Primary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the bladder: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the bladder is a rare non-urothelial tumor of the bladder. The treatment of LCNEC of the bladder is different from that of urothelial carcinoma (UC); therefore, early and accurate diagnosis is particularly important. As LCNEC of the bladder is rare and its clinical symptoms and radiographic features are similar to those of urothelial tumors, the clinical diagnosis of the disease remains challenging. CASE SUMMARY: We report a 72-year-old female patient who presented with gross hematuria for 3 mo. A solitary tumor located in the anterior wall of the bladder was found by cystoscopy. Pathological examination after biopsy suggested UC of the bladder in the absence of immunohistochemical assessment. The patient underwent partial cystectomy and was finally diagnosed with LCNEC (pT2bN0M0) based on the results of postoperative immunohistochemical examination. During the 10-mo follow-up, no signs of tumor recurrence or metastasis were found. CONCLUSION: Immunohistochemical examination is essential for diagnosing LCNEC of the bladder. Accurate diagnosis and multidisciplinary treatment in the early stage of the disease are crucial for improving the prognosis.

Entropy-Dominated Triplet Exciton Emission in Carbon Dots.

Phosphorescence in carbon dots (CDs) from triplet exciton radiative recombination at room temperature has achieved significant advancement. Confinement and nanoconfinement, serving as valuable techniques, are commonly utilized to brighten triplet exciton in CDs, thereby enhancing their phosphorescence. However, a comprehensive and universally applicable physical description of confinement-enhanced phosphorescence is still lacking, despite efforts to understand its underlying nature. In this study, the dominance of entropy is revealed in triplet exciton emission from CDs through the establishment of a microscopic vibration state model. CDs with varying entropy levels are studied, indicating that in a low entropy system, the multi-energy triplet exciton emission in CDs exhibits enhanced brightness, accompanied by a corresponding increase in their lifetimes. The product of lifetime and intensity in CDs serves as a descriptor for their phosphorescence properties. Moreover, an entropy-dependent information variation system based on the CDs is demonstrated. Specifically, in a low-entropy system, information is retained, whereas the corresponding information is erased in a high-entropy system. This work elucidates the underlying physical nature of confinement-enhanced triplet exciton emission, offering a deeper understanding of achieving ultralong phosphorescence in the future.

Engineering Sizable and Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial Fabrics through Hydrogen Bonding Interaction and Electrostatic Interaction.

Long-lasting and highly efficient antibacterial fabrics play a key role in public health occurrences caused by bacterial and viral infections. However, the production of antibacterial fabrics with a large size, highly efficient, and broad-spectrum antibacterial performance remains a great challenge due to the complex processes. Herein, we demonstrate sizable and highly efficient antibacterial fabrics through hydrogen bonding interaction and electrostatic interaction between surface groups of ZnO nanoparticles and fabric fibers. The production process can be carried out at room temperature and achieve a production rate of 300 × 1 m2 within 1 h. Under both visible light and dark conditions, the bactericidal rate against Gram-positive (S. aureus), Gram-negative (E. coli), and multidrug-resistant (MRSA) bacteria can reach an impressive 99.99%. Furthermore, the fabricated ZnO nanoparticle-decorated antibacterial fabrics (ZnO@fabric) show high stability and long-lasting antibacterial performance, making them easy to develop into variable antibacterial blocks for protection suits.

Highly Antibacterial and Antioxidative Carbon Nanodots/Silk Fibroin Films for Fruit Preservation.

The issues of fruit waste and safety resulting from rot have spurred a demand for improved packaging systems. Herein, we present highly antibacterial and antioxidative carbon nanodot/silk fibroin (CD/SF) films for fruit preservation. The films are composed of CDs and SF together with a small amount of glycerol via hydrogen bonding, exhibiting outstanding biosafety, transparency, and stretchability. The films effectively integrate key functionalities (atmosphere control, resistance to food-borne pathogens, and antioxidation properties) and can be manufactured in large sizes (about 20 × 30 cm), boasting a transmission rate of 13 183 cm3/m2·day for oxygen and 2860 g/m2·day for water vapor, favoring the preservation of fresh fruits. A convenient dip-coating method enables in situ fabrication of films with a thickness of approximately 14 µm directly on the fruits' surface providing comprehensive protection. Importantly, the films are washable and biodegradable. This work presents a promising technology to produce multifunctional and eco-friendly antibacterial packaging systems.

Enhanced Phosphorescence of Carbon Nanodots via Double Confinement for 3D Artworks with Long Emission Lifetimes.

Phosphorescent materials as block elements to build artwork incorporating the time and emission, enable them with spectacular lighting effects. In this work, enhanced phosphorescence of carbon nanodots (CNDs) is demonstrated via double confinement strategy, which silica and epoxy resin are used as the first and the second order confinement layer. The multi-confined CNDs show an enhanced phosphorescence quantum yield up to 16.4%, with enduring emission lifetime up to 1.44 s. Delicately, the plasticity of the epoxy resin enables them easily to be designed for 3D artworks with long emission lifetimes in different shapes. The efficient and eco-friendly phosphorescent CNDs may arouse intense interest both in the academic community and markets.

Antibacterial Carbon Dots: Mechanisms, Design, and Applications.

The increase in antibiotic resistance promotes the situation of developing new antibiotics at the forefront, while the development of non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals is equally significant. In the post-antibiotic era, nanomaterials with high antibacterial efficiency and no drug resistance make them attractive candidates for antibacterial materials. Carbon dots (CDs), as a kind of carbon-based zero-dimensional nanomaterial, are attracting much attention for their multifunctional properties. The abundant surface states, tunable photoexcited states, and excellent photo-electron transfer properties make sterilization of CDs feasible and are gradually emerging in the antibacterial field. This review provides comprehensive insights into the recent development of CDs in the antibacterial field. The topics include mechanisms, design, and optimization processes, and their potential practical applications are also highlighted, such as treatment of bacterial infections, against bacterial biofilms, antibacterial surfaces, food preservation, and bacteria imaging and detection. Meanwhile, the challenges and outlook of CDs in the antibacterial field are discussed and proposed.

Paper-Fiber-Activated Triplet Excitons of Carbon Nanodots for Time-Resolved Anti-counterfeiting Signature with Artificial Intelligence Authentication.

The easy-to-imitate character of a personal signature may cause significant economy loss due to the lack of speed and strength information. In this work, we report a time-resolved anti-counterfeiting signature strategy with artificial intelligence (AI) authentication based on the designed luminescent carbon nanodot (CND) ink, whose triplet excitons can be activated by the bonding between the paper fibers and the CNDs. Paper fibers can bond with the CNDs through multiple hydrogen bonds, and the activated triplet excitons release photons for about 13 s; thus, the speed and strength of the signature are recorded through recording the changes in luminescence intensity over time. The background noise from commercial paper fluorescence is completely suppressed, benefiting from the long phosphorescence lifetime of the CNDs. In addition, a reliable AI authentication method with quick response based on a convolutional neural network is developed, and 100% identification accuracy of the signature based on the CND ink is achieved, which is higher than that of the signature with commercial ink (78%). This strategy can also be expanded for painting, calligraphy identification.

Colorful Triplet Excitons in Carbon Nanodots for Time Delay Lighting.

Time delay lighting offers an added period of buffer illumination for human eyes upon switching off the light. Long-lifetime emission from triplet excitons has outstanding potential, but the forbidden transition property due to the Pauli exclusion principle makes them dark, and it stays challenging to develop full-color and bright triplet excitons. Herein, triplet excitons emission from ultraviolet (UV) to near infrared (NIR) in carbon nanodots (CNDs) is achieved by confining multicolor CNDs emitters in NaCNO crystal. NaCNO crystal can isolate the CNDs, triplet excitons quenching caused by the excited state electrons aggregation induced energy transfer is suppressed, and the confinement crystal can furthermore promote phosphorescence of the CNDs by inhibiting the dissipation of the triplet excitons due to non-radiative transition. The phosphorescence from radiative recombination of triplet excitons in the CNDs covers the spectral region from 300 nm (UV) to 800 nm (NIR), the corresponding lifetimes can reach 15.8, 818.0, 239.7, 168.4, 426.4, and 127.6 ms. Furthermore, the eco-friendly luminescent lampshades are designed based on the multicolor phosphorescent CNDs, time delay light-emitting diodes are thus demonstrated. The findings will motivate new opportunities for the development of UV to NIR phosphorescent CNDs and time delay lighting applications.

Ultraviolet phosphorescent carbon nanodots.

Phosphorescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) have generated enormous interest recently, and the CND phosphorescence is usually located in the visible region, while ultraviolet (UV) phosphorescent CNDs have not been reported thus far. Herein, the UV phosphorescence of CNDs was achieved by decreasing conjugation size and in-situ spatial confinement in a NaCNO crystal. The electron transition from the px to the sp2 orbit of the N atoms within the CNDs can generate one-unit orbital angular momentum, providing a driving force for the triplet excitons population of the CNDs. The confinement caused by the NaCNO crystal reduces the energy dissipation paths of the generated triplet excitons. By further tailoring the size of the CNDs, the phosphorescence wavelength can be tuned to 348 nm, and the room temperature lifetime of the CNDs can reach 15.8 ms. As a demonstration, the UV phosphorescent CNDs were used for inactivating gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria through the emission of their high-energy photons over a long duration, and the resulting antibacterial efficiency reached over 99.9%. This work provides a rational design strategy for UV phosphorescent CNDs and demonstrates their novel antibacterial applications.

Brighten Triplet Excitons of Carbon Nanodots for Multicolor Phosphorescence Films.

Triplet excitons usually do not emit light under ambient conditions due to the spin-forbidden transition rule, thus they are called dark excitons. Herein, triplet excitons in carbon nanodots (CNDs) are brightened by embedding the CNDs into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films; flexible multicolor phosphorescence films are thus demonstrated. PVA chains can isolate the CNDs, and excited state electron or energy transfer induced triplet exciton quenching is thus reduced; while the formed hydrogen bonds between the CNDs and PVA can restrict vibration/rotation of the CNDs, thus further protecting the triplet excitons from nonradiative recombination. The lifetimes of the flexible multicolor phosphorescence films can reach 567, 1387, 726, and 311 ms, and the longest-lasting phosphorescence film can be observed by naked eyes for nearly 15 s even after bending 5000 times. The phosphorescence films can be processed into various patterns, and a dynamic optical signature concept has been proposed and demonstrated based on the phosphorescence films.

Phosphorescent Carbon-Nanodots-Assisted Förster Resonant Energy Transfer for Achieving Red Afterglow in an Aqueous Solution.

Water-soluble red afterglow imaging agents based on ecofriendly nanomaterials have potential application in time-gated afterglow bioimaging due to their larger penetration depth and nondurable excitation. Herein, red afterglow imaging agents consisted of Rhodamine B (RhB) and carbon nanodots (CNDs) have been designed and demonstrated. In these agents, CNDs act as energy donors, and RhB acts as an energy acceptor. Both of them are confined into a hydrophilic silica shell to form a CNDs-RhB@silica nanocomposite. The phosphorescence emission spectrum of the CNDs and the absorption spectrum of the RhB match well, and efficient energy transfer from the CNDs to the RhB via Förster resonant energy transfer process can be achieved, with a transfer efficiency can reach 99.2%. Thus, the as-prepared nanocomposite can emit a red afterglow in aqueous solution, and the afterglow spectrum of CNDs-RhB@silica nanocomposite can extend to the first near-infrared window (NIR-I). The luminescence lifetime and afterglow quantum yield (QY) of the CNDs-RhB@silica can reach 0.91 s and 3.56%, respectively, which are the best results in red afterglow region. Time-gated in vivo afterglow imaging has been demonstrated by using the CNDs-RhB@silica as afterglow agents.

Efficient Red/Near-Infrared-Emissive Carbon Nanodots with Multiphoton Excited Upconversion Fluorescence.

Red/near-infrared (NIR) emissive carbon nanodots (CNDs) with photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) of 57% are prepared via an in situ solvent-free carbonization strategy for the first time. 1-Photon and 2-photon cellular imaging is demonstrated by using the CNDs as red/NIR fluorescence agent due to the high PL QY and low biotoxicity. Further study shows that the red/NIR CNDs exhibit multiphoton excited (MPE) upconversion fluorescence under excitation of 800-2000 nm, which involves three NIR windows (NIR-I, 650-950 nm; NIR-II, 1100-1350; NIR-III, 1600-1870 nm). 2-Photon, 3-photon, and 4-photon excited fluorescence of the CNDs under excitation of different wavelengths is achieved. This study develops an in situ solvent-free carbonization method for efficient red/NIR emissive CNDs with MPE upconversion fluorescence, which may push forward the application of the CNDs in bioimaging.

Deep-Ultraviolet Emissive Carbon Nanodots.

Deep-ultraviolet (DUV) emissive carbon nanodots (CNDs) have been designed theoretically and demonstrated experimentally based on the results of first-principles calculations using the density functional theory method. The emission of the CNDs is located in the range from 280 to 300 nm, which coincides well with the results of theoretical calculation results. The photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) of the CNDs is up to 31.6%, and the strong emission of the CNDs originates from core-state (π-π*) carriers' radiative recombination and surface passivation. Benefiting from the core-state emission and surface group passivation, the emission of the CNDs is independent of the excitation wavelength and ambient solvent. DUV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been fabricated based on the DUV emissive CNDs, and the LEDs can be used as the excitation source to excite blue, green, and red CNDs, indicating their potential application in DUV light sources. This work may provide a clue for the designing and realizing of DUV emissive CNDs, thus promising the potential application of CNDs in DUV light-emitting sources.

Fluorescent Nano-Biomass Dots: Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction and Their Application as Nanoprobe for Fe3+ detection.

Biomass as sustainable and renewable resource has been one of the important energy sources for human life. Herein, luminescent nano-biomass dots (NBDs) have been extracted from soybean through ultrasonic method, which endows biomass with fluorescence property. The as-prepared NBDs are amorphous in structure with an average diameter of 2.4 nm and show bright blue fluorescence with a quantum yield of 16.7%. Benefiting from the edible raw materials and heating-free synthesis process, the cytotoxicity test shows that the cell viability still keeps 100% even if the concentration of the NBDs reaches 800 µg/ml, indicating the good biocompatibility of the NBDs. In addition, the fluorescence of the NBDs is very sensitive to Fe3+, which can be used for Fe3+ detection in terms of their health superiority. The limit of detection (LOD) of the proposed sensor was determined as 2.9 µM, which is lower than the maximum allowable level of Fe3+ (5.37 µM) in drinking water.

Effect of puerarin in promoting fatty acid oxidation by increasing mitochondrial oxidative capacity and biogenesis in skeletal muscle in diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is characterized by dyslipidemia and the accumulation of lipids in non-adipose tissue, including skeletal muscle. Puerarin, which is a natural isoflavonoid isolated from the root of the plant Pueraria lobata, has been shown to have antidiabetic activity. However, the lipid-reducing effect of puerarin, in particular in skeletal muscle, has not yet been addressed. METHODS: We examined the effect of puerarin on mitochondrial function and the oxidation of fatty acids in the skeletal muscle of high-fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. RESULTS: Puerarin effectively alleviated dyslipidemia and decreased the accumulation of intramyocellular lipids by upregulating the expression of a range of genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation, the detoxification of reactive oxygen species, and the oxidation of fatty acids in the muscle of diabetic rats. Also, the effect of puerarin on mitochondrial biogenesis might partially involve the function of the µ-opioid receptor. In addition, puerarin decreased the trafficking of fatty acid translocase/CD36 to the plasma membrane to reduce the uptake of fatty acids by myocytes. In vitro studies confirmed that puerarin acted directly on muscle cells to promote the oxidation of fatty acids in insulin-resistant myotubes treated with palmitate. CONCLUSIONS: Puerarin improved the performance of mitochondria in muscle and promoted the oxidation of fatty acids, which thus prevented the accumulation of intramyocellular lipids in diabetic rats. Our findings will be beneficial both for elucidating the mechanism of the antidiabetic activity of puerarin and for promoting the therapeutic potential of puerarin in the treatment of diabetes.

Myricitrin attenuates endothelial cell apoptosis to prevent atherosclerosis: An insight into PI3K/Akt activation and STAT3 signaling pathways.

Blood vessel endothelial dysfunction induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and vasculopathy. The ox-LDL-elicited reactive oxygen species (ROS) release has been assumed to serve a critical function in endothelial damage. Myricitrin (from Myrica cerifera) is a natural antioxidant that has strong anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-nociceptive activities. However, the protective effect of myricitrin on ROS-induced endothelial cell injury and its related molecular mechanisms have never been investigated. This study demonstrates that myricitrin can inhibit ox-LDL-induced endothelial apoptosis and prevent plaque formation at an early stage in an atherosclerotic mouse model. The administration of myricitrin in vivo decreases the thickness of the vascular wall in the aortic arch of ApoE-/- mice. In vitro study shows that ox-LDL-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell apoptosis can be reduced upon receiving myricitrin pre-treatment. Treatment with myricitrin significantly attenuated ox-LDL-induced endothelial cell apoptosis by inhibiting LOX-1 expression and by increasing the activation of the STAT3 and PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathways. At the same time, our result demonstrates that myricitrin treatment optimizes the balance of pro/anti-apoptosis proteins, including Bax, Bad, XIAP, cIAP-2, and survivin. Our study suggests that myricitrin treatment can effectively protect cells from ox-LDL-induced endothelial cell apoptosis, which results in reduced atherosclerotic plaque formation. This result indicates that myricitrin can be used as a drug candidate for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.