In situ electrochemical potential-induced synthesis of metal organic framework membrane on polymer support for H2/CO2 separation

Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) membranes act as selective layers have offered unprecedented opportunities for energy-efficient and cost-effective gas separation. Searching for the green and sustainable synthesis method of dense MOF membrane has received huge attention in both academia and industry. In this work, we demonstrate an in situ electrochemical potential-induced synthesis strategy to aqueously fabricate Metal Azolate Framework-4 (MAF-4) membranes on polypropylene (PP) support. The constant potential can induce the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of MAF-4, resulting an ultrathin membrane with the thickness of only 390 nm. This high-quality membrane exhibits a high H2/CO2 separation performance with the H2 permeance as high as 1565.75 GPU and selectivity of 11.6. The deployment of this environment friendly one-step fabrication method under mild reaction conditions, such as low-cost polymer substrate, water instead of organic solvent, room temperature and ambient pressure shows great promise for the scale-up of MOF membranes.

Molecular-Sieving Separation of Methanol/Benzene Azeotrope by a Flexible Metal-Organic Framework

Separation of methanol/benzene azeotrope mixtures is very challenging not only by the conventional distillation technique but also by adsorbents. In this work, we design and synthesize a flexible Ca-based metal-organic framework MAF-58 consisting of cheap raw materials. MAF-58 shows selective methanol-induced pore-opening flexibility. Although the opened pores are large enough to accommodate benzene molecules, MAF-58 shows methanol/benzene molecular sieving with ultrahigh experimental selectivity, giving 5.1 mmol g-1 high-purity (99.99%+) methanol and 2.0 mmol g-1 high-purity (99.97%+) benzene in a single adsorption/desorption cycle. Computational simulations reveal that the preferentially adsorbed, coordinated methanol molecules act as the gating component to selectively block the diffusion of benzene, offering a new gating adsorption mechanism.

[Clinicopathological features of Sjogren's syndrome complicated with liver injury]

Objective: To study the clinicopathological features of Sjogren's syndrome (SS) with liver injury and to improve the understanding of this disease. Methods: Forty-nine patients with SS complicated with liver injury were collected from Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University from October 2008 to January 2022. All patients underwent ultrasound-guided liver biopsy, and all specimens were stained with HE. The histopathologic characteristics were observed and the pathologic indexes were graded. Immunohistochemical stains for CK7, CK19, CD38, MUM1 and CD10 were performed by EnVision method; and special histochemical stains for reticulin, Masson's trichrome, Rhodanine, Prussian blue, periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and D-PAS stains were conducted. Results: The age of patients ranged from 31 to 66 years, including 3 males and 46 females. SS combined with drug-induced liver injury was the most common (22 cases, 44.9%), followed by autoimmune liver disease (13 cases, 26.5%, including primary biliary cholangitis in eight cases, autoimmune hepatitis in 3 cases, and PBC-AIH overlap syndrome in 2 cases), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, 9 cases, 18.4%) and other lesions (5 cases, 10.2%; including 3 cases of nonspecific liver inflammation, 1 case of liver amyloidosis, and 1 case of porto-sinusoidal vascular disease). Among them, 28 cases (57.1%) were associated with obvious interlobular bile duct injury, mainly in SS combined with PBC group and drug-induced liver injury group. Twenty-three cases (46.9%) were associated with hepatocyte steatosis of varying degrees. In SS with autoimmune liver disease group, ISHAK score, degree of fibrosis bile duct injury, bile duct remodeling, lymphocyte infiltration of portal area, and plasma cell infiltration, MUM1 and CD38 expression; serum ALP and GGT, IgM; elevated globulin; positive AMA, proportion of AMA-M2 positive and IgM positive were all significantly higher than those in other groups(all P<0.05). Serum ALT, direct bilirubin and SSA positive ratio in SS combined with drug liver group were significantly higher than those in other groups(all P<0.05). The serum total cholesterol level in SS combined with PBC group (P=0.006) and NALFD group (P=0.011) were significantly higher than those in other groups (P<0.05). Conclusions: The pathologic manifestations of SS patients with liver injury are varied. The inflammatory lesions of SS patients with autoimmune liver disease are the most serious, and the inflammatory lesions of SS patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-specific inflammation are mild. Comprehensive analysis of liver histopathologic changes and laboratory findings is helpful for the diagnosis of SS complicated with different types of liver injury.

[Marked improvement in rheumatoid lung nodules after treatment with tocilizumab combined with glucocorticoids and leflunomide: a case report and literature review]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic autoimmune disorder, is characterized by erosive inflammation of bone and cartilage, leading to progressive joint destruction. Pulmonary involvement occurs in approximately 60% of RA patients, manifests most commonly as interstitial lung disease and, less commonly, as rheumatoid lung nodules. Here, we report a 50-year-old woman, non-smoker, with recurrent cough and sputum of 7 years' duration, accompanied by a chest CT showing multiple cavitary nodules in both lungs. She had been treated empirically at several medical centers and was finally diagnosed with rheumatoid lung nodules. Marked improvement in rheumatoid lung nodules was observed after treatment with tocilizumab in combination with glucocorticoids and leflunomide. The aim of this study was to improve clinicians' understanding of rheumatoid lung nodules by analyzing the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of this case, and reviewing the relevant medical literature.

Utilisation of carbon dioxide and nitrate for urea electrosynthesis with a Cu-based metal-organic framework

It is important and challenging to utilise CO2 and NO3- as a feedstock for electrosynthesis of urea. Herein, we reported a stable 2D metal-organic framework (MOF) Cu-HATNA, possessing planar CuO4 active sites, as an efficient electrocatalyst for coupling CO2 and NO3- into urea, achieving a high yield rate of 1.46 g h-1 gcat-1 with a current density of 44.2 mA cm-1 at -0.6 V vs. RHE. This performance surpasses most of the previously reported catalysts, revealing the great prospects of MOFs in sustainable urea synthesis.

Metal-Organic Framework Based Sensors for Benzene Vapor

Sensing of benzene vapor is a hot spot due to the volatile drastic carcinogen even at trace concentration. However, achieving convenient and rapid detection is still a challenge. As a sort of functional porous material, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been developed as detection sensors by adsorbing benzene vapor and converting it into other signals (fluorescence intensity/wavelength, chemiresistive, weight or color, etc.). Supramolecular interaction between benzene molecules and the host framework, aperture size/shape and structural flexibility are influential factors in the performance of MOF-based sensors. Therefore, enhancing the host-guest interactions between the host framework and benzene molecules, or regulating the diffusion rate of benzene molecules by changing the aperture size/shape and flexibility of the host framework to enhance the detection signal are effective strategies for constructing MOF-based sensors. This concept highlights several types of MOF-based sensors for the detection of benzene vapor.

Arterial chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma in China: consensus recommendations

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) treatment is widely accepted as one of the alternative therapeutic modalities for HCC owing to its local control effect and low systemic toxicity. Nevertheless, although accumulating high-quality evidence has displayed the superior survival advantages of HAIC of oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (HAIC-FOLFOX) compared with standard first-line treatment in different scenarios, the lack of standardization for HAIC procedure and remained controversy limited the proper and safe performance of HAIC treatment in HCC. Therefore, an expert consensus conference was held on March 2023 in Guangzhou, China to review current practices regarding HAIC treatment in patients with HCC and develop widely accepted statements and recommendations. In this article, the latest evidence of HAIC was systematically summarized and the final 22 expert recommendations were proposed, which incorporate the assessment of candidates for HAIC treatment, procedural technique details, therapeutic outcomes, the HAIC-related complications and corresponding treatments, and therapeutic scheme management.

Continuously Producing Highly Concentrated and Pure Acetic Acid Aqueous Solution via Direct Electroreduction of CO2

It is crucial to achieve continuous production of highly concentrated and pure C2 chemicals through the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) for artificial carbon cycling, yet it has remained unattainable until now. Despite one-pot tandem catalysis (dividing the eCO2RR to C2 into two catalytical reactions of CO2 to CO and CO to C2) offering the potential for significantly enhancing reaction efficiency, its mechanism remains unclear and its performance is unsatisfactory. Herein, we selected different CO2-to-CO catalysts and CO-to-acetate catalysts to construct several tandem catalytic systems for the eCO2RR to acetic acid. Among them, a tandem catalytic system comprising a covalent organic framework (PcNi-DMTP) and a metal-organic framework (MAF-2) as CO2-to-CO and CO-to-acetate catalysts, respectively, exhibited a faradaic efficiency of 51.2% with a current density of 410 mA cm-2 and an ultrahigh acetate yield rate of 2.72 mmol m-2 s-1 under neutral conditions. After electrolysis for 200 h, 1 cm-2 working electrode can continuously produce 20 mM acetic acid aqueous solution with a relative purity of 95+%. Comprehensive studies revealed that the performance of tandem catalysts is influenced not only by the CO supply-demand relationship and electron competition between the two catalytic processes in the one-pot tandem system but also by the performance of the CO-to-C2 catalyst under diluted CO conditions.

Simultaneous Capture of CO2 Boosting Its Electroreduction in the Micropores of a Metal-organic Framework

Integration of CO2 capture capability from simulated flue gas and electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2 RR) active sites into a catalyst is a promising cost-effective strategy for carbon neutrality, but is of great difficulty. Herein, combining the mixed gas breakthrough experiments and eCO2 RR tests, we showed that an Ag12 cluster-based metal-organic framework (1-NH2 , aka Ag12 bpy-NH2 ), simultaneously possessing CO2 capture sites as "CO2 relays" and eCO2 RR active sites, can not only utilize its micropores to efficiently capture CO2 from simulated flue gas (CO2  : N2 =15 : 85, at 298 K), but also catalyze eCO2 RR of the adsorbed CO2 into CO with an ultra-high CO2 conversion of 60 %. More importantly, its eCO2 RR performance (a Faradaic efficiency (CO) of 96 % with a commercial current density of 120 mA cm-2 at a very low cell voltage of -2.3 V for 300 hours and the full-cell energy conversion efficiency of 56 %) under simulated flue gas atmosphere is close to that under 100 % CO2 atmosphere, and higher than those of all reported catalysts at higher potentials under 100 % CO2 atmosphere. This work bridges the gap between CO2 enrichment/capture and eCO2 RR.

In-situ label-free temperature-compensated DNA hybridization detection with a fiber-optic interferometer and a fiber Bragg grating for microfluidic chip

We demonstrated a temperature-compensated optofluidic DNA biosensor available for microfluidic chip. The optofluidic sensor was composed of an interferometer and a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) by femtosecond laser direct writing micro/nano processing technology. The sensing arm of the interferometer was suspended on the inner wall of the microchannel and could directly interact with the microfluid. With the immobilization of the single stranded probe DNA (pDNA), this optofluidic biosensor could achieve specific detection of single stranded complementary DNA (scDNA). The experimental results indicated that a linear response within 50 nM and the detection limit of 1.87 nM were achieved. In addition, the optofluidic biosensor could simultaneously monitor temperature to avoid temperature fluctuations interfering with the DNA hybridization detection process. And, the optofluidic detection channel could achieve fast sample replacement within 10 s at a flow rate of 2 μL/min and sample consumption only required nanoliters. This optofluidic DNA biosensor had the advantages of label-free, good specificity, dual parameter detection, low sample consumption, fast response, and easy repeatable preparation, which was of great significance for the field of DNA hybridization research and solving the temperature sensitivity problem of biosensors and had good prospects in biological analysis.

[Epidemiological characteristics of public health emergency events of varicella in China, 2006-2021]

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of public health emergency events (PHEE) of varicella in China from 2006 to 2021 and related response performances. Methods: The data of varicella PHEE in 31 provinces of China from 2006 to 2021 were collected through the Public Health Emergency Management Information System, Microsoft Excel 2019 software and SPSS 26.0 statistical software were used to conduct descriptive epidemiological, statistical analysis on the time, area, location distribution, scale and epidemic management. Results: A total of 11 443 PHEE involving 341 048 related cases were reported from 2006 to 2021, with an annual attack rate of 1.78%-3.80% and a total attack rate of 2.33% (341 048/14 624 042). The number of PHEE and related cases of varicella decreased from 1 107 (35 349) in 2007 to 262 (6 884) in 2012 (Z=-2.40, P<0.001), then increased year by year to 1 318 (42 649) in 2019 (Z=2.58, P<0.001), with a significant decline since 2020. The varicella PHEE in China presents the seasonal characteristics,the peak is from April to June and from October to December, respectively. The sub-peak of varicella PHEE in eastern China generally appears 1-2 months earlier than in central and western China. Varicella PHEE reports are mainly distributed in eastern China, the attack rate is relatively high in western China, school-reported varicella PHEE was 88.26% of the total reports (10 099/11 443). The epidemic scale of varrcella PHEE typically range from 10 to 29 cases per year among the given outbreaks. The M (Q1, Q3) of average number of cases, average duration, and average reporting interval of PHEE were 23 (16,35), 20 (14, 26) days, and 9 (5,19) days, respectively, and the reporting interval was positively correlated with the duration (r=0.854, P<0.001). Conclusions: The varicella PHEE in China from 2006 to 2021 has not been effectively controlled. Schools are the key places to prevent and control varicella PHEE. Improving the sensitivity of varicella PHEE monitoring, strengthening the timely disposal of varicella epidemic, and promoting varicella vaccination are effective measures to prevent and control varicella PHEE.

Paeonol impacts ovarian cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis via modulating the transforming growth factor beta/smad3 signaling pathway

Paeonol (2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenylacetophenone) is a natural phenolic component isolated from the root bark of peony with multiple pharmacological activities and has been proven to have anti-cancer effects. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence mechanism of paeonol on the proliferatory and apoptotic activities of ovarian cancer (OC) cells by modulating the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)/Smad3 pathway. The SKOV3 cells were pretreated with various concentrations of paeonol (0, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 μg/mL) for 48 hours to determine the optimal experimental concentration of paeonol. Following this, the TGF-β overexpression vector was constructed and transfected into the SKOV3 cells. The assessment of cell proliferation, invasion, and migration was conducted through MTT, colony formation, flow cytometry, transwell, and wound-healing experiments. The detection of TGF-β/Smad3 pathway-related proteins and apoptosis-related proteins (B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2) Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax)) was performed using Western blot analysis. Paeonol exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on SKOV3 cell viability when administered at concentrations ranging from 50-400 μg/mL, with an IC50 value of 200 μg/mL. Within the concentration range of 50 to 200 μg/mL, paeonol exhibited a dose-dependent effect on the progression of SKOV3 cells, including a reduction in the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, an increase in the pro-apoptotic protein Bax (P<0.05), inhibition of cell migration and invasion (P<0.05), and promotion of cell apoptosis (P<0.05), particularly at a concentration of 200 μg/mL. These effects were found to be more pronounced. The aforementioned effects of paeonol can be ascribed to its inhibition of the TGFβ/Smad3 pathway, according to a mechanistic viewpoint. It is noteworthy that the inhibitory impact of paeonol on SKOV3 cell progression is counteracted by the elevation of TGF-β levels following overexpression. We conclude that paeonol exerts regulatory effects on the TGF-β/Smad3 pathway, leading to the inhibition of proliferation, migration, and invasion of OC cells, thereby attenuating malignant behavior of cancer cells.

Highly Efficient Electroreduction of CO2 to Ethanol via Asymmetric C-C Coupling by a Metal-Organic Framework with Heterodimetal Dual Sites

The electroreduction of CO2 into value-added liquid fuels holds great promise for addressing global environmental and energy challenges. However, achieving highly selective yielding of multi-carbon oxygenates through the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) is a formidable task, primarily due to the sluggish asymmetric C-C coupling reaction. In this study, a novel metal-organic framework (CuSn-HAB) with unprecedented heterometallic Sn···Cu dual sites (namely, a pair of SnN2O2 and CuN4 sites bridged by μ-N atoms) was designed to overcome this limitation. CuSn-HAB demonstrated an impressive Faradic efficiency (FE) of 56(2)% for eCO2RR to alcohols, achieving a current density of 68 mA cm-2 at a low potential of -0.57 V (vs RHE). Notably, no significant degradation was observed over a continuous 35 h operation at the specified current density. Mechanistic investigations revealed that, in comparison to the copper site, the SnN2O2 site exhibits a higher affinity for oxygen atoms. This enhanced affinity plays a pivotal role in facilitating the generation of the key intermediate *OCH2. Consequently, compared to homometallic Cu···Cu dual sites (generally yielding ethylene product), the heterometallic dual sites were proved to be more thermodynamically favorable for the asymmetric C-C coupling between *CO and *OCH2, leading to the formation of the key intermediate *CO-*OCH2, which is favorable for yielding ethanol product.

Pore chemistry and geometry control in a metal azolate framework for one-step ethylene purification from quinary gas mixture

In the petrochemical industry, obtaining polymer-grade ethylene from complex light-hydrocarbon mixtures by one-step separation is important and challenging. Here, we successfully prepared the Metal-Azolate Framework 7 (MAF-7) with pore chemistry and geometry control to realize the one-step separation of ethylene from cracking gas with up to quinary gas mixtures (propane/propylene/ethane/ethylene/acetylene). Based on the tailor-made pore environment, MAF-7 exhibited better selective adsorption of propane, propylene, ethane and acetylene than ethylene, and the adsorption ratios of ethane/ethylene and propylene/ethylene are as high as 1.49 and 2.81, respectively. The pore geometry design of MAF-7 leads to the unique weak binding affinity and adsorption site for ethylene molecules, which is clearly proved by Grand Canonical Monte Carlo theoretical calculations. The breakthrough experiments show that ethylene can be directly obtained from binary, ternary, and quinary gas mixtures. These comprehensive properties show that MAF-7 is expected to achieve one-step purification of ethylene in complex light hydrocarbon mixtures.

[The role of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging in distinguishing diabetic nephropathy from non-diabetic renal disease in diabetic patients]

Objective: To investigate the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the differential diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A diagnostic test. In this prospective study, patients with T2DM who underwent both IVIM-DWI and renal biopsy at the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital between October 2017 and September 2021 were consecutively enrolled. IVIM-DWI parameters including perfusion fraction (f), pure diffusion coefficient (D), and pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D*) were measured in the renal cortex, medulla, and parenchyma. Patients were divided into the DN group and NDRD group based on the renal biopsy results. IVIM-DWI parameters, clinical information, and diabetes-related biochemical indicators between the two groups were compared using Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. The correlation of IVIM-DWI parameters with diabetic nephropathy histological scores were analyzed using Spearman's correlation analyzes. The diagnostic efficiency of IVIM-DWI parameters for distinguishing between DN and NDRD were assessed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: A total of 27 DN patients and 23 NDRD patients were included in this study. The DN group comprised 19 male and 8 female patients, with an average age of 52±9 years. The NDRD group comprised 16 male and 7 female patients, with an average age of 49±10 years. The DN group had a higher D* value in the renal cortex and a lower f value in the renal medulla than the NDRD group (9.84×10-3 mm2/s vs. 7.35×10-3 mm2/s, Z=-3.65; 41.01% vs. 46.74%, Z=-2.29; all P<0.05). The renal medulla D* value was negatively correlated with DN grades, interstitial lesion score, and interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) score (r=-0.571, -0.409, -0.409; all P<0.05) while the renal cortex f value was positively correlated with vascular sclerosis score (r=0.413, P=0.032). The renal cortex D* value had the highest area under the curve (AUC) for discriminating between the DN and NDRD groups (AUC=0.802, sensitivity 91.3%, specificity 55.6%). Conclusion: IVIM-derived renal cortex D* value can be used non-invasively to differentiate DN from NDRD in patients with T2DM that can potentially facilitate individualized treatment planning for diabetic patients.

Microfluidic characterization of single-cell biophysical properties and the applications in cancer diagnosis

Single-cell biophysical properties play a crucial role in regulating cellular physiological states and functions, demonstrating significant potential in the fields of life sciences and clinical diagnostics. Therefore, over the last few decades, researchers have developed various detection tools to explore the relationship between the biophysical changes of biological cells and human diseases. With the rapid advancement of modern microfabrication technology, microfluidic devices have quickly emerged as a promising platform for single-cell analysis offering advantages including high-throughput, exceptional precision, and ease of manipulation. Consequently, this paper provides an overview of the recent advances in microfluidic analysis and detection systems for single-cell biophysical properties and their applications in the field of cancer. The working principles and latest research progress of single-cell biophysical property detection are first analyzed, highlighting the significance of electrical and mechanical properties. The development of data acquisition and processing methods for real-time, high-throughput, and practical applications are then discussed. Furthermore, the differences in biophysical properties between tumor and normal cells are outlined, illustrating the potential for utilizing single-cell biophysical properties for tumor cell identification, classification, and drug response assessment. Lastly, we summarize the limitations of existing microfluidic analysis and detection systems in single-cell biophysical properties, while also pointing out the prospects and future directions of their applications in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

IL23R as an indicator of immune infiltration and poor prognosis in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a bioinformatics analysis

Background

Although the incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CHOL) is low, the prognosis is very poor. The expression level of interleukin 23 receptor (IL23R) is linked to the occurrence and development of cancers. This study aimed to identify the role of IL23R in CHOL using bioinformatics tools and experimental validation.

Methods

Circular RNA (circRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and messenger RNA (mRNA) datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and R software was used for data analysis and visualization. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were used to conduct functional enrichment analysis, which was verified with gene set enrichment analysis software. Clinical data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and survival analyses were performed using the DriverDBv3 database and the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis website. The TIMER2.0 database provided us for immune cell infiltration analysis results of IL23R. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used for IL23R expression verification.

Results

Differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs were enriched in phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase signaling pathway, immune-related tumor microenvironment (TME), and amino acid metabolism, etc. In addition, expression of IL23R was associated with immune infiltration-related cells. Furthermore, a circRNA-miRNA-IL23R network and a IL23R protein-protein interaction network were established. Most importantly, IL23R, as a prognostic gene, was found to have a low expression in CHOL.

Conclusions

A circRNA-miRNA-IL23R network was identified, and it was found that IL23R may be a prognostic and immune-related biomarker in CHOL, which is worthy of further exploration.

Efficient electroreduction of CO to acetate using a metal-azolate framework with dicopper active sites

Electrochemical reduction of CO to value-added products, especially C2 products, provides a potential approach to achieve carbon neutrality and overcome the energy crisis. Herein, we report a metal-azolate framework (CuBpz) with dicopper active sites as an electrocatalyst for the electrochemical CO reduction reaction (eCORR). As a result, CuBpz achieved an impressive faradaic efficiency (FE) of 47.8% for yielding acetate with a current density of -200 mA cm-2, while no obvious degradation was observed over 60 hours of continuous operation at a current density of -200 mA cm-2. Mechanism studies revealed that the dicopper site can promote C-C coupling between two C1 intermediates, thereby being conducive to the generation of the key *CH2COOH intermediate.

Self-Accelerating Effect in a Covalent-Organic Framework with Imidazole Groups Boosts Electroreduction of CO2 to CO

Solvent effect plays an important role in catalytic reaction, but there is little research and attention on it in electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2 RR). Herein, we report a stable covalent-organic framework (denoted as PcNi-im) with imidazole groups as a new electrocatalyst for eCO2 RR to CO. Interestingly, compared with neutral conditions, PcNi-im not only showed high Faraday efficiency of CO product (≈100 %) under acidic conditions (pH ≈ 1), but also the partial current density was increased from 258 to 320 mA cm-2 . No obvious degradation was observed over 10 hours of continuous operation at the current density of 250 mA cm-2 . The mechanism study shows that the imidazole group on the framework can be protonated to form an imidazole cation in acidic media, hence reducing the surface work function and charge density of the active metal center. As a result, CO poisoning effect is weakened and the key intermediate *COOH is also stabilized, thus accelerating the catalytic reaction rate.

Heat- and Pressure-driven Room-temperature Polymorphic Transition Accompanied with Switchable SHG Signal in a New Chiral Hexagonal Perovskite

Endowing room-temperature polymorphs with both long-term stability and easy interconvertibility is a big challenge due to the complexity of intermolecular interactions. Herein, we present a chiral hexagonal perovskite (R-3-hydroxy-1-methylpiperidinium)[CdCl3 ] having two room-temperature crystalline forms featuring obviously distinct second-harmonic-generation (SHG) signals with a high switching contrast of ~18 times. The two room-temperature forms could be long-term stable yet easily interconvertible through an irreversible thermal-induced phase transition and a pressure-driven backward transition, by switching hydrogen bonds via collective reorientation of ordered homochiral cations. Based on the essential role of homochiral organic cations in inducing switchable hydrogen bond linkages, this present instance provides good evidence that relatively irregular organic cations could induce more obvious inorganic chain deformations, thus endowing polymorphs with significantly different SHG signals at room temperature.

Dicopper(I) Sites Confined in a Single Metal-Organic Layer Boosting the Electroreduction of CO2 to CH4 in a Neutral Electrolyte

It is challenging and important to achieve high performance for an electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) to yield CH4 under neutral conditions. So far, most of the reported active sites for eCO2RR to yield CH4 are single metal sites; the performances are far below the commercial requirements. Herein, we reported a nanosheet metal-organic layer in single-layer, namely, [Cu2(obpy)2] (Cuobpy-SL, Hobpy = 1H-[2,2']bipyridinyl-6-one), possessing dicopper(I) sites for eCO2RR to yield CH4 in a neutral aqueous solution. Detailed examination of Cuobpy-SL revealed high performance for CH4 production with a faradic efficiency of 82(1)% and a current density of ∼90 mA cm-2 at -1.4 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). No obvious degradation was observed over 100 h of continuous operation, representing a remarkable performance to date. Mechanism studies showed that compared with the conventional single-copper sites and completely exposed dicopper(I) sites, the dicopper(I) sites in the confined space formed by the molecular stacking have a strong affinity to key C1 intermediates such as *CO, *CHO, and *CH2O to facilitate the CH4 production, yet inhibiting C-C coupling.

Temperature-Tuned Variable Confined Space for Modulating Dipolar Polarization of a Disc-Shaped Ammonium Ion

Free accessible confined space and loose interaction are crucial for most solid-state ionic motions. Here, by using a near-spherical anion and a disc-shaped ammonium as two distinct but rigid building blocks, we report a new ionic crystal, (HMIm)3[La(NO3)6] (HMIm = 1-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium), in which the different confined spaces of three (HMIm)+ ions are fine-tuned over a broad temperature range. This effect can be utilized to modulate the dipolar polarization across a wide temperature/frequency range. Additionally, small-scale substitution of (HMIm)+ by its isomer of almost identical shape/size affords molecular solid solutions, which can further tune the dipolar polarization by varying the doping ratio. It is revealed that the differences in dipole moment and hydrogen bond rather than that of shape/size lead to a distorted crystalline environment for these solid solutions. Overall, we provide an exceptional model for understanding and regulating the dipole motion of polar aromatic molecules/ions in a crystalline environment.

Optimizing the Spatial Density of Single Co Sites via Molecular Spacing for Facilitating Sustainable Water Oxidation

Advances in single-atom (-site) catalysts (SACs) provide a new solution of atomic economy and accuracy for designing efficient electrocatalysts. In addition to a precise local coordination environment, controllable spatial active structure and tolerance under harsh operating conditions remain great challenges in the development of SACs. Here, we show a series of molecule-spaced SACs (msSACs) using different acid anhydrides to regulate the spatial density of discrete metal phthalocyanines with single Co sites, which significantly improve the effective active-site numbers and mass transfer, enabling one of the msSACs connected by pyromellitic dianhydride to exhibit an outstanding mass activity of (1.63 ± 0.01) × 105 A·g-1 and TOFbulk of 27.66 ± 1.59 s-1 at 1.58 V (vs RHE) and long-term durability at an ultrahigh current density of 2.0 A·cm-2 under industrial conditions for oxygen evolution reaction. This study demonstrates that the accessible spatial density of single atom sites can be another important parameter to enhance the overall performance of catalysts.

"Ship-in-a-Bottle" Integration of Ditin(IV) Sites into a Metal-Organic Framework for Boosting Electroreduction of CO2 in Acidic Electrolyte

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) under acidic conditions has become a promising way to achieve high CO2 utilization because of the inhibition of undesirable carbonate formation that typically occurs under neutral and alkaline conditions. Herein, unprecedented and highly active ditin(IV) sites were integrated into the nanopores of a metal-organic framework, namely NU-1000-Sn, by a "ship-in-a-bottle" strategy. NU-1000-Sn delivers nearly 100% formic acid Faradaic efficiency at an industry current density of 260 mA cm-2 with a high single-pass CO2 utilization of 95% in an acidic solution (pH = 1.67). No obvious degradation was observed over 15 hours of continuous operation at the current density of 260 mA cm-2, representing the remarkable eCO2RR performance in acidic electrolyte to date. The mechanism study shows that both oxygen atoms of the key intermediate *HCOO can coordinate to the two adjacent Sn atoms in a ditin(IV) site simultaneously. Such bridging coordination is conducive to the hydrogenation of CO2, thus leading to high performance.

[Survey of Helicobacter pylori levofloxacin and clarithromycin resistance rates and drug resistance genes in Ningxia, 2020-2022]

Objective: To explore the rate of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) resistance to levofloxacin and clarithromycin and the common mutation patterns of resistance genes in Ningxia, and to assess the concordance between phenotypic resistance and genotypic resistance. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Patients diagnosed with Hp infection in 14 hospitals in Ningxia region from February 2020 to May 2022 were retrospectively selected. Hp strains were isolated from gastric biopsy specimens of Hp-infected patients and subjected to phenotypic drug sensitivity testing and detection of resistance genes to analyze the rate of Hp resistance to levofloxacin and clarithromycin and the common mutation patterns of resistance genes in Ningxia region; and the concordance rate and Kappa concordance test were used to assess the concordance between phenotypic resistance and genotypic resistance. Results: A total of 1 942 Hp strains were isolated and cultured, and among the infections, 1 069 cases (55.0%) were male and 873 cases (45.0%) were female, aged (50.0±12.5) years (15-86 years). The rates of Hp resistance to levofloxacin and clarithromycin in Ningxia were 42.1% (818/1 942) and 40.1% (779/1 942), respectively, and the rate of dual resistance to both was 22.8% (443/1 942). The rate of resistance to levofloxacin and clarithromycin of Hp strains from female patients was higher than in male patients (levofloxacin: 50.4%(440/873) vs 35.4%(378/1 069); clarithromycin: 44.4%(388/873) vs 36.6%(391/1 069), both P<0.001). Among the GyrA gene mutations associated with levofloxacin resistance, the differences in mutation rate of amino acid at positions 87 and 91 were statistically significant in both drug-resistant and sensitive strains(both P<0.001), except for Asn87Thr. Hp strains were statistically significant for levofloxacin (Kappa=0.834, P<0.001) and clarithromycin (Kappa=0.829, P<0.001) had good concordance in resistance at the phenotypic and genotypic levels. Conclusion: The resistance of Hp to levofloxacin and clarithromycin in Ningxia region is severe, and there is good consistency between genotypic and phenotypic resistance.

Molecular Design of a Metal-Nitrosyl Ferroelectric with Reversible Photoisomerization

The development of photo-responsive ferroelectrics whose polarization may be remotely controlled by optical means is of fundamental importance for basic research and technological applications. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a new metal-nitrosyl ferroelectric crystal (DMA)(PIP)[Fe(CN)₅(NO)] (1) (DMA = dimethylammonium, PIP = piperidinium) with potential phototunable polarization via a dual-organic-cation molecular design strategy. Compared to the parent non-ferroelectric (MA)₂[Fe(CN)₅(NO)] (MA = methylammonium) material with a phase transition at 207 K, the introduction of larger dual organic cations both lowers the crystal symmetry affording robust ferroelectricity and increases the energy barrier of molecular motions, endowing 1 with a large polarization of up to 7.6 μC cm^-2 and a high Curie temperature (T_c) of 316 K. Infrared spectroscopy shows that the reversible photoisomerization of the nitrosyl ligand is accomplished by light irradiation. Specifically, the ground state with the N-bound nitrosyl ligand conformation can be reversibly switched to both the metastable state I (MSI) with isonitrosyl conformation and the metastable state II (MSII) with side-on nitrosyl conformation. Quantum chemistry calculations suggest that the photoisomerization significantly changes the dipole moment of the [Fe(CN)₅(NO)]^2- anion, thus leading to three ferroelectric states with different values of macroscopic polarization. Such optical accessibility and controllability of different ferroelectric states via photoinduced nitrosyl linkage isomerization open up a new and attractive route to optically controllable macroscopic polarization.

Heat-driven molecule gatekeepers in MOF membrane for record-high H2 selectivity

Hydrogen/carbon dioxide (H₂/CO₂) separation for sustainable energy is in desperate need of reliable membranes at high temperatures. Molecular sieve membranes take their nanopores to differentiate sizes between H₂ and CO₂ but have compromised at a marked loss of selectivity at high temperatures owing to diffusion activation of CO₂. We used molecule gatekeepers that were locked in the cavities of the metal-organic framework membrane to meet this challenge. Ab initio calculations and in situ characterizations demonstrate that the molecule gatekeepers make a notable move at high temperatures to dynamically reshape the sieving apertures as being extremely tight for CO₂ and restitute with cool conditions. The H₂/CO₂ selectivity was improved by an order of magnitude at 513 kelvin (K) relative to that at the ambient temperature.

Fluorescent Probes with Variable Intramolecular Charge Transfer: Constructing Closed-Circle Plots for Distinguishing D2O from H2O

It is difficult to distinguish between H₂O and D₂O due to their very similar properties. Triphenylimidazole derivatives with carboxyl groups (TPI-COOH-2R) show intramolecular charge transfer that responds to polarities and pH of solvents. Here, a series of TPI-COOH-2R with very high photoluminescence quantum yields (73-98%) were synthesized to distinguish D₂O from H₂O by the method of wavelength-changeable fluorescence. In a mixed THF/water solution, the increase of H₂O and D₂O contents will separately induce different pendulum-type fluorescence variations and form plots of closed circles with the same starting and ending points from which a THF/water ratio that displays the most different emission wavelengths (up to 53 nm with an LOD of 0.064 vol %) can be determined to further distinguish D₂O from H₂O. This is proved to be originated from the various Lewis acidities between H₂O and D₂O. The results of theoretical calculations and experiments suggest that, for different substituent groups in TPI-COOH-2R, an appropriate electron-donating effect is beneficial to distinguish between H₂O and D₂O, while the electron-pulling effect is adverse. Moreover, because the potential hydrogen/deuterium exchange does not affect the as-responsive fluorescence, this method is reliable. And this work provides a new strategy for the design of fluorescent probes for D₂O.

[Advances in clinical characteristics of talaromycosis combined with other opportunistic infections]

Talaromycosis (TSM) is an opportunistic deep mycosis prevalent in southeast Asia and southern China, affecting HIV-positive, anti-interferon-gamma autoantibody-positive and other immunodeficiency hosts. These hosts are often co-infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis, non-tuberculosis mycobacteria, bacteria, fungi, viruses and other opportunistic infections. The clinical characteristics and the pathogenic spectrum of TSM with opportunistic infections vary with different immune states. The rates of misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis and mortality are high. This review summarized the clinical characteristics of TSM with opportunistic infections in order to improve the level of clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Cyclic Trinickel(II) Clusters in A Metal-Azolate Framework for Efficient Overall Water Splitting

Herein, a stable metal-azolate framework with cyclic trinickel(II) clusters, namely [Ni3(μ3-O)(BTPP)(OH)(H2O)2] (Ni-BTPP, H3BTPP = 1,3,5-tris((1H-pyrazol-4-yl)phenylene)benzene), achieved a current density of 50 mA cm-2 at a cell voltage of 1.8 V in 1.0 M KOH solution, while the current density of 20%Pt/C@NF||IrO2@NF is just 35.8 mA cm-2 at 2.0 V under the same condition. Moreover, no obvious degradation was observed over 12 hours of continuous operation at a large current density of 50 mA cm-2. Theoretical calculations revealed that the μ3-O atom in the cyclic trinickel(II) cluster serves as hydrogen-bonding acceptor to facilitate the dissociation of a H2O molecule adsorbed on the adjacent Ni(II) ion, giving a lower energy barrier of H2O dissociation compared with Pt/C; meanwhile, the μ3-O atom can also participate in the water oxidation reaction to couple with the adjacent *OH adsorbed on Ni(II) ion, providing a low-energy coupling pathway, thus Ni-BTPP achieves high performance for the overall water splitting.

Fluorescence Enhancement of a Metal-Organic Framework for Ultra-Efficient Detection of Trace Benzene Vapor

Indoor detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) concentration is necessary due to the serious toxicity hazards even at trace level. However, physisorbents usually exhibit weak interactions especially in the presence of trace concentrations of VOCs, thus exhibiting poor responsive signal. Herein, we report a new flexible metal-organic framework (MOF) that exhibits interesting pore-opening behavior after immersing in H2O. The pore-opening phase shows significant (~116 folds) and extremely fast (< 1 minute) fluorescence enhancement after being exposed to saturated benzene vapor. The limit of detection concentration for benzene vapor can be calculated as 0.133 mg L-1. Thus this material represents the first MOF to achieve visual detection of trace benzene vapor by the naked eyes. Theoretical calculations and single-crystal structure reveal that the special "bilateral π-π stacking" interactions between the host and guest, which facilitate electron transfer and greatly enhance the intensity of fluorescence.

Water-Stable Metal Azolate Frameworks Showing Interesting Flexibilities for Highly Effective Bioethanol Dehydration

The ethanol/water separation challenge highlights the adsorption capacity/selectivity trade-off problem. We show that the target guest can serve as a gating component of the host to block the undesired guest, giving molecular sieving effect for the adsorbent possessing large pores. Two hydrophilic/water-stable metal azolate frameworks were designed to compare the effects of gating and pore-opening flexibility. Large amounts (up to 28.7 mmol g-1) of ethanol with fuel-grade (99.5%+) and even higher purities (99.9999%+) can be produced in a single adsorption process from not only 95:5 but also 10:90 ethanol/water mixtures. More interestingly, the pore-opening adsorbent possessing large pore apertures showed not only high water adsorption capacity but also exceptionally high water/ethanol selectivity characteristic of molecular sieving. Computational simulations demonstrated the critical role of guest-anchoring aperture for the guest-dominated gating process.

Construction of Fluorinated Propane-Trap in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Record Polymer-Grade Propylene Production under High Humidity Conditions

Propane/propene (C₃ H₈ /C₃ H₆ ) separation is essential in the petrochemical industry but challenging because of their similar physical and chemical properties. Adsorptive separation with C₃ H₈ -selective porous materials can energy-efficiently produce high-purity C₃ H₆ , which is highly promising for replacing conventional cryogenic distillation but suffers from unsatisfactory performance. Herein, through the precise incorporation of fluorinated functional groups into the confined pore space, a new fluorinated metal-organic framework (FDMOF-2) featuring the unique and strong C₃ H₈ -trap is successfully constructed. FDMOF-2 exhibits an unprecedented C₃ H₈ capture capacity of 140 cm³ cm^-3 and excellent C₃ H₈ /C₃ H₆ (1:1, v/v) selectivity up to 2.18 (298 K and 1 bar), thus setting new benchmarks for all reported porous materials. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the tailored pore confinement in FDMOF-2 provides stronger and multiple attractive interactions with C₃ H₈ , enabling excellent binding affinities. Breakthrough experiments demonstrate that C₃ H₈ can be directly extracted from various C₃ H₈ /C₃ H₆ mixtures with FDMOF-2, affording an outstanding C₃ H₆ production (501 mmol L^-1 ) with over 99.99% purity. Benefiting from the robust framework and hydrophobic ligands, the separation performance of FDMOF-2 can be well maintained even under 70% relative humidity conditions.

Nonlinear Optical Glass-Ceramic From a New Polar Phase-Transition Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Crystal

Melt-quenched glasses of organic-inorganic hybrid crystals, i.e., hybrid glasses, have attracted increasing attention as an emerging class of hybrid materials with beneficial processability and formability in the past years. Herein, we present a new hybrid crystal, (Ph₃ PEt)₃ [Ni(NCS)₅ ] (1, Ph₃ PEt⁺ =ethyl(triphenyl)phosphonium), crystallizing in a polar space group P1 and exhibiting thermal-induced reversible crystal-liquid-glass-crystal transitions with relatively low melting temperature of 132 °C, glass-transition temperature of 40 °C, and recrystallization on-set temperature of 78 °C, respectively. Taking advantage of such mild conditions, we fabricated an unprecedented hybrid glass-ceramic thin film, i.e., a thin glass uniformly embedding inner polar micro-crystals, which exhibits a much enhanced intrinsic second-order nonlinear optical effect, being ca. 25.6 and 3.1 times those of poly-crystalline 1 and KH₂ PO₄ , respectively, without any poling treatments.

Isolated Tin(IV) Active Sites for Highly Efficient Electroreduction of CO2 to CH4 in Neutral Aqueous Solution

The development of efficient electrocatalysts with non-copper metal sites for electrochemical CO₂ reduction reactions (eCO₂ RR) to hydrocarbons and oxygenates is highly desirable, but still a great challenge. Herein, a stable metal-organic framework (DMA)₄ [Sn₂ (THO)₂ ] (Sn-THO, THO^6- = triphenylene-2,3,6,7,10,11-hexakis(olate), DMA = dimethylammonium) with isolated and distorted octahedral SnO₆ ^2- active sites is reported as an electrocatalyst for eCO₂ RR, showing an exceptional performance for eCO₂ RR to the CH₄ product rather than the common products formate and CO for reported Sn-based catalysts. The partial current density of CH₄ reaches a high value of 34.5 mA cm^-2 , surpassing most reported copper-based and all non-Cu metal-based catalysts. Our experimental and theoretical results revealed that the isolated SnO₆ ^2- active site favors the formation of key *OCOH species to produce CH₄ and can greatly inhibit the formation of *OCHO and *COOH species to produce *HCOOH and *CO, respectively.

Two new di-tert-butyl-type compounds from a saline-lake derived Streptomyces sp. XZB42

Two novel di-tert-butyl-type structures (1-2), and five known compounds (3-7) were isolated from the chemical investigations of a saline lake actinomycete, Streptomyces sp. XZB42. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive NMR spectroscopic analysis, HRESIMS data, GIAO (gauge-including atomic orbitals) NMR and specific optical rotation (SOR).

Strepolyketide D, a new SEK15-derived polyketide compound from salt-lake-derived Streptomyces sp. DBC5

A new SEK15-derived polyketide compound, strepolyketide D (1), was isolated from salt-lake-derived Streptomyces sp. DBC5, together with two known analogues (2-3). Their structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic analysis of IR, MS, 1 D and 2 D NMR. Compound 2 elicited moderate antioxidation with IC₅₀ value of 39.26 μg/ml. The results of the study revealed that salt-lake actinomycetes of Lake Dabancheng appear to have immense potential as a source of polyketide compounds.

Synergistic Effect in a Metal-Organic Framework Boosting the Electrochemical CO2 Overall Splitting

It is a very important but still challenging task to develop bifunctional electrocatalysts for highly efficient CO₂ overall splitting. Herein, we report a stable metal-organic framework (denoted as PcNi-Co-O), composed of (2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octahydroxyphthalocyaninato)nickel(II) (PcNi-(O^-)₈) ligands and the planar CoO₄ nodes, for CO₂ overall splitting. When working as both cathode and anode catalysts (i.e., PcNi-Co-O||PcNi-Co-O), PcNi-Co-O achieved a commercial-scale current density of 123 mA cm^-2 (much higher than the reported values (0.2-12 mA cm^-2)) with a Faradic efficiency (CO) of 98% at a low cell voltage of 4.4 V. Mechanism studies suggested the synergistic effects between two active sites, namely, (i) electron transfer from CoO₄ to PcNi sites under electric fields, resulting in the raised oxidizability/reducibility of CoO₄/PcNi sites, respectively; (ii) the energy-level matching of cathode and anode catalysts can reduce the energy barrier of electron transfer between them and improve the performance of CO₂ overall splitting.

Molecule-Enhanced Electrocatalysis of Sustainable Oxygen Evolution Using Organoselenium Functionalized Metal-Organic Nanosheets

Remolding the reactivity of metal active sites is critical to facilitate renewable electricity-powered water electrolysis. Doping heteroatoms, such as Se, into a metal crystal lattice has been considered an effective approach, yet usually suffers from loss of functional heteroatoms during harsh electrocatalytic conditions, thus leading to the gradual inactivation of the catalysts. Here, we report a new heteroatom-containing molecule-enhanced strategy toward sustainable oxygen evolution improvement. An organoselenium ligand, bis(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)selenide containing robust C-Se-C covalent bonds equipped in the precatalyst of ultrathin metal-organic nanosheets Co-SeMON, is revealed to significantly enhance the catalytic mass activity of the cobalt site by 25 times, as well as extend the catalyst operation time in alkaline conditions by 1 or 2 orders of magnitude compared with these reported metal selenides. A combination of various in situ/ex situ spectroscopic techniques, ab initio molecular dynamics, and density functional theory calculations unveiled the organoselenium intensified mechanism, in which the nonclassical bonding of Se to O-containing intermediates endows adsorption-energy regulation beyond the conventional scaling relationship. Our results showcase the great potential of molecule-enhanced catalysts for highly efficient and economical water oxidation.

Periodate-based molecular perovskites as promising energetic biocidal agents

Epidemics caused by pathogens in recent years have created an urgent need for energetic biocidal agents with the capacity of detonation and releasing bactericides. Herein we present a new type of energetic biocidal agents based on a series of iodine-rich molecular perovskites, (H₂dabco)M(IO₄)₃ (dabco = 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, M = Na⁺/K⁺/Rb⁺/NH₄ ⁺ for DAI-1/2/3/4) and (H₂dabco)Na(H₄IO₆)₃ (DAI-X1). These compounds possess a cubic perovskite structure, and notably have not only high iodine contents (49-54 wt%), but also high performance in detonation velocity (6.331-6.558 km s^-1) and detonation pressure (30.69-30.88 GPa). In particular, DAI-4 has a very high iodine content of 54.0 wt% and simultaneously an exceptional detonation velocity up to 6.558 km s^-1. As disclosed by laser scanning confocal microscopy observation and a standard micro-broth dilution method, the detonation products of DAI-4 exhibit a broad-spectrum bactericidal effect against bacteria (E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa). The advantages of easy scale-up synthesis, low cost, high detonation performance, and high iodine contents enable these periodate-based molecular perovskites to be highly promising candidates for energetic biocidal agents.

ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s40843-022-2257-6.

Rational Design of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Electroreduction of CO2 to Hydrocarbons and Carbon Oxygenates

Since CO₂ can be reutilized by using renewable electricity in form of product diversity, electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECR) is expected to be a burgeoning strategy to tackle environmental problems and the energy crisis. Nevertheless, owing to the limited selectivity and reaction efficiency for a single component product, ECR is still far from a large-scale application. Therefore, designing high performance electrocatalysts is the key objective in CO₂ conversion and utilization. Unlike most other types of electrocatalysts, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have clear, designable, and tunable catalytic active sites and chemical microenvironments, which are highly conducive to establish a clear structure-performance relationship and guide the further design of high-performance electrocatalysts. This Outlook concisely and critically discusses the rational design strategies of MOF catalysts for ECR in terms of reaction selectivity, current density, and catalyst stability, and outlines the prospects for the development of MOF electrocatalysts and industrial applications. In the future, more efforts should be devoted to designing MOF structures with high stability and electronic conductivity besides high activity and selectivity, as well as to develop efficient electrolytic devices suitable for MOF catalysts.

[Some HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients treated with nucleos(t)ide analogue can achieve HBsAg loss after drug withdrawal: stop-to-cure may be coming]

Nucleoside/Nucleotide analogues (NAs) are widely used for the antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), however, it is difficult to achieve serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss with NAs therapy. In recent years, several prospective trails have reported that HBsAg loss (functional cure or clinical cure) also occurs in a small number of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) negative CHB patients who discontinued long-term treatment with NAs. Accordingly, the "stop-to-cure" strategy is proposed. Although the mechanism has not been fully elucidated, the known factors related to serum HBsAg loss with NAs withdrawal include HBV genotype, duration of NAs treatment, serum HBsAg and HBV RNA levels at end-of-treatment, and ethnic differences. In the review, we discuss the best time to stop NAs therapy, the potential markers for predicting relapse after cessation of NAs and the possible mechanism of "stop-to-cure" in HBeAg-negative CHB patients, and propose some suggestions on the time of retreatment.

Transcriptional data analysis reveals the association between infantile hemangiomas and venous malformations

Background: Infantile hemangiomas (IH) and venous malformations (VM) are the most common types of vascular abnormalities that seriously affect the health of children. Although there is evidence that these two diseases share some common genetic changes, the underlying mechanisms need to be further studied.

Methods: The microarray datasets of IH (GSE127487) and VM (GSE7190) were downloaded from GEO database. Extensive bioinformatics methods were used to investigate the common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of IH and VM, and to estimate their Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Trough the constructing of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, gene models and hub genes were obtained by using Cytoscape and STRING. Finally, we analyzed the co-expression and the TF-mRNA-microRNA regulatory network of hub genes.

Results: A total of 144 common DEGs were identified between IH and VM. Functional analysis indicated their important role in cell growth, regulation of vasculature development and regulation of angiogenesis. Five hub genes (CTNNB1, IL6, CD34, IGF2, MAPK11) and two microRNA (has-miR-141-3p, has-miR-150-5p) were significantly differentially expressed between IH and normal control (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: In conclusion, our study investigated the common DEGs and molecular mechanism in IH and VM. Identified hub genes and signaling pathways can regulate both diseases simultaneously. This study provides insight into the crosstalk of IH and VM and obtains several biomarkers relevant to the diagnosis and pathophysiology of vascular abnormalities.

[Consideration on the possible etiological mechanisms and countermeasures about severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children]

Since April 2022, severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children has spread to 35 countries and regions around the world, and more than 1 010 cases have been reported. Since the severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin involves a wide range of areas and has a high rate, it is critical to identify the etiology and establish effective preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic measures as soon as possible. This study discusses the possible mechanisms and countermeasures of the severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children. It speculates that the occurrence of the recent severe acute hepatitis might be related to adenovirus, adeno-associated virus infection, and the COVID-19 epidemic, while the difference in HLA polymorphism among different races might be related to the fact that reported cases were more common in Europe and the United States. Based on the currently available evidence, it can be preliminarily judged that the risk of large-scale outbreak of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children would be low in China, but the persistent awareness and vigilance of the etiology is still needed.

A series of naphthalenediimide-based metal-organic frameworks: synthesis, photochromism and inkless and erasable printing

Three new three-dimensional metal-organic frameworks were synthesized based on a naphthalenediimide derivative ligand, all of which exhibit photochromic behaviour due to the presence of the naphthalenediimide core. Interestingly, two of them possess significant colour changes under light, excellent stability, and appropriate photochromic lifetimes, thus showing potential for application in inkless and erasable printing media.