Indium-Containing Visible-Light-Driven (VLD) Photocatalysts for Solar Energy Conversion and Environment Remediation

Indium-containing visible-light-driven (VLD) photocatalysts including indium-containing oxides, indium-containing sulfides, indium-containing hydroxides, and other categories have attracted more attention due to their high catalytic activities for oxidation and reduction ability under visible light irradiation. This chapter will therefore concentrate on indium-containing nano-structured materials that demonstrate useful activity under solar excitation in fields concerned with the elimination of pollutants, partial oxidation and the vaporization of chemical compounds, water splitting, and CO2 reduction processes. The indium-containing photocatalysts can extend the light absorption range and improve the photocatalytic activity by doping, heterogeneous structures, load promoter, and morphology regulation. A number of synthetic and modification techniques for adjusting the band structure to harvest visible light and improve the charge separation in photocatalysis are discussed. In this chapter, preparation, properties, and potential applications of indium-containing nano-structured materials used as photocatalysis will be systematically summarized, which is beneficial for understanding the mechanism and developing the potential applications

Resident Immune Cells of the Liver in the Tumor Microenvironment

The liver is a central immunomodulator that ensures a homeostatic balance between protection and immunotolerance. A hallmark of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the deregulation of this tightly controlled immunological network. Immune response in the liver involves a complex interplay between resident innate, innate, and adaptive immune cells. The immune response in the liver is modulated by its continuous exposure to toxic molecules and microorganisms that requires a degree of immune tolerance to protect normal tissue from damage. In HCC pathogenesis, immune cells must balance a dual role that includes the elimination of malignant cells, as well as the repair of damaged liver tissue to maintain homeostasis. Immune response in the innate and adaptive immune systems extends to the cross-talk and interaction involving immune-regulating non-hematopoietic cells, myeloid immune cells, and lymphoid immune cells. In this review, we discuss the different immune responses of resident immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Current FDA-approved targeted therapies, including immunotherapy options, have produced modest results to date for the treatment of advanced HCC. Although immunotherapy therapy to date has demonstrated its potential efficacy, immune cell pathways need to be better understood. In this review article, we summarize the roles of specific resident immune cell subsets and their cross-talk subversion in HCC pathogenesis, with a view to identifying potential new biomarkers and therapy options

PRIMA-1Met suppresses colorectal cancer independent of p53 by targeting MEK

This work was supported by Grant No. 81201779 (Hua Xiong) from the National Natural Science Youth Foundation; Grant No. 81502118 (Yanmei Zou) from the National Natural Science Youth Foundation; Grant No. 2014CFB250 (Yanmei Zou) from the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province; Grant No. 81372434 (Huihua Xiong) from the National Natural Science Foundation.PRIMA-1Met is the methylated PRIMA-1 (p53 reactivation and induction of massive apoptosis) and could restore tumor suppressor function of mutant p53 and induce p53 dependent apoptosis in cancer cells harboring mutant p53. However, p53 independent activity of PRIMA-1Met remains elusive. Here we reported that PRIMA-1Met attenuated colorectal cancer cell growth irrespective of p53 status. Kinase profiling revealed that mitogen-activated or extracellular signal-related protein kinase (MEK) might be a potential target of PRIMA-1Met. Pull-down binding and ATP competitive assay showed that PRIMA-1Met directly bound MEK in vitro and in cells. Furthermore, the direct binding sites of PRIMA-1Met were explored by using a computational docking model. Treatment of colorectal cancer cells with PRIMA-1Met inhibited p53-independent phosphorylation of MEK, which in turn impaired anchorage-independent cell growth in vitro. Moreover, PRIMA-1Met suppressed colorectal cancer growth in xenograft mouse model by inhibiting MEK1 activity. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a novel p53-independent activity of PRIMA-1Met to inhibit MEK and suppress colorectal cancer growth.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Bioremediation of Wastewater by Iron Oxide-Biochar Nanocomposites Loaded with Photosynthetic Bacteria

It has been reported that bacteria-mediated degradation of contaminants is a practical and innocuous wastewater treatment. In addition, iron oxide nanoparticles (NP) are wastewater remediation agents with great potentials due to their strong adsorption capacity, chemical inertness and superparamagnetism. Therefore, a combination of NPs and microbes could produce a very desirable alternative to conventional wastewater treatment. For this purpose, we first prepared Fe3O4/biochar nano-composites, followed by loading photosynthetic bacteria (PSB) onto them. It was found that Fe3O4/biochar nano-composites exhibited a high adsorption capacity for PSB (5.45 × 109 cells/g). The efficiency of wastewater pollutants removal by this PSB/Fe3O4/biochar agent was then analyzed. Our results indicated that when loaded onto Fe3O4/biochar nano-composites, PSB’s nutrient removal capability was significantly enhanced (P < 0.05). This agent removed 83.1% of chemical oxygen demand, 87.5% of NH4+, and 92.1% of PO43- from the wastewater in our study. Our experiments also demonstrated that such composites are outstanding recyclable agents. Their nutrient removal capability remained effective even after five cycles. In conclusion, we found the PSB/Fe3O4/biochar composites as a very promising material for bioremediation in the wastewater treatment

An ABA Functional Analogue B2 Enhanced Salt Tolerance by Inducing the Root Elongation and Reducing Peroxidation Damage in Maize Seedlings

Salt stress negatively affects maize growth and yield. Application of plant growth regulator is an effective way to improve crop salt tolerance, therefore reducing yield loss by salt stress. Here, we used a novel plant growth regulator B2, which is a functional analogue of ABA. With the aim to determine whether B2 alleviates salt stress on maize, we studied its function under hydroponic conditions. When the second leaf was fully developed, it was pretreated with 100 µM ABA, 0.01 µM B2, 0.1 µM B2, and 1 µM B2, independently. After 5 days treatment, NaCl was added into the nutrient solution for salt stress. Our results showed that B2 could enhance salt tolerance in maize, especially when the concentration was 1.0 µMol·L−1. Exogenous application of B2 significantly enhanced root growth, and the root/shoot ratio increased by 7.6% after 6 days treatment under salt stress. Compared with control, the ABA level also decreased by 31% after 6 days, which might have resulted in the root development. What is more, B2 maintained higher photosynthetic capacity in maize leaves under salt stress conditions and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes and decreased the generation rate of reactive oxygen species by 16.48%. On the other hand, B2 can enhance its water absorption ability by increasing the expression of aquaporin genes ZmPIP1-1 and ZmPIP1-5. In conclusion, the novel plant growth regulator B2 can effectively improve the salt tolerance in maize

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide inhibits ischemia-induced autophagy by promoting the biogenesis of neural stem cells-derived extracellular vesicles to enhance the delivery of miR-133a-3p

Abstract Background Neural stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (NSC-EVs) mediated endogenous neurogenesis determines a crucial impact on spontaneous recovery after stroke. Here, we checked the influence of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on the biogenesis of NSC-EVs and then focused on studying mechanisms of LBP in ameliorating ischemic stroke outcome. Methods LBP was prepared to precondition NSCs and isolate EVs. MCAO models and primary NSCs were administrated to evaluate the therapeutic effect. RT-PCR, western blot, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence techniques were performed to explore the mechanism. Results LBP pretreatment increased the production of NSC-EVs and improved the neuroprotective and recovery effects of NSC-EV in ischemic stroke mice. LBP-pretreated NSC-EV in a dose-dependent manner substantially reduced neuronal death compared with NSC-EV. Screening of the signaling cascade involved in the interaction between NSC-EV and neurons revealed that AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway inhibited autophagic activity in neurons receiving either treatment paradigm. NSC-EVs but not EVs collected from NSCs pretreated with the anti-miR-133a-3p oligonucleotide reduced cell death, whereas the anti-oligonucleotide promoted autophagy activity and cell death by modulating AMPK/mTOR signaling in OGD-induced primary neurons. Conclusion LBP activated AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway by increasing the enrichment and transfer of miR-133a-3p in NSC-EVs to inhibit stroke-induced autophagy activity

FULL TIME-SPACE GOVERNANCE STRATEGY AND TECHNOLOGY FOR CROPLAND NON-POINT POLLUTION CONTROL IN CHINA

● Full time-space governance strategy for AGNPS pollution was proposed.● The 4R chain technology system including source reduction, process retention, nutrient reuse and water restoration was reviewed.● The strategy and 4R technology system was successfully applied for AGNPS pollution control at administrative village scale.● Future challenge include the monitoring system, new smart fertilizer and intelligent equipment, governance standards and supportive policies. Ensuring food safety while reducing agricultural non-point source pollution is quite challenging, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. Effective systematic strategies and comprehensive technologies need to be developed for agricultural non-point source pollution control at the watershed scale to improve surface water quality. In this review, a proposal is made for a full time-space governance strategy that prioritizes source management followed by endpoint water pollution control. The 4R chain technology system is specifically reviewed, including source reduction, process retention, nutrient reuse and water restoration. The 4R chain technology system with the full time-space governance strategy was applied at the scale of an administrative village and proved to be a feasible solution for reducing agricultural non-point source pollution in China. In the future, a monitoring system needs to be established to trace N and P transport. Additionally, new smart fertilizer and intelligent equipment need to be developed, and relevant governance standards and supportive policies need to be set to enhance the efficacy of agricultural non-point source pollution control

The Inhibitory Effect of Early Pregnancy Factor on Red Meat Neu5Gc-Mediated Antibody Production in CMAH^−/− Mice

The meat derived from mammals such as cows, sheep, and pigs is commonly referred to as red meat. Recent studies have shown that consuming red meat can activate the immune system, produce antibodies, and subsequently develop into tumors and cancer. This is due to the presence of a potential carcinogenic compound in red meat called N-ethanol neuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). Neu5Gc is a common sialic monosaccharide in mammals, synthesized from N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) in the body and typically present in most mammals. However, due to the lack of the CMAH gene encoding the cytidine 5′-monophosphate Neu5Ac hydroxylase, humans are unable to synthesize Neu5Gc. Compared to primates such as mice or chimpanzees, the specific loss of Neu5Gc expression in humans is attributed to fixed genome mutations in CMAH. Although Neu5Gc cannot be produced, it can be introduced from specific dietary sources such as red meat and milk, so it is necessary to use mice or chimpanzees that knock out the CMAH gene instead of humans as experimental models. Further research has shown that early pregnancy factor (EPF) has the ability to regulate CD4+T cell-dependent immune responses. In this study, we established a simulated human animal model using C57/BL6 mice with CMAH gene knockout and analyzed the inhibitory effect of EPF on red meat Neu5Gc-induced CMAH−/− C57/BL6 mouse antibody production and chronic inflammation development. The results showed that the intervention of EPF reduced slow weight gain and shortened colon length in mice. In addition, EPF treatment significantly reduced the levels of anti Neu5Gc antibodies in the body, as well as the inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-1β, TNF-α and the activity of MPO. In addition, it also alleviated damage to liver and intestinal tissues and reduced the content of CD4 cells and the expression of B cell activation molecules CD80 and CD86 in mice. In summary, EPF effectively inhibited Neu5Gc-induced antibody production, reduced inflammation levels in mice, and alleviated Neu5Gc-induced inflammation. This will provide a new re-search concept and potential approach for developing immunosuppressants to address safety issues related to long-term consumption of red meat