A mucoadhesive-to-penetrating nanomotors-in-hydrogel system for urothelium-oriented intravesical drug delivery.

Intravesical therapy (IT) is widely used to tackle various urological diseases. However, its clinical efficacy is decreased by the impermeability of various barriers presented on the bladder luminal surface, including the urinary mucus layer and the densely packed tissue barrier. In this study, we report a mucoadhesive-to-penetrating nanomotors-in-hydrogel system for urothelium-oriented intravesical drug delivery. Upon intravesical instillation, its poloxamer 407 (PLX) hydrogel gelated and adhered to the urothelium to prolong its intravesical retention. The urea afterwards diffused into the hydrogel, thus generating a concentration gradient. Urease-powered membrane nanomotors (UMN) without asymmetric surface engineering could catalyze the urea and migrate down this concentration gradient to deeply and unidirectionally penetrate the urothelial barrier. Moreover, the intravesical hybrid system-delivered gemcitabine could effectively inhibit the bladder tumor growth without inducing any side effect. Therefore, our mucoadhesive-to-penetrating nanomotors-in-hydrogel system could serve as an alternative to IT to meet the clinical need for more efficacious therapeutics for urological diseases.

New clinical insights into the treatment of benign uretero-ileal anastomotic stricture following radical cystectomy and urinary diversion.

BACKGROUND: Benign uretero-ileal anastomotic stricture (UIAS) is a potentially serious complication that can arise after radical cystectomy (RC) and subsequent urinary diversion. To preserve residual renal function and improve prognosis, it is crucial to derive insights from experience and tailor individualized treatment strategies for different patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From October 2014 to June 2021, a total of 47 patients with benign UIAS underwent endoscopic management (n = 19) or reimplantation surgery (n = 28). The basic data, perioperative conditions, and postoperative outcomes of the two groups were compared and analyzed to evaluate efficacy. RESULTS: Comparing preoperative and postoperative clinical efficacy within the same group, the endoscopic group showed no significant differences in creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels before surgery or after extubation (p > 0.05). However, significant differences were observed in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) levels on the affected side before surgery and after extubation (p < 0.05). In contrast, the laparoscopic reimplantation group did not exhibit significant differences in creatinine, BUN, or GFR levels of affected side before surgery and after extubation (p > 0.05). Postoperative clinical efficacy showed no significant difference in creatinine and BUN levels between the two groups (p > 0.05). However, GFR values of affected side in the endoscopic treatment group decreased more than those in the laparoscopic reimplantation group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the laparoscopic reimplantation group was able to remove the single-J tube earlier than the endoscopic treatment group (p < 0.05), had a lower recurrence rate of hydronephrosis after extubation (p < 0.05), and experienced a later onset of hydronephrosis compared to the endoscopic treatment group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on our experience in treating UIAS following RC combined with urinary diversion, laparoscopic reimplantation effectively addresses the issue of UIAS, allowing for the removal of the ureteral stent relatively soon after surgery. This approach maintains long-term ureteral patency, preserves residual renal function, reduces the risk of ureteral restenosis and hydronephrosis, and has demonstrated superior therapeutic outcomes in this study.

Electricity Harvesting from Water Evaporation on Hierarchical Pore Gradient Silica Aerogel-Based Generators.

In this study, the electric energy harvesting capability of the hierarchical pore gradient silica aerogel (HPSA) is demonstrated due to its unique porous structure and inherent hydroxyl groups on the surface. Taking advantage of the positively charged surface of unwashed HPSA credited by the preparation strategy, poly(4-styrene sulfonic acid) (PSS) can be spontaneously adsorbed onto unwashed HPSA and shows gradient distribution due to the pore-gradient structure of HPSA. By virtue of the gradient distribution and the stronger ionization of PSS, PSS-modified HPSA (PSS-HPSA) shows enhanced electricity generation performance from natural water evaporation with an average output voltage of 0.77 V on an individual device. The water evaporation-induced electricity property of PSS-HPSA can be maintained in the presence of a low concentration of salt. The desirable salt resistance capability benefits from the unique 3D hierarchical porous structure of HPSA which ensures rapid water replenishment so as to effectively avoid the salt accumulation. The HPSA-based devices with the advantages of unique porous structure, easy functionalization, good physicochemical stability, good salt resistance capability, and eco-friendliness show great potential as water evaporation-induced electricity generators.

Archaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China Craton.

The geodynamic processes that formed Earth's earliest continents are intensely debated. Particularly, the transformation from ancient crustal nuclei into mature Archaean cratons is unclear, primarily owing to the paucity of well-preserved Eoarchaean-Palaeoarchaean 'protocrust'. Here, we report a newly identified Palaeoarchaean continental fragment-the Baishanhu nucleus-in northeastern North China Craton. U-Pb geochronology shows that this nucleus preserves five major magmatic events during 3.6-2.5 Ga. Geochemistry and zircon Lu-Hf isotopes reveal ancient 4.2-3.8 Ga mantle extraction ages, as well as later intraplate crustal reworking. Crustal architecture and zircon Hf-O isotopes indicate that proto-North China first formed in a stagnant/squishy lid geodynamic regime characterised by plume-related magmatic underplating. Such cratonic growth and maturation were prerequisites for the emergence of plate tectonics. Finally, these data suggest that North China was part of the Sclavia supercraton and that the Archaean onset of subduction occurred asynchronously worldwide.

Reducing Door-to-Puncture Times for Mechanical Thrombectomy in a Large Tertiary Hospital.

Background and Objectives: Endovascular therapy (EVT) for stroke has emerged as an important therapy for selected stroke patients, and shorter times to clot removal improve functional outcomes. EVT requires the close coordination of multiple departments and poses unique challenges to care coordination in large hospitals. We present the results of our quality improvement project that aimed to improve our door-to-groin puncture (DTP) times for patients who undergo EVT after direct presentation to our emergency department. Methods: We conducted time-motion studies to understand the full process of an EVT activation and conducted Gemba walks in multiple hospitals. We also reviewed the literature and interviewed stakeholders to create interventions that were implemented over 4 Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. We retrospectively collected data starting from baseline and during every PDSA cycle. During each cycle, we studied the impact of the interventions, adjusted the interventions, and generated further interventions. A variety of interventions were introduced targeting all aspects of the EVT process. This included parallel processing to reduce waiting time, standardization of protocols and training of staff, behavioral prompts in the form of a stroke clock, and push systems to empower staff to facilitate the forward movement of the patient. A novel role-based communication app to facilitate group communications was also used. Results: Eighty-eight patients spanning across 22 months were analyzed. After the final PDSA cycle, the median DTP time was reduced by 36.5% compared with baseline (130 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] 111-140) to 82.5 minutes (IQR 74.8-100)). There were improvements in all phases of the EVT process with the largest time savings occurring in EVT decision to patient arrival at the angiosuite. Interventions that were most impactful are described. Discussion: EVT is a complex process involving multiple processes and local factors. Analysis of the process from all angles and intervening on multiple small aspects can add up to significant improvements in DTP times.

Urolithin A promotes atherosclerotic plaque stability by limiting inflammation and hypercholesteremia in Apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Urolithin A (UroA), a dietary phytochemical, is produced by gut bacteria from fruits rich in natural polyphenols ellagitannins (ETs). The efficiency of ETs metabolism to UroA in humans depends on gut microbiota. UroA has shown a variety of pharmacological activities. In this study we investigated the effects of UroA on atherosclerotic lesion development and stability. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice were fed a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet for 3 months to establish atherosclerosis model. Meanwhile the mice were administered UroA (50 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.). We showed that UroA administration significantly decreased diet-induced atherosclerotic lesions in brachiocephalic arteries, macrophage content in plaques, expression of endothelial adhesion molecules, intraplaque hemorrhage and size of necrotic core, while increased the expression of smooth muscle actin and the thickness of fibrous cap, implying features of plaque stabilization. The underlying mechanisms were elucidated using TNF-α-stimulated human endothelial cells. Pretreatment with UroA (10, 25, 50 µM) dose-dependently inhibited TNF-α-induced endothelial cell activation and monocyte adhesion. However, the anti-inflammatory effects of UroA in TNF-α-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were independent of NF-κB p65 pathway. We conducted RNA-sequencing profiling analysis to identify the differential expression of genes (DEGs) associated with vascular function, inflammatory responses, cell adhesion and thrombosis in UroA-pretreated HUVECs. Human disease enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were significantly correlated with cardiovascular diseases. We demonstrated that UroA pretreatment mitigated endothelial inflammation by promoting NO production and decreasing YAP/TAZ protein expression and TEAD transcriptional activity in TNF-α-stimulated HUVECs. On the other hand, we found that UroA administration modulated the transcription and cleavage of lipogenic transcription factors SREBP1/2 in the liver to ameliorate cholesterol metabolism in ApoE-/- mice. This study provides an experimental basis for new dietary therapeutic option to prevent atherosclerosis.

A Selective-Tumor-Penetrating Strategy via Unidirectional Direct Transfer for Intravesical Therapy of Bladder Cancer.

A selective tumor-penetrating strategy generally exploits tumor-targeted ligands to modify drugs so that the conjugate preferentially enters tumors and subsequently undergoes transcellular transport to penetrate tumors. However, this process shields ligands from their corresponding targets on the cell surface, possibly inducing an off-target effect during drug penetration at the tumor-normal interface. Herein, we first describe a selective tumor-penetrating drug (R11-phalloidin conjugates) for intravesical therapy of bladder cancer. The intravesical conjugates rapidly translocated across the mucus layer, specifically bound to tumors, and infiltrated throughout the tumor via direct intercellular transfer. Notably, direct transfer from normal cells to tumor cells was unidirectional because the pathways required for direct transfer, termed F-actin-rich tunneling nanotubes, were more unidirectionally extended from normal cells to tumor cells. Moreover, the intravesical conjugates displayed strong anticancer activity and well-tolerated biosafety in murine orthotopic bladder tumor models. Our study demonstrated the potential of a selective tumor-penetrating conjugate for effective intravesical anticancer therapy.

Moscatilin inhibits vascular calcification by activating IL13RA2-dependent inhibition of STAT3 and attenuating the WNT3/ß-catenin signalling pathway.

INTRODUCTION: Vascular calcification, a devastating vascular complication accompanying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease, increases the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events and compromises the efficacy of vascular interventions. However, effective therapeutic drugs and treatments to delay or prevent vascular calcification are lacking. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to test the therapeutic effects and mechanism of Moscatilin (also known as dendrophenol) from Dendrobium huoshanense (an eminent traditional Chinese medicine) in suppressing vascular calcification in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice (25-week-old) were subjected to nicotine and vitamin D3 (VD3) treatment to induce vascular calcification. In vitro, we established the cellular model of osteogenesis of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) under phosphate conditions. RESULTS: By utilizing an in-house drug screening strategy, we identified Moscatilin as a new naturally-occurring chemical entity to reduce HASMC calcium accumulation. The protective effects of Moscatilin against vascular calcification were verified in cultured HASMCs. Unbiased transcriptional profiling analysis and cellular thermal shift assay suggested that Moscatilin suppresses vascular calcification via binding to interleukin 13 receptor subunit A2 (IL13RA2) and augmenting its expression. Furthermore, IL13RA2 was reduced during HASMC osteogenesis, thus promoting the secretion of inflammatory factors via STAT3. We further validated the participation of Moscatilin-inhibited vascular calcification by the classical WNT/ß-catenin pathway, among which WNT3 played a key role in this process. Moscatilin mitigated the crosstalk between WNT3/ß-catenin and IL13RA2/STAT3 to reduce osteogenic differentiation of HASMCs. CONCLUSION: This study supports the potential of Moscatilin as a new naturally-occurring candidate drug for treating vascular calcification via regulating the IL13RA2/STAT3 and WNT3/ß-catenin signalling pathways.

Prehospital stroke care in Singapore.

ABSTRACT: Due to the narrow window of opportunity for stroke therapeutics to be employed, effectiveness of stroke care systems is predicated on the efficiency of prehospital stroke systems. A robust prehospital stroke system of care that provides a rapid and well-coordinated response maximises favourable poststroke outcomes, but achieving this presents a unique set of challenges dependent on demographic and geographical circumstances. Set in the context of a highly urbanised first-world nation with a rising burden of stroke, Singapore's prehospital stroke system has evolved to reflect the environment in which it operates. This review aims to characterise the current state of prehospital stroke care in Singapore, covering prehospital aspects of the stroke survival chain from symptom onset till arrival at the emergency department. We identify areas for improvement and innovation, as well as provide insights into the possible future of prehospital stroke care in Singapore.

How hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions synergistically facilitate mephedrone adsorption by bio-sorbent: An in-depth microscopic scale interpretation.

Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone, MEPH) exhibited severe ecologic hazards and health detriments. A novel deep eutectic solvent functionalized magnetic ZIF-8/hierarchical porous carbon (DMZH) with excellent selectivity, interference resistance and recyclability, was developed for the rapid adsorption of MEPH. Initially, potential adsorption sites of MEPH were predicted. Then, π-π and hydrogen bonding interactions were proposed and verified from characterizations, comparative experiments and theoretical calculations. The synergistic effects of the hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions increased the adsorption energies from -15.26 kcal⋅mol-1 to -21.83 kcal⋅mol-1, enhanced the degree of π-dissociation, enlarged the π-π isosurface area, extended the van der Waals surface mutual penetration distance, achieving stronger affinity and remarkable adsorption. Furthermore, offset (parallel-displaced) π-π stacking form existed between DMZH and MEPH. DMZH acted as the hydrogen bond donor and MEPH served as the hydrogen bond acceptor to form O-H⋯O and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonding interaction. Profiting from the synergistic effects, DMZH showed satisfactory adsorption for MEPH within 20 min with a maximum adsorption capacity of 3270.11 µg∙g-1, displayed excellent performance in wide pH range of 5∼11 and in the coexistence of multi-chemicals.

Research on the Performance of Self-Made Open-Cathode Fuel Cell Stacks under Different Operating Conditions.

The traditional fuel cell power system requires external ventilation and humidification systems for both the anode and cathode, which not only increases the application cost but also restrict its widespread use. In order to further enhance the applicability and reduce the operating costs of fuel cell power systems, this paper investigates the open-cathode proton exchange membrane fuel cell power system. This approach not only lowers the cost but also reduces the weight of the power system, enabling its potential application in a wider range of vehicles. In this study, two versions of the open-cathode fuel cell stacks were developed and performance and stability tests were conducted under various operating conditions. Additionally, tests were carried out with different materials of carbon paper to find a balance between performance and stability. Through the research presented in this paper, the application scope of fuel cells has been expanded, providing valuable insights for their further development.

The value of ATAD3A as a potential biomarker for bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer (BCa) is a highly malignant tumor, and if left untreated, it can develop severe hematuria and tumor metastasis, thereby endangering the patient's life. The purpose of this paper was to detect the expression of ATAD3A in BCa and research the relationship between ATAD3A and pathological features of bladder cancer and the prognosis of patients. METHODS: First, the expression of ATAD3A in BCa and normal bladder tissues was analyzed based on the UALCAN and Oncomine public databases. Second, 491 cases of surgically resected bladder cancer specimens and 110 cases of normal adjacent tissues were immunohistochemically stained. The expression of ATAD3A was quantified, and the value and prognosis of ATAD3A as a biomarker of BCa were evaluated. RESULTS: The expression of ATAD3A in bladder cancer tissues was higher than that in normal bladder mucosa. High expression of ATAD3A was correlated with patient age, tumor size, number of tumors, distant metastasis, lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular invasion, and TNM stage (p < 0.05). Overexpression of ATAD3A is closely related to cancer patient survival. The mean survival time of bladder cancer patients with high ATAD3A expression was shorter than those with low ATAD3A levels. According to the relative comparing result, the high ATAD3A expression herald reduced overall survival in BCa patients. CONCLUSIONS: The abnormal overexpression of ATAD3A may be related to the initiation and progress of bladder cancer. The upregulation of ATAD3A can be used as an effective indicator to diagnose bladder cancer and predict tumor progression. Furthermore, the combination of information from public databases and the results of clinical sample analysis can help us better understand the mechanism of action of molecular oncogenes in bladder cancer.

Multi-Objective NSGA-II Optimization for Broadband Beamforming with Spherical Harmonic Domain Assistance.

Sidelobe suppression is a major challenge in wideband beamforming for acoustic research, especially in high noise and reverberation environments. In this paper, we propose a multi-objective NSGA-II wideband beamforming method based on a spherical harmonic domain for spherical microphone arrays topology. The method takes white noise gain, directional index and maximum sidelobe level as the optimization objectives of broadband beamforming, adopts the NSGA-II optimization strategy with constraints to estimate the Pareto optimal solution, and provides three-dimensional broadband beamforming capability. Our method provides superior sidelobe suppression across different spherical harmonic orders compared to commonly used multi-constrained single-objective optimal beamforming methods. We also validate the effectiveness of our proposed method in a conference room setting. The proposed method achieves a white noise gain of 8.28 dB and a maximum sidelobe level of -23.42 dB at low frequency, while at high frequency it yields comparable directivity index results to both DolphChebyshev and SOCP methods, but outperforms them in terms of white noise gain and maximum sidelobe level, measuring 16.14 dB and -25.18 dB, respectively.

Application of anatomic reconstruction technique for periurethral structure in robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.

Objective: To investigate the outcome of patients underwent anatomic periurethral reconstruction during robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RARP). Materials and methods: During August 2016 to May 2018, periurethral structure anatomic reconstruction was performed during RARP in 58 consecutive patients. The control group consists of another 50 patients had no reconstruction procedure during RARP. Perioperative data of these patients were collected retrospectively, including operation time, anastomosis time, intraoperative blood loss, duration of indwelling catheter, length of hospital stay, complications, postoperative pathology, and continence outcome at 1,3,6 and 12 months. Results: All cases were successfully performed without conversion to open or laparoscopic surgery. There were no major intraoperative or postoperative complications.The percentage of patients maintain continence in the reconstruction group versus non-reconstruction group: At 1 month 84.5% (49/58)versus 70.0% (35/50), at 3 months 89.7% (52/58)versus 78.0% (39/50), at 6 months 91.3% (53/58)versus 86.0% (43/50) and 1 year after surgery 100.0% (58/58)versus 96.0% (48/50). Reconstruction group showed better continence outcome in 1 and 3 months (P<0.05). There is no statistical differences in 6 month and 1 year. Conclusion: Anatomic reconstruction of periurethral structure during RARP is safe and feasible with reduced duration of indwelling catheter and better continence outcome.

Biobased Intelligent Food-Packaging Materials with Sustained-Release Antibacterial and Real-Time Monitoring Ability.

It has been widely accepted that sustainable polymers derived from renewable resources are able to replace the short-turnover petroleum-based materials and reduce environmental impact in the future. However, their hydrophilic chemical structures rich with oxygen groups could lead to easy growth of bacteria, which greatly limit their applications in packaging materials. Here, we present an intelligent food-packaging material with sustained-release antibacterial and real-time monitoring ability based on totally biobased contents. In detail, sodium alginate with Artemisia argyi emission oil (encapsulated in gelatin-Arabic gum microcapsules) and citric acid-sourced pH-responsive carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are coated on bamboo cellulose papers. The obtained biobased composite material (almost 100% biocarbon content) with antibacterial ability is able to extend the shelf life of fresh shrimps and can be biodegraded. Moreover, owing to the introduction of CQDs, the composite can rapidly (within 1 s) detect slight pH variations (response pH ∼5, 10-9 mol/L of OH-) through an obvious color change (hue value from 305 to 355°). The developed strategy may open up new opportunities in the design of multifunctional biobased composites for intelligent applications.

Association of COVID-19 'circuit breaker' with higher rates of elderly trauma admissions.

Introduction: In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) virus emerged and caused a worldwide pandemic, leading to measures being imposed by many countries to reduce its transmission. Singapore implemented the 'circuit breaker', which restricted all movements except for access to necessities and healthcare services. We aimed to investigate the impact of lockdown measures on the pattern of trauma and its effects. Methods: An observational, retrospective, single-centre descriptive study was conducted using the trauma registry in Singapore General Hospital. It included patients above 18 years old who presented to the emergency department with trauma and were subsequently admitted. Patients admitted from 1 February 2020 to 31 July 2020 and those admitted during the same timeframe in 2019 were studied. Subgroup analyses were performed for patients aged ≥65 years and those <65 years. Results: A total of 1,037 patients were included for analysis. A 17.6% increase in trauma presentations was seen from 2019 to 2020. Patients aged ≥65 years accounted for the rise in admissions. The predominant mechanism of injury was falls at home for older patients and vehicular accidents in patients <65 years. There were no significant differences in injury severity score, intensive care/high-dependency unit admission rates, length of stay, mortality rate, and subsequent need for inpatient rehabilitation. Conclusion: Our study provided information on differences in trauma presentations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further studies are required to better inform on additional precautionary measures needed to reduce trauma and improve safety during future lockdowns and pandemics.

Deep insight into selective adsorption behavior and mechanism of novel deep eutectic solvent functionalized bio-sorbent towards methcathinone: Experiments and DFT calculation.

This work designed and synthesized novelly selective, highly efficient and friendly environmental biochar nanomaterial (ZMBC@ChCl-EG) by screening suitable deep eutectic solvent (DES) as the functional monomer via Density Functional Theory (DFT). The prepared ZMBC@ChCl-EG achieved the highly efficient adsorption of methcathinone (MC) and exhibited excellent selectivity as well as good reusability. Selectivity analysis concluded that the distribution coefficient value (KD) of ZMBC@ChCl-EG towards MC was 3.247 L/g, which was about 3 times higher than that of ZMBC, corresponding to stronger selective adsorption capacity. The studies of isothermal and kinetics indicated that ZMBC@ChCl-EG had an excellent adsorption capacity towards MC and the adsorption was mainly chemically controlled. In addition, DFT was used to calculate the binding energies between MC and each component. The binding energies were -10.57 kcal/mol for ChCl-EG/MC, -3.15∼-9.51 kcal/mol for BCs/MC, -2.33 kcal/mol for ZIF-8/MC, respectively, suggesting that DES played a major role in enhancing methcathinone adsorption. Lastly, the adsorption mechanisms were revealed by variables experiment combined with characterizations and DFT calculation. The main mechanisms were hydrogen bonding and π-π interaction.

Adsorption of amphetamine on deep eutectic solvents functionalized graphene oxide/metal-organic framework nanocomposite: Elucidation of hydrogen bonding and DFT studies.

The efficient and selective removal of amphetamine (AMP) from water bodies is significant for environmental remediation. In this study, a novel strategy for screening deep eutectic solvent (DES) functional monomers was proposed based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Using magnetic GO/ZIF-67 (ZMG) as substrates, three DES-functionalized adsorbents (ZMG-BA, ZMG-FA, and ZMG-PA) were successfully synthesized. The isothermal results showed that the DES-functionalized materials introduced more adsorption sites and mainly contributed to the formation of hydrogen bonds. The order of the maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) was as follows: ZMG-BA (732.110 µg⋅g-1) > ZMG-FA (636.518 µg⋅g-1) > ZMG-PA (564.618 µg⋅g-1) > ZMG (489.913 µg⋅g-1). The adsorption rate of AMP on ZMG-BA was the highest (98.1%) at pH 11, which could be explained by the less protonation of -NH2 from AMP being more favorable for forming hydrogen bonds with the -COOH of ZMG-BA. The strongest affinity of the -COOH of ZMG-BA for AMP was reflected in the most hydrogen bonds and the shortest bond length. The hydrogen bonding adsorption mechanism was fully explained by experimental characterization (FT-IR, XPS) and DFT calculations. Frontier Molecular Orbital (FMO) calculations showed that ZMG-BA had the lowest HOMO-LUMO energy gap (Egap), the highest chemical activity and the best adsorption capability. The experimental results agreed with the results of theoretical calculations, proving the validity of the functional monomer screening method. This research offered fresh suggestions for the functionalized modification of carbon nanomaterials to achieve effective and selective adsorption for psychoactive substances.

Enhanced adsorption of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine by magnetic graphene oxide-polydopamine nanohybrid modified zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 and its micro-mechanism: Experiments and calculations.

Exploring the structure-dependent adsorption mechanism of contaminants in wastewater is beneficial to high-efficiency adsorbents design and environmental remediation. In this study, emerging porous material of zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) has been modified by the magnetic graphene oxide-polydopamine nanohybrid (mGOP) to obtain three-dimensional ZIF-67/mGOP through an in-situ growth strategy, which was applied to adsorb 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") in wastewater. A combination of characterizations, experiments (pH, humic acid and ion strength effect) and quantum chemical calculations revealed the microscopic adsorption mechanism involves each single component, of which the hydrogen bond (O/N…HO) and π-π electron donor acceptor (π-π EDA) interactions of mGOP endowed favourable adsorption of ZIF-67/mGOP, and mechanisms of the pore filling and Co-O chelation of ZIF-67 played synergistic effect. Such nanocomposite as a ZIFs-based adsorbent exhibited ultra-high porosity (total pore volume = 0.4033 cm3/g) and specific surface area (995.22 m2/g), revealed the heterogeneity and multilayer adsorption properties, and obtained a theoretical maximum adsorption capacity of 159.845 µg/g which higher than that of mZIF-67 alone. Overall, this work provided an effective strategy for rationally modulate ZIFs-based composites and exploration of adsorption mechanism.

Growth differentiation factor 15 is dispensable for acetaminophen-induced liver injury in mice.

Acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury (AILI) has been recognized as a pivotal contributor to drug-induced liver failure in Western countries, but its molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) is a pleiotropic factor that alleviates non-alcoholic liver steatohepatitis, liver fibrosis and liver injury. The aim of the present study was to examine the possibility whether GDF15 confers protection against AILI. We found that the gene expression of Gdf15 was increased significantly after APAP overdose in mice. Next, the role of Gdf15 in AILI was evaluated by hepatic Gdf15 overexpression (using adeno-associated virus serotype 8), injection with recombinant human GDF15 (rhGDF15) and Gdf15 knockout mice after challenge with APAP. A marked elevation of Gdf15 was observed after AILI. However, there were no significant differences in AILI-related liver injury and JNK phosphorylation after Gdf15 overexpression, rhGDF15 injection or Gdf15 deficiency. Together, we conclude that, despite a noticeable elevation of Gdf15 level after AILI, Gdf15 is dispensable for APAP-induced AILI. Our study further suggests that genomic analysis of mRNA expression after APAP overdose is of limited relevance unless followed up by a functional analysis of candidate genes in vivo.