Reclaiming Power or Reinforcing Inequities: Exploring Egg Freezing Debates on Social Media.

In China, unmarried women are prohibited from egg freezing despite high demand and declining fertility rates. Within such a context, this article aims to examine public attitudes toward reproduction and egg-freezing on social media, with particular attention paid to how these discussions reflect the multi-level determinants influencing decision-making regarding egg-freezing practices. Within the context of Chinese gender ideology, we conducted a critical discourse analysis of 1,437 Weibo posts discussing egg-freezing. Our analysis identified four significant themes: reconstructing romantic relationships and family structures, conspiracy theories and distrust surrounding assisted reproduction, exposing and challenging reproductive policies within a patriarchal framework, and interconnections and stratification among women. Accentuated by the egg-freezing discourse, we argue that current Chinese women's bodily autonomy is entangled with traditional norms and state control, underscoring the intricate interplay between individual choice and societal dynamics, as well as the ideological contradictions at the intersection of Western technological influence and Chinese societal structures. Furthermore, we illuminate the challenging landscape faced by online feminist movements within such a complex context. Our findings set the stage for shaping future initiatives focused on advancing reproductive justice and empowering fertility choices among Chinese women.

Breaking Taboos in Women's Reproductive Health: The Communication Strategies Used by Top OB/GYN Influencers in Chinese Social Media.

Numerous women struggling with health issues dare not go to the hospital due to the stigmatization of obstetric and gynecological diseases in traditional Chinese culture. Social media provide a platform for women to access health information from experts easily. Guided by the doctor-patient communication model, attribution theory, and destigmatization framework, we sought to understand the topics/diseases covered by top OB/GYN influencers on Weibo and the prevalent functions, language style, responsibility attribution, and destigmatization cues used by them. We also examined how these communication strategies predicted followers' engagement behavior. The results showed that women's childbirth-related issues received the highest exposure in the leading OB/GYN influencers' Weibo posts. Influencers' emphasis on building psychological connectedness with their followers was exhibited in the following communication strategies: avoiding using complex medical terminology, drawing equivalences between the outgroup and ingroup, and providing health information. However, using everyday language, responding to emotions, and removing blame served as the three most influential predictors of followers' engagement. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Purification, Structural Characterization, and Antitumor Activity of a Polysaccharide from Perilla Seeds.

A previous study found that a crude Perilla seed polysaccharide (PFSP) fraction exhibited obviously antitumor activity; however, the structural characterization and antitumor properties of this polysaccharide remain unclear. In this study, the PFSP was extracted and purified via combined column chromatography, and the structure of a single polysaccharide fraction was characterized by methylation, IC, GC-MS, NMR, and AFM. The results demonstrated that the efficient antitumor polysaccharide fraction PFSP-2-1 was screened from PFSP with a relative molecular weight of 8.81 × 106 Da. The primary structure of the PFSP main chain was →1)-Araf-(5→, →1,3)-Galp-(6→, →1)-Galp-(6→, →1,3)-Araf-(5→ and →1)-Xylp-(4→, and that of the side chains was →1)-Arap, →1,3)-Galp-(6→, →1)-Araf and →1)-Glcp-(4→, →1)-Galp-(3→ and →1)-Glcp, leading to a three-dimensional helical structure. CCK-8 experiments revealed that PFSP-2-1 significantly inhibited the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro (p < 0.05), and its inhibitory effect positively correlation with the concentration of PFSP-2-1, and when the concentration of PFSP-2-1 was 1600 µg/mL, it showed the highest inhabitation rate on three hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG-2, Hep3b, and SK-Hep-1), for which the survival rates of HepG-2, Hep3b, and SK-Hep-1 were 53.34%, 70.33%, and 71.06%. This study clearly elucidated the structure and antitumor activity of PFSP-2-1, which lays a theoretical foundation for revealing the molecular mechanism of antitumor activity of Perilla seed polysaccharides and provides an important theoretical basis for the development of high-value Perilla.

Development of a polyurethane-coated thin film solid phase microextraction device for multi-residue monitoring of pesticides in fruit and tea beverages.

A novel solid-phase microextraction device coated with an efficient and cheap thin film of polyurethane was developed for trace determination of 13 widely used pesticides in fruit and tea beverages. A round-shaped polyurethane film covering the bottom of a glass vial was fabricated as the sorbent to exhibit a superior capacity for preconcentrating target compounds and reducing matrix interferences. After optimization of the key parameters including the film type, extraction time, solution pH, ionic strength, desorption solvent, and conditions, this device allowed an efficient adsorption-desorption cycle for the pesticides accomplished in one vial. Coupled with gas chromatography-electron capture detection, the polyurethane-coated thin film microextraction method was successfully established and applied for the analysis of real fruit and tea drinks, showing low limits of detection (0.001-0.015 µg/L), wide linear ranges (1.0-500.0 µg/L, r2  > 0.9931), good relative recoveries (77.2%-106.3%) and negligible matrix effects (86.1%-107.5%) for the target pesticides. The proposed approach revealed strong potential of extending its application by flexibly modifying the type or size of the coating film. This study provides insights into the enrichment of contaminants from complex samples using inexpensive and reusable microextraction devices that can limit the environmental and health impact of the sample preparation protocol.

Combination of polyurethane and polymethyl methacrylate thin films as a microextraction sorbent for rapid adsorption and sensitive determination of neonicotinoid insecticides in fruit juice and tea by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

An economical and effective thin film microextraction (TFME) for simultaneous analysis of ten neonicotinoid insecticides and metabolites in fruit juice and tea, was developed based on the combination of polyurethane (PU) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) films as the sorbent followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The PU/PMMA composite was evidenced to possess rapid adsorption and strong accumulation towards neonicotinoids compared with the films used alone. A series of parameters were optimized, and the agitation mode, film size, ionic strength, desorption solvent and sample pH were found to dominate the microextraction process rather than the extraction temperature, agitation time and sample volume. The thin films are cost effective and efficient for single use analysis, but still can be reused at least 8 times with no significant loss in performance. The ten neonicotinoids were measured with good recoveries (81.1-107.9%), high enrichment factors (up to 135), low limits of detection (0.001-0.1 µg L-1), and wide linearity range (1-500 µg L-1, r2>0.9981) in fruit juice (apple, lemon, and pomegranate) and tea (green tea and black tea) samples. The proposed method was successfully applied to commercial fruit and tea drinks, and no samples were tested positive on target neonicotinoids. The PU/PMMA based TFME has shown great potential as an alternative to exhaustive extraction techniques for routine screening of trace neonicotinoids in fruit juice and tea by simplifying the analytical procedure, shortening the operation time, and lowering the material expense.

Zein Colloidal Particles and Cellulose Nanocrystals Synergistic Stabilization of Pickering Emulsions for Delivery of ß-Carotene.

In this study, we utilized different types of particles to stabilize ß-carotene-loaded Pickering emulsions: spherical hydrophobic zein colloidal particles (ZCPs) (517.3 nm) and rod-shaped hydrophilic cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) (115.2 nm). Either of the particles was incapable of stabilizing Pickering emulsions owing to their inappropriate wettability. When the mass ratio of ZCPs and CNCs was 1:4, the Pickering emulsion showed the best physical and photothermal stability. Compared to the ZCP-stabilized Pickering emulsion (9.29%), the retention rate of ß-carotene in the Pickering emulsion costabilized by ZCPs and CNCs was increased to 60.23% after 28 days of storage at 55 °C. Confocal microscopy and cryoscanning electron microscopy confirmed that different types of particles could form a multilayered structure or induce the formation of an interparticle network. Furthermore, the complexation of ZCPs and CNCs delayed the lipolysis of the emulsion during in vitro digestion. The free fatty acid (FFA) release rate of Pickering emulsions in the small intestinal phase was reduced from 19.46 to 8.73%. Accordingly, the bioaccessibility of ß-carotene in Pickering emulsions ranged from 9.14 to 27.25% through adjusting the mass ratio and addition sequence of distinct particles at the interface. The Pickering emulsion with the novel particle-particle complex interface was designed in foods and pharmaceuticals for purpose of enhanced stability, delayed lipolysis, or sustained nutrient release.

Development of curcumin loaded core-shell zein microparticles stabilized by cellulose nanocrystals and whey protein microgels through interparticle interactions.

Novel multilayered core-shell microparticles were developed to deliver curcumin using positively charged zein microparticles coated with negatively charged cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and positively charged whey protein microgels (WPMs) at pH 4. Different levels of WPMs (0.10%-1.50%, w/v) were utilized to regulate the structure, stability, and in vitro digestion of curcumin loaded zein-CNC core-shell microparticles. The size of zein-CNC-WPM core-shell microparticles ranged from 2087.7 to 2928.2 nm. The electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding were mainly involved in the assembly of the core-shell microparticles through particle-particle interactions. The microstructure of the core-shell microparticles was dependent on the level of the WPM. When its appropriate level was adopted (0.50%-1.00%, w/v), the WPM formed a protective shell for zein-CNC-WPM core-shell microparticles. The retention rate of curcumin in the core-shell microparticles increased by 47.56% and 32.79% during light and thermal treatment, respectively. Excess microgels facilitated the bridging aggregation and formation of a network structure on the particle surface, which further reduced their stability and greatly restricted the curcumin release. The potential of nanosized protein microgels was explored to stabilize and modulate the physicochemical properties of multilayered core-shell microparticles through interparticle interactions.

Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Coupled with Production of Highly Value-Added Organic Chemicals by a Composite Photocatalyst CdIn2 S4 @MIL-53-SO3 Ni1/2.

Photocatalytic water splitting coupled with the production of highly value-added organic chemicals is of significant importance, which represents a very promising pathway for transforming green solar energy into chemical energy. Herein, we report a composite photocatalyst CdIn2 S4 @MIL-53-SO3 Ni1/2 , which is highly efficient on prompting water splitting for the production of H2 in the reduction half-reaction and selective oxidation of organic molecules for the production of highly value-added organic chemicals in the oxidation half-reaction under visible light irradiation. The superior photocatalytic properties of the composite photocatalyst CdIn2 S4 @MIL-53-SO3 Ni1/2 should be ascribed to coating suspended ion catalyst (SIC), consisting of redox-active NiII ions in the anionic pores of coordination network MIL-53-SO3 - , on the surface of photoactive CdIn2 S4 , which endows photogenerated electron-hole pairs separate more efficiently for high rate production of H2 and selective production of highly value-added organic products, demonstrating great potential for practical applications.

Structural design of zein-cellulose nanocrystals core-shell microparticles for delivery of curcumin.

The novel core-shell microparticles were fabricated to deliver curcumin by using hydrophobic zein microparticles as the core and hydrophilic cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as the shell. Different concentrations (0.10-1.50%, w/v) of CNCs were utilized to regulate the microstructure, physicochemical stability, and in vitro digestion of the core-shell microparticles. The size of the microparticles ranged from 1017.3 to 3663.7 nm. Electrostatic attraction and hydrophobic interactions were responsible for the assembly of zein-CNCs core-shell microparticles. The microstructure of the microparticles was dependent on the CNCs level. The retention rate of curcumin in the core-shell microparticles was increased by 76.41% after UV radiation. Furthermore, the rise of CNCs level delayed the release of curcumin from the microparticles in gastrointestinal tract and reduced its bioaccessibility. The potential of utilizing hydrophilic nanoparticles was explored to stabilize hydrophobic microparticles through interparticle interactions, which was useful to develop the novel core-shell microparticles for the application in functional foods.

Passing the framework skeleton and properties of coordination materials onto organic framework materials.

A practically applicable strategy for transforming fragile metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) into highly stable and ordered organic framework materials (OFMs) is developed by replacing the labile coordination bonds in MOFs with stable covalent bonds in OFMs, which exhibit hypothetically approximated topology, porosity and properties of the parent MOFs by merging the advantages of MOFs and porous organic materials, thus providing a general pathway for the synthesis of highly ordered OFMs with merged advantages of MOFs and organic polymers.

Using silicone rubber and polyvinylchloride as equilibrium passive samplers for rapid and sensitive monitoring of pyrethroid insecticides in aquatic environments.

Passive sampling to regularly identify the occurrence of pyrethroid insecticides in urban streams is a crucial work of risk management with respect to intrinsic toxicity of pyrethroids to aquatic organisms. Polymeric films, based on an equilibrium sampling principle, have found increasing use as passive samplers for hydrophobic contaminants. Herein, we investigated two thin-film samplers, namely silicone rubber (SR) and polyvinylchloride (PVC), compatible with a suite of 8 pyrethroids, for measuring freely dissolved concentrations (Cfree) in water. The characteristics of SR and PVC samplers were estimated in terms of equilibrium partitioning coefficients (Kf) with log units of 3.90-4.67 and sampling rates (Rs) of 0.011-0.016 L/h. The parameters were correlated positively with octanol-water partition coefficients of the compounds, whereas independent on water solubility. A strong agreement between Cfree obtained from the two samplers was observed in a range of 0.1-10 µg/L for pyrethroids under laboratory simulated conditions. Both of SR and PVC were confirmed as equilibrium samplers with faster sampling rates of pyrethroids that equilibrated on films within only one week, and higher accumulation at factors of 5.3-12.5 and 1.5-2.4 compared to a performance reference compound (PRC)-preload sampler. Additionally, the comparable results of the two passive sampling methods in multiple field applications indicated that the direct deployment of the two samplers without PRCs calibration can provide reliable assessment of trace concentrations. This study demonstrated the routine utilization of SR and PVC as promising tools for rapid and sensitive in-situ monitoring of pyrethroids, and indicators for the bioavailability against total chemical concentrations in variable aquatic environments.

Suspending Ion Electrocatalysts in Charged Metal-Organic Frameworks to Improve the Conductivity and Selectivity in Electroorganic Synthesis.

Electroorganic synthesis is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional synthetic methods; however, the application of this strategy is heavily hindered by low product selectivity. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit high selectivity in numerous catalytic reactions; however, poor conductivity heavily limits the application of MOFs in electroorganic synthesis. To realize the electrocatalytic application of MOFs in selective electroorganic synthesis, a practically applicable strategy by suspending ion electrocatalysts in charged MOFs is herein reported. This approach could markedly improve the product selectivity in electroorganic synthesis. In the electrocatalytic oxidative self-coupling of benzylamine experiments, the imine product selectivity is markedly improved from 61.3 to 94.9 %, when the MOF-based electrocatalyst is used instead of the corresponding homogeneous electrocatalyst under the identical conditions. Therefore, this work opens a new route to improve the product selectivity in electroorganic synthesis.