Comparative effectiveness and safety of six antibiotics in treating MRSA infections: A network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study conducted a network meta-analysis comparing linezolid, teicoplanin, daptomycin, tigecycline, and ceftaroline fosamil with vancomycin for treating MRSA-related diseases, addressing the lack of comprehensive evaluations in existing research on antibiotic therapy for MRSA infections. METHODS: We systematically searched databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Librar up to August 22, 2023. All eligible randomized controlled trials of the six antibiotics were included in the NMA, and their effectiveness and safety were compared across various MRSA-related diseases. Categorical data were used for the odds ratio (OR), and continuous data were used for mean difference (SMD). The surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) was employed to evaluate the incidence rate. RESULTS: According to SUCRA results, daptomycin was the most effective treatment (73.0%) in bloodstream infections. In pulmonary infections and skin and soft tissue infections, linezolid out-performed other antibiotics in effectiveness rate (90.6% and 86.3%), microbial killing rate (93.3% and 93.1%). Vancomycin showed lower adverse reactions than teicoplanin, with less hepatotoxicity compared to linezolid and tigecycline. Linezolid had higher thrombocytopenia risk but lower nephrotoxicity risk than others. Vancomycin was less effective in microbial killing rates than linezolid across various infections. CONCLUSIONS: The present research suggests that in pulmonary infections and skin and soft tissue infections, linezolid may be a better option for treating MRSA-related diseases. However, caution is warranted due to the association of linezolid with thrombocytopenia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Our study protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of SystematicReviews (PROSPERO); Registration number: CRD42024535142.

Vaporization of perfluorocarbon attenuates sea-water-drowning-induced acute lung injury by deactivating the NLRP3 inflammasomes in canines.

Seawater-drowning-induced acute lung injury (SD-ALI) is a life-threatening disorder characterized by increased alveolar-capillary permeability, an excessive inflammatory response, and refractory hypoxemia. Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are biocompatible compounds that are chemically and biologically inert and lack toxicity as oxygen carriers, which could reduce lung injury in vitro and in vivo. The aim of our study was to explore whether the vaporization of PFCs could reduce the severity of SD-ALI in canines and investigate the underlying mechanisms. Eighteen beagle dogs were randomly divided into three groups: the seawater drowning (SW), perfluorocarbon (PFC), and control groups. The dogs in the SW group were intratracheally administered seawater to establish the animal model. The dogs in the PFC group were treated with vaporized PFCs. Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) was performed at 3 h. The blood gas, volume air index (VAI), pathological changes, and wet-to-dry (W/D) lung tissue ratios were assessed. The expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF1), and NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes was determined by means of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunological histological chemistry. The SW group showed higher lung injury scores and W/D ratios, and lower VAI compared to the control group, and treatment with PFCs could reverse the change of lung injury score, W/D ratio and VAI. PFCs deactivated NLRP3 inflammasomes and reduced the release of caspase-1, interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and interleukin-18 (IL-18) by enhancing the expression of HO-1 and NRF1. Our results suggest that the vaporization of PFCs could attenuate SD-ALI by deactivating NLRP3 inflammasomes via the HO-1/NRF1 pathway.

Efficient and durable seawater electrolysis with a V2O3-protected catalyst.

The ocean, a vast hydrogen reservoir, holds potential for sustainable energy and water development. Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen production under harsh seawater conditions is challenging. Here, we propose incorporating a protective V2O3 layer to modulate the microcatalytic environment and create in situ dual-active sites consisting of low-loaded Pt and Ni3N. This catalyst demonstrates an ultralow overpotential of 80 mV at 500 mA cm-2, a mass activity 30.86 times higher than Pt-C and maintains at least 500 hours in seawater. Moreover, the assembled anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWE) demonstrate superior activity and durability even under demanding industrial conditions. In situ localized pH analysis elucidates the microcatalytic environmental regulation mechanism of the V2O3 layer. Its role as a Lewis acid layer enables the sequestration of excess OH- ions, mitigate Cl- corrosion, and alkaline earth salt precipitation. Our catalyst protection strategy by using V2O3 presents a promising and cost-effective approach for large-scale sustainable green hydrogen production.

Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Using Metastable Zirconium Suboxide.

Strategies for discovery of high-performance electrocatalysts are important to advance clean energy technologies. Metastable phases such as low temperature or interfacial structures that are difficult to access in bulk may offer such catalytically active surfaces. We report here that the suboxide Zr3O, which is formed at Zr-ZrO2 interfaces but does not appear in the experimental Zr-O phase diagram exhibits outstanding oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance surpassing that of benchmark Pt/C and most transition metal-based catalysts. Addition of Fe3C nanoparticles to give a Zr-Zr3O-Fe3C/NC catalyst (NC = nitrogen-doped carbon) gives a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.914 V, outperforming Pt/C and showing only a 3 mV decrease after 20,000 electrochemical cycles. A zinc-air battery (ZAB) using this cathode material has a high power density of 241.1 mW cm-2 and remains stable for over 50 days of continuous cycling, demonstrating potential for practical applications. Zr3O demonstrates that interfacial or other phases that are difficult to stabilize may offer new directions for the discovery of high-performance electrocatalysts.

Monolayer Vacancy-Induced MXene Memory for Write-Verify-Free Programming.

The fundamental logic states of 1 and 0 in Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) are essential for modern high-speed non-volatile solid-state memories. However, the accumulated storage signal in conventional physical components often leads to data distortion after multiple write operations. This necessitates a write-verify operation to ensure proper values within the 0/1 threshold ranges. In this work, a non-gradual switching memory with two distinct stable resistance levels is introduced, enabled by the asymmetric vertical structure of monolayer vacancy-induced oxidized Ti3C2Tx MXene for efficient carrier trapping and releasing. This non-cumulative resistance effect allows non-volatile memories to attain valid 0/1 logic levels through direct reprogramming, eliminating the need for a write-verify operation. The device exhibits superior performance characteristics, including short write/erase times (100 ns), a large switching ratio (≈3 × 104), long cyclic endurance (>104 cycles), extended retention (>4 × 106 s), and highly resistive stability (>104 continuous write operations). These findings present promising avenues for next-generation resistive memories, offering faster programming speed, exceptional write performance, and streamlined algorithms.

8-OHdG mediates the association of co-exposure to fifty-five typical endocrine-disrupting chemicals with renal function: a cross-section investigation in Southern Chinese adults.

Individual typical endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including organophosphate triesters (OPEs), parabens, triclosan (TCS), bisphenols, benzophenones (BPs), phthalates (PAEs), and synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs), are associated with renal dysfunction. However, the combined effects and underlying mechanisms of mixed EDC exposure on renal function remain unclear. Two hundred ninety-nine adult participants were enrolled in the cross-sectional survey conducted in Guangzhou, China. Urinary levels of 7 OPEs, 6 parabens, TCS, 14 bisphenols, 8 BPs, 15 PAEs, 4 SPAs, and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were determined, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was served as the outcome index. We found elevated levels of diphenyl phosphate (DPP), bisphenol A (BPA), mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP), and mono-butyl phthalate (MBP) showed dose-responsive associations with eGFR decline, However, nonlinear associations were observed for bis(2-butoxyethyl) hydrogen phosphate (BBOEP), TCS, 4-hydroxybenzophenone (HBP), mono-n-pentyl phthalate (MnPP), and mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP). The quantile-based g-computation model demonstrated that a quartile increase in the EDC mixture corresponded to a 0.383-SD decrease (95% CI - 0.658 ~ - 0.108, P = 0.007) in eGFR. Notably, BPA was identified as the primary contributor to this effect. Moreover, 8-OHdG mediated the eGFR decline associated with EDC mixtures with a mediation proportion of 25.49%. A sex-modified effect was also observed (P = 0.004), indicating that exposure to the mixture of EDC was linked to more pronounced renal dysfunction in females. Our novel findings suggest that exposure to a typical mixture of EDCs is associated with renal dysfunction in the general adult population of Southern China. Furthermore, 8-OHdG may play a role in the pathogenesis of EDC mixture-related renal dysfunction.

The effects and potential mechanisms of essential metals on the associations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with blood cell-based inflammation markers.

BACKGROUND: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are well-acknowledged pro-inflammatory chemicals, but their associations with blood cell-based inflammatory biomarkers need further investigation. Moreover, the effects and mechanisms of essential metals on PAH-related inflammation remain poorly understood. OBJECTS: To elucidate the associations of PAHs on inflammatory biomarkers, as well as the effects and mechanisms of essential metals on these associations. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1388 coke oven workers. We analyzed the modification effects of key essential metal(s) on PAHs-inflammatory biomarkers associations. To explore the possible mechanisms from an inflammation perspective, we performed a bioinformatic analysis on the genes of PAHs and essential metals obtained from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) and performed a mediation analysis. RESULTS: We observed associations of PAHs and essential metals with lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) (P < 0.05). PAH mixtures were inversely associated with LMR (ßQGC-index = -0.18, P < 0.001), with 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-Pyr) being the most prominent contributor (weight = 63.37%), whereas a positive association between essential metal mixtures and LMR was observed (ßQGC-index = 0.14, P < 0.001), with tin being the most significant contributor (weight = 51.61%). An inverse association of 1-OH-Pyr with LMR was weakened by increased tin exposure (P < 0.05). The CTD database showed that PAHs and tin compounds co-regulated 22 inflammation-associated genes, but they regulated most genes in opposite directions. Further identified the involvement of oxidative stress and mediation analysis showed that the mediation effect of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) on 1-OH-Pyr-LMR association presented heterogeneity between low and high tin tertile groups (I2 = 37.84%). CONCLUSION: 1-OH-Pyr and tin were significantly associated with LMR. Modification effects indicated that the inverse association of 1-OH-Pyr with LMR was mitigated with an increase in tin. The mediation effect of 8-OHdG on the inverse association of 1-OH-Pyr with LMR may be partially dependent on tin.

Activating Interfacial Electron Redistribution in Lattice-Matched Biphasic Ni3N-Co3N for Energy-Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Production via Coupled Hydrazine Degradation.

The development of high-purity and high-energy-density green hydrogen through water electrolysis holds immense promise, but issues such as electrocatalyst costs and power consumption have hampered its practical application. In this study, we present a promising solution to these challenges through the use of a high-performance bifunctional electrocatalyst for energy-efficient hydrogen production via coupled hydrazine degradation. The biphasic metal nitrides with highly lattice-matched structures are deliberately constructed, forming an enhanced local electric field between the electron-rich Ni3N and electron-deficient Co3N. Additionally, Mn is introduced as an electric field engine to further activate electron redistribution. Our Mn@Ni3N-Co3N/NF bifunctional electrocatalyst achieves industrial-grade current densities of 500 mA cm-2 at 0.49 V without degradation, saving at least 53.3 % energy consumption compared to conventional alkaline water electrolysis. This work will stimulate the further development of metal nitride electrocatalysts and also provide new perspectives on low-cost hydrogen production and environmental protection.

Liamocins overproduction via the two-pH stage fermentation and anti-Aspergillus flavus activity of Massoia lactone.

Aureobasidium melanogenum was found to be grown the best at the constant pH 7.0 and to produce the highest amount of liamocins at the constant pH 3.0. Therefore, the wild type strain A. melanogenum 9-1 and the engineered strain V33 constructed in the laboratory were grown at the constant pH 7.0 for 48 h, then, they were continued to be cultivated at the constant pH 3.0. Under such conditions, A. melanogenum 9-1 produced 36.51 ± 0.55 g L-1 of liamocin and its cell mass was 27.43 ± 0.63 and 6.00 ± 0.11 g L-1 of glucose was left in the finished medium within 168 h while the engineered strain V33 secreted 70.86 ± 2.04 g L-1 of liamocin, its cell mass was 31.63 ± 0.74 g L-1 , 0.16 ± 0.01 g L-1 of glucose was maintained in the finished medium. Then, Massoia lactone was released from the produced liamocins. The released Massoia lactone loaded in the nanoemulsions could be used to actively damage cell wall and cell membrane of both spores and mycelia of Aspergillus flavus, leading to its cell necrosis. Massoia lactone loaded in the nanoemulsions also actively inhibited cell growth of A. flavus, its conidia production and aflatoxin biosynthesis on peanuts, indicating that Massoia lactone loaded in the nanoemulsions had highly potential application in controlling cell growth of A. flavus and aflatoxin biosynthesis in foods and feedstuffs.

Cu-Pt/CrN Fuel Cell Gas Sensor Achieves ppb-Level H2S Detection at Room Temperature.

Fuel cell gas sensors have emerged as promising advanced sensing devices owing to their advantageous features of low power consumption and cost-effectiveness. However, commercially available Pt/C electrodes pose significant challenges in terms of stability and accurate detection of low concentrations of target gases. Here, we introduce an efficient Cu-Pt/CrN-based fuel cell gas sensor, designed specifically for the ultrasensitive detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at room temperature. Compared to the commercial Pt/C sensor, the Cu-Pt/CrN sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity (0.26 µA/ppm), with an increase in the selectivity by a factor of 2.5, and demonstrates good stability over a 2 month period. The enhanced sensing performance can be attributed to the modulation of the electronic arrangement of Pt by Cu, resulting in an augmentation of H2S adsorption. The Cu-Pt/CrN fuel cell gas sensor provides an opportunity for detecting parts per billion-level H2S in various applications.

Chemical Composition, Toxicity, and Repellency of Essential Oils from Three Hedychium Species Against Stored-Product Insects.

Stored products are constantly infested by insects, so finding eco-friendly bioinsecticides for insect management is important. The work aimed to assess the insecticidal and repellent activity of essential oil (EO) from Hedychium glabrum S. Q. Tong, Hedychium coronarium Koen., and Hedychium yunnanense Gagnep. against Tribolium castaneum, Lasioderma serricorne, and Liposcelis bostrychophila. Results showed that 88 chemical components were identified in the extracted Hedychium EOs, indicating that they exhibited diversity in components. According to principal component analysis (PCA), the composition of the EO from the H. yunnanense stem and leaf (EOHYSL) was significantly different from other EOs due to the different organs and species. The biological activity also varied continuously with plant species and organs. Only the EO of H. yunnanense (EOHY) showed strong fumigant toxicity. While in the contact tests, EOHGR showed the strongest toxicity effect on L. bostrychophila, with a LC50 value of 71.76 µg/cm2, which was closest to the positive control (Pyrethrin). All EOs had remarkable repellent activities against the three target insects, and repellency increased with concentration. According to the results of the comprehensive score, EOHY had the highest potential, which ranged from 0.7999 to 0.8689. Thus, Hedychium EOs possess potential biorational traits to be biological insecticides.

Healthy lifestyle and essential metals attenuated association of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with heart rate variability in coke oven workers.

Whether adopting healthy lifestyles and maintaining moderate levels of essential metals could attenuate the reduction of heart rate variability (HRV) related to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure are largely unknown. In this study, we measured urinary metals and PAHs as well as HRV, and constructed a healthy lifestyle score in 1267 coke oven workers. Linear regression models were used to explore the association of healthy lifestyle score and essential metals with HRV, and interaction analysis was performed to investigate the potential interaction between healthy lifestyle score, essential metals, and PAHs on HRV. Mean age of the participants was 41.9 years (84.5% male). Per one point higher healthy lifestyle score was associated with a 2.5% (95% CI, 1.0%-3.9%) higher standard deviation of all normal to normal intervals (SDNN), 2.1% (95% CI, 0.5%-3.6%) higher root mean square of successive differences in adjacent NN intervals (r-MSSD), 4.3% (95% CI, 0.4%-8.2%) higher low frequency, 4.4% (95% CI, 0.2%-8.5%) higher high frequency, and 4.4% (95% CI, 1.2%-7.6%) higher total power, respectively. Urinary level of chromium was positively associated with HRV indices, with the corresponding ß (95% CI) (%) was 5.17 (2.84, 7.50) for SDNN, 4.29 (1.74, 6.84) for r-MSSD, 12.26 (6.08, 18.45) for low frequency, 12.61 (5.87, 19.36) for high frequency, and 11.31 (6.19, 16.43) for total power. Additionally, a significant interaction was found between healthy lifestyle score and urinary total hydroxynaphthalene on SDNN (Pinteraction = 0.04), and higher level of urinary chromium could attenuate the adverse effect of total hydroxynaphthalene level on HRV (all Pinteraction <0.05). Findings of our study suggest adopting healthy lifestyle and maintaining a relatively high level of chromium might attenuate the reduction of HRV related to total hydroxynaphthalene exposure.

Spatiotemporal coupling induced controllable orientation of photonic orbital angular momentum at subwavelength scale.

Recently, the emergence of transverse orbital angular momentum (OAM) as a novel characteristic of light has captured substantial attention, and the significance of adjustable OAM orientation has been underscored due to its pivotal role in the interaction between light and matter. In this work, we introduce a novel approach to manipulate the orientation of photonic OAM at subwavelength scales, leveraging spatiotemporal coupling. By tightly focusing a wavepacket containing dual spatiotemporal vortices and a spatial vortex through a high numerical aperture lens, the emergence of intricate coupling phenomena leads to entangled and intricately twisted vortex tunnels. As a consequence, the orientation of spatial OAM deviates from the conventional light axis. Through theoretical scrutiny, we unveil that the orientation of photonic OAM within the focal field is contingent upon the signs of the topological charges in both spatiotemporal and spatial domains. Additionally, the absolute values of these charges govern the precise orientation of OAM within their respective quadrants. Moreover, augmenting the pulse width of the incident light engenders a more pronounced deflection angle of photonic OAM. By astutely manipulating these physical parameters, unparalleled control over the spatial orientation of OAM becomes achievable. The augmented optical degrees of freedom introduced by this study hold considerable potential across diverse domains, including optical tweezers, spin-orbit angular momentum coupling, and quantum communication.

Probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy for evaluating high-altitude pulmonary edema in canines.

Background: Real-time assessment of high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) remains a challenge. Probe-based confocal laser microscopy (pCLE) allows a real-time in vivo visualization of the alveoli. This study aimed to develop a new non-invasive method for analyzing microscopic images in a canine model of HAPE using pCLE. Materials and methods: This was a prospective, controlled animal study in adult male beagle dogs randomized to control and HAPE groups. The HAPE group was exposed to a high altitude of 6000 m for 48 h. The blood gas levels, lung morphological changes, infectious factors, and lung wet-to-dry ratio were analyzed in different groups. The pCLE images were described based on the volume air index (VAI), which applies an integral over specific signal intensities. Results: The lung wet-to-dry weight ratio and injury scores in the HAPE group were significantly increased compared with those of the control group. The levels of infectious factors interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6 were significantly increased in the HAPE group compared with those in the control group. VAI was significantly decreased in the HAPE group. Conclusion: pCLE is a potential adjudicative bronchoscopic imaging technique for assessing HAPE. VAI may be acquired from quantitative parameters in the analysis of images.

Enhancement of NO2 Gas Sensing Properties of Polypyrrole by Polarization Doping with DBS: Experimental and DFT Studies.

A new technique of polarization doping was adopted to improve NO2 gas sensing properties of the polypyrrole (PPy) sensor. PPy nanosheets polarization doped with sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) were synthesized by low-temperature polymerization. The semiagglomerated PPy nanosheets were well-dispersed and a large specific surface areas due to the introduction of dodecyl benzenesulfonate (DBS). The DBS doped PPy sensor shows excellent NO2 sensing performance. Polarization of sulfonate ions to PPy enhanced the adsorption ability of NO2 with the synergistic effect of NO2. The adsorption energy (-0.676 eV) and electron transfer (0.521 |e|) of PPy to NO2 increased greatly after doping. An unoccupied electron state is observed in the valence band electron structure of PPy/DBS after the adsorption of NO2 by calculations of Density Functional Theory (DFT). The intermolecular synergy between NO2 and PPy/DBS causes a strong polarization, resulting in a high polarization potential, which enhances the NO2 sensing performance of PPy sensor. It is of great significance to develop NO2 detection device based on PPy that works at room temperature.

The Pathogenic Yeast Metschnikowia bicuspidata var. bicuspidata in the Aquacultured Ecosystem and Its Biocontrol.

M. bicuspidata var. bicuspidata is a pathogenic yeast which can affect aquacultured and marine-cultured animals such as brine shrimp, ridgetail white prawn, chinook salmon, giant freshwater prawn, the Chinese mitten crab, marine crab, the mud crab, the mangrove land crab, the Chinese grass shrimp, sea urchins, sea urchins, Daphnia dentifera and even snails, causing a milky disease, and it has caused big economic losses in aquacultural and marine-cultural industries in the past. However, the detailed mechanisms and the reasons for the milky disease in the diseased aquatic animals are still completely unknown. So far, only some antimycotics, killer toxins and Massoia lactone haven been found to be able to actively control and kill its growth. The ecofriendly, green and renewable killer toxins and Massoia lactone have high potential for application in controlling the milky disease.

Effects of organic mulching on moisture and temperature of soil in greenhouse production of tomato under unheated greenhouse cultivation in the cold zone of China.

In the cold zone of China, winter is cold and long and has a short duration of sunshine. Unheated earthen-wall solar greenhouses are used for tomato production in winter in this region. This was an experimental investigation of different organic mulching materials (newspaper, bran, and grass) on the soil temperature, soil moisture, tomato yield, fruit quality, and water use efficiency. Organic mulching variously improved soil temperature, soil moisture, water use efficiency, and tomato yield, which is very important for greenhouse winter cultivation in this cold zone. Organic mulching regulated the soil temperature, with daily soil temperature ranges of bran, newspaper, and grass treatments being 1.6, 1.9, and 2.1°C lower than for bare land, respectively. Compared to bare land, newspaper mulching had little effect on soil temperature and fruit quality, but increased soil moisture (14.1%) and water use efficiency (WUE: WUEb, 31.3%; WUEy, 30.6%), and greatly increased yield (81.8%) and biomass (82.7%); bran mulching greatly increased soil temperature, moisture (16%), and WUE (WUEb, 60.1%; WUEy, 44.3%) and increased biomass (30.2%) and yield (17.3%); grass mulching greatly increased soil temperature and moisture (20.9%) and increased biomass (17.9%), yield (11.2%), and WUE (WUEb, 20.5%; WUEy, 13.6%). In addition, organic mulching had a good water retention effect on soil layer above 30 cm. The total soil water consumption during tomato growth was in the following order: newspaper (103 mm) > bare (74 mm) > grass (73 mm) > bran (60 mm). Soil water consumption mainly occurred in the 0- to 10-cm soil layers.

What is the role of interface in the catalytic elimination of multi-carbon air pollutants?

Multi-carbon air pollutants pose serious hazards to the environment and health, especially soot and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Catalytic oxidation is one of the most effective technologies for eliminating them. The oxidation of soot and most hydrocarbon VOCs begins with C-H (or edge-CH) activation, so this commonality can be targeted to design active sites. Rationally designed interface nanostructures optimize metal-support interactions (MSIs), providing suitable active sites for C-H activation. Meanwhile, the interfacial reactant spillover facilitates the further decomposition of activated intermediates. Thus, rationally exploiting interfacial effects is critical to enhancing catalytic activity. In this review, we analyzed recent advances in the following aspects: I. Understanding of the interface effects and design; II. Optimization of the catalyst-reactant contact, metal-support interface, and MSIs; III. Design of the interfacial composition and perimeter. Based on the analysis of the advances and current status, we provided challenges and opportunities for the rational design of interface nanostructures and interface-related stability. Meanwhile, a critical outlook was given on the interfacial sites of single-atom catalysts (SACs) for specific activation and catalytic selectivity.

Hydrological characteristics of different organic materials mulches.

The study aims to find the properties of three organic mulch varieties and their effects on soil moisture and crop growth. Three organic mulches: newspaper, grass, and bran were selected as the research objects, and were analyzed through double-ring infiltration and water loss tests so that water permeability and water-holding capacity of the three mulching materials could be figured out. The results showed the descending order of the three mulching treatments and non-treatment by the infiltration rate of the soil: newspaper > bare ground > grass > bran. In terms of the water-holding capacity, the three organic mulches can be ranked from high to low as newspaper, grass, and bran; by the cumulative water loss as newspaper, grass, and bran; and by water-retention capacity as bran, grass, and newspaper, respectively. By conducting regression analysis, it is found that the water-holding capacity of the mulches is related to water immersion time and the amount of water absorbed and that there is a significant logarithmic relationship between the amount of water loss and water losing time. The fitting results of the three mulches are good. Besides, a power-function relationship exists between water absorption rate and immersion time, and between water loss rate and water loss time. The water infiltration of the soil under the newspaper mulching treatment is the best, as the newspaper can help to improve soil moisture and weaken surface runoff under flood irrigation and heavy rain. Bran possesses the strongest capacity for water retention, which is beneficial to soil moisture retention in areas where sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation, and light to moderate rain prevail. The research results can provide a basis for improving the moisture-utilization efficiency in farmlands by using organic mulches.

Associations of co-exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals with hyperuricemia risk in Chinese coke oven workers: Mediating roles of oxidative damage.

Ubiquitous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals could induce hyperuricemia and oxidative damage individually, while their co-exposure effects on hyperuricemia risk and the potential roles of oxidative damage in these health outcomes remain poorly understood. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 1379 coke oven workers. We evaluated the levels of PAH-metal exposure and oxidative damage by urinary monohydroxy-PAHs, plasma benzo [a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-albumin (BPDE-Alb) adducts, urinary metals, urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin-F2α, and urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG). The subjects were classified into cases of hyperuricemia and controls by the levels of blood uric acid. We found that the sum of multiple hydroxyphenanthrene (ΣOH-Phe) was robustly associated with the increase in hyperuricemia risk, while rubidium and strontium had robust protective associations with hyperuricemia risk (Ptrend<0.05). The risk association of ΣOH-Phe was weaker in workers with high levels of rubidium and strontium [P for modifying effect (PME) < 0.030]. The protective association of strontium was more pronounced in workers with higher ΣOH-Phe (PME = 0.014). We also found that 8-OH-dG was a risk factor for hyperuricemia (Ptrend = 0.006) and mediated 10.13% of the elevated hyperuricemia risk associated with ΣOH-Phe. Our findings suggested that individual PAHs and metals, as well as their co-exposure, may influence hyperuricemia risk among coke oven workers, with oxidative DNA damage playing a potential mediating role in their associations.