Lignin alkali regulated interfacial polymerization towards ultra-selective and highly permeable nanofiltration membrane.

Thin-film composite polyamide (TFC PA) membranes hold promise for energy-efficient liquid separation, but achieving high permeance and precise separation membrane via a facile approach that is compatible with present manufacturing line remains a great challenge. Herein, we demonstrate the use of lignin alkali (LA) derived from waste of paper pulp as an aqueous phase additive to regulate interfacial polymerization (IP) process for achieving high performance nanofiltration (NF) membrane. Various characterizations and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that LA can promote the diffusion and partition of aqueous phase monomer piperazine (PIP) molecules into organic phase and their uniform dispersion on substrate, accelerating the IP reaction and promoting greater interfacial instabilities, thus endowing formation of TFC NF membrane with an ultrathin, highly cross-linked, and crumpled PA layer.

Evaluation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and urine non-transferrin-bound iron concentrations in cats with chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) regulate gene transcription, which aids hypoxia adaptation while promoting renal fibrosis. Non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) is a catalytic form of iron that can lead to oxidative damage. However, NTBI in cat biofluids has rarely been evaluated.

Association of obesity with orbital fat expansion in thyroid eye disease.

Background: To investigate the association between obesity and orbital fat expansion in proptosis of thyroid eye disease.

Methods: This observational study retrospectively enrolled 87 participants who received orbital fat decompression surgery for thyroid eye disease. Primary outcome measures included average body mass index (BMI) and the proportion of the study sample with overweight and obesity, compared with the general Taiwanese population.

Highly efficient electroplating of (220)-oriented nano-twinned copper in methanesulfonic copper baths.

The formation of a high-density nanotwinned structure in copper deposits is presently acknowledged as a paramount goal for enhancing the material characteristics of copper. However, the conventional manufacturing processes often involve the incorporation of organic additives, resulting in consequential impurity effects and aging concerns. In this work, we introduce a high-rate approach to fabricate (220)-orientation nanotwinned copper foils in a concentrated methanesulfonate copper solution with mere amount of chloride ions as additives.

Novel Naphthyridones Targeting Pannexin 1 for Colitis Management.

Pannexin 1 (PANX1) forms cell-surface channels capable of releasing signaling metabolites for diverse patho-physiological processes. While inhibiting dysregulated PANX1 has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy for many pathological conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), low efficacy, or poor specificity of classical PANX1 inhibitors introduces uncertainty for their applications in basic and translational research. Here, hit-to-lead optimization is performed and a naphthyridone, compound 12, is identified as a new PANX1 inhibitor with an IC of 0.