Multicomponent nickel-molybdenum-tungsten-based nanorods for stable and efficient alkaline seawater splitting.

The electrolysis of seawater for hydrogen production holds promise as a sustainable technology for energy generation. Developing water-splitting catalysts with low overpotential and stable operation in seawater is essential. In this study, we employed a hydrothermal method to synthesize NiMoWOX microrods (NiMoWOX@NF). Subsequently, an annealing process yielded a composite N-doped carbon-coated Ni3N/MoO2/WO2 nanorods (NC@Ni3N/MoO2/WO2@NF), preserving the ultrahigh-specific surface area of the original structure. A two-electrode electrolytic cell was assembled using NC@Ni3N/MoO2/WO2@NF as the cathode and NiMoWOX@NF as the anode, demonstrating exceptional performance in seawater splitting. The cell operated at a voltage of 1.51 V with a current density of 100 mA·cm-2 in an alkaline seawater solution. Furthermore, the NC@Ni3N/MoO2/WO2@NF || NiMoWOX@NF electrolytic cell exhibited remarkable stability, running continuously for over 120 h at a current of 1100 mA·cm-2 without any observable delay. These experimental results are corroborated by density functional theory calculations. The NC@Ni3N/MoO2/WO2@NF || NiMoWOX@NF electrolyzer emerges as a promising option for industrial-scale hydrogen production through seawater electrolysis.

π-π Interaction-Induced Organic Long-wavelength Room-Temperature Phosphorescence for In Vivo Atherosclerotic Plaque Imaging.

Room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials have great potential for in vivo imaging because they can circumvent the autofluorescence of biological tissues. In this study, a class of organic-doped long-wavelength (≈600 nm) RTP materials with benzo[c][1,2,5] thiadiazole as a guest was constructed. Both host and guest molecules have simple structures and can be directly purchased commercially at a low cost. Owing to the long phosphorescence wavelength of the doping system, it exhibited good tissue penetration (10 mm). Notably, these RTP nanoparticles were successfully used to image atherosclerotic plaques, with a signal-to-background ratio (SBR) of 44.52. This study provides a new approach for constructing inexpensive red organic phosphorescent materials and a new method for imaging cardiovascular diseases using these materials.

Endoplasmic Reticulum-Targeting AIE Photosensitizers to Boost Immunogenic Cell Death for Immunotherapy of Bladder Carcinoma.

Bladder cancer is characterized by high rates of recurrence and multifocality. Immunogenic cell death (ICD) of cancer cells has emerged as a promising strategy to improve the immunogenicity of tumor cells for enhanced cancer immunotherapy. Although photosensitizer-based photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been validated as capable of inducing ICD in cancer cells, the photosensitizers with a sufficient ICD induction ability are still rare, and there have been few reports on the development of advanced photosensitizers to strongly evoke the ICD of bladder cancer cells for eliciting potent antitumor immune responses and eradicating bladder carcinoma in situ. In this work, we have synthesized a new kind of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-targeting aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer (named DPASCP-Tos), which could effectively anchor to the cellular ER and trigger focused reactive oxygen species (ROS) production within the ER, thereby boosting ICD in bladder cancer cells. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that bladder cancer cells killed by ER-targeted PDT could serve as a therapeutic cancer vaccine to elicit a strong antitumor immunity. Prophylactic vaccination of the bladder cancer cells killed by DPASCP-Tos under light irradiation promoted the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and the expansion of tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in vivo and protected mice from subsequent in situ bladder tumor rechallenge and extended animal survival. In summary, the ER-targeted AIEgens developed here significantly amplified the ICD of bladder cells through focused ROS-based ER oxidative stress and transformed bladder cancer cells into the therapeutic vaccine to enhance immunogenicity against orthotopic bladder cancer, providing valuable insights for bladder carcinoma treatment.

Interfacial engineering of CoP/CoS2 heterostructure for efficiently electrocatalytic pH-universal hydrogen production.

The design and development of high-performance, low-cost catalysts with long-term durability are crucial for hydrogen generation from water electrolysis. Interfacial engineering is an appealing strategy to boost the catalytic performance of electrode materials toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, we report a simple phosphidation followed by sulfidation treatment to construct heterogeneous cobalt phosphide-cobalt sulfide nanowire arrays on carbon cloth (CoP/CoS2/CC). When evaluated as catalysts toward the HER, the resultant CoP/CoS2/CC exhibits efficient pH-universal hydrogen production due to the heterostructure, synergistic contribution of CoP and CoS2, and conductive substrate. To attain a current density of 10 mA cm-2, overpotentials of only 111.2, 58.1, and 182.9 mV for CoP/CoS2/CC are required under alkaline, acidic, and neutral conditions, respectively. In particular, the as-prepared CoP/CoS2/CC shows markedly improved HER electroactivity in 1.0 M KOH, even outperforming commercial Pt-C/CC at a current density of >50 mA cm-2. In addition, the self-assembled CoP/CoS2||NiFe layered double hydroxide electrolyzer demonstrates efficient catalytic performance and long-time stability, excelling the benchmark Pt-C||IrO2. These findings indicate an effective pathway for the fabrication of high-performance heterogeneous electrocatalysts for hydrogen production in the future.

Rare Complication of Massive Depigmentation After Postoperative Treatment of Giant Keloid Combined With Strontium-90.

Post-acne keloids have become a serious problem affecting the physical and mental health of adolescents. However, traditional single-treatment methods have a high recurrence rate and are highly susceptible to a variety of complications. Postoperative radiotherapy has rapidly become a popular choice for comprehensive postoperative treatment because of its painlessness, non-invasiveness, convenience, low recurrence rate, and few complications. 1 In the available literature, no serious complications have been reported. Here we introduce a case of keloid after acne with isotope strontium-90 as a comprehensive treatment regimen, which leads to extensive depigmentation in the maxillofacial region. Combined with knowledge of the relevant literature, the mechanisms, types, and timing and dose, and reflect on balancing of recurrence rates and complications to deepen our understanding of the disease.

Skin Mixed Tumor of Right Nose.

Skin mixed tumors are extremely rare clinically, lack characteristic manifestations, and are easily confused with other diseases. An Asian male came to our hospital's cosmetic and plastic surgery department because of a skin mass on the right side of his nose. After unanimous discussion by our doctors, the patient underwent subcutaneous tumor resection under local anesthesia and rotational flap transplantation to treat the disease and improve the shape of the nose. The surgery was a success. The patient was checked regularly, and the sutures were removed 1 week later. The patient's wound was normal after suture removal. During the 5-month follow-up, the patient's right nose showed no recurrence, the appearance was normal, and the scar was not obvious. The patient was satisfied.

Dual-metal-organic-framework derived CoP/MoP hybrid as an efficient electrocatalyst for acidic and alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction.

Searching for efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is significantly desirable and challenging. Herein, N, P co-doped carbon-encapsulated CoP/MoP hybrid (CoP/MoP@NPC) is fabricated using dual-metal-organic-framework (dual-MOF) as precursor by a simple one-step phosphating process. When applied as an electrocatalyst toward the HER, the as-designed CoP/MoP@NPC hybrid shows efficiently catalytic performance with a lower overpotential of 183 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm-2, smaller Tafel slope of 53.3 mV dec-1 as well as long-time stability for 10 h in 0.5 M H2SO4 owing to the distinctive component and structural advantages. Furthermore, the electrode material also displays enhanced electrocatalytic HER activity in alkaline media. Importantly, this work provides an effective and feasible route for the construction of bimetallic phosphide electrocatalysts toward hydrogen production.

Double-Cavity Nor-Seco-Cucurbit[10]uril Enables Efficient and Rapid Separation of Pyridine from Mixtures of Toluene, Benzene, and Pyridine.

Benzene, toluene and pyridine are widely used as essential raw materials in industry and laboratory research, with stringent purity requirements. Herein, we show that solid double-cavity host nor-seco-cucurbit[10]uril (ns-Q[10]) functions as an efficient adsorption separator for pyridine; benzene and toluene can be obtained in >99.9 % purity by this method. Thermal removal of pyridine from ns-Q[10]⋅Py2 allows 10 separation cycles without erosion of performance. The geometry of the ns-Q[10]⋅Py2 ternary complex was established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The ns-Q[10] cage facilitates the removal of pyridine from toluene and benzene, with >99.9 % purity for the separated compounds.

Silver decorated nickel-cobalt (oxy)hydroxides fabricated via surface reconstruction engineering for boosted electrocatalytic oxygen evolution and urea oxidation.

Electrochemical water splitting is considered to be a promising renewable hydrogen generation technology but is significantly limited by the kinetically sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode. Herein, a silver nanoparticle decorated nickel-cobalt (oxy)hydroxide composite is fabricated on nickel foam (Ag@NiCo(OH)x/NF) via electrodeposition followed by spontaneous redox reaction. Benefitting from the synergetic contributions of an amorphous/crystalline phase, abundant artificial heterointerfaces, and a 3D porous architecture, the as-designed Ag@NiCo(OH)x/NF shows substantially enhanced electrocatalytic performance toward the OER and urea oxidation reaction. Impressively, in the urea-assisted alkaline electrolyzer (coupled with commercial Pt/C on NF as the cathode) for hydrogen production, a cell voltage of only 1.49 V is required to deliver a current density of 50 mA cm-2, much lower than that of traditional water splitting (1.69 V). Importantly, this work represents a facile and feasible method to exploit efficient self-supported electrocatalysts toward overall water splitting and urea-rich wastewater purification.

Neuroprotective, Anti-inflammatory Effect of Furanochrome, Visnagin Against Middle Cerebral Ischemia-Induced Rat Model.

In recent years, the medical field had significantly progressed to a greater extent which was evidenced with increased life expectancy and decreased mortality rate. Due to the growth of medical field, numerous communicable diseases are prevented and eradicated, whereas the non-communicable disease incidence has been increased globally. One such non-communicable disease which threatens the global population is stroke. Stroke tends to be the second leading cause of death and disability in older population. In lower- and middle-income countries, increased incidence rate of stroke was also evidenced in younger population which is alarming. Lifestyle changes, poor physical activity, stress, consumption of alcohol, oral contraception, and smoking tend to be the causative agents of stroke. Since thrombus formation is the major pathology of stroke, drugs were targeted to thrombolysis. Currently thrombolytic, antiplatelet, and anticoagulant therapies were given for the stroke patients. But the recovery rate of stroke patients with available drugs is very slow. Hence, it is a need of today to discover a drug with increased recovery rate and decreased or nil side effects. Phytochemicals are the best options to treat such non-communicable chronic diseases. Visnagin is one such compound which is used to regulate blood pressure, treat kidney stones, tumors of bile duct, renal colic, and whooping cough. It possesses anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and cardioprotective properties; it was also proven to treat epileptic seizures. In this study, the anti-ischemic effect of a furanochrome visnagin was assessed in in vivo rat model. Middle cerebral ischemic/reperfusion was induced in healthy male Sprague Dawley rats and treated with different concentrations of visnagin. The neuroprotective effect of visnagin against cerebral ischemia-induced rats was assessed by analyzing the neurological score, brain edema, infract volume, and Evans blue leakage. The anti-inflammatory property of visnagin was assessed by quantifying proinflammatory cytokines in serum and brain tissues of cerebral ischemia-induced rats. Prostaglandin E-2, COX-2, and NFκ-ß were estimated to assess the anti-ischemic effect of visnagin. Histopathological analysis with H&E staining was performed to confirm the neuroprotective effect of visnagin against cerebral ischemia. Our results authentically confirm that visnagin has prevented the inflammation in brain region of cerebral ischemia-induced rats. The neurological scoring and the quantification of PGE-2, COX-2, and NFκ-ß prove the anti-ischemic effect of visnagin. Furthermore, the histopathological analysis of hippocampal region provides evidence to the neuroprotective effect of visnagin against cerebral ischemia. Overall, our study confirms visnagin as a potent alternative drug to treat stroke.

The facile synthesis of FeP/CoP confined in N, P co-doped carbon derived from MOFs for an efficient pH-universal hydrogen evolution reaction.

Electrochemical hydrogen production is greatly limited by the low efficiency, high cost, and poor stability of electrocatalysts. Here, we report a facile one-step method to synthesize nitrogen, phosphorus co-doped carbon encapsulated FeP/CoP derived from dual metal-organic frameworks (FeP/CoP@NPC). Thanks to the synergistic effect of its unique composition and structure, the resultant FeP/CoP@NPC shows excellent catalytic HER performance with low potentials of 198, 286, and 339 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in acidic, neutral, and alkaline media along with remarkable long-time durability, respectively. More importantly, this work provides an efficient strategy for fabricating high-performance and stable pH-universal catalysts toward hydrogen generation.

MOF-derived ruthenium-doped amorphous molybdenum dioxide hybrid for highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline media.

Ruthenium-doped amorphous molybdenum dioxide coupled with a reduced graphene oxide hybrid (Ru-MoO2@PC/rGO) is synthesized using polyoxometalate-based MOFs/GO as a precursor. Benefitting from the synergistic effect of numerous exposed active sites, Ru dopants and the introduction of GO, the designed catalyst shows exceptional electrocatalytic performance toward the HER in alkaline media.

Engineering MoxC nanoparticles confined in N,P-codoped porous carbon hollow spheres for enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction.

N,P-codoped porous carbon hollow nanosphere confining ultrafine molybdenum carbide nanoparticles are designed and prepared through a facile method. By virtue of the distinct composite and structure advantages, the resulting composite shows significantly enhanced electrocatalytic performance toward the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Synergistically enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction by ruthenium nanoparticles dispersed on N-doped carbon hollow nanospheres.

Ultrafine Ru nanoparticles dispersed on 3D N-doped carbon hollow nanospheres were firstly prepared by a feasible templating strategy. Due to the synergistic effect of the unique composite and structure, the resulting nanocomposite as a HER catalyst shows extraordinary electrocatalytic performance, superior to that of commercial Pt-C and most previously reported electrocatalysts.

Substituent-controlled chemoselective synthesis of multi-substituted pyridones via a one-pot three-component cascade reaction.

An efficient and concise one-pot strategy for the synthesis of multisubstituted pyridones via a one-pot three-component cascade reaction catalyzed by Cs2CO3 under solvent-free conditions has been developed. The substituent-controlled chemoselective cycloaddition process involved steps including a Michael addition/ethanol elimination/intermolecular cyclization sequence utilizing anilines, diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate, and diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate. In doing so, various 2-pyridone and 4-pyridone species (41 examples) could be obtained in good to excellent yields.

Ruthenium Nanoparticles Anchored on Graphene Hollow Nanospheres Superior to Platinum for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Media.

The design and construction of highly efficient and stable Pt-free catalysts for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media is extremely desirable. Herein, a novel hybrid of ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles anchored on graphene hollow nanospheres (GHSs) is synthesized by a template-assisted strategy. The combination of ultrafine Ru nanoparticles and hollow spherical support endows the resultant Ru/GHSs an extraordinary catalytic performance with a low overpotential of 24.4 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2, a small Tafel slope of 34.8 mV dec-1, as well as long-term stability in 1.0 M KOH solution, which is, to our knowledge, superior to commercial 20% Pt-C catalyst and most of the state-of-the-art HER electrocatalysts reported. Remarkably, this work provides a new route for the development of other metal-based HER electrocatalysts for energy-related applications.

Confined Molybdenum Phosphide in P-Doped Porous Carbon as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution.

Highly efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) are crucial for electrochemical water splitting, where high-cost and low-abundance Pt-based materials are the benchmark catalysts for HER. Herein, we report the fabrication of MoP nanoparticles confined in P-doped porous carbon (MoP@PC) via a metal-organic framework-assisted route for the first time. Remarkably, due to the synergistic effects of MoP nanocrystals, P dopant, and porous carbon, the resulting MoP@PC composite exhibits superior HER catalytic activity with an onset overpotential of 97 mV, a Tafel slope of 59.3 mV dec-1, and good long-term durability, which compares to those of most reported MoP-based HER catalysts. Most importantly, the work opens a new route in the development of high-performance nonprecious HER electrocatalysts derived from MOFs.

Assembly of Multifold Helical Polyoxometalate-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks as Anode Materials in Lithium-Ion Batteries.

For exploring the multifold helical fabrication of polyoxometalate (POM)-based hybrid compounds, four POM-based crystalline compounds with different meso-helices, H3[Ag27(trz)16(H2O)6][SiW12O40]2·5H2O (1), H[Ag27(trz)16(H2O)4][PW12O40]2·2H2O (2), [Ag23(trz)14(H2O)2][HSiW12O40] (3), and [Ag23(trz)14(H2O)2][PW12O40] (4), were successfully isolated by using the delicate 1,2,3-triazole ligand and silver ions in this work. Crystal analysis reveals that compounds 1 and 2 and compounds 3 and 4 are isomorphous and display 2-/4-fold mixed meso-helices and simple 2-fold meso-helices, respectively. In addition, due to the reversible multielectron redox behavior and electron storage functions of POMs, compounds 1 and 3 were studied as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Compounds 1 and 3 show very high lithiation capacities (1356 and 1140 mAh g-1, respectively) in the initial cycle, which are much higher than those of (NBu4)4[SiW12O40] and commercial graphite at the current density of 100 mA g-1. More importantly, both compounds also show good stable performance after 100 cycles.

High Number of Circulating Tumor Cells Predicts Poor Survival of Cutaneous Melanoma Patients in China.

BACKGROUND Melanoma is an aggressive cancer with complex etiology and poor prognosis. Surgical resection is still the primary treatment of melanoma, but shows limited efficacy in late-stage patients. Additionally, reliable prognostic markers of skin melanoma patients are still lacking. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have shown promise in predicting prognosis of multiple cancers. Evaluating the prognostic value of CTC number in melanoma patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS CTCs were isolated by immunomagnetic capture from 7.5-mL samples of blood from 100 patients with cutaneous melanoma. Baseline CTC number (pre-treatment) and post-treatment CTC number were measured. Baseline CTC number and CTC number alteration were correlated with clinicopathological features and survival. RESULTS Forty-three (43%) patients had more than 6 CTCs, whereas 57 (57%) had 6 cells or less. High baseline CTC count was associated with deep local invasion, lymph node metastasis, and distance metastasis, with P value of 0.003, 0.047, and 0.034, respectively. High baseline CTC count was also correlated with short overall survival time and was considered as an independent prognostic factor (P value=0.012, hazard ratio=2.262). CTC cell alteration was associated with progression-free survival and disease-specific survival (with P values of 0.012 and 0.009, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Baseline CTC count was correlated with adverse pathological features and was predictive of survival in melanoma patients. Alteration of CTC count before and after treatment was an indicator of therapy response and prognosis. Measuring the baseline and post-treatment CTC counts is a powerful tool in monitoring melanoma progression, drug response, and survival.

Highly efficient hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts based on coupled molybdenum phosphide and reduced graphene oxide derived from MOFs.

A coupled hybrid of molybdenum phosphide (MoP) and reduced graphene oxide has been prepared for the first time utilizing Mo-MOFs as precursors through a facile method. The nanocomposite exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance towards the HER, and is one of the best high-performance MoP-based electrocatalysts under acidic conditions reported so far.