Tuning the Solvation Structure in Water-Based Solution Enables Surface Reconstruction of Layered Oxide Cathodes toward Long Lifespan Sodium-Ion Batteries

Layered oxides of sodium-ion batteries suffer from severe side reactions on the electrode/electrolyte interface, leading to fast capacity degradation. Although surface reconstruction strategies are widely used to solve the above issues, the utilization of the low-cost wet chemical method is extremely challenging for moisture-sensitive Na-based oxide materials. Here, the solvation tuning strategy is proposed to overcome the deterioration of NaNi1/3Mn1/3Fe1/3O2 in water-based solution and conduct the surface reconstruction. When capturing the water molecules by the solvation structure of cations, here is Li+, the structural collapse and degradation of layered oxides in water-based solvents are greatly mitigated. Furthermore, Li(H2O)3EA+ promotes the profitable Li+/Na+ exchange to build a robust surface, which hampers the decomposition of electrolytes and the structural evolution upon cycling. Accordingly, the lifespan of Li-reinforced materials is prolonged to three times that of the pristine one. This work represents a step forward in understanding the surface reconstruction operated in a water-based solution for high-performance sodium layered oxide cathodes.

Bioinspired stormwater control measure for the enhanced removal of truly dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals from urban runoff

Stormwater harvesting (SWH) addresses the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Conventional stormwater control measures (SCMs) effectively remove particulate and colloidal contaminants from urban runoff; however, they fail to retain dissolved contaminants, particularly substances of concern like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (HMs), thereby hindering the SWH applicability. Here, inspired by protein folding in nature, we reported a novel biomimetic SCM for the efficient removal of dissolved PAHs and HMs from urban runoff. Lab-scale tests were conducted together with a more mechanistic investigation on how the contaminants were removed. By integrating hydrophobic organic chains with low-cost hydrophilic flocculant matrixes, our biomimetic flocculants achieved a 1.4-9.5 times removal of all detected dissolved PAHs and HMs, while enhancing the removal of a wide-spectrum of particulate and colloidal contaminants, compared to existing SCMs. Ecotoxicity, as indicated by newborn Daphnia magna as experimental organisms, was reduced from "acute toxicity" of the original runoff sample (toxic unit of ∼2.6) to "non-toxicity" (toxic unit < 0.4) of the treated water. The improved performance is attributed to the protein-folding-like features of the bioinspired flocculants providing: (i) stronger binding to PAHs (via hydrophobic association) and HMs (via coordination), and (ii) the ability of spontaneous aggregation. The bio-inspired approach in this work holds strong promise as an alternative or supplementary component in SCM systems, and is expected to contribute to sustainable water management practices in relation to SDGs.

[Analysis of long-term prognosis and risk factors in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy]

Objective: To investigate the risk factors and long-term prognosis of major adverse cardiovascular events(MACEs) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Methods: This study was a single-center retrospective cohort study. Clinical information from 300 patients with DCM hospitalized in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from April 2013 to April 2023 was collected. Based on echocardiography results, the patients were divided into two groups: isolated DCM and DCM with left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC). The MACEs, including major heart failure events, severe ventricular arrhythmias, and cardiovascular death, were recorded by outpatient or telephone follow-up. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to analyze the risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients with DCM. Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank were used for survival analysis to compare the difference in the incidence of cardiovascular events between the two groups. Results: The included 300 DCM patients were (47.8±16.8) years old, with 197 males (65.7%), of which 237 (79.0%) were isolated DCM and 63 (21.0%) were DCM with LVNC. The follow-up time was 4.0 (1.9, 6.2) years. A total of 142 (47.3%) MACEs occurred, including 117 (39.0%) major heart failure events, 20 (6.7%) severe ventricular arrhythmia events, and 53 (17.7%) cardiovascular death events. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that increased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (HR=1.21, 95%CI: 1.01-1.44, P=0.042), moderate or severe mitral regurgitation (HR=1.71, 95%CI: 1.19-2.47, P=0.004), increased ln (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) (HR=1.30, 95%CI: 1.10-1.54, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for dverse cardiovascular events in DCM patients, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)/angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB)/angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) treatment (HR=0.45, 95%CI: 0.26-0.78, P=0.004) was independent protective factor. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis found no significant difference in the risk of MACEs between isolated DCM and DCM with LVNC (P=0.22). Similarly, there were no significant differences in the incidence of major heart failure, severe ventricular arrhythmia, and cardiovascular death between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: An increase in left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, moderate or severe mitral regurgitation, elevated N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, and non use of ACEI/ARB/ARNI are independent predictors of cardiovascular events in DCM patients. There was no significant risk of MACEs in patients with isolated DCM and DCM with LVNC, and suggested that LVNC may be a unique phenotype and should be accurately managed in combination with genetic background.

[Influence of paraspinal muscle degeneration and postoperative Roussouly classification restoration on mechanical complications in female patients with degenerative scoliosis after surgery]

Objective: To investigate the impact of lumbar paraspinal muscle degeneration and postoperative failure to restore ideal Roussouly classification on the occurrence of mechanical complications (MC) following long-segment spinal correction surgery in female patients with degenerative scoliosis (DS). Methods: The clinical data of 72 female DS patients who underwent long-segment spinal correction surgery in Gulou Hospital from June 2017 to November 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to whether restoring the ideal Roussouly classification after surgery, the patients were divided into R group(recovery group) (n=51) and N group(non-recovery group) (n=21). According to whether mechanical complications occurred after operation within two years, the patients were divided into MC (mechanical complications)group (n=24) and NMC(non-mechanical complications) group (n=48). The RM group (n=14) experienced mechanical complications in the R group, while the RN group (n=37) did not. The NM group (n=10) experienced mechanical complications in the N group, while the NN group (n=11) did not.Radiographic assessment included Sagittal parameters of spine and pelvis, standardized cross-sectional area (SCSA) and fat infiltration rate (FI%) of paraspinal muscle at each lumbar disc level. Results: The age of DS patients in this study was (61.4±6.2) years.The incidence of MC was 33.33%(n=24)in all patients. The incidence of MC was 27.45%(n=14)in group R and 47.62%(n=10) in group N. The correction amount of pelvic tilt angle (PT) (-11.62°±10.06° vs -7.04°±8.45°, P=0.046) and T1 pelvic angle(TPA)(-12.88°±11.23° vs -7.31°±9.55°, P=0.031)during surgery were significantly higher in MC group compared to the NMC group. In group R, the FI% of paraspinal muscles in each lumbar segment of patients with postoperative MC was higher than that in patients without MC (P<0.05). In the R and N groups, there was no significant difference inthe SCSA of the lumbar paravertebral muscles between patients with postoperative MC and those without MC at each level (all P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the average FI% of lumbar PSM was correlated with the occurrence of MC after spinal fusion in DS patients.The average FI% of lumbar PSM≥22.63% was a risk factors for MC after spinal fusion (P=0.010,OR=1.088, 95%CI:1.020-1.160). Conclusions: Female DS patients with higher degree of preoperative paraspinal muscle degeneration have a higher incidence of postoperative mechanical complications. For these patients,.there is still a higher risk of mechanical complications after surgery even if the ideal Roussouly classification is restored after surgery.

Genotype diversity and antibiotic resistance risk in Aeromonas hydrophila in Sichuan, China

Sichuan is a significant aquaculture province in China, with a total aquaculture output of 1.72 × 106 tons in 2022. One of the most significant microorganisms hurting the Sichuan aquaculture is Aeromonas hydrophila, whose genotype and antibiotic resistance are yet unknown. This study isolated a total of 64 strains of A. hydrophila from various regions during September 2019 to June 2021 within Sichuan province, China. The technique of Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) was used for the purpose of molecular typing. Meanwhile, identification of antibiotic resistance phenotype and antibiotic resistance gene was performed. The findings of the study revealed that 64 isolates exhibited 29 sequence types (ST) throughout different regions in Sichuan, with 25 of these ST types being newly identified. Notably, the ST251 emerged as the predominant sequence type responsible for the pandemic. The resistance rate of isolated strains to roxithromycin was as high as 98.3%, followed by co-trimoxazole (87.5%), sulfafurazole (87.5%), imipenem (80%), amoxicillin (60%), and clindamycin (57.8%). Fifteen strains of A. hydrophila exhibited resistance to medicines across a minimum of three categories, suggesting the development of multidrug resistance in these isolates. A total of 63 ARGs were detected from the isolates, which mediated a range of antibiotic resistance mechanisms, with deactivation and efflux potentially serving as the primary mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. This study revealed the diversity of A. hydrophila genotypes and the risk of antibiotic resistance in Sichuan, providing reference for scientific and effective control of A. hydrophila infection.

Computational understanding of Na-LTA for ethanol-water separation

There is a growing demand for high purity ethanol as an electronic chemical. The conventional distillation process is effective for separating ethanol from water but consumes a significant amount of energy. Selective membrane separation using the LTA-type molecular sieve has been introduced as an alternative. The density functional theory simulation indicates that aluminum (Al) sites are evenly distributed throughout the framework, while sodium (Na+) ions are preferentially located in the six-membered ring. The movement of ethanol molecules can cause Na+ ions to be transported towards the eight-membered ring, hindering the passage of ethanol through the channel. In contrast, the energy barrier for water molecules passing through the channel occupied by Na+ ions is significantly lower, leading to a high level of selectivity for ethanol-water separation.

The cAMP Receptor Protein (CRP) of Vibrio mimicus Regulates Its Bacterial Growth, Type II Secretion System, Flagellum Formation, Adhesion Genes, and Virulence

Vibrio mimicus is a serious pathogen in aquatic animals, resulting in significant economic losses. The cAMP receptor protein (CRP) often acts as a central regulator in highly pathogenic pathogens. V. mimicus SCCF01 is a highly pathogenic strain isolated from yellow catfish; the crp gene deletion strain (Δcrp) was constructed by natural transformation to determine whether this deletion affects the virulence phenotypes. Their potential molecular connections were revealed by qRT-PCR analysis. Our results showed that the absence of the crp gene resulted in bacterial and colony morphological changes alongside decreases in bacterial growth, hemolytic activity, biofilm formation, enzymatic activity, motility, and cell adhesion. A cell cytotoxicity assay and animal experiments confirmed that crp contributes to V. mimicus pathogenicity, as the LD50 of the Δcrp strain was 73.1-fold lower compared to the WT strain. Moreover, qRT-PCR analysis revealed the inhibition of type II secretion system genes, flagellum genes, adhesion genes, and metalloproteinase genes in the deletion strain. This resulted in the virulence phenotype differences described above. Together, these data demonstrate that the crp gene plays a core regulatory role in V. mimicus virulence and pathogenicity.

Progress in Anode Stability Improvement for Seawater Electrolysis to Produce Hydrogen

Seawater electrolysis for hydrogen production is a sustainable and economical approach that can mitigate the energy crisis and global warming issues. Although various catalysts/electrodes with excellent activities have been developed for high-efficiency seawater electrolysis, their unsatisfactory durability, especially for anodes, severely impedes their industrial applications. In this review, attention is paid to the factors that affect the stability of anodes and the corresponding strategies for designing catalytic materials to prolong the anode's lifetime. In addition, two important aspects-electrolyte optimization and electrolyzer design-with respect to anode stability improvement are summarized. Furthermore, several methods for rapid stability assessment are proposed for the fast screening of both highly active and stable catalysts/electrodes. Finally, perspectives on future investigations aimed at improving the stability of seawater electrolysis systems are outlined.

The Recent Progresses of Electrodes and Electrolysers for Seawater Electrolysis

The utilization of renewable energy for hydrogen production presents a promising pathway towards achieving carbon neutrality in energy consumption. Water electrolysis, utilizing pure water, has proven to be a robust technology for clean hydrogen production. Recently, seawater electrolysis has emerged as an attractive alternative due to the limitations of deep-sea regions imposed by the transmission capacity of long-distance undersea cables. However, seawater electrolysis faces several challenges, including the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the competing chlorine evolution reaction (CER) processes, electrode degradation caused by chloride ions, and the formation of precipitates on the cathode. The electrode and catalyst materials are corroded by the Cl- under long-term operations. Numerous efforts have been made to address these issues arising from impurities in the seawater. This review focuses on recent progress in developing high-performance electrodes and electrolyser designs for efficient seawater electrolysis. Its aim is to provide a systematic and insightful introduction and discussion on seawater electrolysers and electrodes with the hope of promoting the utilization of offshore renewable energy sources through seawater electrolysis.

Transcriptome reveals the role of the htpG gene in mediating antibiotic resistance through cell envelope modulation in Vibrio mimicus SCCF01

HtpG, a bacterial homolog of the eukaryotic 90 kDa heat-shock protein (Hsp90), represents the simplest member of the heat shock protein family. While the significance of Hsp90 in fungal and cancer drug resistance has been confirmed, the role of HtpG in bacterial antibiotic resistance remains largely unexplored. This research aims to investigate the impact of the htpG gene on antibiotic resistance in Vibrio mimicus. Through the creation of htpG gene deletion and complementation strains, we have uncovered the essential role of htpG in regulating the structural integrity of the bacterial cell envelope. Our transcriptomics analysis demonstrates that the deletion of htpG increases the sensitivity of V. mimicus to antimicrobial peptides, primarily due to upregulated lipopolysaccharide synthesis, reduced glycerophospholipid content, and weakened efflux pumps activity. Conversely, reduced sensitivity to β-lactam antibiotics in the ΔhtpG strain results from decreased peptidoglycan synthesis and dysregulated peptidoglycan recycling and regulation. Further exploration of specific pathway components is essential for a comprehensive understanding of htpG-mediated resistance mechanisms, aiding in the development of antimicrobial agents. To our knowledge, this is the first effort to explore the relationship between htpG and drug resistance in bacteria.

Ag Nanoparticle-Induced Surface Chloride Immobilization Strategy Enables Stable Seawater Electrolysis

Although hydrogen gas (H2 ) storage might enable offshore renewable energy to be stored at scale, the commercialization of technology for H2 generation by seawater electrolysis depends upon the development of methods that avoid the severe corrosion of anodes by chloride (Cl- ) ions. Here, it is revealed that the stability of an anode used for seawater splitting can be increased by more than an order of magnitude by loading Ag nanoparticles on the catalyst surface. In experiments, an optimized NiFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH)@Ag electrode displays stable operation at 400 mA cm-2 in alkaline saline electrolyte and seawater for over 5000 and 2500 h, respectively. The impressive long-term durability is more than 20 times that of an unmodified NiFe-LDH anode. Meticulous characterization and simulation reveals that in the presence of an applied electric field, free Cl- ions react with oxidized Ag nanoparticles to form stable AgCl species, giving rise to the formation of a Cl- -free layer near the anode surface. Because of its simplicity and effectiveness, it is anticipated that the proposed strategy to immobilize chloride ions on the surface of an anode has the potential to become a crucial technology to control corrosion during large-scale electrolysis of seawater to produce hydrogen.

[Advances in the application of prosthetic reconstruction after tumor resection of the distal tibia:a systematic review]

The limited coverage of soft tissue and complex biomechanical factors make resection and reconstruction of distal tibial tumors extremely challenging. Megaprosthesis can provide good mechanical strength for tumor en bloc resection, but there are many postoperative complications, and the problems of insufficient soft tissue coverage and postoperative ankle instability must be solved. The development of three-dimensional digital technology may provide a new treatment strategy for distal tibial reconstruction. Compared to ankle joint preservation endoprostheses, the rapid osseointegration effect of three dimensional-printed megaprosthesis with ankle arthrodesis provides better ankle joint stability and postoperative function. In addition, the three dimensional-printed megaprosthesis may improve complications such as insufficient soft tissue coverage and talus collapse by reducing the circumference of the prosthesis and matching it with the talus through personalized design. Of course, there are few research reports on distal tibial prostheses, and the safety of three dimensional-printed megaprosthesis with ankle arthrodesis needs to be confirmed through extensive long-term follow-up studies. The selection of proximal and distal fixation methods for prostheses needs to be explored in future research.

[Application effects of 3D visualization reconstruction technique in pheochromocytoma/ paraganglioma surgery]

To investigate the value of 3D visualization reconstruction technology in pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma surgery.The clinical data of 87 patients with pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma admitted to the Department of Urology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2019 and December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, and 3D visualization model reconstruction was performed preoperatively in 47 patients [Group A:males was 24 cases,the age M(Q1, Q3)42.00(30.00, 54.00)]. while the remaining 40 patients [Group B: males was 23 cases,the age M(Q1, Q3) 44.00(30.25, 53.75)] was not. The maximum tumor diameter, operation time, intraoperative bleeding, drain retention time and postoperative hospital stay were compared between the two groups. Surgery was successfully completed in both groups. 37 (78.7%) patients in group A underwent laparoscopic surgery, 7 (14.9%) patients underwent open surgery, and 3 (6.4%) patients underwent laparoscopic-to-open surgery. Thirty-one (77.5%) patients in group B underwent laparoscopic surgery, 5 (12.5%) patients underwent open surgery, and 4 (10.0%) patients underwent laparoscopic to open surgery. There was a difference in the maximum diameter of the tumor between the two groups [(6.09±3.02) cm vs (5.32±1.76) cm, P<0.05], the retention time of the drainage tube was significantly shorter in group A compared with group B [(3.20±1.38) d vs (4.02±1.98) d, P<0.05], and the length of the hospital stay after surgery was significantly shorter [(5.75±2.12) d vs (6.49±3.37) d, P<0.05]. Comparison of operation time and intraoperative bleeding between the two groups showed no statistically significant difference (P>0.05).Two cases of postoperative anemia and one case of pulmonary atelectasis in group B patients improved before discharge. Conclusion when the tumor diameter is>6 cm or has a close relationship with the surrounding organs and blood vessels, the use of 3D visual reconstruction technology can formulate and implement a more accurate and safe surgical plan, shorten the retention time of the drainage tube and postoperative hospitalization time, which is conducive to the patient's postoperative recovery and reduce postoperative complications.

Estimating Potential Benefits of Online Adaptive Proton Therapy for Head-and-Neck Cancer: A Retrospective Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Proton therapy is highly sensitive to anatomical changes and setup variations in head-and-neck (HN) treatments. To address this issue, proton centers often acquire patient CT images weekly to monitor patient anatomical changes during the treatment course and perform offline plan adaptation when needed. However, offline adaptation cannot fully account for daily setup variations or the anatomical changes occurring with high frequency. There are a few groups endeavoring to develop advanced technologies to enable online adaptive proton therapy (APT). However, the necessity of online APT remains controversial, as it is unknown that whether online APT will significantly improve treatment quality and outcomes compared to offline APT. The purpose of this study is to estimate the clinical potential of online APT in the management of HN cancers in relation to the current offline APT.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Our retrospective study was conducted with four HN patients (35 fractions per patient), who had been treated with intensity modulated proton therapy and had offline adaptation once or twice during their treatment courses. Synthetic CT (sCT) images were generated from 140 daily CBCT images for us to recalculate the dose of the treatment plan in patient's actual treatment anatomy for each treatment fraction and adapt the plan when warranted. These adaptations were assumed to be performed online before treatment delivery to mimic an online APT course. Accumulative doses were calculated for both courses using the CBCT-based sCT images of every fraction for us to compare the target coverage, organ at risk (OAR) sparing, tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). An in-house script was developed to semi-automate this process in a commercial treatment planning system to facilitate our study.

RESULTS

All patients would benefit from online APT to different extents. For the first patient, with OAR doses comparable to the actual offline course, the retrospective online APT course improved dose coverages of the three CTVs from 95.2%, 98.64% and 89.53% to 98.88%, 99.81%, 98.97%, which would lead to a 4.52% improvement in TCP. Similarly, online APT would yield a 2.66% improvement in TCP for the second patient. For the third patient, with comparable CTV dose coverages, the mean doses of right parotid and oral cavity were decreased from 29.52 Gy relative biological effectiveness (RBE) and 41.89 Gy RBE to 22.16 Gy RBE and 34.61 Gy RBE, leading to a reduce of 1.67% and 3.40% in NTCP. The mean dose of right parotid was decreased from 21.71 Gy RBE to 19.37 Gy RBE for the last patient, leading to a reduce of 0.73% in NTCP.

CONCLUSION

Our results showed that online APT could better maintain the treatment plan quality than offline APT for all the four patients, despite their significant anatomical changes. Future investigation will focus on collecting more patient data to obtain statistically significant results and help identify the patients to whom the online APT will be of most benefit.

Bibliometric analysis of intestinal microbiota in diabetic nephropathy

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to use bibliometrics to explore the research overview and research hotspots.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The relevant literature on intestinal flora and diabetic nephropathy in the Web of Science Core Collection was sorted out, and VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Scimago Graphica and other software were used to conduct data visualization analysis on the number of publications, countries, institutions, journals, authors, keywords and citations.

RESULTS

A total of 124 relevant literatures were included. From 2015 to 2022, the number of published papers increased every year. The countries, institutions and journals that published the most articles in this field are China, Isfahan University Medical Science and Frontiers in Pharmacology. Liu Bicheng and Mirlohi Maryam are the authors with the most published articles in this field. The main keywords of research in this field are obesity, inflammation, oxidative stress, indoxyl sulfate, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and Chinese herbal medicine.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first bibliometric analysis of diabetic nephropathy and gut microbiota, reporting hot spots and emerging trends. Obesity, inflammation, oxidative stress, indoxyl sulfate, SCFAs and Chinese herbal medicine are the main keywords of current research, and SCFAs and Chinese herbal medicine may be the hotspots of future research.

Dual Atoms (Fe, F) Co-Doping Inducing Electronic Structure Modulation of NiO Hollow Flower-Spheres for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution/Sulfion Oxidation Reaction Performance

Heteroatoms Fe, F co-doped NiO hollow spheres (Fe, F-NiO) are designed, which simultaneously integrate promoted thermodynamics by electronic structure modulation with boosted reaction kinetics by nano-architectonics. Benefiting from the electronic structure co-regulation of Ni sites by introducing Fe and F atoms in NiO , as the rate-determined step (RDS), the Gibbs free energy of OH* intermediates (ΔGOH* ) for Fe, F-NiO catalyst is significantly decreased to 1.87 eV for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) compared with pristine NiO (2.23 eV), which reduces the energy barrier and improves the reaction activity. Besides, densities of states (DOS) result verifies the bandgap of Fe, F-NiO(100) is significantly decreased compared with pristine NiO(100), which is beneficial to promote electrons transfer efficiency in electrochemical system. Profiting by the synergistic effect, the Fe, F-NiO hollow spheres only require the overpotential of 215 mV for OER at 10 mA cm-2 and extraordinary durability under alkaline condition. The assembled Fe, F-NiO||Fe-Ni2 P system only needs 1.51 V to reach 10 mA cm-2 , also exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic durability for continuous operation. More importantly, replacing the sluggish OER by advanced sulfion oxidation reaction (SOR) not only can realize the energy saving H2 production and toxic substances degradation, but also bring additional economic benefits.

Catalpol rescues cognitive deficits by attenuating amyloid β plaques and neuroinflammation

This study sought to investigate the anti-amyloid β (Aβ) and anti-neuroinflammatory effects of catalpol in an Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse model.

METHODS

The effects of catalpol on Aβ formation were investigated by thioflavin T assay. The effect of catalpol on generating inflammatory cytokines from microglial cells and the cytotoxicity of microglial cells on HT22 hippocampal cells were assessed by real-time quantitative PCR, ELISA, redox reactions, and cell viability. APPswe/PS1ΔE9 mice were treated with catalpol, and their cognitive ability was investigated using the water maze and novel object recognition tests. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to probe for protein markers of microglia and astrocyte, Aβ deposits, and NF-κB pathway activity. Aβ peptides, neuroinflammation, and nitric oxide production were examined using ELISA and redox reactions.

RESULTS

Catalpol potently inhibited Aβ fibril and oligomer formation. In microglial cells stimulated by Aβ, catalpol alleviated the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) but promoted the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Catalpol alleviated the cytotoxic effects of Aβ-exposed microglia on HT22 cells. Treatment with catalpol in APPswe/PS1ΔE9 mice downregulated neuroinflammation production, decreased Aβ deposits in the brains and alleviated cognitive impairment. Catalpol treatment decreased the number of IBA-positive microglia and GFAP-positive astrocytes and their activities of the NF-κB pathway in the hippocampus of APPswe/PS1ΔE9 mice.

CONCLUSION

The administration of catalpol protected neurons by preventing neuroinflammation and Aβ deposits in an AD mouse model. Therefore, catalpol may be a promising strategy for treating AD.

Temperature-Mediated Phase Separation Enables Strong yet Reversible Mechanical and Adhesive Hydrogels

Hydrogels with strong yet reversible mechanical and adhesive properties fabricated in a facile and friendly manner are important for engineering and intelligent electronics applications but are challenging to create and control. Existing approaches for preparing hydrogels involve complicated pretreatments and produce hydrogels that suffer from limited skin applicability. Copolymerized hydrogels are expected to present an intriguing target in this field by means of thermoresponsive features, while the perceived intrinsic flaws of brittleness, easy fracture, and weak adhesion enervate the development prospects. Herein, we report a hydrogel with strong yet reversible mechanical and adhesive properties using cellulose nanofibrils to simultaneously address multiple dilemmas inspired by a temperature-mediated phase separation strategy. This strategy applies temperature-driven formation and dissociation of hydrogen bonds between common copolymers and cellulose nanofibrils to trigger the onset and termination of phase separation for dynamically reversible on-demand properties. The resulting hydrogel exhibits up to 96.0% (117.2 J/m² vs 4.8 J/m² for interfacial toughness) and 85.7% (0.02 MPa vs 0.14 MPa for mechanical stiffness) adhesive and mechanical tunability when worked on skin, respectively. Our strategy offers a promising, simple, and efficient way to directly achieve robust adhesion performance in one step using common copolymers and biomass resources, with implications that could go beyond strong yet adhesive hydrogels.

Protein-folding-inspired approach for UF fouling mitigation using elevated membrane cleaning temperature and residual hydrophobic-modified flocculant after flocculation-sedimentation pre-treatment

Hydrophobic-modified flocculants have demonstrated considerable promise in the removal of emerging contaminants by flocculation. However, there is a lack of information about the impacts of dosing such flocculants on the performance of subsequent treatment unit(s) in the overall water treatment process. In this work, inspired by the ubiquitous protein folding phenomenon, an innovative approach using an elevated membrane cleaning temperature as the means to induce residual hydrophobic-modified chitosan flocculant (TRC), after flocculation-sedimentation, to reduce membrane fouling in a subsequent ultrafiltration was proposed; this was evaluated in a continuous flocculation-sedimentation-ultrafiltration (FSUF) process treating samples of the Yangtze River. The hydrophobic chains of TRC had similar temperature-dependent hydrophobicity to those of natural proteins. In the 40-day operation of the FSUF system with combined dosing of alum and TRC, a moderately elevated cleaning water temperature (45 °C) of both backwash with air-bubbling and soaking with sponge-scrubbing cleaning, significantly reduced reversible and irreversible fouling resistance by 49.8%∼61.3% and 73.9%∼83.3%, respectively, compared to the system using cleaning water at 25 °C. Material flow analysis, statistical analysis, instrumental characterizations, and computational simulations, showed that the enhanced fouling mitigation originated from three factors: the reduced contaminant accumulation onto membranes, the strengthened membrane-surface-modification role of TRC, and the weakened structure of the fouling material containing TRC, at the elevated cleaning temperature. Other measures of the performance, these being water purification, membrane stability and economic aspects, also confirmed the potential and feasibility of the proposed approach. This work has provided new insights into the role of hydrophobic-modified flocculants in membrane fouling control, in addition to emerging contaminant removal, in a FSUF surface water treatment process.

[Establishment of leukemia cell model with inducible AML1-ETO expression and its effect on fatty acid metabolism in leukemia cells]

Objective: To investigate the effect of the AML1-ETO (AE) fusion gene on the biological function of U937 leukemia cells by establishing a leukemia cell model that induces AE fusion gene expression. Methods: The doxycycline (Dox) -dependent expression of the AE fusion gene in the U937 cell line (U937-AE) were established using a lentivirus vector system. The Cell Counting Kit 8 methods, including the PI and sidanilide induction, were used to detect cell proliferation, cell cycle-induced differentiation assays, respectively. The effect of the AE fusion gene on the biological function of U937-AE cells was preliminarily explored using transcriptome sequencing and metabonomic sequencing. Results: ①The Dox-dependent Tet-on regulatory system was successfully constructed to regulate the stable AE fusion gene expression in U937-AE cells. ②Cell proliferation slowed down and the cell proliferation rate with AE expression (3.47±0.07) was lower than AE non-expression (3.86 ± 0.05) after inducing the AE fusion gene expression for 24 h (P<0.05). The proportion of cells in the G(0)/G(1) phase in the cell cycle increased, with AE expression [ (63.45±3.10) %) ] was higher than AE non-expression [ (41.36± 9.56) %] (P<0.05). The proportion of cells expressing CD13 and CD14 decreased with the expression of AE. The AE negative group is significantly higher than the AE positive group (P<0.05). ③The enrichment analysis of the transcriptome sequencing gene set revealed significantly enriched quiescence, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, interferon-α/γ, and other inflammatory response and immune regulation signals after AE expression. ④Disorder of fatty acid metabolism of U937-AE cells occurred under the influence of AE. The concentration of the medium and short-chain fatty acid acylcarnitine metabolites decreased in cells with AE expressing, propionyl L-carnitine, wherein those with AE expression (0.46±0.13) were lower than those with AE non-expression (1.00±0.27) (P<0.05). The metabolite concentration of some long-chain fatty acid acylcarnitine increased in cells with AE expressing tetradecanoyl carnitine, wherein those with AE expression (1.26±0.01) were higher than those with AE non-expression (1.00±0.05) (P<0.05) . Conclusion: This study successfully established a leukemia cell model that can induce AE expression. The AE expression blocked the cell cycle and inhibited cell differentiation. The gene sets related to the inflammatory reactions was significantly enriched in U937-AE cells that express AE, and fatty acid metabolism was disordered.

Soluble perinone isomers as electron transport materials for p-i-n perovskite solar cells

We synthesized three soluble perinone isomers as electron transport materials in p-i-n perovskite solar cells. The cis-isomer BBIN-2 possesses higher LUMO level and electron mobility than the trans-isomers. The BBIN-2 devices showed the highest power conversion efficiency of 19.36%, demonstrating the potential of perinone dyes in perovskite solar cells.

[Impact of orthotopic liver transplantation on serum lipid level and growing development in patients with homozygous or compound heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia]

Objective: To investigate the impact of orthotopic liver transplantation on serum lipid and growing development in patients with homozygous (HoFH) or compound heterozygotes (cHeFH) familial hypercholesterolemia. Methods: Patients who were treated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from August 2019 to August 2021, entered the rare disease database and underwent liver transplantation, were included in this single center retrospective cohort study. The height for age Z score (HAZ) and length for age Z score (WAZ) at birth, at the time of transplantation and one year after transplantation were calculated respectively by collecting demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, echocardiography, lipid-lowering treatment, blood lipid level data and donor characteristics data of liver transplantation. The serum cholesterol level and growing development changes before and after liver transplantation were evaluated. Results: A total of five patients with HoFH or cHeFH, including two females, were included in this study. The median age was 10 years (6-22 years). The median follow up duration was 28 months (24-33 months). All HoFH or cHeFH patients in this study received the maximum daily dosage of the lipid-lowering drug combined with low salt and low-fat diet control treatment for at least 3 months before orthotopic liver transplantation. The average level of total cholesterol (TC) decreased by 27% compared with that before treatment, the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) decreased by 21% after 3 months treatment. There was no intervention of lipid-lowering therapy after operation. One month after liver transplantation, the average levels of TC and LDL-C further decreased rapidly by 68% and 76% respectively. One year after liver transplantation, the level of LDL-C decreased from (17.1±1.6)mmol/L without any intervention before transplantation to (3.0±0.7)mmol/L, and remained stable thereafter. In addition, compared with no intervention before liver transplantation, the serum triglyceride (TG) level decreased after the maximum daily dosage of the lipid-lowering drug and low salt and low-fat diet control for 3 months ((1.88±0.27) mmol/L vs. (1.12±0.55)mmol/L, P=0.031), and the HDL-C level also decreased significantly ((1.95±0.49)mmol/L vs. (0.95±0.30)mmol/L, P=0.006) at the same time period. TG and HDL-C remained stable after liver transplantation during the 24-month follow-up period (P>0.05). One and two years after liver transplantation, there was no significant difference in height and weight, malnutrition and growth retardation between the patients in this cohort and Chinese children of the same age. Conclusion: Early liver transplantation is a feasible and effective treatment option for HoFH or cHeFH patients with extremely high serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

[Establishment and evaluation of a method for phages enrichment by ferric trichloride-polyvinylidene fluoride membrane filter]

Objective: To establish and evaluate a method of enriching bacteriophages in natural water based on ferric trichloride-polyvinylidene fluoride (FeCl₃-PVDF)membrane filter. Methods: Based on the principle of flocculation concentration, the method of recovering bacteriophage from water sample was established by using iron ion flocculation combined with membrane filter. The titer of phage was determined by Agar double layer method. The recovery efficiency of phage was detected by phage fluorescence staining and real-time fluorescence PCR reaction. Water samples from different sources were collected for simulation experiment to evaluate the enrichment effect. At the same time, the sewage discharged from hospitals was taken as the actual water sample, and the common clinical drug-resistant bacteria were used as the host indicator bacteria to further analyze the enrichment effect of FeCl₃-PVDF membrane filter rapid enrichment method on the bacteriophage in natural water samples. Results: The method of enrichment of bacteriophages in natural water by iron ion concentration 50 mg/L and PVDF membrane filter was established. The recovery rate of this method for bacteriophage was 93%-100%. Under the multi-functional microscope, it was found that the bacteriophage of the enriched water sample increased significantly and the fluorescence value of the enriched water sample determined by the enzyme labeling instrument was about 13 times as high as that before enrichment. After concentration of the actual water samples from the hospital drainage, the positive rate of bacteriophage isolation in the concentrated group and the non-concentrated group was 23% and 4%, and the fluorescence value in the concentrated group was 2-24 times as high as that of the non-concentrated group. Conclusion: The method of FeCl₃-PVDF membrane filter is a simple, efficient and rapid method for enriching bacteriophages in different water samples.

Enhanced removal of trace pesticides and alleviation of membrane fouling using hydrophobic-modified inorganic-organic hybrid flocculants in the flocculation-sedimentation-ultrafiltration process for surface water treatment

Pesticide concentrations in surface water occasionally exceed regulated values due to seasonal events (rainy season in high intensity agricultural areas) or intermittent discharges (leakage, spillage, or other emergency events). The need to remove pesticide compounds in these situations poses a challenge for drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). In this work, the performance of dosing hydrophobic-modified inorganic-organic hybrid flocculants (HOC-M; lower acute toxicity than corresponding metal salt coagulants; acceptable economic costs when M=Al or Fe; prepared in large-scale quantities), for the removal of four different pesticides (each initial concentration: 0.25 μg/L) from Yangtze River water, and in mitigating membrane fouling, by an integrated flocculation-sedimentation-ultrafiltration (FSUF) process, was evaluated over a period of 40 days; the FSUF is well-established in many DWTPs. The mechanisms underlying the treatment were unveiled by employing a combination of instrumental characterizations, chemical computations, material flow analyses, and statistical analyses. Efficient pesticide removal (80.3%∼94.3%) and membrane fouling reduction (26.6%∼37.3% and 28.3%∼57.6% for reversible and irreversible membrane resistance, respectively) in the FSUF process were achieved by dosing HOC-M, whereas conventional inorganic coagulants were substantially inferior for pesticide removal (< 50%) and displayed more severe fouling development. Hydrophobic association between the pesticides and the hydrophobic organic chain of HOC-M played a predominant role in the improvement in pesticide removal; coexisting particulate/colloid inorganic minerals and natural organic matter with HOC-M adsorbed on the surface, acting as floc building materials, provided sites for the indirect combination of pesticides into flocs. The observed fouling alleviation from dosing HOC-M was ascribed to both the pre-removal of fouling-causing materials in the flocculation-sedimentation prior to UF, and a stable hydrophilization modification effect of residual HOC-M in the UF unit. The latter effect resulted from a hydrophobic association between the PVDF substrate of the membranes and the hydrophobic organic chains of the HOC-M, causing the hydrophilic ends of the HOC-M to be exposed away from the membrane surface, thereby inhibiting foulant accumulation. This work has not only demonstrated the superior performance of dosing HOC-M in the FSUF process for trace pesticide removal in DWTPs, but also clarified the underlying mechanisms.

The lateral cervical stria approach to selective neck dissection: a preliminary study

BACKGROUND

This study aims to propose a lateral cervical stria approach for selective neck dissection (SND) in patients of early-stage oral malignancies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The lateral cervical stria approach was used in 11 patients undergoing SND between December 2020 and March 2022. The surgical incision was located in submandibular cervical stria, with a length of 5.0 cm. The ipsilateral SND was performed according to the pathological type, covering part or all of I-V levels. Perioperative variables including operation time, blood loss, drainage volume, number of lymph node as well as complications were assessed. The score of appearance using the University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UW-QOL) was recorded 6-month postoperatively.

RESULTS

Direct closure of primary lesion was performed in ten patients and a forearm free flap reconstruction was used in one patient. No wound breakdown or infection was found in all cases. The mean operative time of SND was 157.63±27.39 min. The volume of intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage was 120.45±36.77 ml and 314.09±98.82 ml, respectively. The mean number of retrieved lymph nodes was 17.89±6.03 (ranging from 12 to 31). Postoperative complications included mild static lower lip deviation (n=1), shoulder discomfort (n=1) and mild auricular paraesthesia (n=1). The mean score of appearance was 86.36±13.06, with 100 scores in 5 patients and 75 scores in 6 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The lateral cervical stria approach for SND in early-stage oral malignancies is reliable, achieving to satisfactory functional and aesthetic outcomes.

Toluene Tolerated Li9.88GeP1.96Sb0.04S11.88Cl0.12 Solid Electrolyte toward Ultrathin Membranes for All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries

Sulfide solid electrolyte membranes employed in all-solid-state lithium batteries generally show high thickness and poor chemical stability, which limit the cell-level energy density and cycle life. In this work, Li_9.88GeP_1.96Sb_0.04S_11.88Cl_0.12 solid electrolyte is synthesized with Sb, Cl partial substitution of P, S, possessing excellent toluene tolerance and stability to lithium. The formed SbS₄^3- group in Li_9.88GeP_1.96Sb_0.04S_11.88Cl_0.12 exhibits low adsorption energy and reactivity for toluene molecules, confirmed by first-principles density functional theory calculation. Using toluene as the solvent, ultrathin Li_9.88GeP_1.96Sb_0.04S_11.88Cl_0.12 membranes with adjustable thicknesses can be well prepared by the wet coating method, and an 8 μm thick membrane exhibits an ionic conductivity of 1.9 mS cm^-1 with ultrahigh ionic conductance of 1860 mS and ultralow areal resistance of 0.68 Ω cm^-2 at 25 °C. The obtained LiCoO₂|Li_9.88GeP_1.96Sb_0.04S_11.88Cl_0.12 membrane|Li all-solid-state lithium battery shows an initial reversible capacity of 125.6 mAh g^-1 with a capacity retention of 86.3% after 250 cycles at 0.1 C under 60 °C.

Trial Participation is Not Associated with Better Biochemical Recurrence-free Survival in a Large Cohort of External Beam Radiotherapy-Treated Intermediate- and High-Risk Prostate Cancer Patients

AIMS

There is a widespread belief that outcomes of cancer patients treated within clinical trials might not be representative of the outcomes obtained within standard clinical settings. We sought to investigate the effect of trial participation on biochemical recurrence (BCR) in localised, D'Amico intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer patients treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We relied on a study population treated with EBRT between January 2001 and January 2021 at a single tertiary care centre, stratified according to trial enrolment. Separate Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox regression models tested BCR-free survival at 60 months within intermediate- and high-risk EBRT patients, after adjustment for covariables. Additionally, the analyses were refitted after inverse probability treatment weighting was performed separately for both risk subgroups.

RESULTS

Of 932 eligible patients, 635 (68%) and 297 (32%) had intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer, respectively. Overall, 53% of patients were trial participants. BCR rates were 11 versus 5% (P = 0.27) and 12 versus 14% (P = 0.08) in trial participants versus non-participants for intermediate- and high-risk subgroups, respectively. Differences in patient and clinical characteristics were recorded. Trial participation status failed to reach predictor status in multivariable Cox regression models for BCR in both intermediate-risk (hazard ratio 1.34; 95% confidence interval 0.71-2.49; P = 0.4) and high-risk patients (hazard ratio 1.03; 95% confidence interval 0.45-2.34; P = 0.9). Virtually the same results were recorded in inverse probability treatment weighting cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

Relying on a large cohort of EBRT-treated intermediate- and high-risk patients, no BCR differences were recorded between trial participants and non-participants after accounting for confounders.

Cost-Effective H2 O2 -Regeneration of Powdered Activated Carbon by Isolated Fe Sites

The reuse of powdered activated carbon (PAC) vitally determines the economics and security of the PAC-based adsorption process, while state-of-the-art PAC regeneration technologies are usually unsatisfactory. Here, it is demonstrated that isolated Fe sites anchored on commercial PAC enable fast H₂ O₂ activation to produce Fe-based reactive oxygen species for highly efficient PAC regeneration at room temperature. Taking rhodamine B as a representative pollutant, PAC decorated with isolated Fe sites realize H₂ O₂ based regeneration with negligible adsorption capacity degradation for 10 cycles. Moreover, in terms of the PAC loss rate, this technology is greatly superior to traditional Fenton-based regeneration technology. Further operando experiments and theoretical calculations reveal that the high regeneration performance can be attributed to the isolated HOFeO motifs, which activate H₂ O₂ via a nonradical reaction pathway. These findings provide a very promising strategy toward reducing the cost of H₂ O₂ -based PAC regeneration technology.

[Establishment of patient-derived salivary gland basal cell adenoma organoids]

Objective: To establish an in vitro organoid model of human salivary gland basal cell adenoma (BCA). Methods: Fresh tumor sample from a 66-year-old female patient diagnosed with salivary gland BCA was collected from the Dpartment of Oral pathology, Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in October 2021. And the organoid culture was performed in vitro in a culture medium based on solid droplets of matrix gel, and the growth of the organoid was observed by inverted microscopy. After 14 days, the organoid was fixed in 10% neutral formalin and made into paraffin blocks by agar pre-embedding paraffin embedding method, sectioned. HE staining, morphological observation and immunohistochemical staining of p63, Ki-67, cytokeratin14 (CK14), β-catenin, S-100 and calponin were used for organoids identification. Results: The established BCA organoids were lobulated nodular locally under light microscopy, with deposition of eosinophilic glass-like material around the nests of organoid cells, similar to the morphological architectures of the parental BCA. Immunohistochemistry showed that organoids expressed CK14, p63, and β-catenin in various degree, which was consistent with the immunophenotypic characteristics of the parental BCA tumor cells. Conclusions: An in vitro culture system of BCA organoids was preliminarily established which provides a new model for the study of the pathogenesis of salivary gland tumors.

Atomically Dispersed Dual Metal Sites Boost the Efficiency of Olefins Epoxidation in Tandem with CO2 Cycloaddition

Tandem catalysis provides an economical and energy-efficient process for the production of fine chemicals. In this work, we demonstrate that a rationally synthesized carbon-based catalyst with atomically dispersed dual Fe-Al sites (ADD-Fe-Al) achieves superior catalytic activity for the one-pot oxidative carboxylation of olefins (conversion ∼97%, selectivity ∼91%), where the yield of target product over ADD-Fe-Al is at least 62% higher than that of monometallic counterparts. The kinetic results reveal that the excellent catalytic performance arises from the synergistic effect between Fe (oxidation site) and Al sites (cycloaddition site), where the efficient CO₂ cycloaddition with epoxides in the presence of Al sites (3.91 wt %) positively shifts the oxidation equilibrium to olefin epoxidation over Fe sites (0.89 wt %). This work not only offers an advanced catalyst for oxidative carboxylation of olefins but also opens up an avenue for the rational design of multifunctional catalysts for tandem catalytic reactions in the future.

Dialytic Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Cu-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Gas Separation: Designable MOF-Polymer Interface

We demonstrate a dialytic strategy for the synthesis of congeneric two-dimensional metal-organic framework (2D MOF) nanosheets with a dialysis membrane using 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid (BDC), 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (NDC), and 9,10-anthracenedicarboxylic acid (ADC) as organic linkers and copper(II) as a metal precursor, respectively. Polyimide (PI) membranes containing these empty 2D MOF nanosheets exhibit distinct molecular sieve effects. Molecular dynamic simulation results reveal that the structures of MOF-polymer interfaces are designable by modifying the MOF interlayer distance and aperture size, which has significant influences on gas permeability and selectivity. As a result, Cu-NDC/PI with the moderate composite interface structure shows superior performance toward H₂/CH₄ and CO₂/CH₄ separations with a selectivity of 199 and 63 over Cu-BDC (121 and 53) and Cu-ADC (135 and 54), respectively.

Rapidly reconstructing the active surface of cobalt-based perovskites for alkaline seawater splitting

As a potential oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst, Co-based perovskites have received intensive attention. However, Sr readily accumulates on their surface, and makes them inert toward the OER. Herein, we propose a simple but versatile electrochemical reduction method to reconstruct the active surface of Co-based perovskites within a few seconds. By this method, Sr rapidly precipitates from Co-based perovskites, accompanied by the introduction of Sr and oxygen vacancies. After reconstruction, the electrochemical active surface areas of Co-based perovskites greatly increase, and the OER overpotential of the optimized SrNb_0.1Co_0.7Fe_0.2O_3-δ (ER-SNCF-20s) reaches 278 mV at 10 mA cm^-2. This can be explained by the decrease of overpotentials at the rate-determining step. Using ER-SNCF-20s, the splitting voltage of alkaline natural seawater can reach 1.56 V at 10 mA cm^-2, and remains steady for 300 h. This effort offers a feasible method for reconstructing the active surface of Co-based perovskites.

Rational Design of Smart Metal-Organic Frameworks for Light-Modulated Gas Transport

Smart metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are constructed by introducing stimuli-responsive functional groups into MOF platforms. Through membrane systems containing smart MOFs, external field-modulated gas transport can be achieved, which finds potential applications in chemical engineering. In this work, we design a series of Mg-MOF-74-III-based frameworks functionalized by arylazopyrazole groups. Methyleneamine chains with various lengths are attached to the photoresponsive azopyrazole moiety. Molecular dynamics simulations show that CO₂ diffusion can be remarkably changed by controlling the cis-to-trans isomerization of the functional unit due to the tunable adsorbate-adsorbent and adsorbate-adsorbate interactions of the two states. With the optimal length of the functional chain, the spatial hindrance and adsorbate-adsorbent interaction exhibit a synergetic effect to maximize the stimuli-responsive kinetic separation of N₂ over CO₂. This work provides a promising strategy for elevating smart MOFs' potential in gas separation.

Theoretical study of the effect of coordination environment on the activity of metal macrocyclic complexes as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

Transition metal macrocyclic complexes are appealing catalysts for electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, we perform first-principles calculations to gain a comprehensive understanding on the structure-property relationship of the metal macrocyclic complex systems. Various modifications of the complexes are considered, including centered metal, axial ligand, coordination atom, substituent, and macrocycles. Based on simulation, introduction of appropriate apical ligand can improve the performance of all the three metals, whereas replacement of nitrogen with oxygen or carbon as the coordination atoms may enhance the Ni-centered systems. The antiaromatic ring stabilizes the ∗OOH intermediate, whereas the macrocycle with reduced electron density inhibits the binding with oxygen. By regulating the coordination environment, the overpotential can be significantly reduced. This work may assist the rational design of ORR catalysts and is of great significance for the future development of oxygen reduction catalysts.

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Metal macrocyclic complexes are potential electrocatalysts for ORR

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An understanding on structure-property relationship is gained based on simulation

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Various modifications are considered to improve the performance