months) were superior in meat overall eating quality to Xiangxi yellow cattle (6 months) and Angus (6 and 18 months). This study showed that Xiangxi yellow cattle are a fine cattle breed with equal or even better meat quality attributes when compared to Angus. It is proper to slaughter Xiangxi yellow cattle at the age of 18 months for high quality beef production

Expression analysis of correlative regulatory factors of anthocyanin in ‘Cuihongli’ and ‘Qiangcuili’

MYB10, bHLH and WD40 are correlative regulatory factors of anthocyanin. In this paper, the expression of MYB10, bHLH and WD40 in the peel and the pulp of two plum cultivars were analyzed with the materials of ‘Cuihongli’ and ‘Qiangcuili’. The results showed that, with the development of the fruit of ‘Cuihongli’, the expression of MYB10 in the peel was downregulated firstly then upregulated, and the expression of MYB10 was not detected in the flesh of ‘Cuihongli’s pulp and the peel and the pulp of the ‘Qiangcuili’. The expression of bHLH and WD40 showed that the they had no significant correlation with the accumulation of anthocyanin in the two cultivars. It is suggested that the deletion of MYB10 gene expression result in the lack of anthocyanin in the flesh of ‘Qiangcuili’

Histone demethylases in the regulation of immunity and inflammation

Abstract Pathogens or danger signals trigger the immune response. Moderate immune response activation removes pathogens and avoids excessive inflammation and tissue damage. Histone demethylases (KDMs) regulate gene expression and play essential roles in numerous physiological processes by removing methyl groups from lysine residues on target proteins. Abnormal expression of KDMs is closely associated with the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases such as liver fibrosis, lung injury, and autoimmune diseases. Despite becoming exciting targets for diagnosing and treating these diseases, the role of these enzymes in the regulation of immune and inflammatory response is still unclear. Here, we review the underlying mechanisms through which KDMs regulate immune-related pathways and inflammatory responses. In addition, we also discuss the future applications of KDMs inhibitors in immune and inflammatory diseases

Cloning of

PAL, UFGT as structural genes and MYB10 as a regulatory gene play an important role in the accumulation of anthocyanins in plants. In this experiment, ‘Cuihongli’ and ‘Qiangcuili’ were used as materials to clone PAL, UFGT and MYB10 related to anthocyanin synthesis by homologous sequence cloning. The results showed that the full length of PAL was 2160 bp, encoding 719 amino acids; the full length of UFGT was 1428 bp, encoding 475 amino acids, and the differences of PAL and UFGT between the two cultivars were one amino acid and three amino acids, respectively. The sequence length of ‘Cuihongli’ MYB10 gene is 732 bp, which encodes 243 amino acids and belongs to the superfamily of SANT family. Homology analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the proteins encoded by PAL, UFGT and MYB10 genes were short and closely related to Prunus persica, Prunus avium, Prunus armeniaca and Prunus cerasifera in Rosaceae