2D Electrodes From Functionalized Graphene for Rapid Electrochemical Gold Extraction and Reduction From Electronic Waste.

Electronic waste (e-waste) contains substantial quantities of valuable precious metals, particularly gold (Au). However, inefficient metal recovery leads to these precious metals being discarded in landfills, causing significant water and environmental contamination. This study introduces a two-dimensional (2D) electrode with a layered graphene oxide membrane functionalized by chitosan (GO/CS).

Art and Science of Reinforcing Ceramics with Graphene via Ultrasonication Mixing.

This work presents an interdisciplinary approach combining materials science, ultrasonication, artistic expression, and curatorial practice to develop and investigate novel composites. The focus of the approach is incorporating graphene oxide (GO) into kaolin and exploring its effects on material properties. The composites were prepared with varying GO concentrations and sonication times, and their mechanical, thermal, and morphological characteristics were evaluated.

Graphene/chitosan nanoreactors for ultrafast and precise recovery and catalytic conversion of gold from electronic waste.

The extraction of gold (Au) from electronic waste (e-waste) has both environmental impact and inherent value. Improper e-waste disposal poses environmental and health risks, entailing substantial remediation and healthcare costs. Large efforts are applied for the recovery of Au from e-waste using complex processes which include the dissolution of Au, its adsorption in an ionic state and succeeding reduction to metallic Au.

Synthesis and antiproliferative activity of thiazole-fused anthraquinones.

Heterocyclic derivatives of anthraquinone demonstrated a high potential for the development of new antitumor compounds. In this study, we report a scheme for the synthesis of thiazole-fused anthraquinones and the results of their antiproliferative activity. A convenient metal-free method for the thiolation of anthraquinone derivatives has been proposed for the preparation of the key intermediates.

Ultra-Tough Graphene Oxide/DNA 2D Hydrogel with Intrinsic Sensing and Actuation Functions.

Hydrogel devices with mechanical toughness and tunable functionalities are highly desirable for practical long-term applications such as sensing and actuation elements for soft robotics. However, existing hydrogels have poor mechanical properties, slow rates of response, and low functionality. In this work, two-dimensional hydrogel actuators are proposed and formed on the self-assembly of graphene oxide (GO) and deoxynucleic acid (DNA).

Graphene oxide-DNA/graphene oxide-PDDA sandwiched membranes with neuromorphic function.

The behavior of polyelectrolytes in confined spaces has direct relevance to the protein mediated ion transport in living organisms. In this paper, we govern lithium chloride transport by the interface provided by polyelectrolytes, polycation, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and, polyanion, double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA), in confined graphene oxide (GO) membranes. Polyelectrolyte-GO interfaces demonstrate neuromorphic functions that were successfully applied with nanochannel ion interactions contributed, resulting in ion memory effects.

Thiadiazole-, selenadiazole- and triazole-fused anthraquinones as G-quadruplex targeting anticancer compounds.

G-quadruplex (G4) ligands attract considerable attention as potential anticancer therapeutics. In this study we proposed an original scheme for synthesis of azole-fused anthraquinones and prepared a series of G4 ligands carrying amino- or guanidinoalkylamino side chains. The heterocyclic core and structure of the terminal groups strongly affect on binding to G4-forming oligonucleotides, cellular accumulation and antitumor potency of compounds.

Interventions in preconception and pregnant women at risk of gestational diabetes; a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Background: Women at risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) need preventative interventions.

Objective: To evaluate targeted interventions before and during pregnancy for women identified as being at risk of developing GDM.

Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis conducted following PRISMA guidelines.

Graphene oxide-polyamine preprogrammable nanoreactors with sensing capability for corrosion protection of materials.

Corrosion is one of the major issues for sustainable manufacturing globally. The annual global cost of corrosion is US$2.5 trillion (approximately 3.

A nanofluidic sensing platform based on robust and flexible graphene oxide/chitosan nanochannel membranes for glucose and urea detection.

We present the development of a health-monitoring nanofluidic membrane utilizing biocompatible and biodegradable graphene oxide, chitosan, and graphene quantum dots. The nanoconfinement provided by graphene oxide nanolayers encapsulates chitosan molecules, allowing for their conformational changes and switchable hydrophobic-hydrophilic behavior in response to pH variations. This low-dimensional membrane operates as an array of nanofluidic channels that can release quantum dots upon pH change.

Angstrom-Confined Electrochemical Synthesis of Sub-Unit-Cell Non-Van Der Waals 2D Metal Oxides.

Bottom-up electrochemical synthesis of atomically thin materials is desirable yet challenging, especially for non-van der Waals (non-vdW) materials. Thicknesses below a few nanometers have not been reported yet, posing the question how thin can non-vdW materials be electrochemically synthesized. This is important as materials with (sub-)unit-cell thickness often show remarkably different properties compared to their bulk form or thin films of several nanometers thickness.

Trends in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and vaccine antibody prevalence in a multi-ethnic inner-city antenatal population: A cross-sectional surveillance study.

Objective: To determine severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence in pregnancy in an inner-city setting and assess associations with demographic factors and vaccination timing.

Design: Repeated cross-sectional surveillance study.

Setting: London maternity centre.

Modeling Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy With Fibrotic Myocardial Damage in Wistar Rats.

Background: Cardiovascular complications, arising after anthracycline chemotherapy, cause a significant deterioration in the life quality and expectancy of those patients who were previously successfully treated for malignant neoplasms. A number of clinical studies have demonstrated that patients with cardiotoxicity manifested during anthracyclines therapy also have extensive fibrotic changes in the cardiac muscle in the long term. Given the lack of an unambiguous understanding of the mechanisms of fibrotic changes formation under doxorubicin treatment in the myocardium, there is the obvious necessity to create a relevant experimental model of chronic doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy with fibrotic myocardial lesions and delayed development of diastolic dysfunction.

Periodic Self-Assembly of Poly(ethyleneimine)-poly(4-styrenesulfonate) Complex Coacervate Membranes.

Coacervation is a self-assembly strategy based on the complexation of polyelectrolytes, which is utilized in biomedicine and agriculture, as well as automotive and textile industries. In this paper, we developed a new approach to the on-demand periodic formation of polyelectrolyte complexes through a Liesegang-type hierarchical organization. Adjustment of reaction conditions allows us to assemble materials with a tunable spatiotemporal geometry and establish materials' production cycles with a regulated periodicity.

Design, Synthesis and In Vitro Investigation of Cabozantinib-Based PROTACs to Target c-Met Kinase.

(1) Background: This investigation aimed at developing a series of c-Met-targeting cabozantinib-based PROTACs. (2) Methods: Purification of intermediate and target compounds was performed using column chromatography, in vitro antiproliferation activity was measured using a standard MTT assay and a c-Met degradation assay was performed via the immunoblotting technique. (3) Results: Several compounds exhibited antiproliferative activity towards different cell lines of breast cancer (T47D, MDA-MB-231, SKBR3, HCC1954 and MCF7) at the same level as parent cabozantinib and 7-demethyl cabozantinib.

Inpatient COVID-19 vaccination rollout: Improving access to vaccination.

Background: We were aware of high numbers of inpatients unvaccinated against COVID-19 at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT). Due to this, an inpatient vaccination protocol was set up in July 2021, with initially limited uptake.

Methods: From October 2021, a multidisciplinary team worked to improve the protocol for inpatient vaccination, with the development of a system that gave ownership to clinical teams.

Satellite Glial Cells: Morphology, functional heterogeneity, and role in pain.

Neurons in the somatic, sympathetic, and parasympathetic ganglia are surrounded by envelopes consisting of satellite glial cells (SGCs). Recently, it has become clear that SGCs are highly altered after nerve injury, which influences neuronal excitability and, consequently, the development and maintenance of pain in different animal models of chronic pain. However, the exact mechanism underlying chronic pain is not fully understood yet because it is assumed that SGCs in different ganglia share many common peculiarities, making the process complex.

The genetic history of the Southern Arc: A bridge between West Asia and Europe.

By sequencing 727 ancient individuals from the Southern Arc (Anatolia and its neighbors in Southeastern Europe and West Asia) over 10,000 years, we contextualize its Chalcolithic period and Bronze Age (about 5000 to 1000 BCE), when extensive gene flow entangled it with the Eurasian steppe. Two streams of migration transmitted Caucasus and Anatolian/Levantine ancestry northward, and the Yamnaya pastoralists, formed on the steppe, then spread southward into the Balkans and across the Caucasus into Armenia, where they left numerous patrilineal descendants. Anatolia was transformed by intra-West Asian gene flow, with negligible impact of the later Yamnaya migrations.

Ancient DNA from Mesopotamia suggests distinct Pre-Pottery and Pottery Neolithic migrations into Anatolia.

We present the first ancient DNA data from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic of Mesopotamia (Southeastern Turkey and Northern Iraq), Cyprus, and the Northwestern Zagros, along with the first data from Neolithic Armenia. We show that these and neighboring populations were formed through admixture of pre-Neolithic sources related to Anatolian, Caucasus, and Levantine hunter-gatherers, forming a Neolithic continuum of ancestry mirroring the geography of West Asia. By analyzing Pre-Pottery and Pottery Neolithic populations of Anatolia, we show that the former were derived from admixture between Mesopotamian-related and local Epipaleolithic-related sources, but the latter experienced additional Levantine-related gene flow, thus documenting at least two pulses of migration from the Fertile Crescent heartland to the early farmers of Anatolia.

A genetic probe into the ancient and medieval history of Southern Europe and West Asia.

Literary and archaeological sources have preserved a rich history of Southern Europe and West Asia since the Bronze Age that can be complemented by genetics. Mycenaean period elites in Greece did not differ from the general population and included both people with some steppe ancestry and others, like the Griffin Warrior, without it. Similarly, people in the central area of the Urartian Kingdom around Lake Van lacked the steppe ancestry characteristic of the kingdom's northern provinces.

Heterocyclic ring expansion yields anthraquinone derivatives potent against multidrug resistant tumor cells.

Chemical modifications of anthraquiones are aimed at novel derivatives with improved antitumor properties. Emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR) due to overexpression of transmembrane ATP binding cassette transporters, in particular, MDR1/P-glycoprotein (Pgp), can limit the use of anthraquinone based drugs. Previously we have demonstrated that annelation of modified five-membered heterocyclic rings with the anthraquinone core yielded a series of compounds with optimized antitumor properties.

Heterogeneity and Potency of Peripheral Glial Cells in Embryonic Development and Adults.

This review describes the heterogeneity of peripheral glial cell populations, from the emergence of Schwann cells (SCs) in early development, to their involvement, and that of their derivatives in adult glial populations. We focus on the origin of the first glial precursors from neural crest cells (NCCs), and their ability to differentiate into several cell types during development. We also discuss the heterogeneity of embryonic glia in light of the latest data from genetic tracing and transcriptome analysis.