Modular Design of Functional Glucose Monomer and Block Co-Polymer toward Stable Zn Anodes.

Aqueous Zn batteries employing mildly acidic electrolytes have emerged as promising contenders for safe and cost-effective energy storage solutions. Nevertheless, the intrinsic reversibility of the Zn anode becomes a focal concern due to the involvement of acidic electrolyte, which triggers Zn corrosion and facilitates the deposition of insulating byproducts. Moreover, the unregulated growth of Zn over cycling amplifies the risk of internal short-circuiting, primarily induced by the formation of Zn dendrites. In this study, a class of glucose-derived monomers and a block copolymer are synthesized through a building-block assembly strategy, ultimately leading to uncover the optimal polymer structure that suppresses the Zn corrosion while allowing efficient ion conduction with a substantial contribution from cation transport. Leveraging these advancements, remarkable enhancements are achieved in the realm of Zn reversibility, exemplified by a spectrum of performance metrics, including robust cycling stability without voltage overshoot and short-circuiting during 3000 h of cycling, stable operation at a high depth of charge/discharge of 75% and a high current density, >95% Coulombic efficiency over 2000 cycles, successful translation of the anode improvement to full cell performance. These polymer designs offer a transformative path based on the modular synthesis of polymeric coatings toward highly reversible Zn anode.

Multifunctional Reversible Self-Assembled Structures of Cellulose-Derived Phase-Change Nanocrystals.

Owing to advantageous properties attributed to well-organized structures, multifunctional materials with reversible hierarchical and highly ordered arrangement in solid-state assembled structures have drawn tremendous interest. However, such materials rarely exist. Based on the reversible phase transition of phase-change materials (PCMs), phase-change nanocrystals (C18-UCNCs) are presented herein, which are capable of self-assembling into well-ordered hierarchical structures. C18-UCNCs have a core-shell structure consisting of a cellulose crystalline core that retains the basic structure and a soft shell containing octadecyl chains that allow phase transition. The distinct core-shell structure and phase transition of octadecyl chains allow C18-UCNCs to self-assemble into flaky nano/microstructures. These self-assembled C18-UCNCs exhibit efficient thermal transport and light-to-thermal energy conversion, and thus are promising for thermosensitive imaging. Specifically, flaky self-assembled nano/microstructures with manipulable surface morphology, surface wetting, and optical properties are thermoreversible and show thermally induced self-healing properties. By using phase-change nanocrystals as a novel group of PCMs, reversible self-assembled multifunctional materials can be engineered. This study proposes a promising approach for constructing self-assembled hierarchical structures by using phase-change nanocrystals and thereby significantly expands the application of PCMs.

The structure and self-regeneration performance of Salix psammophila-activated carbon modified by Ag and N co-doped TiO2.

In this study, Salix psammophila activated carbon (AC) was modified by immersing it in an AgNO3 solution and coating it with an N-doped TiO2 film to improve its self-regeneration performance in visible light. Ag+ was adsorbed and reduced to Ag nanoparticles by AC. Ti element only existed as Ti4+, and N element was incorporated into TiO2 mainly in the form of interstitial nitrogen. The photodegradation of Ag-N-TiO2-AC (AC coated with Ag and N co-modified TiO2) was enhanced under visible light irradiation because of its three inherent structures: (1) Ag and N co-modified TiO2 had a smaller average crystal size; (2) with a low bandgap (1.59 eV), the photoresponse region of Ag and N co-modified TiO2 was greatly extended; (3) the lifetime of the photogenerated holes was increased. With the increase in the AgNO3 dosage, the Ag-N-TiO2-AC photodegradation increased, while its adsorption decreased. Because of these synergistic effects, 0.05Ag-0.1N-TiO2-AC (where 0.05 is the dosage of AgNO3, g) presented the best self-regeneration performance under visible light irradiation.

[PD-1/PD-L1 expressions in liver tissues of patients with chronic HBV infection].

OBJECTIVE: To detect and compare the PD-1/PD-L1 (programmed death 1/programmed death 1 ligand) expressions in the liver tissues of chronic HBV infection patients in immune tolerant phase and those in immune clearance phase. METHODS: Liver biopsy samples were divided into two groups: 25 samples from patients in immune clearance phase and 19 samples from patients in immune tolerant phase. PD-1/PD-L1 expressions on T lymphocytes in these liver biopsy specimens were detected by immunohistochemistry method. Percentage of PD-1/PD-L1 positive cells among CD3 positive cells was calculated by semi-quantitative evaluation. Differences between the two groups were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: PD-1/PD-L1 expressions were significantly higher in the patients in immune tolerant phase as compared to that in immune active phase (P < 0.05). No statistical difference found between the two groups for PD-L1 expression in Kupffer cells (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: PD-1/PD-L1 expression level can reflect the immune functions of chronic hepatitis B patients.

Glutamine synthetase as an early marker for hepatocellular carcinoma based on proteomic analysis of resected small hepatocellular carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. Because small HCCs possess most of the characteristics of early HCC, we investigated small HCCs to screen potential biomarkers for early diagnosis. METHODS: Proteins were extracted from 10 sets of paired tissue samples from HBV-infected small-HCC patients. The extracted proteins were well resolved by two-dimensional electrophoresis. These HCC-associated proteins were then identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS following image analysis. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to assess glutamine synthetase (GS) and phenazine biosynthesis-like domain-containing protein (PBLD) expression in liver tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in 152 serum samples (from 49 healthy donors, 24 patients with liver cirrhosis, and 79 with HCC) were used to further assess the significance of GS clinically. RESULTS: Fifteen up-regulated and three down-regulated proteins were identified. Western blotting confirmed GS overexpression and decreased PBLD expression in liver tissue. Immunohistochemistry showed that GS was expressed in 70.0% (84/120) of HCCs and 35.8% (43/120) of nontumor tissues; PBLD was expressed in 74.2% (89/120) of nontumor tissues and 40.8% (49/120) of HCCs. The Chi-square test showed significant expression differences between HCCs and adjacent tissues. Consistent with this, serum GS levels in HCC patients were significantly higher than those in liver cirrhosis patients and healthy donors, while the latter two groups were also significantly different. In addition, a diagnostic cutoff value of 2.6 mg/ml was used for GS; it was elevated in 19 (76.0%) of 25 HCC patients with AFP

Gpc-3 is a notable diagnostic, prognostic and a latent targeted therapy marker in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To describe the features of the Gpc-3, explore the significance and value about the role of Gpc-3 in pathological diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODOLOGY: Take an overview of Gpc-3 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma and its expression of the relationship between the clinicopathological features of hepatocellular carcinoma, analysis the expression of Gpc-3 in liver cell adenoma, heterosexual hyperplasia and hepatitis C. RESULTS: The expression of GPC-3 has a certain amount of specificity and sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Gpc-3 is not only a diagnostic and prognostic marker in hepatocellular carcinoma, but also is expected to be an ideal target for the therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

[Expression of intrahepatic CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and distribution of intrahepatic CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in immuno-tolerant and immuno-clearance phase of patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: The expression of FoxP3 was detected in 19 cases of immuno-tolerant phase and 12 cases of immuno-clearance phase by immunohistochemistry. The relation between the intrahepatic expression of FoxP3 and the clinicopathological features were analyzed. RESULTS: The positive signal of FoxP3 is located in nuclear of lymphocyte and mainly aggregated in portal areas as well as occasionally scattered in hepatic sinusoids. The expression of intrahepatic FoxP3 in the group of immuno-tolerant phase was significantly increased than those in normal control (P < 0.01), and greatly decreased than those in immuno-clearance phase (P < 0.01). No correlation was observed among the expression of intrahepatic FoxP3, ALT, levels of HBV DNA, HBeAg positive, in patients of immuno-clearance phase, respectively. There were significant differences between immuno-tolerant phase and immuno-clearance phase age, ALT, TBIL, PTA, HBV-DNA and detection of HBeAg but not in sex and family history of HBV infection. CONCLUSION: CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells may play important roles in the clearance of HBV as well as in liver inflammation and injury during chronic HBV infection.

[The prediction and validation of liver fibrosis by a noninvasive model and validation in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a simple model for the noninvasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B and to testify its diagnostic value. METHODS: One hundred and ninety patients with chronic hepatitis B who had undergone liver biopsy were divided into 2 groups: one for developing the model (n = 110) and one for validation (n= 80). Histological staging of liver fibrosis, assessed blindly and independently by 2 pathologists, was determined according to Scheuer fibrosis score. Twenty markers involved in the study were analyzed initially in the estimation group to derive a predictive model to discriminate the stages of fibrosis. The model created was then assessed with receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. It was also applied to the validation group to test its accuracy. RESULTS: Haptoglobin (HPT), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and platelet were identified by logistic regression analysis as independent factors of fibrosis. A model developed from the above three markers was established to predict the stage of fibrosis(S). In ROC analysis, the area under curve (AUC) for identifying S > or =1, S > or = 2, S > or = 3 and S =4 was 0.832, 0.835, 0.820 and 0.843 respectively. The model had a similar AUC in the validation group without statistically significant difference. Using a cut-off of <0. 18, significant fibrosis (S > or = 2) could be excluded in 27 patients of the total patient population (negative predictive value 90%). Similarly, applying a cut-off > or = 0.70, significant fibrosis could be identified correctly in 67 patients of the total patient population (positive predictive value 82.7%). The model had a high level of diagnostic value in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B as well as in patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (AUC for identifying S > or = 2, 0.857 vs 0.802). Restricting biopsy to patients with intermediate scores ( > or = 0.70 and <0.18) may prevent liver biopsies in 58.4% of the patients while maintaining 84.7% accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: A model including HPT, GGT and platelet is a simple and reliable index for predicting significant fibrosis in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B as well as in patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B.

[Detection of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in liver tissues of fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis after liver and kidney transplantation].

OBJECTIVES: To study the expression and distribution of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) in liver tissues of patients with fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis (FCH) after liver and kidney transplantation and to investigate their roles in the pathogenesis of FCH. METHODS: Liver biopsy specimens from five patients with FCH were studied histopathologically. A specific marker for CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in those specimens was detected with anti-FOXP3 monoclonal antibody by immunohistochemistry. Apoptoses of hepatocytes were detected with in situ apoptosis detection TUNEL kit. RESULTS: Fibrosis in portal and around portal areas, cholestasis in some of the hepatocytes and canaliculi, widespread ballooning and ground-glass appearance of liver cells, and positivity of HBsAg and HBcAg and Pre-S1 protein were seen in the livers of all cases. The positive signal of FOXP3 was located in the cytoplasm of lymphocytes and the positive cells were mainly aggregated in the portal areas as well as occasionally appearing in the hepatic sinusoids. There were many more apoptotic hepatocytes near the portal areas. CONCLUSION: Fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis has specific pathological characteristics which might be caused by high expressions of FOXP3 in liver tissues.

[Pathology of AIDS-related lymphadenopathy and its relationship to expression of CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells in lymphoid node tissue].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the pathology of AIDS-related lymphadenopathy and its relationship to the expression and distribution of CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells in lymphoid node tissue. METHODS: Totally 22 biopsy and 13 autopsy lymphoid node tissues from HIV-positive patients were examined under microscopy and pathological staging was performed. Specific marker for CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells in lymphoid node tissue was detected with anti-Foxp3 monoclonal antibody by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Among all the 35 specimens, 5, 4, 14, and 12 specimens were histopathologically staged from 1 to 4, respectively. FoxP3 were detected in all lymphoid node tissues. The distribution of FoxP3-positive lymphocytes were mainly in intermediate zone of follicle and cortical area in stages 1 and 2. The counts of FoxP3-positive lymphocytes remarkably decreased in stages 3 and 4, following depletion of lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS: CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells exist in lymphoid node tissue of patients with HIV infection. Their amounts decrease or deplete along with the progression of AIDS-related lymphadenopathy.

Influence of HBcAg in liver cell plasma on expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 in liver tissue of low-grade chronic hepatitis B patients.

AIM: To study the influence of HBcAg on the expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) in liver tissue of low-grade chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. METHODS: The expression of TGF-beta1 and HBcAg in liver samples from 93 low-grade CHB patients was detected by immunohistochemistry and valuated by semi-quantitative scoring. RESULTS: In the 93 low-grade CHB patients, HBcAg was expressed in cell plasma but not in the liver tissue. There was no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The expression of TGF-beta1 is not related with HBcAg expressed as plasma type in the tissues of low-grade CHB patients.

[A pathological study on liver tissues of patients with HIV infection].

OBJECTIVE: To study the pathological changes of the liver tissues of patients with HIV infection. METHODS: 14 biopsy and 12 autopsy liver tissues were examined histologically. HIV-1 related antigen of outer membrane protein gp120 and capsid protein p24 were examined with their corresponding monoclonal antibodies by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In the biopsy group, cytomegalic virus (CMV) infection was found in one (1/14) case, outer membrane protein gp120 and/or capsid protein p24 antigen were detected in Kupffer cells and in some of the lymphocytes in 11 cases. All the hepatocytes were negative for outer membrane protein gp120 and capsid protein p24 antigens. In the autopsy group, there were 5 (5/12) cases of liver tissues with CMV infection and 5 cases each with mycobacterium and Toxoplasma gondii infection. Capsid protein p24 was detected in liver tissues in 3 cases. CONCLUSION: There is HIV infection in liver tissue of patients with HIV. The rate of opportunistic infections in liver biopsy samples was lower than that in the autopsy liver tissues of patients with HIV.