Microfluidic Synthesis of UiO-66 Metal-organic Frameworks Modified with Different Functional Groups

Zirconium based metal-organic framework UiO-66 was synthesized continuously by microfluidic method. Compared with the traditional solvothermal synthesis in batch reactors, microfluidic synthesis is more efficient. It has the advantages in highly efficient mixing and heat transfer, thus lead to enhanced reaction rates. Microfluidic synthesis can obtain uniform hexahedral crystalline products in nanometer range(less than 100 nm). The influences of temperature, total flowrate and residence time on the obtained products were investigated. Higher temperature benefited the growth of crystal. When flowrate increased, crystal sizes of UiO-66 synthesized by microfluidic method decreased. Crystal growth required sufficient residence time (20 min), but if the residence time was prolonged further, the crystal particle size would not change any more. By optimizing the synthetic parameters, UiO-66 modified with different functional groups, UiO-66-X (X = NH2, NO2, Br), could be synthesized continuously by microfluidic synthesis

Thiamine deficiency contributes to synapse and neural circuit defects

Abstract Background The previous studies have demonstrated the reduction of thiamine diphosphate is specific to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and causal factor of brain glucose hypometabolism, which is considered as a neurodegenerative index of AD and closely correlates with the degree of cognitive impairment. The reduction of thiamine diphosphate may contribute to the dysfunction of synapses and neural circuits, finally leading to cognitive decline. Results To demonstrate this hypothesis, we established abnormalities in the glucose metabolism utilizing thiamine deficiency in vitro and in vivo, and we found dramatically reduced dendrite spine density. We further detected lowered excitatory neurotransmission and impaired hippocampal long-term potentiation, which are induced by TPK RNAi in vitro. Importantly, via treatment with benfotiamine, Aβ induced spines density decrease was considerably ameliorated. Conclusions These results revealed that thiamine deficiency contributed to synaptic dysfunction which strongly related to AD pathogenesis. Our results provide new insights into pathogenesis of synaptic and neuronal dysfunction in AD

Nanoscale chemomechanical variations of montmorillonite induced by the specificity of counterions-An in situ XRD and AFM study

The variable structural characteristics of montmorillonite (Mnt) in salt solutions depend not only on the quantity and distribution of the Mnt layer charge, but also on the specificity of counterions, including their radius, valence, concentration, and hydratability. In order to determine the nanoscale chemomechanical processes in a clay mineral–water–salt system, in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods were used to investigate the structural variations of Mnt caused by different counterion species (e.g., Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and Sr2+) at different concentrations (0.2–3.0 M). With an increasing concentration of counterions, separation of water molecules from the interlayer space of more weakly hydrated cations (Cs+, Rb+, and K+) is faster than for the more strongly hydrated cations (Li+, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and Sr2+), water molecules are lost more slowly from the hydration shell, which remains stable even at high counterion concentrations. The sequential ion exchange in a monolayer Mnt observed by in situ AFM is consistent with the d(001) results from the real-time XRD analysis. Moreover, various defects on Mnt surfaces were visible in the high-resolution AFM images, which restrict the spatial arrangement of adsorbed cations. The water molecule partitioning between the interlayers in Mnt is controlled by the specificity of the counterions, and the cations can spontaneously form ordered structures on the surface of Mnt. These nonclassical interfacial phenomena occurred in the electric double layer (EDL) is controlled by the hydration of counterions, the surface structure and the charge distribution of Mnt.</p

Protective Effect of Electroacupuncture on the Barrier Function of Intestinal Injury in Endotoxemia through HO-1/PINK1 Pathway-Mediated Mitochondrial Dynamics Regulation

Background and Aims. Endotoxemia (ET) is a common critical illness in patients receiving intensive care and is associated with high mortality and prolonged hospital stay. The intestinal epithelial cell dysfunction is regarded as the “engine” of deteriorated ET. Although electroacupuncture (EA) can mitigate endotoxin-induced intestinal epithelial cell dysfunction in ET, the mechanism through which EA improves endotoxin-induced intestinal injury for preventing ET deterioration needs further investigation. Methods. An in vivo ET model was developed by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in wild-type and PINK1-knockout mice. An in vitro model was also established by incubating epithelial cells in the serum samples obtained from both groups of mice. Hemin and zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP) were applied to activate or inhibit heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) production. EA treatment was performed for 30 min consecutively for 5 days before LPS injection, and on the day of the experiment, EA was performed throughout the process. Samples were harvested at 6 h after LPS induction for analyzing tissue injury, oxidative stress, ATP production, activity of diamine oxidase (DAO), and changes in the levels of HO-1, PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1), mitochondrial fusion and fission marker gene, caspase-1, and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β). Results. In the wild-type models (both in vivo and vitro), EA alleviated LPS-induced intestinal injury and mitochondrial dysfunction, as indicated by decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and reduced levels of mitochondrial fission proteins. EA treatment also boosted histopathological morphology, ATP levels, DAO activity, and levels of mitochondrial fusion proteins in vivo and vitro. The effect of EA was enhanced by hemin but suppressed by Znpp. However, EA + AP, Znpp, or hemin had no effects on the LPS-induced, PINK1-knocked out mouse models. Conclusion. EA may improve the HO-1/PINK1 pathway-mediated mitochondrial dynamic balance to protect the intestinal barrier in patients with ET

Fecal Contamination and High Nutrient Levels Pollute the Watersheds of Wujiang, China

Freshwaters in China are affected by point and non-point sources of pollution. The Wujiang District (Suzhou City, China) has a long history of canals, rivers, and lakes that are currently facing various water quality issues. In this study, the water quality of four rivers and a lake in Wujiang was assessed to quantify pollution and explore its causes. Seventy-five monthly samples were collected from these water bodies (five locations/samples per area) from August to October 2020 and were compared with nine control samples collected from a water protection area. Fifteen physicochemical, microbiological, and molecular–microbiological parameters were analyzed, including nutrients, total and fecal coliforms, and fecal markers. Significant monthly variation was observed for most parameters at all areas. Total phosphorus, phosphates, total nitrogen, ammonium–nitrogen, and fecal coliforms mostly exceeded the acceptable limits set by the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection. The LiPuDang Lake and the WuFangGang River were the most degraded areas. The studied parameters were correlated with urban, agricultural, industrial, and other major land use patterns. The results suggest that fecal contamination and nutrients, associated with certain land use practices, are the primary pollution factors in the Wujiang District. Detailed water quality monitoring and targeted management strategies are necessary to control pollution in Wujiang’s watersheds

Aqueous Phase Hydrodeoxygenation of Phenol over Ni₃P‑CePO₄ Catalysts

Unsupported Ni₃P-CePO₄ catalysts were prepared by coprecipitation, followed by drying, calcination, and temperature-programmed reduction. The prepared catalysts were characterized by XRD, N₂ adsorption–desorption, TEM, STEM-EDS elemental mapping, XPS, NH₃-TPD, FT-IR of adsorbed pyridine, and H₂-TPR. Their catalytic performances in hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) were investigated using an aqueous solution of phenol (5.0 wt %) as the feed. CePO₄ was generated in coprecipitation and stable in the subsequent drying, calcination, and temperature-programmed reduction (final temperature 500 °C). It is shown that the addition of CePO₄ resulted in enhanced HDO activity, and a maximum activity appeared at a Ce/Ni ratio of 0.3. The presence of CePO₄ improved the dispersion of Ni₃P significantly, leading to enhanced hydrogenation activity. CePO₄ served as the major dehydration sites as well because of its surface acidity (mainly Lewis acid). In addition, the kinetics of the aqueous phase HDO of phenol and cyclohexanol catalyzed by Ni₃P and by Ni₃P-CePO₄ with Ce/Ni ratio of 0.3 were investigated

Tanshinone IIA Increases the Bystander Effect of Herpes Simplex Virus Thymidine Kinase/Ganciclovir Gene Therapy via Enhanced Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication

<div><p>The bystander effect is an intriguing phenomenon by which adjacent cells become sensitized to drug treatment during gene therapy with herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSV-tk/GCV). This effect is reported to be mediated by gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC), and therefore, we postulated that upregulation of genes that facilitate GJIC may enhance the HSV-tk/GCV bystander effect. Previous findings have shown Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA), a chemical substance derived from a Chinese medicine herb, promotes the upregulation of the connexins Cx26 and Cx43 in B16 cells. Because gap junctions are formed by connexins, we hypothesized that Tan IIA might increase GJIC. Our results show that Tan IIA increased GJIC in B16 melanoma cells, leading to more efficient GCV-induced bystander killing in cells stably expressing HSV-tk. Additionally, in vivo experiments demonstrated that tumors in mice with 10% HSV-tk positive B16 cells and 90% wild-type B16 cells became smaller following treatment with the combination of GCV and Tan IIA as compared to GCV or Tan IIA alone. These data demonstrate that Tan IIA can augment the bystander effect of HSV-tk/GCV system through increased gap junction coupling, which adds strength to the promising strategy that develops connexins inducer to potentiate the effects of suicide gene therapy.</p></div

The combination effects of Tan IIA and GCV on tumor formation for a mixed population of HSV-tk and WT B16 cells in vivo.

<p>Subcutaneous B16 tumors were established in C57BL/6J mice using a 1∶9 mixture of HSV-tk and WT B16 cells. Mice were then divided into four treatment groups: control (saline only), Tan IIA only, GCV only, and Tan IIA plus GCV. The tumor weight was measured on 14 days following treatment. *p<0.05 compared with control; ^#p<0.05 compared with Tan IIA treatment alone.</p