NH₃‑SCR Performance of Fresh and Hydrothermally Aged Fe-ZSM‑5 in Standard and Fast Selective Catalytic Reduction Reactions

Hydrothermal stability is one of the challenges for the practical application of Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH₃ (NH₃-SCR) for diesel engines. The presence of NO₂ in the exhaust gases can enhance the deNOx activity because of the fast SCR reaction. In this work, a Fe-ZSM-5 catalyst was prepared by a solid-state ion-exchange method and was hydrothermally deactivated at 800 °C in the presence of 10% H₂O. The activity of fresh and hydrothermal aged Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts was investigated in standard SCR (NO₂/NO<i>x</i> = 0) and in fast SCR with NO₂/NO<i>x</i> = 0.3 and 0.5. In standard SCR, hydrothermal aging of Fe-ZSM-5 resulted in a significant decrease of low-temperature activity and a slight increase in high-temperature activity. In fast SCR, NO<i>x</i> conversion over aged Fe-ZSM-5 was significantly increased but was still lower than that over fresh catalyst. Additionally, production of N₂O in fast SCR was much more apparent over aged Fe-ZSM-5 than over fresh catalyst. We propose that, in fast SCR, the rate of key reactions related to NO is slower over aged Fe-ZSM-5 than over fresh catalyst, thus increasing the probabilities of side reactions involving the formation of N₂O

Synthesis of Structurally Defined Cationic Polythiophenes for DNA Binding and Gene Delivery

Water-soluble conjugated polymers (<b>WCP</b>s) have prospective applications in the field of bioimaging, disease diagnosis, and therapy. However, the use of <b>WCP</b>s with controllability and regioregularity for bioapplications have scarcely been reported. In this work, we synthesized polythiophenes containing ester side chains (<b>P3ET</b>) via Kumada catalyst-transfer polycondensation (KCTP) and confirmed a quasi-“living” chain-growth mechanism. In addition, we obtained cationic regioregular polythiophenes (<b>cPT</b>s) by aminolysis of <b>P3ET</b> with varied chain lengths, and studied DNA binding capability and gene delivery performance. Benefiting from photocontrolled generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), the cationic polythiophenes successfully delivered DNA into tumor cells without additional polymer species

MicroRNA Modulation Induced by AICA Ribonucleotide in J1 Mouse ES Cells

<div><p>ES cells can propagate indefinitely, maintain self-renewal, and differentiate into almost any cell type of the body. These properties make them valuable in the research of embryonic development, regenerative medicine, and organ transplantation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are considered to have essential functions in the maintenance and differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ES cells). It was reported that, strong external stimuli, such as a transient low-pH and hypoxia stress, were conducive to the formation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). AICA ribonucleotide (AICAR) is an AMP-activated protein kinase activator, which can let cells in the state of energy stress. We have demonstrated that AICAR can maintain the pluripotency of J1 mouse ES cells through modulating protein expression in our previous research, but its effects on ES cell miRNA expression remain unknown. In this study, we conducted small RNA high-throughput sequencing to investigate AICAR influence on J1 mouse ES cells by comparing the miRNA expression patterns of the AICAR-treated cells and those without treatment. The result showed that AICAR can significantly modulate the expression of multiple miRNAs, including those have crucial functions in ES cell development. Some differentially expressed miRNAs were selected and confirmed by real-time PCR. For the differently expressed miRNAs identified, further study was conducted regarding the pluripotency and differentiation associated miRNAs with their targets. Moreover, miR-134 was significantly down-regulated after AICAR treatment, and this was suggested to be directly associated with the up-regulated pluripotency markers, Nanog and Sox2. Lastly, Myc was significantly down-regulated after AICAR treatment; therefore, we predicted miRNAs that may target Myc and identified that AICAR induced up-regulation of miR-34a, 34b, and 34c can repress Myc expression in J1 mouse ES cells. Taken together, our study provide a new mechanism for AICAR in ES cells pluripotency maintenance and give insight for its usage in iPS cells generation.</p></div

Down-regulation of miR-134 is partly responsible for increased expression of pluripotency markers.

<p>(A) MiR-134 expression vector pCDH-mir134 and its negative control were transfected into J1 ES cells, and the expression of miR-134 was detected by real-time PCR. (B) The luciferase reporters psi-Nanog or psi-Sox2 were co-transfected with miRNA expression vectors pCDH-mir134, and empty vector pCDH-GFP without insertion was used as control. 48 h after transfection, luciferase activity was detected using dual-luciferase reporter assay. (C) Real-time PCR validation of Nanog, Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4 in J1 ES cells in the presence or absence of 1 mM AICAR for 24 h using the comparative Ct method. Gapdh was used to normalize template levels. (D) Western blot analysis of pluripotency markers Nanog, Oct4, Sox2 and Klf4 in J1 ES cells in the presence of 1,000 U/ml LIF and with or without 1 mM AICAR for 24 h. Cell lysates were extracted and analyzed by western blot. Relative expression levels were comparing to Gapdh. (E) MiR-134 expression vector pCDH-mir134 and its negative control were transfected into J1 ES cells. 48 h after transfection, Nanog, Sox2, Oct4, and Klf4 expression was detected by real-time PCR. Gapdh was used to normalize template levels. (F) MiR-134 expression vector pCDH-mir134 and its negative control were transfected into J1 ES cells. 12 h after transfection, AICAR or DMSO was added to the cell culture medium, and Nanog and Sox2 expression was detected by real-time PCR. (G) MiR-134 expression vector pCDH-mir134 and its negative control were transfected into J1 ES cells. 12 h after transfection, AICAR or DMSO was added to the cell culture medium, and alkaline phosphatase staining of J1 cells were performed 24 hours later. (WB: western blot; *: p<0.05; **: p<0.01).</p

Overview of sRNA high-throughput sequencing data.

<p>(A) A flowchart that shows stepwise data analysis process of small RNA reads from Solexa Hiseq sequencing. (B) Comparison of the known miRNA expression between DMSO- and AICAR-treated samples; the scatter plot shows differentially expressed miRNAs in the two samples. (C) Comparison of the predicted novel miRNA expression between DMSO- and AICAR-treated samples; the scatter plot shows differentially expressed miRNAs in the two samples.</p

Excellent Performance of One-Pot Synthesized Cu-SSZ-13 Catalyst for the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO_<i>x</i> with NH₃

Cu-SSZ-13 samples prepared by a novel one-pot synthesis method achieved excellent NH₃–SCR performance and high N₂ selectivity from 150 to 550 °C after ion exchange treatments. The selected Cu_3.8-SSZ-13 catalyst was highly resistant to large space velocity (800 000 h^–1) and also maintained high NO_<i>x</i> conversion in the presence of CO₂, H₂O, and C₃H₆ in the simulated diesel exhaust. Isolated Cu²⁺ ions located in three different sites were responsible for its excellent NH₃–SCR activity. Primary results suggest that the one-pot synthesized Cu-SSZ-13 catalyst is a promising candidate as an NH₃–SCR catalyst for the NO_<i>x</i> abatement from diesel vehicles

AICAR modulates the expression of multiple miRNAs associated with ES cell pluripotency.

<p>(A) Representative miRNAs that were down-regulated in the presence of 1 mM AICAR; this finding was validated by real-time PCR. J1 ES cells were cultured in medium with serum and 1,000 U/mL LIF in the presence or absence of 1 mM AICAR for 24 h. Mature miRNAs were transcribed, and the relative expression level of miRNAs was determined by real-time PCR. Data are presented as the mean ± SD of three independent experiments. (B) Representative miRNAs that were up-regulated in the presence of 1 mM AICAR were validated by real-time PCR. (C) Real-time PCR validation of miR-290 cluster after AICAR treatment. (D) Real-time PCR detection of the targets of miR-290 cluster in the presence of 1 mM AICAR. (E) The expression of miR-138-5p and its target Trp53 was validated by real-time PCR. (F) The expression of miR-23a-3p and its targets was validated by real-time PCR. (G) The expression of miR-129-1 and miR-129-2 and their target Sox4 was validated by real-time PCR. (H) The expression of miR-434-3p and its target Ccnl1 was validated by real-time PCR. (*: p<0.05; **: p<0.01).</p

Significant Promotion Effect of Mo Additive on a Novel Ce–Zr Mixed Oxide Catalyst for the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO_<i>x</i> with NH₃

A novel Mo-promoted Ce–Zr mixed oxide catalyst prepared by a homogeneous precipitation method was used for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO_<i>x</i> with NH₃. The optimal catalyst showed high NH₃-SCR activity, SO₂/H₂O durability, and thermal stability under test conditions. The addition of Mo inhibited growth of the CeO₂ particle size, improved the redox ability, and increased the amount of surface acidity, especially the Lewis acidity, all of which were favorable for the excellent NH₃-SCR performance. It is believed that the catalyst is promising for the removal of NO_<i>x</i> from diesel engine exhaust

DataSheet_1_Immune checkpoint inhibitors-related pancreatitis with fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus: case report and literature review.docx

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are increasingly being used in the treatment of advanced human malignancies. ICIs-related adverse events, including pancreatitis and diabetes, have been individually characterized in the literature. The co-occurrence of ICIs-related pancreatitis with diabetes is rare and easily overlooked, but it is often severe or fatal. We present a patient with renal tumor resection who was treated with injection of the PD-L1 inhibitor toripalimab and eventually developed acute pancreatitis and fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus. In addition, we conducted a literature review of ICIs-related pancreatitis with diabetes. The case in our report presented with paroxysmal abdominal pain and loss of appetite. Intravenous fluids and insulin infusion improved the patient’s pancreatitis and explosive hyperglycemia. This article suggests that ICIs can affect endocrine and exocrine functions of the pancreas, while providing information and new perspectives for the diagnosis and treatment of this challenging rare disease, helping inspire clinicians for the early identification and effective management of similar cases.</p

Several miRNAs targeted Myc and down-regulated its expression.

<p>(A) The expression of Myc and the predicted miRNAs was validated by real-time PCR in the presence of 1 mM AICAR. (B) Western blot analysis of Myc expression in J1 ES cells in the presence of 1,000 U/ml LIF and with or without 1 mM AICAR for 24 h. Cell lysates were extracted and analyzed by western blot. Relative expression level were comparing to Gapdh. (C/D/E/F/G) MiR-34a/34b/34c/340/135b expression vector pCDH-mir34a/34b/34c/340/135b and their negative control were transfected into J1 ES cells, and miR-34a/34b/34c/340/135b expression was detected by real-time PCR. (H) The schematic representation for construction of the firefly luciferase reporter vector. Myc 3′-UTR was inserted into psiCHECK-2 vector by XbaI and EcoRI sites. (I) Brief description of predicted miRNAs and their target sites on Myc 3′-UTR. (J) The luciferase reporters were co-transfected with miRNA expression vectors, and empty vector pCDH-GFP without insertion was used as control. 24 and 48 h after transfection, luciferase activity was detected using dual-luciferase reporter assay. (K) Brief description of mutated sites on Myc 3′-UTR. (L) The mutated luciferase reporters were co-transfected with miRNA expression vectors, and empty vector pCDH-GFP without insertion was used as control. 24 h after transfection, luciferase activity was detected using dual-luciferase reporter assay. (M) The mutated luciferase reporters were co-transfected with miRNA expression vectors, and empty vector pCDH-GFP without insertion was used as control. 48 h after transfection, luciferase activity was detected using dual-luciferase reporter assay. (N) The indicated miRNA expression vectors were transfected into J1 ES cells. 48 h after transfection, Myc expression was detected by real-time PCR. Gapdh was used to normalize template levels. (O) The indicated miRNA expression vectors were transfected into J1 ES cells. 48 h after transfection, cell lysates were extracted and analyzed by western blot. Relative expression level were comparing to Gapdh. (WB: western blot; *: p<0.05; **: p<0.01).</p