Hydrophilic ZnO/C nanocomposites with superior adsorption, photocatalytic, and photo-enhanced antibacterial properties for synergistic water purification.

Owing to the numerous potential applications of ZnO nanomaterials, the development of ZnO-based nanocomposites has become of great scientific interest in various fields. In this paper, we are reporting the fabrication of a series of ZnO/C nanocomposites through a simple "one-pot" calcination method under three different temperatures, 500 ℃, 600 ℃, and 700 ℃, with samples labeled as ZnO/C-500, -600, and -700, respectively. All samples exhibited adsorption capabilities and photon-activated catalytic and antibacterial properties, with the ZnO/C-700 sample showing superior performance among the three. The carbonaceous material in ZnO/C is key to expanding the optical absorption range and improving the charge separation efficiency of ZnO. The remarkable adsorption property of the ZnO/C-700 sample was demonstrated using Congo red dye, and is credited to its good hydrophilicity. It was also found to exhibit the most notable photocatalysis effect due to its high charge transfer efficiency. The hydrophilic ZnO/C-700 sample was also examined for antibacterial effects both in vitro (against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) and in vivo (against MSRA-infected rat wound model), and it was observed to exhibit synergistic killing performance under visible-light irradiation. A possible cleaning mechanism is proposed on the basis of our experimental results. Overall, this work presents a facile way of synthesizing ZnO/C nanocomposites with outstanding adsorption, photocatalysis, and antibacterial properties for the efficient treatment of organic and bacterial contaminants in wastewater.

C-doped ZnO nanocomposites molecularly imprinted photoelectrochemical sensor for ultrasensitive and selective detection of oxytetracycline in milk.

Antibiotic monitoring remains vital to ensure human health and safety in the environment and foods. As the most popular detection method, photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor can achieve rapid and accurate detection of antibiotics with the advantages of high sensitivity, easy-to-preparation process, as well as high selectivity. Herein, an extremely-efficient visible-light responsible ZnO/C nanocomposite was prepared and combined with acetylene black (as an enhanced conductive matrix), and the electron migration efficiency was greatly accelerated. Meanwhile, a molecularly imprinted polymer obtained by electrical agglomeration was conjugated as a specific recognizing site for target. Furthermore, the as-prepared rMIP-PEC sensor showed a low detection limit (8.75 pmol L-1, S/N = 3) in a wide linear detection range of 0.01-1000 nmol L-1 for oxytetracycline (OTC), with excellent selectivity and long-term stability. Our work shed light on applying C-doped ZnO semiconductor and molecularly imprinted polymer as photoelectric active sensing materials for rapid and accurate analysis of antibiotics in foods and environment.

A dual aperture (mesoporous and macroporous) system loaded with cell-free fat extract to optimize bone regeneration microenvironment.

Injured bone regeneration requires a systemically and carefully orchestrated series of events involving inflammation, angiogenesis, and osteogenesis. Thus, we designed a multifunctional cell-supporting and drug-retarding dual-pore system: cell-free fat extract (Ceffe)-mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN)@poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) (Ceffe-MSN@PLGA) to mimic the developmental spatial structure, the microenvironment of bone regeneration and integration during injured bone regeneration. In this system, a macroporous scaffold (pore size 200-250 µm) of PLGA is combined with mesoporous MSN (pore size 2-50 nm), aiming at realizing the slow release of Ceffe. Besides, PLGA and MSN are used to recruit the temporary support of cells that are able to degrade simultaneously with bone regeneration and provide space for bone tissue regeneration. And the Ceffe isolated from fresh human adipose tissue has a therapeutic effect in regulating the important functions of early inflammatory cell transformation, neovascularization and eventual osteogenic differentiation. Our results suggest that the mesoporous and macroporous Ceffe-MSN@PLGA system represents a promising strategy to better fit the regeneration of injured bone tissue.

Fabricating Dual-Functional Plasmonic-Magnetic Au@MgFe2O4 Nanohybrids for Photothermal Therapy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Bifunctional nanohybrids possessing both plasmonic and magnetic functionalities are of great interest for biomedical applications owing to their capability for simultaneous therapy and diagnostics. Herein, we fabricate a core-shell structured plasmonic-magnetic nanocomposite system that can serve as a dual-functional agent due to its combined photothermal therapeutic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) functions. The photothermal activity of the hybrid is attributed to its plasmonic Au core, which is capable of absorbing near-infrared (NIR) light and converting it into heat. Meanwhile, the magnetic MgFe2O4 shell exerts its ability to act as a MRI contrast agent. Our in vivo studies using tumor-bearing mice demonstrated the nanohybrids' excellent photothermal and MRI properties. As a photothermal therapeutic agent, the nanohybrids were able to dramatically shrink solid tumors in mice through NIR-induced hyperthermia. As T 2-weighted MRI contrast agents, the nanohybrids were found capable of substantially reducing the MRI signal intensity of the tumor region at 10 min postinjection. With their dual plasmonic-magnetic functionality, these Au@MgFe2O4 nanohybrids hold great promise not only in the biomedical field but also in the areas of catalysis and optical sensing.

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence and mutations of the laryngeal cancer model inbred nude rat strain.

In the present work, we undertook the complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of an important laryngeal cancer model inbred rat strain for the first time. The total length of the mitogenome was 16,308 bp. It harbored 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and one non-coding control region (D-loop region). The mutation events were also reported.